Warriors Fanfiction:The Fading Sky

Author’s Note:

Hi fellow warriors!

I have decided to make a series call the Fading Sky. Yes, it is completely a work in progress. I am still working on the plot details and some of the minor characters, but I am really committed to this story. I really hope you enjoy it and I will be posting new chapters as soon as they come out. I have the main characters you should know listed below. Please do not edit anything. Also there will be a bit of blood so viewer discretion is advised.

Thanks,

~Snowy

Be the change you wish to see 00:19, 17 June 2021 (UTC)

Allegiances

TalonClan:

Leader- Embersky

Deputy- Drizzlestorm

Medicine cat- Flowerheart

Warriors:

-Moonclaw Ap.Daisypaw

-Snowshine

-Sparrowfeather Ap.Tansypaw

-Bluetail Ap.Stormypaw

-Yellowtail Ap.Stempaw (POV)

-Blazepelt

-Mashwhisker

-Leafheart Ap.Fauxpaw

-Lionfur

-Poppyfeather Ap.Rosepaw

-Ashflower Ap.Lavenderpaw

-Mudpelt Ap.Willowpaw

-Redstripe

-Nightflower

-Purplecloud

Queens:

-Brightstripe

-Whitefeather

-Robinflight

Kits:

-Leafkit(POV)

-Starkit(POV)

-Greenkit

-Mothkit

Elders:

-Scorchsight

-Juniperwing

NightClan (nocturnal):

Leader- Tabbysky

Deputy- Pinetail (POV)

Medicine cat- Sorrelfern

Other important NightClan cats: -Darkpaw (Pinetail’s apprentice)

StormClan

Leader- Rainsky

Deputy- Splashfern

Medicine cat- Brightstream

Other important StormClan cats: -Pearlcloud (POV Brightstream’s apprentice)

FireClan:

Leader- Sparklesky

Deputy- Honeyclaw

Medicine cat- Heatherstripe

Other important FireClan cats: -Badgerwhisker (POV warrior)

Note* the equivalent to StarClan is SkyClan

Cats outside the clans:

-Apple

Prologue

Drizzlestorm waded through the misty undergrowth. He would be home soon. Then he could see young Starkit and his beloved Whifefeather. He wondered yet again if they would be disappointed in him, but Drizzlestorm shook off the thought. They were his kin. He shouldn’t have a doubt.

A rustle ahead of Drizzlestorm caught his attention. The tangy scent of vole. Instinctively, he dropped into the hunter’s crouch. The vole was so tempting. But no, he couldn’t hunt it. The vole belonged to NightClan not TalonClan.

The rustling of the vole stopped. He could smell the vole, it was still ther, but he also smelled something else. A NightClan cat.

There was a hiss from behind him. Drizzlestorm whirled around to see Darkpaw. He recognized the brown tabby from Gatherings. He was an apprentice, almost old enough to be a warrior. But the hiss had came from another cat hidden behind Darkpaw.

Pinetail, the deputy of NightClan, slithered out from the bushes. She was Darkpaw’s mentor. “Come to steal a few voles, Drizzlestorm?” growled Pinetail. Without waiting for a response, she lunged at Drizzlestorm. He tried to dodge but Drizzlestorm, weak with hunger, was no match for the powerful deputy.

Pinetail raked her claws across Drizzlestorm’s belly. The tom screamed in agony. He tightened his grip on Pinetail’s shoulders and flung her into a tree. She raced to recover, but Drizzlestorm pounced, with darting speed. Her vision was covered in his fur and Drizzlestorm felt a pang of satisfaction as he buried his claws down her spine.

Suddenly, he felt her jaw snap at the air. Drizzlestorm tumbled back to avoid her fangs. She was too quick. He felt her sharp teeth bite his throat.

Shrieking, Drizzlestorm fell to the ground with an achy thud. His body was covered with streaks of blood and tufts of missing patches of fur. The blood continues to come from his throat wound.

Drizzlestorm was dead.

Chapter 1

At the TalonClan camp, two kits played. They were pretending to hunt the leaves as though they were mice.

“Watch me hunt this! I’ve already caught my first squirrel outside of camp,” bragged Leafkit. “I bet this will be easy! Have you ever caught a piece of prey?”

The younger kit looked down at the ground and nervously shifted her paws. “No,” she murmured quietly. “But you’re twice my age. I probably will have when I’m as old as you.”

Leafkit’s eyes softened. “Of course, Starkit. You’ll be a great warrior one day.”

“You sound like an elder,” Starkit teased. “But honestly, Leafkit. It’s going to be lonely when you leave to become an apprentice.”

Leafkit sighed. Starkit was right. “I know. But you’ll come and join me soon after. And besides, we’ll always be best friends. When we’re kits, and apprentices and warriors. I’ll teach you everything my mentor teaches me.”

Starkit blinked. “Really?”

He cuffed her ear. “Of course I will, mouse-brain. You know, I’ll be the first cat your father Drizzlestorm makes an apprentice.”

Starkit purred happily. “You mean my father Drizzlesky,” she added.

Leafkit purred too. “I wonder who he will make his deputy. Maybe Whitefeather, since she’s his mate and all.”

His friend rolled onto his side. “Maybe. But that won’t be until I’m six moons old since she’ll be a queen. And Drizzlesky wouldn’t just make her deputy because they’re mates. Although it would be cool to have my father as leader and my mother as deputy.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Maybe Moonclaw or Snowshine.”

“Which one though?” Starkit asked. “They’re littermates so they’ve been warriors for the same amount of time. And neither she-cat has became a queen. They also both have had two apprentices.”

“Well Daisypaw isn’t a warrior yet so Moonclaw has really only had one and a half apprentices,” Leafkit pointed out.

“True,” Starkit agreed. “You know, the apprentice den is going to be packed once you move in. Stempaw, Tansypaw, Fauxpaw, Rosepaw, Lavenderpaw, Stormypaw, Daisypaw, Willowpaw and soon to be Leafpaw. Nine in one den.

Leafkit snorted. He knew very well that Starkit was just showing off his knowledge of the clan members. “Smart-ears. Stormypaw, Daisypaw and Willowpaw might not be warriors when you become an apprentice so that would be ten.

“Who’s the smart-ears now?” Starkit countered teasingly.

“Leafkit!”

Leafkit identified Brightstripe’s, his mother’s, voice.

“It’s smells like it’s going to rain soon! You and Starkit need to come in!”

Leafkit shared an eye roll with Starkit. “Coming, Brightstripe.” To Starkit, she added, “I guess we can’t play anymore.”

He headed in the direction of the nursery with Starkit. As he came inside, he smelled something strange. It was a cat, but the cat smelled nothing like TalonClan.

Then the scent was gone. Leafkit wondered if he had imagined it. That couldn’t have been a cat from another clan in the TalonClan camp. He shrugged it off. But something made him wonder if the scent had been more than his imagination.

Chapter 2

Pinetail watched the tip of Darkpaw’s tail disappear into the brush.

Oh no.

He was going straight to Tabbysky to report that she had killed Drizzlestorm. And she would be in huge trouble. She might be put on apprentice duties or worse, be demoted from her position as deputy.

“Darkpaw!” She tore after her apprentice, running faster than most FireClan cats. “Darkpaw, please! Wait!”

She was relieved to see him stop in front of her. But he looked as though he was going to run again.

“You killed an innocent cat!” Darkpaw accused.

“Watch your tounge!” Pinetail snarled. “I’m deputy!”

“So was Drizzlestorm!”

“It was an accident!” she exclaimed. “Besides, he was trespassing! Great SkyClan, can’t we just keep this a little secret between you and me?”

Darkpaw glared at her, even though he was far younger than Pinetail. “I won’t betray the warrior code like you have!” Darkpaw began to sprint off towards the camp again, to tell Tabbysky what happened.

Pinetail started running again. She cried out in pain as her paw got tangled in a bramble thicket. “Fox dung!” She didn’t have time to undo the brambles though so she ran with them.

Finally, they reached camp. Darkpaw was still ahead of her. She could see him running to Tabbysky’s den. “Darkpaw!”

“What in the name of SkyClan! Pinetail, must you drag in the whole forest on your paw? And what are those scratches?”

Pinetail reluctantly turned to face Sorrelfern, the medicine cat. “Please, Sorrelfern, give me on second!”

Sorrelfern shook her head. “You can talk to Darkpaw later! Now let me pull off those brambles and fix up your wounds!”

Miserably, Pinetail sat in front of the medicine cat den and let Sorrelfern fuss over her. She kept an eye on the leader’s den where Darkpaw and Tabbysky were talking.

Finally, once Sorrelfern had pulled off the brambles and was chewing up ointment for her scratches, she saw Tabbysky emerge from his den with Darkpaw a pawstep behind. And from the icy look her leader gave her, she knew that Darkpaw had told him all about Drizzlestorm.

Chapter 3

Stempaw lowered herself into the hunter’s crouch. She stealthily crept across the forest floor and suddenly, she sprang. The starling’s wings fluttered as it tried to escape her, but Stempaw quickly delivered the killing bite before it could fly away.

Her mentor Yellowtail slithered up beside her. “Great catch!” she praised.

“Thanks!” Stempaw purred. She liked Yellowtail. She was the best mentor in the universe.

A rustle in the brush sounded from behind them. Both she-cats twisted around to find a gray tabby tom with prominent stripes emerging from the bracken.

Yellowtail looked surprised to see the newcomer. “Tabbysky? What are you doing on TalonClan territory?” The fur along her spine lifted and began to bristle.

Stempaw gasped silently. Tabbysky? Wow, he looks so different at Gatherings! I barely recognize him! But what is another Clan’s leader doing here? The apprentice narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth.

“I come in peace!” Tabbysky announced. “I have news about Drizzlestorm. He has not yet returned from his trip to the Moontree, has he?”

Yellowtail hesitated before shaking her head.

Stempaw’s confusion over took her. Isn’t he Drizzlesky, not Drizzlestorm? He should have his nine lives and name, since Embersky died and he went to the Moontree. “Why are you calling him Drizzlestorm when he should be called Drizzlesky? He got his nine lives, right?”

Yellowtail’s green eyes flashed with alarm. Oops. She had revealed to much to another Clan’s leader.

Tabbysky’s eyes flooded with grief. “Don’t worry, Yellowtail and er, Stempaw, right?”

Stempaw nodded.

“I already know that Embersky is dead,” he went on. “You have my condolences. I mourn him as any cat. Now, I must see Flowerheart, for she is the highest ranking cat in your camp.”

