Allegiances
WonderClan
Leader: Tanglestar - Dark brown tabby tom.
Deputy: Birdflight - Pale grey she-cat with blue eyes.
Medicine Cat: Fernleaf - Grey she-cat with bright green eyes.
Warriors
Leafbriar - Dark tabby tom with pale blue eyes.
Apprentice: Swiftpaw
Pollentail - Cream she-cat with blue eyes.
Apprentice: Oatpaw
Flowerpetal - Creamy brown she-cat with amber eyes.
Twigscale - Bright ginger tom with vivid amber eyes.
Apprentice: Thornpaw
Snakeskin - Dark brown tom with dark eyes.
Apprentices
Oatpaw - Dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes.
Thornpaw - Tom with yellow eyes and a brown tabby pelt.
Swiftpaw - Brown tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes.
Queens
Mountainsnow - White she-cat with mismatched blue and green eyes, mother of Twigscale's kits.
Kits
Otterkit - Dark brown she-cat with splashes of white and lime green eyes.
Skykit - Black tom with white patches, blue eyes and a feathery tail.
Elders
Dazzlefur - Bright ginger she-cat with cloudy blue eyes.
GorgonClan
Leader: Owlstar - Tawny brown tom with large amber eyes.
Apprentice: Scarpaw
Deputy: Olivestone - Dark brown she-cat with black eyes.
Medicine Cat: Mintnose - Pale grey tabby tom.
Apprentice: Rippaw
Warriors
Featherwind - Grey she-cat with pale green eyes.
Apprentice: Beanpaw
Damselwing - Brown tabby tom with turqoise eyes.
Apprentice: Flamepaw
Cloudfur - Fluffy white tom with blue eyes.
Apprentice: Orangepaw
Sneezetail - Brown tabby tom.
Apprentice: Breezepaw
Webnose - Reddish tom with blue eyes.
Apprentice: Mistypaw
Dashfoot - Tabby tom with green eyes.
Redpetal - Cream she-cat with blue eyes.
Petalear - Beautiful cream tabby she-cat with amber eyes.
Apprentices
Beanpaw - Brown tom with long tail.
Flamepaw - Reddish coloured tom with amber eyes.
Orangepaw - Orange furred tom with vivid green eyes.
Scarpaw - Grey tom with ugly scar over one eye.
Breezepaw - Pretty tortoiseshell she-cta with amber eyes.
Mistypaw - Grey she-cat with blue eyes.
Rippaw - Small yellow tom with green eyes.
Queens
Burnpelt - Dark red she-cat with sightless white eyes, mother of Owlstar's kits.
Duckfoot - Dark brown she-cat with amber eyes, mother of Webnose's kits.
Kits
Fangkit - Black tom with coal black eyes.
Leafkit - Tabby brown tom with amber eyes.
Brookkit - Tabby brown she-cat with black eyes.
Hollykit - Beautiful black she-cat with mismatched amber and blue eyes.
Elders
Tumblefoot - Dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes.
VanishClan
Leader: Stretchstar - Pale ginger tom with light blue eyes.
Apprentice: Bloodpaw
Deputy: Burrtangle - Dark brown tabby tom with pale yellow eyes.
Medicine Cat: Frostpelt - Pale grey tabby she-cat with pale yellow eyes.
Warriors
Cragfur - Grey tom with white patches.
Dustypelt - Ginger and white tom.
Ashtail - Grey tabby tom with blue eyes.
Apprentice: Nettlepaw
Wingsky - Tabby brown she-cat with pale blue eyes.
Toadfoot - Dark brown tom with amber eyes.
Apprentices
Bloodpaw - Copper pelted tom with amber eyes.
Nettlepaw - Dark brown she-cat with deep blue eyes.
Queens
Applepelt - Reddish brown she-cat, mother of Ashtail's kits.
Kits
Icekit - White she-cat with blue eyes.
Fogkit - White tom with amber eyes.
Elders
Dapplenose - Pale brown she-cat.
Prologue
Oatkit stood alone in the clearing of the WonderClan camp. It was finally his apprentice ceremony, but he was not enjoying it as much as he had hoped. Yesterday, a badger had broken into the camp. Many of WonderClan's brave warriors had driven it off, but in the battle three WonderClan cats had been killed, including Oatkit's brother Sandkit. Now, Oatkit was facing his ceremony alone. The younger kits in the Clan, Otterkit and Skykit, were watching excitedly with wide eyes and baited breath, and the two apprentices, Thornpaw and Swiftpaw were waiting excitedly for their new denmate.
"Oatkit, from this day until you earn your warrior name, you shall be known as Oatpaw. Your mentor will be Pollentail."
As Oatpaw listened to his Clan calling his new name, he suddenly realised that even if Sandkit couldn't be with him, he was watching from StarClan. Oatpaw raised his head to the stars and murmured to his brother.
"Are you there, Sandkit? I miss you. Don't worry, I'll be a good enough apprentice for both of us."
As the Clan continued to call his name, Oatpaw's mind was still far away.
Sandpaw, he thought. Sandpaw.
