Hey and welcome to another warriors fanfic! Hope you enjoy this huge WIP (this will not be done in just a few weeks)! This is a collab between QuailFrost and XxWillowWindxX . Check out ‘All about the clans’ for extra info! Anyways, thanks for visiting! Enjoy! ~Quail and Willow
Allegiances[]
RoseClan[]
Leader: Rosestar- white she-cat with a single flower-shaped ginger patch; the first Leader of RoseClan
-Apprentice: Violetpaw
Deputy: Bumblehiss- cream coloured tabby she-cat with dark brown stripes; the first Deputy of RoseClan
Medicine Cat: Shinepelt- very light brown tom with glossy fur; the first Medicine cat of RoseClan
Warriors:
Firerose- black she-cat with bright ginger underbelly
Witheredtail- grey and ginger tom with a twisted tail
Dashingthunder- ginger tom with white chest and white splotches
Whitewillow- small white and cream she-cat with white flecks and light green eyes
Spiderscream- long-legged, jet-black tom with dark brown eyes
-Apprentice: Grassypaw
Mothflutter- nimble she-cat with very pale ginger and light brown patches
ThornPetal- beautiful white she-cat with ginger flecks
Apprentices:
Grassypaw- tabby ginger tom, half MeadowClan
Violetpaw- small, pale grey she-cat with violet eyes
Queens:
Horizonlight- light ginger she-cat
Mouseclaw- pale brown tabby she-cat
Paleflower- tall white she-cat
Elders:
Mosspool- very dark brown, almost black tabby tom; newly retired
MeadowClan[]
Leader: Meadowstar- light brown tom; the first leader of MeadowClan
Deputy: Volefur- fawn coloured tom with white flecks; the first deputy of MeadowClan
Medicine cat: Appleflight- pretty dark ginger tabby she-cat with blue eyes; the first medicine cat of MeadowClan
Warriors
Deerleap- dark brown she-cat with lighter brown splotches
Lightingstripe- golden tabby she-cat with lighter coloured stripes
-Apprentice: Locustpaw
Waspclaw- black tom with grey flecks
-Apprentice: Mousepaw
Rabbitear- dusky brown tom with huge ears
Pinedusk- black tabby tom with dark brown grey spots
Liontail- handsome golden-brown tabby tom with darker spots
Apprentices
Mousepaw- light brown she-cat
Locustpaw- golden-brown tom with a white muzzle and chest, half RoseClan
Queens
Fuzzypaws- golden-brown she-cat with a beautiful pelt
Elders
Eagleclaw- pale brown tabby tom; newly retired
MarshClan[]
Leader: Marshstar- dull black tom with dark amber eyes; the first leader of MarshClan
Deputy: Crowfur- dark grey, almost black, tom; the first deputy of MarshClan
Medicine cat: Oakeye- dark brown she-cat with almost black eyes
Warriors
Fireflytail- dark grey she-cat with a ginger tail
Flowerfur- pale golden-brown she-cat with dark amber eyes
-Apprentice: Redpaw
Sereneowl- dark brown tabby she-cat with black paws and ears
Blackfur- jet black tom
Featherpuddle- silver tabby she-cat
Timberberry- smoky black tom
-Apprentice: Sandpaw
Puddlecreek- dark brown tabby tom
Apprentices:
Sandpaw- small tortoiseshell she-cat
Redpaw- dark grey tom with ginger paws
Queens:
Crystalhiss- cream coloured tabby she-cat with reddish stripes, tail and paws
Sunflowereyes- pretty brown she-cat with ginger splotches
MountainClan[]
Leader: Mountainstar- silver tabby she-cat with bright blue eyes; the first leader of MountainClan
Deputy: Eelstrike- pale ginger tabby tom with a missing eye; the first deputy of MountainClan
Medicine Cat: Flowerbreeze- fluffy white she-cat with pink eyes; the first medicine cat of MountainClan
Warriors:
Gingerskip- light ginger she-cat
Paleburn- silver tabby tom
Milkleaf- very pale grey she-cat with darker grey swirls
Leafyeyes- blonde she-cat with bright green eyes
Webleap- tall cream tabby tom with unusual spots
-Apprentice: Mosspaw
Deertail- brown tabby tom with a white underbelly and a short tail
Apprentices:
Mosspaw- blonde tabby she-cat with darker stripes and pale blue eyes
Queens:
Whitenose- silver she-cat with white paws and muzzle
FrostClan[]
Leader: Froststar- pure white tom with spiky fur; the first leader of FrostClan
Deputy: Weaselpaws- extremely pale grey she-cat with short legs; the first deputy of FrostClan
Medicine Cat: Rabbitfreckle- white tom with pale brown flecks; the first medicine cat of FrostClan
Warriors:
Cloudedpelt- light grey tom
Sparklingfur- pure white she-cat, with beautiful glittering fur
Blacktail- white she-cat with an unusual black tail
-Apprentice: Snowpaw
Frozenfang- skinny white tom with a missing tooth
Lilysplash- white she-cat with pale blonde splotches
Stormbreeze- white tabby tom with pale grey stripes
-Apprentice: Lichenpaw
Apprentices:
Snowpaw- white tom; half MeadowClan
Lichenpaw- speckled white she-cat; half MeaowClan
Queens:
Minnowsong- dappled she-cat with a silky voice
Silver Guides[]
Rabbitfreckle[]
-Clan: FrostClan
-Role: Medicine Cat
-Appearance: white tom with pale brown flecks
Appleflight[]
-Clan: MeadowClan
-Role: Medicine Cat
-Appearance: pretty dark ginger tabby she-cat with blue eyes
Dashingthunder[]
-Clan: RoseClan
-Role: Warrior
-Appearance: ginger tom with white chest and white splotches
Whitewillow[]
-Clan: RoseClan
-Role: Warrior
-Appearance: small white and cream she-cat with white flecks and light green eyes
Mosspaw[]
-Clan: MountainClan
-Role: Apprentice
-Appearance: blonde tabby she-cat with darker stripes and pale blue eyes
Eagleclaw[]
-Clan: MeadowClan
-Role: Elder
-Appearance: Pale brown tabby tom; newly retired
Deertail[]
-Clan: MountainClan
-Role: Warrior
-Appearance: brown tabby tom with a white underbelly and a short tail
Crowfur[]
-Clan: MarshClan
-Role: Deputy
-Appearance: dark grey, almost black, tom
Sereneowl[]
-Clan: MarshClan
-Role: Warrior
-Appearance: dark brown tabby she-cat with black paws and ears
Minnowsong[]
-Clan: FrostClan
-Role: Queen
-Appearance: dappled she-cat with a dark amber eyes
Little Lies- The Silver Guides[]
(This story will be written from different perspectives from each clan, in each chapter, from one of the Silver Guides. The other Guides will be included as “background” characters- e.g. when it’s from Minnowsong’s perspective in the first chapter, Rabbitfreckle will have some appearance. The universe this story is set it is also the same as one of our other stories, “Ranks Matter” and at some point the characters will meet for a short time.)
