PineClan's Rising

Book 1- Buried Secrets
Author: Silvermoon Date of Last Edit: December 22th 2010 Title of Book: Buried Secrets Announcement From Author: I have just finished the book. Also, there is a poll at the bottom for whether Greentail should be with Willowcloud or Petalwing. Please enter your opinion. Sometimes it malfuntions, so if it does, please put your opinion on a thread. Thank you.

Prologue

Zinnia looked out the window, outside it was raining, making the twoleg den gloomy and dark. Her twoleg was sound asleep on the couch. She had been asleep until her twoleg started yowling in his dream and started pawing at the side of a table. Suddenly there was a screech of claws against the door. Zinnia jumped off the stool and ran to her cat door. Peering through the flap, she saw a bloody, scarred cat. "Who are you?" she asked.

Chapter 1

Stormstar ran into the center of the camp and yelled at the nearest cat. "What is going on?" Frostleaf stopped her yowling and turned to face her leader. "Snowstripe is missing! He went hunting near the abandoned twoleg barn with me. I went around the side while he went in. Suddenly I heard a caterwaul. By the time I got to the inside of the den, all I found was blood and torn fur!" After hearing Frostleaf's explanation, the StormClan leader ran to the Mossyledge, where he found his apprentice staring blankly at the commotion below. "What are you doing? I have to make an announcement. You need to get off of the Mossyledge, Littlepaw." Littlepaw sighed but obediently jumped off. When he landed, he turned to face his mentor. "You were supposed to take me hunting." Stormstar replied, "I will after all this has ended and everyone relaxes. After explaining to his apprentice, Stormstar finally got a chance to address his clan. "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Mossyledge for a clan meeting." The scattered, panicking, cats all formed a group around the ledge. Stormstar continued, "I know that the disappearance of Snowstripe is unsettling, but the whole clan shouldn't panic! After all, we were more calm when Greenpaw went missing! We will further discuss this and search when we finish the border and hunting patrols. While you are out in the forest, if you pick up a trail, come back to camp immediately. If this creature was able to severely injure and or capture one of Pineclan's senior warriors, you may be in danger. This clan cannot afford anymore losses, not now and not ever." Willowpaw yowled up at her leader, "My father is missing?" "What, you didn't know? But I saw you panicking among the others!" Frostleaf exclaimed. Willowpaw replied simply, "I didn't know what everyone else were running around camp for, I just followed them! I thought we were going to evacuate camp!" The clan leader said disbelievingly, "So you were yowling without knowing about it?" The young cat whisked her tail around sheepishly.

The bloody cat answered, "Greenpaw." "Your twoleg must not have good taste for names!" Zinnia exclaimed. "Twoleg? I don't have a twoleg, I am a fierce warrior! I am not like you kittypets." replied Greenpaw proudly. "Then what are you doing here scratching off my twoleg's new crown molding?" She retorted. "Because, it is your twoleg's fault that I even got lost and stolen away from my clan!" Greenpaw spat at Zinnia. She looked at Greenpaw questioningly, "Clan? What is a clan? Is it your suburb's name? Oh, but you don't have a twoleg!" "Oh, just please let me in. It's raining, and I don't have shelter." "Okay, fierce warrior." She replied sarcastically, while jumping up on the stool and pushing open the door, she pushed with such force, that the door made Greenpaw land flat on his back in the middle of the road. "Mousebrain! You made me land in the Thunderpath. The monsters could've gotten me!" yelled Greenpaw when he finally got back on all fours with his pelt slicked with mud, and ran into the den, bumping into her. "No manners, none at all!" Zinnia murmured under her breath, "Don't wake my twolegs." Greenpaw jumped from the sofa where the twoleg was sleeping. He turned to her, opened his mouth to say something, and pelted down the narrow hall forcing her to chase him. They made such a ruckus that her twolegs woke up. "Humph, and you were calling me the mousebrain," Zinnia growled as she turned to see Greenpaw's unique mossy brown striped tail, turned and fled after him.

"I'll take Frostleaf, Mousepaw, and Snowstr...Poppyreed with me to hunt." Stormstar sighed. " And me too," Littlepaw was quick to respond, "You promised that you'd take me hunting today, Stormstar." "Yes and you,"He replied. "Stormstar, I don't mean to be rude, but I want to search for my father." Willowpaw protested. "You can. But while we hunt. It is leaf-bare and we still have many mouths to feed. This has been a hard season and we need as much prey as possible." explained Stormstar. "You're right." She agreed. All five set out with Stormstar in the lead. They stopped at the Flowering Pine and split up. Stormstar padded quietly until he just spotted a starling. He was about to pounce when he heard a breathtaking yowl that scared the bird away. He stood from his crouch and followed the sound. When he finally reached it the others were already there looking in shock, standing a few inches away from his apprentice.

Frostleaf was leaning heavily against Poppyreed. "My mate, and now my kit," Frostleaf said sobbing "Starclan, how could you let this happen? If only he hadn't asked and didn't go." The small body of Littlepaw lay still and motionless.

Suddenly, two badgers stepped out of the bushes and lunged for Frostleaf, carrying her of her paws. She tried and tried to get them off, she could feel it's claws dig into her tabby pelt. She snarled and nipped ferociously, as these were the badgers that had killed the young apprentice. But they were too much for her. She tured her head to see the others fighting off the larger of the two. She tried to knock the badger of its' paws, but it was a futile attempt. She gasped when its' lumbering paws smashed a whisker's length away from her haunches. She instantly leaped backwards.

"I'm going to go to Starclan." Frostleaf thought as it approached her. Just as it's paw was crashing down, she saw a flash of ginger fur and saw Poppyreed on the badger clinging onto it's right flank. She scrambled up to her paws ready to fight. Then she settled down and caught her breath as saw the badgers fleeing in the distance. "What happened!" Willowpaw demanded. Stormfur hadn't noticed that Willowpaw had just arrived. Willowpaw gasped as she spotted Littlepaw, her younger brother, laying limply on the grass.

"Hey wait for me," She called after him as she strained to catch up with the young apprentice. Zinnia thought she had lost him until she see him until she had seen him stop at a bloody heap of white, tabby fur. She stopped to catch her breath before she skidded next to him. She had been running so fast that she had to dig her claws in the earth to stop.

"What's the matter?" She smirked. It was too late before she had stopped herself and realized what she had said. "I'm sorry. Did you know him?" She asked Greenpaw. He nodded his head solemnly."He was my mentor and now he's dead." Zinnia wanted to bombard him with questions. "Why do you have a mentor?", "What did he teach you?", "Is Greenpaw actually your name?" But at this time she knew she couldn't. Surprisingly, out out the corner of her eyes, she saw a flicker of movement. Her heart nearly did a one-eighty! "He's alive, Greenpaw!" She shouted, "Your mentor's alive!"

Chapter 2

The clearing was now painfully quiet as if the entire camp was holding its' breath waiting for something ominous to happen. The entire camp seemed almost deserted. There were none of the normal things that Mossflower had been used to seeing. The kits weren't playing and the apprentices weren't proudly boasting about their latest catch. The cats started talking in suppressed voices as the hunting patrol came back with something to share with the clan other than fresh-kill.

Frostleaf was gently prodding her kit with her paw to keep Littlepaw from falling to the ground. She kept reminding Poppyreed and Mousepaw, the cats that were carrying Littlepaw, to be careful as if her kit was still alive. Stormstar bounded up to the Mossyledge and began to speak, "My clan, we have suffered a great loss of a young cat worthy of being called a warrior today. This brave cat was faced with not one but two large badgers. And unfortunately, this young cat, Littlepaw will be on his way to Starclan tonight. We will sit vigil for him."

Howls of distress arose from around the clan. "This leaf-bare has been hard on us," he continued, "there have been many disappearances and some deaths, but we cannot just simply fill ourselves with self-pity. We still have many mouths to feed." "Snowstripe, and now Littlepaw! Two deaths in one day!" said Lilyflower. "Lilyflower, we don't know if Snowstripe is dead or not." Stormstar warned, but it was too late. Frostleaf was already sobbing next to the ledge, while her best friend Crystalpelt was comforting her. "Now everyone get your fill of freshkill, tonight we will sit vigil for Littlepaw. For the twilight patrol, Brambletail will pick the cats." After directing his clan to their proper place, Stormstar leaped off his ledge and walked to his den. On the way, he came across Crystalpelt and asked if the other patrol was back yet. "No, I'm afraid not, yet they left before you. I'm hoping nothing else bad happens." Crystalpelt said sadly.

Suddenly a loud clattering was heard from the entrance of the camp. All heads in the camp turned in alarm, but relaxed when all they saw was the other patrol coming in. Then Stormstar noticed that Swiftclaw was looking very urgently at him. Running over to his leader, Swiftclaw took a deep breath, and then said in a very loud and urgent voice that made all heads turn. "Badgers! There are at least fifteen!"

"What?!" Greenpaw jumped surprised, but with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "Yes, Y-E-S Y-O-U-R M-E-N-T-O-R I-S A-L-I-V-E!" Zinnia stretched the words. "Now come on, how can I help to save his life?" She urged. "I don't know, we can't travel all the way back to Stormclan! Plus we'll have to avoid the other clan's cats!" Greenpaw stuttered, shaking all over, his teeth chattering against the cold.

There was an awkward moment of hesitation. Zinnia was the first to break the silence "Well it won't help standing there. Do you want me to save his life or what?" "Uhh...umm." He started. "Well let's go! Take him to my twolegs house!" She replied instantly, cutting in abruptly.

Greenpaw was about to argue but Zinnia was already hulling Snowstripe, so Greenpaw gave in. Snowstripe groaned as they carried him through the white cat flap that was now streaked with blood. Zinnia's twoleg stared open-mouthed after seeing them haul, with great difficulty, the wounded cat inside. Five seconds later he was dialing the Cutter's number. Soon enough, she heard the car door slam and the car start.

Then, Stormstar remembered the badgers they had just chased off. He thought that perhaps they had been sent to scout ahead.

Suddenly a rumbling sound started up, growing louder until the black and white striped masks of badgers were only a tails length away. The lumbering creatures soon drew close enough to feel their breath. With their bared fangs and razor sharp claws, the whole Pineclan camp was filled with action. There was not a cat left to spare. Frostleaf and Poppyreed were distracting an old badger from the elders who had been pushed against the bramble wall. Rainfur, Swiftclaw, Crystalpelt, and Mossflower flung themselves onto any other uninvited visitors. Penetrating squeals of terror came from young kits, piercing a cats ears. The fear scent of cats were like a wave of terror. Willowpaw, Duststorm and Swiftclaw were persuading the frightened cats to climb the trees. But still the cats wern't sure scared and suspecting that the the huge clumsy creatures would push the trees over and trap the cats. The cats fought hard, but every time a badger was chased off, another badger its' place. Slowly, the hollow was overwhelmed with badgers. The defending cats were pushed against the bramble walls.

Then a shriek split the air. Mossflower searched for where the cry had come from. Pain filled her heart. Motionless and covered in dust,was the body of her brother, Rainfur, left for the badgers to trample. Mixed emotions floated everywhere, rage and sorrow. Mossflower shook her head, her first loyalty was her clan and she shouldn't just stand around and feel sorry for herself. She knew there would be time to grieve later after it was over. "But will it ever be over? This was a battle they could not win. We'll all be in Starclan soon." she thought silently.

After a moment of grieving, she returned to her clanmates to aid them. Sageheart was battling a badger twice his size alone, he was protecting the nursery. Mossflower ran to help him. The badger had shook him of it's pelt and was lumbering over to crush him. She leaped onto it's flank and hung on. She held on long enough for Sageheart to recover and bite into the creature's stubby tail. The badger screeched in pain and retreated. She rested for a couple of seconds, then left. The intruding badgers were everywhere.

Then she saw the bramble tunnel shake again and lost all hope of surviving. At first, Mossflower had thought that more intruders had burst in, but it was Earthclan here to help them. The Earthclan cats brought newfound strength and energy to the Pineclan camp. Mossflower forced a sigh of relief as she saw the last badgers lumbering, badly injured, away from the camp. Pineclan camp.

The nightmare was finally over and everything was going to be okay. The experience was left embedded in her mind. It was just a memory.

Chapter 3

As Mossflower helped rebuild the torn camp, she couldn't take her mind off of the picture of her brother laying there and herself so helpless. As she thought more of it something seemed to slip into her head that he somehow wasn't dead and she was just imagining it. But she couldn't shake off the thought that maybe he was alive then she switched thoughts to her lost sister and mother now she was alone with no kin.

" Are you ok?" Daisyleaf cautiously asked, "Wait what am I talking about of course you're not ok. Why don't you take the rest of the day easy, you can go get some rest." "But what about the Nursery?"She answered "Oh don't you worry, I'll get Sparrowpaw to help. You know how he is. He's more willing to do anything like a mouse wanting to be eaten. Just get some rest or I will be worried"

"Thanks Daisyleaf. You've always been a mother to me." Mossflower replied as she walked into the makeshift den. Mossflower didn't get to sleep very long when she heard and earspliting cry. At first she thought it was her horrible nightmare but then she realized this was real and she rushed out from the den just in time to hear Lacewing yell Foxkit is missing.

In no time, cats were setting out to find the little kit but they soon came back all sorrowful with heads and tails drooping with no trace of the little kit. At that moment, a large tabby tom broke through the half built barrier and jumped in to the clearing sending clouds of sand up in the air. And in his mouth was Foxkit in one piece and only with some bruises and scratches. That was when she noticed the a tabby cream and black she cat with amber eyes that so closely resembled herself.

"Tigerstripe, who is that, that rogue behind you?" She asked "Oh, I almost forgot, Mossflower, her name is Lily. She says she is your mother." "W-w-what? Everyone told me that my mother was dead. Killed in the fight between Pineclan and Dawnclan! She can't be alive! if she was, she shoud've be looking for me!" "But Mossflower, look how closely she resembles you and she changed her name after yours Mossflower. You both have the same tabby fur. Her name is Lily for the flower in your name. And the only reason she didn't come back was because she was lost and couldn't find her way back until now with my help."

"Hey, but Tigerstripe, where did you find her and the kit?" Skyshadow cut in "I found her near the Skystream. She was the one who had found the kit. Not me" Tigerstripe explained giving all the credit to her, which was not like him. "Enough commotion everyone. First things first. Daisyleaf take Foxkit and clean him up and Tigerstripe and, um..." "Lily." He told the leader "Yes, yes just come to my den and explain all about how you found her and Foxkit." Stormstar winced everytime he adressed Lily.

Soon, Lily came out of the Leaders Den battered up with pain in her eyes. "What happened!" Mossflower ran over to the cat she just recently accepted as her mother. Then, with her head drooping, she answered, "I was banned from this clan " "But Stormstar! Please! Let her stay." She pleaded "No and a no is a no! I know for sure that she is lying!" Stormstar answered,"I can tell from the way she fights she is NOT your mother! The death of your brother is clouding your judgment."

"What do you know. You're not my father, you don't how how it feels just to just have the possibility that she is my mother." Mossflower said with tears in her eyes. Then she ran out of the leader's cave and buried herself sobbing in the moss of her bed in the warriors den and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Mossflower opened her eyes and gasped to see Pineclan fighting with Dawnclan it was all so bloody and grusome that she couldn't look. As she turned, she caught a glimpe of Stormstar and a beautiful tabby she-cat, though she was not sure because of the flying cats and splattering blood. She ran over to where they were standing and hid behind the bushes listening to what they were talking about.

"Stormheart, we can't leave the clans, I can't leave. All our friends and kin are here. This is where we belong!" The she-cat said "But what about Mosskit she can't live here......" Stormstar pleaded.

Then came a name that she couldn't hear and she woke up. "No!" she thought as she swiped herself,"I have to know that name. The name of my mother! Why was Stormstar there? This is where I was born. Pineclan. My clan and home."

"I will find my mother!" she promised to herself.

Chapter 4

Mossflower woke up to the chirps of the songbirds and padded out to the fresh kill pile and chose a plump sparrow but could only take a few morsels of food. So she just got up to join a hunting patrol.

"Skyshadow, Sageheart, and Sparrowpaw you all are on the hunting..... oh. What a nice suprise!" exclaimed Brambletail. "Umm...I just wanted to ask if I could join the hunting patrol." She asked "Well sure, thanks for volunteering." Brambletail said with an understanding smile.

But before the patrol could leave, Stormstar called a clan meeting. "Just last night, I decided that Willowpaw is worthy of being a warrior." Stormstar declared. Willowpaw, being totally suprised at Stormstar's words, gave her pelt a few vigorous licks, trying to look her best. "Come, Willowpaw," Stormstar flicked his tail towards the she-cat, "Last night, you proved yourself to this clan by defending the camp against the badgers. So I say these words before Starclan. I, Stormstar, leader of Pineclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look upon this young cat. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." He looked down to Willowpaw and asked, "Willowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

This was the moment Willowpaw had been waiting for all her life, "I do." she stated solemnly.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Willowpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Willlowcloud. Starclan honors your loyalty and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Pineclan. "Willowcloud, Willowcloud, Willowcloud!"

For the first time that day, Mossflower smiled. She felt happy for her friend. Stormstar jumped from the Mossyledge and Mossflower turned her head in time to see Daisyleaf being led inside to Stormstar's Den. "So? Why do you need me here anyway." Daisyleaf asked Stormstar stated,"Mossflower thinks that Lily is her mother." "Hm," Daisyleaf sighed,"The plan didn't really work did it." "Um...Stormstar?" Willowcloud asked shyly "Yes?" the gray tom replied quite suprised,"Come in." Willowcloud padded in her eyes brimming with curiosity as they followed Daisyleaf out of the Den.

Then, she turned her head back towards the leader. "I know it's not my business but, what was that all about?" The young warrior asked "Oh, um..." He stuttered,"I told her to ask I mean, I asked her about Foxkit. If was feeling FIne,... ok?" He finished "Uh......ok."she replied,"Well i'm just here to tell you that Earthclan has spotted a fox that has crossed the border between our two clans and came onto our territory." "Ok, well I will just make am announcement in a second. You may leave now."

Willowcloud backed out of the Leaders Den and bounded off to Mossflower, her best friend that had just put a sparrow and two mice into the fresh kill pile. "Hey!" Willowcloud greeted her "Hey." Mossflower replied with her tail and head drooping and no enthusiasum in her once bright voice "What's wrong?" She asked "Lily left." She answered "What?!" She exclaimed suprised.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Mossyledge!" Stormstar announced, "Earthclan has been kind enough to inform us that they spotted two large and dangerous dogfoxes cross over to our border. So we, me and Willowcloud have decided that no cat is allowed out of camp unless they are in a group of three or more, and they must inform me or Brambletail first, to avoid any casualties."

"What?" Willowcloud muttered under her breath,"I only told him that there was a fox on the territory!" "We have to find Lily and make sure she is safe!" Mossflower cut in and raced out of camp "Wait for me!" Willowcloud shouted and pounded after her.

Mossflower's head was swirling in fear for the she-cat and she didn't know where she could be. That was when she remembered that Tigerstripe had found her at the Skystream, so she whirled around to the direction and ran off.

Willowcloud felt a russling of leaves and a crunching of branches. "Mossflower? Is that you?" She asked cautiously.

But she turned around only to face the ugly muzzle of a fox with scars and drool running all the way down to its' chest.

Chapter 5

Mossflower raced to the banks of the Skystream, and sure enough, Lily was there tenderly taking step after step on the stones to cross. She breathed a sigh of relief. Whether she was her mother or not, she felt that she had the responsibility to make sure she got back to wherever she came from safely. Mossflower waited for her to be fully across befor speaking, "Lily, it's me, Mossflower, I just wanted to make sure you're safe."

Mossflower had expected to hear the soft voice she had used before, but to her suprise, she sounded nothing like what she did before and she turned back towards her with a serious look in her eyes and a hard tone in her voice,

"Beware Mossflower, sometimes knowing to much is not a good thing. You can always choose to use knowledge for good or bad, don't think that this does not apply to you. You will have to make that choice one day and I am afraid that it will be much harder than you think............" She started to speak in a raspy voice,"Before there is light, there will be darkness, and the forest will drown in shadows" "Wait! What does it mean!" She wailed, but Water Lily just turned and walked away.

Mossflower did not know if she heard her, but if she did, she chose not to show it.

Willowcloud stood frozen with fear while the fox growled at her. Then she made a split second decision to run, and not a moment too late. At the same time, the fox leaped at her, snarling when it realized that it had not caught her, but had took a bite of tree instead, and thundered after her. Willowcloud could feel her heart beating inside her chest and it wasn't long before she was breathing heavily. Her legs threatened to give out and she suddenly realized that she couldn't lead the fox to camp and veered abruptly and headed towards the abandoned twoleg barn.

The fox tried to swerve, but caught onto a brample bush instead. which bought just enough time for Willowcloud to evade it. It took the fox only a second to free itself before it was racing after her again. She could feel its' hot breath on her heels. She could spot the barn in the distance now. Just a little bit longer now, hold on.

She was about to leap into the barn, but then she realized in horror that the door was closed for the first time and had to change her plan. Willlowcloud suddenly turned right and heard a monster start, but she was more worried about the immediate danger of the fox and continued to run in that direction.

Zinnia and Greenpaw had waited for what seemed like a year in silence, even though it was only a day. "Thanks." Greenpaw said, "If it wasn't for you, I think my mentor would have died." "You're welcome." They touched noses and anxiety clawed at their belly's.

Then, suddenly, they heard a screech of breaks in the distance. "What do you think that is?" Greenpaw asked inquiringly. Zinnia did not bother to answer him and started pelting towards the monster and Greenpaw followed, close at her heels.

After passing a stretch of woods, she could see the monster smoking out the back and a dazed cat sitting right next to it. "Willowpaw! Willowpaw!" the young apprentice shouted anxiously, "You arn't hurt, are you?" Willowcloud just stared blankly at the monster for a while, then turned and faced them, her ice blue eyes were glazed with terror. Greenpaw looked at what Willowcloud had been staring at. This was the first time he had noticed it, an ugly, scarred fox about twice his size was laying there, eyes blank and dull. It must have been chasing her all the way across the thunderpath and was hit by the monster. Greenpaw thought.

Then the twoleg got out of the monster, still muttering curses and looked at the dead fox. It used its' large feet and kicked it onto the side of the thunderpath and reached back in to bring out a cage. Inside was his mentor, Snowstripe. His right fore-paw was bandaged up and he still had all is scratches, but he was no longer bleeding. Zinnnia padded up to her twoleg and pawed at its' leg. The twoleg gave a look as if it were saying are you sure?, but she pawed once more and mewed, so it set the cage on the ground and opened the side. Snowstripe limped out and crossed to his apprentice. He dipped his head at the twoleg, to say thanks, but warriors had never befriended twolegs, so it was more of an ackknowledgement.