Yellowtail slowly nodded. “I’ll lead the way. Stempaw, grab your starling.”

Stempaw picked up the fresh-kill in her mouth and followed her mentor in the direction of camp. They arrived shortly after sunhigh. Her Clanmates started chatting excitedly when they saw Tabbysky.

“Flowerheart’s den is over there,” Yellowtail meowed, motioning with her tail.

Tabbysky dipped his head respectfully. “Thank you.” He disappeared into the medicine cats den.

Yellowtail turned to face Stempaw. “Go eat that starling of yours. You’ve earned it. But next time, don’t tell other clan leaders about our weaknesses.”

“Sorry,” Stempaw mewed. She padded away to sit by the apprentice den. She set her starling down, but before she could eat it, the prey was swatted away by a dark gray paw.

“Hey, Daisypaw!” sneered Stormypaw. “Look at this starling Stempaw brought.” He lowered his chin to take a bite.

“Give it back!” Fauxpaw protested. “He snatched the starling from Stormypaw and Daisypaw and left it in front of Stempaw.

“Thanks,” she mewed. “Want to share it?”

“Sure!” Fauxpaw said cheerfully. “I’m so hungry I could eat a fox! And ignore those two.” He tilted his ears at  Stormypaw and Daisypaw.

“I will,” she replied, though they both knew it was a lie. They ate the starling and sunned themselves until Stempaw saw Flowerheart leap onto the Highcave and call a Clan meeting.

The medicine cat was trembling as she spoke. “I have some bad news to share!” She announced. “Drizzlestorm is dead!”

Chapter 4

Pearlcloud climbed up the slope after her mentor, Brightstream. She saw Heatherstripe and Sorrelfern waiting up ahead. “Hello, Brightstream, hello Pearlcloud,” Heatherstripe greeted.

“Hi, Heatherstripe!” Brightstream responded. “How is FireClan doing?”

Pearlcloud let her mentor engage in conversation with Heatherstripe rather than joining in. She went over to Sorrelfern instead. She and Sorrelfern were good friends because they had been apprentices together until Sorrelfern’s mentor recently joined SkyClan. “Hello, Sorrelfern. Is all well in NightClan?”

Sorrelfern shrugged. “Pinetail was being a bit pesky?”

Pearlcloud tilted her head. “How so?”

Sorrelfern barred her teeth. “She killed Drizzlestorm and started a war with TalonClan and made all this drama about infiltrating TalonClan!” she growled. “I can’t believe that Tabbysky made her deputy! I mean she is, I mean was, my friend and all, but still! Selfish cat!”

Pearlcloud stared at the tortoiseshell she-cat. “Wait, Pinetail killed Drizzlestorm? And she’s infiltrating TalonClan? A war? Tell me you can explain all of that, Sorrelfern!”

Before her friend could reply, Pearlcloud heard Flowerheart’s mew. “Hey, Pearlcloud, hey, Sorrelfern!”

They turned to face the TalonClan cat. “Hi,” Sorrelfern welcomed. “Um, Flowerheart, I just want to tell you that I’m sorry on behalf of my clan for what happened with Drizzlestorm.”

Flowerheart lowered her head with sadness. “It’s not for fault, nor the fault of NightClan’s, Sorrelfern. I just don’t understand how he didn’t receive his nine lives. None of us are to blame.”

“Could one of you explain what in SkyClan you are talking about?” Heatherstripe demanded.

“Embersky died,” Flowerheart explained. “Drizzlestorm went to get his nine lives and name. I couldn’t come because I had to take care of a patient. He went to the Moontree. When he came back he was found of NightClan territory. Pinetail, you know her, attacked him. She killed him. Tabbysky came to our TalonClan the other day and told us the whole thing.”

“But why didn’t he get nine lives?” Brightstream asked.

“Let’s hope SkyClan tells us tonight,” Flowerheart huffed. “Come on. We are wasting moonlight.”

They arrived at the Moontree after some time. Pearlcloud could see how Drizzlestorm would be caught on NightClan territory. The whole path to the sacred place was in their pine forest.

Pearlcloud curled herself up between the roots, her white fur gleaming under the stars. She marveled at how glorious the magical tree looked in the starlight. The small light of the sky twinkled on the leaves like morning dew.

She pressed her nose to the Moontree, expecting for sleep to come immediately. But it never did. “Brightstream?”

“Pearlcloud?” She could hear the panic in Brightstreams’s mew. “Is SkyClan sharing tongues with any of you?”

“No!” Sorrelfern.

“Why not though? Come on, SkyClan, be cool!” Heatherstripe and such a Heatherstripe thing to say.

“This must be how Drizzlestorm didn’t get his nine lives and name!” Flowerheart.

Pearlcloud gasped with terror. The Moontree was fading.

Chapter 5

Badgerwhisker yawned. He had been up for too long, guarding the camp. It was no fun, but there was nothing he wanted more in the world than to be a loyal warrior of FireClan.

The first cats in the camp were already awakening. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing it was almost over. But still he didn’t dare speak.

Larchdapple, one of the senior warriors smiled and came towards him. “The sun’s just about up by now. How was the night?”

Badgerwhisker flicked his tail at his muzzle.

Larchdapple let out a mrrow of laughter. “Yes, Badgerwhisker, you can speak now. I can’t make you keep silent forever.”

Badgerwhisker let out a soft howl of relief. “All was quiet. Nothing really exciting,” he reported.

Larchdapple nodded. “Good. Now get some rest, young warrior. You must be tired after that vigil. Be ready for the Gathering tonight. Sparklesky will probably send you since you’re our newest warrior.”

The black and white tom’s pelt tingled with excitement. His first Gathering as a warrior! This is going to be great! “Alright, Larchdapple!” He mewed, trying not to make his voice sound all squeaky.

Badgerwhisker happily padded into the warriors den. He found a nice nest on the side that he could now call his own. I can’t believe that I’ll be sleeping in the warriors den now! It felt like only yesterday that he was curled up as a kit beside his mother’s belly.

He settled down in his nest and soon fell asleep.

🐱🐱🐱

The moon shone high in the sky. Badgerwhisker was trembling with excitement. He watched as Sparklesky and Rainsky climbed onto the Great Stump. The meeting wouldn’t start for a little while though.

Badgerwhisker yelped as a cat bumped into him. He turned to see a black she-cat with glowing green eyes. She smelled of TalonClan and looked only a moon or two from becoming a warrior.

“Sorry!” apologized the she-cat. “I wasn’t looking where I was going!”

“It’s no problem,” he meowed. “What’s your name?”

“Stempaw,” she introduced. “And I believe you are…” Stempaw squinted her eyes, thinking. “Badgerpaw?”

He puffed out his chest proudly. “Actually, it’s Badgerwhisker now! I just became a warrior last night,” he purred.

“Congratulations!” she praised. “I wish I were a warrior.”

“You’ll get become a warrior sooner than you think,” he assured her. “What you you want your warrior name to be?”

Stempaw shrugged. “I guess I’ve never thought about it before. I want it to be something unique that stands out. Like Stemmist or Stempetal.”

“Stempetal’s a cool name!” Badgerwhisker agreed. “Stemmist is pretty nice too. I wish I had been named Badgerscar!”

“Nah, I like Badgerwhisker,” she replied. “It makes you sound a lot nicer.”

“Stempaw, come and meet Ripplepaw!” The call came from the dark gray tom with lighter gray patches and deep blue eyes.

“Coming!” Stempaw called back. “That’s my best friend Fauxpaw. Anyways, I better get over there. I can introduce you if you want.”

Badgerwhisker shook his head. “No, that’s fine. It was nice meeting you Stempaw.”

She smiled. “It was nice meeting you too Badgerwhisker.” There was amusement in her voice as she added. “I guess you should be hanging out with warriors, not lousy apprentices like me.”

He snorted. “You’ll be lousy when hedgehogs fly.”

“Sure. Bye, Badgerwhisker.”

“Bye, Stempaw.” As the black she-cat wove her way through the crowd of cats, he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked.

Chapter 6

Stempaw took her place beside Fauxpaw. “I can’t believe that a medicine cat is in charge of TalonClan,” she muttered. “They might as well call her Flowersky.”

“She does a good job though,” Fauxpaw whispered.

“I guess.” Hedgehogs fly, she added to herself. Stempaw turned her attention back to the leaders on the Great Stump.

“Who will speak first?” asked Rainsky.

“I will,” volunteered Flowerheart. “You must all be wondering what a medicine cat is doing on the Great Stump. Well, we have had a few issues in TalonClan lately. First of all, our leader Embersky, died. He was hunting near the Thunderpath and a Monster ran him over. He hunts in SkyClan now.” The cats fell silent for a moment of grieving.

“We sent Drizzlestorm to the Moontree,” she continued. He was found on NightClan territory and killed by Pinetail before receiving his nine lives and name. It was an accident, and TalonClan does not blame Pinetail, nor NightClan in anyway. For the time being, I am waiting for a sign from SkyClan to tell me and my clan who the next leader should be.”

Stempaw blinked thoughtfully. She could tell by the way that Flowerheart shifted her paws and spoke with hesitation that she was lying about something. But what?

“However, through these troubles, TalonClan is thriving. Prey is running well and the forest is blessed with an early newleaf.” She stepped back.

Tabbysky stepped forth. “I would like to apologize to TalonClan and especially Drizzlestorm. It was an accident, yet our deputy Pinetail is being demoted as soon as possible. The attack was reported to us by her apprentice Darkpaw. He has recently been made a warrior and is now called Darkpelt.”

“Darkpelt! Darkpelt!” cheered the gathered cats.

“Prey is running well in FireClan,” said Sparklesky. “We are pleased to have made Badgerpaw and warrior. His new name is Badgerwhisker.”

“Badgerwhisker! Badgerwhisker!” Stempaw tried hard to chant his name louder than any other cat.

“The river is full of fish and StormClan’s fresh-kill pile is well stocked,” meowed Rainsky. “Diamondpool gave birth to a litter of three kits. She has named them Mosskit, Bluekit and Puddlekit.”

The cat cheered, with no particular names. Stempaw’s whiskers twitched with amusement. There were too many cats to congratulate, so the Gathering couldn’t shout all their names. She was lucky to not have any littermates. Although that’s probably why I’m the most unpopular apprentice.

“This Gathering is at a close!” Sparklesky called. He lept off the stump and led the FireClan cats out of the clearing.