Chapter 1
Oatpaw headed across the clearing towards the fresh-kill pile. He had his eye on a juicy vole. As he hurried over, Flowerpetal and Leafbriar both came up to him.
"Congratulations, Oatpaw." Flowerpetal meowed. "I'm proud of you, my son."
Leafbriar merely nodded, saying nothing.
Oatpaw knew that Leafbriar had preferred Sandkit. Oatpaw could tell that Leafbriar wished that Oatpaw had died instead. There was a dull ache, somewhere inside Oatpaw, that hurt every time Leafbriar looked at him like that. Oatpaw hunched over, as a sharp pain shot through his belly. He missed Sandkit so much it actually physically hurt.
"Are you alright?" Flowerpetal asked anxiously.
Oatpaw nodded, and forced himslef to stand up again.
"I'm fine. I'd better go to training now. See you later."
Pollentail was waiting for him. "Come on, we'd better go do some training. I asked Twigscale and Thornpaw to come too."
Oatpaw nodded, but he still felt hollow inside.
Thornpaw was a kind and gentle tom, yet very protective of his sister, Swiftpaw. Oatpaw liked both his denmates. Twigscale was the brother of Pollentail and Flowerpetal. Normally, cats didn't mentor their kin, but there had been such a shortage of warriors, that Pollentail was mentoring Oatpaw, her nephew, anyway.
"You will be hunting today. Thornpaw, I'd like you to hunt around the Twisted Tree, and Oatpaw, near the GorgonClan border, alright?" Twigscale told them.
Oatpaw and Thornpaw bounded off, towards their hunting places.
Oatpaw made sure he was looking for prey far enough away form the border, so that he didn't accidentally chase anything over it. He then settled down on the roots of a large tree, and watched. Soon, a faint scratching sound carried to him on the wind. There was a mouse under some leaves nearby. Oatpaw crept forward silently, and leapt. He felt his claws puncture the mouse's body, and he looked proudly down at his first fresh-kill. Suddenly, a new sound reached his ears.
"Come on Brookkit!" a young voice complained.
Kits! Oatpaw realised at once what the voices were. But there isn't a Brookkit in WonderClan. They must be GorgonClan kits!
Oatpaw padded closer to the border, hiding silently behind clumps of bracken. He soon saw the cause of the commotion. Three small kits were stumbling over the border. They looked about three moons old. The first kit to cross was a little black tom. He was smaller than his brother, and bigger than his sister. He peered around, and scented the air.
"Come on! I can't smell any cats," he called.
"I'm not trusting you again," the biggest kit, a tabby brown tom, muttered as he stumped after his brother. "Come on Brookkit," he added. "You're so slow."
The third kit, a tiny tabby brown she-cat, tried to catch up with her brothers despite her shorter legs.
"You're so bossy, Leafkit," she said, glaring at him. "Owlstar should give you the warrior name Leafbossyboots."
"Stop arguing and hurry up!" the first kit called. "I want to see what WonderClan looks like."
"Fangkit, are you sure this is WonderClan, not VanishClan?" Brookkit puffed, hurrying to catch up. "We don't want to end up in VanishClan instead."
"Have I ever been wrong before?" Fangkit asked huffily.
Brokkit and Leafkit looked at each other and purred.
"Yes!" they said in unison.
Oatpaw watched. From behind the little kits came another one, this one maybe only a moon.
"Fangkit, Leafkit, Brookkit, wait for me!" she called.
"Hollykit?" Leafkit gasped. "You were supposed to stay in the nursery!"
The little black kit pouted, narrowing her mismatched amber and blue eyes.
"I want to come too," she complained.
"Well you can't," Fangkit said grumpily. "Go away."
"I'll tell Mummy and Burnpelt," Hollykit threatened.
Brookkit sighed. "Fine, you can come."
Oatpaw decided it was time to take a hand. He stepped out from behind the bracken. All four kits gasped.
"I thought you said there wasn't anyone here," Brookkit accused her brother.
Fangkit looked sheepish. "Oops," he whispered.
Oatpaw stifled a purr.
"I think you all need to go back to your Clan now. You mothers must be very worriedl" he told them.
Brookkit's eyes widened at this.
"I don't want Mummy to be worried!" she cried.
"Then you'd better get back to camp, hadn't you?" Oatpaw told them.
"What if a fox catches us?" Hollykit asked with wide, scared eyes.
"I'll protect you," Fangkit said bravely, and Leafkit nodded, but both looked scared.
"I'll make sure you all get safely back to your camp." Oatpaw promised.
He led the four kits across the border and into GorgonClan territory.
"Which way now?" he asked Fangkit, who shrugged.
"This way!" Leafkit called.
Oatpaw soon realised that he could smell fresh GorgonClan scent, and a minute later a dark brown she-cat with amber eyes burst through the trees. As soon as she saw the kits, she started to purr, and ran to Hollykit, running her tail across the kit's black pelt over and over again.
"Thank you," she purred to Oatpaw. "Say thank you to..."
"Oatpaw," Oatpaw supplied.
