Fleck could hear his blood pounding in his ears. He looked down at him body, surprised to see he was not shaking. On the inside though, his heart was beating like a trapped bird trying to escape its cage. He was nervous. How could he not be? Everything had led up to this. Everything he'd worked for, everything he'd searched for. It was this moment that would determine the path his life would take. He meekly glanced at the cats in camp, curious as to see how they would react to his plea.
It was clear that this was not what the Thunderclan warriors had been expecting. Shocked mews filled the clearing, and the cats eyes were wide with surprise. Many of the cats turned to each other,talking all at once. It was hard to say what the overall reaction of the clan was. Most of them looked confused and unsure, but some of the cats were gazing at Fleck with unmasked spite glinting in their eyes. Fleck was relieved to see that there were a few warriors nodding thoughtfully. At least not all of the cats hated him. The chatter was growing louder and louder, and Fleck could pick out a few scattered bits of conversation.
"…An outsider!"
"…It's been a long time since we let loners into the clan…"
"…He looks strong enough…"
"…I bet he's a spy!"
"…We do need more apprentices."
"…Ravenpaw's kin…"
Fleck's eyes came to rest on Bramblestar. The leader looked deep in thought. After what seemed to be an eternity, he spoke. "Well, this is certainly unexpected. I do not wish to dishearten you, but life in the clan is hard work, much harder than you'd be used to. And it would be harder for you to fit in, seeing as you're not clan born… But you are Ravenpaw's kin, and we do need more warriors, so maybe-" Bramblestar's words were cut off by an enraged shriek.
A small ginger cat was pushing her way through the crowd, into the center of the clearing. When she came into sight, Fleck recognized her as Sunpaw, the apprentice who'd attacked him earlier. Her eyes were full of anger and her fur was spiked up. "I can't believe you're actually considering this, Bramblestar! He's an outsider! He's not from Thunderclan! He can't be a warrior! He'd be too soft! He'd only be a burden!" She shrieked.
Squirrelflight stalked into the clearing, her green eyes blazing with rage. "Sunpaw! Being the daughter of the Clan Leader and Deputy does not give you the right to interrupt your father when he's speaking! You are an apprentice! And it isn't up to you whether Fleck joins Thunderclan or not! That is for Bramblestar to decide! You have no right to insult this cat because he's not clan born! He has warrior blood too! His grandfather was a respected member of Thunderclan. And have you forgotten how many of our own warriors came from outside the clan? Cloudtail, Daisy, Mousewhisker, Hazeltail, and Daypool are all from outside the clan! Berrynose, who gave his life fighting for Thunderclan, was born a kittypet! My father, Firestar, the greatest leader any of the clans has ever seen was a kittypet by birth! But he was more of a warrior than half the cats in any of the clans! And there are many more cats in this clan that have blood from outside of Thunderclan, including you! Birthright doesn't matter!" She yowled.
Sunpaw glared back at her mother, but it was clear that she was embarrassed that she'd been told off. "Th-That's different! Daypool was a clan cat from birth… and… and.. Firestar was part of a whole slew of prophecies, so of course he joined the clan! And… a-and…"
"Go back to your den, Sunpaw! You've disrupted a clan meeting, and insulted this cat who might very well be your clanmate someday. I'll be having a talk with your mentor later to discuss your punishment." Squirrelflight growled.
"B-but-" Sunpaw stuttered.
"Now!" Squirrelflight hissed.
Sunpaw huffed and padded off, her tail drooping. Fleck turned to Bramblestar to see how the clan leader would react. To Fleck's surprise, his eyes were glittering with amusement. Bramblestar rested his gaze on his mate. "Who does she remind you of, Squirrelflight?" He teased.
"Oh, hush." She growled halfheartedly. The two cats shared a look that spoke of years and years of friendship and memories.
When the moment passed, Bramblestar switched his attention back to Fleck. "I hope you'll excuse Sunpaw's behavior. She's truly not a bad cat, but she never thinks before she speaks, and she has quite the temper." He meowed.
