Torbiestar's Journey

Prologue

A small bundle of torbie fur snuggled against a white she-cat. It suckled soundlessly, it's small eyelids still closed. The white she-cat purred happily, staring at her kitten.

" Frostfur?" A sleek, pale ginger tabby she-cat pelted over to the white she-cat.

" Yes?" The white she-cat replied, still staring at the cute scrap of fur.

" How's your kitten?" Goldenflower, the pale ginger tabby, asked.

" Oh, she's good. And cute as can be." A purr rumbled in Frostfur's throat.

" What's her name?"

" Torbiekit."

Silence fell across the nursury. Suddenly, it was interrupted by the loud sound of pawsteps. A shadow sliced through the nursury. Newly-made apprentice Thornpaw skipped in and paused at the sound of silence. " What's the matter?"

" Oh, Thornpaw," Frostfur, the pure white she-cat with blue eyes, meowed. " My kit hasn't opened her eyes. She's already 3 weeks old. Thornpaw pranced over to the torbie-colored bundle of fur. " Hey little guy!"

" She-cat." Frostfur corrected, touching the kit with her big, fluffy, white tail. Suddenly, Thornpaw pushed the white fur of Frostfur's tail away and leaned in on Torbiekit's face, so much that their nose's were almost touching.

Suddenly, the kitten, Torbiekit, opened her eyes, almost seeming like to the scent of Thornpaw. Little blue eyes opened. Torbiekit sneezed, scaring Thornpaw into running into Goldenflower. Frostfur giggled, while Goldenflower nicely shooed him out.

Frostfur broke the silence.

" Why did Torbiekit open her eyes when Thornpaw came? It's like a prophecy. A sign." Frostfur meowed.

" You maybe right, Frostfur." Goldenflower mewed back.

The kitten, Torbiekit, suckled in silence.

Allegiances

Leader - Bluestar - 'A Blue she-cat with silver tingled around her muzzle.

Deputy - Tigerclaw - A big, brown tabby tom with long claws.

Medicine Cat - Yellowfang - Old dark gray she-cat with many scars, a flattened face and formerly is from Shadow Clan. Med. Cat Apprentice - Cinderpelt - dark gray she-cat with a crippled leg. Older sister of Torbiepaw.

Apprentices

Torbiepaw - A hyper, kind, nice, torbie she -cat with blue eyes. Youngest sister of Brackenpaw, Thornpaw, Brightpaw, and Cinderpaw.

Thornpaw - A muscular, brown tom. Brother of Torbiepaw, but older.

Brackenpaw - A golden tabby tom. Brother of Torbiepaw, but older.

Brightpaw - A white she-cat with orange spots.

Chapter 1

Torbiekit listened to Bluestar's gentle words.

" From now, until this apprentice has earned it's warrior name, you shall be called Torbiepaw. Your mentor will be Sandstorm." She swept to gaze upon Torbiepaw. Sandstorm shifted from her place where she sat in the circle and touched noses with Torbiepaw. Cheers grew louder and louder.

" Torbiepaw! Torbiepaw!" It seemed like it would last for moons. But finaly, it stopped, and everyone broke up. Sandstorm nudged Torbiepaw - her new apprentice - softly. " What would you like to do, Torbiepaw?"

Before Torbiepaw could answer, her mother - Frostfur - nearly knocked her over with licks and purrs.

" My little kitten." She said, before whispering a ' Good Luck' in her ear and she left. Torbiepaw stared at her mentor.

" Maybe.....we could practice hunt?" She asked. Sandstorm smiled.

" I was thinking of showing you the territory, but-" Sandstorm spoke, but was cut off by Torbiepaw.

" I'd like to see the territory, acctualy." Torbiepaw mewed, looking pleadingly at her mentor. Sandstorm smiled with a - Sure - nudged the apprentice and told her to follow her as she prodded out of the Clan Camp.

This was going to be fun.

Chapter 2

Sandstorm crouched. Torbiepaw did the same, but stumbled a bit when pouncing.

" You need to push with your hindlegs some more, Torbiepaw." Sandstorm commented. Torbiepaw nodded and pushed upwards like her mentor did. She tried it some more untill Sandstorm stopped her.

" Now, let's try this hunting stuff on a leaf, then we will go back to camp. After that, we will go to the territory and explore." Sandstorm meowed, shifting a leaf with her paw. Then she made a mark about two pawsteps away from the fresh, green leaf. " At this line, you will pounce, and I will see if you suceeded or not." Torbiepaw crouched, but waved her tail too much in the air and pounced early.

" You need to keep your tail down." Sandstorm said, showing Torbiepaw again the move of hunting she had mastered long time ago as an apprentice. " Also, don't pounce too early - or til the point that your prey smells you. Try Again."