{Chapter 1}[]
{The First Meeting}[]
Minnowsong curled her fluffy tail around her single kit, doing her best to protect it from the chilling breeze blowing in the nursery. The Frozen Mountains weren’t the best place to raise kits, and the recent storm had proved her opinion, but Minnowsong was determined to give her remaining kit a good life. Since they had moved in their new territory living had been rough, fresh-kill was scarce and cats had died, but they had to get used to their new surroundings. She sighed, leaning her head down to lick her kit. It squeaked and snuffled around, waking up. Minnowsong began shushing it, smoothing its fur and pulling it closer to her belly. After a while of lulling the kit back to sleep, she curled up and closed her eyes, settling down for a nap. Before she could actually fall asleep, something scuttled around the entrance of the nursery, crushing fresh snow underneath their paws. Minnowsong lifted her head slowly, her eyes half closed.
“Minnowsong?...” It was Weaselpaws, the deputy of FrostClan. She spoke quietly, but clearly demanding the question. “Minnowsong, are you awake?..”
“Yes Weaselpaws, I’m awake. What is it, you’re going to wake Ripplekit; I just calmed her down enough to sleep” Minnowsong muttered, tail-tip twitching with annoyance.
“It’s time for a meeting- Froststar sent me to get you. He said it was important, that you can’t miss it” After finishing what she had to say, she bounded out, taking large skips to pass through the snow. Minnowsong grumbled angrily, rising to her paws and stretching the sleep out of her limbs. She usually spent the long, cold days in the nursery, taking care of her kit, and not usually getting out. This time she knew she had no choice, as it was supposedly so important. With another grumble, she carefully picked up Ripplekit by the scruff and made her way out.
“All cats ready to enter the frost’s mist gather around the Chilled Boulder for a clan meeting!” Froststar yowled, the call ringing around the white, glistening clearing. Pure white, fuzzy pelts rushed to sit down and looked up at their leader. Rabbitfreckle, the medicine cat, took his place at the base of the Chilled Boulder. He looked up at the deputy, and Weaselpaws leaned down to whisper something that only they knew. The deputy’s eyes stretched as wide as moons, until she sat back up and composed herself. Minnowsong exhaled shakily, taking her eyes off them and focusing on Ripplekit. She knew a kit her age should have already been up and walking, but Ripplekit was weak. She was born weak, and it was clear as day she was sick. Rabbitfreckle came into the nursery occasionally to try help the poor little scrap of fur, but Minnowsong knew it was no use. Although she hoped with everything in her heart that it wasn’t true, she knew that her last kit wouldn’t survive long. After a long look at Ripplekit laying at her paws, and looked up at the leader again, who was waiting for everyone to settle down. With a nod from Rabbitfreckle, her began the meeting.
“I have gathered you all here today for some incredible news. StarClan have sent a message to our medicine cat, Rabbitfreckle. Rabbitfreckle, if you wish to step up…” Froststar stepped down from the Chilled Boulder and Rabbitfreckle took his place.
“As you all know by now, the high ranks of StarClan send us medicine cats messages sometimes, but only when there are no Silver Guides. However, I have received a message from StarClan on who the new Silver Guides will be for FrostClan.” He yowled, and leaped down from the Chilled Boulder. He muttered something to FrostStar, and he took his place back on the boulder.
“Rabbitfreckle and Minnowsong, please step up” Froststar announced. Weaselpaws pushed a large leaf with some strange contents. Minnowsong was astonished she was chosen for such an important job, when she was just a queen with a single kit, but she slowly stood up. She picked up Ripplekit and set her beside Frozenfang, who was the nearest cat to her. He questioned Minnowsong, but there was a pleading look in her eyes, and he eventually gave it, wrapping his tail around the kit. Minnowsong muttered a thankful apology, before rushing to the leader.
“Alright, I shall now begin the ceremony” Froststar dipped his paw in the odd mixture from the leaf, and drew a wobbly star in Rabbitfreckle’s forehead, then doing the same for Minnowsong. “Minnowsong, Rabbitfreckle, I now announce you as FrostClan’s Silver Guides. I hope you both commit to your new roles to protect your clan. You shall go to the Silver Lake later this day to receive your permanent marks and for your first meeting with the other Silver Guides.”
The other cats of the clan began chanting their names, yowling at the top of their voices joyfully. Minnowsong was still astonished, but tried to push it out of her mind to focus on this once in a lifetime occasion. Then something struck her in her chest, as if she knew something bad happened, with every bone in her body. Ripplekit. Minnowsong leaped from the Chilled Boulder, which made the other cats flinch unexpectedly. Without paying attention to anything else, she ran to Frozenfang.
“Where is she?!” She looked around the cat, hoping to catch a glimpse of her kit, but Ripplekit was nowhere to be seen. Minnowsong towered over the tom, who was still sitting down. Her ears drew back, and she growled menacingly. “Where is my kit?…” After a few moments, she felt something touch her shoulder, and she saw Blacktail. There was a look in her pale eyes that looked softer than usual. Minnowsong took a deep breath, and drew back. She remembered that before they moved to their new territory a few seasons ago, Blacktail had lost her own litter during the hassle of changing territories. Back then, Minnowsong was still an apprentice, but she remembered it clearly.
“Sorry… But where is my kit, Frozenfang? I left her with you for a few moments to have my ceremony, and now she’s not with you. Where is Ripplekit?” Minnowsong made sure her voice had an intimidating edge to it, to hide the fear.
“Calm down, your precious kit has got to be somewhere” Frozenfang tucked his paws under his chest, and this only riled up Minnowsong more.
“Get your stupid tail up and go look for her or I swear on my life that I will make you pay if she’s lost” Her fur bristled, and Frozenfang looked at Blacktail for help. She just nodded in agreement. There was a tension between the three that almost sparked deadly flames, and it was broken when Minnowsong heard a squeak. She lifted her head and pricked her ears, rushing to small pile of snow. There was a last snuffling noise coming from it, and the noises stopped completely. Minnowsong dug into the snow, to find the body of her kit there.
“Ripplekit?! Oh my Guides Ripplekit, thank StarClan you’re alright!” She began licking the tiny kit’s body, but nothing happened. Ripplekit was as cold as ice, frost on the end of her whiskers and snow lay on her fur. “Ripplekit?… Ripplekit wake up!” Minnowsong heard paw steps approaching, but her attention was on the motionless kit.
“Minnowsong? Minnowsong, let me look at her” Rabbitfreckle pushed her away, and nuzzled the tiny kit, trying to get the kit’s pulse.
“I-is she ok?…”
The medicine cat sighed, and shook his head. “Ripplekit is gone, Minnowsong. I told you, she wouldn’t last long” He was about to say more, but Blacktail shook her head.
“Leave now if you know what’s good for you. You don’t want to face the wrath of a queen who lost her remaining kit” When she finfished speaking, Rabbitfreckle was already leaving quickly, glancing over his shoulder at Minnowsong, who was giving him a death glare.
