ℇɱƅɛɾȿ (chapter two up!)

Rainbow

Aphelyon

Pronouns: he/him

ℇɱƅɛɾȿ (chapter two up!) Dec 2, 2016 1:38:58 GMT -5

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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 2, 2016 1:38:58 GMT -5

This is a fanfiction I started a long time ago, though I never really posted it on the forums. Partially because the old forums censored a lot of words it didn't need to censor, and partially because no one ever looked at it anyways, so why bother? It's quite popular on Wattpad, so that's good enough for me.

Anyways, I thought I'd give another try posting it on the forums. Again, partially because of the censorship, which is actually reasonable on this one, and partially because people seem to like it on Wattpad, so maybe you guys will like it too. This book is actually finished and I'm currently working on book 2, so you're welcome to look those up on Wattpad. Otherwise, I'll post a chapter on here every day until we're caught up. And then, I'll move on to book 2. There are 14 chapters in Embers, plus the prologue.

So, to actually tell you what this fanfiction is about:

The Clans are prosperous in the lake territories, their numbers growing rapidly, but StarClan once again senses a great change on the horizon. Several generations after the war between StarClan and the Place of No Stars, a new prophecy arises that devastation will come and divide the Clans forever, and former RiverClan medicine cat Whisperleaf is worried that the prophecy will divide StarClan again as well. Meanwhile, a young WindClan tom named Redpaw his haunted by dreams of death and fire, dreams he is certain are a warning for the future, though his Clanmates have never believed him. What does Whisperleaf's ominous prophecy mean, and is it somehow connected to Redpaw's ominous dreams?

This fanfiction takes place many generations after the end of any canon Warriors series. It was started before the "A Vision of Shadows" arc, which I haven't read anyways, so anything that happens in that series doesn't currently affect this series. But, it's been so long that I doubt much would be remembered anyways. Embers follows a WindClan cat named Redpaw, so if you're as tired of ThunderClan as I am, this is a good 'fic for you. There is not a lot of romance in this series, though there is some. There is same gender romance in this series, so if you're uncomfortable with that, these are not the droids you are looking for. If you're looking for a cute romance story of any kind, these are still not your droids. If you're looking for an unnecessarily long and complicated plot involving adventure, mystery, some humor, and way too much loss, then welcome to the frigging Canteena (I need to stop this metaphor, I've never even watched those movies all the way through).

So without further ado.... A New Dawn #1: Embers

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Comment 1: Allegiances || Prologue
Comment 2: Chapter One || Chapter Two
Comment 3: N/A
Comment 4: N/A
Comment 5: N/A
Comment 6: N/A
Comment 7: N/A

Rainbow

Aphelyon

Pronouns: he/him

ℇɱƅɛɾȿ (chapter two up!) Dec 2, 2016 1:39:17 GMT -5

Quote

Post by Aphelyon on Dec 2, 2016 1:39:17 GMT -5

ALLEGIANCES

ThunderClan

Leader: Stormstar - shaggy pale gray tabby she-cat with light orange eyes and a black left ear.
Deputy: Patchpelt - handsome pale gray tom with clear blue eyes and black patches.
Medicine Cat: Nettleclaw - big brown tabby tom with golden eyes and lighter patches and a darker back left paw.

Warriors:
Deerfoot - little golden-brown brindled she-cat with light green eyes and a lighter chest, and black paws.
Clearheart - large silver tabby tom with sky blue eyes and a white belly.
Daywhisker - heavy cream-colored tom with yellow eyes and paler patches.
Emberclaw - tall dark ginger she-cat with amber eyes, a black stripe down her spine, and a white muzzle, belly, chest, and paws.
Leafspeck - powerful light ginger-and-white tom with pale orange eyes.
Owlfeather - long-haired tawny tom with light blue eyes and darker legs, tail, ears, and muzzle.
Songfrost - long-legged pale silver tabby she-cat with yellow-green eyes and black paws.
     Apprentice: Mistpaw
Hazedream - beautiful dark gray-and-white she-cat with dark amber eyes and very long whiskers.
Foxfur - skinny ginger tabby tom with pale blue eyes and a white belly.
Rowanshade - lithe reddish tom with golden eyes and darker eye sockets.
Cinderstorm - big, muscular gray she-cat with vivid blue eyes and a white patch on her chest.
Badgerpelt - somewhat plump pale gray mottled tom with burnt orange eyes and a black spot on his nose.
     Apprentice: Smokepaw
Streamtail - slender light gray she-cat with midnight blue eyes and black stripes.
Wrenflight - long-tailed tawny she-cat with gray eyes.
Sparrowfeather - small-eared tortoiseshell tom with yellow eyes and a white muzzle.
Cloudfur - smoky gray tabby she-cat with clear green eyes and white front paws.
Thornclaw - long-haired dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes and a white belly, chest, paws, and tail-tip.
Branchleg - skinny, shaggy brown tom with orange eyes and darker legs.
     Apprentice: Batpaw
Forestdapple - broad-shouldered tortoiseshell tom with dark amber eyes.

Apprentices:
Mistpaw - beautiful misty gray she-cat with sky blue eyes.
Smokepaw - long-legged gray tabby tom with white paws and green eyes.
Batpaw - big-eared black she-cat with gray eyes.

Queens:
Snowheart - beautiful white she-cat with cream-colored ears and yellow eyes. Mother of Forestdapple's kits, Wispkit, Bramblekit, Shadekit, and Nightkit.
Sunstep - plump golden she-cat with ice blue eyes and a white muzzle & paws. Expecting Sparrowfeather's kits.