Stempaw caught a glimpse of Badgerwhisker as he was leaving. “Congratulations again, Badgerwhisker!”

He turned to look at her. “Thanks! See you at another Gathering, Stempaw!”

“See you too!” Then she followed her Clanmates back to her own camp.

Chapter 7

Starkit had been awfully quiet every since the news of Drizzlestorm’s death had reached the camp, but she didn’t think Leafkit would notice.

“Starkit?” Leafkit mewed. “Hello?”

He forced a purr. “I was just thinking,” she mumbled. “StarClan will fight for this territory, Leafsky!”

“Well then. It will be the doom of your clan, Starsky!”

“We will never bow down to LeafClan!” Starkit growled. She leaped at Leafkit.

He growled back and sprang onto his hind legs, batting Starkit with his paws. Starkit jumped out the side to avoid him. She darted behind Leafkit and nipped lightly at his tail. “This territory belongs to StarClan!” she declared.

“Leafkit!”

The two kits heard Brightstripe’s scolding meow from behind them “Look what you’ve done! Greenkit and Mothkit are out for the first time and you stepped on Robinflight’s tail! And now they’re in the medicine cat’s den because Robinflight can’t get to them! Leafkit, get off her tail already.”

Leafkit lifted his paw from Robinflight’s tail. “Sorry, Robinflight.”

The tortoiseshell queen didn’t reply, she just sprinted off towards Greenkit and Mothkit who had wandered into the medicine cats den. “Kits!”

Brightstripe glared at her son. “Now go apologize to Flowerheart and Robinflight!”

Leafkit shamefully bowed her head. “Okay.” He hopefully glanced at Starkit. “Want to come?”

She didn’t. “Sorry, I have to go make dirt.” She and Leafkit went off in their separate directions.

Starkit ducked into Dirtplace. She sat down. And she was already bored. With nothing else better to do, she sniffed the air. She smell the other cats of TalonClan and…

Is that a cat from another clan? Are they spying on dirtplace?

Curious, Starkit got to her paws. That was definitely a cat and definitely not a TalonClan cat. Recent, very recent. The cat must’ve just left.

She checked over her shoulder to make sure that no cat was watching, then she bust into the trees.

She forced her muzzle to the ground and sped through the forest. She lost the scent at one point, but found it a moment later. The scent was smelling fresher now, she was getting close to the cat.

Starkit glimpsed the ferns quivering out of the corner of her eye. Her head snapped to the right and she saw a fluffy dark ginger tail disappearing into the bracken. She recognized the same cat’s scent.

It’s them!

Desperately, the kit hurled herself after the intruder. The cat was smart though and he wove from side to side.

Starkit burst into a clearing. It was too confusing! Where was the cat?

“Starkit, there you are!” she saw Whitefeather emerge from the undergrowth. “The whole coffee TalonClan has been looking for you!” She started furiously licking the kit. “What happened?”

Starkit knew that if she told her mother about the cat she would get in trouble and she would never figure out who had been on their territory. “I went into dirtplace and I walked straight past it and I couldn’t find my way back to camp…”

“Oh, my poor kit!” Whitefeather cried. “Never mind that now, let’s get back to camp.”

Before they left, Starkit saw the glimmer of two amber eyes hidden in the brush. It was the cat she’d followed.

I will find you again, she vowed silently.

Chapter 8

Pinetail followed Sorrelfern towards the TalonClan border. “Which way do you go now?” she asked.

Sorrelfern motioned with her tail. “That way.”

Pinetail silently thanked SkyClan for giving NightClan stealth. Quickly, without a sound, she and Sorrelfern crept their way into TalonClan territory. “Couldn’t you have just asked Flowerheart the night before tha Gathering when you went to the Moontree?” Pinetail grumbled.

“I didn’t know about all of this sneaking around then!” Sorrelfern hissed. “Now, come on. Their camp is over there.” She flicked her ears and padded off.

Pinetail followed her. They circumnavigated the clearing until they reached a large den where a thick, non-transparent wall of ivy dangled from a rock overhang. Unseen, she and Sorrelfern made their way to a hidden spot and poked their head inside the den. “Flowerheart,” Pinetail whispered.

Flowerheart looked up from the two piles of herbs she was sorting. “Sorrelfern? Pinetail? What are you two doing here?”

“We have a message?” Sorrelfern began.

Flowerheart softly snorted with exasperation. “Couldn’t this message have waited until the Gathering.”

Sorrelfern shook her head. “No. Your clan needs a leader now. We have a gift for you.”

Pinetail knew her cue. She came forward and dropped the goose feather on the ground before Flowerheart.

“Pretty feather,” Flowerheart mewed sarcastically.

Sorrelfern slithered into the den and helped her sort the herbs. “It’s a goose feather. Or rather, a white goose feather.”

“Oh.” Flowerheart’s voice was taut. “I understand.”

“Yes. We want you to fake a sign from SkyClan. You said that was what you were waiting for at the Gathering,” Sorrelfern meowed.

“But why should I do as you tell me? Whitefeather has a kit you know,” Flowerheart argued.

This time, Pinetail spoke up. “Your clan needs a leader. Whitefeather is the right cat. She won’t let innocents die or worthless blood be shed. She is strong and she can save TalonClan. Besides, the other queens can take care of her kit. She needs to be leader.”

Flowerheart eyed her. “Spoken like a true non-mouse-brain.”

“You sound like Heatherstripe!” Sorrelfern exclaimed. “But really Flowerheart. What do you say.”

Flowerheart’s gaze dropped to the ground, thinking. Pinetail and Sorrelfern held their breaths as she stared at the ground. Then finally, her gaze lifted.

“I’ll do it.”

Chapter 9

“I have a sore throat,” Fishtail explained.

Pearlcloud nodded a bit absentmindedly. “All right, I can get you some watermint for that and come back if it gets worse.” She went inside to the herb storage where Brightstream was sorting juniper berries from dock leaves. She grabbed a sprig of watermint in her jaws.

“What’s that for?” Brightstream asked. “Is there a belly sickness in the camp?”

“N-no,” Pearlcloud stammered. Fox dung, I messed herbs again! Watermint was used for bellyaches, the most painful kind, and it wouldn’t help with a sore throat. Tansy would work much better.

“Why do you need it then?” Brightstream demanded.

“I was going to give it to Fishtail for his sore throat,” she admitted.

Brightstream was on her paws in an instant. “Watermint for a sore throat? Honestly, Pearlcloud, do you have bees in your brain? You keep messing up today! I told you to grab me poppy seeds and you brought me oaks leaves! Really, it’s not hard to identify poppy seeds for oak leaves! One’s a seed and one’s a leaf! Then I asked you what to use for Steamsong’s wound and you said lavender! The only thing lavender is used for is hiding the scent of death! And I was like “Mousebrain!” and then you were all “Oops!” and I was like “She’s not dead yet! Although if you carry on with this she will be!” and then Streamsong was like “Really?” Come on, Pearlcloud, you’re being an idiot!”

Pearlcloud sighed. Her mentor was only like this when she was impatient or upset. “I’m sorry.” She grabbed a chervil stem and headed out towards Fishtail. Too late she realized that she needed tansy and chervil wouldn’t help.

“PEARLCLOUD!” Brightstream fumed. “That’s chervil! Get the tansy! It’s the one with green leaves and yellow flowers!”

“I know what tansy is,” she muttered, grabbing the right herb. She turned and padded back to Fishtail.

“Remember to him the leaves, not the nectar!” Brightstream called mockingly.

Pearlcloud sighed with exasperation. She stripped off one of the leaves and dropped it in front of Fishtail. “Eat that, come back if it gets worse and don’t ask any questions about what just happened,” she ordered.

Fishtail’s whiskers twitched with amusement. “Okay, then, Pearlcloud. I guess I’ll be on my way then.” He swallowed the tansy leaf and padded off to the warriors den.

Pearlcloud let out a breath of relief. She jumped when she saw that her mentor had appeared beside her. “Do you have to scare me?” she yelped.

To her surprise, Brightstream’s eyes softened. “You’re worried about the Moontree, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am. It’s just a bit frightening and I’m worried that this is the end. What if we lose our SkyClan ancestors forever?” she fretted.

“Brightstream rolled her eyes. “Pearlcloud, you’re being paranoid. We aren’t going to lose our ancestors. They may have just closed their borders, or they are busy with other matters. It’ll be fine. Now go yourself something to eat and get some rest.”

Pearlcloud nodded and did as Brightstream told her. But she couldn’t help but still worry about the Moontree.

Chapter 10

Leafkit was awoken by Flowerheart’s cry of triumph.

“SkyClan has spoken!”

It was early in the afternoon and Leafkit was sleeping next to Starkit. But Flowerheart’s words must’ve meant that TalonClan finally had a leader.

Leafkit nudged Starkit awake. “Wake up!” he mewed excitedly. “TalonClan is getting a new leader!”

Starkit jumped to her feet, all sign as sleepiness gone. The two kits raced into the clearing where the rest of the clan was already gathering around to see what happened.

Flowerheart sprang on the High Stone. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the High Stone for a clan meeting!”

There was no need to call a meeting. Every cat was already there.

Flowerheart dipped her head to pick up a feather that was just below the High Stone. It was white and Leafkit thought it smelled like a goose feather. “I found this feather outside of the Leader’s den by the High Stone this sun rise. I believe that this is a sign from SkyClan. Whitefeather, would you come forward.”

The clan gasped in surprise. A queen could not be leader while she still had a kit in the nursery.

Whitefeather stood just beneath the High Stone. “Flowerheart, there must be some mistake here. I am a queen. I have a kit to raise.” She stared affectionately at Starkit and she gazed lovingly right back. “I cannot lead my clan. I am barely a senior warrior and non one will watch over Starkit if I am leader.”

“Says who?”

The question came from just behind Leafkit where Brightstripe and Robinflight stood. “I have watched over Leafkit for long enough. He’ll be an apprentice very soon, but I love being in the nursery with kits. I would be happy to stay longer and help raise Starkit.”

“I would help too,” Robinflight volunteered. “I will be in the here for another five moons with my own kits. Starkit is a pleasure to have in the nursery.”

“Well, Whitefeather?” Flowerheart pressed. “Would you like to become the leader of TalonClan or not?”

Whitefeather hesitated. “Okay, I suppose I would. But I’m worried that I won’t be able to receive my nine lives and name, just as Drizzlestorm couldn’t.”

Murmurs of uncertainty rose from the clearing.