“Minnowsong, I know it hurts but it’ll pass, trust-“
“Why did she have to go so soon, Blacktail? I-I mean I knew she wouldn’t last long, but I didn’t know it would be this soon..!” Minnowsong took long sobs in-between words. Tears formed at her eyes, and she pushed past Blacktail, running to the nursery.
She threw herself on her nest, and curled up into a tight ball, her claws gripping the cold moss. Her whole body ached, as if she just tumbled down the whole mountain. She was so hurt, so heartbroken, even crying seemed impossible. So she just lay there, in silence, letting the crisp wind from outside blow through her white fur. There was a shuffle behind her, and she saw the small apprentice, Lichenpaw, who was carrying a mouthful of leaves and roots.
“Uh.. Minnowsong? Rabbitfreckle wanted me to give you this, and tell you to eat them. He also said some other things which I’d rather not repeat, but overall you have to eat these herbs for the journey to the Silver Lake” Lichenpaw set down the plants, and waited for the queen’s response.
Minnowsong got up, and crunched on the leaves. She nodded to Lichenpaw as dismissal, and padded out once the apprentice left. She looked for the medicine cat, and finally spotted him by the entrance of the camp. She slowly went there as well, and the two Guides set on their way to their first meeting in frosty silence.
꧁𒊹︎꧂
The ginger she-cat chewed purple berries and small, pale blue flowers together, turning it into a thin poultice. When she was done, she spat it out onto a large leaf, which she then put aside, waiting for the meeting. She was excited for this particular meeting, as it would be one of the most important of her life. She was going to be even closer to StarClan than she already was, and the thought made her ears perk up. With a happy sigh, she picked up each ends of the leaf and carefully padded out.
“All cats ready to race into the meadows gather below the Blazing Ridge for a clan meeting!” Meadowstar yowled across the clearing from the Blazing Ridge. Volefur, the deputy, sat in his place, a little lower down the stone. Appleflight bounded to the ridge, the bright green leaf dangling in her mouth. She leaped up next to Volefur, and waited for the rest of the Clan to gather.
“You are all gathered here today for exciting news! Our medicine cat, Appleflight, would like to announce the news, so… If you would like to step up..” Meadowstar got to the point, and jumped off the Blazing Ridge. Appleflight nodded and climbed higher up.
She cleared her throat, and began speaking. “As you all know, StarClan sends medicine cats messages, and I have received a message last night, regarding the next Silver Guides for MeadowClan” Appleflight flicked her tail, motioning to Volefur to push forwards the leaf containing the strange poultice. She then leaped down, whispering the names to Meadowstar. When she finished telling him no the chosen cats were, he jumped back up the Blazing Ridge and faced the crowd of cats gathered below.
“Appleflight and Eagleclaw, please step up!” Appflight was already at the base of the ridge, and Eagleclaw, MeadowClan’s only elder, was pushing his way through the gathered cats. When he got there, Meadowstar dipped his paw in the poultice and motioned for them to come forwards. Meadowstar drew two lines overlapping each other on their foreheads. “Eagleclaw, Appleflight, I now now announce you as MeadowClan’s Silver Guides. Hopefully, you will commit to these roles and keep the clan safe from all dangers. You shall both go to the Silver Lake to receive your permanent marks, and for your first meeting with the other Guides”
The clan started chanting their names, cheering and congratulating them for their new position. Appleflight beamed, her eyes bright. She nudged Eagleclaw, who was forcefully grinning at the clan.
“Come to my den!” Appleflight mewed, and bounded away from the crowd, happily skipping to her den. Eagleclaw followed, hobbling along after the peppy medicine cat. Appleflight dug up some herbs, and split each of them equally in two piles.
“Come on, sit!”
“Sure… Excuse me if this sounds rude, but why are you so excited?” Eagleclaw settled down on a nest, glaring at the herbs Appleflight pushed forwards.
“Well, I can finally speak to some other medicine cats from other Clans, and be closer to StarClan than I already am as the medicine cat! Now eat your herbs” She began munching on the leaves and roots, wincing quietly at the taste.
“All right fine. I’ll eat the herbs, but it doesn’t mean I understand why I must”
“Well, it’s to keep up your stamina on the journey to the Silver Lake. It’s quite a journey from the Shined Meadow, and with you being… well, an elder, so the journey will be longer than it would be if I went by myself” Appleflight had finished her share if the herbs, and was sitting up straight, her tail wrapped around her ginger paws.
“I’m not that old. Keep in mind I only just retired” Eagleclaw shuddered as he swallowed the last of his travelling herbs. “By the way, what are these?! It’s like eating crowfood!”
“Oh, it’s just some daisy-“
“Ah-ah-ah! I didn’t say I wanted to know. Now, when do we leave for the Silver Lake?”
Appleflight thought for a moment. “Well, I guess it would depend when the other Guides head on their way, but we have no way to know that so… I guess we can get going soon. In fact, we’ll go now because it’s quite a long journey. So get up!” She was already standing, and rushing out through the entrance.
“Fine fine…” The elder grumbled, and followed the she-cat.
“Volefur! Wait!” Appleflight ran after the deputy, nearly crashing into him as she tried to slow down. “Can you please tell Meadowstar we’re on our way to the Silver Lake? I checked his den but he’s not there”
“Uh sure…” Volefur padded away, questioningly looking back at the two Guides.
“Ok! Come on, Eagleclaw! The other Silver Guides are waiting for us!” Appleflight announced, bounding out of the camp. The elder followed, mumbling under his breath.
꧁𒊹︎꧂
Whitewillow flicked her tail, closing her eyes as she lay down on a large flat rock. She didn’t have much to do, and it was a bright sunny day, so she just lazed around in the warmth of the sun. She opened her eyes half way, and saw Firerose, Violetpaw and Paleflower padding over to where she was relaxing. As they got nearer, Whitewillow sat up and curled her tail around her paws, smiling at the approaching she-cats. Paleflower was nuzzling Violetpaw, and the apprentice was looking at Firerose for help. Whitewillow chuckled as she watched.
“Whitewillow! Did you hear? Rosestar is making me a warrior!” Violetpaw rushed forward, bounding to her aunt. Paleflower was Whitewillow’s sister, and was also the mother of the shy apprentice.
“Oh congratulations! You’re lucky you have Rosestar as your mentor, you get news straight away” Whitewillow gave the apprentice an affectionate lick between the ears.
“Isn’t she great? She worked so hard for so long and now Rosestar finally saw how much time she spent training with the other apprentice- what’s his name?” Paleflower was bragging about her kit, ignoring the strange looks she was getting from Firerose.
“Uh, Grassypaw, mother..” Violetpaw quietly mumbled.
“Yes yes, Grassypaw. And don’t mumble, I can’t hear you” Paleflower gently scolded Violetpaw, as she nodded frantically, hoping her mother would stop talking. “Well, I must go now, your siblings are probably getting in trouble with the other kits!” The queen gave the other she-cats a nod, and rushed towards Mouseclaw and Horizonlight, the two other queens. Small kittens tumbled around them, a couple playing with their mother’s tails. Violetpaw sighed in relief, and tucked her paws underneath her.