Kits:
Wispkit - skinny white tomkit with dark amber eyes and pale ginger ears.
Bramblekit - big tortoiseshell she-cat with white paws and yellow eyes.
Shadekit - tortoiseshell-and-white tom with amber eyes.
Nightkit - tiny black tom with a white belly.

Elders:
Skypelt - thin blue-gray she-cat with yellow eyes.
Oakclaw - old ginger tabby tom with green eyes and a silver-flecked muzzle.
Briarnose - once-powerful brown tom with amber eyes; completely deaf.

WindClan

Leader: Gorsestar - short-tailed tawny and white she-cat with clear blue eyes.
Deputy: Kestrelwing - sleek pale brown tabby tom with yellow eyes a white belly and paws.
Medicine Cat: Rainheart - tiny black-and-white she-cat with blue eyes.
     Apprentice: Tabbypaw

Warriors:
Frostflight - long-legged white tom with green eyes.
Runningheart - bulky tawny tabby tom with green eyes and white paws.
Meadowpelt - long-furred brown tabby she-cat with a white jaw and tail-tip.
Rabbittail - slender brown she-cat with yellow eyes, darker legs, and a stumpy tail.
     Apprentice: Brackenpaw
Muddyfoot - small black she-cat with brown paws and amber eyes.
Hareclaw - lithe dusty brown tom with a white belly and pale green eyes.
Lakebelly - big white tom with blue eyes and black spots on his lower back and around his ears.
Flamefur - fluffy light ginger tabby tom with blue eyes and white paws.
Smokebreath - short-furred gray tom with a white muzzle and pale green eyes.
     Apprentice: Redpaw
Mousewhisker - thin white she-cat with green eyes pale brown stripes on her face and front legs.
Tansyspots - long-furred calico she-cat with yellow eyes.
Ravenwing - thin, sleek black tom with bright green eyes.
Flowernose - beautiful tawny she-cat with amber eyes and a paler belly, chest, muzzle, and legs.
     Apprentice: Fernpaw
Wildstorm - long-legged tortoiseshell tom with dull green eyes.
Skysong - small gray tom with pale green eyes and a white chest, belly, jaw, paws, and tail-tip.
Mossclaw - tall tortoiseshell she-cat with pale green eyes and a white belly and paws.
Rootfur - brown tabby she-cat with a white muzzle and orange eyes.
Fawnfoot - willowy brown she-cat with yellow eyes.
Leappool - small gray she-cat with blue eyes.
Breezetail - tall black tom with blue-gray eyes and a white muzzle, paws, chest, and belly.
Featherfur - soft-furred gray tabby she-cat with green eyes.

Apprentices:
Brackenpaw - big light brown tabby tom with yellow eyes.
Fernpaw - slender ginger she-cat with a white muzzle and green eyes.
Redpaw - small ginger tabby tom with amber eyes.
Tabbypaw - sleek brown tabby-and-white tom with yellow eyes.

Queens:
Sandshade - thin tawny she-cat with blue eyes. Mother of Breezetail's kits, Dovekit and Grousekit.

Kits:
Dovekit - thin tawny she-kit with blue-gray eyes and white paws.
Grousekit - big black tom with blue eyes and a white tail-tip.

Elders:
Robintail - frail gray tom with green eyes, one of which is blind.
Stripeface - brown tabby tom with white paws and amber eyes.

RiverClan

Leader: Troutstar - heavy white and gray tom with dark gray eyes and a black left ear and back right paw.
Deputy: Dusktalon - muscular gray tom with spring green eyes and darker ears.
Medicine Cat: Frosttail - light gray she-cat with pale blue eyes and a white tail.

Warriors:
Icefire - white tom with dark orange eyes.
     Apprentice: Dawnpaw
Pebblefoot - brown tom with huge green eyes and darker paws.
Morningstep - thin cream tom with light blue eyes and paler front legs.
Shadestream - tall smoky gray she-cat with orange eyes, lighter patches, and a paler chest and belly.
Stormsky - sleek dark gray tom with orange eyes and a white chest and belly.
     Apprentice: Dustpaw
Mousenose - thin dark brown she-cat with light yellow eyes and darker ears.
Shorestone - little gray-brown tabby tom with amber eyes and black hind paws and tail.
Riverpetal - plump blue-gray she-cat with dull green eyes.
Oakpath - heavy brown tabby tom with light gray eyes and white paws.
     Apprentice: Shadowpaw
Willowwhisker - thin silver she-cat with bright blue eyes.
     Apprentice: Softpaw
Froghop - small-eared pale silver tom with forest green eyes.
Juniperpool - black she-cat with gray eyes and dark gray legs.
     Apprentice: Tanglepaw
Swanfeather - lithe white tom with dark green eyes.
Turtlebite - muscular tortoiseshell and white tom with green eyes.
Nutfur - short-legged light brown tom with light green eyes, a white muzzle, and black legs.

Apprentices:
Dawnpaw - long-legged ginger she-cat with indigo eyes.
Dustpaw - sleek dusty brown tom with blue eyes and a white chest & belly.
Softpaw - large-eyed dark gray she-cat with blue eyes and white paws.
Tanglepaw - big gray-brown mottled tom with yellow-green eyes and black ears.
Shadowpaw - muscular misty gray and black she-cat with yellow eyes and a white tail-tip.

Queens:
Mossheart - lithe silver she-cat with dark green eyes and black stripes. Mother of Oakpath's kits: Swimmingkit, Minnowkit, and Ripplekit.
Sweetblossom - tiny blue-gray she-cat with dull green eyes. Mother of Troutstar's kits: Smokekit, Waterkit, Mistkit, Ashkit.
Lightshine - big-eared silver and white she-cat with indigo eyes. Expecting Nutfur's kits.