"Say thank you to Oatpaw," the queen encouraged the kits.
"Thank you Oatpaw!" the four of them chorused.
Oatpaw dipped his head, and hurried back to his own territory. As he left, he could hear the queen beginning to scold all four kits, especailly Fangkit. It seemed every cat knew that he was the troublemaker. Fangkit sighed, and turned to look over his shoulder one last time. Oatpaw purred softly, and waved his tail, and Fangkit hurried after his littermates.
Chapter 2
Oatpaw wriggled with excitement in his nest. It was almost evening, and he, Thornpaw and Swiftpaw were all going to the Gathering. Oatpaw's excitement was added to by the fact that Pollentail had been very impressed by how he had dealt with the GorgonClan kits earlier that day. She had told Tanglestar, and he had praised Oatpaw in front of the whole Clan. Now Oatpaw was finally going to get his first proper glimpse of GorgonClan and VanishClan. He could hardly wait.
"Keep still," Swiftpaw muttered from her nest beside him. "You're supposed to be sleeping before tonight's Gathering."
Oatpaw tried to still the excitement racing through him, but was only calm for a few second before he lashed his tail eagerly again. Swiftpaw rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath.
Suddenly, a large, dark head peered into the apprentices den.
"Come on, you three. Tanglestar says we're ready to leave."
Oatpaw leapt to his feet, and rushed to the entrance, knocking Thornpaw off his paws on his way out. Oatpaw leapt away from the entrance and immediatly crashed into Birdflight, the Clan deputy.
"Sorry Birdflight!" he yelled over his shoulder as he bounded over to the cats who were going to the Gathering.
"Will you tell us everything when you get back, Oatpaw?" Skykit called from the nursery where he and Otterkit were sticking their heads out to watch the cats leave.
Oatpaw nodded, and Skykit purred eagerly, then squeaked in annoyance as a white paw reached out and dragged him and his sister back inside the nursery.
"Mummy!" Oatpaw could hear him complaining.
Then Tanglestar waved his long, brown tail, and the cats headed out of the camp. Oatpaw padded along between Swiftpaw and Pollentail, trying not to show how nervous he was.
"I can't wait, can you?" Swiftpaw asked, nudging Oatpaw cheerfully with her shoulder. Oatpaw shook his head, trembling with anticipation. He followed behind his mentor, watching his paws, placing each one down carefully. He was so engrossed it watching the bunched dark brown fur that he walked right into another cat.
"Sorry!" Oatpaw gasped, glancing up and noticing an unfamiliar scent. It must be a VanishClan cat! The tom looked a little bigger than Oatpaw, with gleaming copper fur and bright amber eyes. He narrowed his eyes as he saw Oatpaw, and spat furiously at him.
"Watch where you're going, mouse-brain!"
Oatpaw stumbled backwards, shocked by the hostility in the tom's eyes. "Sorry, I'm sorry!" he gasped out, backing up another step, only to feel the earth slide away from his paws. He slid backwards and almost landed in a puddle, but soft fur wove around him and pulled him back onto safe ground.
"Thanks," Oatpaw muttered.
His saviour purred cheerfully. She carried the same scent of VanishClan as the hostile copper-coloured tom, but her eyes gleamed with friendliness and curiousity. Oatpaw purred too, steadied himself, and turned around to face her, shifting away from the dark brown fur to peer into her eyes. They were a deep, beautiful blue. Oatpaw had never seen a colour like it, and he would have been content just to stare at her forever, but she interrupted.
"I'm Nettlepaw, by the way, and that grumpy furball is my brother, Bloodpaw."
"Nice to meet you," Oatpaw said politely. "My name's Oatpaw."
Nettlepaw waved her tail at him, beckoning him onwards towards where the other cats in WonderClan and VanishClan were hurrying up the hill towards the Gathering place.
"It's a long walk, isn't it?" Nettlepaw asked. She glanced over her shoulder. "Come on, Bloodpaw! I want to get there on time, like every other cat!"
Bloodpaw grunted, and quickened his pace until he was only a pawstep behind his sister and Oatpaw. Nettlepaw ran ahead, circling around the two toms and chatting constantly. Oatpaw really liked her. She was so bubbly, happy, and bright all the time. Her eyes gleamed with such friendliness and excitement that it was impossible not to like her.
"Look!" Nettlepaw exclaimed suddenly. "That must be where the Gathering is held!" She flicked her tail towards the thick forest ahead. Swiftpaw had told Oatpaw that the Gatherings were in a clearing so surrounded by trees and bushes that cats had to crawl in through a tunnel.
Oatpaw twitched his tail in anticipation, a purr rising in his throat.
"Come on, you two!" Nettlepaw exclaimed. "Our Clans are going in!" She bounded ahead, and Oatpaw followed close behind her. He glanced over his shoulder once, and saw Bloodpaw still padding steadily down the slope. His eyes gleamed like his sisters, but with a different emotion, something darker. Oatpaw shuddered, and turned his gaze back to the disappearing tip of Nettlepaw's tail.