Flowerheart silenced them with her tail. “It will work, Whitefeather. The medicine cats and I have figured it all out. But I suggest that you choose a deputy right away.” She flicked her ears at Leafkit. “And make some kit an apprentice.”

Leafkit gasped. He was going to become and apprentice. Who will my mentor be?

Whitefeather nodded and took Flowerheart’s place on the High Stone. “I would like to appoint the new deput right away and I think I know the perfect cat.” She cleared her throat. “I say these words before SkyClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve my choice. The new deputy of TalonClan will be Snowshine.”

Snowshine gasped with shock while the other cats cheered for her. “Snowshine! Snowshine!”

“Also,” the TalonClan leader went on. “I believe it is time to make Leafkit an apprentice. Leafkit, Snowshine, could you please come forward.”

Leafkit squealed with excitement as he tumbled up to the High Stone. I’m going to be the deputy’s apprentice!

“Leafkit,” Whitefeather began. “From this moment on, you will be known as Leafpaw. Snowshine, you will mentor Leafpaw. I believe that in spite of your deputy duties you will be a wonderful mentor to Leafpaw and pass all of your wisdom down to him.”

“Leafpaw! Leafpaw!”

Leafpaw! he thought with pleasure. That’s my new name!

I’m and apprentice now!

Chapter 11

If there was one thing that Starkit liked about having Brightstripe and Robinflight to watch her, it was the freedom.

Whitesky, newly named, would always be watching over her and telling her what to do. It wasn’t a bad thing, just annoying. But Brightstripe, despite her promises, has basically returned to warrior duties. She would often go hunting and tag along with patrols, saying she needed a breath of fresh air.

Robinflight was different. Brightstripe new very well that once her kit became an apprentice, all of the motherly love had to dissolve. Brightstripe was sick of loving kits, but Robinflight was full of it. She treated Starkit like one of her own. But she let Starkit wander around as long as she promised to behave herself and not leave camp.

That was a promise Starkit was willing to break.

Ever since Starkit had found the other cat on TalonClan territory, she had been anxious to get back out into the forest and search for them. Without Whitesky in the nursery any more, she had a chance at that.

“Robinflight?” Starkit asked. She picked the time well. The sunhigh patrol had just left with Brightstripe so they wouldn’t be a problem. Sunhigh also meant the Robinflight, Greenkit and Mothkit would be taking their nap.

“Yes?” the queen asked drowsily.

“Can I go visit the apprentices? Daisypaw said she would teach me a new move,” Starkit requested.

“Okay,” Robinflight meowed. “You know, I’ll be napping with Greenkit and Mothkit, so why don’t you make yourself busy around camp? You can come back once the sunhigh patrol has returned. Ask Scorchsight for a real good story!”

“I will!” Starkit called as she departed the nursery.

First, she made sure that no one was watching her. Then she climbed into the dirtplace tunnel.

The whiff of the cat hit her nose after a few moments of sniffing. They had came here again.

The scent wasn’t as fresh as it had been last time, but it was not stale. She followed it, running through the forest.

“Looking for me?”

The deep voice sounded from behind her. Starkit whirled around tom see a dark ginger tabby tom with amber eyes. “What are you doing on TalonClan territory?” She demanded.

The tom blinked in confusion. “I was only exploring.”

Starkit barred her teeth. “I will drive you off of TalonClan territory!” she growled, launching herself at him.

The red tom batted her away easily with one paw. “You’re just a kit. Shouldn’t you be back in your home?”

Starkit growled. “I’m a warrior of TalonClan.”

The tom smiled at her. “No. You’re just a little kit in my home.”

Starkit looked around the small clearing. “This is your home? Where’s the fresh-kill?”

“I eat fresh-kill when I catch it. Otherwise it is crow-food-kill, not fresh-kill, because it’s so old.”

“That’s not true!” she argued. “Prey is prey, not matter how fresh or old it is. A mouse is a mouse and a vole can’t change that!”

The tom smiled. “You amuse me. Either way, your cats will be looking for you if you don’t return to your home soon...er, uh…”

“Starkit,” she finished.

The cat nodded. “That’s a very pretty name. Now, you should get back to your home, Starkit. Tell me, will I see you again.”

Starkit nodded as she stepped into the brush. “Absolutely. And you’re name is?”

“Apple.”

Chapter 12

“Badgerwhisker!” Larchdapple called. “Honeyclaw wants you to come on patrol with me and Volepaw.”

Badgerwhisker nodded and joined Larchdapple and his apprentice. “Where to?” he asked.

“TalonClan border,” he replied. “Honeyclaw wants us to go early and catch the sunhigh patrol. She wants to know if TalonClan has gotten their sign yet.”

“Okay.”

Badgerwhisker, Larchdapple and Volepaw got to the border with TalonClan. Larchdapple flicked his tail. “Badgerwhisker go left, Volepaw right. Try to find a patrol.”

Badgerwhisker headed down the border, marking the scent line as he went. The borders had not been freshly marked on the TalonClan side, so the sunhigh hadn’t arrived yet. He hoped that they would be coming to their border with FireClan instead of NightClan.

There was faint movement in the heather and it alerted his attention. He relaxed as he saw Stempaw. “Hello there, Stempaw.”

She looked up to see him. “Hi, Badgerwhisker. Are you on the sunhigh patrol?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

Another cat crawled out from the brush. He looked like a young apprentice with brown tabby stripes and a white muzzle, chest and paws. “Who are you?” he asked curiously.

Stempaw smiled. “Leafpaw, this is my friend Badgerwhisker. Badgerwhisker, this is the newest apprentice, Leafpaw,” she introduced.

“Hi,” Badgerwhisker greeted.

“Hi,” Leafpaw mewed. “I’m going to go check to see if Yellowtail and Snowshine need my help.”

Badgerwhisker and Stempaw watched the younger cat walk off. “He seems nice,” Badgerwhisker meowed.

Stempaw shrugged. “He’s nice, but popular. The other apprentices only have Fauxpaw and Stormypaw to have crushes on as tomcats. Now that Leafpaw is an apprentice, four she-cats like him already. It’s so unfair how a new apprentice can just before the most liked one.”

“Are you unpopular?” Badgerwhisker dared to ask.

Stempaw nodded. “My only friend is Fauxpaw, and he isn’t really a friend, just the only cat that’ll stick up for me.” She looked up at him. “The cat closest to me is in FireClan.”

Badgerwhisker looked around himself in bewilderment. “You mean me?” he squeaked.

She let out a mrrow of laughter. “Yes, mouse brain! I’m not saying that we’re best friends for life or something, but there isn’t a single cat but maybe my mentor in TalonClan who cares a whisker for me.”

“I’m sure there is. Fauxpaw must, and a mother never really stops loving her kit. How are things in TalonClan anyways?” he asked.

Stempaw snorted. “We got a white feather sent down from SkyClan. Flowerheart said that Whitefeather should be the new leader of TalonClan so she got her nine lives and name a few sun-ups ago.”

Badgerwhisker’s eyes widened at the news. “Wow! That’s great for TalonClan! Who’s the new deputy?”

“Snowshine,” Stempaw replied. “She got Leafpaw as an apprentice so that also made him popular. Maybe if Yellowtail had been made deputy all of the apprentices would be fussing over me.” There was a lump of melancholy in her tone.

Badgerwhisker let his fluffy black tail stray across the border and rest on her spine. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“Badgerwhisker!” Larchdapple called. “Time to get back to camp!”

“Try to come to the next Gathering!” Stempaw told him. “I’ll try to do the same! We can talk more there!”

Badgerwhisker nodded. “I will.”

“Badgerwhisker!”

“Bye,” Stempaw said.

“Bye!” Badgerwhisker hurtled after the sound of Larchdapple’s voice. Even as he was back at camp, listening to the senior warrior report the news to Honeyclaw with Volepaw beside him, Badgerwhisker couldn’t unsee the sadness in Stempaw’s eyes.

Chapter 13

“Pinetail!” Sorrelfern called. “Come on out! Tabbysky is making some other cat deputy.”

Pinetail hissed at Sorrelfern. “Well that will obviously be so fun for me to watch!” she growled.

Sorrelfern rolled her eyes and said nothing.

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the High Branch for a clan meeting.”

It was very obvious who NightClan’s next deputy was going to be. There was only one cat who had nearly as much experience as Pinetail and it was Clawheart. She shuddered, thinking of the war that the other clans would face if Clawheart became Clawsky. He was even more war hungry than her.

“It has come the time for our deputy Pinetail to be demoted. I am sorry, Pinetail, but you killed Drizzlestorm who had done nothing wrong. I cannot allow you to continue on as NightClan’s deputy and become leader after me,” Tabbysky meowed. “I hope that you serve your role as a senior warrior well.”

There were mutters of disagreement throughout the gathered cats. It was clear that Pinetail was still popular with NightClan even after killing Drizzlestorm.

“I say these words before SkyClan so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors can hear and approve my choice,” Tabbysky recited. “The new deputy of NightClan will be Darkpelt.”

Pinetail gasped hard as outcries of rage sounded from around the clearing, loudest of all being Clawheart.

“That’s a young warrior!”

“He was an apprentice not long ago!”

“Speaking of apprentices, Darkpelt doesn’t have one!”

“I’m old enough and experienced enough to be his grandparent!”

“I want Pinetail to be deputy again!”

“Clawheart would’ve been excellent too!”

“Darkpelt’s littermates are still apprentices! If he hadn’t witnessed Drizzlestorm’s death, he wouldn’t even be a warrior, much less deputy!”

“I don’t care if SkyClan approves, I don’t approve!”

“SILENCE!” Tabbysky yelled.

That made NightClan quiet. Pinetail had never heard them protest like this before.

Tabbysky spoke again. “I will be giving Bushkit to Darkpelt in one moon as an apprentice. Until then, he simply be our deputy without an apprentice. He was the cat who told me of Drizzlestorm’s death.”

“That was pure luck!”

“Any cat could’ve done that!”

“We would be honored more we were dead!”

“Don’t think I’m taking orders from him!”

“Our leader and deputy are supposed to be honorable, but ones a mouse brain and the other’s undeserved.”

Tabbysky started to cheer Darkpelt’s name. “Darkpelt! Darkpelt!”

None of the clan joined in. They just sat and glared at Tabbysky.

Darkpelt stepped forward. “I would be honored to take this position as deputy, Tabbysky,” he replied, as if it were all normal.

