|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Oct 30, 2016 13:13:42 GMT -5
A New Beginning is a Warrior Cat book. Its book 1 of 6 in the series The Dark Prophecy.
Other Books in the Series
The Dark Prophecy
1. A New Beginning
2. Shadowed Paths
A New Beginning Plot and ProphecyThunder,Storm,Flood, Wind and Fire will come together and destroy the forest and all inside it.For moons and moons the cats of the clans have lived a peaceful life in their forest. But thats all about to change. SilverClan sends a prophecy of great danger and only one cat can stop the danger. Brackenkit is destined to bring peace to the forest and the clans. But can he save them all?
Authors Notes
Hi, I'm Arcticbreeze, and this is my first Warrior Cat Book. I love the Warrior Cat series so I decided to make my own! I spent lots of time planning, creating the characters and making the plot so I hope you guys like it. I originally posted this on the 'Old forums' and I decided to post it here to! This is my very first book so please try to only say nice things about it ( But I'd love it if you pointed out spelling mistakes, also, sorry about my grammar, it's not perfect! )  Fan List
If you like this book you can ask to be added to the Fan List!---Comments
Got something you want to say about the book? You can ask for it to be added to the Comments!--- AllegiancesNightClanLeader - Gorsestar - Brown tabby tom.
Deputy - Emberfoot - Black she-cat with grey paws.
Medicine Cat - Pebblebreeze - Light grey she cat.
Warriors - Tigerwillow - Ginger she cat. Apprentice Rowanpaw. Eeltail - Grey and white tom. Scalepelt - White tom with light grey specks. Iceheart - Snow white she-cat. Apprentice SwiftpawAntnose - Dark grey she-cat Boulderpelt - Dark grey tom. Apprentice Sorrelpaw Kinkcloud - Black and white she-cat.
Apprentices - Swiftpaw - Black and white tom. Rowanpaw - Dark, fire-like ginger she cat. Sorrelpaw - Calico tom.
Queens - Mossflight - Tortoiseshell she cat. Mother of Ravenwing's kits - Rainkit ( tom ) Lakekit ( she kit ) and Brackenkit ( tom ) Goldpetal - Tabby she cat. Expecting Boulderpelt's kits.
Elders - Darkstep - Black tabby tom.
HollyClanLeader - Basilstar - Tortiseshell tom.
Deputy - Reedpelt - Brown tabby tom. Apprentice Jaggedpaw.
Medicine Cat - Rushcloud - Grey tom.
Warriors - Fishtail - Blue tom. Redflame - Dark ginger tom Robinflight - Brown she cat with red patch on chest. Ivynose - White she-cat Dustheart - Brown she-catTalonstrike - Tabby and white tom Apprentice Bronzepaw Stonestep - Light grey she cat.
Apprentices - Jaggedpaw - Ginger tom. Bronzepaw - Bronze brown tom.
Queens - Specklecloud - Grey tabby she cat. Mother of Talonstrike's kits - Thunderkit ( tom ) and Marshkit ( she cat )
Elders - Bluesky - Blue she cat. Liontail - Big ginger tom. Quailfeather - Silver tabby shecat.
BreezeClanLeader - Riverstar - Brown tabby and white she-cat
Deputy - Olivespot - Tortiseshell she cat.
Medicine Cat - Minnowshine - Silver Tabby she cat. Apprentice Badgerpaw.
Warriors - Eggpelt - Cream tom. Apprentice Haypaw Seedfur - White she cat with Brown speckles. Mintberry - Calico she cat. Appletail -Tortoiseshell tom. Apprentice Onepaw Creekstep - Brown tom with cream patches. Smokecloud - Dark grey tom.
Apprentices - Onepaw - Calico she cat. Badgerpaw - Black and white tom Haypaw - Hay coloured tom
Queens - Kestrelwing - Grey tabby she cat. Expecting Creekstep's kits. Shimmerpelt - Silver tabby she cat. Mother of Eggpelt's kits -Yellowkit ( She cat ) Rockkit ( She cat ) Firekit ( She cat ) Sandkit ( Tom ). Doveheart - Grey and white she cat. Mother of Smokecloud's kits - Poolkit ( She cat ) Pebblekit ( Tom ) Pouncekit ( Tom )
Elders - Bushtail - Tortiseshell tom with fluffy tail. Bramblestep - Brown tabby she cat. CedarClanLeader - Blackstar - Black she cat.
Deputy - Nutfur - Brown tom.
Medicine Cat - Bumbleflight - Black and yellow-cream tom.
Warriors - Troutpool - Silver Tabby tom. Fernstripe - Grey tabby she cat. Tawnyflight - Brown tom. Ashheart -Grey tom with dark grey specks. Apprentice Hailpaw Darkcloud - Dark grey she cat. Poppystem - Ginger she cat. Coalfur - Black tom. Hareleap - Brown and white tom.
Apprentices - Hailpaw - White tom with grey specks
Queens - Runningcloud - White she cat. Mother of Smallkit ( Tom ), Tumblekit,( Tom ), Windkit, ( Tom )
Elders - Tanglepelt - Brown tabby tom. Talltail - White she-cat. Greylight - Grey she cat.
FlameClanLeader - Spottedstar - Dark ginger she cat with lighter ginger spots.
Deputy - Whitefoot - Black she-cat with one white paw.
Medicine Cat - Vinetail - Calico tom.
Warriors - Shadowclaw - Grey tom Leopardfoot - Leopard-patterned she cat. Coldfur - Snow white tom. Mouseheart - Small grey she cat. Apprentice Specklepaw Bouncefoot - Blue tom. Apprentice Littlepaw Duskcloud - Ginger and white she-cat
Apprentices - Littlepaw - Little grey tom Specklepaw - Tortoiseshell she cat
Queens - Crowfrost - Black and white she-cat. Mother of Berrykit ( she-cat ) Floodkit ( she-cat ) Quicktail - Brown and white she-cat. Expecting kits.
Elders - Pineflight - Brown tabby she-cat. ProloguePebblebreeze walked through the forest. She was looking for chervil and comfrey. Her stock was running low and she didn't want to risk running out. Pebblebreeze found a patch with the two different medicines and she nipped the stems. When her mouth was full of herbs, Pebblebreeze turned and head towards the camp. She was almost at the camp when suddenly, she heard thunder. Dark clouds began to gather and rain began to fall.
A voice spoke loudly. " A prophecy " It said.
Pebblebreeze stopped and looked up.
" A Prophecy " The voice repeated. " Danger is coming to the forest "
" Danger? Where? When? " Pebblebreeze dropped the herbs and pricked her ears.
" Thunder, Storm, Flood, Wind and Fire will come together, Destroying the forest and all inside it " The voice said.
" What do we do? " Pebblebreeze cried. " How do we stop it? "
" You will find the way with SilverClan by your side " It replied.
Pebblebreeze opened her mouth to speak but the voice was fading.
" You will find the way "
" But wait! " Pebblebreeze shouted.
" You will find the way " The voice said one more time and then was gone.
Pebblebreeze rushed up to Gorsestar's cave.
" There is a prophecy! " She blurted out.
" A prophecy? " Gorsestar questioned.
" SilverClan came to me and said danger is coming to the forest! " Pebblebreeze replied.
Gorsestar walked up to his medicine cat. " What is the prophecy? "
" Thunder, Storm, Flood, Wind and Fire with come together, Destroying the forest and all inside it " Pebblebreeze repeated the words the cat from SilverClan had said.
" When will it come? " Gorsestar asked.
" I don't know but I think we should keep an eye open for dark dark clouds and bad weather " Pebblebreeze replied.
" I won't tell the Clan yet. They will just panic and we don't want to make matters worse " Gorsestar meowed and padded over to his nest.
Pebblebreeze padded out of the cave. She couldn't get the prophecy out of her head.
Thunder, Storm, Flood, Wind and Fire will come together, Destroying the forest and all inside it
|
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Oct 31, 2016 9:02:48 GMT -5
Chapter 1 Brackenkit batted Rainkit with his paw.
" Now your tag! " He squeaked.
" No fair! " Rainkit complained. " You can only tag with your tail! "
" You never said that at the start of the game! " Brackenkit mewed crossly.
Lakekit, Brackenkit and Rainkit's sister, trotted up to them. " The Sunhigh patrol just got back " She mewed jumping up and down excitedly.
Brackenkit looked at the fresh-kill pile. He watched Tigerwillow, Rowanpaw and Eeltail drop what they'd caught on the pile. I can't wait to be an apprentice. Brackenkit thought.
" Well come on! Let's get a piece of prey! " Lakekit bounded over to the fresh-kill pile and sniffed it. She pulled out a small mouse and bounced back to her brothers. Rainkit scooped it up and ran off with it.
" Hey! Give that back, it's mine! " Lakekit squealed and ran after him. Brackenkit raced after them. " Toss it to me Rainkit! " He called. Rainkit went to throw the mouse to him when he heard Gorsestar call,
" Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting "
Brackenkit saw warriors and the Clan elder, Darkstep, emerge from their dens. Mossflight popped her head out of the nursery.
" Lakekit! Rainkit! Brackenkit! Come in the nursery! " She meowed. The three kits ran up to their mother.
" Why do we have to come in " Rainkit asked.
" Because your not old enough to catch you own prey " The tortoiseshell queen replied.
" Yes we are! " Lakekit squeaked. " I caught a beetle yesterday! "
" Gorsestar means real prey, Not little bugs " Mossflight meowed. " Now come and have a rest "
" Please please please can I watch from the den entrance " Brackenkit begged. " I won't go out, I promise "
Mossflight thought for a moment and then meowed, " Ok. But only if you stay in and your quiet " Brackenkit peered out. All the cats had gathered now and Gorsestar had just started talking.
" Prey is scarce at the moment so I have decided to up the number of hunting patrols. We will have a patrol at Dawn. Then a patrol between Dawn and Sunhigh. At Sunhigh we will have a patrol. Then a patrol between Sunhigh and Sunset. And a last patrol at Sunset. Instead of three patrols their shall be five patrols until their is enough prey to feed the Clan. Emberfoot will organize the patrol between Sunhigh and Sunset and also the patrol at Sunset. Warriors go to Emberfoot. Clan dismissed " Gorsestar finished and then leapt down and headed for the medicine den. Brackenkit watched as Emberfoot sorted the patrols.
" Iceheart, Antnose and Kinkcloud, you will be on the hunting patrol between Sunhigh and Sunset. Scalepelt, Boulderpelt and Rowanpaw, You will be on the Sunset hunting patrol " The Clan deputy meowed.
" That's not fair! " Rowanpaw complained. " I was on the Sunhigh patrol! "
" We don't have enough warriors and apprentices for you each only to do one patrol " Emberfoot replied.
" But Swiftpaw hasn't been on patrol yet today " Rowanpaw argued.
" That's because he's on the Sunset border patrol " Emberfoot meowed patiently. Rowanpaw opened her mouth to argue again but closed it, Not wanting to get into trouble with her mentor Tigerwillow. The meeting had ended so Brackenkit padded over to his nest. His siblings were asleep and his mother was resting. Brackenkit quietly snuggled up next to Rainkit and Lakekit. He closed his eyes slowly.
Mother said it won't be long until I'm an apprentice. But how long is not long? |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 1, 2016 13:53:42 GMT -5
Chapter 2 Brackenkit opened his eyes the next Sunrise. It was early dawn and there was no sound from the nursery or the camp. Rainkit, Lakekit and Mossflight were all asleep. So was Goldpetal who was sleeping on the other side of the nursery. Brackenkit quietly got to his paws and clambered out of the nest, trying not to wake anyone. He padded over to the nursery entrance and poked his head outside. It was silent. Only two cats were in the clearing. One was Eeltail who was on guard and the other was Gorsestar who was looking into the sky, as if he were studying it. Then he looked down at the clearing. Gorsestar spotted Brackenkit and beckoned him with his tail. Oh No! Brackenkit thought nervously. Am I in trouble for being up so early? He waited a few moments and then slowly walked up to the Clan leader. " Brackenkit " Gorsestar meowed. " Y-yes " Brackenkit mewed quietly. Gorsestar looked at the young kit and then let out a purr. " Don't worry, your not in trouble " He said. Brackenkit let out a sigh of relief. " What got you up so early? " Gorsestar asked. " I'm not sure. I woke up and then wasn't tired so I wanted to have a lot outside " Brackenkit replied. Gorsestar went to speak again but Emberfoot emerged from the Warriors den. " Shall I send out the Dawn patrol? " She called. " Yes " Gorsestar called back. The Clan deputy disappeared back into the den. She came back a few minutes later with Boulderpelt and Tigerwillow. "Boulderpelt, Could you go and fetch Sorrelpaw " Emberfoot meowed. The grey warrior bounded over to the apprentices den. " Can I go with them? " Brackenkit asked with a little bounce of excitement. " Sorry, Your not old enough yet " Gorsestar replied. Brackenkit's excitement faded. Boulderpelt came back with a tired Sorrelpaw and the hunting patrol walked out of the camp. Brackenkit was padding back to the nursery when he had a thought. What if I followed the hunting patrol? I'm sure they could do with an extra pair of paws! He sneaked past the Clan leader and deputy and made his was out of camp. This is exciting! He thought. Brackenkit could hear the patrol ahead of him. He quietly ran after them until he could see Sorrelpaw who was stalking a mouse. But Brackenkit stept on a twig and it snapped. The mouse ran away into the safety of of a hole in the ground. Sorrelpaw got up crossly. " I nearly had it " He meowed. " Some CedarClan cat probably made the noise. Their always climbing up trees and falling down! " " Don't blame another Clan for something they didn't do " Boulderpelt said to his apprentice. Brackenkit took a step forward and then fell unexpectedly down. He had fallen into a deep hole! Brackenkit gave a scared screech.
