Chapter One
- Pinepelt raced toward the camp, her mouth full of prey and a full patrol behind her. She could never get enough of the open moor, the freedom, and exhilaration of being a warrior. Being a warrior was all she had ever wanted and she couldn't believe that she was lucky enough to be one. Not every cat had that chance, there were loners, rogues, and even some crazy kittypets out there. But it seemed that soon her life as a warrior would be ending, Rosefur, the Clan's medicine cat, had just told her that she was expecting kits. She was of course overjoyed, but she was scared to death of the uncertainty that laid ahead of her. Dustytail, her mate, had already tried to convince her to move to the nursery, but she refused. She wouldn't until her belly was so big that she couldn't physically do her job anymore.
- "Pinepelt!" her brother, Spikefur, called from behind, "Wait up, we can't keep up with this pace you've been setting."
- Without noticing, Pinepelt had broken into a full sprint and was now almost two tree-lengths ahead. She slowed and looked back on her patrol, Spikefur, Hootowl, and Crowpaw were sprinting behind her, and by the time they caught up, they were app out of breath.
- "Whew, I'm tired!" Crowpaw exclaimed, tossing the moorhen he was carrying to the ground and collapsing to his side.
- Hootowl nudged her apprentice with a dark gray paw. "Get up you lazy kittypet," his mentor jokingly prodded.
- "Sorry," Pinepelt mewed, embarrassment pricking at her pelt, "I didn't even notice I'd picked up the pace."
- Spikefur purred, "Even when we were in the nursery, Lakeripple could barely keep you close to her, you were running when you weren't even a moon old, she used to worry sick about you!"
- Pinepelt rolled her eyes, "Come on, we need to get this prey back to camp."
- She picked up her lapwing, Spikefur snatched up a mouse and a rather skinny hare, Hootowl grabbed her lapwing, and Crowpaw grabbed his moorhen and once again they were off. This time Pinepelt set the pace at a quick trot and soon they arrived back at camp. They all threw their prey down and Pinepelt notices a plump dove on the top of the fresh kill pile. She remembered that dove was Lakeripple's favorite and snatched the prey up, trotting to the elder's den.
- As Pinepelt's eyes adjusted to the gloom of the dark den, a voice called out, "Pinepelt, is that you?"
- "Yes, Oatstalk, it's just me, I brought a dove for Lakeripple," Pinepelt replied.
- "Good," the tom replied, "Maybe now we'll get some peace, all last night she was talking, and she's still going."
- Pinepelt purred, her mother had always been a talker and even blindness couldn't steal that trait from her, "Is she awake?" Pinepelt mewed around the dove.
- "Nah, she and Mintleaf are taking a nap, but you can leave that tasty bit of prey here with me," Oatstalk mewed with a flick of his tail.
- Pinepelt purred. "Fine, I can catch a dove for Lakeripple later." She set the prey at the tom's paws and backed out of the den into the blinding sunlight.
- more coming soon