Then he signaled for Greenpaw and Willowcloud to follow him back into the forest. Zinnia watched them leave, she was a little sad, but she made no effort for them to stay. Then, suprisingly, Snowstripe turned back, "Are you coming with us?" Zinnia was left with utter shock.

She turned to look at her twoleg. It looked back and nodded. She took a deep breath and followed them into the unknown forest.

Chapter 6

The night was eerily silent as Zinnia, Snowstripe, Greenpaw, and Willowcloud were padding quietly among the trees. There were none of the calming sounds that Mousewhisker and the others were used to hearing. As they neared the half-built bramble tunnel, they could hear wails of mourning. Zinnia trailed behind them as they pushed their way through the brambles. "Arn't you coming" Greenpaw said as he turned around to face her.

Zinnia did not reply, but took a look around then plunged through the tunnel.

"Look!" Crystalpelt exclaimed. Everyone turned to see the exhausted cats stumble into the clearing. Mossflower was already sitting there. "Excuse me, excuse me," mewed Larksong, the medicine cat trying to make way through the croud,"here, come into my den, you must be tired, and I need to treat all your injuries" "Snowstripe! Willowcloud!" Frostleaf's voice rose above the others,"I knew you both weren't gone, I just knew!" "Wait......Willowcloud, you're a warrior already!" Willowcloud blushed and nodded shyly.

Then they all moved to the medicine den where they would stay for the night. Stormstar jumped on the Mossyledge and yowled. Instantly, the cats all fell silent.. "The cats that have just returned are tired and need to rest. We will ask them to talk about where they have been tommorrow morning. As of now, I think we should just return to our normal routine." "But what about that kittypet! I could smell it from a mile away. Are we just going to let it sta....." Hawkpaw was cut of by the sharp hiss of Longclaw. "Nothing will happen to anybody today. We are all tired and it is already nightfall. We will talk about this later. Understood?" Stormstar looked to all the cats in the clan, as if challenging anyone to object. But no one spoke, so he leaped of the ledge where he stood and retreated to his den in the sandy alcove.

Soon, everyone left to their dens to sleep and there was no more movement to be seen in the clearing in the center of the camp.

Zinnia woke up in the morning all sore. She had never traveled so far in her life before. Yesterday night, she had heard a young cat speak about her. He had used the same term that Greenpaw had called her a first. She knew that she would never be accepted here. Everything was so unfamiliar, the scents and sights. She could feel the camp stirring and peered outside the sandy den.

"It usually looks better you know" Larksong's voice startled her. "Ohh..." "Recently, a.....well.....group of badgers attacked our camp and we haven't even close to fully repairing it. Just this week, Littlepaw and Rainfur has already made his way to join in the ranks of Starclan and Snowstripe, Mossflower, Greenpaw, and Willowcloud have been missing for quite a while." "Ohh I see." Zinnia replied not quite sure why she was telling her this. "I'm sorry if it seems I am coming a bit too strong. It's just that I know that you must think that you don't belong here and that you arn't wanted here. But the truth is that we need you just as much than anyone. The leaf-bare is tough, and it would be good fortune for you to stay." Larksong said understandingly.

"Ohh...thanks" Zinnia did not want to reveal that what she said was true, but she was grateful that she had said this to here. Larksong just nodded as if she understood everything.

Zinnia took a deep breath and stepped outside from the den. The entire camp was bustling with action. Some cats were just stirring, others were setting prey down in a pile in the center, while others headed out on patrols. From behind her, Greenpaw, Willowcloud, and Snowstripe emerged from the alcove and headed into the clearing. Zinnia padded up to a cat directing orders a some others.

"Excuse me? May I ask for some explanation?" "Oh! I didn't realize that you were awake yet. I'm Brambletail by the way. Well, you see there are four clans and we are Stormclan. We hunt and provide for ourselves out here. I was just about to send out a hunting patrol, you may go if you like. We can teach you haw to hunt?" Brambletail said. "Yeah, I would love to, thanks." she replied. "They're leaving now, you should hurry if you want to go." He urged.

Zinnia gave a nod of thanks and ran to catch up. "Hey! What are you doing here?" Greenpaw asked. There was no hostility in his voice, only curiosity. "Brambletail told me that I could come, can you teach me how to hunt?" "Well....sure....I mean if you want me to. It's just that I am just an apprentice, you should've asked a warrior." "Ohh. Well...who should I ask?" she mewed ackwardly. "Well in my opinion, you should ask Mistpool. She is a good hunter and very patient." "Ok, thanks." Zinnia walked up to a beautiful blue-gray she-cat and asked her if she would teach her to hunt and she graciously agreed.

"Now, there are different techniques for different types of prey. You see, mice will feel your pawsteps before they hear you, and it is the opposite for birds. So for mice, you need to be light on your paws. Here, let me show this to you." Mistpool demonstrated a crouch for her and took a few steps forward, light on her paws,"Now you try it." Zinnia felt awkward, but she tried it anyways. Mistpool gently pushed down her rear and instantly, it felt more natural, then she smiled. "Now I want you to try to catch a mouse for me. I will be waiting right her for you."

Zinnia slowly backed away, then Mistpool nodded and she took of.

She didn't realize where she was going until she saw the thunderpath. Her paws had taken Zinnia to her old home. Then she remembered that she needed to catch a mouse for Mistpool and headed back into the forest. Suddenly, she heard a scuffling sound under leaves and she took the position of a crouch and slowly inched forward. She didn't stop until it was only a tail-length away. The mouse did not notice she was there and then she pounced with claws outstretched and quickly made the killing bite. She picked the mouse up and carried it all the way back to Mistpool at the Flowering Pine.

"Have you said your prayer to Starclan yet?" She asked. Zinnia gave a silent thanks and nodded. "Then well done. I am proud of you. you caught some prey on your first day here. You would make a wonderful warrior." She praised.

Zinnia felt warm all over, from her nose to the tip of her tail. For the first time, she felt like she belonged here.

Chapter 7

Willowcloud could tell something was bothering her best friend. She knew that if she wouldn't tell even her, that it had to be serious. Mossflower was picking at her food, lost in thought.

"Mossflower," Willowcloud started, but she wasn't listening,"Mossflower!" "Huh?" She mewed, then turned and looked at her, "What?" "Ok, ok, I know you probably don't want to tell me, but I just had to ask you," she said,"I can tell something is bothering you, what is it, you can tell me, please?" "Nothing, there is nothing wrong," she persuaded. "Mossflower, we were friends since we were kits, I know when something's bothering you."

Mossflower stopped pretending, "Ok, I admitt it, there is something on my mind. I really want to tell, believe me, but I just don't know how. It's just too complicated." "Then that's all the more reason TO tell me. You don't have to carry that burden all by yourself you know." Willowcloud tried to convince her. "Promise not to tell?" "Of course." "I.....I dreamed." ............................."You dreamed! That's it?" "No, of course that's not it. It was back then, when we were just kits, probably not even a moon old yet. I don't know how I knew, but I think that it was when Dawnclan and Pineclan were fighting, you know, that infamous battle...?" she waited for her friend to say something, but she didn't speak so she continued, "So I saw Stormstar, but he was Stormheart then and a calico she-cat and they were talking about leaving the clans." "So?" "So, then Stormheart said that Mosskit couldn't stay here....." ".....and you think thiat they were talking about you?" Willowcloud continued. "Yes." "Oh."

They were silent for a moment until Lilyflower cheerfully came and sat down next to then, untirely changing the overall mood. "Hey!" Lilyflower said happily, "hey........" they returned gloomily......... "Well you just killed the mood," then Lilyflower got up, grabbed a sparrow from the fresh-kill pile, and joined some warriors by the tunnel.

They turned and saw the hunting patrol enter through the bramble tunnel where Lilyflower went to sit. Leading the pack was the Zinnia proudly holding a mouse and vole in her mouth, followed by Crystalpelt, Greenpaw, and Mistpool. Their mouths were full of prey, a good sign. "So the prey is running again?" Stormstar commented cheerfully. "Yes, the prey is stirring in almost every burrow now that the weather has gotton warmer." Mistpool replied.

"I'm going to get you Darkfang!" Snowkit yowled. "How?" Foxkit sneered. "Be careful!" Mistpool exclaimed when Foxkit stepped on her paws, "Anyways, Darkfang was a terrible cat, you shouldn't even be talking about him." she reprimanded. Petalwing smiled.

They went to the clearing and dropped the prey on the fresh-kill pile. "You're actually a really great hunter." Greenpaw praised. "Thanks, but you're great too." Zinnia returned.

Greenpaw took two mice and was about to give it to the elders when Stormstar approached. "You don't need to do that anymore." Greenpaw look utterly confused. "I mean, someone else will do that from now on." he nodded to Sparrowpaw and he took the prey from Greenpaw,"This morning, Snowstripe and I decided that it is time you were made a warrior." "But...uhh....what....I mean what about the.....the assesment?" He stuttered.

"We have decided that you have already proved yourself when you saved your mentor" "I....did?" This time Stormstar did not bother to answer, but instead, jumped onto the Mossyledge and yowled. Greenpaw licked his pelt until it was glossy.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Mossyledge." The cats all came together and looked up. Greenpaw's mother had already guessed what the occasion was and Nightbreeze look proud. "It is time that Greenpaw is made a full warrior of this clan. I, Stormstar, call apon my warror ancestors to look on this young cat today. He has proven himself worthy by protecting his clanmate and mentor and risking his life to do so. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in return."

Stormstar turned and looked at Greenpaw, whose eyes were full of excitment, "Greenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your own life?" "I do." He said seriously. "Then by th powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Greenpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Greentail. Starclan honors your loyalty and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Pineclan." "Greentail! Greentail! Greentail!" Greentail looked down on his clanmates with pride.

In all his clanmates, there were only two cats who cheered his warrior name the loudest, Zinnia and Willowcloud.

Chapter 8

Greentail looked around. He was on the top of a lush hill and sniffed the air. The sweet aroma of mouse filled his airways. He instantly took a hunting crouch and crept forward. He looked through a parting in the grass and to his suprise, it was a cat. Willowcloud was sitting by a pool of water.

After a few seconds, she turned around and flicked her tail and gestured for him to sit next to her. He thought about it for a moment, then shrugged and sat. For the first time, he realized how beautiful she was. She had a smoky, light gray pelt with snowy white paws and the most stunning ice blue eyes. He felt her pelt brush up against his and their tails twisted together. He was about to touch noses with her until he woke up.

He got up and shook the bits of moss off his pelt. He was suprised at his surroundings until he realized that he had just been made a warrior and he was going to sleep in the warriors' den from now on. Greentail slowly padded up to confront Willowcloud, but just when he was about to talk, she got up and all of his confidence melted. She smiled at him then turned and went outside, leaving him with a deep scarlet blush. He shook his head and told himself to snap out of it and followed her outside. As he entered the clearing, he realized with joy that the trees were beginning to bud and the long leaf-fall was over.

"Did you enjoy your first night sleeping in the warriors' den?" Brambletail asked him. Greentail nodded guiltily. Brambletail raised an eyebrow but did not ask. He quickly changed the subject. "So, are there any patrols?" "Yes, the hunting patrol is just leaving, if you...."

Greenpaw did not stay to listen, he left to join Zinnia, Swiftclaw, Poppyreed, and Crystalpelt.

Zinnia found herself loving the forest and the cats in it. One cat in particular. She padded with the patrol until they reached Floodrocks. She turned west, away from her old twoleg home. Then she spotted a squirrel running down a tree and only a mouselength away. She was ready to pounce when she heard a starling screech and accidentaly stepped on a branch. The squirrel started sprinting and she followed.

It ran north and she leaped and quickly killed it. She was about to pick it up when instead, she picked up a different scent. It was sharp and smelled like rotton carrion. Then she remembered that there were four clans and realized with horror that the smell of the squirrel had masked the scent of the border markings of another clan. She was going to turn back when she heard another voice. It was rough and challenging.

"What are you doing here kittypet." the cat spat the words. "Have you lost your way," said another with mock kindness. The others jeered at her. There were seven cats in total. Then, she screamed.

Luckily, the rest of the patrol were not far and they were by her side in no time. "Can you even smell? Don't you realize that we have placed markers here?" the first cat spoke with a raspy voice. "Yes, Blackfang, I smell rotton carrion. And I do realize you've placed markers here. This isn't the border, the edge of your territory is where the thunderpath is." Swiftclaw snarled.

Then Poppyreed turned to Crystalpelt, "You go get the others, you're the fastest here." She nodded and sped off. "After her!" Blackfang screeched and two of the warriors pounded close behind her. Then Swiftclaw pounced, taking advantage of when he was distracted. Zinnia had two warriors turn on her at once. She couldn't handle one, yet two were attacking her. A brown tabby jumped and she clawed at him, barely keeping him off, when the other attacked. Then Greentail intercepted him midair. She instantly felt more affection for the handsome tabby warrior.

Please hurry Crystalpelt, or we'll all join Starclan.

Chapter 9

Crystalpelt raced through the forest. She knew that they were counting on her. She could feel the two Dawnclan warriors snapping at her heels. She dove through the bramble tunnel with no hesitation. The Dawnclan warriors had stumbled in the unfamiliar territory which had bought her some time. They lunged at her, but Brambletail, Snowstripe, and Stormstar, who had been closest, defended her. They attacked and chased them out of their camp. Crystalpelt caught her breath and yowled for attention.

"Don't rush." Stormstar said, "What happened, why were they there." "They...gasp.....moved......breath.....the border........gasp....into our..........breath....territory.......and attacked us." she finished. "Alright, thank you, we will take it from here," Stormstar comforted her,"Brambletail, Sageheart, Willowcloud, Snowstripe, Mistpool, and Sparrowpaw. Come with me."

They joined their leader and pelted towards the Dawnclan and Pineclan border in the North.

Greentail battered helplessly with his hind legs onto the belly of a warrior twice his size. "Useless kit." Blackfang muttered in his ear. Greentail felt rage and pushed off with all his strength and suprised the larger warrior when he landed five tail-lengths away on his rump. Greentail knew that he had already overexerted himself. Anytime now, they should be her soon.

Just as he thought those words, a battle cry rang out in his ears. He turned and saw a fresh new wave of warriors coming to aid them. When Greentail had turned, the warrior had caught him off guard. Greentail howled in pain when his nose was sliced. He dove under and used his paw to unbalance him, but the Dawnclan warrior saw him coming and leaped on him. He was about to sink his teeth into Greentail's throat when he felt the weight being lifted off him.

He looked and saw Willowcloud fighting ferociously. She had puffed her chest out so she look almost the same size as Blackfang. Greentail yowled and joined her. He pummeled him with his paws while Willowcloud was gripping him tightly on the scruff so he couldn't move. Then, Blackfang struggled free. "This isn't over. This is going to be our territory and we will get it one way or another," Blackfang threatened as he and his other warriors were fleeing. "I would think that next time you would think twice before attacking." Stormstar stated coldly.

Blackfang snarled, but said nothing and retreated back into the safety of Dawnclan's territory. They yowled triumphant cries as they left. "Is everyone well enough to travel?" Stormstar asked his clanmates in concern. They all nodded and headed back to Pineclan camp.

When they got back, they were bombarded with questions. Larksong made her way through the crowd and led the injured warriors to her den. "At this rate, you all won't have anymore fur left." She joked, "There, all finished. Now go easy for a few days, Greentail and you will be fine", and she shood them out.

"You were great Willowcloud! If it weren't for you, I probably would be on my way to Starclan now." Greentail joked. "Well, you were great too, and that's an awful thing to say. What would the clan do without you? If you weren't here, life would be so boring. I mean, you always did know how to stir things up!" "Yea, I agree with you on that." Greentail remarked remembering the time where he had gone foxhunting at only two moons old.

They padded to the freshkill pile, sat and shared a sparrow together. Then, all of a sudden, they heard a yowl, calling attention to the Mossyledge. "Today, I realized that Zinnia fought as hard as any other warrior and that she deserves a spot in this clan. If Zinnia wishes to stay, she may and will recieve her warrior name, even though she has not recieved any warrior training. But, she needs to be trained, so I decided, since Mistpool has already done such a great job at teaching her to hunt, she will mentor her. Would you like to stay and become a full member of this clan?" "Yes." Zinnia replied instantly and surely. "And Mistpool, would you like to mentor her?" "I would have the honor." Mistpool replied.

"Then I, Stormstar, call apon my warror ancestors to look on this young cat today. She has proven herself worthy by protecting her clanmates in battle and risking her life to do so. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in return. Zinnia, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your own life?" "I do." She replied. "Then by then powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Zinnia, from this moment on, you will be known as Petalwing. Starclan honors your determination and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Pineclan." "Petalwing! Petalwing! Petalwing!"

She was suprised that she had gotten such a welcoming from the clan. Then, she jumped down to join her new clanmates. She was padding over to see Greentail, but stopped in her tracks when she saw him sitting with Willowcloud with tails entwined and veered sharply to the warrior's den.

Chapter 10

Mossflower thought about what Lily had said to her. She had told Willowcloud about her dream, but had chosen not to share what she had said. At least not until she had gotten a better idea of what that meant. She had considered telling Larksong, but had persuaded herself not to. She sighed, and after moments of consideration, she decided that If she could tell Willowcloud about her dream, she could tell her anything, and padded out of the den.

Suddenly, something came to Willowcloud's mind. "Greentail, now that I think of it, what did happen to you and Snowstripe?" she asked. Greentail looked uneasy, "Well, it's just.....I'm sorry. I just can't. I hope you can understand, I really wanted to." "That okay," she mewed understandingly,"whenever your ready to talk to me, I'll always be here to listen." "Thanks Willowcloud," he looked obviously relieved, "that means alot to me. Probably more than you think." Willowcloud just smiled and pressed against his tabby pelt.

Greentail smiled back, trying to look as carefree as possible. The truth was, there was just so much on his mind recently. He turned and looked over worriedly at his leader's den and sighed. Please tell me what's going on, He thought.

She saw her friend sitting close to Greentail and laughing. They looked closer than ever. She didn't want to pull her away just to tell her about Lily's words, at least not now. So she turned away and saw Petalwing. She was sitting by the fresh-kill pile glaring at them with narrowed eyes. Mossflower was worried for her friend. She had never seen such fury in any cats' eyes before. Willowcloud and Greentail did not seem to notice her and went on talking.

Petalwing was furious. She had thought Greentail and her had something together. One of the main reasons she had come in the first place was because of him. Although she didn't regret coming, she regretted ever meeting him, every time she saw him and Willowcloud together. Then she noticed a tortiseshell she cat looking at her and she immediatly occupied herself with a vole. She watched carefully until she was out of sight and relaxed.

Then she heard a voice behind her and jumped. "Hello, Petalwing," Mistpool greeted,"Are you ready to do some battle training today?" "Of course." she replied.

This was just the kind of thing Petalwing needed to get 'him' of her mind. They padded through the forest she had come to love and stopped a ravine. They scrambled down the side to the sandy area below.

"This is where we will train," Mistpool explained,"I saw that you had the bravery to fight, but you have not learned the tricks and techniques yet." Petalwing nodded. "Now, I want you to try to get past me by all means. We will discuss everything else later." Petalwing took a deep breath and waited. Then, she broke out into a fast run and jumped to get over Mistpool. But she saw that coming and reached out her paw to grasp Petalwing's and pushed her down on the ground. It took a while for her to catch her breath.

"That was good. Most of the cats I have mentored would have tried to swerve around me. But your eyes told me what you were going to do." Mistpool stated,"This time try not to give that away." Petalwing looked carefully and observed. She had scrunched up her leg muscles, as if she was getting ready to jump. So Petalwing decided she would try to swerve. But instead, she looked up again and pelted towards Mistpool. To her suprise, she had moved her weight to her hind legs and her fore-paws had all the freedom to trip her. So she made a last second decision to jum diagonally over her. Mistpool did not think she would do that and looked at her as she jumped.

Then she quickly jumped onto her back just where she was landing and used her hind paws to flip Petalwing. Petalwing crashed just a little to her right and Mistpool leaped and pinned her down. "That was...pant....much better." she gasped between breaths. "Yeah, I felt that I gave much more of a fight." Petalwing replied.

Mistpool rose and let her go. "You've improved alot for only one training session," she complimented her,"But I think we've had enough for one day. Let's get back now."

When they finally got back to camp, she was too exhausted to think or be worried of anything right then. All she wanted to do was to sleep.

Chapter 11

Greentail felt truly happy whenever he was near Willowcloud. Now that their relationship had gotten better, he felt that there was no longer a need for him to to express his feelings verbally. He rose from his nest of moss and prodded Willowcloud awake.

"Huh?" Willowcloud murmmured. "The dawn patrol is going to leave soon, didn't you say you wanted to go?" "Oh! Sorry, let's go," she said blinking sleep from her eyes.

Brambletail, Skyshadow, Frostleaf, and Petalwing already outside. "Skyshadow, Petalwing,....and do you want to go?" Brambletail turned to them. They nodded. "..........Greentail and Willowcloud. You are on the dawn patrol. Skyshadow, you can lead."

The patrol all went straight towards the Dawnclan border to see if they had moved the border further into Pineclan territory again. They sighed with relief when they saw that nothing had been changed. "Good thing too. I already have more than enough scars to show from that battle." Greentail remarked to Willowcloud. "And don't count me out either." she returned looking at her scarred tail.

"Well since we're here, we might as well hunt." Skyshadow suggested. The others nodded in agreement and began hunting.

Petalwing was aching all over from the battle training yesterday, but she couldn't sleep so she had gotten up early for the dawn patrol. She thought it would be a great way to forget them until 'they' joined. She was padding west, away from the rest of the patrol to hunt. Then she heard a mouse nibbling on a seed and got into a crouch. Suddenly, the wind changed directions and the mouse ran. She knew she would not be able to catch it, but she chased anyway. She ran until she saw something that could her eye and stopped abruptly.

To her right, was a tunnel mostly hidden by decades old moss, branches, and lichen. She carefully brushed it aside and peered in. She gasped in amazement. She saw a glittering running river underground and a cliff and caves. It looked like it had been buried for a long time and it was finally getting some fresh air. In the center, was a pool of water. She slowly descended to the pool and looked in. She didn't see herself, but a large black cat and turned around, but no one was there. Suddenly, she felt sleepy and she rested with her nose touching the pool.

When she woke up, she was no longer in the majestic cave she had found. She was in a dark forest. She looked into the pool again, it was still there and she turned around and saw that large black cat again. She was startled "Who...who are you?" She exclaimed in fear. "My name is Darkstar." "Where am I?!" "You are in the Dark Forest of Shadows. Welcome. The Forest has chosen you."