Kits:
Swimmingkit - lithe brown tabby she-cat with dark green eyes and white paws.
Minnowkit - small silver tabby she-cat with dark green eyes.
Ripplekit - big silver tom with gray eyes and black stripes.
Smokekit - tiny gray-and-white tom with green eyes and black ears.
Waterkit - little blue-gray she-cat with dark gray eyes and a white patch on her chest.
Mistkit - big white tom with green eyes and a gray patch on his forehead.
Ashkit - fluffy blue-gray tom with gray eyes.

Elders:
Gingerstripe - small-eared pale ginger tabby tom with pale amber eyes and a white chest and belly.

ShadowClan

Leader: Pinestar - handsome tortoiseshell tom with clear green eyes and a white muzzle.
Deputy: Mooncloud - pale silver and white she-cat with yellow eyes.
Medicine Cat: Waspwing - powerful smoky gray and white tom with pale yellow eyes.
Apprentice: Russetpaw

Warriors:
Needleclaw - gray-brown tabby tom with spring green eyes and black legs.
Nightleaf - big black she-cat with bright green eyes.
Ratclaw - dark brown tabby she-cat with unusually long claws and pale green eyes.
Hollytooth - small but muscular dark gray tom with orange eyes.
Redsquirrel - slender dark ginger tom with white paws and dark amber eyes.
Sundawn - little ginger tabby she-cat with a white chest and belly and green eyes.
Cranetail - big white tom with a black tail-tip and yellow eyes.
Birdpelt - long-furred tortoiseshell tom with green eyes.
Apprentice: Sootpaw
Stripeleg - light brown she-cat with tabby stripes on her legs and a white tail-tip.
Dreamsong - muscular black-and-white she-cat with blue eyes.
Nettlefur - big tom with short, course russet fur that's darker on his back and yellow eyes.
Spiderfang - sleek gray she-cat with blue eyes and black stripes.
Pinkpelt - almost pinkish cream-colored she-cat with vivid green eyes.
Palebelly - light brown tabby tom with dark stripes, green eyes, and a white belly & paws.

Apprentices:
Russetpaw - long-furred dark ginger tom with green eyes.
Sootpaw - short-legged gray tabby she-cat with green eyes.

Queens:
Badgerfur - sleek, short-furred black she-cat with yellow eyes and one white paw. Mother of Cranetail's kit, Starlingkit.
Sorrelnose - long-furred brown she-cat with yellow eyes. Expecting.

Kits:
Starlingkit - little black-and-white she-kit with yellow eyes.

Elders:
Specklefur - tortoiseshell she-cat with a white belly and blue eyes.
Cedarfrost - big brown-and-white tom with amber eyes and a gray-flecked muzzle.
Misteyes - little, skinny gray she-cat with a scar-covered face and misty, blind gray eyes.
Tabbytail - dark brown tabby tom with a long tabby-striped tail and pale green eyes.

PROLOGUE

A she-cat sat bathed in moonlight at the edge of a still forest pool, gazing at the stars reflecting from the mirror-like surface of the water. Her pale tabby fur seemed to almost glow in the faint light, and her large green eyes seemed fixed on something far away. She didn't move at all, even as the wind ruffled her fur and a crow cawed somewhere in the trees.

She didn't move until a voice broke the silence of the night.

"There you are, Whisperleaf."

A large brown tabby tom stood at the top of the hollow in which the pool resided. The she-cat looked up quickly, as if caught in the act of a wrongdoing, then relaxed slightly as she recognized the newcomer.

"Brindleface," she greeted solemnly, dipping her head respectfully. "What do you need?"

The tom gazed at her for a moment, then began padding down the spiral path to the water's edge- a path with countless paw prints imprinted into the stone. As he descended, the his paws slipped into some as if they were his own.

"Cherryfleck said you had a vision," he finally replied as he came to stand next to the she-cat. He turned his head to look at her, but she didn't gaze back; instead, her eyes were focused once again on the water. "Is that true?"

Whisperleaf nodded slowly. "Yes."

Brindleface followed her gaze, but whatever she was staring so intently at, he could not see it. He flicked his tail and looked back at her. "What was it about?"

"Fire," she breathed, eyes widening slightly as she finally looked up at the other cat. "Fire and death."

Brindleface narrowed his eyes. "A prophecy?"

Whisperleaf shook her head. "No, prophecies are warnings. The disaster I saw was unavoidable." She tilted her head. "But I saw words too." She paused. "Words that may help save lives, here and elsewhere. Those were a prophecy. " She glanced back at the water nervously.

"What did it say?" Brindleface asked, softly but urgently.

Whisperleaf didn't reply for a moment, still gazing at the water. But then she seemed to gain confidence, and met the tabby tom's eyes, her gaze seeming to bore into his.

"Those now united must divide, and the divided must return to their roots and call forth the spurned." She paused, as if second guessing herself, before finishing: "Only then can the new sun rise and chase away death."

There was silence in the hollow for a moment as Brindleface took her words in. When he spoke, it was somewhat hesitantly.

"Do you have any idea what that means?"

Whisperleaf shook her head again. "No." She averted her eyes once more. "But I think the answer will reveal itself in time."

Brindleface sighed. "We should tell the others."

Whisperleaf shrugged. "If that's what you think is best."

The tom tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at her. "Do you not think so?" The she-cat flicked her tail.

"I'm not sure it matters at this point. We don't have any idea what it means."

"Perhaps someone else will," Brindleface pointed out, flicking his tail. "Besides, they'll want to know regardless of whether or not we have answers."

Whisperleaf hesitated, seeming uneasy. Brindleface was silent, waiting for her to speak her mind, but she didn't seem willing to give voice to her fears.

"What's wrong?" he prompted her, nudging her shoulder.