Fleck dipped his head, relieved to hear the clan leader's kind words. "Thank you, Bramblestar." He meowed. Would the clan leader answer his question?
"You must be waiting for an answer to your request to join Thunderclan." Bramblestar said warmly, as if he had read Fleck's thoughts. "I can't give you an answer right away. I need to discuss this with the senior warriors, see if they think it's a good idea. I may be leader of the clan, but I won't make such a huge decision without the input of the clan's members."
Fleck nodded. "That makes sense."
"Glad you understand! In the meantime, why don't you head over to the fresh kill pile? You must be hungry after such a long journey." He purred.
"Thank you, I will." Fleck replied. He opened his jaws to ask where the fresh kill pile was, but Bramblestar was already padding off. Bramblestar turned to look at the cats assembled around the clearing.
"Well, what are you all standing around for? It's not as though Fleck's going to sprout wings and fly around the clearing. There are things to be done." Bramblestar meowed lightly. "Squirrelflight, Lionblaze, Cloudtail, Brackenfur, Brightheart and Birchfall, you come with me. Oh, and you too, Hazeltail." Fleck saw a small gray and white she cat puff up her chest with pride and scamper off to Bramblestar's den.
He looked around the camp, trying to find the fresh kill pile. To Fleck's relief, he soon spotted the heap of prey on one side of the clearing. He padded over to the pile, uncertain as to what to pick.
"Try the Quail." A voice whispered in his ear.
Fleck jumped, whipping around in surprise. A cat about his age purred with laughter. "You should see your face. You look like you saw a Starclan warrior pop out of the ground!" The cat meowed. As Fleck let his fur lie flat, he got a better look at the cat who'd startled him. He was a white tom with unusual ginger stripes on his tail. His paws were the same ginger color, with a few more stripes just above them. The bright color made it appear that he'd stepped in fire. Fleck was about to make an angry retort at the other cat, but he noticed that the tom's green eyes were glittering with laughter. "Hi there, loner. Fleck, right? My name's Quickpaw. Nice to meet ya." He meowed cheerfully.
Fleck was shocked by Quickpaw's friendliness. He'd begun to think that all Thunderclan cats were as unwelcoming and hostile as Sunpaw had been. "Y-yeah, I'm Fleck. Nice to meet you too!" He replied.
Quickpaw purred. "I gotta say, this is the first time I've spoken to a cat from outside the clans."
Fleck blinked. "Really? Aren't there rouges and loners on your borders from time to time?" He inquired.
"Yeah, but I'm a pretty new apprentice. Haven't seen any real fights yet. I was made an apprentice just two moons ago." He said cheerily. "Anyways, let's head over to the fresh kill pile. You have to try some Quail. It's my favorite!" Quickpaw bounded over to the heap of prey. "Come on!"
"Ok!" Fleck replied, happy that at least one cat was trying to be welcoming to him. He dashed after his new friend. Quickpaw was waiting for him, his ginger striped tail curled neatly around his paws. "So which one's the Quial?" Fleck asked.
Quickpaw dragged a large, brown feathered bird off the pile. "This is a Quail."
"Wow, it looks delicious!" Fleck exclaimed. It really did. It was plump looking, and the warm meaty scent coming from it was intoxicating.
"Dig in! I'll take the mouse. The Quail's all for you." Quickpaw meowed, pulling a mouse off of the pile for himself.
"Thanks!" Fleck said. He took a good sized bite out of the bird lying before him. The rich flavor seeped through his mouth. "You're right! It is really good!"
Quickpaw nodded in satisfaction, biting into his own prey. "It is, isn't it?"
The two young cats talked while they ate. By this point, the sun was low in the sky, casting it's golden and orange colors across the camp. Fleck couldn't believe he was really in the Thunderclan camp. But a tiny worm of worry gnawed away at his happiness. What if Bramblestar and the other warriors refused to let him join the Clan? What would he do then?