To Be Continued

Book 1- Buried Secrets Author: Silvermoon Date of Last Edit: December 22th 2010 Title of Book: Buried Secrets Announcement From Author: I have just finished the book. Also, there is a poll at the bottom for whether Greentail should be with Willowcloud or Petalwing. Please enter your opinion. Sometimes it malfuntions, so if it does, please put your opinion on a thread. Thank you.

Prologue

Zinnia looked out the window, outside it was raining, making the twoleg den gloomy and dark. Her twoleg was sound asleep on the couch. She had been asleep until her twoleg started yowling in his dream and started pawing at the side of a table. Suddenly there was a screech of claws against the door. Zinnia jumped off the stool and ran to her cat door. Peering through the flap, she saw a bloody, scarred cat. "Who are you?" she asked.

Chapter 1

Stormstar ran into the center of the camp and yelled at the nearest cat. "What is going on?" Frostleaf stopped her yowling and turned to face her leader. "Snowstripe is missing! He went hunting near the abandoned twoleg barn with me. I went around the side while he went in. Suddenly I heard a caterwaul. By the time I got to the inside of the den, all I found was blood and torn fur!" After hearing Frostleaf's explanation, the StormClan leader ran to the Mossyledge, where he found his apprentice staring blankly at the commotion below. "What are you doing? I have to make an announcement. You need to get off of the Mossyledge, Littlepaw." Littlepaw sighed but obediently jumped off. When he landed, he turned to face his mentor. "You were supposed to take me hunting." Stormstar replied, "I will after all this has ended and everyone relaxes. After explaining to his apprentice, Stormstar finally got a chance to address his clan. "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Mossyledge for a clan meeting." The scattered, panicking, cats all formed a group around the ledge. Stormstar continued, "I know that the disappearance of Snowstripe is unsettling, but the whole clan shouldn't panic! After all, we were more calm when Greenpaw went missing! We will further discuss this and search when we finish the border and hunting patrols. While you are out in the forest, if you pick up a trail, come back to camp immediately. If this creature was able to severely injure and or capture one of Pineclan's senior warriors, you may be in danger. This clan cannot afford anymore losses, not now and not ever." Willowpaw yowled up at her leader, "My father is missing?" "What, you didn't know? But I saw you panicking among the others!" Frostleaf exclaimed. Willowpaw replied simply, "I didn't know what everyone else were running around camp for, I just followed them! I thought we were going to evacuate camp!" The clan leader said disbelievingly, "So you were yowling without knowing about it?" The young cat whisked her tail around sheepishly.

The bloody cat answered, "Greenpaw." "Your twoleg must not have good taste for names!" Zinnia exclaimed. "Twoleg? I don't have a twoleg, I am a fierce warrior! I am not like you kittypets." replied Greenpaw proudly. "Then what are you doing here scratching off my twoleg's new crown molding?" She retorted. "Because, it is your twoleg's fault that I even got lost and stolen away from my clan!" Greenpaw spat at Zinnia. She looked at Greenpaw questioningly, "Clan? What is a clan? Is it your suburb's name? Oh, but you don't have a twoleg!" "Oh, just please let me in. It's raining, and I don't have shelter." "Okay, fierce warrior." She replied sarcastically, while jumping up on the stool and pushing open the door, she pushed with such force, that the door made Greenpaw land flat on his back in the middle of the road. "Mousebrain! You made me land in the Thunderpath. The monsters could've gotten me!" yelled Greenpaw when he finally got back on all fours with his pelt slicked with mud, and ran into the den, bumping into her. "No manners, none at all!" Zinnia murmured under her breath, "Don't wake my twolegs." Greenpaw jumped from the sofa where the twoleg was sleeping. He turned to her, opened his mouth to say something, and pelted down the narrow hall forcing her to chase him. They made such a ruckus that her twolegs woke up. "Humph, and you were calling me the mousebrain," Zinnia growled as she turned to see Greenpaw's unique mossy brown striped tail, turned and fled after him.

"I'll take Frostleaf, Mousepaw, and Snowstr...Poppyreed with me to hunt." Stormstar sighed. " And me too," Littlepaw was quick to respond, "You promised that you'd take me hunting today, Stormstar." "Yes and you,"He replied. "Stormstar, I don't mean to be rude, but I want to search for my father." Willowpaw protested. "You can. But while we hunt. It is leaf-bare and we still have many mouths to feed. This has been a hard season and we need as much prey as possible." explained Stormstar. "You're right." She agreed. All five set out with Stormstar in the lead. They stopped at the Flowering Pine and split up. Stormstar padded quietly until he just spotted a starling. He was about to pounce when he heard a breathtaking yowl that scared the bird away. He stood from his crouch and followed the sound. When he finally reached it the others were already there looking in shock, standing a few inches away from his apprentice.

Frostleaf was leaning heavily against Poppyreed. "My mate, and now my kit," Frostleaf said sobbing "Starclan, how could you let this happen? If only he hadn't asked and didn't go." The small body of Littlepaw lay still and motionless.

Suddenly, two badgers stepped out of the bushes and lunged for Frostleaf, carrying her of her paws. She tried and tried to get them off, she could feel it's claws dig into her tabby pelt. She snarled and nipped ferociously, as these were the badgers that had killed the young apprentice. But they were too much for her. She tured her head to see the others fighting off the larger of the two. She tried to knock the badger of its' paws, but it was a futile attempt. She gasped when its' lumbering paws smashed a whisker's length away from her haunches. She instantly leaped backwards.

"I'm going to go to Starclan." Frostleaf thought as it approached her. Just as it's paw was crashing down, she saw a flash of ginger fur and saw Poppyreed on the badger clinging onto it's right flank. She scrambled up to her paws ready to fight. Then she settled down and caught her breath as saw the badgers fleeing in the distance. "What happened!" Willowpaw demanded. Stormfur hadn't noticed that Willowpaw had just arrived. Willowpaw gasped as she spotted Littlepaw, her younger brother, laying limply on the grass.

"Hey wait for me," She called after him as she strained to catch up with the young apprentice. Zinnia thought she had lost him until she see him until she had seen him stop at a bloody heap of white, tabby fur. She stopped to catch her breath before she skidded next to him. She had been running so fast that she had to dig her claws in the earth to stop.

"What's the matter?" She smirked. It was too late before she had stopped herself and realized what she had said. "I'm sorry. Did you know him?" She asked Greenpaw. He nodded his head solemnly."He was my mentor and now he's dead." Zinnia wanted to bombard him with questions. "Why do you have a mentor?", "What did he teach you?", "Is Greenpaw actually your name?" But at this time she knew she couldn't. Surprisingly, out out the corner of her eyes, she saw a flicker of movement. Her heart nearly did a one-eighty! "He's alive, Greenpaw!" She shouted, "Your mentor's alive!"

Chapter 2

The clearing was now painfully quiet as if the entire camp was holding its' breath waiting for something ominous to happen. The entire camp seemed almost deserted. There were none of the normal things that Mossflower had been used to seeing. The kits weren't playing and the apprentices weren't proudly boasting about their latest catch. The cats started talking in suppressed voices as the hunting patrol came back with something to share with the clan other than fresh-kill.

Frostleaf was gently prodding her kit with her paw to keep Littlepaw from falling to the ground. She kept reminding Poppyreed and Mousepaw, the cats that were carrying Littlepaw, to be careful as if her kit was still alive. Stormstar bounded up to the Mossyledge and began to speak, "My clan, we have suffered a great loss of a young cat worthy of being called a warrior today. This brave cat was faced with not one but two large badgers. And unfortunately, this young cat, Littlepaw will be on his way to Starclan tonight. We will sit vigil for him."

Howls of distress arose from around the clan. "This leaf-bare has been hard on us," he continued, "there have been many disappearances and some deaths, but we cannot just simply fill ourselves with self-pity. We still have many mouths to feed." "Snowstripe, and now Littlepaw! Two deaths in one day!" said Lilyflower. "Lilyflower, we don't know if Snowstripe is dead or not." Stormstar warned, but it was too late. Frostleaf was already sobbing next to the ledge, while her best friend Crystalpelt was comforting her. "Now everyone get your fill of freshkill, tonight we will sit vigil for Littlepaw. For the twilight patrol, Brambletail will pick the cats." After directing his clan to their proper place, Stormstar leaped off his ledge and walked to his den. On the way, he came across Crystalpelt and asked if the other patrol was back yet. "No, I'm afraid not, yet they left before you. I'm hoping nothing else bad happens." Crystalpelt said sadly.

Suddenly a loud clattering was heard from the entrance of the camp. All heads in the camp turned in alarm, but relaxed when all they saw was the other patrol coming in. Then Stormstar noticed that Swiftclaw was looking very urgently at him. Running over to his leader, Swiftclaw took a deep breath, and then said in a very loud and urgent voice that made all heads turn. "Badgers! There are at least fifteen!"

"What?!" Greenpaw jumped surprised, but with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "Yes, Y-E-S Y-O-U-R M-E-N-T-O-R I-S A-L-I-V-E!" Zinnia stretched the words. "Now come on, how can I help to save his life?" She urged. "I don't know, we can't travel all the way back to Stormclan! Plus we'll have to avoid the other clan's cats!" Greenpaw stuttered, shaking all over, his teeth chattering against the cold.

There was an awkward moment of hesitation. Zinnia was the first to break the silence "Well it won't help standing there. Do you want me to save his life or what?" "Uhh...umm." He started. "Well let's go! Take him to my twolegs house!" She replied instantly, cutting in abruptly.

Greenpaw was about to argue but Zinnia was already hulling Snowstripe, so Greenpaw gave in. Snowstripe groaned as they carried him through the white cat flap that was now streaked with blood. Zinnia's twoleg stared open-mouthed after seeing them haul, with great difficulty, the wounded cat inside. Five seconds later he was dialing the Cutter's number. Soon enough, she heard the car door slam and the car start.

Then, Stormstar remembered the badgers they had just chased off. He thought that perhaps they had been sent to scout ahead.

Suddenly a rumbling sound started up, growing louder until the black and white striped masks of badgers were only a tails length away. The lumbering creatures soon drew close enough to feel their breath. With their bared fangs and razor sharp claws, the whole Pineclan camp was filled with action. There was not a cat left to spare. Frostleaf and Poppyreed were distracting an old badger from the elders who had been pushed against the bramble wall. Rainfur, Swiftclaw, Crystalpelt, and Mossflower flung themselves onto any other uninvited visitors. Penetrating squeals of terror came from young kits, piercing a cats ears. The fear scent of cats were like a wave of terror. Willowpaw, Duststorm and Swiftclaw were persuading the frightened cats to climb the trees. But still the cats wern't sure scared and suspecting that the the huge clumsy creatures would push the trees over and trap the cats. The cats fought hard, but every time a badger was chased off, another badger its' place. Slowly, the hollow was overwhelmed with badgers. The defending cats were pushed against the bramble walls.

Then a shriek split the air. Mossflower searched for where the cry had come from. Pain filled her heart. Motionless and covered in dust,was the body of her brother, Rainfur, left for the badgers to trample. Mixed emotions floated everywhere, rage and sorrow. Mossflower shook her head, her first loyalty was her clan and she shouldn't just stand around and feel sorry for herself. She knew there would be time to grieve later after it was over. "But will it ever be over? This was a battle they could not win. We'll all be in Starclan soon." she thought silently.

After a moment of grieving, she returned to her clanmates to aid them. Sageheart was battling a badger twice his size alone, he was protecting the nursery. Mossflower ran to help him. The badger had shook him of it's pelt and was lumbering over to crush him. She leaped onto it's flank and hung on. She held on long enough for Sageheart to recover and bite into the creature's stubby tail. The badger screeched in pain and retreated. She rested for a couple of seconds, then left. The intruding badgers were everywhere.

Then she saw the bramble tunnel shake again and lost all hope of surviving. At first, Mossflower had thought that more intruders had burst in, but it was Earthclan here to help them. The Earthclan cats brought newfound strength and energy to the Pineclan camp. Mossflower forced a sigh of relief as she saw the last badgers lumbering, badly injured, away from the camp. Pineclan camp.

The nightmare was finally over and everything was going to be okay. The experience was left embedded in her mind. It was just a memory.

Chapter 3

As Mossflower helped rebuild the torn camp, she couldn't take her mind off of the picture of her brother laying there and herself so helpless. As she thought more of it something seemed to slip into her head that he somehow wasn't dead and she was just imagining it. But she couldn't shake off the thought that maybe he was alive then she switched thoughts to her lost sister and mother now she was alone with no kin.

" Are you ok?" Daisyleaf cautiously asked, "Wait what am I talking about of course you're not ok. Why don't you take the rest of the day easy, you can go get some rest." "But what about the Nursery?"She answered "Oh don't you worry, I'll get Sparrowpaw to help. You know how he is. He's more willing to do anything like a mouse wanting to be eaten. Just get some rest or I will be worried"

"Thanks Daisyleaf. You've always been a mother to me." Mossflower replied as she walked into the makeshift den. Mossflower didn't get to sleep very long when she heard and earspliting cry. At first she thought it was her horrible nightmare but then she realized this was real and she rushed out from the den just in time to hear Lacewing yell Foxkit is missing.

In no time, cats were setting out to find the little kit but they soon came back all sorrowful with heads and tails drooping with no trace of the little kit. At that moment, a large tabby tom broke through the half built barrier and jumped in to the clearing sending clouds of sand up in the air. And in his mouth was Foxkit in one piece and only with some bruises and scratches. That was when she noticed the a tabby cream and black she cat with amber eyes that so closely resembled herself.

"Tigerstripe, who is that, that rogue behind you?" She asked "Oh, I almost forgot, Mossflower, her name is Lily. She says she is your mother." "W-w-what? Everyone told me that my mother was dead. Killed in the fight between Pineclan and Dawnclan! She can't be alive! if she was, she shoud've be looking for me!" "But Mossflower, look how closely she resembles you and she changed her name after yours Mossflower. You both have the same tabby fur. Her name is Lily for the flower in your name. And the only reason she didn't come back was because she was lost and couldn't find her way back until now with my help."

"Hey, but Tigerstripe, where did you find her and the kit?" Skyshadow cut in "I found her near the Skystream. She was the one who had found the kit. Not me" Tigerstripe explained giving all the credit to her, which was not like him. "Enough commotion everyone. First things first. Daisyleaf take Foxkit and clean him up and Tigerstripe and, um..." "Lily." He told the leader "Yes, yes just come to my den and explain all about how you found her and Foxkit." Stormstar winced everytime he adressed Lily.

Soon, Lily came out of the Leaders Den battered up with pain in her eyes. "What happened!" Mossflower ran over to the cat she just recently accepted as her mother. Then, with her head drooping, she answered, "I was banned from this clan " "But Stormstar! Please! Let her stay." She pleaded "No and a no is a no! I know for sure that she is lying!" Stormstar answered,"I can tell from the way she fights she is NOT your mother! The death of your brother is clouding your judgment."

"What do you know. You're not my father, you don't how how it feels just to just have the possibility that she is my mother." Mossflower said with tears in her eyes. Then she ran out of the leader's cave and buried herself sobbing in the moss of her bed in the warriors den and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Mossflower opened her eyes and gasped to see Pineclan fighting with Dawnclan it was all so bloody and grusome that she couldn't look. As she turned, she caught a glimpe of Stormstar and a beautiful tabby she-cat, though she was not sure because of the flying cats and splattering blood. She ran over to where they were standing and hid behind the bushes listening to what they were talking about.

"Stormheart, we can't leave the clans, I can't leave. All our friends and kin are here. This is where we belong!" The she-cat said "But what about Mosskit she can't live here......" Stormstar pleaded.

Then came a name that she couldn't hear and she woke up. "No!" she thought as she swiped herself,"I have to know that name. The name of my mother! Why was Stormstar there? This is where I was born. Pineclan. My clan and home."

"I will find my mother!" she promised to herself.

Chapter 4

Mossflower woke up to the chirps of the songbirds and padded out to the fresh kill pile and chose a plump sparrow but could only take a few morsels of food. So she just got up to join a hunting patrol.

"Skyshadow, Sageheart, and Sparrowpaw you all are on the hunting..... oh. What a nice suprise!" exclaimed Brambletail. "Umm...I just wanted to ask if I could join the hunting patrol." She asked "Well sure, thanks for volunteering." Brambletail said with an understanding smile.

But before the patrol could leave, Stormstar called a clan meeting. "Just last night, I decided that Willowpaw is worthy of being a warrior." Stormstar declared. Willowpaw, being totally suprised at Stormstar's words, gave her pelt a few vigorous licks, trying to look her best. "Come, Willowpaw," Stormstar flicked his tail towards the she-cat, "Last night, you proved yourself to this clan by defending the camp against the badgers. So I say these words before Starclan. I, Stormstar, leader of Pineclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look upon this young cat. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." He looked down to Willowpaw and asked, "Willowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

This was the moment Willowpaw had been waiting for all her life, "I do." she stated solemnly.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Willowpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Willlowcloud. Starclan honors your loyalty and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Pineclan. "Willowcloud, Willowcloud, Willowcloud!"

For the first time that day, Mossflower smiled. She felt happy for her friend. Stormstar jumped from the Mossyledge and Mossflower turned her head in time to see Daisyleaf being led inside to Stormstar's Den. "So? Why do you need me here anyway." Daisyleaf asked Stormstar stated,"Mossflower thinks that Lily is her mother." "Hm," Daisyleaf sighed,"The plan didn't really work did it." "Um...Stormstar?" Willowcloud asked shyly "Yes?" the gray tom replied quite suprised,"Come in." Willowcloud padded in her eyes brimming with curiosity as they followed Daisyleaf out of the Den.

Then, she turned her head back towards the leader. "I know it's not my business but, what was that all about?" The young warrior asked "Oh, um..." He stuttered,"I told her to ask I mean, I asked her about Foxkit. If was feeling FIne,... ok?" He finished "Uh......ok."she replied,"Well i'm just here to tell you that Earthclan has spotted a fox that has crossed the border between our two clans and came onto our territory." "Ok, well I will just make am announcement in a second. You may leave now."

Willowcloud backed out of the Leaders Den and bounded off to Mossflower, her best friend that had just put a sparrow and two mice into the fresh kill pile. "Hey!" Willowcloud greeted her "Hey." Mossflower replied with her tail and head drooping and no enthusiasum in her once bright voice "What's wrong?" She asked "Lily left." She answered "What?!" She exclaimed suprised.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Mossyledge!" Stormstar announced, "Earthclan has been kind enough to inform us that they spotted two large and dangerous dogfoxes cross over to our border. So we, me and Willowcloud have decided that no cat is allowed out of camp unless they are in a group of three or more, and they must inform me or Brambletail first, to avoid any casualties."

"What?" Willowcloud muttered under her breath,"I only told him that there was a fox on the territory!" "We have to find Lily and make sure she is safe!" Mossflower cut in and raced out of camp "Wait for me!" Willowcloud shouted and pounded after her.

Mossflower's head was swirling in fear for the she-cat and she didn't know where she could be. That was when she remembered that Tigerstripe had found her at the Skystream, so she whirled around to the direction and ran off.

Willowcloud felt a russling of leaves and a crunching of branches. "Mossflower? Is that you?" She asked cautiously.

But she turned around only to face the ugly muzzle of a fox with scars and drool running all the way down to its' chest.

Chapter 5

Mossflower raced to the banks of the Skystream, and sure enough, Lily was there tenderly taking step after step on the stones to cross. She breathed a sigh of relief. Whether she was her mother or not, she felt that she had the responsibility to make sure she got back to wherever she came from safely. Mossflower waited for her to be fully across befor speaking, "Lily, it's me, Mossflower, I just wanted to make sure you're safe."

Mossflower had expected to hear the soft voice she had used before, but to her suprise, she sounded nothing like what she did before and she turned back towards her with a serious look in her eyes and a hard tone in her voice,

"Beware Mossflower, sometimes knowing to much is not a good thing. You can always choose to use knowledge for good or bad, don't think that this does not apply to you. You will have to make that choice one day and I am afraid that it will be much harder than you think............" She started to speak in a raspy voice,"Before there is light, there will be darkness, and the forest will drown in shadows" "Wait! What does it mean!" She wailed, but Water Lily just turned and walked away.

Mossflower did not know if she heard her, but if she did, she chose not to show it.

Willowcloud stood frozen with fear while the fox growled at her. Then she made a split second decision to run, and not a moment too late. At the same time, the fox leaped at her, snarling when it realized that it had not caught her, but had took a bite of tree instead, and thundered after her. Willowcloud could feel her heart beating inside her chest and it wasn't long before she was breathing heavily. Her legs threatened to give out and she suddenly realized that she couldn't lead the fox to camp and veered abruptly and headed towards the abandoned twoleg barn.

The fox tried to swerve, but caught onto a brample bush instead. which bought just enough time for Willowcloud to evade it. It took the fox only a second to free itself before it was racing after her again. She could feel its' hot breath on her heels. She could spot the barn in the distance now. Just a little bit longer now, hold on.

She was about to leap into the barn, but then she realized in horror that the door was closed for the first time and had to change her plan. Willlowcloud suddenly turned right and heard a monster start, but she was more worried about the immediate danger of the fox and continued to run in that direction.

Zinnia and Greenpaw had waited for what seemed like a year in silence, even though it was only a day. "Thanks." Greenpaw said, "If it wasn't for you, I think my mentor would have died." "You're welcome." They touched noses and anxiety clawed at their belly's.

Then, suddenly, they heard a screech of breaks in the distance. "What do you think that is?" Greenpaw asked inquiringly. Zinnia did not bother to answer him and started pelting towards the monster and Greenpaw followed, close at her heels.

After passing a stretch of woods, she could see the monster smoking out the back and a dazed cat sitting right next to it. "Willowpaw! Willowpaw!" the young apprentice shouted anxiously, "You arn't hurt, are you?" Willowcloud just stared blankly at the monster for a while, then turned and faced them, her ice blue eyes were glazed with terror. Greenpaw looked at what Willowcloud had been staring at. This was the first time he had noticed it, an ugly, scarred fox about twice his size was laying there, eyes blank and dull. It must have been chasing her all the way across the thunderpath and was hit by the monster. Greenpaw thought.

Then the twoleg got out of the monster, still muttering curses and looked at the dead fox. It used its' large feet and kicked it onto the side of the thunderpath and reached back in to bring out a cage. Inside was his mentor, Snowstripe. His right fore-paw was bandaged up and he still had all is scratches, but he was no longer bleeding. Zinnnia padded up to her twoleg and pawed at its' leg. The twoleg gave a look as if it were saying are you sure?, but she pawed once more and mewed, so it set the cage on the ground and opened the side. Snowstripe limped out and crossed to his apprentice. He dipped his head at the twoleg, to say thanks, but warriors had never befriended twolegs, so it was more of an ackknowledgement.