Firerose and Whitewillow giggled, sitting more comfortably as well.
“Aw, don’t worry. Your mother just cares for you” Whitewillow reassured the embarrassed apprentice.
“Yea she’s right. Paleflower’s just proud that one of her kits is becoming a warrior” Firerose nodded in agreement.
“I suppose. But does she have to embarrass me at every chance she gets?” She spoke with more confidence now that Paleflower was gone, and showed her true voice.
“Well… Yes” Both Whitewillow and Firerose mewed in unison, as Violetpaw huffed indignantly. The two older she-cats laughed at the apprentices reaction.
“All cats ready to leap into the thorn bushes gather below the Blossomed Branch for a clan meeting!” Rosestar announced, her yowl echoing throughout the whole camp. Violetpaw let out a gasp, standing up and rushing to the meeting. Whitewillow smiled, padding over to where she usually sat beneath the Blossomed Branch. Firerose sat next to her friend, and both warriors waited patiently. Violetpaw and Grassypaw were sitting next to each other, excitedly muttering about their ceremony. Whitewillow watched as other warriors sat in small groups, and saw Bumblehiss take her place on the Blossomed Branch. Shinepelt, the medicine cat, carried a large leaf, carefully gripping the edges between his teeth. He leaped up next to Bumblehiss, and they both nodded in acknowledgment. Firerose turned to Whitewillow, hoping her friend would have an answer for the medicine cat’s unusual appearance. Whitewillow shook her head, and waited for the meeting to start.
“Cats of RoseClan! I have gathered you all here today for two very special reasons. First of all, Violetpaw, please step up” Rosestar yowled, a smile of pride on her face. Violetpaw’s tail was twitching with excitement, while Grassypaw waited for his name to be called. When he wasn’t told to stand, the look of disappointment on his face made Whitewillow want to cry. She set her bright green gaze back on Violetpaw, who was nearly jumping out of her fur.
“I, Rosestar of RoseClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them as a warrior in their turn. Violetpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect the clan, even at the cost of your life?” Rosestar had a large grin imprinted on her face, reflecting all the pride she had in her apprentice.
“I do” Violetpaw replied confidently.
“Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Violetpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Violeteyes. StarClan honours your beautifully unique eyes, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RoseClan!” Rosestar leaped down from the Blossomed Branch, and rested her muzzle on Violeteyes’ head. In return, the new warrior gave her leader a lick in the shoulder. Rosestar smiled at her former apprentice, and jumped back up in her spot. With a flick of her tail, the clan was silenced.
“Now, that isn’t all we have to celebrate. Shinepelt, our medicine cat, has some great news!” Rosestar stepped down, and let Shinepelt take over the meeting.
“Yes, well, as you all know, the great ranks of StarClan send us medicine cats messages for future events. They also choose ten special cats, a few of each clan, and give them a special role, as a Silver Guide. Now, I have gotten a dream from StarClan telling me who the RoseClan Silver Guides are. Dashingthunder, Whitewillow, please step up” The medicine cat spoke casually, as if this was a normal event. To be fair, it was normal, it just didn’t happened often.
“Go!” Firerose encouraged Whitewillow, who was stunned. Dashingthunder was confidently padding forwards, fur puffed out. Whitewillow took her friends advice and slowly picked her way forwards between all the cats. As soon as she got there, Shinepelt applied the mark on her forehead, to match with the other Guide.
“Whitewillow, Dashingthunder, from this moment on you shall be known as RoseClans Silver Gudies. I hope you will protect the five clans with your life, and work in peace with the other Silver Guides. You shall both go to the Silver Lake to revive your permanent marks, and to meet with the other Guides” RoseStar finished speaking, and yowls of happy cats filled the air.
“Violeteyes! Whitewillow! Dashingthunder!” the clan chanted their names in unison, the noise growing louder and louder. The leader, deputy and medicine cat had all climbed down from the Blossomed Branch, indicating the meeting was over. The small white she-cat was swarmed by cats, and she beamed with pride. She didn’t usually do important things, just hunting and patrolling, but now she had a higher role, a higher purpose. Some would even say a Silver Guide is above the rank of leader, but Whitewillow didn’t want to believe it. She was just an equal to the other cats, and nothing could change her mind. With a happy sigh, she retreated from the crowd and padded to the medicine den.
“Hm?” Shinepelt turned at the sound of another cat approaching. “Oh”
“I have to eat special herbs before I go to the Silver Lake, right? So I don’t feel hungry and tired?” Whitewillow sat down at the entrance, waiting. The medicine cat sighed, and pushed two clumps of herbs.
“Eat one of these piles, then go give the… the other one the rest” he seemed distracted, so Whitewillow just quietly did as she was told, making sure to leave quickly. Without a goodbye, she padded out of the den, the bundle of herbs dangling from her mouth. She scanned the camp for the tom, and she finally saw him showing off his new Guide mark to a group of cats. The pale she-cat sighed, and slowly trotted to the flashy tom.
“Dashingthunder? Hey, Shinepelt said you need to eat these for the journey to the Silver Lake” She set down the herbs, and waited for him to actually pay attention to her. After a while, he finally turned around, noticing the small she. The cocky Guide jumped and hissed, getting scared, only to sit back down in embarrassment.
“How and when did you get here?!” Dashingthunder exclaimed, and Whitewillow just chuckled.
“Ages ago, while you were showing like a fool” The warrior stated simply. Dashingthunder looked offended, but Whitewillow took no notice. She pushed the herbs forward, and pointed with her muzzle. “Shinepelt made me eat these for the journey, and you have to as well, or you’ll get hungry and tired”
“Tsk, none-sense! I’m the greatest warrior of RoseClan, I don’t need stupid herbs to keep me up! I’m strong enough to not fall asleep like a bumbling idiot!” He pushed the leaves away, sending them flying with a swipe of his paw. Whitewillow looked at him in disapproval, but stood up and headed for the entrance anyways.
“Oh well, if you refuse to eat the helpful herbs, let’s just leave. It’s not an extremely long journey, but we have to swim to get to the Great Waterfall”
“Fine, we’ll go. Just try keep up with me” Dashingthunder sprinted past the pale warrior, and trotted between trees. Whitewillow grumbled some curses, and turned to the first cat she saw.
“Mothflutter! Tell Rosestar we’re going now!” She flashed a smile at the confused warrior, and rushed out to follow the tom. “GET BACK HERE! WHERE DID YOU GO?!”
꧁𒊹︎꧂
Mosspaw prowled forwards, her tail swishing in anticipation. She was about to pounce on her prey, but she needed to wait a few more seconds, just to be sure. Now! she thought, her glistening, pale blue eyes fixed on her target. She pushed with her hind legs, and leaped high in the air, claws stretched forwards.
“HEY! Meeting, c’mon! Eelstrike wants you to come to the meeting!” Milkleaf, a tabby she-cat, popped up from a bush, scaring the prey away. Mosspaw landed in a river, and let out a screech of shock as she flew like a fluffy bird.