Torbiepaw tried to master the hunting crouch again. She crouched and slowly crept to the leaf, and when she got to the line in the dirt, she pounced. Torbiepaw landed right on the leaf and sunk her claws in. Instead of feeling moist, dirty earth, she felt blood and flesh. She pulled it out and found a mouse stuck to her claws.

" Wow! Nice job, Torbiepaw! We always thank StarClan for giving us this prey." Sandstorm exclaimed. Then she pricked her ears. A ginger tom with piercing green eyes padded into the clearing with a white tom with fluffy fur following behind. Torbiepaw noticed that the white tom was an apprentice, and the ginger tom was his mentor.

" That's the deputy, Fireheart." Sandstorm whispered.

" Who was the old deputy?" Torbiepaw asked.

" Tigerclaw." Sandstorm replied with a shudder. " He was pure evil. He tried to kill Bluestar." Now, Torbiepawfelt herself shudder. Fireheart and his fluffy apprentice padded closer.

" Hello, Sandstorm." Fireheart meowed. Then he saw Torbiepaw and his eyes glittered with sadness for a split second. But they turned happy after a second. " This is?"

" Torbiepaw." Sandstorm meowed, swishing her tail.

" Hi, Torbiepaw. This is my apprentice, Cloudpaw." Fireheart meowed. Cloudpaw smiled, and groomed his long fur. Torbiepaw nodded. Then she padded back to camp with her mentor.

The Next Day.....

Torbiepaw woke up to the sound of screaming. Smoke filled her nose. Warmness - Warmer than ever - ruffled her fur. She opened her eyes with shock, hoping that it was a dream - a nightmare, but saw nothing but flames surrounding the camp of ThunderClan. Torbiepaw stood up shaking. Her brother, Thornpaw, was gone. Every apprentice was gone. Before Torbiepaw could run out of the den, a flaming log burst down and blocked the entrance.

Suddenly, Sandstorm burst over the log and grabed her scruff. Sandstorm carried Torbiepaw over the log and put her down by the entrance. She coughed. " I'll be okay!" Sandstorm hissed. " Just go!"

With that, Torbiepaw ran to where she knew it would be safe. Water. RiverClan. She pounded down that track, but stopped. " Yellowfang, Sandstorm, Fireheart, Halftail, Bramblekit, and Patchpelt are still in there!" Torbiepaw raced backwards and broke into camp. Fireheart raced over to her and her Bramblekit.

" Run! Run to RiverClan!" Fireheart hissed, his ginger fur fluffy.

Now, Torbiepaw would never go against a deputy's order. So she turned away and bolted down to RiverClan with the brown tabby in her jaws. She raced out to the river. It was dry, so she climbed over it and got to RiverClan. Torbiepaw reached the camp and raced over to her sister, Cinderpaw and dropped the wailing kit.

" Sister!" Cinderpaw cried happily. She licked her sister. Then Cinderpaw stopped. " W-where.....W-Where's Yellowfang....?"

Torbiepaw felt like crying. She know how it would feel to lose her mentor. A knot formed in her throat. " I-I think she's.....dead."

Cinderpaw cried immediatly and pushed her face into Torbiepaw's fur and cried loudly. Rain trickled down from the clouds. Tears streamed down Cinderpaw's face. Torbiepaw crouched down and felt her own tears fall. For her sister's sorrow and losing Yellowfang.

" I'm not ready to become the medicine cat, Sister." Cinderpaw whispered sorrowfuly. " But I have to be, for the sake of ThunderClan." Silence was all heard except for the patter of rain.

" Yellowfang might be..alive." Torbiepaw said, trying to comfort her sister.

" I-I.....doubt that." Cinderpaw sniffed, and then rested her head on Torbiepaw's fur. Fireheart padded through the clearing with Sandstorm. Torbiepaw ran over to her mentor and nuzzled her. Sandstorm licked her apprentice.

" When are we going back?" Torbiepaw asked.

" Well, Fireheart and Graystripe are going back to check, but I don't think you could come..." Sandstorm meowed, not minding the rain falling on her pelt.

" Can you ask them?" Torbiepaw asked.

" Sure. Here, I'll go ask them." Sandstorm meowed, padding away and over to two cats sitting beside eachother. She padded back.

" No. I'm sorry." Sandstorm sighed. Dissapointment lingered in Torbiepaw's stomach. She rested beside Cinderpaw and fell asleep.

Chapter 3

Torbiepaw felt a muzzle move her. She opened her eyes sleepily and saw that Sandstorm was standing beside her. " Come on. Let's go."

Torbiepaw yawned and bounced up. She followed her mentor to camp along with the rest of ThunderClan.