Then he signaled for Greenpaw and Willowcloud to follow him back into the forest. Zinnia watched them leave, she was a little sad, but she made no effort for them to stay. Then, suprisingly, Snowstripe turned back, "Are you coming with us?" Zinnia was left with utter shock.

She turned to look at her twoleg. It looked back and nodded. She took a deep breath and followed them into the unknown forest.

Chapter 6

The night was eerily silent as Zinnia, Snowstripe, Greenpaw, and Willowcloud were padding quietly among the trees. There were none of the calming sounds that Mousewhisker and the others were used to hearing. As they neared the half-built bramble tunnel, they could hear wails of mourning. Zinnia trailed behind them as they pushed their way through the brambles. "Arn't you coming" Greenpaw said as he turned around to face her.

Zinnia did not reply, but took a look around then plunged through the tunnel.

"Look!" Crystalpelt exclaimed. Everyone turned to see the exhausted cats stumble into the clearing. Mossflower was already sitting there. "Excuse me, excuse me," mewed Larksong, the medicine cat trying to make way through the croud,"here, come into my den, you must be tired, and I need to treat all your injuries" "Snowstripe! Willowcloud!" Frostleaf's voice rose above the others,"I knew you both weren't gone, I just knew!" "Wait......Willowcloud, you're a warrior already!" Willowcloud blushed and nodded shyly.

Then they all moved to the medicine den where they would stay for the night. Stormstar jumped on the Mossyledge and yowled. Instantly, the cats all fell silent.. "The cats that have just returned are tired and need to rest. We will ask them to talk about where they have been tommorrow morning. As of now, I think we should just return to our normal routine." "But what about that kittypet! I could smell it from a mile away. Are we just going to let it sta....." Hawkpaw was cut of by the sharp hiss of Longclaw. "Nothing will happen to anybody today. We are all tired and it is already nightfall. We will talk about this later. Understood?" Stormstar looked to all the cats in the clan, as if challenging anyone to object. But no one spoke, so he leaped of the ledge where he stood and retreated to his den in the sandy alcove.

Soon, everyone left to their dens to sleep and there was no more movement to be seen in the clearing in the center of the camp.

Zinnia woke up in the morning all sore. She had never traveled so far in her life before. Yesterday night, she had heard a young cat speak about her. He had used the same term that Greenpaw had called her a first. She knew that she would never be accepted here. Everything was so unfamiliar, the scents and sights. She could feel the camp stirring and peered outside the sandy den.

"It usually looks better you know" Larksong's voice startled her. "Ohh..." "Recently, a.....well.....group of badgers attacked our camp and we haven't even close to fully repairing it. Just this week, Littlepaw and Rainfur has already made his way to join in the ranks of Starclan and Snowstripe, Mossflower, Greenpaw, and Willowcloud have been missing for quite a while." "Ohh I see." Zinnia replied not quite sure why she was telling her this. "I'm sorry if it seems I am coming a bit too strong. It's just that I know that you must think that you don't belong here and that you arn't wanted here. But the truth is that we need you just as much than anyone. The leaf-bare is tough, and it would be good fortune for you to stay." Larksong said understandingly.

"Ohh...thanks" Zinnia did not want to reveal that what she said was true, but she was grateful that she had said this to here. Larksong just nodded as if she understood everything.

Zinnia took a deep breath and stepped outside from the den. The entire camp was bustling with action. Some cats were just stirring, others were setting prey down in a pile in the center, while others headed out on patrols. From behind her, Greenpaw, Willowcloud, and Snowstripe emerged from the alcove and headed into the clearing. Zinnia padded up to a cat directing orders a some others.

"Excuse me? May I ask for some explanation?" "Oh! I didn't realize that you were awake yet. I'm Brambletail by the way. Well, you see there are four clans and we are Stormclan. We hunt and provide for ourselves out here. I was just about to send out a hunting patrol, you may go if you like. We can teach you haw to hunt?" Brambletail said. "Yeah, I would love to, thanks." she replied. "They're leaving now, you should hurry if you want to go." He urged.

Zinnia gave a nod of thanks and ran to catch up. "Hey! What are you doing here?" Greenpaw asked. There was no hostility in his voice, only curiosity. "Brambletail told me that I could come, can you teach me how to hunt?" "Well....sure....I mean if you want me to. It's just that I am just an apprentice, you should've asked a warrior." "Ohh. Well...who should I ask?" she mewed ackwardly. "Well in my opinion, you should ask Mistpool. She is a good hunter and very patient." "Ok, thanks." Zinnia walked up to a beautiful blue-gray she-cat and asked her if she would teach her to hunt and she graciously agreed.

"Now, there are different techniques for different types of prey. You see, mice will feel your pawsteps before they hear you, and it is the opposite for birds. So for mice, you need to be light on your paws. Here, let me show this to you." Mistpool demonstrated a crouch for her and took a few steps forward, light on her paws,"Now you try it." Zinnia felt awkward, but she tried it anyways. Mistpool gently pushed down her rear and instantly, it felt more natural, then she smiled. "Now I want you to try to catch a mouse for me. I will be waiting right her for you."

Zinnia slowly backed away, then Mistpool nodded and she took of.

She didn't realize where she was going until she saw the thunderpath. Her paws had taken Zinnia to her old home. Then she remembered that she needed to catch a mouse for Mistpool and headed back into the forest. Suddenly, she heard a scuffling sound under leaves and she took the position of a crouch and slowly inched forward. She didn't stop until it was only a tail-length away. The mouse did not notice she was there and then she pounced with claws outstretched and quickly made the killing bite. She picked the mouse up and carried it all the way back to Mistpool at the Flowering Pine.

"Have you said your prayer to Starclan yet?" She asked. Zinnia gave a silent thanks and nodded. "Then well done. I am proud of you. you caught some prey on your first day here. You would make a wonderful warrior." She praised.

Zinnia felt warm all over, from her nose to the tip of her tail. For the first time, she felt like she belonged here.

Chapter 7

Willowcloud could tell something was bothering her best friend. She knew that if she wouldn't tell even her, that it had to be serious. Mossflower was picking at her food, lost in thought.

"Mossflower," Willowcloud started, but she wasn't listening,"Mossflower!" "Huh?" She mewed, then turned and looked at her, "What?" "Ok, ok, I know you probably don't want to tell me, but I just had to ask you," she said,"I can tell something is bothering you, what is it, you can tell me, please?" "Nothing, there is nothing wrong," she persuaded. "Mossflower, we were friends since we were kits, I know when something's bothering you."

Mossflower stopped pretending, "Ok, I admitt it, there is something on my mind. I really want to tell, believe me, but I just don't know how. It's just too complicated." "Then that's all the more reason TO tell me. You don't have to carry that burden all by yourself you know." Willowcloud tried to convince her. "Promise not to tell?" "Of course." "I.....I dreamed." ............................."You dreamed! That's it?" "No, of course that's not it. It was back then, when we were just kits, probably not even a moon old yet. I don't know how I knew, but I think that it was when Dawnclan and Pineclan were fighting, you know, that infamous battle...?" she waited for her friend to say something, but she didn't speak so she continued, "So I saw Stormstar, but he was Stormheart then and a calico she-cat and they were talking about leaving the clans." "So?" "So, then Stormheart said that Mosskit couldn't stay here....." ".....and you think thiat they were talking about you?" Willowcloud continued. "Yes." "Oh."

They were silent for a moment until Lilyflower cheerfully came and sat down next to then, untirely changing the overall mood. "Hey!" Lilyflower said happily, "hey........" they returned gloomily......... "Well you just killed the mood," then Lilyflower got up, grabbed a sparrow from the fresh-kill pile, and joined some warriors by the tunnel.

They turned and saw the hunting patrol enter through the bramble tunnel where Lilyflower went to sit. Leading the pack was the Zinnia proudly holding a mouse and vole in her mouth, followed by Crystalpelt, Greenpaw, and Mistpool. Their mouths were full of prey, a good sign. "So the prey is running again?" Stormstar commented cheerfully. "Yes, the prey is stirring in almost every burrow now that the weather has gotton warmer." Mistpool replied.

"I'm going to get you Darkfang!" Snowkit yowled. "How?" Foxkit sneered. "Be careful!" Mistpool exclaimed when Foxkit stepped on her paws, "Anyways, Darkfang was a terrible cat, you shouldn't even be talking about him." she reprimanded. Petalwing smiled.

They went to the clearing and dropped the prey on the fresh-kill pile. "You're actually a really great hunter." Greenpaw praised. "Thanks, but you're great too." Zinnia returned.

Greenpaw took two mice and was about to give it to the elders when Stormstar approached. "You don't need to do that anymore." Greenpaw look utterly confused. "I mean, someone else will do that from now on." he nodded to Sparrowpaw and he took the prey from Greenpaw,"This morning, Snowstripe and I decided that it is time you were made a warrior." "But...uhh....what....I mean what about the.....the assesment?" He stuttered.

"We have decided that you have already proved yourself when you saved your mentor" "I....did?" This time Stormstar did not bother to answer, but instead, jumped onto the Mossyledge and yowled. Greenpaw licked his pelt until it was glossy.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Mossyledge." The cats all came together and looked up. Greenpaw's mother had already guessed what the occasion was and Nightbreeze look proud. "It is time that Greenpaw is made a full warrior of this clan. I, Stormstar, call apon my warror ancestors to look on this young cat today. He has proven himself worthy by protecting his clanmate and mentor and risking his life to do so. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in return."

Stormstar turned and looked at Greenpaw, whose eyes were full of excitment, "Greenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your own life?" "I do." He said seriously. "Then by th powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Greenpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Greentail. Starclan honors your loyalty and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Pineclan." "Greentail! Greentail! Greentail!" Greentail looked down on his clanmates with pride.

In all his clanmates, there were only two cats who cheered his warrior name the loudest, Zinnia and Willowcloud.

Chapter 8

Greentail looked around. He was on the top of a lush hill and sniffed the air. The sweet aroma of mouse filled his airways. He instantly took a hunting crouch and crept forward. He looked through a parting in the grass and to his suprise, it was a cat. Willowcloud was sitting by a pool of water.

After a few seconds, she turned around and flicked her tail and gestured for him to sit next to her. He thought about it for a moment, then shrugged and sat. For the first time, he realized how beautiful she was. She had a smoky, light gray pelt with snowy white paws and the most stunning ice blue eyes. He felt her pelt brush up against his and their tails twisted together. He was about to touch noses with her until he woke up.

He got up and shook the bits of moss off his pelt. He was suprised at his surroundings until he realized that he had just been made a warrior and he was going to sleep in the warriors' den from now on. Greentail slowly padded up to confront Willowcloud, but just when he was about to talk, she got up and all of his confidence melted. She smiled at him then turned and went outside, leaving him with a deep scarlet blush. He shook his head and told himself to snap out of it and followed her outside. As he entered the clearing, he realized with joy that the trees were beginning to bud and the long leaf-fall was over.

"Did you enjoy your first night sleeping in the warriors' den?" Brambletail asked him. Greentail nodded guiltily. Brambletail raised an eyebrow but did not ask. He quickly changed the subject. "So, are there any patrols?" "Yes, the hunting patrol is just leaving, if you...."

Greenpaw did not stay to listen, he left to join Zinnia, Swiftclaw, Poppyreed, and Crystalpelt.

Zinnia found herself loving the forest and the cats in it. One cat in particular. She padded with the patrol until they reached Floodrocks. She turned west, away from her old twoleg home. Then she spotted a squirrel running down a tree and only a mouselength away. She was ready to pounce when she heard a starling screech and accidentaly stepped on a branch. The squirrel started sprinting and she followed.

It ran north and she leaped and quickly killed it. She was about to pick it up when instead, she picked up a different scent. It was sharp and smelled like rotton carrion. Then she remembered that there were four clans and realized with horror that the smell of the squirrel had masked the scent of the border markings of another clan. She was going to turn back when she heard another voice. It was rough and challenging.

"What are you doing here kittypet." the cat spat the words. "Have you lost your way," said another with mock kindness. The others jeered at her. There were seven cats in total. Then, she screamed.

Luckily, the rest of the patrol were not far and they were by her side in no time. "Can you even smell? Don't you realize that we have placed markers here?" the first cat spoke with a raspy voice. "Yes, Blackfang, I smell rotton carrion. And I do realize you've placed markers here. This isn't the border, the edge of your territory is where the thunderpath is." Swiftclaw snarled.

Then Poppyreed turned to Crystalpelt, "You go get the others, you're the fastest here." She nodded and sped off. "After her!" Blackfang screeched and two of the warriors pounded close behind her. Then Swiftclaw pounced, taking advantage of when he was distracted. Zinnia had two warriors turn on her at once. She couldn't handle one, yet two were attacking her. A brown tabby jumped and she clawed at him, barely keeping him off, when the other attacked. Then Greentail intercepted him midair. She instantly felt more affection for the handsome tabby warrior.

Please hurry Crystalpelt, or we'll all join Starclan.

Chapter 9

Crystalpelt raced through the forest. She knew that they were counting on her. She could feel the two Dawnclan warriors snapping at her heels. She dove through the bramble tunnel with no hesitation. The Dawnclan warriors had stumbled in the unfamiliar territory which had bought her some time. They lunged at her, but Brambletail, Snowstripe, and Stormstar, who had been closest, defended her. They attacked and chased them out of their camp. Crystalpelt caught her breath and yowled for attention.

"Don't rush." Stormstar said, "What happened, why were they there." "They...gasp.....moved......breath.....the border........gasp....into our..........breath....territory.......and attacked us." she finished. "Alright, thank you, we will take it from here," Stormstar comforted her,"Brambletail, Sageheart, Willowcloud, Snowstripe, Mistpool, and Sparrowpaw. Come with me."

They joined their leader and pelted towards the Dawnclan and Pineclan border in the North.

Greentail battered helplessly with his hind legs onto the belly of a warrior twice his size. "Useless kit." Blackfang muttered in his ear. Greentail felt rage and pushed off with all his strength and suprised the larger warrior when he landed five tail-lengths away on his rump. Greentail knew that he had already overexerted himself. Anytime now, they should be her soon.

Just as he thought those words, a battle cry rang out in his ears. He turned and saw a fresh new wave of warriors coming to aid them. When Greentail had turned, the warrior had caught him off guard. Greentail howled in pain when his nose was sliced. He dove under and used his paw to unbalance him, but the Dawnclan warrior saw him coming and leaped on him. He was about to sink his teeth into Greentail's throat when he felt the weight being lifted off him.

He looked and saw Willowcloud fighting ferociously. She had puffed her chest out so she look almost the same size as Blackfang. Greentail yowled and joined her. He pummeled him with his paws while Willowcloud was gripping him tightly on the scruff so he couldn't move. Then, Blackfang struggled free. "This isn't over. This is going to be our territory and we will get it one way or another," Blackfang threatened as he and his other warriors were fleeing. "I would think that next time you would think twice before attacking." Stormstar stated coldly.

Blackfang snarled, but said nothing and retreated back into the safety of Dawnclan's territory. They yowled triumphant cries as they left. "Is everyone well enough to travel?" Stormstar asked his clanmates in concern. They all nodded and headed back to Pineclan camp.

When they got back, they were bombarded with questions. Larksong made her way through the crowd and led the injured warriors to her den. "At this rate, you all won't have anymore fur left." She joked, "There, all finished. Now go easy for a few days, Greentail and you will be fine", and she shood them out.

"You were great Willowcloud! If it weren't for you, I probably would be on my way to Starclan now." Greentail joked. "Well, you were great too, and that's an awful thing to say. What would the clan do without you? If you weren't here, life would be so boring. I mean, you always did know how to stir things up!" "Yea, I agree with you on that." Greentail remarked remembering the time where he had gone foxhunting at only two moons old.

They padded to the freshkill pile, sat and shared a sparrow together. Then, all of a sudden, they heard a yowl, calling attention to the Mossyledge. "Today, I realized that Zinnia fought as hard as any other warrior and that she deserves a spot in this clan. If Zinnia wishes to stay, she may and will recieve her warrior name, even though she has not recieved any warrior training. But, she needs to be trained, so I decided, since Mistpool has already done such a great job at teaching her to hunt, she will mentor her. Would you like to stay and become a full member of this clan?" "Yes." Zinnia replied instantly and surely. "And Mistpool, would you like to mentor her?" "I would have the honor." Mistpool replied.

"Then I, Stormstar, call apon my warror ancestors to look on this young cat today. She has proven herself worthy by protecting her clanmates in battle and risking her life to do so. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in return. Zinnia, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your own life?" "I do." She replied. "Then by then powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Zinnia, from this moment on, you will be known as Petalwing. Starclan honors your determination and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Pineclan." "Petalwing! Petalwing! Petalwing!"

She was suprised that she had gotten such a welcoming from the clan. Then, she jumped down to join her new clanmates. She was padding over to see Greentail, but stopped in her tracks when she saw him sitting with Willowcloud with tails entwined and veered sharply to the warrior's den.

Chapter 10

Mossflower thought about what Lily had said to her. She had told Willowcloud about her dream, but had chosen not to share what she had said. At least not until she had gotten a better idea of what that meant. She had considered telling Larksong, but had persuaded herself not to. She sighed, and after moments of consideration, she decided that If she could tell Willowcloud about her dream, she could tell her anything, and padded out of the den.

Suddenly, something came to Willowcloud's mind. "Greentail, now that I think of it, what did happen to you and Snowstripe?" she asked. Greentail looked uneasy, "Well, it's just.....I'm sorry. I just can't. I hope you can understand, I really wanted to." "That okay," she mewed understandingly,"whenever your ready to talk to me, I'll always be here to listen." "Thanks Willowcloud," he looked obviously relieved, "that means alot to me. Probably more than you think." Willowcloud just smiled and pressed against his tabby pelt.

Greentail smiled back, trying to look as carefree as possible. The truth was, there was just so much on his mind recently. He turned and looked over worriedly at his leader's den and sighed. Please tell me what's going on, He thought.

She saw her friend sitting close to Greentail and laughing. They looked closer than ever. She didn't want to pull her away just to tell her about Lily's words, at least not now. So she turned away and saw Petalwing. She was sitting by the fresh-kill pile glaring at them with narrowed eyes. Mossflower was worried for her friend. She had never seen such fury in any cats' eyes before. Willowcloud and Greentail did not seem to notice her and went on talking.

Petalwing was furious. She had thought Greentail and her had something together. One of the main reasons she had come in the first place was because of him. Although she didn't regret coming, she regretted ever meeting him, every time she saw him and Willowcloud together. Then she noticed a tortiseshell she cat looking at her and she immediatly occupied herself with a vole. She watched carefully until she was out of sight and relaxed.

Then she heard a voice behind her and jumped. "Hello, Petalwing," Mistpool greeted,"Are you ready to do some battle training today?" "Of course." she replied.

This was just the kind of thing Petalwing needed to get 'him' of her mind. They padded through the forest she had come to love and stopped a ravine. They scrambled down the side to the sandy area below.

"This is where we will train," Mistpool explained,"I saw that you had the bravery to fight, but you have not learned the tricks and techniques yet." Petalwing nodded. "Now, I want you to try to get past me by all means. We will discuss everything else later." Petalwing took a deep breath and waited. Then, she broke out into a fast run and jumped to get over Mistpool. But she saw that coming and reached out her paw to grasp Petalwing's and pushed her down on the ground. It took a while for her to catch her breath.

"That was good. Most of the cats I have mentored would have tried to swerve around me. But your eyes told me what you were going to do." Mistpool stated,"This time try not to give that away." Petalwing looked carefully and observed. She had scrunched up her leg muscles, as if she was getting ready to jump. So Petalwing decided she would try to swerve. But instead, she looked up again and pelted towards Mistpool. To her suprise, she had moved her weight to her hind legs and her fore-paws had all the freedom to trip her. So she made a last second decision to jum diagonally over her. Mistpool did not think she would do that and looked at her as she jumped.

Then she quickly jumped onto her back just where she was landing and used her hind paws to flip Petalwing. Petalwing crashed just a little to her right and Mistpool leaped and pinned her down. "That was...pant....much better." she gasped between breaths. "Yeah, I felt that I gave much more of a fight." Petalwing replied.

Mistpool rose and let her go. "You've improved alot for only one training session," she complimented her,"But I think we've had enough for one day. Let's get back now."

When they finally got back to camp, she was too exhausted to think or be worried of anything right then. All she wanted to do was to sleep.

Chapter 11

Greentail felt truly happy whenever he was near Willowcloud. Now that their relationship had gotten better, he felt that there was no longer a need for him to to express his feelings verbally. He rose from his nest of moss and prodded Willowcloud awake.

"Huh?" Willowcloud murmmured. "The dawn patrol is going to leave soon, didn't you say you wanted to go?" "Oh! Sorry, let's go," she said blinking sleep from her eyes.

Brambletail, Skyshadow, Frostleaf, and Petalwing already outside. "Skyshadow, Petalwing,....and do you want to go?" Brambletail turned to them. They nodded. "..........Greentail and Willowcloud. You are on the dawn patrol. Skyshadow, you can lead."

The patrol all went straight towards the Dawnclan border to see if they had moved the border further into Pineclan territory again. They sighed with relief when they saw that nothing had been changed. "Good thing too. I already have more than enough scars to show from that battle." Greentail remarked to Willowcloud. "And don't count me out either." she returned looking at her scarred tail.

"Well since we're here, we might as well hunt." Skyshadow suggested. The others nodded in agreement and began hunting.

Petalwing was aching all over from the battle training yesterday, but she couldn't sleep so she had gotten up early for the dawn patrol. She thought it would be a great way to forget them until 'they' joined. She was padding west, away from the rest of the patrol to hunt. Then she heard a mouse nibbling on a seed and got into a crouch. Suddenly, the wind changed directions and the mouse ran. She knew she would not be able to catch it, but she chased anyway. She ran until she saw something that could her eye and stopped abruptly.

To her right, was a tunnel mostly hidden by decades old moss, branches, and lichen. She carefully brushed it aside and peered in. She gasped in amazement. She saw a glittering running river underground and a cliff and caves. It looked like it had been buried for a long time and it was finally getting some fresh air. In the center, was a pool of water. She slowly descended to the pool and looked in. She didn't see herself, but a large black cat and turned around, but no one was there. Suddenly, she felt sleepy and she rested with her nose touching the pool.

When she woke up, she was no longer in the majestic cave she had found. She was in a dark forest. She looked into the pool again, it was still there and she turned around and saw that large black cat again. She was startled "Who...who are you?" She exclaimed in fear. "My name is Darkstar." "Where am I?!" "You are in the Dark Forest of Shadows. Welcome. The Forest has chosen you."