Oh no! How will I get out? |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 2, 2016 8:29:20 GMT -5
Chapter 3 Brackenkit looked up he was a long way down. I wish I'd stayed at the camp! He thought in fright. Luckily, The hunting patrol had heard him fall. Sorrelpaw looked down at Brackenkit. " What in StarClan's name are you doing down there? " He asked. " More like what in StarClan's name are you doing out of camp " Boulderpelt gave a low growl. " Please get me out " Brackenkit whimpered. " We will, but we'll need more cats " Tigerwillow meowed. " Sorrelpaw, Go and get three more cats " She said to the calico apprentice. Sorrelpaw raced off towards the camp. " Now " Tigerwillow looked down at Brackenkit. " What are you doing out of camp? " " I thought you might like some help " Brackenkit replied quietly. " Help? " Boulderpelt snorted. " You can't even hunt yet. " Yes I can " Brackenkit stood up bravely. " I caught a butterfly last Sunhigh! " He mewed. The little tabby tom saw Tigerwillow twitch her whiskers in amusement. A few moments later Sorrelpaw returned with Kinkcloud, Emberfoot and Eeltail. " How di- " Kindcloud was cut off by Emberfoot. " Ask questions later. We need to get Brackenkit out " She meowed. " Well how are we going to get him out? " Eeltail asked. Emberfoot thought for a few heartbeats. " Boulderpelt, Tigerwillow, Go and find a long and thick branch " She ordered. The two cats didn't question her and ran off into the forest. " What's the plan? " Sorrelpaw asked. " We put the branch down into the hole. Then one of us goes and picks up Brackenkit and brings him out " Emberfoot replied. " Can I get him? " Sorrelpaw asked. " Not this time. We'll send a more experienced warrior down " The deputy meowed. Sorrelpaw didn't argue. Boulderpelt and Tigerwillow returned, dragging a long branch behind them. " Is this long enough? " Tigerwillow asked. " Yes " Emberfoot meowed and with Eeltail and Kindcloud's help she lowered the branch into the hole. " Kinkcloud, Could you get him " Emberfoot spoke holding the branch. Kinkcloud nodded and carefully padded down the branch. Brackenkit still looked terrified but he relaxed a bit when he saw a kind look in Kinkcloud's eyes. Brackenkit let the she cat pick him up and carry him out of the hole. " Thank you " He mewed when they were out. " Your welcome " Kimkcloud purred. Emberfoot walked up to the kit. " Your going to be in a lot of trouble when we get back to camp " She said to him. Brackenkit gave a small nod and then followed the cats back to camp *** The moment Brackenkit put his paw into the camp, His mother rushed up to him. " Are you ok? " Was the first thing she said as she licked his fur. " Yes " Brackenkit replied. Then Mossflight stopped licking and looked into his eyes angrily. " What do you think you were doing leaving the camp? You naughty kit! " " I'm sorry " Brackenkit mewed. " Sorry isn't enough! As a punishment you can't go out of anyones sight for the next three Sunrises! " Mossflight meowed in anger. " Now go to the nursery! " She said. Brackenkit slowly walked to the nursery. He let his tail trail along the ground. As he walked he caught Gorsestar's eye. Brackenkit couldn't read his expression. He turned away and walked into the nursery. He clambered into his nest and closed his eyes. Was Gorsestar happy with me or angry with me? If he was angry he might give me a punishment. What if the punishment was making it longer until I become an apprentice. Or he might never even make me an apprentice! |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 4, 2016 10:52:59 GMT -5
Chapter 4 It had been two sunrises since Brackenkit had sneaked out of camp. He was sharing part of a mouse with his siblings. Brackenkit knew Mossflight was watching every move he made. He felt a surge of anger. I'm not going to do anything! He wanted to shout out. Brackenkit watched as Lakekit ate up the last of the mouse. " What should we do now? " She asked her brothers. " I know! Let's play in the Warriors den! " Rainkit replied excitedly. Brackenkit nodded and headed towards the Warriors den. " Brackenkit! " Mossflight called. " Where do you think your going? Your staying right where I can see you! " Brackenkit turned back feeling disappointed. " But it's boring here. What do I do? " Brackenkit complained. " Umm. Why don't you play with some stones and pebbles on the ground " His mother replied and turned back to where she was chatting with Iceheart. Brackenkit rolled some pebbles on the floor. This is probably some weird game for kittypets! He thought in boredom. Brackenkit heard paws coming towards him. He looked up and saw the three Clan apprentices. " We thought you looked kinda bored so we came to play with you! " Rowanpaw meowed. " Come on " Swiftpaw meowed to Brackenkit. " Let's go and play over there " He started padding towards the grass patch. Brackenkit followed. " Where are you going? " Mossflight looked up and asked. " The apprentices are going to play with me " Brackenkit replied. Mossflight looked at the apprentices. " We'll look after him, We promise " Rowanpaw meowed. " Ok then " Mossflight sighed. Brackenkit gave a bounce of excitement and raced to the grass patch. " What should we play? " Sorrelpaw asked bounding over. Brackenkit thought for a moment. " Let's play Rolling In The Grass! " He mewed and then saw a sudden flash of sadness in Swiftpaw's eyes. What did I say? Brackenkit wondered feeling guilty. " Don't worry " Rowanpaw meowed quietly. " Its just that Swiftpaw's sister, Birdpaw, favourite game was Rolling In The Grass and she always used to play it. But one day she was hit by a twoleg monster and this game always reminds him of his sister " When Brackenkit looked up at Swiftpaw he saw that he wasn't sad anymore. " How about we play tag instead " Brackenkit suggested. " Tag! " He touched Sorrelpaw with his paw and Sorrelpaw then ran after Swiftpaw. *** The Sun was setting and Brackenkit heard Mossflight calling him. " Coming " Brackenkit called back. " Thank you! " He mewed to the apprentices and ran off towards the nursery. His siblings were already in the nest and Brackenkit went and curled up next to them. " Good night " Mossflight meowed softly. " And sweet dreams " Brackenkit watched as his mother padded back out into the clearing. He gently closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep. In the middle of the night Brackenkit woke up to a voice. It was Pebblebreeze. " Goldpetal has started kitting! " |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 4, 2016 10:56:19 GMT -5
Chapter 5 Brackenkit pricked his ears. " Did you hear that? " He whispered as he prodded Rainkit awake. " Hear what? " Rainkit didn't open his eyes. " Goldpetal has started kitting " Brackenkit replied. Lakekit heard and sprang to her paws. " I wonder how many she's had! " She mewed and raced out the nursery. " I'm coming too! " Brackenkit followed. " And me! " Rainkit mewed after them. A crowd of cats had gathered outside the medicine den. Murmurs spread through them. " How many has she had? " " Is everything going ok? " " Do you think Pebblebreeze needs some help? " Brackenkit followed Lakekit as she crept through the group of warriors. " What are you doing here? " Brackenkit turned and saw Kinkcloud staring at them. " We, err, Wanted to see if Goldpetal is ok " Rainkit replied. " You can't go into the medicine den. Pebblebreeze won't want you getting in the way " Kinkcloud meowed. At that moment, Pebblebreeze stepped out of the medicine cat den. " Is she ok? " Boulderpelt, Goldpetal's mate, was the first to ask. " Yes she's fine " Pebblebreeze meowed. " Five healthy kits. Three toms and two she cats " " Five? That's wonderful! Can I see them? " Boulderpelt meowed in joy. " Of course " Pebblebreeze stepped away from the entrance so that the dark grey tom could step in. " The rest of you can visit them in the morning, Goldpetal is really tired and needs rest " She meowed. The group of cats began to head back to their dens. Mossflight, who was in the group of cats, was heading to the nursery when she stepped on something. " Ouch! " Brackenkit squeaked. Mossflight looked down. " What are you doing out of the nursery? " She asked with a hint of anger in her voice. " We came to see what was going on! " Lakekit bounced excitedly. " Well it's the middle of the night, So back to bed " Mossflight meowed, leading her kits back to the nursery. Brackenkit clambered into the nest with a yawn. He suddenly felt really tired. " Please can you tell us a story! " Lakekit begged her mother, obviously not feeling tired at all. " Ok " Mossflight purred. " What about? " " Our father " Lakekit replied instantly, Not having to think. " Well " Mossflight began. " Your father wa- " " What was his name? " Rainkit interrupted. " His name was Ravenwing. As I was saying, Ravenwing was a big Brown tabby tom an- " " Like me! " Brackenkit looked up. " But smaller " Rainkit added. " Yes, He was like you. Anyway, he was a big tabby tom and he was one of the strongest cats in NightClan. Once he fought off a fox singlehandedly! " Mossflight meowed. The three kits eyes widened in amazement. " But, What happened to him, Where is he? " Lakekit asked. " In SilverClan, My little one " Mossflight replied sadly. " He was killed in a battle with badgers. It's getting late now, So that's a long enough story for now " She looked down at the kits. Brackenkit snuggled down next to his mother. I wonder what it would be like if my father was here now. He wondered. I just wish I'd known him. |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 6, 2016 9:39:33 GMT -5
Chapter 6 A few sunrises had passed since Goldpetal had kitted and the nursery was rather crowded. The three toms were named Rabbitkit, Foxkit and Badgerkit. The two she cats were named Squirrelkit and Shrewkit. " Throw it to me! " Squirrelkit squeaked at Rainkit, who threw the mouse to her. Squirrelkit took a step back to throw it to Foxkit when she bumped into the nursery wall. " There's not enough space in here " She complained. " Why don't you play outside then? " Goldpetal suggested, padding up to her kit and giving her a couple of licks. " Because it's too cold outside " Squirrelkit whined. " Stop fussing and come on! " Rabbitkit mewed to his sister and raced out of the nursery. Squirrelkit hesitated and then followed. The rest of the kits followed quickly behind her. " Toss it to me! " Brackenkit squeaked. Squirrelkit tossed the mouse at him. Brackenkit picked it up and ran. He stopped when he saw Gorsestar, Pebblebreeze and Mossflight chatting. I wonder what they're talking about Brackenkit wondered, feeling rather nosy. He dropped the mouse and quietly trotted up to them. ".......hard work sorting so many herbs out with no help " Brackenkit picked up the end of what Pebblebreeze was saying. " Maybe Lakekit, Rainkit or Brackenkit will want to be your apprentice " Gorsestar meowed. Pebblebreeze shook her head. " They're all keen to be warriors " Mossflight meowed. " Thinking of that, it's probably time your kits became apprentices " Gorsestar said, Looking at Mossflight. " If it's alright with you, I'll perform the ceremonies now " He meowed. Mossflight nodded quickly. " I'll go and tell the kits " The tortoiseshell queen bounded over to the kits. We're going to be made apprentices! Brackenkit thought excitedly and padded over to the other kits, pretending be had been playing with them. " Lakekit, Rainkit, Brackenkit " Mossflight came over. " Its time for your apprentice ceremonies! " " Yay! " Lakekit squeaked. " Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a Clan meeting! " Gorsestar called. Brackenkit suddenly felt nervous. What happens if I get something wrong? Once all the cats had settled down, Gorsestar began to speak. " Three kits have reached the age of six moons and are rest to begin their warrior training! " He meowed. " Lakekit, Come forward " The young tortoiseshell she-cat bounced forward. " You will be known as Lakepaw. Eeltail " Gorsestar beckoned the grey and white tom forward. " It is time for you to have another apprentice. You are an excellent warrior and I trust you will pass down all you know to Lakepaw " " I will " Eeltail meowed and touched noses with his new apprentice. " Brackenkit " Gorsestar continued. Brackenkit padded forward nervously. " You will be known as Brackenpaw. Kinkcloud, You are ready for your first apprentice. Scalepelt was your mentor and I trust you will pass down all you learned from him to Brackenpaw " Gorsestar meowed. Kinkcloud nodded and touched noses with Brackenpaw. " And lastly, Rainkit, Please come forward " The Clan leader spoke. Brackenpaw watched his brother pad forward confidently. " You shall be known as Rainpaw, Antnose, You will be his mentor and I trust you will pass down all you know to him " Gorsestar meowed. " I shall " Antnose promised. " Lakepaw! Brackenpaw! Rainpaw! " The Clan cheered their new names. " This is so cool! " Lakekit bounced up and down. " Come on, There's a lot to learn! " Eeltail meowed and led Lakepaw away. Brackenpaw skipped up to his mentor. " What are we going to do first? " He asked, his eyes shining. " First I will show you NightClan's territory " Kinkcloud purred. Brackenpaw followed her out of camp and into the forest. This is going to be awesome!
|
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 6, 2016 9:42:06 GMT -5
Chapter 7 Kinkcloud led Brackenpaw across the edge of the territory, Where there were no bordering Clans. Brackenpaw bounced excitedly after his mentor. Kinkcloud came to a stop at a very tall pine tree. " This " She meowed. " Is the Great Pine, We often go up onto its branches to catch birds " Kinkcloud told Brackenpaw. Brackenpaw nodded, taking the information in. The black and white warrior led Brackenpaw round a corner of their territory and across their border with HollyClan. Brackenpaw wrinkled his nose and a strange smell. " What's that smell? " He asked. " It's just HollyClan's scent markers " Kinkcloud replied. Brackenpaw looked over into the other Clan's territory and then trotted after Kinkcloud. They turned the next corner in their territory and then padded along the next border. Brackenpaw looked across. He could see a large dip in the ground. " Who's territory is that? " Brackenpaw asked. " That's nobody's territory. It's where we hold the Gatherings " Kinkcloud stopped to explain. Brackenpaw had heard of Gatherings from the apprentices. They said it was really cool and that you got to see all the cats from other Clans. Now that I'm an apprentice, I can go to Gatherings! His paws fizzed with excitement. " Can we go and look? " Brackenpaw looked at Kinkcloud. " Of course " She meowed and led the way across their border and down into the Gathering place. Brackenpaw's eyes widened in amazement. " It's so cool! " He mewed. " The fallen tree is where the leaders go " Kinkcloud pointed her tail to a large fallen tree. " The leaders sit in its branches " She meowed. Brackenpaw nodded. " When is the next Gathering? " He asked. " In a few sunrises, When the moon is full " Kinkcloud replied and started walking back go their territory. When they were in their territory, Kinkcloud padded over to another one of their borders. As they approached, Brackenpaw picked up a smell again. But it was different. " This is are border with BreezeClan " Kinkcloud told Brackenpaw. Brackenpaw looked across into their territory, It was moor, with a few bushes and no trees at all. Then he caught sight of a patrol heading their way. Brackenpaw took a few steps back. " No need to worry " Kinkcloud saw her apprentice step away. " We're not on their territory so they won't attack " Brackenpaw relaxed a little. The patrol came over. There was a dark grey tom and a calico she cat. There was also a smaller black and white tom. Brackenpaw guessed he was an apprentice. " Hello Kinkcloud " The dark grey tom meowed. " Smokecloud " Kinkcloud returned the greeting. " We bring no harm, I'm showing my apprentice the territory " She meowed. Smokecloud said goodbye and took his patrol off to hunt. " Now we're going somewhere quite dangerous, So listen to me at all times " Kinkcloud meowed to Brackenpaw. He nodded and followed his mentor deep into their territory. They came to a grey-black path. Brackenpaw screwed up his nose. It smells disgusting! " Is is The Monster Track " Kinkcloud meowed. Brackenpaw reached his paw out to touch the odd path. " Dont touch it! " Kinkcloud said quickly. " Monsters come across here very fast. You could have got your paw run over! " She told him. Brackenpaw stepped back. He heard something a bit like thunder and then it got louder. A black monster roared across The Monster Track in a flash. So Swiftpaw's sister must have been hit by one of these He thought. " That's are territory, The rest of the territory is just pine trees. We should head back to camp " Kinkcloud meowed and headed towards camp. Brackenpaw looked over his shoulder as another monster raced past and then quickly caught up with Kinkcloud. " That was great. Thanks " He meowed. " Your welcome " She purred. Brackenpaw padded into camp as looked for his siblings. He spotted them eating a blackbird just outside the Apprentice den. I get to sleep there now! " Get a piece of prey and come eat with us " Lakepaw meowed. Brackenpaw padded over to the fresh kill pile. Wait He thought. I should ask Kinkcloud first. Brackenpaw walked up to his mentor. " What should I do now? " He asked. " You can rest and have something to eat. After that we'll do some battle training " Kinkcloud replied. Brackenpaw nodded and ran over to the fresh kill pile. He picked out a shrew and headed over to Lakepaw and Rainpaw. " Hello " Brackenpaw turned round and saw Rowanpaw. " Hi " Brackenpaw meowed. " It's great that now your an apprentice we can train together " She purred. " Yes, it will be really great to train together " He replied. Rowanpaw nodded and went up to Tigerwillow, her mentor. Brackenpaw sat down next to Rainpaw and tucked into his shrew. " Isnt it great we're apprentices now! " Rainpaw mewed. " Yeah, Its awesome " Brackenpaw agreed round a mouth full of shrew.