“Milkleaf!!” The blonde apprentice yowled at the warrior, who was barely older than her, and even clumsier. Mosspaw was a moon younger than the pale tabby, and she was apprenticed at the same time, but she was made a warrior earlier. With an angered grumble, Mosspaw got out of the river, and shook her bright fur, sending water droplets flying everywhere.
“Milkleaf, I know you were just made a warrior, but for the love of StarClan, don’t do that again; we lost good prey and Mosspaw got soaked” Webleap complained, his tail lashing side to side angrily.
“S-sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt, I didn’t know what you were doing” The she-cat was looking embarrassed, and turned away, back into the bushes.
“Come on, ‘paw, there’s a meeting” Webleap muttered, and Mosspaw followed him back to camp.
.
“ All cats ready to climb the mountain’s steep cliff’s gather below the Lush Log for a clan meeting!” Mountainstar announced promptly, sitting on the Lush Log with high authority. There was a certain air of… leadership around her, and it made her seem scarier than she already was. Mosspaw couldn’t lie, Mountainstar was kind, but you never wanted to get on her wrong side. Unfortunately, Mosspaw had seen her bad side, and it made her shudder at the thought, but she tried to take her mind off it by looking at the clan cats. She noticed the medicine cat, Flowerbreeze, stumble up as well, carrying something in her mouth. Mosspaw sighed, blocking out the shuffling noises of the clan gathering. She drifted off into a daydream, wandering about what it was like to be in other clans, what she wanted to do, what she thought of all her clan mates… Before she knew it, she was thinking about every little thing possible, except the meeting.
“Mosspaw! I said, step up!” Mountainstar was fluffed up, her fur bristling. The leader could put the fear of StarClan in any cat when she wasn’t in a good mood, and this time her victim happened to be Mosspaw, yet again. Hurriedly, the apprentice bounded to the leader, and spotted a paw coming towards her. Mountainstar pressed her paw against Mosspaw’s forehead, leaving the apprentice with a confused frown on her face.
“Deertail, Mosspaw. You are now MountainClan’s Silver Guides! I shall expect you to protect the clan with your life, and keep peace in the forest. You two shall go to the Silver Lake for your permanent marks today when you are both ready”
The clan congratulated them both, but Mosspaw gave Deertail a look of despair, hoping he would get her out of the situation. She had also been in the apprentice den with Deertail, Deerpaw at the time, but he was a couple of moons older than her. They knew enough about each other to carry on a normal conversation for a while, but not for too long. It kind of hurt Mosspaw that all her friends had been made warriors, and she was still just an apprentice, the only apprentice.
“All right, we thank you, but we must now go to… do… eh… Goodbye!” Deertail pushed Mosspaw out of the crowd, leaving them confused.
“Thanks for getting me out of that mess” Mosspaw nodded greatfully, sitting down.
“Yes, well, I know you’re not very social and rarely listen to anything anyone says” The warrior spoke in a matter-of-fact manner, shooting a look to the apprentice.
“Nyeh nyeh nyeh! What do you know? And anyways, just because I’m not included in things doesn’t mean I don’t like to talk to my clan-mates”
“Pffft! Right, because missing most of the meeting and ignoring Mountainstar makes you very involved. Now, get up, we need to get going- the other Guides are probably there by now” Without waiting, he stood up and bounded to the entrance. Mosspaw sighed, following her friend, muttering more insults under her breath.
꧁𒊹︎꧂
Sereneowl huffed and panted, padding along with the other Guide. Her fur was puffed out, and her black paws were now matted with dried mud. Crowfur was glancing at her every now and then, which she hated. She felt as if he was checking on her, like a helpless kit. She grunted, speeding up until she was far ahead. Sereneowl finally saw a comfortable spot, and she rushed to it, curling up. Her legs were tired, and she just wanted to rest for a while. She exhaled shakily, and took a deep breath. She immediately stood up and coughed, her own stench stinging her nostrils. She began to rapidly clean herself, making sure to get each and every strand of hair on her body clean. After she was thoroughly washed, she tucked her paws under her chest and closed her eyes. She was about to fall asleep, when she slightly opened her eyes and saw another figure. At first she was startled, but then calmed down, realising it was just Crowfur. She sighed in annoyance, half closing her eyes again. She noticed that the other pair of eyes was staring at her, and it infuriated her.
“What?!” she hissed, her tail lashing against the ground. When she got no response, she growled, and set her head down.
“You’re pretty…” Crowfur mumbled, eyes wide.
“What?” she snarled once again, the irritation in her voice clear as day.
“What?” Crowfur looked innocently at the she-cat, as if he hadn’t just complimented her.
“Ugh. Whatever. Let’s just go, we don’t have long left. I’m pretty sure we’re not too far away, so come on” Sereneowl stood up and stretched her body, sprinting past the deputy and heading in the direction of the Great River.
.
As they approached the Great River they noticed more cats gathered around the Silver Lake, colourful pelts surrounding an area. A few of them were hissing and spitting at something, but Sereneowl just couldn’t get a good view.
“Hey, what’s going on?” She heard Crowfur ask a nearby ginger she-cat, who was staying away from the fight.
“Oh! There’s a… well, we think a rogue, but they smell odd. Not like… Not like a rogue…” She was shaking her head in fear, as if she was terrified of who this strange cat might be. The ginger she-cat backed away even further, her short fur bristling. Crowfur came back to find another she-cat, only this time she was glaring at him and practically fuming.
“Get over here,… now” Sereneowl spoke sternly. When the deputy finally got to her, she continued hissing under her breath. “You scared that poor she-cat! She’s barely more than an apprentice! Now come on, everyone’s worked up. MarshClan is the toughest, and we’re going to show them” Sereneowl commanded, and the smaller tom just followed quietly.
“Hey, hey, HEY! What’s going on?” The MarshClan tabby yowled at them, trying to stop them from arguing amongst themselves.
“Ask the rogue!” An elderly tabby tom was lashing his tail in fury. Sereneowl swished her tail in the air, trying to calm herself down. She opened her mouth to speak, but was pushed out of the way by a fluffy white she-cat with light blue-grey splashes on her back and same coloured ears. She jumped in the way to defend the cat, and tried to help them up. The small cat hissed, their ears pressed to their head. They moved a little, and Sereneowl saw a strange collar around their neck. She also saw something weird about their claws. They were abnormally long and curled, unlike any claws she had ever seen. Another white cat, but with ginger-brown flecks on his body, pulled the she-cat away, hissing something at her. Sereneowl strained her ears, and caught the she-cats name, Minnowsong. She also caught the name of the tom, Rabbitfreckle.
“Hey.., Minnowsong, Rabbitfreckle? Who is this cat?” Sereneowl went over to the two and asked quietly, trying not to catch the attention of the rogue. The two cats looks shocked that she knew their names, but answered anyways.
“I haven’t seen any cat with such collar on them, but I’ve heard tales. Tales of bloodthirsty cats who had teeth of those who they have killed as a symbol of power and as a prize” Rabbitfreckle shuddered at the thought, and gave a strong, cold glare at the rogue. “They were called BloodClan..”