To Be Continued

Book 1- Buried Secrets Author: Silvermoon Date of Last Edit: December 22th 2010 Title of Book: Buried Secrets Announcement From Author: I have just finished the book. Also, there is a poll at the bottom for whether Greentail should be with Willowcloud or Petalwing. Please enter your opinion. Sometimes it malfuntions, so if it does, please put your opinion on a thread. Thank you.

Prologue

Zinnia looked out the window, outside it was raining, making the twoleg den gloomy and dark. Her twoleg was sound asleep on the couch. She had been asleep until her twoleg started yowling in his dream and started pawing at the side of a table. Suddenly there was a screech of claws against the door. Zinnia jumped off the stool and ran to her cat door. Peering through the flap, she saw a bloody, scarred cat. "Who are you?" she asked.

Chapter 1

Stormstar ran into the center of the camp and yelled at the nearest cat. "What is going on?" Frostleaf stopped her yowling and turned to face her leader. "Snowstripe is missing! He went hunting near the abandoned twoleg barn with me. I went around the side while he went in. Suddenly I heard a caterwaul. By the time I got to the inside of the den, all I found was blood and torn fur!" After hearing Frostleaf's explanation, the StormClan leader ran to the Mossyledge, where he found his apprentice staring blankly at the commotion below. "What are you doing? I have to make an announcement. You need to get off of the Mossyledge, Littlepaw." Littlepaw sighed but obediently jumped off. When he landed, he turned to face his mentor. "You were supposed to take me hunting." Stormstar replied, "I will after all this has ended and everyone relaxes. After explaining to his apprentice, Stormstar finally got a chance to address his clan. "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Mossyledge for a clan meeting." The scattered, panicking, cats all formed a group around the ledge. Stormstar continued, "I know that the disappearance of Snowstripe is unsettling, but the whole clan shouldn't panic! After all, we were more calm when Greenpaw went missing! We will further discuss this and search when we finish the border and hunting patrols. While you are out in the forest, if you pick up a trail, come back to camp immediately. If this creature was able to severely injure and or capture one of Pineclan's senior warriors, you may be in danger. This clan cannot afford anymore losses, not now and not ever." Willowpaw yowled up at her leader, "My father is missing?" "What, you didn't know? But I saw you panicking among the others!" Frostleaf exclaimed. Willowpaw replied simply, "I didn't know what everyone else were running around camp for, I just followed them! I thought we were going to evacuate camp!" The clan leader said disbelievingly, "So you were yowling without knowing about it?" The young cat whisked her tail around sheepishly.

The bloody cat answered, "Greenpaw." "Your twoleg must not have good taste for names!" Zinnia exclaimed. "Twoleg? I don't have a twoleg, I am a fierce warrior! I am not like you kittypets." replied Greenpaw proudly. "Then what are you doing here scratching off my twoleg's new crown molding?" She retorted. "Because, it is your twoleg's fault that I even got lost and stolen away from my clan!" Greenpaw spat at Zinnia. She looked at Greenpaw questioningly, "Clan? What is a clan? Is it your suburb's name? Oh, but you don't have a twoleg!" "Oh, just please let me in. It's raining, and I don't have shelter." "Okay, fierce warrior." She replied sarcastically, while jumping up on the stool and pushing open the door, she pushed with such force, that the door made Greenpaw land flat on his back in the middle of the road. "Mousebrain! You made me land in the Thunderpath. The monsters could've gotten me!" yelled Greenpaw when he finally got back on all fours with his pelt slicked with mud, and ran into the den, bumping into her. "No manners, none at all!" Zinnia murmured under her breath, "Don't wake my twolegs." Greenpaw jumped from the sofa where the twoleg was sleeping. He turned to her, opened his mouth to say something, and pelted down the narrow hall forcing her to chase him. They made such a ruckus that her twolegs woke up. "Humph, and you were calling me the mousebrain," Zinnia growled as she turned to see Greenpaw's unique mossy brown striped tail, turned and fled after him.

"I'll take Frostleaf, Mousepaw, and Snowstr...Poppyreed with me to hunt." Stormstar sighed. " And me too," Littlepaw was quick to respond, "You promised that you'd take me hunting today, Stormstar." "Yes and you,"He replied. "Stormstar, I don't mean to be rude, but I want to search for my father." Willowpaw protested. "You can. But while we hunt. It is leaf-bare and we still have many mouths to feed. This has been a hard season and we need as much prey as possible." explained Stormstar. "You're right." She agreed. All five set out with Stormstar in the lead. They stopped at the Flowering Pine and split up. Stormstar padded quietly until he just spotted a starling. He was about to pounce when he heard a breathtaking yowl that scared the bird away. He stood from his crouch and followed the sound. When he finally reached it the others were already there looking in shock, standing a few inches away from his apprentice.

Frostleaf was leaning heavily against Poppyreed. "My mate, and now my kit," Frostleaf said sobbing "Starclan, how could you let this happen? If only he hadn't asked and didn't go." The small body of Littlepaw lay still and motionless.

Suddenly, two badgers stepped out of the bushes and lunged for Frostleaf, carrying her of her paws. She tried and tried to get them off, she could feel it's claws dig into her tabby pelt. She snarled and nipped ferociously, as these were the badgers that had killed the young apprentice. But they were too much for her. She tured her head to see the others fighting off the larger of the two. She tried to knock the badger of its' paws, but it was a futile attempt. She gasped when its' lumbering paws smashed a whisker's length away from her haunches. She instantly leaped backwards.

"I'm going to go to Starclan." Frostleaf thought as it approached her. Just as it's paw was crashing down, she saw a flash of ginger fur and saw Poppyreed on the badger clinging onto it's right flank. She scrambled up to her paws ready to fight. Then she settled down and caught her breath as saw the badgers fleeing in the distance. "What happened!" Willowpaw demanded. Stormfur hadn't noticed that Willowpaw had just arrived. Willowpaw gasped as she spotted Littlepaw, her younger brother, laying limply on the grass.

"Hey wait for me," She called after him as she strained to catch up with the young apprentice. Zinnia thought she had lost him until she see him until she had seen him stop at a bloody heap of white, tabby fur. She stopped to catch her breath before she skidded next to him. She had been running so fast that she had to dig her claws in the earth to stop.

"What's the matter?" She smirked. It was too late before she had stopped herself and realized what she had said. "I'm sorry. Did you know him?" She asked Greenpaw. He nodded his head solemnly."He was my mentor and now he's dead." Zinnia wanted to bombard him with questions. "Why do you have a mentor?", "What did he teach you?", "Is Greenpaw actually your name?" But at this time she knew she couldn't. Surprisingly, out out the corner of her eyes, she saw a flicker of movement. Her heart nearly did a one-eighty! "He's alive, Greenpaw!" She shouted, "Your mentor's alive!"

Chapter 2

The clearing was now painfully quiet as if the entire camp was holding its' breath waiting for something ominous to happen. The entire camp seemed almost deserted. There were none of the normal things that Mossflower had been used to seeing. The kits weren't playing and the apprentices weren't proudly boasting about their latest catch. The cats started talking in suppressed voices as the hunting patrol came back with something to share with the clan other than fresh-kill.

Frostleaf was gently prodding her kit with her paw to keep Littlepaw from falling to the ground. She kept reminding Poppyreed and Mousepaw, the cats that were carrying Littlepaw, to be careful as if her kit was still alive. Stormstar bounded up to the Mossyledge and began to speak, "My clan, we have suffered a great loss of a young cat worthy of being called a warrior today. This brave cat was faced with not one but two large badgers. And unfortunately, this young cat, Littlepaw will be on his way to Starclan tonight. We will sit vigil for him."

Howls of distress arose from around the clan. "This leaf-bare has been hard on us," he continued, "there have been many disappearances and some deaths, but we cannot just simply fill ourselves with self-pity. We still have many mouths to feed." "Snowstripe, and now Littlepaw! Two deaths in one day!" said Lilyflower. "Lilyflower, we don't know if Snowstripe is dead or not." Stormstar warned, but it was too late. Frostleaf was already sobbing next to the ledge, while her best friend Crystalpelt was comforting her. "Now everyone get your fill of freshkill, tonight we will sit vigil for Littlepaw. For the twilight patrol, Brambletail will pick the cats." After directing his clan to their proper place, Stormstar leaped off his ledge and walked to his den. On the way, he came across Crystalpelt and asked if the other patrol was back yet. "No, I'm afraid not, yet they left before you. I'm hoping nothing else bad happens." Crystalpelt said sadly.

Suddenly a loud clattering was heard from the entrance of the camp. All heads in the camp turned in alarm, but relaxed when all they saw was the other patrol coming in. Then Stormstar noticed that Swiftclaw was looking very urgently at him. Running over to his leader, Swiftclaw took a deep breath, and then said in a very loud and urgent voice that made all heads turn. "Badgers! There are at least fifteen!"

"What?!" Greenpaw jumped surprised, but with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "Yes, Y-E-S Y-O-U-R M-E-N-T-O-R I-S A-L-I-V-E!" Zinnia stretched the words. "Now come on, how can I help to save his life?" She urged. "I don't know, we can't travel all the way back to Stormclan! Plus we'll have to avoid the other clan's cats!" Greenpaw stuttered, shaking all over, his teeth chattering against the cold.

There was an awkward moment of hesitation. Zinnia was the first to break the silence "Well it won't help standing there. Do you want me to save his life or what?" "Uhh...umm." He started. "Well let's go! Take him to my twolegs house!" She replied instantly, cutting in abruptly.

Greenpaw was about to argue but Zinnia was already hulling Snowstripe, so Greenpaw gave in. Snowstripe groaned as they carried him through the white cat flap that was now streaked with blood. Zinnia's twoleg stared open-mouthed after seeing them haul, with great difficulty, the wounded cat inside. Five seconds later he was dialing the Cutter's number. Soon enough, she heard the car door slam and the car start.

Then, Stormstar remembered the badgers they had just chased off. He thought that perhaps they had been sent to scout ahead.

Suddenly a rumbling sound started up, growing louder until the black and white striped masks of badgers were only a tails length away. The lumbering creatures soon drew close enough to feel their breath. With their bared fangs and razor sharp claws, the whole Pineclan camp was filled with action. There was not a cat left to spare. Frostleaf and Poppyreed were distracting an old badger from the elders who had been pushed against the bramble wall. Rainfur, Swiftclaw, Crystalpelt, and Mossflower flung themselves onto any other uninvited visitors. Penetrating squeals of terror came from young kits, piercing a cats ears. The fear scent of cats were like a wave of terror. Willowpaw, Duststorm and Swiftclaw were persuading the frightened cats to climb the trees. But still the cats wern't sure scared and suspecting that the the huge clumsy creatures would push the trees over and trap the cats. The cats fought hard, but every time a badger was chased off, another badger its' place. Slowly, the hollow was overwhelmed with badgers. The defending cats were pushed against the bramble walls.

Then a shriek split the air. Mossflower searched for where the cry had come from. Pain filled her heart. Motionless and covered in dust,was the body of her brother, Rainfur, left for the badgers to trample. Mixed emotions floated everywhere, rage and sorrow. Mossflower shook her head, her first loyalty was her clan and she shouldn't just stand around and feel sorry for herself. She knew there would be time to grieve later after it was over. "But will it ever be over? This was a battle they could not win. We'll all be in Starclan soon." she thought silently.

After a moment of grieving, she returned to her clanmates to aid them. Sageheart was battling a badger twice his size alone, he was protecting the nursery. Mossflower ran to help him. The badger had shook him of it's pelt and was lumbering over to crush him. She leaped onto it's flank and hung on. She held on long enough for Sageheart to recover and bite into the creature's stubby tail. The badger screeched in pain and retreated. She rested for a couple of seconds, then left. The intruding badgers were everywhere.

Then she saw the bramble tunnel shake again and lost all hope of surviving. At first, Mossflower had thought that more intruders had burst in, but it was Earthclan here to help them. The Earthclan cats brought newfound strength and energy to the Pineclan camp. Mossflower forced a sigh of relief as she saw the last badgers lumbering, badly injured, away from the camp. Pineclan camp.

The nightmare was finally over and everything was going to be okay. The experience was left embedded in her mind. It was just a memory.

Chapter 3

As Mossflower helped rebuild the torn camp, she couldn't take her mind off of the picture of her brother laying there and herself so helpless. As she thought more of it something seemed to slip into her head that he somehow wasn't dead and she was just imagining it. But she couldn't shake off the thought that maybe he was alive then she switched thoughts to her lost sister and mother now she was alone with no kin.

" Are you ok?" Daisyleaf cautiously asked, "Wait what am I talking about of course you're not ok. Why don't you take the rest of the day easy, you can go get some rest." "But what about the Nursery?"She answered "Oh don't you worry, I'll get Sparrowpaw to help. You know how he is. He's more willing to do anything like a mouse wanting to be eaten. Just get some rest or I will be worried"

"Thanks Daisyleaf. You've always been a mother to me." Mossflower replied as she walked into the makeshift den. Mossflower didn't get to sleep very long when she heard and earspliting cry. At first she thought it was her horrible nightmare but then she realized this was real and she rushed out from the den just in time to hear Lacewing yell Foxkit is missing.

In no time, cats were setting out to find the little kit but they soon came back all sorrowful with heads and tails drooping with no trace of the little kit. At that moment, a large tabby tom broke through the half built barrier and jumped in to the clearing sending clouds of sand up in the air. And in his mouth was Foxkit in one piece and only with some bruises and scratches. That was when she noticed the a tabby cream and black she cat with amber eyes that so closely resembled herself.

"Tigerstripe, who is that, that rogue behind you?" She asked "Oh, I almost forgot, Mossflower, her name is Lily. She says she is your mother." "W-w-what? Everyone told me that my mother was dead. Killed in the fight between Pineclan and Dawnclan! She can't be alive! if she was, she shoud've be looking for me!" "But Mossflower, look how closely she resembles you and she changed her name after yours Mossflower. You both have the same tabby fur. Her name is Lily for the flower in your name. And the only reason she didn't come back was because she was lost and couldn't find her way back until now with my help."

"Hey, but Tigerstripe, where did you find her and the kit?" Skyshadow cut in "I found her near the Skystream. She was the one who had found the kit. Not me" Tigerstripe explained giving all the credit to her, which was not like him. "Enough commotion everyone. First things first. Daisyleaf take Foxkit and clean him up and Tigerstripe and, um..." "Lily." He told the leader "Yes, yes just come to my den and explain all about how you found her and Foxkit." Stormstar winced everytime he adressed Lily.

Soon, Lily came out of the Leaders Den battered up with pain in her eyes. "What happened!" Mossflower ran over to the cat she just recently accepted as her mother. Then, with her head drooping, she answered, "I was banned from this clan " "But Stormstar! Please! Let her stay." She pleaded "No and a no is a no! I know for sure that she is lying!" Stormstar answered,"I can tell from the way she fights she is NOT your mother! The death of your brother is clouding your judgment."

"What do you know. You're not my father, you don't how how it feels just to just have the possibility that she is my mother." Mossflower said with tears in her eyes. Then she ran out of the leader's cave and buried herself sobbing in the moss of her bed in the warriors den and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Mossflower opened her eyes and gasped to see Pineclan fighting with Dawnclan it was all so bloody and grusome that she couldn't look. As she turned, she caught a glimpe of Stormstar and a beautiful tabby she-cat, though she was not sure because of the flying cats and splattering blood. She ran over to where they were standing and hid behind the bushes listening to what they were talking about.

"Stormheart, we can't leave the clans, I can't leave. All our friends and kin are here. This is where we belong!" The she-cat said "But what about Mosskit she can't live here......" Stormstar pleaded.

Then came a name that she couldn't hear and she woke up. "No!" she thought as she swiped herself,"I have to know that name. The name of my mother! Why was Stormstar there? This is where I was born. Pineclan. My clan and home."

"I will find my mother!" she promised to herself.

Chapter 4

Mossflower woke up to the chirps of the songbirds and padded out to the fresh kill pile and chose a plump sparrow but could only take a few morsels of food. So she just got up to join a hunting patrol.

"Skyshadow, Sageheart, and Sparrowpaw you all are on the hunting..... oh. What a nice suprise!" exclaimed Brambletail. "Umm...I just wanted to ask if I could join the hunting patrol." She asked "Well sure, thanks for volunteering." Brambletail said with an understanding smile.

But before the patrol could leave, Stormstar called a clan meeting. "Just last night, I decided that Willowpaw is worthy of being a warrior." Stormstar declared. Willowpaw, being totally suprised at Stormstar's words, gave her pelt a few vigorous licks, trying to look her best. "Come, Willowpaw," Stormstar flicked his tail towards the she-cat, "Last night, you proved yourself to this clan by defending the camp against the badgers. So I say these words before Starclan. I, Stormstar, leader of Pineclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look upon this young cat. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." He looked down to Willowpaw and asked, "Willowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

This was the moment Willowpaw had been waiting for all her life, "I do." she stated solemnly.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Willowpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Willlowcloud. Starclan honors your loyalty and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Pineclan. "Willowcloud, Willowcloud, Willowcloud!"

For the first time that day, Mossflower smiled. She felt happy for her friend. Stormstar jumped from the Mossyledge and Mossflower turned her head in time to see Daisyleaf being led inside to Stormstar's Den. "So? Why do you need me here anyway." Daisyleaf asked Stormstar stated,"Mossflower thinks that Lily is her mother." "Hm," Daisyleaf sighed,"The plan didn't really work did it." "Um...Stormstar?" Willowcloud asked shyly "Yes?" the gray tom replied quite suprised,"Come in." Willowcloud padded in her eyes brimming with curiosity as they followed Daisyleaf out of the Den.

Then, she turned her head back towards the leader. "I know it's not my business but, what was that all about?" The young warrior asked "Oh, um..." He stuttered,"I told her to ask I mean, I asked her about Foxkit. If was feeling FIne,... ok?" He finished "Uh......ok."she replied,"Well i'm just here to tell you that Earthclan has spotted a fox that has crossed the border between our two clans and came onto our territory." "Ok, well I will just make am announcement in a second. You may leave now."

Willowcloud backed out of the Leaders Den and bounded off to Mossflower, her best friend that had just put a sparrow and two mice into the fresh kill pile. "Hey!" Willowcloud greeted her "Hey." Mossflower replied with her tail and head drooping and no enthusiasum in her once bright voice "What's wrong?" She asked "Lily left." She answered "What?!" She exclaimed suprised.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Mossyledge!" Stormstar announced, "Earthclan has been kind enough to inform us that they spotted two large and dangerous dogfoxes cross over to our border. So we, me and Willowcloud have decided that no cat is allowed out of camp unless they are in a group of three or more, and they must inform me or Brambletail first, to avoid any casualties."

"What?" Willowcloud muttered under her breath,"I only told him that there was a fox on the territory!" "We have to find Lily and make sure she is safe!" Mossflower cut in and raced out of camp "Wait for me!" Willowcloud shouted and pounded after her.

Mossflower's head was swirling in fear for the she-cat and she didn't know where she could be. That was when she remembered that Tigerstripe had found her at the Skystream, so she whirled around to the direction and ran off.

Willowcloud felt a russling of leaves and a crunching of branches. "Mossflower? Is that you?" She asked cautiously.

But she turned around only to face the ugly muzzle of a fox with scars and drool running all the way down to its' chest.

Chapter 5

Mossflower raced to the banks of the Skystream, and sure enough, Lily was there tenderly taking step after step on the stones to cross. She breathed a sigh of relief. Whether she was her mother or not, she felt that she had the responsibility to make sure she got back to wherever she came from safely. Mossflower waited for her to be fully across befor speaking, "Lily, it's me, Mossflower, I just wanted to make sure you're safe."

Mossflower had expected to hear the soft voice she had used before, but to her suprise, she sounded nothing like what she did before and she turned back towards her with a serious look in her eyes and a hard tone in her voice,

"Beware Mossflower, sometimes knowing to much is not a good thing. You can always choose to use knowledge for good or bad, don't think that this does not apply to you. You will have to make that choice one day and I am afraid that it will be much harder than you think............" She started to speak in a raspy voice,"Before there is light, there will be darkness, and the forest will drown in shadows" "Wait! What does it mean!" She wailed, but Water Lily just turned and walked away.

Mossflower did not know if she heard her, but if she did, she chose not to show it.

Willowcloud stood frozen with fear while the fox growled at her. Then she made a split second decision to run, and not a moment too late. At the same time, the fox leaped at her, snarling when it realized that it had not caught her, but had took a bite of tree instead, and thundered after her. Willowcloud could feel her heart beating inside her chest and it wasn't long before she was breathing heavily. Her legs threatened to give out and she suddenly realized that she couldn't lead the fox to camp and veered abruptly and headed towards the abandoned twoleg barn.

The fox tried to swerve, but caught onto a brample bush instead. which bought just enough time for Willowcloud to evade it. It took the fox only a second to free itself before it was racing after her again. She could feel its' hot breath on her heels. She could spot the barn in the distance now. Just a little bit longer now, hold on.

She was about to leap into the barn, but then she realized in horror that the door was closed for the first time and had to change her plan. Willlowcloud suddenly turned right and heard a monster start, but she was more worried about the immediate danger of the fox and continued to run in that direction.

Zinnia and Greenpaw had waited for what seemed like a year in silence, even though it was only a day. "Thanks." Greenpaw said, "If it wasn't for you, I think my mentor would have died." "You're welcome." They touched noses and anxiety clawed at their belly's.

Then, suddenly, they heard a screech of breaks in the distance. "What do you think that is?" Greenpaw asked inquiringly. Zinnia did not bother to answer him and started pelting towards the monster and Greenpaw followed, close at her heels.

After passing a stretch of woods, she could see the monster smoking out the back and a dazed cat sitting right next to it. "Willowpaw! Willowpaw!" the young apprentice shouted anxiously, "You arn't hurt, are you?" Willowcloud just stared blankly at the monster for a while, then turned and faced them, her ice blue eyes were glazed with terror. Greenpaw looked at what Willowcloud had been staring at. This was the first time he had noticed it, an ugly, scarred fox about twice his size was laying there, eyes blank and dull. It must have been chasing her all the way across the thunderpath and was hit by the monster. Greenpaw thought.

Then the twoleg got out of the monster, still muttering curses and looked at the dead fox. It used its' large feet and kicked it onto the side of the thunderpath and reached back in to bring out a cage. Inside was his mentor, Snowstripe. His right fore-paw was bandaged up and he still had all is scratches, but he was no longer bleeding. Zinnnia padded up to her twoleg and pawed at its' leg. The twoleg gave a look as if it were saying are you sure?, but she pawed once more and mewed, so it set the cage on the ground and opened the side. Snowstripe limped out and crossed to his apprentice. He dipped his head at the twoleg, to say thanks, but warriors had never befriended twolegs, so it was more of an ackknowledgement.

