Brightshade's Secret

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(In the story, the clans EmberClan, NightClan and OakClan are very new Clans, which is why they don't have as many cats as a real Clan might have. I'm going to add more cats to OakClan and EmberClan later.)=====

NightClan
Leader


 * Rainstar - gray tom with yellow eyes

Deputy


 * Fallenheart - white she-cat with pale gray stripes and ice blue eyes


 * (Apprentice, Jaguarpaw - scarred black tom with green eyes)

Medicine Cat


 * Wrenwhisker - pale golden tabby tom


 * (Apprentice, Pearlpaw - gray-blue she-cat with soft silver eyes)

Senior Warriors


 * Blackember - black she-cat with bright amber eyes


 * Redstripe - deep red tabby tom


 * (Apprentice, Screepaw - gray tom with black flecks)


 * Kinkheart - brown tom with white patches and orange eyes

Warriors


 * Icemoon - gray tabby she-cat with a white and underbelly


 * Rubyshine - pure white albino tom with red eyes


 * Tansypetal - pale red-brown she-cat with yellow eyes


 * Hazelfrost - brown tabby tom


 * Wildstorm - white tom with brown tabby patches and green eyes


 * Sandflash - pale sand-colored tom with amber eyes


 * Snakescar - thick-furred pale brown tom with a scar across his face and blue eyes


 * Lynxdapple - gray she-cat with darker gray dapples


 * Owlglance - small black-and-white patched she-cat


 * Lavenderheart - soft gray she-cat with pale violet-blue eyes


 * Tornclaw - burly dark gray tabby tom

Queens


 * Angelfrost - beautiful white she-cat with black streaks on her face and legs, mother of Brightkit (black she-cat with white and gold patches, bright amber eyes)


 * Scarletflower - ginger tabby she-cat with yellow eyes, expecting Wildstorm's kits

Elders


 * Elmheart - small mottled brown she-cat with green eyes

OakClan
Leader


 * Dapplestar - dusky brown tom with darker brown spots

Deputy


 * Frozenstorm - broad-shouldered pale gray tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat


 * Hornetfang - bright gold tabby she-cat


 * (Apprentice, Viperpaw - dark brown tabby she-cat)

Warriors


 * Shalefall - steely gray tom


 * Cardinalsong - ginger tabby she-cat with blue eyes


 * Daffodilbreeze - very pale golden she-cat


 * (Apprentice, Harepaw - pale brown tom with ice blue eyes)

EmberClan
Leader


 * Falconstar - dark brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy


 * Deerleap - small gray-brown tabby tom

Medicine Cat


 * Minktail - tortoiseshell-and-white tom with yellow eyes

CHAPTER ONE
Brightkit was too excited to sit still. Her mother, Angelfrost, was taking forever to finish grooming her. "Mama, I'm done already!" she pulled away and moved to the nursery entrance, ignoring her mother's disapproving glance at her still-messy fur. "When is Rainstar gonna call the Clan meeting?"

Angelfrost smiled. "It is customary to perform any ceremonies at sunhigh, Brightkit. Sunhigh isn't for a while now. But while we're waiting, we can practice a few things. You'll want to impress your new mentor, right?"

Brightkit sighed with resignation and sat down. "Let me guess - the Warrior Code again?"

Angelfrost nodded. "What does the Code say about battles?"

The small black kit stared up at the stone roof of the den, trying to think. "It says . . . Oh! It says, 'An honorable warrior does not have kill his opponents in order to win the battle.' Right?"

The whiter nursery queen nodded warmly. "Yes, exactly. Very good, Brightkit. Now, what does the Code say about friendships outside the Clan?"

After another moment of thought, Brightkit replied, "It says that 'You may have friends outside your own Clan, but your loylalty must lie fully with your Clan - you may have to meet that friend in battle one day.' "

Before Angelfrost could reply, Rainstar's yowl came from the Stoneledge. Brightkit gasped. "It's time! Mama, come on!" She scambled to her paws and raced out into the NightClan camp, Angelfrost right behind her. Brightkit glanced around at the familiar surroundings of the NightClan camp. Cliffs about six cats high surrounded the camp on all sides, and all around the rims was a thick bramble wall - overall, NightClan was very well defended.

Rainstar's blue eyes sparkled with amusement as the kit skidded to a stop and sat down right in the middle of the camp, her bright amber eyes wide and expectant. The rest of the Clan were soon gathered below. Out of the corner of her eye, Brightkit noticed Snakescar, a young warrior with an ugly scar across his broad face.

"Brightkit, step forward please," Rainstar instructed from his place atop the Stoneledge. Brightkit obeyed, excitement making it hard to keep still. "Brightkit, you have reached the age of six moons thus are ready to be apprenticed. From this day until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Brightpaw. Your mentor will be . . ."

This was it. Who was going to mentor her - Lynxdapple? Wildstorm? Maybe even the deputy, Fallenheart? Or Rainstar himself! Brightpaw held her breath excitedly.

". . . your mentor will be Snakescar." Brightpaw's face fell. She couldn't believe it. From how Snakescar's last apprentice, Tornclaw had tuned out - fierce and intimidating - she could only imagine the grueling training Snakescar must have put him through. Tornclaw was the most quick to unsheath his claws in the whole clan - besides Snakescar himself, of course.

Snakescar, his head held high with pride, trotted over to his reluctant new apprentice and touched noses with her. This is going to be fun, Brightpaw thought to herself. ''I've got the worst mentor in the Clan. Great pick, Rainstar.''