"You saw how StarClan was divided over the last prophecy," she meowed slowly. "I'm just afraid the same will happen again."

Brindleface was silent, unsure how to reassure her. In truth, he wondered the same thing. Things had been tense among the warrior ancestors since the battle with the Dark Forest, even though everything had ultimately been resolved. He sometimes worried that they would separate into their Clans again.

"Arguing won't stop the prophecy from coming true," he meowed slowly. "We have to at least try."

Whisperleaf sighed. "You're right." She got to her paws and began padding up the slope, pausing and glancing back at the other cat as she stepped onto the path. "Coming?" The brown tom nodded and followed after her, and together they slipped over the top of the hollow, into the darkness.

Rainbow

Aphelyon

Pronouns: he/him

ℇɱƅɛɾȿ (chapter two up!) Dec 2, 2016 1:39:34 GMT -5

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Post by Aphelyon on Dec 2, 2016 1:39:34 GMT -5

CHAPTER ONE

Fire blazed in the trees, lighting up the night sky as though it were day. Redpaw watched in horror as it devoured the forest, working its way to the creek that formed the border between ThunderClan and WindClan.

Maybe the water will stop it, he dared to hope. He felt a trill of bittersweet joy as the flames stopped as the water's edge; then his stomach seemed to drop out as a burning branch fell from one of the trees and landed in the grass. Redpaw held his breath, hoping the grass was too wet to ignite, but once again his hopes proved fruitless.

The fire spread even more quickly here, and almost before Redpaw realized it the flames were upon him.

I'm going to die, he thought helplessly, feeling the oppressive heat of the flames against his pelt. There's no way I can outrun this. He closed his eyes, ready to feel the sting of the flames devouring him like a blade of grass.

Instead, he opened his eyes to darkness.

Redpaw let out a sigh as he realized he was safe in his nest back at camp, and the smell of smoke was fading quickly. Outside the apprentices' den, the sky was black and rain poured down in sheets, as it had been doing for days.

No way anything could burn, wet as it is, he thought with satisfaction, pushing himself into a sitting position. Even though he realized he was safe, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep again, at least not for a while. He sighed as he looked out of the entrance to the den, closing his eyes for a moment.

This is the third time this moon.

Ever since he was a kit, Redpaw had been plagued by nightmares. Recently, it had been a recurring dream about fire, but before that, his dreams were made up of a different kind of carnage- grass soaked in blood and strewn with bodies. Even though his mother Fawnfoot always told him they were just nightmares, they felt real to him, and he couldn't just forget them. The stench of blood had stained his mind, even when he should have been too young to know the scent. Now, he was almost relieved to only dream about fire, except for the fact that it always disrupted his sleep.

"Another nightmare?" whispered a sleepy voice, followed closely by a quiet yawn. Redpaw recognized the voice of his sister Fernpaw, who was curled in the moss beside him. Looking over, he could barely make out her ginger pelt in the darkness.

"Yeah," he replied softly, returning his gaze to the rain.

"The battlefield again?" she asked, raising up slowly to sit beside him. He felt comforted by the brush of her pelt against him; she had always been there to talk to him, never telling him to ignore it and just go back to sleep like everyone else.

He shook his head at her question. "No, the fire." He paused. "Do you think it'll come true?" Fernpaw glanced outside at the rain.

"Not for a while, at least," she replied, twitching her tail.

"What about when the rain stops?"

Fernpaw sighed. "I don't know. Your dreams have never come true before, right?"

Redpaw shuffled his paws. "No..." But that doesn't mean they can't.

"Then don't worry too much about it," Fernpaw advised, butting Redpaw's shoulder with her head. Redpaw grunted but otherwise didn't respond.

"Is something else bothering you?" she asked, gazing at him. Her green eyes faintly reflected what little light filtered in from outside.

Redpaw hesitated. "I died. In my dream." Fernpaw blinked, then tilted her head.

"How?"

"The fire got me. I couldn't run away from it, it was burning the whole moor."

Fernpaw was silent for a moment. "Maybe..." she paused. "Maybe, if it's true, it's a warning so when it happens you know to run sooner?" she suggested. Redpaw shrugged, unconvinced.

"Well," Fernpaw meowed quietly when her littermate didn't reply, "for now you should get some sleep. I think Smokebreath and Flowernose plan on tiring us out tomorrow."

"They do that every day," Redpaw muttered, rolling his eyes. Fernpaw shrugged.

"Even more reason to rest. Come on, I'll help you." Redpaw sighed and laid back down in the moss, curling up with his tail over his nose. Fernpaw laid next to him, pressing her side against his back, and started to lick his pelt rhythmically. Despite his fear for the future, Redpaw couldn't help it as a soft purr welled in his throat, and the soothing caress of her tongue lulled him to sleep.

It was still raining when the dawn came, but fortunately the downpour had slowed to a drizzle. Clouds still covered the sky, letting only the faintest gray light flood over the landscape as the sun come over the horizon.

Fernpaw and Redpaw sat huddled in the shelter of a gorse bush. Redpaw was grooming himself vigorously, while Fernpaw fidgeted beside him.

"There they are," she meowed as three shapes emerged from the warriors' den: a beautiful tawny she-cat and short-furred gray tom, led by slender brown she-cat. The brown she-cat seemed unbothered by the rain, but the tawny one flinched slightly with each raindrop, and the tom appeared to be grumbling under his breath.

Redpaw got to his paws as they approached, greeting his mentor with a solemn nod. Fernpaw greeted hers more warmly, standing and waving her tail in the air.

"Good morning, Flowernose!" she purred at the tawny she-cat, giving her a friendly nuzzle.