Then he signaled for Greenpaw and Willowcloud to follow him back into the forest. Zinnia watched them leave, she was a little sad, but she made no effort for them to stay. Then, suprisingly, Snowstripe turned back, "Are you coming with us?" Zinnia was left with utter shock.

She turned to look at her twoleg. It looked back and nodded. She took a deep breath and followed them into the unknown forest.

Chapter 6

The night was eerily silent as Zinnia, Snowstripe, Greenpaw, and Willowcloud were padding quietly among the trees. There were none of the calming sounds that Mousewhisker and the others were used to hearing. As they neared the half-built bramble tunnel, they could hear wails of mourning. Zinnia trailed behind them as they pushed their way through the brambles. "Arn't you coming" Greenpaw said as he turned around to face her.

Zinnia did not reply, but took a look around then plunged through the tunnel.

"Look!" Crystalpelt exclaimed. Everyone turned to see the exhausted cats stumble into the clearing. Mossflower was already sitting there. "Excuse me, excuse me," mewed Larksong, the medicine cat trying to make way through the croud,"here, come into my den, you must be tired, and I need to treat all your injuries" "Snowstripe! Willowcloud!" Frostleaf's voice rose above the others,"I knew you both weren't gone, I just knew!" "Wait......Willowcloud, you're a warrior already!" Willowcloud blushed and nodded shyly.

Then they all moved to the medicine den where they would stay for the night. Stormstar jumped on the Mossyledge and yowled. Instantly, the cats all fell silent.. "The cats that have just returned are tired and need to rest. We will ask them to talk about where they have been tommorrow morning. As of now, I think we should just return to our normal routine." "But what about that kittypet! I could smell it from a mile away. Are we just going to let it sta....." Hawkpaw was cut of by the sharp hiss of Longclaw. "Nothing will happen to anybody today. We are all tired and it is already nightfall. We will talk about this later. Understood?" Stormstar looked to all the cats in the clan, as if challenging anyone to object. But no one spoke, so he leaped of the ledge where he stood and retreated to his den in the sandy alcove.

Soon, everyone left to their dens to sleep and there was no more movement to be seen in the clearing in the center of the camp.

Zinnia woke up in the morning all sore. She had never traveled so far in her life before. Yesterday night, she had heard a young cat speak about her. He had used the same term that Greenpaw had called her a first. She knew that she would never be accepted here. Everything was so unfamiliar, the scents and sights. She could feel the camp stirring and peered outside the sandy den.

"It usually looks better you know" Larksong's voice startled her. "Ohh..." "Recently, a.....well.....group of badgers attacked our camp and we haven't even close to fully repairing it. Just this week, Littlepaw and Rainfur has already made his way to join in the ranks of Starclan and Snowstripe, Mossflower, Greenpaw, and Willowcloud have been missing for quite a while." "Ohh I see." Zinnia replied not quite sure why she was telling her this. "I'm sorry if it seems I am coming a bit too strong. It's just that I know that you must think that you don't belong here and that you arn't wanted here. But the truth is that we need you just as much than anyone. The leaf-bare is tough, and it would be good fortune for you to stay." Larksong said understandingly.

"Ohh...thanks" Zinnia did not want to reveal that what she said was true, but she was grateful that she had said this to here. Larksong just nodded as if she understood everything.

Zinnia took a deep breath and stepped outside from the den. The entire camp was bustling with action. Some cats were just stirring, others were setting prey down in a pile in the center, while others headed out on patrols. From behind her, Greenpaw, Willowcloud, and Snowstripe emerged from the alcove and headed into the clearing. Zinnia padded up to a cat directing orders a some others.

"Excuse me? May I ask for some explanation?" "Oh! I didn't realize that you were awake yet. I'm Brambletail by the way. Well, you see there are four clans and we are Stormclan. We hunt and provide for ourselves out here. I was just about to send out a hunting patrol, you may go if you like. We can teach you haw to hunt?" Brambletail said. "Yeah, I would love to, thanks." she replied. "They're leaving now, you should hurry if you want to go." He urged.

Zinnia gave a nod of thanks and ran to catch up. "Hey! What are you doing here?" Greenpaw asked. There was no hostility in his voice, only curiosity. "Brambletail told me that I could come, can you teach me how to hunt?" "Well....sure....I mean if you want me to. It's just that I am just an apprentice, you should've asked a warrior." "Ohh. Well...who should I ask?" she mewed ackwardly. "Well in my opinion, you should ask Mistpool. She is a good hunter and very patient." "Ok, thanks." Zinnia walked up to a beautiful blue-gray she-cat and asked her if she would teach her to hunt and she graciously agreed.

"Now, there are different techniques for different types of prey. You see, mice will feel your pawsteps before they hear you, and it is the opposite for birds. So for mice, you need to be light on your paws. Here, let me show this to you." Mistpool demonstrated a crouch for her and took a few steps forward, light on her paws,"Now you try it." Zinnia felt awkward, but she tried it anyways. Mistpool gently pushed down her rear and instantly, it felt more natural, then she smiled. "Now I want you to try to catch a mouse for me. I will be waiting right her for you."

Zinnia slowly backed away, then Mistpool nodded and she took of.

She didn't realize where she was going until she saw the thunderpath. Her paws had taken Zinnia to her old home. Then she remembered that she needed to catch a mouse for Mistpool and headed back into the forest. Suddenly, she heard a scuffling sound under leaves and she took the position of a crouch and slowly inched forward. She didn't stop until it was only a tail-length away. The mouse did not notice she was there and then she pounced with claws outstretched and quickly made the killing bite. She picked the mouse up and carried it all the way back to Mistpool at the Flowering Pine.

"Have you said your prayer to Starclan yet?" She asked. Zinnia gave a silent thanks and nodded. "Then well done. I am proud of you. you caught some prey on your first day here. You would make a wonderful warrior." She praised.

Zinnia felt warm all over, from her nose to the tip of her tail. For the first time, she felt like she belonged here.

Chapter 7

Willowcloud could tell something was bothering her best friend. She knew that if she wouldn't tell even her, that it had to be serious. Mossflower was picking at her food, lost in thought.

"Mossflower," Willowcloud started, but she wasn't listening,"Mossflower!" "Huh?" She mewed, then turned and looked at her, "What?" "Ok, ok, I know you probably don't want to tell me, but I just had to ask you," she said,"I can tell something is bothering you, what is it, you can tell me, please?" "Nothing, there is nothing wrong," she persuaded. "Mossflower, we were friends since we were kits, I know when something's bothering you."

Mossflower stopped pretending, "Ok, I admitt it, there is something on my mind. I really want to tell, believe me, but I just don't know how. It's just too complicated." "Then that's all the more reason TO tell me. You don't have to carry that burden all by yourself you know." Willowcloud tried to convince her. "Promise not to tell?" "Of course." "I.....I dreamed." ............................."You dreamed! That's it?" "No, of course that's not it. It was back then, when we were just kits, probably not even a moon old yet. I don't know how I knew, but I think that it was when Dawnclan and Pineclan were fighting, you know, that infamous battle...?" she waited for her friend to say something, but she didn't speak so she continued, "So I saw Stormstar, but he was Stormheart then and a calico she-cat and they were talking about leaving the clans." "So?" "So, then Stormheart said that Mosskit couldn't stay here....." ".....and you think thiat they were talking about you?" Willowcloud continued. "Yes." "Oh."

They were silent for a moment until Lilyflower cheerfully came and sat down next to then, untirely changing the overall mood. "Hey!" Lilyflower said happily, "hey........" they returned gloomily......... "Well you just killed the mood," then Lilyflower got up, grabbed a sparrow from the fresh-kill pile, and joined some warriors by the tunnel.

They turned and saw the hunting patrol enter through the bramble tunnel where Lilyflower went to sit. Leading the pack was the Zinnia proudly holding a mouse and vole in her mouth, followed by Crystalpelt, Greenpaw, and Mistpool. Their mouths were full of prey, a good sign. "So the prey is running again?" Stormstar commented cheerfully. "Yes, the prey is stirring in almost every burrow now that the weather has gotton warmer." Mistpool replied.

"I'm going to get you Darkfang!" Snowkit yowled. "How?" Foxkit sneered. "Be careful!" Mistpool exclaimed when Foxkit stepped on her paws, "Anyways, Darkfang was a terrible cat, you shouldn't even be talking about him." she reprimanded. Petalwing smiled.

They went to the clearing and dropped the prey on the fresh-kill pile. "You're actually a really great hunter." Greenpaw praised. "Thanks, but you're great too." Zinnia returned.

Greenpaw took two mice and was about to give it to the elders when Stormstar approached. "You don't need to do that anymore." Greenpaw look utterly confused. "I mean, someone else will do that from now on." he nodded to Sparrowpaw and he took the prey from Greenpaw,"This morning, Snowstripe and I decided that it is time you were made a warrior." "But...uhh....what....I mean what about the.....the assesment?" He stuttered.

"We have decided that you have already proved yourself when you saved your mentor" "I....did?" This time Stormstar did not bother to answer, but instead, jumped onto the Mossyledge and yowled. Greenpaw licked his pelt until it was glossy.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Mossyledge." The cats all came together and looked up. Greenpaw's mother had already guessed what the occasion was and Nightbreeze look proud. "It is time that Greenpaw is made a full warrior of this clan. I, Stormstar, call apon my warror ancestors to look on this young cat today. He has proven himself worthy by protecting his clanmate and mentor and risking his life to do so. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in return."

Stormstar turned and looked at Greenpaw, whose eyes were full of excitment, "Greenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your own life?" "I do." He said seriously. "Then by th powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Greenpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Greentail. Starclan honors your loyalty and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Pineclan." "Greentail! Greentail! Greentail!" Greentail looked down on his clanmates with pride.

In all his clanmates, there were only two cats who cheered his warrior name the loudest, Zinnia and Willowcloud.

Chapter 8

Greentail looked around. He was on the top of a lush hill and sniffed the air. The sweet aroma of mouse filled his airways. He instantly took a hunting crouch and crept forward. He looked through a parting in the grass and to his suprise, it was a cat. Willowcloud was sitting by a pool of water.

After a few seconds, she turned around and flicked her tail and gestured for him to sit next to her. He thought about it for a moment, then shrugged and sat. For the first time, he realized how beautiful she was. She had a smoky, light gray pelt with snowy white paws and the most stunning ice blue eyes. He felt her pelt brush up against his and their tails twisted together. He was about to touch noses with her until he woke up.

He got up and shook the bits of moss off his pelt. He was suprised at his surroundings until he realized that he had just been made a warrior and he was going to sleep in the warriors' den from now on. Greentail slowly padded up to confront Willowcloud, but just when he was about to talk, she got up and all of his confidence melted. She smiled at him then turned and went outside, leaving him with a deep scarlet blush. He shook his head and told himself to snap out of it and followed her outside. As he entered the clearing, he realized with joy that the trees were beginning to bud and the long leaf-fall was over.

"Did you enjoy your first night sleeping in the warriors' den?" Brambletail asked him. Greentail nodded guiltily. Brambletail raised an eyebrow but did not ask. He quickly changed the subject. "So, are there any patrols?" "Yes, the hunting patrol is just leaving, if you...."

Greenpaw did not stay to listen, he left to join Zinnia, Swiftclaw, Poppyreed, and Crystalpelt.

Zinnia found herself loving the forest and the cats in it. One cat in particular. She padded with the patrol until they reached Floodrocks. She turned west, away from her old twoleg home. Then she spotted a squirrel running down a tree and only a mouselength away. She was ready to pounce when she heard a starling screech and accidentaly stepped on a branch. The squirrel started sprinting and she followed.

It ran north and she leaped and quickly killed it. She was about to pick it up when instead, she picked up a different scent. It was sharp and smelled like rotton carrion. Then she remembered that there were four clans and realized with horror that the smell of the squirrel had masked the scent of the border markings of another clan. She was going to turn back when she heard another voice. It was rough and challenging.

"What are you doing here kittypet." the cat spat the words. "Have you lost your way," said another with mock kindness. The others jeered at her. There were seven cats in total. Then, she screamed.

Luckily, the rest of the patrol were not far and they were by her side in no time. "Can you even smell? Don't you realize that we have placed markers here?" the first cat spoke with a raspy voice. "Yes, Blackfang, I smell rotton carrion. And I do realize you've placed markers here. This isn't the border, the edge of your territory is where the thunderpath is." Swiftclaw snarled.

Then Poppyreed turned to Crystalpelt, "You go get the others, you're the fastest here." She nodded and sped off. "After her!" Blackfang screeched and two of the warriors pounded close behind her. Then Swiftclaw pounced, taking advantage of when he was distracted. Zinnia had two warriors turn on her at once. She couldn't handle one, yet two were attacking her. A brown tabby jumped and she clawed at him, barely keeping him off, when the other attacked. Then Greentail intercepted him midair. She instantly felt more affection for the handsome tabby warrior.

Please hurry Crystalpelt, or we'll all join Starclan.

Chapter 9

Crystalpelt raced through the forest. She knew that they were counting on her. She could feel the two Dawnclan warriors snapping at her heels. She dove through the bramble tunnel with no hesitation. The Dawnclan warriors had stumbled in the unfamiliar territory which had bought her some time. They lunged at her, but Brambletail, Snowstripe, and Stormstar, who had been closest, defended her. They attacked and chased them out of their camp. Crystalpelt caught her breath and yowled for attention.

"Don't rush." Stormstar said, "What happened, why were they there." "They...gasp.....moved......breath.....the border........gasp....into our..........breath....territory.......and attacked us." she finished. "Alright, thank you, we will take it from here," Stormstar comforted her,"Brambletail, Sageheart, Willowcloud, Snowstripe, Mistpool, and Sparrowpaw. Come with me."

They joined their leader and pelted towards the Dawnclan and Pineclan border in the North.

Greentail battered helplessly with his hind legs onto the belly of a warrior twice his size. "Useless kit." Blackfang muttered in his ear. Greentail felt rage and pushed off with all his strength and suprised the larger warrior when he landed five tail-lengths away on his rump. Greentail knew that he had already overexerted himself. Anytime now, they should be her soon.

Just as he thought those words, a battle cry rang out in his ears. He turned and saw a fresh new wave of warriors coming to aid them. When Greentail had turned, the warrior had caught him off guard. Greentail howled in pain when his nose was sliced. He dove under and used his paw to unbalance him, but the Dawnclan warrior saw him coming and leaped on him. He was about to sink his teeth into Greentail's throat when he felt the weight being lifted off him.

He looked and saw Willowcloud fighting ferociously. She had puffed her chest out so she look almost the same size as Blackfang. Greentail yowled and joined her. He pummeled him with his paws while Willowcloud was gripping him tightly on the scruff so he couldn't move. Then, Blackfang struggled free. "This isn't over. This is going to be our territory and we will get it one way or another," Blackfang threatened as he and his other warriors were fleeing. "I would think that next time you would think twice before attacking." Stormstar stated coldly.

Blackfang snarled, but said nothing and retreated back into the safety of Dawnclan's territory. They yowled triumphant cries as they left. "Is everyone well enough to travel?" Stormstar asked his clanmates in concern. They all nodded and headed back to Pineclan camp.

When they got back, they were bombarded with questions. Larksong made her way through the crowd and led the injured warriors to her den. "At this rate, you all won't have anymore fur left." She joked, "There, all finished. Now go easy for a few days, Greentail and you will be fine", and she shood them out.

"You were great Willowcloud! If it weren't for you, I probably would be on my way to Starclan now." Greentail joked. "Well, you were great too, and that's an awful thing to say. What would the clan do without you? If you weren't here, life would be so boring. I mean, you always did know how to stir things up!" "Yea, I agree with you on that." Greentail remarked remembering the time where he had gone foxhunting at only two moons old.

They padded to the freshkill pile, sat and shared a sparrow together. Then, all of a sudden, they heard a yowl, calling attention to the Mossyledge. "Today, I realized that Zinnia fought as hard as any other warrior and that she deserves a spot in this clan. If Zinnia wishes to stay, she may and will recieve her warrior name, even though she has not recieved any warrior training. But, she needs to be trained, so I decided, since Mistpool has already done such a great job at teaching her to hunt, she will mentor her. Would you like to stay and become a full member of this clan?" "Yes." Zinnia replied instantly and surely. "And Mistpool, would you like to mentor her?" "I would have the honor." Mistpool replied.

"Then I, Stormstar, call apon my warror ancestors to look on this young cat today. She has proven herself worthy by protecting her clanmates in battle and risking her life to do so. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in return. Zinnia, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your own life?" "I do." She replied. "Then by then powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Zinnia, from this moment on, you will be known as Petalwing. Starclan honors your determination and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Pineclan." "Petalwing! Petalwing! Petalwing!"

She was suprised that she had gotten such a welcoming from the clan. Then, she jumped down to join her new clanmates. She was padding over to see Greentail, but stopped in her tracks when she saw him sitting with Willowcloud with tails entwined and veered sharply to the warrior's den.

Chapter 10

Mossflower thought about what Lily had said to her. She had told Willowcloud about her dream, but had chosen not to share what she had said. At least not until she had gotten a better idea of what that meant. She had considered telling Larksong, but had persuaded herself not to. She sighed, and after moments of consideration, she decided that If she could tell Willowcloud about her dream, she could tell her anything, and padded out of the den.

Suddenly, something came to Willowcloud's mind. "Greentail, now that I think of it, what did happen to you and Snowstripe?" she asked. Greentail looked uneasy, "Well, it's just.....I'm sorry. I just can't. I hope you can understand, I really wanted to." "That okay," she mewed understandingly,"whenever your ready to talk to me, I'll always be here to listen." "Thanks Willowcloud," he looked obviously relieved, "that means alot to me. Probably more than you think." Willowcloud just smiled and pressed against his tabby pelt.

Greentail smiled back, trying to look as carefree as possible. The truth was, there was just so much on his mind recently. He turned and looked over worriedly at his leader's den and sighed. Please tell me what's going on, He thought.

She saw her friend sitting close to Greentail and laughing. They looked closer than ever. She didn't want to pull her away just to tell her about Lily's words, at least not now. So she turned away and saw Petalwing. She was sitting by the fresh-kill pile glaring at them with narrowed eyes. Mossflower was worried for her friend. She had never seen such fury in any cats' eyes before. Willowcloud and Greentail did not seem to notice her and went on talking.

Petalwing was furious. She had thought Greentail and her had something together. One of the main reasons she had come in the first place was because of him. Although she didn't regret coming, she regretted ever meeting him, every time she saw him and Willowcloud together. Then she noticed a tortiseshell she cat looking at her and she immediatly occupied herself with a vole. She watched carefully until she was out of sight and relaxed.

Then she heard a voice behind her and jumped. "Hello, Petalwing," Mistpool greeted,"Are you ready to do some battle training today?" "Of course." she replied.

This was just the kind of thing Petalwing needed to get 'him' of her mind. They padded through the forest she had come to love and stopped a ravine. They scrambled down the side to the sandy area below.

"This is where we will train," Mistpool explained,"I saw that you had the bravery to fight, but you have not learned the tricks and techniques yet." Petalwing nodded. "Now, I want you to try to get past me by all means. We will discuss everything else later." Petalwing took a deep breath and waited. Then, she broke out into a fast run and jumped to get over Mistpool. But she saw that coming and reached out her paw to grasp Petalwing's and pushed her down on the ground. It took a while for her to catch her breath.

"That was good. Most of the cats I have mentored would have tried to swerve around me. But your eyes told me what you were going to do." Mistpool stated,"This time try not to give that away." Petalwing looked carefully and observed. She had scrunched up her leg muscles, as if she was getting ready to jump. So Petalwing decided she would try to swerve. But instead, she looked up again and pelted towards Mistpool. To her suprise, she had moved her weight to her hind legs and her fore-paws had all the freedom to trip her. So she made a last second decision to jum diagonally over her. Mistpool did not think she would do that and looked at her as she jumped.

Then she quickly jumped onto her back just where she was landing and used her hind paws to flip Petalwing. Petalwing crashed just a little to her right and Mistpool leaped and pinned her down. "That was...pant....much better." she gasped between breaths. "Yeah, I felt that I gave much more of a fight." Petalwing replied.

Mistpool rose and let her go. "You've improved alot for only one training session," she complimented her,"But I think we've had enough for one day. Let's get back now."

When they finally got back to camp, she was too exhausted to think or be worried of anything right then. All she wanted to do was to sleep.

Chapter 11

Greentail felt truly happy whenever he was near Willowcloud. Now that their relationship had gotten better, he felt that there was no longer a need for him to to express his feelings verbally. He rose from his nest of moss and prodded Willowcloud awake.

"Huh?" Willowcloud murmmured. "The dawn patrol is going to leave soon, didn't you say you wanted to go?" "Oh! Sorry, let's go," she said blinking sleep from her eyes.

Brambletail, Skyshadow, Frostleaf, and Petalwing already outside. "Skyshadow, Petalwing,....and do you want to go?" Brambletail turned to them. They nodded. "..........Greentail and Willowcloud. You are on the dawn patrol. Skyshadow, you can lead."

The patrol all went straight towards the Dawnclan border to see if they had moved the border further into Pineclan territory again. They sighed with relief when they saw that nothing had been changed. "Good thing too. I already have more than enough scars to show from that battle." Greentail remarked to Willowcloud. "And don't count me out either." she returned looking at her scarred tail.

"Well since we're here, we might as well hunt." Skyshadow suggested. The others nodded in agreement and began hunting.

Petalwing was aching all over from the battle training yesterday, but she couldn't sleep so she had gotten up early for the dawn patrol. She thought it would be a great way to forget them until 'they' joined. She was padding west, away from the rest of the patrol to hunt. Then she heard a mouse nibbling on a seed and got into a crouch. Suddenly, the wind changed directions and the mouse ran. She knew she would not be able to catch it, but she chased anyway. She ran until she saw something that could her eye and stopped abruptly.

To her right, was a tunnel mostly hidden by decades old moss, branches, and lichen. She carefully brushed it aside and peered in. She gasped in amazement. She saw a glittering running river underground and a cliff and caves. It looked like it had been buried for a long time and it was finally getting some fresh air. In the center, was a pool of water. She slowly descended to the pool and looked in. She didn't see herself, but a large black cat and turned around, but no one was there. Suddenly, she felt sleepy and she rested with her nose touching the pool.

When she woke up, she was no longer in the majestic cave she had found. She was in a dark forest. She looked into the pool again, it was still there and she turned around and saw that large black cat again. She was startled "Who...who are you?" She exclaimed in fear. "My name is Darkstar." "Where am I?!" "You are in the Dark Forest of Shadows. Welcome. The Forest has chosen you."

