The information she was spitting out was almost too much for Flamestrike. He couldn't imagine what this cat was going through right now. It didn't seem real. Yet something told him this was more than just a vision sent by StarClan."And what do you expect me to do?" he asked carefully. "It isn't like I could just abandon my Clanmates and rescue you." The she-cat only narrowed her eyes at that and lashed her tail irritably."I'm not expecting anyone to help me," she snapped in a voice so cold it sent shivers through Flamestrike. "What I went is help towards my Clan. They were taken hostage by the Tribe, and I doubt the Tribe will let them go anytime soon."Flamestrike nodded in understanding. He knew that if it were him in this position, he would seek out whatever help he could find. This cat was clearly in need of help, no matter how much he wanted to deny it."I'll see what I can do," he promised after giving it some thought.The she-cat let out a sigh of relief at that. Before he co
"The Clan was able to hold them off, for now."Smokepaw listened to the story with keen interest.Just a few days ago there had been a terrible battle between ShadowClan and another Clan known as WindClan. Russetstar had taken an apprentice from WindClan hostage, but that had ended in miserable failure. In the end, ShadowClan was able to hold it's own in battle.Her new mentor, Briarheart, was listening to the whole story as well. She had been busy showing Smokepaw around the territory at the time. From the Twoleg house to the marshy area where they caught frogs and lizards. Smokepaw hadn't realized just how big their territory was."Alright, we should start with some basic training," Briarheart meowed after leading Smokepaw away from camp. They were now in a training area where the clearing had been trimmed of trees. The ground underpaw was spongy and covered in dry moss. Smokepaw almost felt like a kit again as she kept pressing her paw against the springy moss, until Briarheart alm
"Smokepaw! How'd your first day of training go?" Snowpaw asked as Smokepaw limped towards the apprentice's den. Smokepaw shot her a look that said everything about how it went. Smokepaw just rolled her eyes and sat down beside the older apprentice, feeling a bit annoyed and uneasy with what was happening all around her."It could have gone better if my mentor wasn't so distracted," she muttered crossly. Snowpaw only looked at her sympathetically."Well, not everyone is like that. Briarheart probably just has a lot on her mind," she meowed.She was ready to say something in response when Smokepaw overheard something Briarheart was saying to her fellow Clanmates. Her mentor was situated between a pale tabby tom known as Talonclaw and a gray and white she-cat known as Sageleaf."... she hardly ever pays attention to anything I say!" Briarheart complained. Smokepaw's fur bristled with annoyance at the whining tone in her voice. "To make matters worse, Russetstar expects me to mold her int
It was a daunting time for Sprucepaw. She had spent a few days in RiverClan until deciding they wouldn't want anything to do with her. Now she had begun traveling towards the Horseplace. After giving it some thought, Sprucepaw had realized that she wouldn't truly understand what was going on until she left the Clans. Maybe StarClan could give her answer while she was gone. Otherwise she wasn't sure where she would go.She wasn't sure how long she had been wandering. The Horseplace was just another destination she had in mind. Loud thundering steps told her that the creatures who lived here were approaching. Sprucepaw wasted no time in running out of the way before she was trampled to death. She'd heard far too many stories of cats dying because they were careless.Almost at once Sprucepaw's mind leaped back to the horrible day when her mother died. Larksong had given her more advice than she could imagine, and she never once took it for granted. She missed the days when Larksong would
Once she was sure that Pinion hadn't followed her, Sprucepaw breathed out a sigh of relief and began to slink towards the WindClan camp. Sure enough there were cats sitting guard. She blinked in surprise when she saw Owlflight and Twigfur standing guard.That was when she spotted Palemist lounging outside the nursery with her kits playing beside her. Sprucepaw felt her heart sink when she realized Mosskit wasn't among them. Palemist didn't look all that relaxed as she watched her kits, almost as if she was expecting the worst possible outcome.Her tail flicked irritably when she caught sight of Wildheart pacing outside the medicine cat's den. He was looking at the den anxiously for what felt like an eternity. Then he stopped his pacing, and Sprucepaw braced herself when he looked in the direction she was hiding in. Sprucepaw had to crouch down low to the ground when Wildheart bounded in her direction."Is something wrong?" Twigfur asked when he spotted the senior warrior passing the g
Reedriver struggled to contain his excitement as he caught a third fish in the morning. Prey was plentiful this season. He appreciated the warm sun bathing his pelt as he dipped a paw in the stream. The others were hunting water voles and mice to bring back to camp. Once the task was finished, they would return and prepare for the Gathering tonight. And finally, for the first time since he could remember, Minnowstar was letting him go.She had said that going to a Gathering would be good experience for him, especially if he was involved with the so called prophecy. Whatever her reasoning, he was just glad to go.Ashfang was with Redpaw at the moment showing him the best fishing techniques. Reedriver smirked as he remembered some of his best moments with Minnowstar. One time he managed to send her spiraling into the stream after getting a little overexcited about fishing. He could still remember the cold look she had given him after she crawled out of the stream.He found it hard to be