Pinetail turned and walked away into the warriors den, unable to take any more of this nonsense. She had been an honorable deputy.

And now she was being replaced by barely a kit.

Chapter 14

“But what do you think happened?” Pearlcloud pressed.

Brightstream shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe SkyClan is angry.”

“Are you sure?”

Brightstream sighed. “It’s likely, Pearlcloud. Now will you stop asking stupid questions that literally no one cares about?”

Pearlcloud ignored her mentor’s last comment. “What do you think they’re angry at us for.”

“I don’t know,” Brightstream answered with exasperation.

“Maybe they’re mad at Pinetail for killing Drizzlestorm,” she suggested.

“That happened after the Moontree stopped working, mouse brain,” Brightstream pointed out. “Now will you just be quiet? You’ve been pestering me since we left camp!”

It was true. The moon was nearly full, which meant the medicine cats would have their meeting. Pearlcloud was really hoping that the Moontree was working tonight. If it wasn’t…

“Why do you think they chose to close the Moontree now?”

“Maybe because they thought you were talking too much right about now!” Brightstream snapped harshly.

“But I thought they liked me!” Pearlcloud protested.

“I am totally and completely regretting taking you of all cats as my apprentice right now,” Brightstream muttered. “And besides, no one likes you, not me, not even SkyClan!”

“Does that mean you think the Moontree will be working again?” Pearlcloud asked.

“Where do you draw that line?” her mentor huffed. “Now please, Pearlcloud, I would like to think.”

“Maybe they only want to close it temporarily,” she theorized.

“Why am I even asking you to stop talking at this point,” Brightstream pouted.

They reached the spot where the medicine cats waited. Flowerheart, Sorrelfern and Heatherstripe were already waiting for the StormClan cats. “Finally, you’re here,” Heatherstripe complained. “We’re wasting moonlight.”

“What’s the point?” Sorrelfern asked. “SkyClan isn’t going to share with us anyways, moonlight or no moonlight.”

Pearlcloud brushed against Sorrelfern’s side. “It’s not like you to lose faith in SkyClan.”

Sorrelfern grunted. “I don’t see why I shouldn’t.”

They walked all the way to the Moontree and discussed Clan gossip. Sorrelfern delivered the news of Darkpelt becoming deputy.

“TalonClan has a change in leadership too.” She glanced nervously at Sorrelfern. “We received a sign that Whitefeather should become leader. But I couldn’t give her nine lives. So I took her to the Moontree and told her what was going on. Then we got back to TalonClan and called her Whitesky.”

“So you’re lying to you’re clan?” Brightstream asked testily.

“Yes,” Flowerheart admitted. “But I have no other choice. I can’t tell them what’s happening or they’ll panic. They seem to be over wondering why Drizzlestorm didn’t get his nine lives.”

“We should be celebrating!” Heatherstripe cheered. “SkyClan spoke with the white feather!”

Pearlcloud and Brightstream joined in, but neither Sorrelfern nor Flowerheart seemed excited. They’re definitely hiding something.

After the long walk, the medicine cats reached the Moontree. Pearlcloud curled up in the roots like she normally did. She had always felt safe and comforted in the Moontree. It was where her ancestors spoke loudest. Here she was being watched over. But tonight, she felt no security.

She waited for sleep to come. But it never did.

She saw Sorrelfern’s silhouette in the moonlight. “They still aren’t speaking. We should leave and go back to our nests.”

The medicine cats left the Moontree in silence. They all knew the inevitable truth.

Their SkyClan ancestors might be silent forever.

Chapter 15

Snowshine licked Leafpaw between the ears. “Good hunting today, Leafpaw. I’ll make sure Whitesky sends you to the Gathering. Now, you should go hang out with the other apprentices.” The deputy left him by his den.

The other apprentices were waiting inside for him. “Hey, Leafpaw,” Rosepaw mewed, her voice flirty. “Us apprentices are going to the training hollow. Want to tag along?”

He nodded, wanting to get to know the other apprentices better. “Sure.”

The apprentices left immediately. It was clear that they were just waiting for him.

Fauxpaw spoke first. “If anyone can beat me in a race, I will break up with Lavenderpaw for them.”

To Leafpaw’s surprise, Lavenderpaw purred.

“How about we race Leafpaw instead?” Tansypaw suggested. “He’s yet to have his first she-cat and I want it to be me?”

“What do you say, Leafpaw?” Daisypaw asked. “If anyone can beat you in a race to that tree and back, they get to date you.”

Leafpaw was taken aback by the thought. But he had to prove he was as good as any of the other apprentices. “Alright, sure. Who should I race first?”

Daisypaw waved her tail. “Choose.”

That was the hard part. “Rosepaw,” he said, just because he knew her best. “To the tree and back.”

Fauxpaw jumped over. “Ready… set… GO!”

Leafpaw sprinted to the tree, but Rosepaw had longer legs and she was much faster. She reached the tree while Leafpaw was a few tail lengths behind her. Then she raced backwards. Leafpaw was only halfway there on his way back when Rosepaw finished.

“Hooray!” Rosepaw cried. “I get to be Leafpaw’s first date! Oh, sorry Stormypaw.”

Stormypaw laughed. “You know now that I need a new girl, the rest of you should race there and back and whoever wins can date me!”

Tansypaw was first to line up. Stempaw joined them, but it was hesitant.

“With wish I could race,” Daisypaw complained. “But you’re my littermate. Right, Willowpaw?”

Willowpaw nodded, although it clearly wasn’t true. “Yeah.”

“Ready…” Fauxpaw meowed. “Set… GO!”

Tansypaw ran like the wind. Stempaw did too, but it was clear she wasn’t trying. She was much older than Tansypaw and certainly could’ve beat her. But Stempaw didn’t seem interested in dating.

“I win!” Tansypaw cried. She burst into purrs as Stormypaw rubbed against her side. “How about a date in the forest right now?”

Stormypaw purred and nuzzled her cheek. “I would love that.” The two cats bounded out of the training hollow.

“Bye, lovebirds!” Daisypaw called after them. She turned to Leafpaw. “Maybe you should let someone else date you if they can beat Rosepaw.”

“O-okay,” he stuttered. “Uh, Daisypaw, do you want to try?”

Daisypaw’s eyes glimmered as she ran her tough through her white pelt. “Absolutely. Rosepaw?”

The two she-cats took their places. Rosepaw turned around to look at him. “Leaf, I love you, even if Daisypaw beats me. I just want you to know that.”

Leafpaw nodded, slightly horrified by her words. He took Fauxpaw’s place. “Ready… set… GO!”

Daisypaw ran faster than Leafpaw thought possible. She darted to the tree before Rosepaw had gotten far past halfway. She was back at Leafpaw’s side before the other apprentice had reached the tree.

“I guess you can date me now,” Daisypaw said, covering him in licks. She leaned closer to his ear and hissed, “We can move your nest so it’s next to mine.”

Leafpaw nodded, unsure of how else to respond. “W-we should do that right now.”

Daisypaw nodded. “Leafpaw and I are going on a date,” she announced. She exited the hollow and flicked her tail for him to follow her.

I’m not sure I’m going to like all of this drama, he thought.

Chapter 16

“Hey, Stempaw!” Badgerwhisker called.

Stempaw whirled around. “Hi there, Badgerwhisker! I see you kept your promise to come to the Gathering.”

He purred. “I couldn’t miss a chance to see you.”

She purred too. “How is life in FireClan?”

He shrugged. “The usual. Are the apprentices getting any better?” he asked.

Stempaw laughed. “That’s a long story. All of them have been playing the usual games where they date and flirt and swap partners. I decided to count how many she-cats Leafpaw’s dated in the past quarter moon.”

Badgerwhisker’s interest was sparked. “How many?”

Stempaw smiled mischievously. “Nine. It started with Rosepaw, once I got back from the patrol when I saw you actually. Moments later Daisypaw beat her in a race so he was with her. Then Lavenderpaw and Fauxpaw broke up, Tansypaw and Stormypaw broke up. Lavenderpaw and Tansypaw had this huge fight over who should be dating Leafpaw. They settled on letting Lavenderpaw date him in the morning and Tansypaw in the afternoon. So Leafpaw and Daisypaw broke up. And it pretty much carried on like that.”

His whiskers twitched with amusement. “Have you gotten a chance with him?”

Stempaw shook her head. “I don’t want one either. I did fight in game against Rosepaw for him, but I let her win.

“That’s what she-cats say when they don’t want to admit to one of the apprentices being stronger than her,” Badgerwhisker teased.

Stempaw batted him playfully over one ear. “Stupid furball!”

Rainsky jumped up onto the Great Stump and yowled to signal the beginning of the Gathering. “Who shall speak first?”

“I will,” Sparklesky volunteered. “Prey has been running well in FireClan. We have two new apprentices, Gingerpaw and Dawnpaw.”

“Gingerpaw! Dawnpaw! Gingerpaw! Dawnpaw!”

Stempaw leaned over and whispered, “I suppose you didn’t get to mentor either cat or you would’ve told me?”

“Yeah, I definitely would’ve told you,” Badgerwhisker whispered back.

“Also,” Sparklesky went on. “I have scented TalonClan and NightClan’s scent on our territory!” he declared. “We have scented you on the strip of land closest to StormClan’s territory.”

“We have scented you too!” Rainsky yowled. “We have scented the same thing, TalonClan and NightClan near the StormClan and FireClan border! If the scent keeps up, we will join FireClan in attacking you!”

The gathered cats hissed at each other and unsheathed their claws. He saw two apprentices from StormClan and NightClan start to circle each other.

Stempaw took a step back from him, as if waiting for him to attack her.

“Don’t worry,” he assured her. “I would never attack you Stempaw. This is the first I’ve heard of trespassing.”

Stempaw sighed as the fur along her spine flattened. “They wouldn’t start a battle under the truce, would they?”

Badgerwhisker grimaced. “I’m not sure.”

Just then, he saw Rainsky throw himself at Whitesky. They grappled on the Great Stump for a while, until Tabbysky yowled loud enough for every clan to here.

“Look at the moon!” he cried. “SkyClan is angry with us!”

Sure enough, there was a dark gray cloud looming over the moon, submerging the Great Stump in darkness. Cats instantly split apart.

“This Gathering is over!” called Sparklesky. “We must return to our own clans. FireClan, we’re leaving.”

He gave Stempaw a quick lick between her ears. “I’m so sorry, but I have to go now. Bye, Stempaw!”

Stempaw licked his cheek in return. “Bye, Badgerwhisker.”