My apprenticeship is awesome and its only just begun!
|
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 6, 2016 9:46:15 GMT -5
Chapter 8 It was the night of the Gathering. Brackenpaw was excited as it was his first Gathering. He'd been made an apprentice a few sunrises ago. The cats Gorsestar had chosen to go, Emberfoot, Pebblebreeze, Tigerwillow, Scalepelt, Iceheart, Kinkcloud, Mossflight Darkstep, Lakepaw, Rainpaw and Brackenpaw, Were all gathered around the camp entrance. " It's time to leave " Gorsestar called and led the way into the forest. Brackenpaw followed with a spring in every step. " It's going to be so cool! " He mewed. His siblings nodded in agreement. Brackenpaw made his way through the pine trees. The Monster Track was right next to them. Brackenpaw took a step away. They arrived at the Gathering and Brackenpaw looked down. There were so many cats! He followed his Clan down into the dip. Brackenpaw watched Gorsestar climb up onto the fallen tree. Not knowing were to go, Brackenpaw followed Kinkcloud. He found a space between her and a cat from another Clan. Once the cats were settled, A black she cat spoke. " Shall I start? " She asked. The other leaders nodded. " The prey is running well in CedarClan. Plenty of mice and birds in our territory. Also, Greylight has moved to the elders den " She reported. Brackenpaw looked at the CedarClan cats. They looked thin and skinny. Perhaps the prey wasn't running as well as she said. " Thank you for your report, Blackstar " Gorsestar meowed. " We have a new litter of kits. Goldpetal gave birth to Foxkit, Badgerkit, Rabbitkit, Squirrelkit and Shrewkit a few sunrises ago " He reported. There were a few murmurs of congratulations from the cats. " We also have three new apprentices, Lakepaw, Rainpaw and Brackenpaw " " Lakepaw! Rainpaw! Brackenpaw! " The Clans cheered. Brackenpaw stood up and then sat down feeling proud and embarrassed. A tabby and white she cat stepped forward on the branch. Kinkcloud had told him her name was Riverstar. " There are plenty of fish in the river. Last sunrise our warriors spotted a twoleg dog on our territory. " She meowed. Spottedstar, the FlameClan leader started speaking, " Nothing much to report. The prey is running well " Lastly, Basilstar told his report. " We also have a new elder, Liontail has retired. The prey is good in HollyClan " He meowed. " The Gathering is over! " Sparkstar called. Brackenpaw got up from were he was sitting and bounded over to the group of NightClan cats. Then a couple of FlameClan apprentices ran up to him. " Congratulations on becoming an apprentice! " A small grey tom mewed. " Thank you " Brackenpaw replied and followed his Clanmates up into the trees. *** Brackenpaw yawned as he stepped into the camp. " That was great " Rainpaw yawned, Looking as if he were going to fall asleep where he was standing. Brackenpaw nodded in agreement. He padded into the Apprentices den. The three apprentices thsr hadn't gone to the gathering were fast asleep. Brackenpaw curled up in his nest and fell asleep quite quickly. Brackenpaw opened his eyes and then gave a startled jump. He was in a field of lush green grass. " Where am I? " He called out. He heard nothing. " Where am I? " He repeated. Still no answer. I guess I must be dreaming He started walking across the field, trying to find out were he was. " Greetings " Brackenpaw let out a jump of shock and turned round. A ghost-like figure of a cat was looking at him. It was a brown tabby- Like Brackenpaw. " Do you know where i am? " Brackenpaw asked. " Your dreaming " The brown tabby purred. " And who are you? " Brackenpaw looked at him. " I'm Ravenwing " The brown tabby replied. My father! " And why did you bring me here? " Brackenpaw asked. " I must tell you something " Ravenwing's gaze darkened. " You are destined to save the Clans " " From what? " Brackenpaw asked, feeling worried. " A dark evil " Ravenwing meowed. " Can't SilverClan stop the dark evil? " Brackenpaw mewed. " No, Your the only cat strong enough to stop the evil " Ravenwing replied. " When is it coming? What will I do to stop it? " Brackenpaw looked at Ravenwing. " You will find out in time " Brackenpaw's father meowed. Brackenpaw opened his mouth to ask another question but when he blinked, Ravenwing was gone. I can't stop dark evil alone. What will I do? |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 8, 2016 12:54:40 GMT -5
Chapter 9
Brackenpaw opened his eyes. Blinking the last of sleep from his eyes, he got up and padded out of the Apprentices den. He suddenly remembered his dream. Should I tell Pebblebreeze? Brackenpaw wondered. But Ravenwing hadn't told him whether he should tell anyone about the danger. Brackenpaw decided not to. I'll have to figure this out myself. In the clearing, the Dawn-sunhigh border patrol was just leaving. " Wait! " Brackenpaw called. " Can I come to? " " Of course " Tigerwillow, who was leading the patrol, meowed. Brackenpaw followed the patrol as the entered the forest. Scalepelt and Rowanpaw were also on the patrol. " We'll mark our border with BreezeClan " Tigerwillow decided and headed for the border. BreezeClan's territory was just moreland. " It must be so boring in the moors " Brackenpaw whispered to Rowanpaw. Rowanpaw nodded in agreement. At the border, Tigerwillow and Rowanpaw set their markers. Brackenpaw could scent that BreezeClan's markers were fresh. " Ok, That's done. Let's head back to camp " Scalepelt grumbled. The senior warrior was getting quite old and Brackenpaw guessed it wouldn't be long before he'd be joining Darkstep in the elders den. Brackenpaw padded through the brambles and bracken and into camp. The clearing was quite busy now. Brackenpaw saw his Lakepaw with fresh moss and Rainpaw followed with more moss. Brackenpaw looked and saw Goldpetal's kits playing Mouse-Catch. Darkstep walked up the kits looking angry. " What do you think your doing? " He hissed. " There's barely enough prey to feed one cat and your wasting precious prey by throwing it on the ground! " The black tom growled and then stalked away, muttering something under his breath. The kits looked upset and frightened. " Don't worry " Brackenpaw mewed padding up to them. " He's just mad because there's not much prey around at the moment " The kits nodded and ran inside to their mother. *** " Never stop moving your tail in battle. If you keep moving it, Your enemy wont be able to target it easily. If you don't move it, Your enemy will aim for it " Kinkcloud meowed. Brackenpaw nodded and leapt at Swiftpaw. He kept his tail moving while the black and white apprentice attacked. Swiftpaw aimed for Brackenpaw's tail. He reached out to grab it and Brackenpaw suddenly forgot what to do and stopped moving his tail. Swiftpaw grabbed it and Brackenpaw fell on the ground. " Better " Kinkcloud praised. " This time you remembered to keep it moving from the start. But you need to remember that when he goes for your tail, keep it moving and try to knock your enemy's hind legs over " Brackenpaw listened and sat down. " You can have a quick breather and then Boulderpelt will pair you up " Kinkcloud meowed. Brackenpaw began to brush the dust off his pelt. Rainpaw came up to him. " I saw you against Swiftpaw! You did really great! You did a lot better than I did against Sorrelpaw " He mewed. " Thanks " Brackenpaw replied to his brother. " It's just my silly tail! I wish it would go away sometimes! " He joked. Rainpaw purred. " Ok " Boulderpelt called. " Here are your pairs. Lakepaw with Swiftpaw, Rainpaw with Rowanpaw and Brackenpaw with Sorrelpaw. Start now " Sorrelpaw leapt on Brackenpaw in less than a heartbeat. I wasn't ready! Brackenpaw quickly swiped at Sorrelpaw's hind legs but he couldn't reach them. Sorrelpaw was holding Brackenpaw down. I will not lose! Brackenpaw suddenly had a surge of strength and pushed Sorrelpaw off. He got to his paws and leapt at Sorrelpaw so that the calico tom had no time to think. Brackenpaw held Sorrelpaw to the ground. He was winning! But Sorrelpaw grabbed Brackenpaw's tail and pulled him down onto the mossy ground. Oh no! I forgot my tail! Sorrelpaw jumped to his paws and held Brackenpaw down. " And.... Stop " Boulderpelt called. Sorrelpaw let Brackenpaw up. Brackenpaw gave a shake to get the moss and pines off his fur. " You've all done very well today. Now go back to camp and get some fresh-kill " Kinkcloud said. Brackenpaw followed his mentor slowly back to camp. " Your doing great Brackenpaw " She meowed to him. " Your'll be a warrior before you know it! " |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 8, 2016 13:03:56 GMT -5
Chapter 10 Brackenpaw bounded across the clearing to Kinkcloud. " What are we doing today? " He asked. " Today your going to clear out the nursery and the elders den with the other apprentices " His mentor replied. Brackenpaw couldn't hide his disappointment. " Tomorrow we'll do some hunting practice " Kinkcloud purred. " Okay " Brackenpaw padded across to the nursery. The other apprentices were already inside. " The apprentices are going to clear out the nursery so you need to go and play outside " Goldpetal meowed to her kits. " Let's play Healing Herbs! " Rabbitkit bounced up and down. " That's boring " Shrewkit mewed. " We want to be warriors! " She said. " I don't want to fight I want to heal " Rabbitkit mewed to his sister. Shrewkit shrugged and skipped outside with her littermates. " Fine! " Rabbitkit called after them angrily. " I'll go and help Pebblebreeze instead of playing with you! " The little grey tom padded out of the nursery and towards the medicine den. " Kits " Goldpetal sighed and walked out into the clearing. " Okay " Rainpaw meowed. " Lakepaw and Sorrelpaw, You get fresh moss. Rowanpaw and Swiftpaw, You get fresh bracken. Brackenpaw, you help me clear out the dirty stuff " He ordered. Brackenpaw just looked at his brother. Who put you in charge? Rainpaw was even telling the older apprentices what to do! The cats waited a couple of moments and then went to get the moss and bracken. Brackenpaw clawed at the dirty moss. He tossed it over to the nursery entrance. Brackenpaw saw Rainpaw wrinkle his nose at the smell. " Why can't the Warriors do this? " He muttered. " Probably because they have to hunt and fight " Brackenpaw meowed, pulling a long bit of bracken out of the nest. " I'll take the dirty moss to the Dirt Place " He held the moss between his chin and his chest. Brackenpaw made his way slowly out of the nursery, trying not to drop any moss. It didn't work. Moss was falling out of both sides. The kits laughed as he padded across the clearing. " You look like a Moss Monster! " Squirrelkit joked. Brackenpaw just kept walking until he reached the Dirt Place. He lifted his head and what was left of the moss fell down. Brackenpaw turned back to get the fallen moss and bumped into Goldpetal. " Here " The tabby she cat dropped the fallen moss. " Thank you " Brackenpaw meowed and walked out of the Dirt Place. Mossflight, Eeltail and Scalepelt walked into the clearing with prey in their jaws at the same moment. Brackenpaw was glad the prey was coming back. Newleaf is getting closer. He thought. Looking at the prey made his mouth water. Brackenpaw hadn't eaten at all today. " Tigerwillow said we could eat once we've finished the dens " Brackenpaw heard Rowanpaw's meow behind him. She must've been reading his mind! Brackenpaw nodded walking to the nursery. " Let's get these dens done! " *** Brackenpaw lined Darkstep's nest with the last bit of moss. " Done " He meowed. " Finally! " Sorrelpaw sat down. " Now we can eat! " " We're not going to bring the prey to you! " Lakepaw purred. She bounced out of the den. Sorrelpaw got to his paws and followed. Brackenpaw went after them and bounded over to the fresh kill pile. He picked a small mouse and walked across to the apprentices den. Brackenpaw bit into the mouse. " This mouse is great " He mewed. " Hey, how about we guess what our warrior names will be! " Swiftpaw said. Brackenpaw thought for a moment. " Mine might be Bracken-eatmouse " He purred jokingly. " Mine will be Sorrel-bestfighter " Sorrelpaw meowed. " My name is going to be changed to Bracken-nomouse " Brackenpaw looked down at were the mouse had been. He was still quite hungry. " Would you like some of my squirrel? I can't eat it all " Rowanpaw offered. " Thanks " Brackenpaw took a bite of the squirrel. " Now your name is Bracken-eatalot! " Rainpaw purred. " It was a small mouse! " Brackenpaw protested. " Me, Swiftpaw and Sorrelpaw should become warriors soon " Rowanpaw meowed. " Not for another moon or more " Swiftpaw pointed out. " One day I'm going to become Clan leader " Lakepaw announced. Brackenpaw looked at his sister and thought, Not if I get there first!
|
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 8, 2016 13:15:25 GMT -5
Chapter 11 " I'm going out hunting " Brackenpaw meowed to his mentor, who was eating fresh kill with Antnose. Kinkcloud lifted her head. She nodded and Brackenpaw bounded across to the camp entrance. " Wait! " Brackenpaw halted and turned around. Rowanpaw was running across the clearing. " Can I come with you? " The dark ginger she cat asked. " Sure " Brackenpaw meowed. " The more paws the merrier " He led the way out of camp. " So, Where are we hunting? " Rowanpaw asked. Brackenpaw thought for a moment. " The Great Pine " He decided. " There are quite a few birds there at the moment " Brackenpaw slowly started padded towards the pine. " Come on! Your as slow as a snail! " Rowanpaw purred and raced through the forest. Brackenpaw charged after her. " Wait up! " He called loudly. He quickly caught up with her. " Sssh! " Rowanpaw stopped at the Great Pine, pricking her ears. Brackenpaw caught a scent. Crow! He looked at the branches of the pine. Rowanpaw spotted the crow first. It was pecking at the branch. Brackenpaw watched as Rowanpaw crept forward to the roots of the tree. She waited a heartbeat before leaping into throwers branch. Rowanpaw quickly jumped onto higher branches and then landed on the branch with the crow. The crow saw her and flew off the branch with a squawk. Rowanpaw raced to the end of the branch. " Be careful! " Brackenpaw called up. Rowanpaw was high. Determined to catch it, she lashed out her paw. She was just a claw-length away from it, but it escaped. Rowanpaw wobbled and fell off the branch. " Rowanpaw! " Brackenpaw gasped as the she cat fell down. Rowanpaw landed with a thud on the ground. " Are you ok? " Brackenpaw raced across to her. Rowanpaw lifted her head and Brackenpaw let out a sigh of relief. " You need to go back to Pebblebreeze. Can you walk? " Brackenpaw meowed. Rowanpaw nodded and limped back to camp. " I'll come back later, I want some prey to take back to camp. Brackenpaw said as he watched her walk away. He looked up at the pine. The crow had flown back onto the branch. But Brackenpaw wasn't going to risk getting hurt so he padded away from the Great Pine. I'll hunt near the HollyClan border He thought and padded past the pine tree. He went round the corner of NightClan's territory and looked at the ground next to the border. All he could see were leaves. No prey in sight. Brackenpaw padded on. Then he heard voices. Brackenpaw looked up and into HollyClan territory. In the distance was a patrol. He didn't worry as he remembered what Kinkcloud had said. I'm not in their territory so they won't attack me. Brackenpaw walked on, Trying to pick up the scent of prey. He picked up the scent of vole and saw one among the leaves. Brackenpaw dropped into hunters crouch and began to stalk it. When he was close enough, Brackenpaw leapt forward and caught the vole. It let out a squeal but Brackenpaw killed it quickly. He felt proud of his catch. Kinkcloud will be proud of me. Brackenpaw buried his prey in the leaves and carried on. Perhaps I'll try the BreezeClan border instead. He turned round and padded through the pine trees. Brackenpaw went past the camp entrance and past the Training Area. Lakepaw and Rainpaw were training in there. He walked past them and to the BreezeClan border. Brackenpaw tried to catch a scent but there was only pine. He went along the border and then scented something. It was rabbit! But to Brackenpaw's disappointment it was in BreezeClan's territory. It was only just into their territory. Perhaps if I'm quiet it will come over here. Brackenpaw stayed low to the ground and waited. He watched the rabbit sniffing the ground. After a while it strayed into NightClan's territory. Yes! Brackenpaw stalked his prey. He was about to leapt when he heard a squeak. The rabbit heard it too and raced into the bushes. Brackenpaw hissed angrily and looked for what had scared his prey. The squeak kept going on. Brackenpaw padded up territory towards the stream. He came to the stream where the squeak was coming from and looked at the stream. There was a small dark grey shape bobbing on the water. Brackenpaw gasped as he realised what it was. It's a kit! |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 8, 2016 13:20:20 GMT -5