"Is it?" the tom, Smokebreath, growled irritably, joining the apprentices under the bush. Redpaw rolled his eyes in amusement; his mentor could be a bit grumpy sometimes, but he was a good teacher.

The brown she-cat- named Rabbittail on account of her coloration and short, stumpy tail- glanced across the camp, then looked at the apprentices. "Where's Brackenpaw?" she inquired, narrowing her eyes.

"Still asleep," Redpaw informed her, flicking his tail towards the apprentices' den. Rabbittail laid back her ears.

"Did you not wake him?" she asked, her stumpy tail flicking back and forth with irritation.

Redpaw dipped his head. "We tried, but you know how he is. A fear of StarClan's wrath wouldn't wake him if he was still tired." Rabbittail rolled her eyes and looked at the other mentors.

"You four can go on without us," she sighed. "I'll have him hunt for the elders today instead." She turned and padded over to the apprentices' den.

Redpaw looked expectantly at Smokebreath, hoping the tom would tell him what the plans were for today, but Flowernose beat him to it.

"Today we're going to work on your tracking," she informed the apprentices, looking between Redpaw and Fernpaw.

"But it's soaking," Redpaw argued indignantly, laying back his ears. "All the scents will just be washed away!" Smokebreath snorted.

"That's the point," he replied, sitting down and wrapping his tail around his paws. "If you can track even decently in rain like this, you'll be able to follow anything when it's dry."

"Exactly," Flowernose agreed with a nod to the tom. "We planned to start you off in pairs, with two of you tracking the other, so that maybe you could help each other if you got stuck." She glanced towards the apprentices' den. "But it seems like it'll have to just be us for now."

Smokebreath stretched. "Yeah, it was going to be just as much of a lesson on how to lose someone as how to find them, but I think since it's just the four of us that Flowernose or I will have to be the prey first." He looked at the she-cat. "What do you think?"

Flowernose thought for a moment. "Yes, I think that's a good idea. Then you can still work together. We'll just have to show you how to hide your trail another time."

"Alright then," Smokebreath meowed gruffly, straightening up and shaking out his fur. "I'll go ahead. You three wait here for... I don't know, a little bit. Then try to come find me." Flowernose nodded as the gray tom stepped out from under the bush, growling slightly to himself as the rain hit his pelt. He headed for the entrance to camp, then vanished into the grass beyond.

The three remained there for a bit in an easy silence. Redpaw watched the activities of the camp as they began for the day. A couple warriors nosed through the fresh-kill pile, then carried their prey to the shadows at the edges of the camp to eat. Dovekit poked her head out of the nursery, winkling her nose at the rain before disappearing back inside. Redpaw twitched his whiskers in amusement; who would have thought that the only thing that could keep the energetic kit from barreling out of the nursery as soon as the sun rose was a bit of rain.

"Calm your paws," Flowernose meowed after a moment, flicking Fernpaw- who had been kneading the ground impatiently since Smokebreath left- with her tail. "What if we were waiting to ambush something? You'd give us away immediately with your fidgeting."

Fernpaw groaned. "But I'm bored." The older she-cat rolled her eyes.

"Then you must find something to occupy your mind with." She gestured around the camp. "Even just here, there are lots of things you can think about. Like how to make the camp more defendable or what we could do if it started to flood."

"Or caught on fire," Redpaw murmured under his breath, too quiet for the others to hear.

"But those things are boring too," Fernpaw complained, her tail flicking back and forth. Flowernose let out a soft purr of laughter.

"You would think so, wouldn't you," she teased. "You scatterbrain." Then she flicked her tail, growing more serious. "But anyways, it's probably about time we get going. We don't want the scent to wash away too much before heading out."

Flowernose got to her paws and stretched, then headed up the slope to the top of the hollow where Smokebreath had disappeared. She stopped, waiting for the apprentices.

Redpaw hesitated before stepping out in the rain, but found once he did that it wasn't even as bad as it had been earlier. A few large raindrops soaked his pelt, but he was hardly drenched. He and Fernpaw went to stand by Flowernose, gazing at her expectantly.

The she-cat nodded at the ground and meowed, "When tracking in the rain, you'll have to keep your head closer to the ground. The water smothers the scent, so it doesn't waft up in the air like it normally does." She paused, thinking. "Also, the water might wash the soil carrying the scent around a little, so the trail can sometimes be a bit wider than normal. But of course, fainter." She paused again. "Heavy rain can wash scent right off of smooth surfaces like leaves and grass, though. So when tracking in the rain, you'll want to pay most attention to places like rocks, tree trunks, and the ground itself. And of course, anywhere that's dry, sheltered from the rain."

Redpaw dipped his head. "Got it." He glanced at Fernpaw, who nodded as well.

Flowernose flicked her tail, eyes bright. "Well, get to tracking them! The trail will only get fainter."

Fernpaw tilted her head. "Are you going to help us?" she asked. Flowernose shook her head.

"Not really. I'll follow a bit behind and offer guidance when I think you need it, but for the most part, you'll have to do this yourselves."

Fernpaw dipped her head at the she-cat, then lowered it so her muzzle almost touched the ground. Redpaw did the same, sniffing around the trail that led onto the moor. He could faintly smell Smokebreath, but the scent was stale jumbled with that of other cats.

"I think I caught his scent," Fernpaw mewed after a few heartbeats, standing a few tail-lengths down the trail from Redpaw. "It's faint but fresh."

Redpaw padded over and sniffed in the same spot. Sure enough, he could smell his mentor. The gray cat's trail veered off the path, onto the open moor.

"Come on," Redpaw meowed at his sister, flicking his tail and keeping his head low to the ground. Mostly he just smelled earth and water, but Smokebreath's scent, too, was woven through the grass. Fernpaw followed just behind Redpaw, keeping her head up to look out for obstacles while her brother followed the scent.