The last thing he saw was her pelt drowning in the sea of cats.

Chapter 17

Starkit galloped through the forest. “Apple!” she hissed.

“Hello, there, Starkit,” meowed a voice from behind her.

Starkit jumped. “Apple! Every time you sneak up on me! Stop it! You did it the time before and the time before that, and the time before that, and now that I think about it, every time I’ve visited you!”

Apple licked his paw. “It’s fun. You enjoy it too, I can tell.”

“So not true!” she mewed, playfully leaping into his side.

Apple dodged her and fixed his teeth into her scruff.

She squealed as he picked her up in his jaws. “Put me down!” she cried, swinging back and forth.

Apple set Starkit down in a patch of ivy. “Don’t you want a ride? You’re not exactly easy for me to carry.”

He was right. Apple wasn’t as small as her, nor as young considering that she still had kitten fluff behind her ears, but she couldn’t imagine him being as old as the warriors in TalonClan if he’d grown up there. “Oh, please, a badger ride?”

Apple smiled and picked her up by her scruff again. He set her down on a rock and turned his back to her. “Climb on.”

Starkit clambered up his dark ginger fur, gripping his shoulders with her paws.

Apple started walking around with her on his back. She squeaked at even the slightest movement and yelped as she fell off his back. He laughed and began to groom her ruffled fur back into place. “Are you alright Starkit?”

She sat up. “Yes.”

“Good.” Apple licked her one more time. “So tell me about the clans, Starkit,” he prompted.

Starkit didn’t know where to start. “Well, there are four clans in the forest, five if you count SkyClan. TalonClan cats live in the forest and we’re the best. StormClan lives by the-”

“River and is fat and lazy and eats fish. FireClan is fast but weak and they always get wet from the rain because they have no trees,” Apple finished. “You’ve told me a bit about them already.”

Starkit nodded approvingly. “Yes, and NightClan is stealthy and nocturnal and hostile and lives in marshes. And SkyClan is all the dead cats.”

Apple nodded. “So tell me more.”

Starkit blinked. “Well the leaders are the coolest. They’re in charge of their clan and they have nine lives. The deputy takes over if they die and the medicine cats treat illnesses and wounds.”

“And the warriors teach the apprentices, right? And the elders are taken care of by the apprentices?”

Starkit nodded. “The apprentices also take care of the queens and kits like me. According to Leafpaw, all of the apprentices have drama.”

“And Leafpaw’s the tom you used to be in the nursery with?” Apple asked.

“Yes,” she confirmed. “Leafpaw’s my best friend. I’ll be an apprentice with him pretty soon. One moon.”

“Who are your other friends?”

“Well,” Starkit began. “My mother is Whitesky, the leader of TalonClan. My father is Drizzlestorm. He died a few moons ago.”

Apple rested his muzzle on her ear. “I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “It’s fine. I didn’t know him very well. Robinflight takes care of me, since Whitesky has to lead TalonClan, and she’s very nice and loving. She makes a good mother. Brightstripe is Leafpaw’s mother and also takes care of me, but she pretty much ignores me and let’s Robinflight do the work. Leafpaw’s father is Mudpelt, but I don’t really know him. Our medicine cat is Flowerheart and our deputy is Snowshine.”

Apple slowly nodded.

“Anyways, I should get back to camp now,” Starkit told him. “Bye, Apple!”

Apple smiled. “Bye, Starkit!” he called as she trotted away into the trees.

Chapter 18

Stempaw sighed. She was with the other apprentices and that always involved a lot of sighing.

“Tansypaw!” Fauxpaw declared. “I love you no longer and I have decided to break up with you for a better she-cat!”

All of the she-cats but Stempaw and Willowpaw gasped. Stempaw rolled her eyes. The apprentices were so annoying.

“Why don’t we have a brawl for it?” Tansypaw suggested. “Willowpaw against Lavenderpaw and Stempaw against Daisypaw?”

“But I’m already dating Stormypaw!” Lavenderpaw protested. “Can’t Tansypaw just fill in for me?”

“Nah,” Fauxpaw refused. “I’ve had enough of her.”

“If you’d like, you and I could just let Willowpaw and Daisypaw do it themselves,” Stempaw suggested.

“Come on, Stempaw!” Rosepaw complained. “Don’t you want to date one of them? You’ve never been with a single one of them! You’re so unfun! You should just skip the competition and date Fauxpaw!”

“I’m not going down without a fight!” Daisypaw protested.

“Stempaw, you never even try,” Stormypaw meowed, ignoring Daisypaw. “It’s obvious that Fauxpaw likes you, right, Fauxpaw?”

All eyes turned on Fauxpaw who looked flustered. “Well, you all have your own crushes, why can’t I have mine?”

“Ooh,” Daisypaw gushed. Stempaw officially hated her. She was always looking for gossip. “Maybe you guys should go and have a little moment!”

Fauxpaw looked at her expectantly.

Stempaw felt her pelt grow hot and itchy. “Leave me alone!” she growled.

“Oh, please, Stempaw, you don’t have to get so upset,” Tansypaw told her.

“Yeah, I wish you weren’t one of us!” Rosepaw yowled.

Willowpaw lept in between the fight. “Stop this! You heard Stempaw! Leave her alone and mind your own business.”

“You too Willowpaw?” Daisypaw whined. “Who’s your crush?”

“I’m not like you! I don’t have a crush!” Willowpaw snapped.

Daisypaw shrugged. “Whatever. I guess you don’t. But Stempaw, you haven’t told us who you like?”

“Is it Leafpaw?” Rosepaw asked.

“No!” she cried. For some reason, the image of a black-and-white tom with amber eyes came to mind. Badgerwhisker.

“You can just tell me!” Tansypaw prompted tilting her ear at Stempaw.

Stempaw, filled with sheer anger, growled and clawed at Tansypaw’s ear.

Tansypaw yelped and twisted to face her. She hissed and bounded onto Stempaw’s back, nipping at her tail.

Stempaw easily shook Tansypaw off and dug her claws into the other apprentice’s belly. She had to get out of the hollow. Desperately, Stempaw dashed away from the cats and raced into the forest.

She found her paws taking her to the FireClan border. Why there? Her mind filled with images of Badgerwhisker’s fur with strong muscles rippling beneath.

“What are you doing here, Stempaw?”

She realized that she wasn’t just imagining Badgerwhisker. He was right in front of her by the border that TalonClan and FireClan shared. “Badgerwhisker! Great SkyClan, am I glad to see you!”

He smiled. “I’m glad to see you too. Are you on border patrol?”

She shook her head. “No… I… The apprentices were in the hollow and Daisypaw and Tansypaw were being super mean and annoying and… I guess I kind of lots it… um… I clawed Tansypaw’s ear and she attacked me and… I just wanted to run away from them…”

She had expected for Badgerwhisker to tell her off, but instead his eyes filled with sympathy. “That must be tough,” he murmured. He stepped across the border, into TalonClan territory. He then padded up to her and laced his tail along her spine and closed his eyes.

Stempaw felt her heart racing as she drew closer to Badgerwhisker, not daring to pull away. She thought for a moment to make sure she was doing the right thing. Then she whispered the words that would seal the fate of both of them. “I love you, Badgerwhisker.”

He stepped back to look her in the eye. “I love you, too, Stempaw.”

She was suddenly aware of his position on her side of the border. “You should probably get back onto your own side of the border so that a patrol doesn’t catch you.”

Badgerwhisker nodded and retreated back into FireClan territory. “I should get back to camp now…”

An idea occurred to Stempaw. “Meet me back here tomorrow! My mentor said that I could wander the forest after sunhigh. Meet me then!”

Badgerwhisker’s eyes gleamed. “I’ll be there.”

Chapter 19

Pearlcloud crouched down and pressed her muzzle against the earth. She bit off the end of the celandine stem and held it in her jaws for Brightstream to examine.

Brightstream nodded. “This is good, Pearlcloud. You bit it off in just the right place. What can we use celandine for?”

Pearlcloud thought for a moment. “It works best on eye injuries.”

Brightstream nodded. “Good. Now there is a patch of horsetail over there. You get some more celandine while I get the horsetail.”

Pearlcloud lowered her muzzle again as Brightstream walked past her. She wanted to be a full medicine cat. It would be nice to have control over what she collected and which herbs she used for what. She wanted to make the decisions on her own. She wanted to be the one to order her apprentice around.

She bit off enough of the celandine patch to treat any eye injuries they had, but left enough that there would still be some left to keep growing. She carried a bundle of celandine over to the horsetail patch. “Brightstream? Brightstream, where did you go?”

Pearlcloud started to panic when no cat replied. Her mentor wouldn’t do this. “Brightstream!” she yowled, dropping the bundle and racing near the river. “Brightstream can you hear me?”

To Pearlcloud’s relief, she heard a call from farther downstream. Pearlcloud raced in the direction of the call until she found her mentor tangled in a black Twoleg thing. “Brightstream, are you alright?”

Brightstream grunted. “I-I’m fine… just stuck…”

Pearlcloud circled around the Twoleg thing and tried to push Brightstream out. She lept away as Brightstream gasped in pain. “Brightstream! Are you okay? Does it hurt too much?”

Brightstream shook her head and bit down on a stick. “Keep going,” she mumbled through the bark.

Pearlcloud pushed her mentor again and again Brightstream let out a growl. But Pearlcloud didn’t stop. She thrust her mentor through the Twoleg thing until she was fully untangled.

“Bright- oh no!” Her mentor’s white belly fur was soaked in blood and there was a long gash down her belly, open and gaping. It was sure to leave an awful scar, if it didn’t disable her for good. “I should go get some cobwebs!”

“No,” Brightstream rasped. “It’s too late for me to live. You know that. You’re a good medicine cat. You must listen to me in the few moments I have left.”

She had to bind the wound and stop the bleeding. Cobwebs first. Moss to keep her from losing any more blood. Marigold if the wound gets infected. “I am a good medicine cat, and I have to treat you!”

“Pearlcloud!” Brightstream snapped. “Listen to me! You know it’s too late!”

Pearlcloud miserably turned away from the forest and back to her mentor. “I know,” she mewed.

Brightstream sat up slightly and licked her ear. “Grab that tansy, but afterwards. I gave my life for it. I just want you to know that there is no cat that I would rather have as my apprentice than you. You know that, right?”

Pearlcloud choked back a sob and nodded.

“I will be in SkyClan and I will know the truth about the Moontree. And I will guide your paws from the world above us,” she croaked.