Chapter 12 Brackenpaw watched as the kit was pushed downstream by the water. It let out another cry as it went down the river. The kit's little head only came up occasionally for less than a heartbeat before going back under the water. Brackenpaw ran along the stream edge, Trying not to lose sight of the kit. It cried again. " I'm coming! " Brackenpaw yowled but the kit didn't reply. He didn't know what to do. There is only one thing I can do. Brackenpaw thought and plunged into the water. He swam awkwardly towards the small grey kit. The water was running quite fast and Brackenpaw had to try hard not to go under. The kit hadn't made a sound for a while. Please hang on! Brackenpaw begged silently. He was now just a tail-length away from it. For a moment Brackenpaw wished a FlameClan cat would appear and get him and the kit out if the water. Brackenpaw managed to grab hold of the kit's scruff. He felt relived to see it's little chest rise and fall. The kit had it's eyes shut tightly and didn't move a bit as Brackenpaw held it. Now the tricky part- getting to land. Brackenpaw turned and tried to swim to the side. He found himself paddling very awkwardly. But the water was too strong and Brackenpaw realised he was going under the water. He kicked around in terror. What do I do! Brackenpaw needed to get the kit to safety. He tried as hard as he could to get to the surface and managed to take a breath. Then a reed caught his eye and Brackenpaw reached out to grab hold of it with his paw. He held it and moved his legs under the water to keep afloat. Brackenpaw moved closer to the ground, still holding the reed and the kit. He then had his paws on the ground. Brackenpaw dropped the kit on the ground and heaved himself out of the water. He felt relived that he'd got himself and the kit out. Brackenpaw looked down at the small grey kit and his heart suddenly lurched as he realised the kit wasn't moving at all. Brackenpaw crouched down quickly and began pressing his paw on its chest. After a few heartbeats the kit finally coughed. It's alive! It lifted its head and gave a shake. Then it looked up at Brackenpaw and blinked in confusion. " Who are y--- " It was cut off by a load of coughing. " Who are you ? " It asked. " I-I'm Brackenpaw " Brackenpaw shivered from the cold water. " Where's Katy? " The kit looked around. Katy? " And Tabitha and Purdy? " The kit's mew rose to a wail. " Who are they? " Brackenpaw asked. " K-katy is my mother. A-and Tabitha and Purdy are my sisters " The kit replied sadly. " And who are you? " Brackenpaw asked. " I'm Benji " The kit mewed. " And Katy took me and my sisters out to drink at the river and then I fell in. Katy tried to follow me down the river but then she lost me " Benji cried. " You can come back to camp with me " Brackenpaw meowed. " Camp? Is that like a house? " Benji asked. What is a house? This kit knew some strange words and some strange names. " I guess so " Brackenpaw meowed. " You can stay with Goldpetal and her kits in her nest until you find Katy " He told Benji. " What is a nest? Is it like a blanket or a basket or is it something else? " Benji mewed. Brackenpaw decided not to reply. Benji knew some weird words. " Follow me " He meowed and led the way towards camp. " Thank you for saving me " Benji mewed on the way back. " Your welcome. It was nothing " Brackenpaw replied casually even though he'd nearly drowned and now he was as cold as ice. " So you have any family or do you just live with your housefolk? " Benji asked. Housefolk? " I live with a lot of other cats. We don't have twolegs, we are wild cats " Brackenpaw replied. " What are twolegs? " Benji mewed. Brackenpaw was getting irritated by this constantly chatting kit. " Twolegs are the same as housefolk I think. We just call them a different word " He said. Brackenpaw was about to walk through the brambles and bracken and into camp when Benji stopped. " Are you ok? " Brackenpaw asked. Benji shook his head. " What if your family don't like me? What if their mean to me " He mewed. " They won't be- I promise " Brackenpaw replied. Though he wasn't sure he could keep the promise with Darkstep and Scalepelt's angry tempers sometimes. When Benji looked unsure, Brackenpaw added, " I'll make sure they aren't " Benji nodded slowly and followed Brackenpaw into camp. It was very busy with cats eating prey or chatting. Mossflight was the first cat to notice Benji. She padded up to them. " Who is this? " She asked and gave Benji a sniff. " He doesn't have Clan scent " Mossflight narrowed her eyes. Gorsestar was the second cat to come up to them. " What did you think you were doing bringing a kittypet into the camp? " He looked at Brackenpaw. " He was in the stream- I had to save him, he would have drowned " Brackenpaw meowed. Gorsestar nodded. " He said he'd lost his mother and he can't find her " Brackenpaw went on. By now most of the Clan were gathered round and shooting uneasy glances at Benji, who was standing quietly. " I thought we could look after him until he finds his family " Brackenpaw said to Gorsestar. Gorsestar thought for a moment. " And what is his name? " He looked down at Benji. " My name is Benji! " Benji squeaked. There were a few stares of shock at Benji. " What a weird name " Squirrelkit squealed and Goldpetal quickly hushed her kit. " So can he stay with us for now " Brackenpaw asked. " For now. If we leave him in the forest he'll die and that's against the Warrior Code " Gorsestar meowed. " Keeping kittypets! What is Gorsestar thinking? " Sorrelpaw muttered. " What about his name? " Tigerwillow asked. " We can't call him Benji " There were a few murmurs of agreement from the cats. " Very well " Gorsestar leapt onto the High Rock. And looked down at Benji. " From this moment forward, until you go back to your family, You shall be known as Stormkit " He called. There wasn't a sound from any cat, just silence. " Goldpetal, Will you look after Stormkit until he goes back go his family? " Gorsestar continued. Goldpetal nodded. Then there was just a long silence. Then Stormkit cheered his own name. " Stormkit! Stormkit! Stormkit! " |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 9, 2016 12:28:02 GMT -5
Chapter 13 Quite a few sunrises had passed since Brackenpaw had rescued Stormkit from the river. A couple of sunrises later Stormkit had caught a cold from being in the cold water for too long. Most of the Clan had accepted Stormkit for now but a few cats were snapping at him and a couple even ignored him completely. Stormkit didn't seem to mind to much though. Katy still hadn't come for him yet. Brackenpaw padded into the medicine cat den to make sure Stormkit was ok. He was one of the only cats that liked Stormkit. Goldpetal treated him kindly though but Brackenpaw had seen her kits teasing him and calling him a kittypet. But Rabbitkit wasn't because he was helping Pebblebreeze with the herbs all the time. He was definitely going to become the Clan medicine cat one day. Inside the medicine den, Pebblebreeze was mixing herbs and Rabbitkit was there too, staring at Stormkit to make sure he was ok. Stormkit was curled up and fast asleep in the nest. Pebblebreeze looked up from what she was doing and saw Brackenpaw. " Hello Brackenpaw " She meowed. " I've just come to make sure Stormkit was alright " Brackenpaw said, padding over to the nest. The grey kit was gently snoring. Pebblebreeze nodded and went back to what she was doing. " Rabbitkit " She turned round. " Could you fetch me some large leaves to put this mixture in " Rabbitkit nodded happily and bounced out of the den. Pebblebreeze purred as she watched him go. " I know he's going to be a good apprentice " She meowed. Brackenpaw quickly looked at Stormkit who hadn't moved and then padded out. He looked into the sky. It was almost Sunhigh. He went over to the fresh kill pile and chose a mouse for himself and padded over to were Rowanpaw was eating alone. " Hi " Brackenpaw meowed. " Hello " Rowanpaw replied, taking a bite out of her vole. Brackenpaw bent down to eat his mouse when he noticed something in it's side. The mouse had markings in its side. There were five claw marks on its side and then there was another one claw mark that was separated to the rest. " Thats weird " Rowanpaw meowed, looking over his shoulder. Brackenpaw shrugged. " Perhaps whichever cat caught it scored claw marks down its side " He said. Rowanpaw nodded and are up the last of her vole. " See you later " She meowed, walking over to Tigerwillow. A few moments later, Lakepaw ran over to Brackenpaw, her eyes sparkling. " Rowanpaw likes you " She announced to him. An embarrassed shiver went through Brackenpaw. " No she doesn't, We're just friends " He replied to his sister. " She's always going on patrol with you and always eating prey with you " Lakepaw padded round Brackenpaw. " Well your always winding round Sorrelpaw! " Brackenpaw retorted. Lakepaw didn't reply for a few moments as if she was thinking what to say. " She likes you! " Lakepaw purred quickly and ran off before Brackenpaw could reply. Brackenpaw quickly ate a mouthful of his mouse before anyone could interrupt him. The mouse had an odd taste. It started to feel like a sharp claw was scraping down his throat as he swallowed. That felt horrible! Brackenpaw thought, picking up the mouse and walking out of the camp to throw the rest away. His throat still hurt. Brackenpaw padded back into camp. He was assigned to the Sunhigh patrol and he didn't want to get into trouble for missing it. " There you are Brackenpaw! " Emberfoot called. " I saw you a few moments ago and when I looked back you'd disappeared! Anyway, Your on hunting patrol with Kinkcloud and Antnose " She meowed. Brackenpaw went and joined his patrol. " Where are we going to hunt? " Antnose asked. " I think we'll go near Twoleg Place " Kinkcloud told her patrol. Brackenpaw nodded and padded out of camp. As they walked through the forest, a trickle of rain began to fall. " Not rain " Brackenpaw groaned. " It'll scare all the prey away " " And get our pelts wet " Antnose added. Brackenpaw kept his head low. Now the rain had really started to fall. " Ok, Spread out and hunt " Kinkcloud stopped and meowed. Brackenpaw walked up to a large pine tree, hoping to find a squirrel or two. He scented one and scanned the area. Then Brackenpaw spotted it round the back of the pine trees and began to stalk it. The squirrel didn't hear or see him. Brackenpaw leapt at it but the squirrel quickly escaped. But it wasn't fast enough and Brackenpaw scored his claws across his prey. Got it! He took his squirrel back to where Kinkcloud had said to split up and dropped it. I'll collect it later. He padded back to the pine and then he scanned the leaves and saw a vole. Brackenpaw dropped into hunters crouch and stalked it. He went to lash out his paw and then heard a snarl behind him. " What are you doing here? " |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 10, 2016 8:43:46 GMT -5
Chapter 14Brackenpaw whipped around and saw a black tom glaring at him with unsheathed claws.
" No " Brackenpaw growled unsheathing his claws. " What are you doing here? " " I'm just looking around- You know, Looking for an easy fight " The tom looked around. Brackenpaw looked at the tom in surprise. He had a coller, he was a kittypet. Why was he looking for a fight! " Your in NightClan territory " Brackenpaw told the tom. " ' Your in NightClan territory ' " The tom mimicked. " I can do what I like. And if you don't let me stay, I'll rip you to pieces " He growled. Brackenpaw snorted. " Rip me to pieces? I'd like to see you try! " He growled back. Antnose and Kinkcloud ran in before the tom could strike. " What's going on? " Antnose asked. " And who are you? " She narrowed her eyes at the tom. " I'm Claws " He growled. " And I have my name for a reason " Claws flicked his tail to his claws. " Well your on our territory " Kinkcloud stepped forward. Claws glared sharply at the black and white warrior. Then he took a step back, realising if it came to a fight he would be outnumbered, and began to walk back towards Twoleg place. Then Claws looked over his shoulder. " Don't think this is over " He snarled. " I will be back. And trust me- next time I won't be letting you get away with it so easily " Claws bared his teeth and then ran away. Brackenpaw watched the black tom leave and then turned back to his Clanmates. " Let's head back to camp " Kinkcloud meowed. " Me and Antnose caught two mice between us. Did you get anything? " " I caught a squirrel " Brackenpaw replied. " Well done " Kinkcloud purred. Brackenpaw went back and picked up his squirrel, which had been soaked by the rain. The rain had began to stop now. " Should we warn Gorsestar about Claws? " Brackenpaw asked. Antnose nodded. " Do you think he'll fight him? " Brackenpaw meowed. " Probably not. But if Claws does attack us, then we'll fight back " Antnose replied. Brackenpaw nodded and walked back to camp with his patrol. He stepped into camp and walked over to the fresh kill pile. He dropped his squirrel, feeling proud. Goldpetal's kits ran up to him. " Did you catch that? " Badgerkit asked. Brackenpaw nodded and the black and white tom's eyes widened in amazement. " When I'm a warrior I'll catch a squirrel way bigger than that " Foxkit puffed out his chest. Brackenpaw walked back to his patrol. Antnose and Kinkcloud were talking about Claws to Gorsestar. Gorsestar was nodding. " So Claws seems like a threat " He meowed. The two she cats nodded. " I'll tell patrols to keep an eye on Twoleg Place " Gorsestar said and walked away across the clearing. " Brackenpaw " Kinkcloud turned to her apprentice. " Darkstep needs searching for ticks " She told him. " Ok " Brackenpaw said with fake excitement. He headed for the medicine den to collect mouse-bile. Pebblebreeze was in there talking to Rabbitkit. " Tonight is half-moon so I'm going to go to the Shimmer Rock to meet the other medicine cats. Will you look after the camp while I'm gone? " She asked. Rabbitkit nodded. " I'll look after the Clan! " He mewed, Puffing out his chest. " Good " Pebblebreeze purred. Then she looked up and saw Brackenpaw. " What can I do for you? " She asked. " I need mouse bile " Brackenpaw replied. Pebblebreeze scanned her herbs and then took a bundle of moss. " Here " She handed him the bundle. " You know how to use it- Dab the bile where the ticks are and they will fall off " " Thank you! " Brackenpaw walked out of the den and across the clearing to the elders den. He stepped inside. Darkstep was dosing in his nest. " I've come to get rid of your ticks " Brackenpaw meowed. Darkstep lifted his head. " About time! " He grumbled, Sitting up. Brackenpaw began to search the black tom's pelt. He spotted a few and dabbed the bile on them. A few moments later the ticks fell off. " Would you like to hear a story? " Brackenpaw was surprised to hear the elder ask. " Yes please! " Brackenpaw meowed. " I'll tell you about our worst battle with BreezeClan. Many cats died that day, Including my most of my kin and my friends. Riverstar wasn't leader then. A cat named Talonstar was. BreezeClan accused us for prey stealing and they attacked us. We weren't prepared. Cats from both Clans died. My friend Duskwhisker died too. I hope nothing like that ever happens again. I miss my kin so much...... " Darkstep's words trailed away with sadness. Brackenpaw hadn't realised that had happened to Darkstep. I always assumed he was just a grumpy cat. I never knew what he'd been through. Brackenpaw didn't know what to say. " They're not gone... They are all in StarClan.... Watching over us " Brackenpaw couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose all your kin. I'd be so sad if i lost Lakepaw and Rainpaw. And Mossflight. I already lost Ravenwing before I knew him. He shook the awful thoughts out of his head. But that will never happen! I will protect my kin and my Clanmates for as long as I live! My kin will always be with me and not even SilverClan can change that!
|
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 10, 2016 8:54:06 GMT -5
Chapter 15
Brackenpaw played with Stormkit outside the nursery. Stormkit had recovered from his cold. Quite a few sunrises had passed since Brackenpaw's encounter with Claws. The tom still hadn't attacked and Brackenpaw was beginning to think he wouldn't at all. No cat had seen Katy in their territory yet. Stormkit seemed to be enjoying Clan life and even talks about becoming an apprentice. Brackenpaw saw Goldpetal's kits padding towards him and Stormkit. " Hey kittypet! " Foxkit mewed. " Want to play BreezeClan vs NightClan or is that too rough for a soft little kitty like you? " The kit mocked. Stormkit looked at his paws sadly. " Look! There's a badger! Gonna run back to your twolegs? " Shrewkit mocked. Brackenpaw was surprised at how unkind the kits were being to him. He looked at Rabbitkit, Squirrelkit and Badgerkit who hadn't said anything. Rabbitkit was staring at the ground. Squirrelkit was looking at her paws and Badgerkit just stared at Stormkit. " What's wrong? Can't fi- " Shrewkit was cut off. " That's enough! " Brackenpaw growled. " Don't be so unkind to Stormkit! " " Yes. There's nothing wrong with being a kittypet " Rabbitkit walked forward and stepped in front of Stormkit. " Just leave him alone! " Squirrelkit went and stood next to Rabbitkit. Badgerkit didn't move. Foxkit and Shrewkit glared at their littermates and at Brackenpaw. Then they stormed away. " Are you ok? " Squirrelkit looked at Stormkit and stroked her tail down his back. " Yes. But I don't need protecting. I can manage just fine on my own " Stormkit replied. Squirrelkit looked rather hurt. " But they were bullying you! " She mewed. " I already said, I can manage fine on my own! " Stormkit repeated and walked off. Squirrelkit watched him walk away. " Don't worry, He's probably just upset because he was being bullied " Brackenpaw told the ginger she-kit. " I can't believe we're related to them " Rabbitkit muttered. At that moment, Stormkit walked back. " Stormkit I'm just going to hunt, Rabbitkit and Squirrelkit with make sure Foxkit and Shrewkit don't bully you again " Brackenpaw meowed. He saw anger flash through Stormkit's eyes. " I don't need looking after! I'm not a whimp and I don't need help! Just leave me alone! " He shouted angrily. Brackenpaw saw Squirrelkit flinch at Stormkit's angry tone. Stormkit turned his back to Brackenpaw. " Just leave me alone " Stormkit sounded upset. Brackenpaw slowly walked away and went over to Emberfoot. " Do you want me to go in patrol? " He asked. Emberfoot nodded. " You can join the Sunset patrol " She replied. Brackenpaw heard the bracken and brambles by the camp entrance rustle. He gasped as he saw Sorrelpaw stumble into camp. Boulderpelt and Kinkcloud followed. " What happened? " Brackenpaw heard Goldpetal gasp. Sorrelpaw collapsed in the middle of the clearing. Pebblebreeze walked out of the medicine den and quickly went to Sorrelpaw. The young tom up deep wounds all over him and blood everywhere on his pelt. He had a torn ear as well. " What happened? " Pebblebreeze asked, Looking up at Boulderpelt and Kinkcloud. " We were on hunting patrol and we split up to hunt. Me and Kinkcloud waited for Sorrelpaw to hunt. He was taking a long time so we went to look for him. Then we found him like this on the ground " Boulderpelt meowed. Pebblebreeze nodded and looked down at Sorrelpaw. " Can you tell me what you saw? Do you know who or what did this to you? " She asked. Sorrelpaw opened his mouth and slowly began to speak. " I.... I saw a..... black cat..... it was a.... tom..... it attacked..... me and I..... wasn't fast.... enough " He stammered, clearly still in shock. A shiver ran through Brackenpaw. " Claws " He said quietly. " Who? " Pebblebreeze asked. " Claws " Brackenpaw spoke louder. " The kittypet I fou- " " Kit....Kittypet! " Sorrelpaw growled. " I was beaten..... by a kittypet! " He looked shocked and embarrassed. Brackenpaw nodded. He saw Gorsestar padding through the crowd of cats. " We need to make sure this doesn't happen again " He called. " From now, Do not split up to hunt " Gorsestar said. Most of the Clan didn't agree with what he had said. " Why are we letting some kittypet stop us from doing what we usually do? " Scalepelt called. " Yes. We should fight this 'Claws ' " Tigerwillow meowed. Gorsestar shook his head. " For now, We shall do as I say. If Claws does manage to strike again, I won't let him get away with it " *** Brackenpaw curled up in his nest. Sorrelpaw was sleeping in the medicine den so that Pebblebreeze could keep an eye on him. Brackenpaw closed his eyes. When he opened them he found himself in a field of green grass. It was the same one as in his last dream! " Ravenwing? " Brackenpaw called, wondering if his father was there. He heard pawsteps behind him. Brackenpaw turned round and saw Ravenwing. He was happy to see him again. " Hello " Brackenpaw purred. But Ravenwing's eyes were dark. " Have you forgotten what I told you? " He asked. Brackenpaw shook his head. " I must stop the dark evil " He replied. Ravenwing nodded. " But remember, Some claws are sharper than you think " He meowed. Brackenpaw tipped his head in confusion. " What? " He asked. " Isn't a claw a claw? " " Some claws are sharper than you think " Ravenwing repeated. Brackenpaw thought for a while. Wait! Did he mean Claws the kittypet? Brackenpaw opened his mouth to speak but Ravenwing was fading. " Wait! Do you mean Claws the kittypet? " He called. But Ravenwing had already gone. Some claws are sharper than you think. But what does that mean?