Both she-cats shuddered, and Minnowsong spoke up. “All right… But how do we help her? She’s got a lot of wounds, you saw it as well, Rabbitfreckle. She’s hurt and she’s wounded badly. She needs help, even if she’s not the most polite cat”
“Fine… I’ll help, but I’ll probably need help from Appleflight. It’ll be hard to hold this fox-heart down” the tom, who Sereneowl now presumed a medicine cat, began approaching the small she-cat.
“Not. Another. Step.” The small she-cat finally spoke up.
{Chapter 2}[]
{Strange Past}[]
Minnowsong observed the she-cat for a little while, ignoring what everyone else said. She looked… Calm almost, as if she wasn’t worried what the consequences would be. Minnowsong also saw a lot of wounds and old cuts on the tiny she-cats body, probably from past fights, but she had never seen so many one cat, especially of her age. She was quite young, most likely older than 12 moons, but she still wasn’t as old as most of the Guides, and none of them had that many scars. This worried Minnowsong, making her wonder what could have happened. She questing it was probably a fight with other rogues, but rogues don’t wear such collars. Then she remembered what Rabbitfreckle had said, about BloodClan. She shuddered, not wanting to think about it. Suddenly she was snapped out of her thoughts by a loud gasp, from all the Guides. She looked around in confusion, only seeing terrified faces and a huge smirk on the rogue’s face. She sighed, and ushered she away.
“Don’t worry, I’ll start a proper conversation with her. Now come on” Minnowsong pushed the small loner away, leading her on a stone, higher up on a small hill.
“Minnowsong, StarClan help me if you get killed..” She heard Rabbitfreckle mutter, but she just shook her head. Oh honestly! Like I can’t handle myself! she thought indignantly. She sat down with the rogue, shaking her head slightly again.
“Ugh sorry about them. No manners, no respect” she muttered, continuing. “You’re clearly injured!” she gave a little gasp, now seeing open wounds. “What happened?!”
“Uh… Not anything you want to know…” she didn’t seem to want to talk about it, so Minnowsong dropped it. “Anyways, Minnowsong, was it? Why are you treating me so nicely when all your other stuck up buddies seem to hate me?” She lifted a small paw and began washing herself, cleaning herself. Minnowsong sighed, thinking for a short moment.
“Well, you did make a nest in our sacred place, and attempted to attack us” she looked at the loner worryingly. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I’m fine, these are nothing but simple scratches” she began taking her collar off, wincing as it slid past a ‘scratch’.
“Hey.. What’s your name? You know mine, I might as well know yours” Minnowsong asked suddenly, curious at the rogues name. She had heard stories of rogues naming their kits cruel names, as to keep other cats from wanting them. She didn’t understand, but didn’t question it.
The she-cat stopped washing, pausing. “Quail.. My name’s Quail” she continued licking her chest fur, cleaning away blood smears.
“Oh! That’s a pretty name” Minnowsong smiled, hoping to cheer her up, but it didn’t seem to work. “Hey, I’ll get Appleflight and Rabbitfreckle to come help you, you shouldn’t have to be in pain”
“Heh, seems you’re the only one who seems to think so… Everyone else wants me dead” Quail scoffed.
Minnowsong said nothing, padding away quietly to find the medicine cats.
“Hey, she didn’t die!” the FrostClan medicine cat mewed sarcastically, flashing a fake smile.
“Ha-ha, very funny. But come on, she needs help. She’s covered in cuts and wounds, old and new. When I told her I’d get help, she just said that everyone wants her dead.. What did she mean?” Minnowsong replied, standing in front of the group of cats.
“Well, we don’t want her dead. We were just worried she was here to spy or something” Deertail spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
“But.. Who did she mean then?” Appleflight murmured, a sad edge to her voice. “She must have endured a lot by the looks of it. I’ll help her, don’t worry” Minnowsong nodded thanks.
“Fine. I’ll do as well” Rabbitfreckle huffed, going after Appleflight, who was on her way to where the rogue rested.
꧁𒊹︎꧂
Appleflight followed Rabbitfreckle away from the rogue, who was still sniffling. She felt sorry for the poor cat, it sounded like she really was suffering, and not just physically. It didn’t look like her physical damage bothered her at all, maybe giving a whimper if something touched the worst, but other than that… Nothing. Just… Nothing. It wasn’t natural to keep in a lot of feelings, it could make her potentially aggressive and cold towards them, maybe threaten them, and this worried Appleflight. She would try her best to get the loner to open up more to her, and she took it seriously, like a task. She giggled, feeling better at the thought of making a new friend. She knew it was weird, but as a medicine cat her duties prevented her from doing so. With a happy sigh, she snapped out of her daydream, to see Rabbitfreckle staring at her with a possibly the most confused and scared expression on his face.
“What?” She skipped away happily, followed by the ginger splotched tom.
“Well it’s not normal for a cat to look dead depressed one second and then happy the next” He gave the cheery young ginger she-cat a look.
“It is if you’re me!” Appleflight bounded away, meeting the others, leaving the dumbfounded tom behind. She looked for them, and found the other Guides chatting with each other in a circle. She approached, smiling.
“Hi!” She invited herself, sitting down next to one of the only cats she knew: Eagleclaw. The elder nodded a welcome to her, and a couple of other cats did the same, some returning her simple “hi” out loud. Appleflight beamed, already getting more comfortable around these cats. Rabbitfreckle finally caught up, and sat next to a fluffy white she-cat, who snorted at something he mumbled. After the medicine cats’ arrival, there was an awkward silence, which was broken by a dark brown tabby she-cat.
“So… We never did introduce ourselves..” She mewed, before continuing. “I’m Sereneowl, warrior of MarshClan.” Sereneowl shot a flare at a dark grey tom, who was looking uncomfortable.
“Right uhm I’m Crowfur, deputy of MarshClan.” His voice was shy and quiet, although his appearance was dark and menacing. Appelfight turned her blue gaze to a blonde tabby she-cat, who sat next to a dark brown tom with a white chest and odd coloured eyes. They both looked awkward around all these cats, and sat squashed together, as if to avoid all contact with the other Guides.
“Uh… I’m Mosspaw, apprentice of MountainClan, and…” The apprentice noticed Appleflight staring, and mumbled her introduction. After she finished, and looked at the tom, who started.
“A-and I’m Deertail, warrior of MountainClan.” He seemed to shrink down, his head between his shoulders. Mosspaw nodded in approval, and pulled herself further away from the Guides, closer to her clanmate. Appleflight guessed that they were either very awkward, very good friends or planning to become mates after Mosspaw’s warrior ceremony (she seemed around the same as Deertail.) She was going to go with the third option.
Next, a small pale she-cat spoke up. “I’m Whitewillow, warrior of RoseClan.” The ginger and white tom next to her quickly cut her off, fluffing up his fur.
“And I am Dashingthunder, warrior of RoseClan.” The poor shexcat next to him looked embarrassed, her head lowered and her ears against her head. Appleflight flashed a sympathetic look at Whitewillow, and turned back to the next Guides.