“Brightstream!” Pearlcloud wailed. “You can’t die!”

Brightstream smiled. “I’ll be just fine. And I will always be with you. I will hunt in the sky now. Goodbye, Pearlcloud…”

“No!” she cried. “Brightstream!”

Then her mentor’s eyes glazed over once and for all.

Chapter 20

Pinetail hissed. The worst part about having Darkpelt as deputy was the patrols. Even though she was the most senior warrior, aside from her own apprentice apparently, she hadn’t been assigned to lead a patrol since he had started organizing them.

“I want Cinderleaf, Mouseheart and Marshpaw on a hunting patrol. I want another hunting patrol with Fernbreeze and Whispertail. Any cat want the dawn patrol?” Darkpelt asked.

“I’ll go,” Pinetail volunteered.

Darkpelt nodded. “Alright. Take Wishpaw. With Cinderleaf out of camp, she’ll have nothing to do. Actually, have Wishpaw lead the patrol.”

“Lead?” Pinetail exclaimed. “You want an apprentice who isn’t even eight moons old to lead a patrol with a senior warrior?”

“That’s so unfair!” agreed Blacknose.

“Wishpaw isn’t old enough to lead a patrol,” protested Cinderleaf.

“Maybe let Pinetail lead it for once! She hasn’t led a patrol since you became deputy!” Clawheart added.

Pinetail was very glad to have the rest of NightClan on her side. Not a single warrior, not even Darkpelt’s mother, seemed to support him. Even Tabbysky appeared to be displeased with his work.

“I’m deputy, I make decisions,” Darkpelt growled. “Wishpaw is leading Pinetail and that is the end of it! Flowerfoot, Squirrelstripe, Tigerleap and Mothpaw, you’re the sunhigh patrol, Flowerfoot can lead. Clawheart, lead Firestorm, Flutterwing and Hawkfeather in the dusk patrol.”

“Can I be on a patrol?” Redwhisker asked. “I haven’t been on one in moons!”

“Why don’t you take my spot?” Fernbreeze offered. “I wanted to do some training with Berrypaw today, so it works out fine!”

Redwhisker nodded. “Sure!”

“Actually,” Darkpelt interrupted. “I would like Fernbreeze on the patrol.”

Redwhisker sighed. “Fine.” Softer, he muttered, “since you’re in charge now.”

“Can you take Berrypaw anyways?” Fernbreeze requested.

“Is Redwhisker Berrypaw’s mentor?” Darkpelt broke in.

Fernbreeze glared and didn’t answer.

Pinetail jumped in between the warriors. “This isn’t fair, Darkpelt!” she cried. “There is no reason that you have to insist! Can’t Redwhisker and Fernbreeze just switch, for SkyClan’s sake?”

Darkpelt curled his lip. “You aren’t deputy anymore and you aren’t my mentor anymore, so stop acting like you’re in charge of me,” he growled. “Fernbreeze is hunting, Berrypaw and Redwhisker get the day off.”

“Hey!” Clawheart shouted. “Pinetail was far better at being deputy than you ever will be! Keep your nose out of other cat’s business and figure out your own. Who cares if Redwhisker and Berrypaw train? Do you want NightClan to be weak? And honestly, I think that Wishpaw needs to be a warrior before she leads a patrol! Stop pretending you know everything!”

“Stop pretending you’re deputy!” Darkpelt snapped. “All of you in fact! You all think you’re better than me because you are older, but I’m deputy and I make all of the choices a deputy makes!”

No cat had anything to say to that.

“Now get to work!” Darkpelt ordered. He turned around and headed into the warriors den.

“Pinetail!” called Wishpaw, sounding nervous about leading a patrol. “Should we be going now?”

Pinetail scowled. It was going to be the longest dawn patrol ever.

Chapter 21

“Leafpaw,” hissed a voice in his ear. “Leafpaw, wake up.”

Leafpaw opened his eyes to see a dark gray pelt with sparkling silver tufts of fur. “Hi, Willowpaw,” he yawned. He pulled himself away from Lavenderpaw in the nest beside him.

It was how the apprentices worked. The popular apprentices slept in the middle, next to whichever cat they were dating. Then the others would sleep around the outside. Stormypaw and Fauxpaw and himself were surrounded by Rosepaw with Stormypaw, Fauxpaw with Daisypaw and he had Lavenderpaw. Stempaw was pushed into the very corner. Tansypaw had her nest near the others. Willowpaw slept alone near the center. It all changed every night.

Willowpaw gave him a quick lick. “Hi, Leafpaw.”

He and Willowpaw had gone hunting together, just the two of them, as an assignment a quarter moon ago. He realized a lot about Willowpaw. She respected the other apprentices, even if she didn’t believe in crushes and whatever else the apprentices thrived upon. She was shy and quiet and kind. She had found this new middle ground in the popularity system. She was liked by the other apprentices, but not part of the rumors and drama. She was the first she-cat that Leafpaw had ever liked as more than just his friend.

The other cats sleeping in the same den didn’t get love. They just pretended to have emotions they didn’t understand because it would make them popular. But Willowpaw was different.

“I heard that our mentor’s are going to have a contest between all of the apprentices,” Willowpaw meowed. “They’ll see who can catch the most prey and the elders will be the judges.”

“I doubt that it’ll be easy to please the,” Leafpaw purred. “Although, Scorchsight hasn’t cared much ever since he lost his eye in the fire.”

Willowpaw laughed. “I guess. The winner gets to feed the elders while the rest of the prey goes on the fresh-kill pile. I suppose they’ll get first pick of prey too. But we’re working in pairs!”

Leafpaw gasped with delight. Not only was she a good hunter, but she was a good friend and she wouldn’t get mad if he missed a catch like the other bratty apprentices would. “We have it all sorted out then! Who else is going to be paired up with who?”

“Rosepaw and Stormypaw, since they’re a couple. Fauxpaw and Daisypaw too. Tansypaw and Lavenderpaw because they’re littermates,” Willowpaw listed. “Stempaw will either not compete or be on her own team. I hope Lavenderpaw won’t be mad at me.”

“She won’t be,” Leafpaw assured her. “I’m not that good at hunting anyways and less experienced, so no one will want to be my partner.”

“You’re still a good hunter,” Willowpaw purred. “And you’re a good friend too.” She softly lowered her muzzle to his ear. “Even more than a friend.”

Leafpaw felt a warm feeling bursting inside of him. “You’re more than a friend to me.” He pressed his cheek into her and pretended that her warmth was all that mattered in the whole world.

Chapter 22

Starkit saw Apple emerge from his home and ran up to him. “Hi, Apple!”

Apple looked up and saw her. “Hello, Starkit. I actually have a request for you. Please don’t call me Apple anymore.”

Starkit blinked with a mix of confusion and interest. “What shall I call you then? I think Apple’s a fine name! You shouldn’t just leave it.”

Apple- or rather Not Apple- stared off into the distance. “I would like to be called Applepaw.”

Applepaw.

That’s an apprentice name.

Does he want to become an apprentice?

“Alright then, Applepaw,” she agreed. “I will call you that from now on. You know, Clan apprentices make their names end with paw too.”

“That was my intention,” Applepaw told her. “I want my name to show that I am a Clan cat.”

“But you’re a loner!” she exclaimed.

“Yes,” Applepaw admitted. “But I would like to change that. I would like to officially become Applepaw and join the clans and train as an apprentice and fight as a warrior one day and earn my warrior name!”

“Oh…” she murmured. “You mean you want Whitesky to make you a part of TalonClan…”

“Yes. And I want you to take me to her.”

Starkit gasped with alarm. “Oh, no, Applepaw, I can’t do that! She would kill me if she realized that I was leaving camp to meet you!”

“She’s your mother,” Applepaw insisted. “She wouldn’t kill you.”

“But she would disown me!” Starkit cried. “She would delay my apprentice ceremony so that I would become one with Greenkit and Mothkit! She would make my warrior name Starfailure! She would never see me as anything more than a disgrace to her family!”

Applepaw looked startled. “I’m sure it wouldn’t be that bad. She would make you an apprentice when you became six moons, which is quite soon, isn’t it?”

Starkit nodded. “Any day now. But she won’t make me an apprentice then. She’ll wait until I’m way too old!”

“Wait until she makes you an apprentice first then,” Applepaw suggested.

Starkit shook her head vigorously. “No, no, no! Then Whitesky would just turn me into a kit again and that would be the most humiliating thing ever! All four clans would laugh about it!”

Applepaw looked down at his paws, thinking. “What if I arrived at the TalonClan camp on my own?”

Starkit shook her head. “She would never accept you like that. No, you have to arrive with another cat.”

Applepaw looked at her with a silent plea in his amber eyes. “Will you take me to the TalonClan camp, Starkit? I know it will mean facing embarrassment and punishment. But I will bear every second of it with you and I will live with you and the other cats you have told me about. I will have accomplished goals and a wild life where I have more than myself to look after. But you don’t have to. If you would like to carry on as a TalonClan kit without me there, with you needing to run away to find me, then that is your wish and there is nothing I can say to change it. But will you take me into TalonClan, Starkit?”

There was something about the way he said it that made her want to do exactly what he said. “I will, Applepaw. For you.”

Applepaw looked far more lively at that. “Good! Oh, thank you, Starkit, thank you for everything! When shall you introduce me to TalonClan?”

Starkit thought for a moment. “A quarter moon.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Chapter 23

“Badgerwhisker!” Stempaw hissed. “Come out!”

She saw the black-and-white tom emerge onto TalonClan territory. “Hi, Stempaw,” Badgerwhisker purred.

Stempaw raced to meet him. “Hi, Badgerwhisker. Listen, I can’t stay long. I have to get back to camp… for my warrior ceremony!” Her last words came out in an excited squeak.

“Stempaw!” Badgerwhisker cried, covering her face in lick. “Oh, I’m so proud of you! You did it!”

She smiled at his joy. “I did. I need to leave right away, I just had to tell you, Badgerwhisker! All of the other apprentices were having their little competition and then Yellowtail pulled me aside and told me it was time for my warrior assessment!” she squealed.

“I’m so happy for you!” Badgerwhisker exclaimed. “Can you meet me here at sunhigh in two sun-ups?”

Stempaw nodded. “Yes! And I can tell you my warrior name!”

Badgerwhisker nodded. “Good! Then you should go now. I love you, Stempaw.”