Before long, the ground dipped gently, and water had pooled slightly at the bottom of the small hollow. The trail led down into the mud, but the scent was too muddled for Redpaw to follow any longer. He straightened up and looked at Fernpaw, sighing.

"I lost it."

The ginger she-cat looked thoughtful. "Well, even if he went through the puddle, he had to come out somewhere, because he's not here." She flicked her tail. "So if we just sniff around the mud, we should be able to pick it up again."

Redpaw nodded, though he was a bit irritated at himself for not thinking of that. Now that it was mentioned, it seemed like an obvious solution. "Alright, I'll go this way; you go the other way." He padded in a circle around the top of the dip to his right, and Fernpaw likewise went around the left, both of their heads lowered to the ground.

Once again, Fernpaw was the one who picked up the trail first, and so Redpaw let her do the scenting while he kept watch. She must have a better sense of smell than me, he thought, noticing that she was able to follow along much quicker than he had.

The trail led uphill, towards the highest point in the territory, but just before they reached the top, another scent hit them, overpowering Smokebreath's scent.

Fernpaw raised her head, blinking in confusion. "What is that?" she meowed, looking around. The scent was acrid, like carrion, but earthier. Redpaw looked back to see Flowernose approaching, looking concerned.

"What's-" she broke off as she caught wind of the scent too, and bristled, extending her claws. "Fox!"

"Do you think it's following Smokebreath?" Fernpaw asked worriedly, eyes wide. Flowernose raised her head and scented the air.

"I don't know," she admitted after a moment, looking at the two apprentices. "It looks like their trails head the same direction, but who can say what the fox was doing." She lashed her tail. "But we need to find Smokebreath quickly, just in case."

"The trail goes that way," Fernpaw meowed, flicking her tail in the direction the scents led- around the side of the hill, towards the ThunderClan border.

"Maybe the fox will have just left our territory," Redpaw hoped out loud as they set off warily.

"In a perfect world," Flowernose replied dryly, keeping her head raised and mouth open to follow the scent. It was fresh and strong; no need to keep one's head low to the ground for this one. By now, the rain had nearly stopped as well, and the scent wouldn't fade as quickly.

As they rounded the hill, Redpaw heard an angry yowl: "Back off, carrion-breath!" He recognized the voice of Smokebreath, and went to rush to his mentor's aid, but Flowernose grabbed his tail in her teeth and jerked him back.

"We need to be careful!" she growled quietly. "Stay behind me." The tawny she-cat moved out in front, moving quickly but staying low to the ground, ears perked and pelt bristling. The ground sloped downward in front of them, and as he mounted the ridge Redpaw could see the gray pelt of his mentor. He crouched defensively in the grass as two large beasts circled him, their russet pelts bristling.

Those must be foxes. There's two of them! he thought hopelessly. How could the four of them fight of two foxes? Fernpaw and Redpaw had never fought when it really mattered before, and the animals were nearly twice the size of Smokebreath, with long snouts equipped with vicious teeth and thick fur that would be hard to bite through. They had Smokebreath surrounded; if he made a move to run, one of the foxes could catch him easily. As Redpaw watched, one darted forward and snapped at him, only to have its muzzle swiped by sharp claws. The fox whined and backed up a few steps, but didn't retreat entirely.

Flowernose beckoned the apprentices closer, gesturing for them to keep low and quiet.

"I'm going to ask one of you to do something very dangerous," she whispered, looking Redpaw in the eye, then Fernpaw. "So you have to be willing to do this." Redpaw hackles raised slightly with fear.

"What is it?"

Flowernose glanced at the standoff down below. "We're going to distract the foxes so that Smokebreath can escape." She looked back at the apprentices. "Ideally, you'll only need to put yourself in danger for a moment. I'll go down and attack one fox from behind, then run away and hope it chases me. You'll do the same to the other. Once Smokebreath can get away without being captured, he should take the fox's attention back from you." She twitched her tail. "The other one needs to run back to camp as quickly as possible and get help."

"Fernpaw should go back to camp," Redpaw spoke up after a heartbeat. Fernpaw looked like she was going to protest, but Redpaw continued before she could. "Smokebreath's my mentor; I should be the one to help."

Flowernose dipped her head. "If you wish." She looked at Fernpaw. "Go. Quickly." Fernpaw looked distressed, but didn't make to argue anymore. Instead, she nodded and took off towards the camp.

Flowernose turned her attention back towards Smokebreath and the foxes. "I'll take the bigger one on the left," she meowed. "You take the smaller one. Just dart in and get its attention, then get out of there as fast as you can."

Redpaw took a deep breath. "Okay."

Flowernose nodded and crouched down, ready to launch herself down the hill. "On the count of three. One. Two."

Redpaw took another deep breath, his heart pounding.

"Three."

CHAPTER TWO

"Three."

Redpaw launched himself down the hill, a pawstep behind Flowernose, his shoulder almost brushing against her tawny flank. They were nearly upon the foxes before the beasts noticed them.

As they neared the foxes, they veered apart- Redpaw heading for the smallest fox, Flowernose for the larger. Redpaw's target only noticed him at the last second, unable to turn around before the apprentice leaped and landed on the creature's lower back, digging his claws in for a heartbeat before pushing off and landing several tail-lengths away. The fox stumbled slightly with the force of Redpaw's push, but regained itself quickly and snapped at the young tom's tail. Redpaw hissed and clawed at its nose, drawing blood, before racing off across the grass. He slowed for a heartbeat to look over his shoulder, his breath catching in his throat as he saw the fox only a cat-length behind and gaining fast.