To Be Continued

Author: Silvermoon Date of Last Edit: December 22th 2010 Title of Book: Buried Secrets Announcement From Author: I have just finished the book. Also, there is a poll at the bottom for whether Greentail should be with Willowcloud or Petalwing. Please enter your opinion. Sometimes it malfuntions, so if it does, please put your opinion on a thread. Thank you.

Prologue

Zinnia looked out the window, outside it was raining, making the twoleg den gloomy and dark. Her twoleg was sound asleep on the couch. She had been asleep until her twoleg started yowling in his dream and started pawing at the side of a table. Suddenly there was a screech of claws against the door. Zinnia jumped off the stool and ran to her cat door. Peering through the flap, she saw a bloody, scarred cat. "Who are you?" she asked.

Chapter 1

Stormstar ran into the center of the camp and yelled at the nearest cat. "What is going on?" Frostleaf stopped her yowling and turned to face her leader. "Snowstripe is missing! He went hunting near the abandoned twoleg barn with me. I went around the side while he went in. Suddenly I heard a caterwaul. By the time I got to the inside of the den, all I found was blood and torn fur!" After hearing Frostleaf's explanation, the StormClan leader ran to the Mossyledge, where he found his apprentice staring blankly at the commotion below. "What are you doing? I have to make an announcement. You need to get off of the Mossyledge, Littlepaw." Littlepaw sighed but obediently jumped off. When he landed, he turned to face his mentor. "You were supposed to take me hunting." Stormstar replied, "I will after all this has ended and everyone relaxes. After explaining to his apprentice, Stormstar finally got a chance to address his clan. "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Mossyledge for a clan meeting." The scattered, panicking, cats all formed a group around the ledge. Stormstar continued, "I know that the disappearance of Snowstripe is unsettling, but the whole clan shouldn't panic! After all, we were more calm when Greenpaw went missing! We will further discuss this and search when we finish the border and hunting patrols. While you are out in the forest, if you pick up a trail, come back to camp immediately. If this creature was able to severely injure and or capture one of Pineclan's senior warriors, you may be in danger. This clan cannot afford anymore losses, not now and not ever." Willowpaw yowled up at her leader, "My father is missing?" "What, you didn't know? But I saw you panicking among the others!" Frostleaf exclaimed. Willowpaw replied simply, "I didn't know what everyone else were running around camp for, I just followed them! I thought we were going to evacuate camp!" The clan leader said disbelievingly, "So you were yowling without knowing about it?" The young cat whisked her tail around sheepishly.

The bloody cat answered, "Greenpaw." "Your twoleg must not have good taste for names!" Zinnia exclaimed. "Twoleg? I don't have a twoleg, I am a fierce warrior! I am not like you kittypets." replied Greenpaw proudly. "Then what are you doing here scratching off my twoleg's new crown molding?" She retorted. "Because, it is your twoleg's fault that I even got lost and stolen away from my clan!" Greenpaw spat at Zinnia. She looked at Greenpaw questioningly, "Clan? What is a clan? Is it your suburb's name? Oh, but you don't have a twoleg!" "Oh, just please let me in. It's raining, and I don't have shelter." "Okay, fierce warrior." She replied sarcastically, while jumping up on the stool and pushing open the door, she pushed with such force, that the door made Greenpaw land flat on his back in the middle of the road. "Mousebrain! You made me land in the Thunderpath. The monsters could've gotten me!" yelled Greenpaw when he finally got back on all fours with his pelt slicked with mud, and ran into the den, bumping into her. "No manners, none at all!" Zinnia murmured under her breath, "Don't wake my twolegs." Greenpaw jumped from the sofa where the twoleg was sleeping. He turned to her, opened his mouth to say something, and pelted down the narrow hall forcing her to chase him. They made such a ruckus that her twolegs woke up. "Humph, and you were calling me the mousebrain," Zinnia growled as she turned to see Greenpaw's unique mossy brown striped tail, turned and fled after him.

"I'll take Frostleaf, Mousepaw, and Snowstr...Poppyreed with me to hunt." Stormstar sighed. " And me too," Littlepaw was quick to respond, "You promised that you'd take me hunting today, Stormstar." "Yes and you,"He replied. "Stormstar, I don't mean to be rude, but I want to search for my father." Willowpaw protested. "You can. But while we hunt. It is leaf-bare and we still have many mouths to feed. This has been a hard season and we need as much prey as possible." explained Stormstar. "You're right." She agreed. All five set out with Stormstar in the lead. They stopped at the Flowering Pine and split up. Stormstar padded quietly until he just spotted a starling. He was about to pounce when he heard a breathtaking yowl that scared the bird away. He stood from his crouch and followed the sound. When he finally reached it the others were already there looking in shock, standing a few inches away from his apprentice.

Frostleaf was leaning heavily against Poppyreed. "My mate, and now my kit," Frostleaf said sobbing "Starclan, how could you let this happen? If only he hadn't asked and didn't go." The small body of Littlepaw lay still and motionless.

Suddenly, two badgers stepped out of the bushes and lunged for Frostleaf, carrying her of her paws. She tried and tried to get them off, she could feel it's claws dig into her tabby pelt. She snarled and nipped ferociously, as these were the badgers that had killed the young apprentice. But they were too much for her. She tured her head to see the others fighting off the larger of the two. She tried to knock the badger of its' paws, but it was a futile attempt. She gasped when its' lumbering paws smashed a whisker's length away from her haunches. She instantly leaped backwards.

"I'm going to go to Starclan." Frostleaf thought as it approached her. Just as it's paw was crashing down, she saw a flash of ginger fur and saw Poppyreed on the badger clinging onto it's right flank. She scrambled up to her paws ready to fight. Then she settled down and caught her breath as saw the badgers fleeing in the distance. "What happened!" Willowpaw demanded. Stormfur hadn't noticed that Willowpaw had just arrived. Willowpaw gasped as she spotted Littlepaw, her younger brother, laying limply on the grass.

"Hey wait for me," She called after him as she strained to catch up with the young apprentice. Zinnia thought she had lost him until she see him until she had seen him stop at a bloody heap of white, tabby fur. She stopped to catch her breath before she skidded next to him. She had been running so fast that she had to dig her claws in the earth to stop.

"What's the matter?" She smirked. It was too late before she had stopped herself and realized what she had said. "I'm sorry. Did you know him?" She asked Greenpaw. He nodded his head solemnly."He was my mentor and now he's dead." Zinnia wanted to bombard him with questions. "Why do you have a mentor?", "What did he teach you?", "Is Greenpaw actually your name?" But at this time she knew she couldn't. Surprisingly, out out the corner of her eyes, she saw a flicker of movement. Her heart nearly did a one-eighty! "He's alive, Greenpaw!" She shouted, "Your mentor's alive!"

Chapter 2

The clearing was now painfully quiet as if the entire camp was holding its' breath waiting for something ominous to happen. The entire camp seemed almost deserted. There were none of the normal things that Mossflower had been used to seeing. The kits weren't playing and the apprentices weren't proudly boasting about their latest catch. The cats started talking in suppressed voices as the hunting patrol came back with something to share with the clan other than fresh-kill.

Frostleaf was gently prodding her kit with her paw to keep Littlepaw from falling to the ground. She kept reminding Poppyreed and Mousepaw, the cats that were carrying Littlepaw, to be careful as if her kit was still alive. Stormstar bounded up to the Mossyledge and began to speak, "My clan, we have suffered a great loss of a young cat worthy of being called a warrior today. This brave cat was faced with not one but two large badgers. And unfortunately, this young cat, Littlepaw will be on his way to Starclan tonight. We will sit vigil for him."

Howls of distress arose from around the clan. "This leaf-bare has been hard on us," he continued, "there have been many disappearances and some deaths, but we cannot just simply fill ourselves with self-pity. We still have many mouths to feed." "Snowstripe, and now Littlepaw! Two deaths in one day!" said Lilyflower. "Lilyflower, we don't know if Snowstripe is dead or not." Stormstar warned, but it was too late. Frostleaf was already sobbing next to the ledge, while her best friend Crystalpelt was comforting her. "Now everyone get your fill of freshkill, tonight we will sit vigil for Littlepaw. For the twilight patrol, Brambletail will pick the cats." After directing his clan to their proper place, Stormstar leaped off his ledge and walked to his den. On the way, he came across Crystalpelt and asked if the other patrol was back yet. "No, I'm afraid not, yet they left before you. I'm hoping nothing else bad happens." Crystalpelt said sadly.

Suddenly a loud clattering was heard from the entrance of the camp. All heads in the camp turned in alarm, but relaxed when all they saw was the other patrol coming in. Then Stormstar noticed that Swiftclaw was looking very urgently at him. Running over to his leader, Swiftclaw took a deep breath, and then said in a very loud and urgent voice that made all heads turn. "Badgers! There are at least fifteen!"

"What?!" Greenpaw jumped surprised, but with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "Yes, Y-E-S Y-O-U-R M-E-N-T-O-R I-S A-L-I-V-E!" Zinnia stretched the words. "Now come on, how can I help to save his life?" She urged. "I don't know, we can't travel all the way back to Stormclan! Plus we'll have to avoid the other clan's cats!" Greenpaw stuttered, shaking all over, his teeth chattering against the cold.

There was an awkward moment of hesitation. Zinnia was the first to break the silence "Well it won't help standing there. Do you want me to save his life or what?" "Uhh...umm." He started. "Well let's go! Take him to my twolegs house!" She replied instantly, cutting in abruptly.

Greenpaw was about to argue but Zinnia was already hulling Snowstripe, so Greenpaw gave in. Snowstripe groaned as they carried him through the white cat flap that was now streaked with blood. Zinnia's twoleg stared open-mouthed after seeing them haul, with great difficulty, the wounded cat inside. Five seconds later he was dialing the Cutter's number. Soon enough, she heard the car door slam and the car start.

Then, Stormstar remembered the badgers they had just chased off. He thought that perhaps they had been sent to scout ahead.

Suddenly a rumbling sound started up, growing louder until the black and white striped masks of badgers were only a tails length away. The lumbering creatures soon drew close enough to feel their breath. With their bared fangs and razor sharp claws, the whole Pineclan camp was filled with action. There was not a cat left to spare. Frostleaf and Poppyreed were distracting an old badger from the elders who had been pushed against the bramble wall. Rainfur, Swiftclaw, Crystalpelt, and Mossflower flung themselves onto any other uninvited visitors. Penetrating squeals of terror came from young kits, piercing a cats ears. The fear scent of cats were like a wave of terror. Willowpaw, Duststorm and Swiftclaw were persuading the frightened cats to climb the trees. But still the cats wern't sure scared and suspecting that the the huge clumsy creatures would push the trees over and trap the cats. The cats fought hard, but every time a badger was chased off, another badger its' place. Slowly, the hollow was overwhelmed with badgers. The defending cats were pushed against the bramble walls.

Then a shriek split the air. Mossflower searched for where the cry had come from. Pain filled her heart. Motionless and covered in dust,was the body of her brother, Rainfur, left for the badgers to trample. Mixed emotions floated everywhere, rage and sorrow. Mossflower shook her head, her first loyalty was her clan and she shouldn't just stand around and feel sorry for herself. She knew there would be time to grieve later after it was over. "But will it ever be over? This was a battle they could not win. We'll all be in Starclan soon." she thought silently.

After a moment of grieving, she returned to her clanmates to aid them. Sageheart was battling a badger twice his size alone, he was protecting the nursery. Mossflower ran to help him. The badger had shook him of it's pelt and was lumbering over to crush him. She leaped onto it's flank and hung on. She held on long enough for Sageheart to recover and bite into the creature's stubby tail. The badger screeched in pain and retreated. She rested for a couple of seconds, then left. The intruding badgers were everywhere.

Then she saw the bramble tunnel shake again and lost all hope of surviving. At first, Mossflower had thought that more intruders had burst in, but it was Earthclan here to help them. The Earthclan cats brought newfound strength and energy to the Pineclan camp. Mossflower forced a sigh of relief as she saw the last badgers lumbering, badly injured, away from the camp. Pineclan camp.

The nightmare was finally over and everything was going to be okay. The experience was left embedded in her mind. It was just a memory.

Chapter 3

As Mossflower helped rebuild the torn camp, she couldn't take her mind off of the picture of her brother laying there and herself so helpless. As she thought more of it something seemed to slip into her head that he somehow wasn't dead and she was just imagining it. But she couldn't shake off the thought that maybe he was alive then she switched thoughts to her lost sister and mother now she was alone with no kin.

" Are you ok?" Daisyleaf cautiously asked, "Wait what am I talking about of course you're not ok. Why don't you take the rest of the day easy, you can go get some rest." "But what about the Nursery?"She answered "Oh don't you worry, I'll get Sparrowpaw to help. You know how he is. He's more willing to do anything like a mouse wanting to be eaten. Just get some rest or I will be worried"

"Thanks Daisyleaf. You've always been a mother to me." Mossflower replied as she walked into the makeshift den. Mossflower didn't get to sleep very long when she heard and earspliting cry. At first she thought it was her horrible nightmare but then she realized this was real and she rushed out from the den just in time to hear Lacewing yell Foxkit is missing.

In no time, cats were setting out to find the little kit but they soon came back all sorrowful with heads and tails drooping with no trace of the little kit. At that moment, a large tabby tom broke through the half built barrier and jumped in to the clearing sending clouds of sand up in the air. And in his mouth was Foxkit in one piece and only with some bruises and scratches. That was when she noticed the a tabby cream and black she cat with amber eyes that so closely resembled herself.

"Tigerstripe, who is that, that rogue behind you?" She asked "Oh, I almost forgot, Mossflower, her name is Lily. She says she is your mother." "W-w-what? Everyone told me that my mother was dead. Killed in the fight between Pineclan and Dawnclan! She can't be alive! if she was, she shoud've be looking for me!" "But Mossflower, look how closely she resembles you and she changed her name after yours Mossflower. You both have the same tabby fur. Her name is Lily for the flower in your name. And the only reason she didn't come back was because she was lost and couldn't find her way back until now with my help."

"Hey, but Tigerstripe, where did you find her and the kit?" Skyshadow cut in "I found her near the Skystream. She was the one who had found the kit. Not me" Tigerstripe explained giving all the credit to her, which was not like him. "Enough commotion everyone. First things first. Daisyleaf take Foxkit and clean him up and Tigerstripe and, um..." "Lily." He told the leader "Yes, yes just come to my den and explain all about how you found her and Foxkit." Stormstar winced everytime he adressed Lily.

Soon, Lily came out of the Leaders Den battered up with pain in her eyes. "What happened!" Mossflower ran over to the cat she just recently accepted as her mother. Then, with her head drooping, she answered, "I was banned from this clan " "But Stormstar! Please! Let her stay." She pleaded "No and a no is a no! I know for sure that she is lying!" Stormstar answered,"I can tell from the way she fights she is NOT your mother! The death of your brother is clouding your judgment."

"What do you know. You're not my father, you don't how how it feels just to just have the possibility that she is my mother." Mossflower said with tears in her eyes. Then she ran out of the leader's cave and buried herself sobbing in the moss of her bed in the warriors den and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Mossflower opened her eyes and gasped to see Pineclan fighting with Dawnclan it was all so bloody and grusome that she couldn't look. As she turned, she caught a glimpe of Stormstar and a beautiful tabby she-cat, though she was not sure because of the flying cats and splattering blood. She ran over to where they were standing and hid behind the bushes listening to what they were talking about.

"Stormheart, we can't leave the clans, I can't leave. All our friends and kin are here. This is where we belong!" The she-cat said "But what about Mosskit she can't live here......" Stormstar pleaded.

Then came a name that she couldn't hear and she woke up. "No!" she thought as she swiped herself,"I have to know that name. The name of my mother! Why was Stormstar there? This is where I was born. Pineclan. My clan and home."

"I will find my mother!" she promised to herself.

Chapter 4

Mossflower woke up to the chirps of the songbirds and padded out to the fresh kill pile and chose a plump sparrow but could only take a few morsels of food. So she just got up to join a hunting patrol.

"Skyshadow, Sageheart, and Sparrowpaw you all are on the hunting..... oh. What a nice suprise!" exclaimed Brambletail. "Umm...I just wanted to ask if I could join the hunting patrol." She asked "Well sure, thanks for volunteering." Brambletail said with an understanding smile.

But before the patrol could leave, Stormstar called a clan meeting. "Just last night, I decided that Willowpaw is worthy of being a warrior." Stormstar declared. Willowpaw, being totally suprised at Stormstar's words, gave her pelt a few vigorous licks, trying to look her best. "Come, Willowpaw," Stormstar flicked his tail towards the she-cat, "Last night, you proved yourself to this clan by defending the camp against the badgers. So I say these words before Starclan. I, Stormstar, leader of Pineclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look upon this young cat. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." He looked down to Willowpaw and asked, "Willowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

This was the moment Willowpaw had been waiting for all her life, "I do." she stated solemnly.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Willowpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Willlowcloud. Starclan honors your loyalty and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Pineclan. "Willowcloud, Willowcloud, Willowcloud!"

For the first time that day, Mossflower smiled. She felt happy for her friend. Stormstar jumped from the Mossyledge and Mossflower turned her head in time to see Daisyleaf being led inside to Stormstar's Den. "So? Why do you need me here anyway." Daisyleaf asked Stormstar stated,"Mossflower thinks that Lily is her mother." "Hm," Daisyleaf sighed,"The plan didn't really work did it." "Um...Stormstar?" Willowcloud asked shyly "Yes?" the gray tom replied quite suprised,"Come in." Willowcloud padded in her eyes brimming with curiosity as they followed Daisyleaf out of the Den.

Then, she turned her head back towards the leader. "I know it's not my business but, what was that all about?" The young warrior asked "Oh, um..." He stuttered,"I told her to ask I mean, I asked her about Foxkit. If was feeling FIne,... ok?" He finished "Uh......ok."she replied,"Well i'm just here to tell you that Earthclan has spotted a fox that has crossed the border between our two clans and came onto our territory." "Ok, well I will just make am announcement in a second. You may leave now."

Willowcloud backed out of the Leaders Den and bounded off to Mossflower, her best friend that had just put a sparrow and two mice into the fresh kill pile. "Hey!" Willowcloud greeted her "Hey." Mossflower replied with her tail and head drooping and no enthusiasum in her once bright voice "What's wrong?" She asked "Lily left." She answered "What?!" She exclaimed suprised.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Mossyledge!" Stormstar announced, "Earthclan has been kind enough to inform us that they spotted two large and dangerous dogfoxes cross over to our border. So we, me and Willowcloud have decided that no cat is allowed out of camp unless they are in a group of three or more, and they must inform me or Brambletail first, to avoid any casualties."

"What?" Willowcloud muttered under her breath,"I only told him that there was a fox on the territory!" "We have to find Lily and make sure she is safe!" Mossflower cut in and raced out of camp "Wait for me!" Willowcloud shouted and pounded after her.

Mossflower's head was swirling in fear for the she-cat and she didn't know where she could be. That was when she remembered that Tigerstripe had found her at the Skystream, so she whirled around to the direction and ran off.

Willowcloud felt a russling of leaves and a crunching of branches. "Mossflower? Is that you?" She asked cautiously.

But she turned around only to face the ugly muzzle of a fox with scars and drool running all the way down to its' chest.

Chapter 5

Mossflower raced to the banks of the Skystream, and sure enough, Lily was there tenderly taking step after step on the stones to cross. She breathed a sigh of relief. Whether she was her mother or not, she felt that she had the responsibility to make sure she got back to wherever she came from safely. Mossflower waited for her to be fully across befor speaking, "Lily, it's me, Mossflower, I just wanted to make sure you're safe."

Mossflower had expected to hear the soft voice she had used before, but to her suprise, she sounded nothing like what she did before and she turned back towards her with a serious look in her eyes and a hard tone in her voice,

"Beware Mossflower, sometimes knowing to much is not a good thing. You can always choose to use knowledge for good or bad, don't think that this does not apply to you. You will have to make that choice one day and I am afraid that it will be much harder than you think............" She started to speak in a raspy voice,"Before there is light, there will be darkness, and the forest will drown in shadows" "Wait! What does it mean!" She wailed, but Water Lily just turned and walked away.

Mossflower did not know if she heard her, but if she did, she chose not to show it.

Willowcloud stood frozen with fear while the fox growled at her. Then she made a split second decision to run, and not a moment too late. At the same time, the fox leaped at her, snarling when it realized that it had not caught her, but had took a bite of tree instead, and thundered after her. Willowcloud could feel her heart beating inside her chest and it wasn't long before she was breathing heavily. Her legs threatened to give out and she suddenly realized that she couldn't lead the fox to camp and veered abruptly and headed towards the abandoned twoleg barn.

The fox tried to swerve, but caught onto a brample bush instead. which bought just enough time for Willowcloud to evade it. It took the fox only a second to free itself before it was racing after her again. She could feel its' hot breath on her heels. She could spot the barn in the distance now. Just a little bit longer now, hold on.

She was about to leap into the barn, but then she realized in horror that the door was closed for the first time and had to change her plan. Willlowcloud suddenly turned right and heard a monster start, but she was more worried about the immediate danger of the fox and continued to run in that direction.

Zinnia and Greenpaw had waited for what seemed like a year in silence, even though it was only a day. "Thanks." Greenpaw said, "If it wasn't for you, I think my mentor would have died." "You're welcome." They touched noses and anxiety clawed at their belly's.

Then, suddenly, they heard a screech of breaks in the distance. "What do you think that is?" Greenpaw asked inquiringly. Zinnia did not bother to answer him and started pelting towards the monster and Greenpaw followed, close at her heels.

After passing a stretch of woods, she could see the monster smoking out the back and a dazed cat sitting right next to it. "Willowpaw! Willowpaw!" the young apprentice shouted anxiously, "You arn't hurt, are you?" Willowcloud just stared blankly at the monster for a while, then turned and faced them, her ice blue eyes were glazed with terror. Greenpaw looked at what Willowcloud had been staring at. This was the first time he had noticed it, an ugly, scarred fox about twice his size was laying there, eyes blank and dull. It must have been chasing her all the way across the thunderpath and was hit by the monster. Greenpaw thought.

Then the twoleg got out of the monster, still muttering curses and looked at the dead fox. It used its' large feet and kicked it onto the side of the thunderpath and reached back in to bring out a cage. Inside was his mentor, Snowstripe. His right fore-paw was bandaged up and he still had all is scratches, but he was no longer bleeding. Zinnnia padded up to her twoleg and pawed at its' leg. The twoleg gave a look as if it were saying are you sure?, but she pawed once more and mewed, so it set the cage on the ground and opened the side. Snowstripe limped out and crossed to his apprentice. He dipped his head at the twoleg, to say thanks, but warriors had never befriended twolegs, so it was more of an ackknowledgement.