She purred. “I love you more.” Then she turned and pelted into the trees. It would be so embarrassing if I were late to my own warrior ceremony! Great SkyClan, what if I am? She began to run faster.

Luckily she wasn’t late. She was just in time to catch Nightflower rushing up to her. “My kit! You’re a warrior already!”

“I’m not a warrior yet, Nightflower,” she told her mother.

“Well Whitesky is coming out to call a clan meeting. Look!”

Sure enough, Whitesky bounded up onto the High Stone. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the High Stone for a clan meeting!” she called.

Every cat came into the clearing. Stempaw saw Robinflight step out of the nursery with Greenkit and Mothkit beside her. Purplecloud, the expecting queen came out a moment later. She saw Yellowtail staring at her with excitement flaring in her green eyes. The apprentices also came out, glancing and pointing with their tails at her while whispering to each other with giggles punctuating their words.

“Stempaw, could you please come forward?” Whitesky requested.

Trembling with excitement, Stempaw padded towards the High Stone.

“Yellowtail, has your apprentice, Stempaw, learned the skills of warrior? Does she know the importance of the warrior code?”

Yellowtail nodded. “She has.”

“I, Whitesky, leader of TalonClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.” She looked Stempaw straight in the eye. “Stempaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?”

Stempaw’s voice was filled with confidence. “I do.”

“Then by the powers of SkyClan, I give you your warrior name. Stempaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Stemflower. SkyClan honors your honesty and resilience and we  welcome you as a full warrior of TalonClan.” Whitesky rested her muzzle on Stemflower’s head and Stemflower licked her shoulder.

“Stemflower! Stemflower!” the clan cheered.

Stemflower!

I’m a warrior!

Chapter 24

Badgerwhisker padded up to Larchdapple. “Hey, Larchdapple! Can you tell Honeyclaw I’m going hunting?”

He nodded. “Sure. You’ve caught an awful lot of prey lately with all that hunting you’ve been doing,” Larchdapple remarked.

Badgerwhisker shrugged. “I guess I never realized how much I love to hunt until recently.”

Larchdapple shrugged back. “I guess. See you, Badgerwhisker.”

Badgerwhisker flicked his tail to show he had heard and headed in his normal direction towards the TalonClan border to meet Stemflower. It’s only the second time I’ve seen her as a warrior, he thought.

Stemflower was already waiting for him at the border. “Badgerwhisker!” she cried. “I’m so glad to see you!”

“You too!” he told her, flicking his tail along her side. “Is all well in TalonClan?”

She nodded. “Great, actually. Daisypaw got so mad because she isn’t a warrior. I love making her mad.”

Badgerwhisker laughed. “What did she do?”

Stemflower purred. “First she started going on and on about how she and Stormypaw and Willowpaw were made apprentices before me, until Willowpaw corrected her by saying that I was an apprentice first. No one ever argues with Willowpaw, not even Daisypaw. Daisypaw’s so polite.”

His whiskers twitched with amusement. “I’m guessing you mean Willowpaw’s polite, not Daisypaw.”

Stemflower laughed. “Yes, that’s what I said! Anyways, Daisypaw has been bragging every day about how she just passed her final assessment. But we all know it’s a lie. That cat’s a mouse-brained idiot!”

Badgerwhisker laughed. “Wow, Stemflower! You’ll love being a warrior, at least until DAisypaw becomes a warrior.”

Stemflower purred. “I already do! My life was being a warrior, and know I am one and… It just feels like I can finally breathe fresh air!” Her green eyes found his amber ones and she whispered. “It’s how I feel when I’m with you.”

He inched closer to her and licked her cheek. “I love you. You know that, right?”

Stemflower laughed. “Yes, mouse brain.” She buried her muzzle in his fur. “So what’s new with you?”

Badgerwhisker was excited to tell her the news. “Sparklesky called me to his den earlier today! He told me that Amberkit was going to become an apprentice soon! He told me that I’m going to be a mentor!”

“That’s great!” Stemflower exclaimed. “I’m so excited for you! You’re finally going to be a mentor! Oh, I’m so proud!”

He purred. “You can’t be proud of me until you’re older than me,” he teased.

Stemflower flicked her tail dismissively. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she joked. “Can’t I just be proud of my mate?”

A lump formed in Badgerwhisker’s throat. “You would consider me your mate?”

Stemflower stopped purring, looking hurt. “Do you not consider me to be your mate?” she countered.

Badgerwhisker chose his words carefully. “I love you, Stemflower,” he started. “I love you with all of my heart. But we’re from different clans. And I don’t think I can have a mate in another clan. I love you, Stemflower. I don’t want to let these meetings end, no matter how much pain it causes me. But saying that we’re mates feels too… public.”

Stemflower nodded. “That makes sense. I understand. But maybe this can change your opinion.” She leaned into his ear and whispered. “I’m expecting kits!”

Chapter 25

Pinetail sprang onto the vole. It darted away, but Pinetail quickly delivered the killing bite before it could get away.

“Nice catch!” Berrypaw praised. He was leading her and Mothpaw in a hunting patrol, which was completely absurd. “I think we should-”

Pinetail silenced him by clamping her tail over his mouth. She tilted her ears to the undergrowth and sniffed. Please be quiet Berrypaw…

A yowl sounded from above her. Pinetail sprang onto her hind paw and batted away the cat leaping onto her. “Mothpaw, get reinforcements!”

Mothpaw nodded and ran off.

Pinetail hissed as she recognized the cat. It was Riverstripe, a StormClan cat. She bounded over Riverstripe’s head and raked her claws over his back.

Riverstripe slowly turned around, being a fat cat.

Pinetail was ready for him. She scratched the tom’s muzzle. StormClan cats have bees in their brains.

She yelped as another smaller weight dropped on her. It must be an apprentice.

But as Pinetail whirled around and threw her attacker off of her she realized that the cat was a full grown warrior. It was a FireClan cat. “Berrypaw, take Riverstripe!” she yowled, hissing at the FireClan cat, who she now recognized as Morningshine.

More cats that wore the scents of both StormClan and FireClan advanced on the. They had no time for reinforcements. They had to get back to camp and find help from somewhere else.

“Berrypaw!” she yelled. “Retreat! Get back to the NightClan camp!”

Berrypaw nodded. The apprentice was young and not an amazing fighter. It was no surprise that he could be beaten as much as a fat and lazy StormClan warrior.

I need to get help! She ran after Berrypaw until they had lost the other two clans. Then she turned and headed for the TalonClan border.

She was definitely glad that Tabbysky had chosen her to join the patrol that ventured into TalonClan territory. She raced through the forest until she reached the camp. “Whitesky! Whitesky, NightClan needs help!”

Warriors emerged from their dens, curious to see her in their camp. “What’s going on?” growled Snowshine, the deputy.

“FireClan and StormClan have attacked us!” she panted. “We need help!”

“Sounds like another chore for TalonClan to clean up!” One cat, Moonclaw, if Pinetail was correct, meowed. “NightClan’s never helped us! Let them suffer!”

“ENOUGH!” The yowl came from Whitesky. “We must help, right now, no time to debate! Snowshine, Moonclaw and myself will each lead a patrol. Snowshine, take Leafheart, Mashwhisker, Mudpelt and Willowpaw. Moonclaw, take Daisypaw, Sparrowfeather, Tansypaw, Stemflower and Lionfur. I will take Ashflower, Lavenderpaw, Redstripe, Bluetail and Stormypaw. Pinetail, lead the way.”

Pinetail ran back into the forest with the TalonClan cats at her heels. They had to win the battle.

Chapter 26

Guilt clawed inside Stemflower. She couldn’t fight Badgerwhisker! They were having kits together, for SkyClan’s sake!

My kits! I have to protect my kits! She looked down at her slightly swollen belly. She hadn’t told anyone but Badgerwhisker yet in hopes that they could be raised with their father. She wished that Whitesky knew so that she wouldn’t have to be in the battle. It’s okay, my kits! I will protect you, no matter what!

Stemflower growled as a StormClan cat leaped at her. She easily dodged and lashed at the cat’s flank.

Another cat jumped on her back. It was a FireClan warrior, Larchdapple! Badgerwhisker always talks about how kind he is and how he’s his friend! I can’t attack Badgerwhisker’s friend.

Stemflower whirled around and lashed at a StormClan cat. She couldn’t attack a friend of Badgerwhisker’s. She just couldn’t.

She was grateful to see Moonclaw attack Larchdapple. She didn’t want to hurt him, but that didn’t mean she had to go out of her way to protect him.

She was found into the sea of cats by the StormClan warrior. She found herself face to face with a familiar tom with black and white patches.

“Badgerwhisker!” she gasped.

The FireClan warrior stared at her. “S-Stemflower? I can’t fight you!” he cried. “I don’t care about loyalty! I won’t hurt you!”

Stemflower saw the gazes of several fighting cats reached then. She had to make it look good. She leaped onto his back and murmured in his ear, “Play along.”

Badgerwhisker gave a convincing growl and lightly flung her to the side. He dug his paws into her belly, but his claws were sheathed.

“Get off me you fox-heart!” she growled. She pawed at him, almost playfully and he dove backwards.

Stemflower gasped as she saw another cat attack Badgerwhisker. It was Yellowtail! Oh no! Now I have to fight my old mentor if I want to save my mate!

Stemflower knew what she had to do. She hissed and bounded towards Yellowtail. “Get off him!” she yowled.

Yellowtail looked up at her in surprise. “Stemflower? Have you gone mad? I’m a TalonClan cat! I’m on your side!”

Stemflower stepped back, sadness shining in her eyes. “I know, Yellowtail. I know exactly what I’m doing and what it costs me. But I can’t you hurt Badgerwhisker, no matter what.”

Understanding bubbled through her former mentor’s face. “You mean you love him, don’t you?”

Stemflower nodded. “Not just that,” she whispered softly. “I’m expecting his kits.”

Yellowtail’s eyes widened in shock. “You have to get out of here!” she hissed. “You need to take Badgerwhisker and leave the clans! It’s the only way, Stemflower! It’s the only way for your kits!”

Stemflower shook her head. “No! I can’t do that, Yellowtail!” Another idea fell into Stemflower’s mind.

No! I can’t do that!

But I have to. Badgerwhisker would be happier. And my kits could grow up, treated fairly. They wouldn’t be punished like I am now.

The idea tore Stemflower in two. She couldn’t think of a better solution, but it would cause her so much pain!

Stemflower couldn’t take it any longer. She let out an anguished yowl of grief that drowned out the sounds of battle.