The snow was making travel difficult. On top of it she had to keep herself warm by fluffing out her pelt, and hunger was clawing at her belly. She wasn't sure how long it had been since she had a decent meal. Usually she resorted to scraps that were left over from other predators, or didn't eat anything at all. If she was lucky, some poor prey would succumb to the cold and she would have a meal that could last a few days. That didn't happen too often.She had been on the move for nine sunrises now. The sun helped guide her to where she needed to go, but it didn't help her get any closer to the Clan. She was worried about what sort of torture they were going through, or if they had forgotten about her at all. Her mind kept wandering to that dream she had just a day or two ago.That tom looked real, but I can't remember who he was, she thought sadly. She wished to speak with someone, anyone. It was better than feeling all alone in this bleak landscape. It was horrible to think that she
It took a few heartbeats for Flamestrike to register what just happened. His mind was still reeling with the fact that he'd found the cat from his dreams. He couldn't wait to prove Petalstar and the others wrong. Yet the fact that she was real was just another reminder of the danger her entire Clan was in.Shaking his head, Flamestrike had to think of his next course of action fast. He couldn't just run into a battle unprepared. Birdpaw might be here to gather help, but he wouldn't do it alone. With that thought in mind, Flamestrike wondered if it would be right to go back to ThunderClan. They might be able to do something about the Tribe that was causing so much trouble."Alright, I think we should head back to my Clan and get some help," he meowed after a moment of silence passed between them. Birdpaw blinked in surprise at his decision. It looked as if she was going to argue when she thought better of it. "Look, I know that you want to help your Clan... I just don't think I could d
They were still at odds over how to handle that particular situation. He knew something needed to be done to preserve SkyClan. They deserved that much after everything they had been through. He saw a light flicker across Birdflight's eyes, signaling that she had been thinking the same thing. Since she was directly involved with the prophecy, her concern made sense.I'm supposed to be Thunder, which means that I have to worry about my Clan as well, he reminded himself. He wouldn't let that stop him from worrying about the other Clans though, especially with cats like Icestar and Russetstar in charge. There was so much they had to learn about their past lives. Between that and everything else, he didn't know what was more overwhelming."We still haven't figured out who Shadow's descendant is," Spruceleaf meowed. Flamestrike agreed with her fullheartedly. There was so little communication with ShadowClan these days. He suspected Russetstar's alliance with Icestar had something to do with
Unease rippled through the Clan when the Gathering ended. For the first time since this venture started, Flamestrike suddenly felt overwhelmed with a sense of foreboding.He knew going into this that the other Clans would refuse to accept SkyClan as a fifth Clan. Life around the lake was already difficult enough without another Clan adding to the challenges. With leafbare in full swing none of the Clans would accept the fact that they had even more competition. Now ThunderClan was left to pick up the pieces and decide what to do with the newcomers.They couldn't stay on the farm forever. Too many cats would drawl unwanted attention from curious Twolegs or dogs. Flamestrike was well aware of the fact that the farm was abandoned, but that didn't mean it wasn't too close to Twolegplace. He couldn't shake off the feeling that SkyClan was in danger regardless of where they stayed.Will they ever felt welcome anywhere? he wondered.Guilt stabbed him in the chest at the thought. He had his o
Birdpaw ducked her head in embarrassment. She wasn't sure how that worked. Spruceleaf mentioned that her own scent would have washed away by the time they met. Her uncle and his mate didn't smell anything like a Clan cat; they spent too much time rolling around in the hay for her to recognize WindClan's scent. She simply recognized it from somewhere, though she couldn't explain how."To be fair I was at the Gathering the other night," she tried defending herself.They would have also picked up WindClan's scent if that's the case, a voice argued with. You will have to come up with a better excuse if you want them to believe you.Thankfully they didn't dwell on the topic. Birdpaw glanced over her shoulder nervously when she picked up their scent again in the wind. She remembered what Spruceleaf said about how hostile WindClan had been lately, especially to those outside the Clans. While SkyClan was technically still a Clan, that didn't mean the other Clans believed them.Her tail lashed