I can't outrun it, he realized, struggling not to panic as he felt the thrum of the fox's paws on the ground behind him. Where's Smokebreath?

As if on cue, Redpaw saw a flash of gray fur slam into the fox's side. The fox let out a short bark of surprise and stumbled to a stop, turning on the older tom, who hared off in the opposite direction. The fox gave chase, and Redpaw allowed himself to slow to a stop, breathing heavily.

I don't think I've ever run so fast in my life, he thought before glancing up the hill he and Flowernose had come down. Where in StarClan is Fernpaw with the reinforcements? But Redpaw didn't have time to linger on that thought; he heard a yowl of pain coming from across the field. The bigger fox had Flowernose in its jaws and was shaking her like prey.

It's going to break her neck! Redpaw realized with dread. Without thinking, he launched himself towards the fox, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat and throwing himself at the creature. He dug his claws into its shoulder and pulled himself onto its back.

The beast growled but didn't let go of Flowernose, who hung limp in its jaws with an expression of shock and terror on her face. Redpaw just hoped she wasn't dead yet.

"Let go of her!" he growled, lunging forward. His jaws met in its ear and the fox let out a whimper, dropping Flowernose, who lay still at its feet. It shook its head violently, trying to throw Redpaw off, but the apprentice held on tight. After a moment he let go and slipped off the fox's back. I have to get it away from Flowernose. He took off across the field, just like before, but he knew he wouldn't be able to outrun the fox for long. I just hope help gets here in time.

Just as he'd anticipated, the fox forgot about the tawny she-cat and took off after Redpaw. The young tom's stomach dropped as he realized this fox was faster than the other. I'm not going to be able to stay ahead if it. I'll have to try something else.

As he felt the fox's hot breath on his tail, he skidded to a stop and pushed himself back the way he came, throwing himself under the fox's belly and then out behind it. The fox skidded to a stop, momentarily bewildered, before whirling around and giving chase again.

I can't believe that worked! I don't know if it will again though; better not risk it.

This time, he threw himself to the side as the fox snapped at him, rolling to his paws and taking off again in another direction. He didn't gain as much ground this time, but at least the fox hadn't caught him yet.

I'm running out of ideas, he thought with alarm. But he didn't need any more. As he swerved again to avoid the fox's jaws, he saw several lithe shapes hurtle over the top of the hill.

"Flamefur!" Redpaw greeted his father breathlessly in relief as the fluffy ginger tom ran up beside him.

"I'll take it from here. Keep running and don't stop until you're safe." With that, the warrior skidded to a stop and reared up on his hind legs, hissing and slashing his claws across the fox's nose. Heeding his father's word, Redpaw kept running.

He didn't stop until he reached the top of the hill. Looking down, he saw his Clanmates driving back the foxes. Smokebreath and Meadowpelt, a long-furred brown tabby she-cat, wove around the smallest fox, darting in to nip at its paws and neck until it turned and fled. Flamefur and Rabbittail clawed at the bigger one together, their movements in sync, as if they had fought together like this a thousand times before. After a moment, that fox too gave up and ran after the other, both of their tails between their legs. Mousewhisker, a white she-cat, was trying to rouse Flowernose, who stirred weakly.

She's not dead! Redpaw thought with relief. But she might be badly hurt. Now that the coast was clear, he descended the hill again, padded over to Mousewhisker and Flowernose. Flamefur, Rabbittail, Smokebreath, and Meadowpelt approached as well, breathless and bloody-clawed but unhurt.

"Is she alright?" Meadowpelt asked urgently, rushing over and nudging the fallen she-cat's shoulder. Redpaw remembered with a pang that Meadowpelt was Flowernose's mother. It must hurt her to see her kit injured like this.

Mousewhisker pushed Meadowpelt back gently as Flowernose groaned. "I think she'll be alright, but we need to get her back to camp so Rainheart can look at her. She's bleeding a lot." Sure enough, Flowernose's tawny pelt was soaked with blood from where the fox's teeth had torn her side.

"I'll carry her," Smokebreath offered. He was the biggest cat there, most suitable to take Flowernose's weight. "Help get her onto my shoulders." He crouched down beside the she-cat, lowering his head so that his chin nearly rested on the ground. Flamefur grasped her scruff gently and pulled her over Smokebreath's head and onto his shoulders, so that her paws dangled down on either side of him. The gray tom stood with a slightly groan, and Meadowpelt hurried to his side to steady her daughter so she wouldn't slip from his shoulders.

Rabbittail nodded, standing on Smokebreath's other side. "Let's go. Quickly."

Mousewhisker moved ahead, scenting the air for any more dangers. Rabbittail and Meadowpelt followed closely behind, leaning slightly against Smokebreath to help support Flowernose, who seemed to be at least mostly unconscious. Flamefur brought up the rear, gesturing for Redpaw to come walk with him.

"You did very well today," he purred as the apprentice dropped into step beside him, his blue eyes sparkling with pride.

"If you hadn't shown up when you had, the fox would've gotten me," Redpaw admitted a bit sheepishly, looking at his paws. Flamefur gave him a nudge.

"Still, that was your first time seeing real combat, and you're not fully grown yet." He flicked one ear. "When your legs are longer, I'm sure you'll be able to outrun foxes just fine." Redpaw shrugged, not entirely convinced.

"Really, you'll be great." Flamefur nudged him again.

Redpaw was silent for a moment before asking, "Do you think Flowernose will be okay?"

Flamefur nodded. "Her wounds are pretty serious, but I've seen cats survive much worse. She'll heal just fine with Rainheart to look after her." He paused. "She probably won't be able to take Fernpaw out for a while though. Gorsestar might have to assign her a different mentor, at least until Flowernose heals."