Then he signaled for Greenpaw and Willowcloud to follow him back into the forest. Zinnia watched them leave, she was a little sad, but she made no effort for them to stay. Then, suprisingly, Snowstripe turned back, "Are you coming with us?" Zinnia was left with utter shock.

She turned to look at her twoleg. It looked back and nodded. She took a deep breath and followed them into the unknown forest.

Chapter 6

The night was eerily silent as Zinnia, Snowstripe, Greenpaw, and Willowcloud were padding quietly among the trees. There were none of the calming sounds that Mousewhisker and the others were used to hearing. As they neared the half-built bramble tunnel, they could hear wails of mourning. Zinnia trailed behind them as they pushed their way through the brambles. "Arn't you coming" Greenpaw said as he turned around to face her.

Zinnia did not reply, but took a look around then plunged through the tunnel.

"Look!" Crystalpelt exclaimed. Everyone turned to see the exhausted cats stumble into the clearing. Mossflower was already sitting there. "Excuse me, excuse me," mewed Larksong, the medicine cat trying to make way through the croud,"here, come into my den, you must be tired, and I need to treat all your injuries" "Snowstripe! Willowcloud!" Frostleaf's voice rose above the others,"I knew you both weren't gone, I just knew!" "Wait......Willowcloud, you're a warrior already!" Willowcloud blushed and nodded shyly.

Then they all moved to the medicine den where they would stay for the night. Stormstar jumped on the Mossyledge and yowled. Instantly, the cats all fell silent.. "The cats that have just returned are tired and need to rest. We will ask them to talk about where they have been tommorrow morning. As of now, I think we should just return to our normal routine." "But what about that kittypet! I could smell it from a mile away. Are we just going to let it sta....." Hawkpaw was cut of by the sharp hiss of Longclaw. "Nothing will happen to anybody today. We are all tired and it is already nightfall. We will talk about this later. Understood?" Stormstar looked to all the cats in the clan, as if challenging anyone to object. But no one spoke, so he leaped of the ledge where he stood and retreated to his den in the sandy alcove.

Soon, everyone left to their dens to sleep and there was no more movement to be seen in the clearing in the center of the camp.

Zinnia woke up in the morning all sore. She had never traveled so far in her life before. Yesterday night, she had heard a young cat speak about her. He had used the same term that Greenpaw had called her a first. She knew that she would never be accepted here. Everything was so unfamiliar, the scents and sights. She could feel the camp stirring and peered outside the sandy den.

"It usually looks better you know" Larksong's voice startled her. "Ohh..." "Recently, a.....well.....group of badgers attacked our camp and we haven't even close to fully repairing it. Just this week, Littlepaw and Rainfur has already made his way to join in the ranks of Starclan and Snowstripe, Mossflower, Greenpaw, and Willowcloud have been missing for quite a while." "Ohh I see." Zinnia replied not quite sure why she was telling her this. "I'm sorry if it seems I am coming a bit too strong. It's just that I know that you must think that you don't belong here and that you arn't wanted here. But the truth is that we need you just as much than anyone. The leaf-bare is tough, and it would be good fortune for you to stay." Larksong said understandingly.

"Ohh...thanks" Zinnia did not want to reveal that what she said was true, but she was grateful that she had said this to here. Larksong just nodded as if she understood everything.

Zinnia took a deep breath and stepped outside from the den. The entire camp was bustling with action. Some cats were just stirring, others were setting prey down in a pile in the center, while others headed out on patrols. From behind her, Greenpaw, Willowcloud, and Snowstripe emerged from the alcove and headed into the clearing. Zinnia padded up to a cat directing orders a some others.

"Excuse me? May I ask for some explanation?" "Oh! I didn't realize that you were awake yet. I'm Brambletail by the way. Well, you see there are four clans and we are Stormclan. We hunt and provide for ourselves out here. I was just about to send out a hunting patrol, you may go if you like. We can teach you haw to hunt?" Brambletail said. "Yeah, I would love to, thanks." she replied. "They're leaving now, you should hurry if you want to go." He urged.

Zinnia gave a nod of thanks and ran to catch up. "Hey! What are you doing here?" Greenpaw asked. There was no hostility in his voice, only curiosity. "Brambletail told me that I could come, can you teach me how to hunt?" "Well....sure....I mean if you want me to. It's just that I am just an apprentice, you should've asked a warrior." "Ohh. Well...who should I ask?" she mewed ackwardly. "Well in my opinion, you should ask Mistpool. She is a good hunter and very patient." "Ok, thanks." Zinnia walked up to a beautiful blue-gray she-cat and asked her if she would teach her to hunt and she graciously agreed.

"Now, there are different techniques for different types of prey. You see, mice will feel your pawsteps before they hear you, and it is the opposite for birds. So for mice, you need to be light on your paws. Here, let me show this to you." Mistpool demonstrated a crouch for her and took a few steps forward, light on her paws,"Now you try it." Zinnia felt awkward, but she tried it anyways. Mistpool gently pushed down her rear and instantly, it felt more natural, then she smiled. "Now I want you to try to catch a mouse for me. I will be waiting right her for you."

Zinnia slowly backed away, then Mistpool nodded and she took of.

She didn't realize where she was going until she saw the thunderpath. Her paws had taken Zinnia to her old home. Then she remembered that she needed to catch a mouse for Mistpool and headed back into the forest. Suddenly, she heard a scuffling sound under leaves and she took the position of a crouch and slowly inched forward. She didn't stop until it was only a tail-length away. The mouse did not notice she was there and then she pounced with claws outstretched and quickly made the killing bite. She picked the mouse up and carried it all the way back to Mistpool at the Flowering Pine.

"Have you said your prayer to Starclan yet?" She asked. Zinnia gave a silent thanks and nodded. "Then well done. I am proud of you. you caught some prey on your first day here. You would make a wonderful warrior." She praised.

Zinnia felt warm all over, from her nose to the tip of her tail. For the first time, she felt like she belonged here.

Chapter 7

Willowcloud could tell something was bothering her best friend. She knew that if she wouldn't tell even her, that it had to be serious. Mossflower was picking at her food, lost in thought.

"Mossflower," Willowcloud started, but she wasn't listening,"Mossflower!" "Huh?" She mewed, then turned and looked at her, "What?" "Ok, ok, I know you probably don't want to tell me, but I just had to ask you," she said,"I can tell something is bothering you, what is it, you can tell me, please?" "Nothing, there is nothing wrong," she persuaded. "Mossflower, we were friends since we were kits, I know when something's bothering you."

Mossflower stopped pretending, "Ok, I admitt it, there is something on my mind. I really want to tell, believe me, but I just don't know how. It's just too complicated." "Then that's all the more reason TO tell me. You don't have to carry that burden all by yourself you know." Willowcloud tried to convince her. "Promise not to tell?" "Of course." "I.....I dreamed." ............................."You dreamed! That's it?" "No, of course that's not it. It was back then, when we were just kits, probably not even a moon old yet. I don't know how I knew, but I think that it was when Dawnclan and Pineclan were fighting, you know, that infamous battle...?" she waited for her friend to say something, but she didn't speak so she continued, "So I saw Stormstar, but he was Stormheart then and a calico she-cat and they were talking about leaving the clans." "So?" "So, then Stormheart said that Mosskit couldn't stay here....." ".....and you think thiat they were talking about you?" Willowcloud continued. "Yes." "Oh."

They were silent for a moment until Lilyflower cheerfully came and sat down next to then, untirely changing the overall mood. "Hey!" Lilyflower said happily, "hey........" they returned gloomily......... "Well you just killed the mood," then Lilyflower got up, grabbed a sparrow from the fresh-kill pile, and joined some warriors by the tunnel.

They turned and saw the hunting patrol enter through the bramble tunnel where Lilyflower went to sit. Leading the pack was the Zinnia proudly holding a mouse and vole in her mouth, followed by Crystalpelt, Greenpaw, and Mistpool. Their mouths were full of prey, a good sign. "So the prey is running again?" Stormstar commented cheerfully. "Yes, the prey is stirring in almost every burrow now that the weather has gotton warmer." Mistpool replied.

"I'm going to get you Darkfang!" Snowkit yowled. "How?" Foxkit sneered. "Be careful!" Mistpool exclaimed when Foxkit stepped on her paws, "Anyways, Darkfang was a terrible cat, you shouldn't even be talking about him." she reprimanded. Petalwing smiled.

They went to the clearing and dropped the prey on the fresh-kill pile. "You're actually a really great hunter." Greenpaw praised. "Thanks, but you're great too." Zinnia returned.

Greenpaw took two mice and was about to give it to the elders when Stormstar approached. "You don't need to do that anymore." Greenpaw look utterly confused. "I mean, someone else will do that from now on." he nodded to Sparrowpaw and he took the prey from Greenpaw,"This morning, Snowstripe and I decided that it is time you were made a warrior." "But...uhh....what....I mean what about the.....the assesment?" He stuttered.

"We have decided that you have already proved yourself when you saved your mentor" "I....did?" This time Stormstar did not bother to answer, but instead, jumped onto the Mossyledge and yowled. Greenpaw licked his pelt until it was glossy.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Mossyledge." The cats all came together and looked up. Greenpaw's mother had already guessed what the occasion was and Nightbreeze look proud. "It is time that Greenpaw is made a full warrior of this clan. I, Stormstar, call apon my warror ancestors to look on this young cat today. He has proven himself worthy by protecting his clanmate and mentor and risking his life to do so. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in return."

Stormstar turned and looked at Greenpaw, whose eyes were full of excitment, "Greenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your own life?" "I do." He said seriously. "Then by th powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Greenpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Greentail. Starclan honors your loyalty and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Pineclan." "Greentail! Greentail! Greentail!" Greentail looked down on his clanmates with pride.

In all his clanmates, there were only two cats who cheered his warrior name the loudest, Zinnia and Willowcloud.

Chapter 8

Greentail looked around. He was on the top of a lush hill and sniffed the air. The sweet aroma of mouse filled his airways. He instantly took a hunting crouch and crept forward. He looked through a parting in the grass and to his suprise, it was a cat. Willowcloud was sitting by a pool of water.

After a few seconds, she turned around and flicked her tail and gestured for him to sit next to her. He thought about it for a moment, then shrugged and sat. For the first time, he realized how beautiful she was. She had a smoky, light gray pelt with snowy white paws and the most stunning ice blue eyes. He felt her pelt brush up against his and their tails twisted together. He was about to touch noses with her until he woke up.

He got up and shook the bits of moss off his pelt. He was suprised at his surroundings until he realized that he had just been made a warrior and he was going to sleep in the warriors' den from now on. Greentail slowly padded up to confront Willowcloud, but just when he was about to talk, she got up and all of his confidence melted. She smiled at him then turned and went outside, leaving him with a deep scarlet blush. He shook his head and told himself to snap out of it and followed her outside. As he entered the clearing, he realized with joy that the trees were beginning to bud and the long leaf-fall was over.

"Did you enjoy your first night sleeping in the warriors' den?" Brambletail asked him. Greentail nodded guiltily. Brambletail raised an eyebrow but did not ask. He quickly changed the subject. "So, are there any patrols?" "Yes, the hunting patrol is just leaving, if you...."

Greenpaw did not stay to listen, he left to join Zinnia, Swiftclaw, Poppyreed, and Crystalpelt.

Zinnia found herself loving the forest and the cats in it. One cat in particular. She padded with the patrol until they reached Floodrocks. She turned west, away from her old twoleg home. Then she spotted a squirrel running down a tree and only a mouselength away. She was ready to pounce when she heard a starling screech and accidentaly stepped on a branch. The squirrel started sprinting and she followed.

It ran north and she leaped and quickly killed it. She was about to pick it up when instead, she picked up a different scent. It was sharp and smelled like rotton carrion. Then she remembered that there were four clans and realized with horror that the smell of the squirrel had masked the scent of the border markings of another clan. She was going to turn back when she heard another voice. It was rough and challenging.

"What are you doing here kittypet." the cat spat the words. "Have you lost your way," said another with mock kindness. The others jeered at her. There were seven cats in total. Then, she screamed.

Luckily, the rest of the patrol were not far and they were by her side in no time. "Can you even smell? Don't you realize that we have placed markers here?" the first cat spoke with a raspy voice. "Yes, Blackfang, I smell rotton carrion. And I do realize you've placed markers here. This isn't the border, the edge of your territory is where the thunderpath is." Swiftclaw snarled.

Then Poppyreed turned to Crystalpelt, "You go get the others, you're the fastest here." She nodded and sped off. "After her!" Blackfang screeched and two of the warriors pounded close behind her. Then Swiftclaw pounced, taking advantage of when he was distracted. Zinnia had two warriors turn on her at once. She couldn't handle one, yet two were attacking her. A brown tabby jumped and she clawed at him, barely keeping him off, when the other attacked. Then Greentail intercepted him midair. She instantly felt more affection for the handsome tabby warrior.

Please hurry Crystalpelt, or we'll all join Starclan.

Chapter 9

Crystalpelt raced through the forest. She knew that they were counting on her. She could feel the two Dawnclan warriors snapping at her heels. She dove through the bramble tunnel with no hesitation. The Dawnclan warriors had stumbled in the unfamiliar territory which had bought her some time. They lunged at her, but Brambletail, Snowstripe, and Stormstar, who had been closest, defended her. They attacked and chased them out of their camp. Crystalpelt caught her breath and yowled for attention.

"Don't rush." Stormstar said, "What happened, why were they there." "They...gasp.....moved......breath.....the border........gasp....into our..........breath....territory.......and attacked us." she finished. "Alright, thank you, we will take it from here," Stormstar comforted her,"Brambletail, Sageheart, Willowcloud, Snowstripe, Mistpool, and Sparrowpaw. Come with me."

They joined their leader and pelted towards the Dawnclan and Pineclan border in the North.

Greentail battered helplessly with his hind legs onto the belly of a warrior twice his size. "Useless kit." Blackfang muttered in his ear. Greentail felt rage and pushed off with all his strength and suprised the larger warrior when he landed five tail-lengths away on his rump. Greentail knew that he had already overexerted himself. Anytime now, they should be her soon.

Just as he thought those words, a battle cry rang out in his ears. He turned and saw a fresh new wave of warriors coming to aid them. When Greentail had turned, the warrior had caught him off guard. Greentail howled in pain when his nose was sliced. He dove under and used his paw to unbalance him, but the Dawnclan warrior saw him coming and leaped on him. He was about to sink his teeth into Greentail's throat when he felt the weight being lifted off him.

He looked and saw Willowcloud fighting ferociously. She had puffed her chest out so she look almost the same size as Blackfang. Greentail yowled and joined her. He pummeled him with his paws while Willowcloud was gripping him tightly on the scruff so he couldn't move. Then, Blackfang struggled free. "This isn't over. This is going to be our territory and we will get it one way or another," Blackfang threatened as he and his other warriors were fleeing. "I would think that next time you would think twice before attacking." Stormstar stated coldly.

Blackfang snarled, but said nothing and retreated back into the safety of Dawnclan's territory. They yowled triumphant cries as they left. "Is everyone well enough to travel?" Stormstar asked his clanmates in concern. They all nodded and headed back to Pineclan camp.

When they got back, they were bombarded with questions. Larksong made her way through the crowd and led the injured warriors to her den. "At this rate, you all won't have anymore fur left." She joked, "There, all finished. Now go easy for a few days, Greentail and you will be fine", and she shood them out.

"You were great Willowcloud! If it weren't for you, I probably would be on my way to Starclan now." Greentail joked. "Well, you were great too, and that's an awful thing to say. What would the clan do without you? If you weren't here, life would be so boring. I mean, you always did know how to stir things up!" "Yea, I agree with you on that." Greentail remarked remembering the time where he had gone foxhunting at only two moons old.

They padded to the freshkill pile, sat and shared a sparrow together. Then, all of a sudden, they heard a yowl, calling attention to the Mossyledge. "Today, I realized that Zinnia fought as hard as any other warrior and that she deserves a spot in this clan. If Zinnia wishes to stay, she may and will recieve her warrior name, even though she has not recieved any warrior training. But, she needs to be trained, so I decided, since Mistpool has already done such a great job at teaching her to hunt, she will mentor her. Would you like to stay and become a full member of this clan?" "Yes." Zinnia replied instantly and surely. "And Mistpool, would you like to mentor her?" "I would have the honor." Mistpool replied.

"Then I, Stormstar, call apon my warror ancestors to look on this young cat today. She has proven herself worthy by protecting her clanmates in battle and risking her life to do so. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in return. Zinnia, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your own life?" "I do." She replied. "Then by then powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Zinnia, from this moment on, you will be known as Petalwing. Starclan honors your determination and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Pineclan." "Petalwing! Petalwing! Petalwing!"

She was suprised that she had gotten such a welcoming from the clan. Then, she jumped down to join her new clanmates. She was padding over to see Greentail, but stopped in her tracks when she saw him sitting with Willowcloud with tails entwined and veered sharply to the warrior's den.

Chapter 10

Mossflower thought about what Lily had said to her. She had told Willowcloud about her dream, but had chosen not to share what she had said. At least not until she had gotten a better idea of what that meant. She had considered telling Larksong, but had persuaded herself not to. She sighed, and after moments of consideration, she decided that If she could tell Willowcloud about her dream, she could tell her anything, and padded out of the den.

Suddenly, something came to Willowcloud's mind. "Greentail, now that I think of it, what did happen to you and Snowstripe?" she asked. Greentail looked uneasy, "Well, it's just.....I'm sorry. I just can't. I hope you can understand, I really wanted to." "That okay," she mewed understandingly,"whenever your ready to talk to me, I'll always be here to listen." "Thanks Willowcloud," he looked obviously relieved, "that means alot to me. Probably more than you think." Willowcloud just smiled and pressed against his tabby pelt.

Greentail smiled back, trying to look as carefree as possible. The truth was, there was just so much on his mind recently. He turned and looked over worriedly at his leader's den and sighed. Please tell me what's going on, He thought.

She saw her friend sitting close to Greentail and laughing. They looked closer than ever. She didn't want to pull her away just to tell her about Lily's words, at least not now. So she turned away and saw Petalwing. She was sitting by the fresh-kill pile glaring at them with narrowed eyes. Mossflower was worried for her friend. She had never seen such fury in any cats' eyes before. Willowcloud and Greentail did not seem to notice her and went on talking.

Petalwing was furious. She had thought Greentail and her had something together. One of the main reasons she had come in the first place was because of him. Although she didn't regret coming, she regretted ever meeting him, every time she saw him and Willowcloud together. Then she noticed a tortiseshell she cat looking at her and she immediatly occupied herself with a vole. She watched carefully until she was out of sight and relaxed.

Then she heard a voice behind her and jumped. "Hello, Petalwing," Mistpool greeted,"Are you ready to do some battle training today?" "Of course." she replied.

This was just the kind of thing Petalwing needed to get 'him' of her mind. They padded through the forest she had come to love and stopped a ravine. They scrambled down the side to the sandy area below.

"This is where we will train," Mistpool explained,"I saw that you had the bravery to fight, but you have not learned the tricks and techniques yet." Petalwing nodded. "Now, I want you to try to get past me by all means. We will discuss everything else later." Petalwing took a deep breath and waited. Then, she broke out into a fast run and jumped to get over Mistpool. But she saw that coming and reached out her paw to grasp Petalwing's and pushed her down on the ground. It took a while for her to catch her breath.

"That was good. Most of the cats I have mentored would have tried to swerve around me. But your eyes told me what you were going to do." Mistpool stated,"This time try not to give that away." Petalwing looked carefully and observed. She had scrunched up her leg muscles, as if she was getting ready to jump. So Petalwing decided she would try to swerve. But instead, she looked up again and pelted towards Mistpool. To her suprise, she had moved her weight to her hind legs and her fore-paws had all the freedom to trip her. So she made a last second decision to jum diagonally over her. Mistpool did not think she would do that and looked at her as she jumped.

Then she quickly jumped onto her back just where she was landing and used her hind paws to flip Petalwing. Petalwing crashed just a little to her right and Mistpool leaped and pinned her down. "That was...pant....much better." she gasped between breaths. "Yeah, I felt that I gave much more of a fight." Petalwing replied.

Mistpool rose and let her go. "You've improved alot for only one training session," she complimented her,"But I think we've had enough for one day. Let's get back now."

When they finally got back to camp, she was too exhausted to think or be worried of anything right then. All she wanted to do was to sleep.

Chapter 11

Greentail felt truly happy whenever he was near Willowcloud. Now that their relationship had gotten better, he felt that there was no longer a need for him to to express his feelings verbally. He rose from his nest of moss and prodded Willowcloud awake.

"Huh?" Willowcloud murmmured. "The dawn patrol is going to leave soon, didn't you say you wanted to go?" "Oh! Sorry, let's go," she said blinking sleep from her eyes.

Brambletail, Skyshadow, Frostleaf, and Petalwing already outside. "Skyshadow, Petalwing,....and do you want to go?" Brambletail turned to them. They nodded. "..........Greentail and Willowcloud. You are on the dawn patrol. Skyshadow, you can lead."

The patrol all went straight towards the Dawnclan border to see if they had moved the border further into Pineclan territory again. They sighed with relief when they saw that nothing had been changed. "Good thing too. I already have more than enough scars to show from that battle." Greentail remarked to Willowcloud. "And don't count me out either." she returned looking at her scarred tail.

"Well since we're here, we might as well hunt." Skyshadow suggested. The others nodded in agreement and began hunting.

Petalwing was aching all over from the battle training yesterday, but she couldn't sleep so she had gotten up early for the dawn patrol. She thought it would be a great way to forget them until 'they' joined. She was padding west, away from the rest of the patrol to hunt. Then she heard a mouse nibbling on a seed and got into a crouch. Suddenly, the wind changed directions and the mouse ran. She knew she would not be able to catch it, but she chased anyway. She ran until she saw something that could her eye and stopped abruptly.

To her right, was a tunnel mostly hidden by decades old moss, branches, and lichen. She carefully brushed it aside and peered in. She gasped in amazement. She saw a glittering running river underground and a cliff and caves. It looked like it had been buried for a long time and it was finally getting some fresh air. In the center, was a pool of water. She slowly descended to the pool and looked in. She didn't see herself, but a large black cat and turned around, but no one was there. Suddenly, she felt sleepy and she rested with her nose touching the pool.

When she woke up, she was no longer in the majestic cave she had found. She was in a dark forest. She looked into the pool again, it was still there and she turned around and saw that large black cat again. She was startled "Who...who are you?" She exclaimed in fear. "My name is Darkstar." "Where am I?!" "You are in the Dark Forest of Shadows. Welcome. The Forest has chosen you."

To Be Continued