Birdpaw watched the scene with growing unease as cats began arguing amongst themselves. She was horrified when one cat suggested slitting Emberstar's throat. She knew other cats would object with the idea of letting SkyClan stay at the lake. What she hadn't anticipated was the protests that would follow. Or the fact that several others didn't believe Emberstar's story.What's going to happen if they reject us? she wondered.Flamestrike stood close beside her, tail wrapping around her almost protectively. Birdpaw glanced at him warily, suddenly aware of how much danger she and her Clanmates were in. The only consolation they had was the fact that the Gathering was a peaceful setting. If the Clans started fighting, StarClan would surely disapprove."This Gathering is over!" Russetstar declared before Emberstar could continue defending himself.The rest of the Clans looked more than happy with that decision.Her heart sank at the thought of what would happen if the other Clans rejected t
Smokefrost watched through narrowed eyes as the WindClan cats picked up the remaining prey from the fresh-kill pile. The other ShadowClan warriors gathered around the clearing were equally uneasy allowing enemy warriors in their camp. What made it worse was the fact that they were allowing these cats to take fresh-kill needed for the rest of the Clan.Russetstar claimed it was necessary for the alliance he formed with Icestar. Though Smokefrost suspected this was Icestar's doing. Unease crawled through her at the thought of letting them get away with such atrocities.With leafbare now in full-swing, the last thing the Clan could afford was losing fresh-kill. Another blanket of snow covered the forest, making hunting more difficult than it already was. Most of the prey was hiding in their burrows or nests, and Smokefrost couldn't blame them for wanting to avoid the cold."I still don't get why this is necessary," Talonclaw muttered under his breath. "I understand the alliance between W
The sounds of waves lapping against the shore were oddly soothing as Reedriver trotted along the bank. Above him lay a blanket of stars and a clawmark of a moon. In spite of the faint light the moon provided, it was clearly cold. A shiver swept through him as the chills of leafbare became prominent.He knew it was inevitable. The first snow had already fallen just a couple of days ago since he returned. Since that fateful day he tried putting the past behind him. Cats questioned where he went and why he was gone for so long. Minnowstar herself had been furious that he disappeared when the Clan needed him the most.He couldn't explain to them what happened even if he wanted to. He knew they wouldn't understand what he and the others had been through during their journey. It all sounded fishbrained in the first place. He had a hard enough time believing himself; he doubted his Clanmates would believe him even if he told him that this journey was a waste of his time.Time I could have sp
"I'm beginning to think that Icestar wants the Clan to suffer through the rest of leafbare," Furzewhisker growled through clenched teeth.She carefully nudged a pile of dried leaves into the corner of her den, hoping that the supply would last her throughout the rest of leafbare. She knew it wasn't much. Borage was good for the queens who were heavily pregnant. With Leafshine getting closer and closer to kitting, she realized that the tortoiseshell queen would need the herbs sooner rather than later. And with so many other queens expecting, she was running low on the herb."I don't get why he's making it a rule for every she-cat in the Clan to be pregnant," Redstripe complained while watching her sort through the pile of leaves.The medicine cat glanced at the dark ginger elder. Redstripe had been suffering with whitecough over the last couple of days. The moment she found out he had whitecough was when she confined him to her den until he recovered. With leafbare in full swing, catmi
Ravenflight looked at the fresh cobwebs covering Smokefrost's face with a wrinkled nose. The medicine cat had been treating her injuries since she returned to camp that evening with Russetstar. No one had questioned where the injuries came from. No one seemed to care one way or another what happened to her. Not that she didn't mind. Smokefrost had learned over time that she wasn't worth looking after once the situation wasn't life-threatening."I still don't get how you were able to scratch your face the way you did running through a thorn bush," Ravenflight scoffed after applying a fresh poultice of herbs on her wounds. She was careful to avoid her eyes. Smokefrost had been afraid that her eye would be permanently scarred, but she was relieved when she managed to open it one morning. She had been able to see through both eyes, improving her hunting skills once more. "It seems as if this is happening more than it should be."Though there wasn't an accusation in her tone, Smokefrost co
For the first time since they started the journey to find SkyClan, relief swept through Flamestrike. It had been nearly two moons since they started their journey, and he realized with a start how happy he was to be back. The familiar scent of the forest wafted around him, and the moment they were back on ThunderClan territory was when it felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He picked up familiar scents here and there after tasting the air, including those of his mother and his siblings.His thoughts churned with anxiety as he wondered how the Clan had been since they left.When Spruceleaf had explained how Icestar had risen to power and was determined to spread that power across the lake, it sent a ripple of alarm through him. He knew that the Clans had always been balanced in some way or form. Sure, there were times when battle-hungry cats would get out of line. But they were usually taken care of before they could reach the point Icestar had.Maybe that's why w