|
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 10, 2016 9:01:03 GMT -5
Chapter 16 Brackenpaw walked through the forest with Rainpaw and Lakepaw. Their mentors had said they could hunt in the forest together- As long as they didn't split up. Sorrelpaw was in the medicine den with Pebblebreeze after being attacked a few sunrises before. He was already well enough to complain about being stuck in there and Pebblebreeze had told the calico tom he would be aloud to sleep in his own nest tonight. The one thing was, Lakepaw hadn't stopped talking about Sorrelpaw. " Poor Sorrelpaw! I hope he's going to be ok! Wouldn't it be awful to lose such a strong apprentice like him! " She had meowed. " Stop talking! " Brackenpaw had groaned. " He'll be fine! " Rainpaw had said. " I see a squirrel! " Lakepaw meowed so loudly that the squirrel ran away before Brackenpaw had even seen it. " Oh.... It ran away " She said with a disappoint look on her face. " There will be plenty more squirrels in the forest " Brackenpaw meowed. Lakepaw nodded and raced forward. " Wait! We're not aloud to split up! " He called. Lakepaw rolled her eyes. " Stupid rule! " She mewed. " Don't tell me you want Claws to attack you " Brackenpaw caught up with his sister. Rainpaw followed. Then he pricked his ears. " Do you hear that? " He asked. Brackenpaw pricked his ears. He could hear something to. Something was following them. " It's behind us. Behind that bush " Brackenpaw whispered. Lakepaw and Rainpaw nodded. Lakepaw crept closer. She peered round the bush. Brackenpaw heard a squeak of shock. A grey kit padded out from behind. " Stormkit! " Brackenpaw meowed in surprise. " What are you doing out here? " He asked. " I came to help you hunt! " Stormkit puffed out his chest. Brackenpaw mind flashed to when he was a kit. He'd fallen into a hole and the warriors had had to get him out. But I can't let that happen to Stormkit. " You can't stay out here! " Brackenpaw told him. " But I want to help! " Stormkit protested. " Lakepaw, Could you get him back to camp " Brackenpaw looked up at his sister. The tortoiseshell she-cat nodded. " Come on Stormkit " She mewed. " But- " Stormkit tried to speak but Lakepaw cut him off. " Come on " She repeated, padding forward quickly. Stormkit stormed after her. " It's not fair " He muttered quietly. When they had behind the bushes, Brackenpaw turned round. But Rainpaw wasn't there. " Rainpaw? " He called. Rainpaw didn't reply.
We were supposed to stick together! Then suddenly, a shriek split the air. " Rainpaw! " Brackenpaw called again, this time with panic in his meow. He raced to were the shriek had come from. Then he came to a clearing with some bushes. In the middle of the clearing, Rainpaw was in the ground with Claws standing over him. Two kittypets were standing behind him. " I told you I'd be back " Claws snarled. Brackenpaw stared at Rainpaw in horror. His brother was still breathing. " Get out of here! " Brackenpaw snarled. Claws looked back at the two kittypets. " Your a bit outnumbered " Claws's eyes gleamed. The two kittypets unsheathed their claws. " I'll fight if I have to " Brackenpaw growled. " Oh I won't fight you " Claws stepped forward. " Want to make a deal? You and your group of cats let us stay here and take prey, and we won't injure another one of your cats " The tom flicked his tail to where Rainpaw lay on the ground. " Never. This is NightClan's territory " Brackenpaw hissed to him. " Then we'll continue to hurt your cats! " One of the kittypets stepped forward, beside claws. " I'll deal with this, Jay " Claws turned round to the the. Jay dipped his head and stepped back. " We won't let you get away with this! " Brackenpaw growled. " You already have. Twice! " Claws turned and began to pad away. The two kittypets followed. " Wolf, Make sure he doesn't follow us " Claws meowed. The dark grey she cat nodded. She looked over her shoulder as she followed Claws and Jay. But Brackenpaw wasn't bothered about following them. He quickly padded to Rainpaw's body. The tortoiseshell tom had many deep wounds with blood gushing out from all of them. Brackenpaw tried to remember what stopped blood. Moss? He wasn't sure but he raced to the Moss Rock and scraped some off. Brackenpaw ran back to his brother and held it over his worst wound. " I need to get you to camp " He said quietly. Brackenpaw was sure Rainpaw couldn't stand so he dragged his brother slowly across the forest by the scruff. It took him a while to get to camp but he made it. " You just need to go through the bracken and bramble tunnel now " Brackenpaw told Rainpaw. But he didn't reply. Brackenpaw dragged Rainpaw through the tunnel and into the clearing. The Clan were sharing tongues. Mossflight looked up and Brackenpaw saw her eyes darken. " My kit! " She shrieked, running up to her son. " What happened to him? " She began to lick Rainpaw. " Claws attacked again " Brackenpaw replied. " Pebblebreeze! Get Pebblebreeze! " Mossflight cried but Brackenpaw saw the medicine cat coming out of her den. " Is he going to be ok? " Brackenpaw asked. Pebblebreeze nodded. " Scalepelt, Iceheart, bring him to my den " She meowed to the two warriors. They picked up Rainpaw and carried him to Pebblebreeze's den. A few moments later they returned. Brackenpaw saw Gorsestar watching from the high rock. " Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a Clan meeting! " His voice rang through the camp. All the cats were already there because of Rainpaw. " Claws has attacked again " Gorsestar began. " And Rainpaw was attacked. This is the second time and we cannot let more cats be attacked " " So are we going to fight him? " Eeltail asked. " Yes. We won't need many cats because it's just one cat " Gorsestar meowed. " Wait " Brackenpaw called. " It's not just Claws. He had two kittypets with him named Jay and Wolf " " Those are unusual names for kittypets " Darkstep commented. " Then we'll need a few warriors. There may be more cats than just three " Gorsestar meowed. " When will we attack? " Swiftpaw asked. Gorsestar looked down at the cats. " We shall attack tonight! " |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 10, 2016 9:13:01 GMT -5
Chapter 17 " The cats that will be fighting are Emberfoot, Boulderpelt, Scalepelt, Antnose, Kinkcloud, Mossflight, Rowanpaw, Swiftpaw, Brackenpaw and Lakepaw " Gorsestar called. " And me " Sorrelpaw walked up to the Clan leader. " Are you sure your well enough? " Gorsestar asked. Sorrelpaw nodded. " And Sorrelpaw " Gorsestar meowed. " Your taking All the apprentices? " Boulderpelt asked. " Yes. It's not every day you get to fight a kittypet. It will be good training for them. To learn kittypets's strengths and weaknesses. " Gorsestar replied. " Strengths? " Sorrelpaw snorted. " You should know they have strengths. You've been attacked by one " Boulderpelt told his apprentice. " Cats that have been called, gather hear at Moonrise " Gorsestar said before jumping off the Highrock. Brackenpaw began to pad away. Then he saw Kinkcloud running up to him. " You need to eat and then rest before the fight" She meowed. " I don't want to eat. I haven't caught anything today for my Clan " Brackenpaw replied to his mentor. " Don't worry. The warriors have caught plenty today " Kinkcloud said. Brackenpaw padded over to the fresh kill pile and chose a sparrow for himself. He sat down and took a bite. The juicy meat tasted delicious. Brackenpaw quickly ate his sparrow and padded to the Apprentices den. Lakepaw was already asleep in there. Brackenpaw curled up next to his sister and quickly fell asleep. " Brackenpaw, It's time for the Battle " Brackenpaw opened his eyes and saw Kinkcloud leaning over him. " Coming " Brackenpaw padded out of his nest and stretched. He looked outside. The moon shone above the camp. Brackenpaw went over to where a group of cats stood waiting by the camp entrance. " Why are we waiting so long? " He heard Sorrelpaw grumble. " Because not everyone is here yet " Boulderpelt meowed. Brackenpaw watched as Gorsestar leapt down from the High Rock. " Is everyone here? " He asked. Emberfoot scanned the cats. " Yes " She meowed. " Then follow me " Gorsestar padded through the bracken tunnel. " And quietly " He added. Brackenpaw walked forward with the cats. He was half-nervous and half-excited. My first battle! Brackenpaw thought. Claws won't be expecting this! He bounded forward and past Rowanpaw. " Excited? " She purred. " Quite. But kittypets can be dangerous " Brackenpaw replied. Rowanpaw nodded. Brackenpaw stared ahead. They were near the edge of the forest. " Ok. We're close to Twoleg Place. Keep an eye open for kittypets " Emberfoot called back. Brackenpaw sniffed the air. There was a faint smell of kittypet from earlier that day. There was a stronger scent. " We're at the edge of our territory. When I give a tail signal, Slowly walk out of the bushes. We'll head up and ambush the kittypets " Gorsestar ordered. The Clan leader waited a few moments and then flicked his tail. Brackenpaw leapt forward. His Clanmates leapt beside him. Brackenpaw felt a cold shiver run through him when he saw Claws sitting in the Twoleg fence with many other kittypets beside him. " I knew you'd come " Claws looked down at the Clan cats and then looked at Brackenpaw. " I see you've brought some friend with you " He meowed. " Well, meet my friends. You- small tabby one down there- have met Jay and Wolf already " Claws flicked his tail to the two cats and they stood up. " And there are also Fox, Night, Sparrow, Shrew, Talon, Flame, Tiger, Fang and Slash " The nine cats stood up. Great SilverClan! There are so many of them! They can't be kittypets, they must be rogues! Thought Brackenpaw in amazement. " Whoever you are, Attack! " Gorsestar yowled. Brackenpaw raced forward. The rogues jumped down from the fence, hissing. Brackenpaw leapt at Fox, a large dark ginger she cat. He raked his. claws across her muzzle. Fox let out a yowl of anger and pain. She scraped her claws down his flank. Brackenpaw fell to the ground. Pain shot through him. Fox got on him and bit down on his shoulder. Brackenpaw tried not to show how much it hurt. He kicked his legs up and landed on his paws. Quickly, Brackenpaw knocked her over and onto the ground. He raked his claws down her chest. Fox screeched. " Let me go! Please! " She pleaded. Brackenpaw bared his teeth. " Stay away from here! " He growled and let go of her. The ginger she cat got up and raced to help Tiger. She tricked me! Brackenpaw thought angrily. " Help! " Brackenpaw whipped round. Lakepaw was lying on the ground. Sparrow had his paw raised with claws unsheathed above her. He's going to kill her! " No! " Brackenpaw yowled and ran into Sparrow. The dark brown tom whipped round, his teeth bared in a snarl. Brackenpaw bit Sparrow's tail and he let out a yowl. Sparrow turned and scraped his claws down Brackenpaw's cheek. He then ran to Claws and said something in the tom's ear. Is he saying they should retreat or that they are winning? Brackenpaw wondered. For a few moments he had a chance to look at the other cats. He couldn't tell who were winning. Lakepaw was fighting Slash alongside Swiftpaw. Antnose was struggling to fight Night and Scalepelt was limping across the clearing to help her. Brackenpaw stared over to where Claws was. He was fighting Gorsestar. " Stay off our territory " Gorsestar snarled. " Never! " Claws hissed. " Me and my cats will do what we like! " He slashed his claws across Gorsestar's muzzle. But the Clan leader ignored it. Gorsestar kicked up powerfully with his hind legs and landed on four paws. He leapt at Claws, knocking the black tom over. Gorsestar pinned Claws down with one paw and raised his other paw- claws unsheathed- in the air. " Stay off our territory " He repeated. " No! This is our land! " Claws growled. " I will kill you " Gorsestar growled back. Brackenpaw thought he saw a flash of fear in Claws's eyes. " Retreat! " He yowled to the other rogues. They quickly rushed to join Claws. They leapt onto the fence and then disappeared into Twoleg Place. " We won! " Rowanpaw meowed excitedly. Gorsestar nodded. " But they were harder to defeat than I thought " He meowed. Then he started walking back towards camp. His Clan slowly followed. Brackenpaw padded up to Kinkcloud. She was limping and bleeding from a wound on her shoulder. " Are you ok? " He asked his mentor. " I'll live " Kinkcloud replied. Then her eyes lit up. " I saw you save Lakepaw from Sparrow, Well done! " " Thank you " Brackenpaw mewed. I learned from the best. |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 10, 2016 9:24:00 GMT -5
Chapter 18 Brackenpaw stepped into camp. Stormkit quickly bounced up to him. " Did you win? " He squeaked. " We did " Brackenpaw replied. " Yay! " Stormkit mewed. Goldpetal ran up to him. " There you are Stormkit! " She meowed. " You shouldn't have run out of the nursery without saying where you were going! " " Sorry Mother " Stormkit looked at the ground. Brackenpaw felt an odd feeling going through him. Stormkit called Goldpetal mother. The Clan were beginning to think Stormkit's mother wouldn't come back. Stormkit didn't seem to mind. He seemed as forest-born as any other kit. " But they won! " Stormkit mewed cheerfully. " That's great! " Goldpetal purred. She looked at the cats in the clearing. " Is Boulderpelt ok? " " I am " Boulderpelt meowed behind the ginger she cat. Brackenpaw padded away and headed towards the medicine den to make sure his brother was alright. " Hello Rainpaw " He walked into the den. " Brackenpaw! " Rainpaw lifted his head from his nest. " How did the battle go? " " It went well. We scared those kittypets right back to Twoleg Place! " Brackenpaw meowed excitedly. " I wish I could have fought them. It sounded fun " Rainpaw looked disappointed. " Dangers won't go away. There will be other battles for sure " Brackenpaw tried to cheer his brother up. " Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a Clan meeting! " Brackenpaw pricked his ears at Gorsestar's call. " I got to go. See you l-- " Brackenpaw was cut off by Rainpaw. " I can walk you know! I'm coming to this Clan meeting! " He hopped out of his nest and limped to the den entrance. Brackenpaw followed him out and sat down next to Rainpaw and Rowanpaw. " Cats of NightClan " Gorsestar began when every cat was seated. " Tonight we fought the kittypets. We won and they won't be coming on our territory any time soon " " We came out of our dens just for you to say that? " Darkstep grumbled from outside the Elders den. " No, you didn't. We couldn't have won the Battle without three cats. Sorrelpaw, Swiftpaw and Rowanpaw, come forward " Gorsestar meowed. Brackenpaw watched as the three apprentices padded into the clearing. " Tigerwillow, Boulderpelt and Iceheart. Do you think these three apprentices have completed their warrior training and are ready to become warriors " Gorsestar asked. Brackenpaw watched with excitement. Their warrior ceremonies! " Rowanpaw has trained excellently. She is ready to be a warrior " Tigerwillow meowed. " Same for Swiftpaw " Iceheart said. " And Sorrelpaw " Boulderpelt looked up at Gorsestar. Gorsestar nodded and looked Rowanpaw. " I, Gorsestar, Leader of NightClan call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on 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. Rowanpaw, Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan at the cost of you life? " " I do " Rowanpaw called loud and confidently. " Then by the powers of SilverClan, I give you your Warrior name. Rowanpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Rowanflame. SilverClan honours your courage and your determination and we we welcome you as a full warrior of NightClan! " Gorsestar rested his muzzle on Rowanflame's head and she gave him a lick on his shoulder in return. " Swiftpaw, come forward " The young black and white tom padded to stand next to Rowanflame. " I, Gorsestar, Leader of NightClan call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Swiftpaw, Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan at the cost of you life? " " I do " Swiftpaw mewed nervously. " Then by the powers of SilverClan, I give you your Warrior name. Swiftpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Swiftcloud, SilverClan honours your hunting-skills and your loyalty and we welcome you as a full warrior of NightClan! " Gorsestar called and Swiftcloud dipped his head to the Clan leader. " And last, but not least, Sorrelpaw come forward " Sorrelpaw stood up tall as he padded forward. " I, Gorsestar, Leader of NightClan call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Sorrelpaw, Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan at the cost of you life? " " I do " Sorrelpaw meowed. " Then by the powers of SilverClan I give you your Warrior name. Sorrelpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Sorrelfoot, SilverClan honours your strength and your bravery and we welcome you as a full warrior of NightClan! " " Rowanflame! Swiftcloud! Sorrelfoot! " The Clan cheered. Brackenpaw joined in. After the cheering died down, Gorsestar spoke again. " Tonight we shall feast! There is plenty of prey on the pile because Tigerwillow and Iceheart went hunting while we were gone " He flicked his tail to the fresh-kill pile and then to the two she cats. The Clan yowled agreement and rushed to the pile of prey. Swiftcloud padded over with Rowanflame behind him. Sorrelfoot slowly padded over to Lakepaw. " Your a warrior! " Lakepaw purred. " Yea, but Sunheart should have been watching me and Sootkit and Sagekit should have been beside me. " Sorrelfoot meowed, remembering his family that had all died of an unknown sickness that had killed many cats. Sorrelfoot had been lucky not to get it. " But their with you. In your heart " Lakepaw said gently and rested her tail on his shoulder. " Thanks " Sorrelfoot blinked at her fondly. "Come on, Lets go and find the juiciest piece of prey! " He bounded over to the fresh-kill pile with Lakepaw by his side. Brackenpaw padded over to the prey. He picked a thrush and went over to Rainpaw, Swiftcloud and Rowanflame. " Hi Brackenpaw! " Swiftcloud meowed. " Like my new warrior name? " " It's awesome! " Brackenpaw purred. " I wonder what mine will be " " Don't you remember? Yours is going to be bracken-eatmouse. Wait no, bracken-eatthrush " Rainpaw joked. I wonder what it will be? Brackenfur, Brackentail, Brackenstripe, Brackencloud, Brackenfoot....... But it's a long way a way. Kinkcloud still has a lot to train me! Brackenpaw curled up in his nest. Lakepaw was already snoring and Rainpaw was having one last night in the medicine cat den. It felt empty with only two cats. But Brackenpaw quickly fell asleep. He woke up in a dream. The same meadow as in the previous dreams. Not again! He thought. Hadn't Ravenwing told him enough? Brackenpaw blinked and a SilverClan she cat appeared in front of him. This time it wasn't Ravenwing. " Who are you? " Brackenpaw asked the starry cat. " I'm Acornpelt, your mother's mother " The she cat blinked at him with kind, green eyes. " And I've come to tell you your destiny " " But I already know my destiny " Brackenpaw tipped his head in confusion. " It's more dangerous than you think " Acornpelt warned. " You must not get close to any cat. Even the ones you trust the most " " What do you mean? My friends would never betray me! " Brackenpaw felt his voice raise in anger. Then he remembered something. The claw! Ravenwing told me that 'Some claws are sharper than you think' " Wait. Ravenwing told me about a claw. What did he mean. I thought he might have meant Claws the kittypet but we fought him we won " Brackenpaw meowed. " Just because you've won, doesn't always mean you've won peace " Acornpelt replied. Frustration sparked in Brackenpaw. Why did SilverClan always have to speak in a complicated way? " Do you mean the kittypets will return? " Brackenpaw asked, trying to stay calm. " Just because you've won, doesn't always mean you've won peace " Acornpelt repeated and began to fade. Brackenpaw didn't call her back, she wasn't going to say anymore. I can't trust my friends? How can I become a Warrior if I can't even trust my own Clanmates? And who might betray me..... |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 10, 2016 9:45:33 GMT -5