“I am Minnowsong, uh… former… queen of FrostClan..” There was a hint of pain in her voice, and Rabbitfreckle, scooted closer to her. Something had happened, and she was sure it had to do with kits.
“I am Rabbitfreckle, medicine cat of FrostClan” He sternly stated, his green eyes flicking from cat to cat. Now it was time for her introduction.
“I’m Apple-“ she was cut off by the elder next to her.
“I’m Eagleclaw, elder of MeadowClan.”
“Yea uh.. I’m Appleflight, medicine cat of MeadowClan” Her eyes shone, happy that they all knew who she was. She saw their expressions change completely, and she thought they already didn’t like her, but realised they weren’t looking at her. They were glaring at something behind her. The ginger she-cat turned, and saw the loner behind her, looking down at her paws in embarrassment. There was a frosty silence in the clearing.
“Uhm… Come here…” Minnowsong gestured with her tail for the loner to come, and she obeyed quietly. She plonked down, still looking at the grass. Then small sniffles escaped, and she finally looked up.
“I-I’m sorry… I’m sorry I s-spoke to you like that..” There was a genuine look of sadness in her eyes, as if she was begging for forgiveness.
“It’s fine…” Appelflight whispered.
“I get that you want forgiveness, but how can we trust you, after you attempted attacking us and spying on us?” Sereneowl growled. The loner looked her dead in the eye, and replied.
“I guess you can’t. You just… I don’t know. Listen to what I have to say? But I guess you won’t believe me… I’m just.. sorry. And where I come from, being sorry is being weak, useless. So please don’t tell anyone else…” She mumbled the last part, hoping it wasn’t exactly audible. Appleflight heard everything. Every, little thing. She felt sorry, and hoped she would tell her story again, as she still couldn’t believe it.
꧁𒊹︎꧂
Whitewillow watched in dismay at the rogue. How could she want forgiveness after she tried to kill them?! As if they would ever forgive her! Trespassing, bad language in their sacred place and insulting them! And now she begs for forgiveness?! As if!
“We… We forgive you… We know you didn’t mean it, you were just… Angry. We understand, don’t worry” Mosspaw mumbled, getting up and padding towards the tiny she-cat.
“Thanks Frogger…” The loner replied with ease, then her single standing ear flattened against her head and her eyes widened realising what she had just said. “Uhm…”
“Who’s ‘Frogger’?” The blonde apprentice mewed quietly, knowing it was probably a sensitive topic.
“Uh… You just… You just remind me of someone close I knew” She quickly got herself out of it, and changed the subject as if nothing odd had happened. Sneaky, and Whitewillow didn’t enjoy this. At all. “Well, I heard all your names, so I guess you should know I’m Quail.. ‘kit. Quailkit, formerly the Claw of The Ranks. But call me Quail” She copied their serious manner, smirking. Something was weird, weirder than it already was. Quailkit? How did she get this name? Why did she get this name? Only kits had this name, and she… well, probably wasn’t a kit. Her small size confused Whitewillow, and it surprised her that she had met someone shorter than her. With a heavy sigh, Whitewillow spoke up.
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get the name Quailkit? Only kits get this name and only in clans. You clearly aren’t from a clan, but possess the name of a clan cat”
It was clear that she hit a nerve. “Well,… My parents come from some old clan, but I was adopted by a BloodClan tom, Corrupted. My mother died while kitting, my father died in the Great Battle between BloodClan and the Forest Clans. My siblings were stillborn, although my mother named me Quailkit before she died, and then I was taken from the clans. I don’t mind though, the clans are weak and disloyal. And why I still mentioned my full name? Just for the fun of it. But as I’ve said, call me Quail” Quail spoke clearly, although her words were heavy, and the last few words were spoken as a friendly threat. A chill ran down Whitewillow’s spine, an odd feeling burning in her stomach. Anger? No, it was confusion. Why would a BloodClan tom adopt a clan kit? BloodClan was ruthless, killing the elderly and mocking the weak. And she-cats were looked down on, seen as the weaker of their clan, given lesser roles and even in higher ranks they we’re still treated unfairly. So why would a BloodClan tom adopt a clanborn she-kit? Something didn’t add up. It was all too muddled up and it didn’t make any sense. There was something that the loner was hiding, and it made her uncomfortable. Shuddering, she stopped her thoughts from scaring her by focusing on the rogue, who was staring back at her.
“What?” Whitewillow questioned coldly.
“You were staring at me, so I thought I’d return the gesture” Quail shrugged, turning back to Minnowsong. “So. What do you all do? As in, your ranks?”
“‘Ranks?’” Deertail repeated, amusement glinting in his unusually coloured eyes. Quail looked offended, and she tucked her paws underneath her small body.
“What’s so funny? I only asked what your rank was”
“It’s just that, we don’t call them ‘ranks’. We call them ‘roles’.” The MeadowClan elder groaned. Whitewillow chuckled under her breath at the loners indignation.
“Well sorry for asking. I just guessed it’s different from where I come from” Quail huffed.
“Well, Appleflight and Rabbitfreckle are medicine cats, Crowfur is a deputy, Mosspaw is an apprentice and the rest of us are warriors” Minnowsong purred, explaining happily. Whitewillow began wondering how this she-cat actually came from. Sure, she said she was clanborn, and that she grew up around old BloodClan members, but BloodClan had been defeated moons ago, but apparently they had all now joined up, forming… BloodClan again? There was still something missing, and she was going to find everything out, one way or another.
“All right. We’ll fight. But if I win you have to shut up about being the greatest warrior.” Both cats took their stance, ready for the first attack.
꧁𒊹︎꧂
Mosspaw stood between the two, grinning. Hopefully this would be exciting, a fight between cats wasn’t common in her clan, as they aimed to be more peaceful than their neighbouring clan. There was usually a mere bat of a paw, maybe an occasional scuffle, but nothing more.
“Oh, sorry. You want to be shredded by two cats? Go ahead and jump right in” the brown tom hissed under his breath. Mosspaw grunted, turning her pale gaze towards the fight. Her scowl turned into a wide grin, her eyes widening with excitement. She hasn’t witnessed a real fight before, as her clan was so peaceful. There were occasional scraps, mostly between warriors but nothing serious. This was all new to the blonde she-cat, actually watching two cats fight and one of them not being her. Something that was obvious was that Quail didn’t fight normally. She took unfair advantage of the RoseClan warrior, and the battle moves were unknown to Mosspaw. Some she had heard of, that her mentor had told her about so she wouldn’t actually do them in battle. It was unusual, seeing these moves, but she knew she would never be able to do them properly, and never wanted to.
Ginger and white fur flew into the air, and the ground had small smears of red. Something wasn’t right, and it was proven by Dashingthunder’s whimpers. As Quail pinned him to the ground, she stepped off, and the fight was over. Mosspaw approached slowly, but stepped back. She didn’t want to get involved in the arguments. It did not take long for the tension to rise. Mosspaw sighed, waiting for the hisses and yowls to die down. When it finally got quieter, she padded forwards.