Redpaw blinked. "Is that something that happens a lot?"

Flamefur shrugged. "I wouldn't say a lot. But sometimes apprentices have to change mentors part of the way through their training because their mentor dies or is injured, or has kits." He paused. "Did you know that Rabbittail was trained by Robintail and Gorsestar?" Redpaw twitched his whiskers.

"No, I didn't." He tried to imagine the frail, blind old elder Robintail being formidable enough to train a warrior like Rabbittail.

Flamefur nodded. "That was before Robintail went blind. But when he did, he asked Gorsestar to take over Rabbittail's training. Gorsestar was still Gorseclaw then."

Redpaw flicked one ear. "I never realized Gorsestar was the one who trained Rabbittail. I guess it makes sense though; they're a lot alike."

By this time, the patrol was nearly back to the camp. Fernpaw was waiting impatiently by the entrance, and rushed over as soon as she saw them.

"Oh StarClan!" she gasped when she saw her mentor draped unconscious across Smokebreath's shoulders. "What happened?"

"Fox got 'er," Smokebreath replied, a bit winded from carrying the she-cat all the way back to camp.

"We're taking her to Rainheart's den now," Rabbittail meowed, gently nudging the worried apprentice out of the way.

"Will she be okay?" Fernpaw asked fretfully, dropping in with the patrol. She watched Flowernose with wide, anxious eyes.

"I think she'll be fine," Mousewhisker reassured her. "We just need to hurry. She's lost a lot of blood."

A few cats looked up as Flowernose was brought into the hollow. A surge of concerned whispers went through the camp as she was carried over to the medicine den, but then Redpaw's sight was blocked by a frantic brown she-cat rushing over to them.

"Thank StarClan you're okay!" she meowed, covering Redpaw with a flurry of worried licks. "I would have gone too but the rescue patrol left by the time I got back from the dawn patrol!"

"It's alright, Fawnfoot," Flamefur purred, nuzzling her back a bit to give Redpaw some space to breathe. "Redpaw handled himself just fine." He glanced at Redpaw. "Bet he could've fought that fox off all on his own," he teased. Redpaw twitched his whiskers.

"I wouldn't-" but he was cut off by his mother's affection again.

"Oh my brave son! Growing up so fast," she purred. Redpaw looked around her shoulder to Flamefur for help again, but the ginger tom just shrugged, as if to say, 'you're on your own this time.'

"I helped too," Fernpaw muttered a bit indignantly. Fawnfoot purred and turned her attention to her other kit, giving her a loving nuzzle as well.

"You ran all the way back to camp for help, I heard," she meowed, giving her daughter a lick between the ears. "Faster than the wind, Sandshade said!" Fernpaw purred at the praise.

Redpaw twitched his whiskers in amusement. Fernpaw had always basked in praise, whereas Redpaw never liked to be the center of attention. Even at his apprenticing ceremony, he had been terribly awkward as the eyes of the Clan focused on him.

Just then, a small black-and-white she-cat emerged from the medicine den, and silence swept across the camp as they waited for the medicine cat's news about the injured warrior.

"Flowernose will live," the spotted she-cat announced, her small, light voice carrying easily in the hollow. A sigh of relief rippled through the Clan.

Rabbittail emerged from the medicine den behind the she-cat, and stooped to exchange a quiet word with her. Then she raised her head.

"We need to be sure the foxes have left the territory," she meowed. "I'm going to take a patrol to track them, and chase them out once and for all if they haven't left." She looked around at the cats in the camp. "Runningheart, Tansyspots, and Featherfur- you can come with me."

A long-furred calico she-cat and a small gray tabby she-cat- Tansyspots and Featherfur- stopped sharing tongues and got to their paws. Runningheart, a bulky tawny tabby, finished the last few bites of his fresh-kill and joined them.

"Ready?" Rabbittail asked, looking them over. Each one nodded, and the patrol padded out of camp, heading for where the battle with the foxes had occurred.

Redpaw started as a voice sounded close to his ear. "You should eat and rest." He whipped his head around to see Smokebreath standing next to him, concern but pride in his pale green eyes.

Redpaw tilted his head. "Isn't there more training to do today?" he asked, twitching his tail. Smokebreath twitched his whiskers.

"You've done enough for now. A cat's first battle is always stressful and tiring." He flicked his tail. "But be ready for tonight; I'll take you night hunting once the sun sets."

"Ooh, can I go too?" Fernpaw asked eagerly, kneading the ground with her paws. Smokebreath looked thoughtful.

"I'll ask Flowernose later, if she's awake." Then he let out a purr of laughter. "But if she's not, I'll let you go anyways."

"Yes!" Fernpaw exclaimed triumphantly.

"Well, you better eat up and rest too then," Flamefur put in, giving his daughter an affectionate headbutt. "Go on." He nudged both the apprentices in the direction of the fresh-kill pile. Fawnfoot gave Redpaw another nuzzle as he passed her, and he purred back in response. Even though she could be a bit smothering at times, he was grateful for his mother's concern and love.

Fernpaw and Redpaw picked out a pair of birds and carried them over to the edge of camp, where a small pile of boulders rose against the sky. Climbing to the top, they settled down next to one another so that their pelts brushed.

The sky was still overcast, the world gray like twilight. The grass faded between greens and tawny, the yellow flowers of gorse and purple expanses of heather breaking up the landscape. As they watched, a few narrow beams of shifting sunlight broke through the clouds, bathing the world in a faint golden light. As he took a bite of his fresh-kill, Redpaw couldn't help the purr growing in his throat. Despite everything- the foxes and the rain, and all the other hardships the Clan faced every day- he knew there was no place he would rather be than WindClan.

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