Chapter 19 " Remember, Brackenpaw! Keep your tail in the air! " Kinkcloud meowed for the fifth time. Brackenpaw had missed yet another vole. Kinkcloud looked at her apprentice. " Are you ok? You've seemed very distracted recently. Is something up? " She asked gently. Brackenpaw knew exactly what was wrong. I can't get what Acornpelt told me out of my mind! The recent dream had distracted him from everything. " I'm fine, I'm just a little tired I guess " Brackenpaw replied. " Let's try again. Try and find another vole and this time, keep your tail in the air! " Kinkcloud meowed. Brackenpaw sniffed the air as he padded through the forest. He picked up a mouse-scent and followed it. Brackenpaw saw the mouse in the leaves. He dropped into hunters crouch and crept closer. Brackenpaw leapt at the mouse and landed on top of it. It squealed beneath his paw. " Kinkcloud! Look! I caught one! " Brackenpaw called. His mentor padded out from behind a bush. " Well done " She purred. " I wonder who eats it. Imagine if- " Brackenpaw cut himself off as he watched the mouse run from underneath his paw. He felt embarrassment creep through his fur. Kinkcloud just looked at him. " Don't worry. Just remember to concentrate on your prey, not on your talking " She meowed. Kinkcloud was such a patient mentor and Brackenpaw was glad to have her. " Okay " Brackenpaw replied. He padded away towards the CedarClan border. Perhaps I'll find something there. When he got to the border, he quickly picked up a scent. But it wasn't prey. It was cat scent! Two cats appeared- One was a silver tabby and the other was black and white. " What are you doing here? " Brackenpaw growled. The two cats looked at him. The black and white tom's eyes were wide. " Your guilty! " He hissed. " Trespassers! " Before Brackenpaw had a chance to lunge at the two cats, Kinkcloud burst out of the bushes. " Brackenpaw! What are you doing? " She stared at her apprentice. " These cats are trespassing! " Brackenpaw meowed. " No their not! " Kinkcloud replied and then turned to the two cats. " I apologize, Minnowshine " " What are you doing? " Brackenpaw asked Kinkcloud. " Their on our territory! " " Their medicine cats! They have permission! " Kinkcloud told him sharply, clearly embarrassed. " I assume your here to see Pebblebreeze " Kinkcloud meowed. Minnowshine nodded. " Follow me " Kinkcloud led the way. " Thank you, Kinkcloud. Badgerpaw has had a dream that he needs to discuss with her " Minnowshine dipped her head and followed Kinkcloud. Brackenpaw narrowed his eyes as the three cats padded towards camp. I'll go with them, Just in case....Brackenpaw bounded to them and fell in next to Badgerpaw. He padded with them until they got to the camp. A warm sun shone down on the clearing and the Clan were sharing tongues. Goldpetal's kits were playing outside the nursery, Darkstep was lying outside his den in the sun, Eeltail and Iceheart were sitting side by side. The two mates were sharing a squirrel. Brackenpaw watched as Kinkcloud led Minnowshine and Badgerpaw into Pebblebreeze's den. He stayed in the clearing and turned to the fresh-kill pile. All that was on the pile was two voles and a young blackbird. Swiftcloud was lying next to it, Eating up the last few scraps of a mouse. " I'm just about to go hunting " The young warrior called to him. He beckoned Brackenpaw with his tail. " Would you like to come with me? " He asked. Brackenpaw nodded. A bit of hunting with Swiftcloud might take his mind off things. " Sure " Brackenpaw bounded up to the black and white tom and followed him out of camp. " So, Do you know what the two BreezeClan cats are doing here? " Swiftcloud asked as he padded through the trees. " Minnowshine said Badgerpaw had had a dream that he needs to discuss with Pebblebreeze " Brackenpaw replied. " So, where do you want to hunt? " " I'm not sure. Perhaps over near The Gathering Place " Swiftcloud suggested. Brackenpaw nodded and broke into a run. Swiftcloud quickly over took him though. " That's why I'm called Swiftcloud " He purred. Brackenpaw slowed down and trotted to the Gathering Place hill with Swiftcloud right behind him. " Sparrow! " Swiftcloud meowed quickly. Brackenpaw could scent it too. He scanned the trees for it. Swiftcloud saw it first and bunched his muscles ready to jump into the tree. He leapt up onto the lowest branch and climbed higher and higher until he was on the same branch as the sparrow. For a moment Brackenpaw's mind flashed back to when Rowanflame had fallen out of the Great Pine. Swiftcloud is a warrior and this tree is a lot smaller than the Great Pine.Swiftcloud carefully padded along the branch. He leapt at the sparrow. It let out a startled squawk that was cut off when Swiftcloud bite into its neck. He jumped down onto the ground with his prey in his jaws. " Nice catch " Brackenpaw mewed. " Thanks " Swiftcloud replied. He dropped the sparrow and covered it with leaves. " I'll collect it later " He said and trotted deeper into the forest. Brackenpaw walked after him, sniffing the air for prey. " I'm going to look over by the Monster Track " Swiftcloud meowed. Brackenpaw nodded went forward. Brackenpaw looked ahead and saw a grey shape disappear behind an oak tree. It was a squirrel. He crouched and stalked the it. Please SilverClan, let me catch this prey! The Clan needs it and Kinkcloud would be so proud! Brackenpaw silently prayed as he crept forward. Then suddenly, he heard a crack. Beneath his paw was a broken twig. Mouse-dung! The squirrel heard him and raced across the ground. Brackenpaw thought quickly and charged after it. The squirrel ran up the tree but Brackenpaw leapt and reached out his paw, swiping the squirrel. It fell the the ground and cried desperately. But Brackenpaw quickly sank his claws into his prey. The squirrel twitched and then lay still. Brackenpaw crouched next to his catch. Thank you SilverClan for giving us this prey. He mewed the words Kinkcloud had said after she had caught prey. Then he heard Swiftcloud bounding through the trees. The black and white tom had his sparrow with him. His eyes widened when he saw the squirrel. " That's massive " Swiftcloud exclaimed and dropped the squirrel. " Its an average squirrel " Brackenpaw mumbled feeling Swiftcloud staring at him and then at the squirrel. Brackenpaw grabbed the squirrel's tail and began to drag it back to camp. It was quite heavy and when Brackenpaw got to camp his jaws ached. " I'm going to take this to Goldpetal and the kits " He meowed to Swiftcloud through a mouthful squirrel-fur. Swiftcloud nodded and went over to the fresh-kill pile to put down his sparrow. Brackenpaw dragged the squirrel across the clearing and into the nursery. The kits raced up to him and bounced round his paws, mewing, " Did you catch that? " " Can I have the first bite! " " That looks yucky! " Brackenpaw heard the mew of Stormkit. " I don't want to eat that! I want milk " " You don't have to eat it if you don't want to " Goldpetal meowed gently. Stormkit looked more cheerful and sat down. Brackenpaw gave the large squirrel to Goldpetal. The ginger tabby queen thanked him and he walked out. At this same moment, Minnowshine and Badgerpaw were coming out of the medicine cat den. Gorsestar was padding out of the leaders den. " Kinkcloud, Brackenpaw, Escort them to the border " He meowed. Brackenpaw walked up to the two BreezeClan cats. Kinkcloud was behind him. Every cat was silent as they walked through the forest. Brackenpaw was itching to know more about Badgerpaw's dream. But he didn't speak. " Thank you for escorting us " Minnowshine dipped her head to Kinkcloud when they had come to the border. Kinkcloud nodded to her and watched the two cats cross the border back into their territory. Brackenpaw felt better without the two cats in their territory now and he meowed to Kinkcloud, " Today I caught a squirrel! " " Really? Well done! " Kinkcloud praised. " I gave it to Goldpetal and the kits. Stormkit didn't want it- He said it looked yucky! " Brackenpaw purred. " When I was a kit, Treeleaf, One of the Clan warriors brought a mouse for me and Antnose- She was Antkit then- to try. I said it looked disgusting! It took Moonshine days to get me to eat mouse! " Brackenpaw saw Kinkcloud gazing ahead, her eyes were bright but he could tell that Kinkcloud was rather sad. Brackenpaw had heard of Moonshine and Treeleaf. They were two warriors killed by a falling tree in a storm before he was born. " Stormkit seems to be fitting into Clan life well " Kinkcloud meowed. " There have been no signs of loners on pir territory though. Maybe Stormkit's mother isn't coming " She said. Brackenpaw hadn't thought about that. Stormkit hadn't mentioned his mother for a while and he was always saying what a great warrior he was going to be. What if he stayed in the Clan forever? As Brackenpaw and Kinkcloud padded into camp, a wail sounded from the nursery. " Where are Stormkit and Squirrelkit! " |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 10, 2016 10:11:27 GMT -5
Chapter 20 Brackenpaw hurried across to the nursery. Whats Stormkit up to now? He thought. A crowd had gathered round the nursery. Goldpetal and her other kits were in the middle of the crowd and Mossflight was giving the queen gentle licks. Shrewkit, Foxkit, Badgerkit and Rabbitkit were hopping round Goldpetal's paws. There was no sign of Squirrelkit or Stormkit. Brackenpaw pushed his way through through the crowd. " Do you have any idea where they went? " Brackenpaw asked. Goldpetal shook her head but Shrewkit and Foxkit stepped forward. " We don't know where they went " Shrewkit mewed. " But we do know why they went " Foxkit announced. " Why did they go? " Goldpetal's meow was full of worry. " Stormkit got upset so he said he wanted Katy back. He said he was going to look for her. Squirrelkit said Stormkit shouldn't go alone so she went with him " Foxkit told the story. " And why did he get upset? " Goldpetal queried. Foxkit and Shrewkit cast guilty looks at each other but didn't say anything. Brackenpaw narrowed his eyes. Let me guess! You were teasing him again! Goldpetal was too worried to notice the two kits' glance at each other. " Please! Find my kits! They could die in this cold weather!" She wailed. " We will " Gorsestar was padding forward. " Boulderpelt, Kinkcloud, Head for the Great Pine. Tigerwillow and Sorrelfoot, you go to the BreezeClan border. And Rowanflame, take Brackenpaw, and go to the Monster Track " He ordered. The cats got into their pairs and quickly hurried out into the forest. Brackenpaw raced towards the Monster Track with Rowanflame by his side. After a while they both ran out of breath and Brackenpaw slowed down, panting. " Stormkit! Squirrelkit! " He yowled, but the only reply was the branches swaying in the breeze. " Where are they? " Rowanflame panted. " We haven't checked the Monster Track yet, they could be there " Brackenpaw meowed. He started trotting quickly through the trees. There was no sign or scent of the two kits and Brackenpaw was beginning to worry about what could have happened to them. By the rank scent, he knew he was getting close to the track. Brackenpaw and Rowanflame pushed through a bush and found themselves on the narrow strip of grass beside the track. Brackenpaw quickly scanned the path. He couldn't see the kits. Rowanflame was looking the other way for them. " I can't see them anywhere " Rowanflame mewed. Suddenly there was a shout from the forest. " Their here! We found them!" Brackenpaw raced as fast has he could through the trees with Rowanflame hard on his paws. They skidded to a halt at the Great Pine, where the shout had comes from. Kinkcloud and Boulderpelt each had a small kit in front of them while Tigerwillow and Sorrelfoot, who had arrived there first, dragged a full grown cat away from the Great Pine. " No! " Stormkit cried. " Don't take her away!" Brackenpaw walked up to Stormkit. Stormkit stared up at him, his eyes full of sorrow. " That's Katy! " He mewed really quietly. " My real mother is gone! " Brackenpaw wasn't sure what to say. " There is fox scent all around here. She would have been killed by a fox " Tigerwillow murmured. Stormkit stumbled forward to his mother's body. " What about my sisters? Where are they? " He mewed. Tigerwillow sighed. " The fox would have taken them to its den. I'm really sorry " She murmured. Stormkit let out a wail. " Why did they die? They were all I had! " He cried and slumped down in the ground. Squirrelkit sat next to him. " It's ok, you still have me " She mewed. Brackenpaw watched as the young she-kit calmed Stormkit down with the stroke of her tail. " Two of us need to bury this 'Katy' somewhere " Boulderpelt meowed. " I'll help " Offered Sorrelfoot. " OK, I'll do it too " Boulderpelt replied to his former apprentice and the both padded to Katy's body. " We need to get them back. Goldpetal's worried sick about them " Rowanflame meowed. Brackenpaw nodded. " Come on, Stormkit. Let's get you back to camp " He nudged the tom to his paws. Stormkit slowly got up and followed his Clanmates back to the camp, with his ears down and tail drooped all the way. Goldpetal rushed up to them the second they entered camp. " Are you alright? Don't do that again! I was so worried! " Goldpetal said between licks of the kits' fur. " Their ok but Stormkit found his mother- dead " Kinkcloud meowed. " It's ok Stormkit. I'm still going to look after you " Goldpetal mewed to him. Stormkit didn't look up. He just stared at the ground. " Good. You found them " Gorsestar padded up to them. " Yep, but not good news. We found Stormkit's mother- dead. She was killed by a fox. It could still be on our territory " Tigerwillow reported. Gorsestar nodded. " I'm going to make an announcement about this. " He waited until Sorrelfoot and Boulderpelt had returned and then he leapt onto the High Rock. " Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a Clan Meeting! " His call rang out through the camp. Darkstep slowly came out of the Elders Den and Brackenpaw's siblings emerged from the nursery, they'd been keeping an eye on Goldpetal's other kits. Once everyone was settled, Gorsestar spoke. " Cats of NightClan " He began. " Today, Stormkit and Squirrelkit went missing. We have found them now but at the same time we found Stormkit's mother, but she was dead. There was fox-scent all around the area and we need to make sure the fox doesn't come back. Eeltail, Scalepelt and Iceheart, search the territory for fox dens. It may be that there aren't any and the fox came from another part of the forest " Eeltail, Scalepelt and Iceheart nodded and the Clan started to move away. " Wait " Gorsestar called. " One more thing. Stormkit now has no family so he is a full member of NightClan! " " Stormkit! Stormkit! " Some cats cheered his name, some stared at Gorsestar in surprise. Brackenpaw felt really great inside. Stormkit is going to stay here forever! He would have missed Stormkit if he left. " Also, Emberfoot could you sort patrols. Clan Dismissed " Gorsestar turned and padded into his den. Brackenpaw followed Kinkcloud to the group of cats surrounding Emberfoot, ready to be put into patrols. " Rowanflame, Lakepaw and Boulderpelt you are on the Sunhigh-Sunset border patrol. Patrol the HollyClan border. Tigerwillow, Swiftcloud and Rainpaw you are on the Sunhigh-Sunset hunting patrol " Brackenpaw watched his siblings walk up to their patrol leaders. The cats padded across to the Bramble tunnel and out of camp. " Kinkcloud, Mossflight and Sorrelfoot you are on the Sunset border patrol. Patrol the BreezeClan border. Antnose, Brackenpaw, you are on the Sunset hunting patrol. I will go with you " Emberfoot meowed. Brackenpaw was pleased he got to patrol with the Clan deputy. I can show Emberfoot how good at hunting I am! Brackenpaw had a while until he had to go on patrol so he decided to visit Stormkit. *** It was Sunset and Brackenpaw was waiting at the camp entrance with Antnose. Emberfoot said she wanted to quickly talk to Gorsestar before they left. Brackenpaw saw her come down from the High Rock and pad over to them.