“Now… Back on topic. Care to show me around the forest?” the rogue asked innocently, as if nothing had just happened. Mosspaw sat in front of the small she-cat, then shuffled back when she realised she was actually taller.
“Well, we can show you around for a little while. But first, you keep calling me ‘Froggy’. Why? Who is that?” Mosspaw questioned sternly, finally wanting an answer. There rogue looked embarrassed, and stuttered when she talked.
“Well… He-he’s..”
“Was he your mate?” Appleflight cooed, her face lighting up. Whats wrong with this she-cat? Mosspaw thought to herself.
“For the love of the Ranks, never mention that again!” Quail hissed, gagging. The thought seemed to disgust her. Appleflight apologised, flustered.
“He’s… He’s like a brother to me. Grew up together, all my life. He’s Corrupted’s son, and I used to think he was my real brother, but I guess I was proven wrong” Quail squeaked, before she composed herself. “Also, why does everything have to do with love, mates or kits interest you, or come out of your mouth?” Appleflight remained silent, looking down. Finally! Mosspaw thought.
Quail shrugged, and spoke again. “So now can I see your territory? I have nowhere else to go for now, so I might as well know where I can get a mouse or two”
“Well… We can head out now. I’m sure we’re all hungry, and it’s getting light so they prey will be out soon. We can hunt while looking at the different parts of the forest. We might even go to the far side, to check if it’s safe” Whitewillow replied stiffly, as if she was thinking. The rest of the Guides agreed and followed her out.
.
They were all resting, eating fresh-kill. Mosspaw was happily eating a plump mouse when a crunching noise got her attention. She turned her head to see Quail biting at the bones of her fresh-kill, ripping shreds away. They all started at her in disgust.
“What?… What?! What did I do?” She mewed, confused. Silently, Deertail, who was sitting near Minnowsong and Quail, dragged the drying bones away.
“Where are you taking that? I was still eating!” She exclaimed, her single standing ear flattening to her head.
Mosspaw giggled, as if it wasn’t normal to say such a thing, like it was amusing.
“You don’t eat crowfood, do you?” A grey tom from MarshClan mewed. Mosspaw couldn’t remember his name.
“Heh… But I do. It’s still food, and I usually eat as much as I can” the rogue shrugged, as if it was normal. She snatched back the bones from Deertail, and he slowly tried to take them back again, only to have his paws slapped away. Indignantly, he came to sit next to Mosspaw, who stood and tugged her clanmate up with her. She scowled, and pushed his away.
“What are you trying to do? Get yourself more scratches, and for what? She may be docile now, but what happens when you step too far? And are you trying to show MountainClan up?! You make us look like mindless fools!” Mosspaw scolded the older cat, who stared at her with wide eyes.
“She says, while hissing at an older warrior” Deertail smirked, sitting down.
“Oh don’t act so smug! I’m only three moons younger. We were in the nursery at the same time, for StarClan’s sake!” Mosspaw grunted, turning her back to her clanmate and padding away, her tail high in the air. Still mumbling, she went back to the group, and took a seat next to the RoseClan cats. They both shared a rabbit, but didn’t say a word to each other. Mosspaw shrugged, and looked at the others. They all chatted, some still eating, some just laying down. Everyone was sharing tongues, but there was something out of place. Apart from Appleflight and Minnowsong, all the Guides were sitting a good length away from the rogue. It was weird. Just because she wasn’t from a clan didn’t mean she was that much different. Sure, she was savage and ruthless and grew up in BloodClan… But she was still clanborn. She had pure clan blood running through her. Mosspaw sighed, tucking her paws beneath her. It was too complicated. Just follow what everyone else is doing she thought, glancing around her.
“I know we just went hunting near Crows Nest and the Shined Meadow, but we haven’t really seen much of the Warm Mountains, Cold Mountains and Blossomed Heart, have we? I always wanted to see the Cold Mountains” Mosspaw interrupted the conversation. Appleflight glanced at her for a moment, but shrugged and carried on talking to the other cats who had ignored her. The pale-eyed apprentice looked at the other Guides in defeat, her ears flattening to her head. Grumbling, she slowly edged further away, letting the other cats chat amongst themselves. Instead of eavesdropping, she began to think. Not about much, just wondering what her clan was doing, what kind of prey the other territories had… Quite pointless things really, but she usually daydreamed like this. There weren’t very many things for her to do back in MountainClan, as she was currently the only apprentice, after Milkleaf’s warrior ceremony. They had been friends, but the difference between their roles made them grow apart, and now Mosspaw was more on her own than with someone most of the time, not counting her mentor. She wasn’t sure if MountainStar just forgot her ceremony, or if she just didn’t think that she was good enough, but it still annoyed her that she hasn’t been made a warrior at the same time as Milkleaf, considering they were apprenticed together. Shrugging it off, she tried to listen to everyone, but soon to find that she had missed a lot, judging by how the rogue was cackling and sputtering, and by how Whitewillow was glaring towards her. Mosspaw just sighed, glancing towards the rogue, and hurrying after the other Guides. Flicking her tail, she sped up, practically having to chase them to catch up.
꧁𒊹︎꧂
Sereneowl marched on, a frown embedded on her face as her paws moved quicker and quicker. She doubted every single thing they were doing, but she had been the one who had suggested it, so she had no way to stop it. Grumbling and muttering her thoughts out loud to herself, she took it upon herself to remain mysteriously silent, but the MeadowClan medicine cats’ complaining was getting on her nerves. She did her best to drone them out, to not listen to their pitiful whining, until she stopped to look over her shoulder, checking if her new little group was following. She saw them arguing, and her head hung lower than it already was, until she heard that disgusting rogue call her ‘Moody’. She shot her a look, but rolled her eyes when she noticed the rogue saw nothing.
.
Silence passed for a good few minutes, and Sereneowl was getting fed up with this. Her paws ached, her whole body hurt from all this walking. Sure, she was agile and was one of the best hunters in MarshClan, but walking on gritty ground was a task even the strongest warrior found hard. She needed to be extra careful where she put her paws, as to not cut her paw pads, which also meant going slower than usual. She was just about to say something, when she was stopped by the rogue. About to protest, she was stunned silent by the serious expression on the outsider’s face.
“Don’t ask questions, just stay here…’ With those words, the she-cat turned away and leaped into the nearest shrub.
Sereneowl and the other Silver Guides exchanged a worried look, all of them hoping that whatever was out there wasn’t going to come to them. They had already heard sketchy things about this cat, and, although she would never admit it, Serene was quite terrified. What would these new threats bring to her beloved Clan? To her leader, to the Guides, to the forest? Outsiders have never trespassed before, they hadn’t had to deal with this since they came to this new terriftory. They didn’t even know there were not her cats here beside themselves and the old clans! There hadn’t been signs of it anyways. With a shaky breath, she zoned back to reality, composing herself from her little freak-out. A proper warrior shouldn’t worry about the past, only the present and future, unless it comes to saving their clan. Only then shall they properly focus of their past decisions.
WE’RE SORRY, BUT THIS STORY IS DISCONTINUED- QUAIL & WILLOW