" OK, We're ready. We're going to hunt over by the BreezeClan border " The Clan deputy decided. Antnose and Brackenpaw both nodded and followed Emberfoot out into the forest.
" Hopefully we'll have more hope catching prey. It's been hard recently, with Leaf-bare arriving " Antnose meowed. Brackenpaw nodded. He kept his ears pricked, listening for any sound of prey. Brackenpaw wanted to catch something big and impressive so that Emberfoot would see how great his training was going. Brackenpaw picked up a scent after a while. Thrush! He could smell the bird but couldn't see it. Brackenpaw scanned the trees and the forest floor. Then he spotted the thrush pecking at the leaves next to an oak tree. Brackenpaw quickly dropped into hunters crouch. He crept closer to the bird. Antnose and Emberfoot were both watching him and Brackenpaw was determined not to make a mess of things. He carefully put one paw in front of the other and when he was close enough, he leapt. The thrush let out a startled screech but it wasn't quick enough. Brackenpaw had caught it! He gave it the killing bite and it dangled in his jaws.
" Nice catch " Emberfoot meowed.
" Thanks " Brackenpaw felt really pleased with himself. It was only a thrush but he'd caught it perfectly. He covered it in leaves ready to collect later and the patrol continued on towards the BreezeClan border. As they were walking through the leaves, It started snowing.
" Leafbare really is here now " Antnose sighed. " That means lots more jobs round camp. We don't want Darkstep getting cold " She mewed. Emberfoot nodded. The Snow fell onto Brackenpaw's pelt and made him shiver. Snow was strange. It had a weird feeling. When the patrol got to the BreezeClan border, Emberfoot said split up a bit. Brackenpaw stayed close to the border. All he could smell was snow, there was no scent of prey. Brackenpaw kept looking and listening though. After a while of sitting there, he heard something behind him. He turned round but it was Antnose.
" Sorry, only me " She mewed. Antnose was carrying a mouse. " I couldn't find much "
" You did better than me. I found nothing " Brackenpaw replied.
" You caught a thrush though " Antnose pointed out. A few moments later Emberfoot padded up to them. She was also carrying a mouse.
" This was all I could find " Emberfoot sighed.
" Two mice and a thrush isn't that bad " Brackenpaw meowed, looking at the two mice. They were both a good size. Antnose nodded agreement.
" Well, we'd better head back now. It's getting dark " Emberfoot began heading back through the trees. Brackenpaw and Antnose followed the deputy. Brackenpaw had a worried thought in his head. What if we ran out of prey? What would happen then? Perhaps the other Clans would help us? Then he shook his head. NightClan wouldn't run out of prey! And even if they did, Gorsestar was a great leader, he'd know that to do. Nothing could destroy NightClan. NightClan is the smartest Clan in the forest! |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 13, 2016 8:12:57 GMT -5
Chapter 21When Brackenpaw entered camp he headed for the nursery. He was carrying the thrush with him for Goldpetal and her kits. Goldpetal seemed pleased to see him when he padded into the nursery.
" Brackenpaw, your just the cat I need. I'm a bit concerned about Stormkit. He still won't try any kind of prey, all he wants is milk. He's getting a bit old to still be drinking milk and his siblings are eating prey. I thought maybe he'd listen to you if you tried to get him to eat something. He's asleep at the moment but maybe tomorrow " The Queen mewed.
" Ok, I'll try. Here, " Brackenpaw dropped his catch in front of Goldpetal. " this is for you "
" Thank you Brackenpaw " She purred. Brackenpaw padded out of the nursery. The camp was busy with cats sharing tongues. Brackenpaw heard Goldpetal behind him.
" The kits are sleeping so I think I'll share this thrush with Boulderpelt " She walked over to her mate who was sitting outside the Warriors den with Eeltail. Brackenpaw looking for Rainpaw and Lakepaw. He saw them outside the Apprentices den. Rainpaw spotted him and beckoned him with his tail. Brackenpaw bounded over to his brother and sister.
" Hi Brackenpaw " Lakepaw mewed. " Good hunting? " She asked.
" I caught a thrush. Emberfoot and Antnose caught mice " Brackenpaw replied.
" Nice. Want to share this vole with me? " Rainpaw asked, prodding the small, brown furry creature.
" Thanks " Brackenpaw sat down next to Rainpaw and took a bite of vole.
" I'm going to take my mouse and see if Sorrelfoot wants to share it with me " Lakepaw announced, gazing across the camp at the calico tom. Rainpaw rolled his eyes.
" Somebody likes someone " He meowed. Lakepaw either hadn't heard him or ignored him. She picked up her mouse and trotted over to Sorrelfoot. Brackenpaw couldn't hear what they were saying but Lakepaw sat down next to Sorrelfoot and started sharing the mouse.
" What have you been doing today? " Brackenpaw asked.
" I was on the Dawn hunting patrol. Then after that, Antnose took me to do some battle-training. And after that I did chores in camp " Rainpaw replied. " It was quite a fun day, especially the battle training "
" Sounds cool. I was trying to find Stormkit and Squirrelkit for part of the day " Brackenpaw meowed.
" Yeah. I can't believe Gorsestar is keeping that loner-kit. Had he lost his mind? " Rainpaw commented. Brackenpaw stared at Rainpaw. That's what you think of him as? A loner-kit? He felt mad at his brother but didn't show it. Stormkit wasn't a loner-kit anymore. He was part of NightClan. Brackenpaw liked Stormkit. He thought the whole Clan did.
" You don't like Stormkit? " Brackenpaw questioned.
" That's not what I said. What I mean is, Having a former loner in our Clan makes us look weak to the other Clans " Rainpaw replied.
" But Stormkit can learn can't he? The Clans won't even know he was a loner " Brackenpaw raised his voice slightly.
" Look at him though. He's not really one of us. He doesn't fit in with his foster-siblings. He never will be one of us. He'll always be a loner at heart " Rainpaw took a bite of vole. Brackenpaw was shocked. That wasn't true! Stormkit was one of them! How could Rainpaw say that? Brackenpaw kept silent though. He looked round camp. How many other cats felt the same way as Rainpaw? Brackenpaw had to make sure Stormkit felt part of the Clan. He had to make Stormkit feel accepted.
*** The next morning Brackenpaw headed straight for the fresh-kill pile. The Dawn patrol had been already. Brackenpaw picked up a mouse and took it to the nursery. Goldpetal's kits were playing but Stormkit was watching with Goldpetal from the nest.
" Brackenpaw! " Stormkit leapt to his feet and bounced across the nursery.
" Hi. I brought something for you " Brackenpaw mewed and dropped the mouse. Stormkit wrinkled his nose in disgust.
" Yuck! " He squeaked.
" Come on, try some. It's not that bad " Brackenpaw meowed encouragingly.
" But it smells bad! " Stormkit complained. " And milk is really yummy! "
" You can't drink milk forever though. When your a Warrior you can't drink milk " Brackenpaw said. Stormkit thought for a moment.
" Why can't I drink milk when I'm a warrior? " He asked.
" Because that's not what a Warrior eats. Warriors eat birds and mice and squirrels. If you don't eat those you won't be big and strong " Brackenpaw replied. Stormkit thought again.
" Well... if it will make me a strong warrior..... " Stormkit closed his eyes and took a tiny bite. He chewed it.
" It's not that bad, is it? " Brackenpaw looked at the grey kit hopefully.
" It's ok I guess " Stormkit mewed.
" Well done " Goldpetal purred. She padded up to the grey tom kit and gave him a couple of licks. " My little warrior " Stormkit was eating the mouse quicker now. When his siblings noticed he was eating, they stopped playing and raced across the nursery to him.
" Can I have some! " They all mewed at once. Foxkit didn't wait for a reply. He took a bite of the mouse.
" Yum! Great mouse! " He said through a mouthful of mouse.
" Let me try! " Shrewkit leapt forward. She pushed Stormkit out of the way. Stormkit's eyes shone with fury. He didn't say anything though. Stormkit just stalked out of the nursery.
" Wait Stormkit! I'm sure it was just an accident! " Goldpetal called. Stormkit stopped and turned round.
" It wasn't! She and Foxkit are always mean to me! Just because I'm not Clanborn! " He shouted back and then spun round and out of the nursery. Squirrelkit watched him.
" I'm going to make sure he's ok " She said and ran after Stormkit.
" Me too " Badgerkit followed his sister.
Foxkit and Shrewkit had devoured most of the mouse by then.
" I'm stuffed now " Shrewkit mewed.
" Same. Let's go and play in the clearing. Come on Rabbitkit " Foxkit said. But Rabbitkit shook his head.
" No. I'll only play with you if you stop being unkind to Stormkit " He mewed.
" But Stormkit's not a real Clan cat. He's a loner " Foxkit replied and then instantly wished he hadn't. Goldpetal glared at him.
" Foxkit! How dare you say that. Stormkit is a Clan cat and he's just as important as any of us. Treat him like any cat " She said angrily.
" Shrewkit said things too! " Foxkit protested, determined not to let his sister get away with it.
" Hey! " Shrewkit shouted. Then she saw her mother's eyes and hung her head. " Sorry "
" You should be! Both of you go to your nest. No playing for the rest of the day " Goldpetal meowed. Shrewkit looked like she was about to protest but then thought the better of it.
" I need to go now and see what I can do to help in camp " Brackenpaw said to Goldpetal.
" Ok. Thank you for the help " She purred.
" Your welcome " Brackenpaw bounded out of the nursery. The camp was busy. Brackenpaw looked for his mentor and saw her at the Warriors den. He padded up to her.
" There you are Brackenpaw! " Kinkcloud meowed. " Where were you? "
" I was helping Goldpetal in the nursery " Brackenpaw replied. " What are you doing? "
" Helping fix the Warriors den. It snowed through the roof last night " Kinkcloud weaved a branch into the den.
" Do you need any help? " Brackenpaw asked.
" I think I'm ok here. But it looks like Rainpaw could do with some help over there " Kinkcloud flicked her tail to were Rainpaw was struggling to carry moss to the Elders den. Brackenpaw nodded.
" Oh and at Sunhigh we're doing battle training with Eeltail and Lakepaw " Kinkcloud added. Brackenpaw hadn't done battle training against his brother or sister for a while and he couldn't wait.
" Awesome! " Brackenpaw meowed and then ran off to help his brother.
|
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Nov 22, 2016 9:46:57 GMT -5
Chapter 22" Nice work, both of you. Could you try the Jump, drop, roll move again? " Eeltail meowed.
" Okay, you be the attacker this time " Lakepaw mewed. Brackenpaw nodded and took a few steps back.
" Ready, go " Kinkcloud called. Brackenpaw charged at his sister. Lakepaw leapt into the air and landed. Brackenpaw whipped round quicky. Before Lakepaw could drop, Brackenpaw- making sure his claws were sheathed- grabbed her by the shoulder. She kicked her feet about and then gave up and dropped to the ground. Brackenpaw let go of Lakepaw and she got up and shook the dust off her pelt.
" Almost, Lakepaw. Tell me what you did wrong " Eeltail meowed. Lakepaw thought for a few moments and then spoke.
" I didn't drop fast enough " She meowed.
" Correct " Eeltail nodded to his apprentice. Lakepaw looked pleased.
" Ok, Now I want you both to show me the Nightstrike. Brackenpaw, go first " Kinkcloud meowed. Brackenpaw moved away from his sister. Then he counted in his head.
Three, two, one
Brackenpaw swiped his paw out in the air- imagining it was a HollyClan attacker Then he ran round to the back of the imaginary cat and swiped his claws in the air.
" Very well done Brackenpaw " Kinkcloud praised. " Now heres a question- Why do you swipe the attacker before you claw them from behind"
" So that the attacker is dazed first " Brackenpaw replied. Kinkcloud nodded.
" Your turn Lakepaw " Eeltail said to his apprentice. Lakepaw took a few steps back. Brackenpaw saw her count down in her head. Then she swiped her paw into the air like Brackenpaw had done. She ran round and then swiped her claws.
" Perfect " Eeltail meowed. " Now, do it together. Brackenpaw your the attacker. Lakepaw your the defender. Remember, claws sheathed. Begin " Brackenpaw swiped out his paw at Lakepaw. She swiftly swiped back and before Brackenpaw could get her with his paw, she ran round behind him and brushed her paw against his pelt. Brackenpaw whipped round but she leapt back in time.
" Well done. Your both very good at this move " Kinkcloud looked at Lakepaw and then Brackenpaw. " Go back to camp and get yourselves some fresh kill "
" Thanks " Lakepaw mewed and headed for camp. Kinkcloud and Eeltail followed.
" Wait, Kinkcloud " Brackenpaw called. The black and white she cat turned round.
" Could you help me with the Double-spin move. I think need to improve on it "
" Sure. Let me show you exactly how its meant to be and then I can help you get it right " Kinkcloud meowed, padding back into the Training Area. " First spin, then swipe. Then spin again and drop. Try to make your opponent lose their balance by pulling their legs from the ground. Spin, swipe, spin, drop. That's the order to do it in " Kinkcloud moved away from Brackenpaw and then spun and swiftly swiped out in the air. Then she spun again and dropped to the ground.
" Now you try " Kinkcloud mewed. Brackenpaw swiped, spun, dropped and then felt a little confused.
Oh great I've done it wrong. I just can't get it right!
" Close. You didn't quite get the order right " Kinkcloud said. " Try again. Remember, Spin, swipe, spin, drop " Brackenpaw nodded.
Spin, swipe, spin, drop.
Brackenpaw spun, remembered to swipe and spun again. Then he dropped.
" Much better! You hesitated slightly before you dropped but other than that, perfect! " Kinkcloud praised.
" Thanks. I'm going to try one more time to get it absolutely perfect " Brackenpaw meowed. He spun again and swiftly swiped at the air. Then he spun again and dropped. He rolled to the side and gave a yelp of pain.
" Owww! " He yelped.
" Are you ok? " Kinkcloud padded up to him.
" I think I got a thorn in my pad when I rolled " Brackenpaw mewed. He turned his paw over. There was a small, sharp thorn poking deep into his pad with blood trickling out.
" Better let Pebblebreeze take a look at that. Let's head back to camp " Kinkcloud started heading through the forest. Brackenpaw got up and hopped on three paws back to camp. They got back to camp at the same time as the Sunhigh-sunset hunting patrol. Sorrelfoot was carrying two baby mice and Iceheart and Rainpaw were carrying one baby mouse each.
" Looks like there was good hunting " Kinkcloud commented.
" Yes, Rainpaw found a nest of baby mice " Iceheart replied. Brackenpaw limped next to his brother as they padded through the Brackenpaw tunnel.
" What's up with the paw? " Rainpaw asked.
" I stood on a thorn. I'm heading to the medicine den so that Pebblebreeze can get it out " Brackenpaw replied. Rainpaw nodded and went to drop his mouse on the fresh-kill pile. Brackenpaw hopped to the medicine den. Pebblebreeze was in there telling Rabbitkit which herbs did what.
" ...and what's Dock used for? " Pebblebreeze asked.
" Dock is for soothing cuts or scratches " Rabbitkit replied quickly.
" Well done " Pebblebreeze purred. She lifted her head when Brackenpaw came in.
" Hello " She mewed.
" Hi. I got a thorn in my pad when I was training and its in quite deep " Brackenpaw said. Pebblebreeze nodded.
" Let me have a look " Pebblebreeze padded up to him. " Could you sit down " She said. Brackenpaw nodded and sat on the ground. He lifted his paw for her to see.
" It's still bleeding quite a lot " She examined his paw. Then she lent forward and pulled the thorn out with her teeth. Brackenpaw winced.
" Rabbitkit, please could you bring me some cobwebs " Pebblebreeze called to the young tom kit. Rabbitkit nodded and raced round to the herb store. He quickly came back with a wad of cobwebs on his paw. Pebblebreeze took the cobwebs from him and pressed them onto Brackenpaw's pad.
" Pebblebreeze " Rabbitkit mewed.
" Yes? " The medicine cat replied.
" Can I be your apprentice? " He asked. Pebblebreeze looked round.
" I have to discuss it with Gorsestar first, but probably. I'll talk to him after I've finished with Brackenpaw " She replied. Rabbitkit gave a jump of excitement. Pebblebreeze took the cobwebs away from Brackenpaw's pad.
" It's stopped bleeding so your good to go " Pebblebreeze meowed.
" Okay, Thank you " He replied. When he put his paw on the ground it was a lot less painful. He padded out of the medicine den. The camp was busy. The Warriors had finished fixing the den and most cats were sharing tongues. Brackenpaw walked to the fresh-kill pile. He took a vole and went over to where Lakepaw, Swiftcloud, Sorrelfoot and Rowanflame were chatting.
" Hey Brackenpaw " Swiftcloud meowed.
" Hi " Brackenpaw replied.
" Lakepaw was just telling us how she knocked you to the ground in battle training " Sorrelfoot meowed in amusement. Brackenpaw narrowed his eyes.
" Really? I don't remember being ' knocked to the ground ' " He said. Lakepaw looked at him cheekily. Brackenpaw sat down next to his sister and took a bite of his vole. He saw Goldpetal's kits playing BreezeClan Attack. Rabbitkit was waiting at the bottom of the High Rock for Pebblebreeze to come down. After a few moments the light grey she cat came down. Brackenpaw could only just hear what she said,
" I spoke with Gorsestar and he said that you can be my apprentice "
" Really? " Rabbitkit's eyes widened.
" Really " Pebblebreeze purred. Rabbitkit jumped up in the air.
" I have to tell Goldpetal! " He squealed and raced over to were his mother was sharing tongues with Mossflight.
" Pebblebreeze has found an apprentice, then " Rowanflame meowed. Brackenpaw nodded.
" Umm, Brackenpaw. I was wondering if you wanted to go hunting tomorrow? " The ginger she cat meowed suddenly.
" Sure " Brackenpaw replied. " Where did you want to hunt? " He asked.
" I hadn't thought. Maybe near the Gathering place? " Rowanflame meowed.
" Sounds good " Brackenpaw ate the last bit of vole and then got up. He was about to go and ask Kinkcloud if there was anything he needed to do when Gorsestar called the Clan together.
" Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a Clan meeting! " The tabby leader called. Most of the cats were already in the clearing but some were emerging from their dens.
" Tomorrow night is the Gathering. The cats going are Mossflight, Scalepelt, Kinkcloud, Iceheart, Eeltail, Swiftcloud, Rowanflame, Rainpaw, Brackenpaw and Darkstep. Emberfoot please organize tonight's patrols. Clan dismissed " Gorsestar said and then padded down the High Rock to get some prey. Brackenpaw padded up to Emberfoot.
" Mossflight you will be leading the Sunset border patrol, take Scalepelt and Brackenpaw with you. Tigerwillow you will be leading the Sunset hunting patrol, take Swiftcloud and Lakepaw with you. Rowanflame you will lead tomorrow's dawn border patrol, take Eeltail and Sorrelfoot. Kinkcloud take Boulderpelt and Rainpaw with you for tomorrow's dawn hunting patrol " The deputy meowed. Brackenpaw joined his mother and Scalepelt at the camp entrance and they padded out into the forest. |
|
|
|
Post by Arcticbreeze on Dec 8, 2016 9:58:47 GMT -5
Chapter 23
Brackenpaw woke up just after the Dawn patrols got back the next morning. Lakepaw was still sleeping, curled up tight in her nest. Brackenpaw padded out of the Apprentices den. The fresh-kill pile was stacked up high. Most of the Clan were busy working.
" Morning, Brackenpaw " Kinkcloud called. " Darkstep needs fresh moss " She mewed.
" On it " Brackenpaw replied and quickly ran into the forest. He went round the side of the camp to the old Moss Wall. Brackenpaw used his claws to pull the moss off the wall. When he'd collected enough moss, he tucked it between his chest and his chin. Brackenpaw slowly walked back to camp, being careful not to drop any moss. He managed to get it across the camp and into the Elders den. Darkstep was dozing in his nest. He opened his eyes when Brackenpaw came in.
" Finally, fresh moss " Darkstep grumbled. " And make it comfy, will you. The last apprentice to do my nest - the grey one with the patches - didn't give me enough moss! Silly young apprentice! " Brackenpaw ignored the black tabby tom. Darkstep was always grumbling. The elder heaved his body out of the nest with a grunt and Brackenpaw started pulling the old Moss into a ball. He put the old Moss in a pile by the den entrance and then lined the nest with fresh moss. Then he took a couple of steps back and let Darkstep climb back in.
" Is it comfortable? " Brackenpaw asked.
" It'll do " Darkstep muttered. Then he added, " Thanks " Brackenpaw took the old Moss out of the den and to the dirt place. As he padded out, Rowanflame padded in.
" Oh, Hey Brackenpaw. I was looking for you. When do you want to go hunting today? " She asked.
" How about now. I just finished giving Darkstep fresh moss " Brackenpaw replied.
" Sure. Let's go " Rowanflame trotted across the clearing to the camp entrance. Brackenpaw followed the ginger she cat out to the forest.
" This snow is going to make it hard to find prey " Rowanflame said as she walked through the crunchy snow. Brackenpaw nodded.
" Hopefully we'll find something near the Gathering place " He meowed. The two cats went on through the snow until they arrived at the edge of the Gathering place. Brackenpaw sniffed the air.
BreezeClan
But not inside NightClan territory. Rowanflame must have picked up the scent too because she was looking into BreezeClan's territory. Brackenpaw followed her gaze. A BreezeClan patrol was heading towards the Gathering place, too.
" Looks like their hunting over here " Brackenpaw meowed. Rowanflame shrugged.
" As long as they stay on their side of the border and we stay on ours, it's fine " She meowed and then started looking for prey near trees. Brackenpaw looked back at the patrol. They were quite close now. Brackenpaw recognised Appletail and his apprentice Onepaw from the last Gathering. They were with a calico she cat Brackenpaw hadn't seen before. Onepaw noticed him watching them and narrowed her eyes. Brackenpaw turned away and sniffed the air for prey. Nothing. After a while he heard a squawk and Rowanflame appeared with a large thrush.
" Nice catch " Brackenpaw mewed.
" Honestly " Said Rowanflame. " Stupid bird. Sometimes I wonder if they actually have brains " She dropped her catch and covered it with leaves. " I'll collect it later " She mewed and disappeared behind a bush. Brackenpaw kept sniffing the air and looking for signs of prey. He caught a scent. It was rabbit. Brackenpaw turned round. A young rabbit had hopped just inside NightClan territory. Brackenpaw quickly dropped into hunters crouch. He crept forward and then swiftly leapt at it. Before the rabbit could jump out of the way, Brackenpaw pinned it to the ground. It squeaked loudly. Brackenpaw then gave it the killing bite and it stopped. He picked his catch up in his jaws.
I can't wait to tell Lakepaw and Rainpaw I caught this! He thought. Brackenpaw dropped it on the ground next to were Rowanflame had buried her thrush. Rowanflame must have heard the rabbit's shouts because she appeared from behind the bush. She was carrying a mouse. Rowanflame looked down at the rabbit.
" Wow, awesome catch! " She exclaimed.
" Thanks " Brackenpaw meowed.
" Let's head back now. We caught quite a lot " Rowanflame mewed. Brackenpaw nodded and picked up his rabbit. Rowanflame picked up her thrush. Then they both headed back to camp.
*** The moon was high In the black sky. Brackenpaw followed his Clanmates down into the Gathering place clearing. NightClan was the last Clan to arrive and the other Clans were settled in the clearing. The leaders were chatting to the leaders of the other Clans on the Fallen tree. Brackenpaw saw Gorsestar join them.
" I'm going to see what that group of apprentices are talking about. Coming? " Rainpaw mewed in his ear. Brackenpaw nodded and followed his brother to were a large group of apprentices had gathered.
Rh
".......the best fighting move in all the Clans " Brackenpaw picked up the end of a bronze-brown HollyClan tom's sentence.
" No it's not, this move is way better " Littlepaw, a FlameClan apprentice, mewed. The small tom was about to show the other apprentices the move when a tortoiseshell she cat stopped him.
" What are you doing, trout-brain? Don't show them a FlameClan move. Remember what Bouncefoot told you? " She mewed.
" Oh, yeah, I forgot " Littlepaw muttered. He clearly still wanted to show off the move. Brackenpaw recognised the tortoiseshell from the last Gathering. He tapped her on the back with his tail.
" Hi " He mewed. The tortoiseshell turned round.
" Hello " She returned the greeting. " I remember you; Your Brackenpaw, aren't you, you were a new apprentice last Gathering, right? "
" I was. Sorry, I don't know your name " Brackenpaw replied.
" I'm Specklepaw " The tortoiseshell meowed cheerfully. Brackenpaw was about to reply when her heard a leader call,
" Let the Gathering begin! I shall give my report first " Brackenpaw found a space next to Rainpaw. Specklepaw followed him and sat on his other side. Spottedstar, the FlameClan leader was speaking.
" There are plenty of fish in our river at the moment. And we are clear of Greencough for now " She meowed and took a step back. Blackstar stepped forward next.
" How do you eat fish? Isn't it slimy? And disgusting " Brackenpaw whispered in Specklepaw's ear while Blackstar spoke.
" We FlameClan cats like fish. I mean, I think birds sound disgusting. With all those feathers. And fish aren't slimy, their just slippery " Specklepaw whispered back. Brackenpaw looked back at the leaders. Gorsestar was on to his report.
" Prey is quite scarce but my Warriors are tracking down prey well " He meowed. Basilstar and Riverstar both had similar reports to Gorsestar. After the leaders had finished, all the cats in the clearing started sharing news.
" How long have you been an apprentice for? " Brackenpaw asked.
" Three moons. My training is going really well and I can't wait to be a warrior! " Specklepaw replied.
" I can't wait to be a warrior too! I wonder what my what my warrior name will be " Brackenpaw said.
" Hmm. Maybe it will be Brackenstorm? Or maybe Brackenstrike? Or Brackenfire? " Specklepaw suggested.
" It's quite a long time until I know. SilverClan might not even know yet. What do you think your warrior name will be? " Brackenpaw asked.
" I really hope it's Specklewing, Specklefern or Speckleheart! " Specklepaw mewed.
" Those sound cool " Brackenpaw meowed. At that moment Rainpaw padded up to them.
" Who's this? " He asked.
" This is my new friend Specklepaw " Brackenpaw replied.
" You can't have friends in other Clans, because their your enemies " Rainpaw said.
" Yes you can " Brackenpaw meowed to his brother.
" Yea, but you still have to fight her in a battle " Rainpaw reminded him. Brackenpaw wanted Rainpaw to go away and stop being a pain.
" Stop being annoying " Brackenpaw said. Rainpaw turned and padded away.
" Is that your brother? " Specklepaw asked.
" Yes. He's so annoying sometimes." Brackenpaw replied.
" It looks like you handle him well " Specklepaw purred.
" NightClan cats! Time to go! " Gorsestar called from the Fallen tree.
" Oh, I've got to go now " Brackenpaw meowed.
" Oh, that's a shame. Your really fun to talk to " Specklepaw mewed.
" Thanks. So are you " Brackenpaw replied.
" I hope your at the next Gathering " Specklepaw said.
" Maybe see you then. Bye " Brackenpaw meowed.
" Bye " Specklepaw meowed and then bounded away. Brackenpaw ran to where the NightClan cats had gathered. He followed them as the headed to camp. Brackenpaw was pleased he had a friend. Specklepaw was super fun. What Rainpaw said wasn't true. You can have friends in other Clans. Specklepaw will be my friend and I will still be loyal to my Clan. If I train my hardest I will become a great warrior. The best the Clans and SilverClan will ever have seen. Because I am Brackenpaw and I can become anything!
|
|
