Post by skyleap32 on Sept 16, 2017 21:10:13 GMT -5
Thanks to Redfleck for this awesome banner!
Brief summary: After finally becoming a full-fledged warrior in SunClan, Leafstorm is excited to begin his new life. But when the medicine cat goes missing, the deputy of the Clan turns up dead, and aggression from the opposing StormClan increases, Leafstorm begins to suspect a traitor in his own Clan. He must move fast to prevent this cat from becoming leader and stop StormClan’s conquering march across the forest.
Allegiances
SunClan
Leader: Birdstar – small, strong tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and amber eyes
Deputy: Firefang – large orange tom with piercing green eyes
Medicine Cat: Crookedwillow – tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes
Apprentice, Mossypaw
Warriors:
Sandpoppy – dust-colored she-cat
Apprentice, Sootpaw
Stonestripe – large gray tom
Apprentice, Leafpaw
Eagleflight – dark brown she-cat
Copperfang – black tom with stunning amber eyes
Apprentice, Icepaw
Emberfeather – orange she-cat with yellow eyes
Apprentices:
Leafpaw – small gray tom with amber eyes
Icepaw – pretty white she-cat with blue eyes
Sootpaw – gray she-cat
Queens:
Whitewhisper – big white she-cat (Larkkit, Stagkit)
Silverfrost – gray she-cat
Elders:
Littleshade – small tabby she-cat with green eyes
Deerfoot – brown she-cat
Tornstrike – gray tom with a large nick in his ear
StormClan
Leader: Thawstar – big, powerful jet black tom
Deputy: Cedarbranch – brown tom with dark stripes
Medicine Cat: Swanfang – white she-cat with green eyes
Warriors:
Ambershade – brown tom with amber eyes
Rockdawn – big gray tom
Apprentice, Sagepaw
Owlstripe – gray-flecked she-cat with a dark gray stripe
Blizzardspring – tabby tom with yellow eyes
Apprentice, Breezepaw
Blackfall – black tom with white paws
Queens:
Goldenbrook – golden brown she-cat
Flamespirit – gray she-cat with amber eyes
Elders:
Sprucewhisper – small brown tom
Blazewater – orange tom with amber eyes
DawnClan
Leader: Flowerstar – tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes
Deputy: Runningswirl – big, strong brown tom
Medicine Cat: Birdsky – brown tabby tom
Warriors:
Appleface – black she-cat with green eyes
Iceblossom – white she-cat
Apprentice, Lakepaw
Cloudbelly – gray tom with yellow eyes
Leopardleap – gray-flecked tom
Apprentice, Acornpaw
Branchbreeze – tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes
Queens:
Gingerback – sand-colored she-cat
Fawnshade – small tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes
Elders:
Duststream – old brown tom
Spottedbranch – black she-cat with yellow eyes
Prologue
A big, jet black tom paced the edge of the border. He scented the air and the smell of the rival Clan filled his nose. The apprentice should be here by now. He had been careful to conceal himself when he had met with her before. Not anymore. No, now she was big enough to go to the border herself.
He watched the branches of the trees shaking a little in the wind. It was a chilly night, but his thick fur protected him from the cold.
He saw her approaching in the moonlight. Her white fur shown and her blue eyes seemed to sparkle. He tilted his head as he watched her pad up to the border. “You’re late,” he observed in a deep voice.
The she-cat shook her head. “Didn’t you say moonhigh?”
The tom glanced up at the sky. Yes, he had said moonhigh, but the moon was noticeably beyond its highest point. “I did,” he responded. “It’s past moonhigh. You have much to learn, apprentice.”
She huffed, annoyed. “Why did you call me out here? The others will miss me soon.”
“I want to make sure we are still on the same side. I don’t know what thoughts may have been put into your head by your new mentor,” he told her.
“You’ll always be my true mentor.”
He scoffed. “I should think so. Do you know what lengths I had to go to in order to disguise my scent from your Clan? Wild garlic! Fox-dung!”
“You haven’t wasted your time.”
“You had better prove it. Remember, your mother was once part of our Clan. Although she will never admit it, it is her true home. She would love to see our flag fly throughout the forest.”
“Of course.”
“You remember our training?”
“You taught me well. Do our other Clan members know?”
“Not yet.” The tom shook his head. “They will when they need to.”
“Where do they think you are then?”
“I am their leader. They don’t ask.”
The she-cat let out a little purr of admiration. “I’d like to be leader someday.”
The tom nodded. “I’m sure that you will, my young apprentice. I can see the same ambition in you that I have. Hold onto that. It will be your guide when all seems lost.” She was so much smaller than him. He knew he could kill her so easily. She would be no trouble to control. He only needed to tell her what she needed to hear. “Now go. Learn from your mentor, but remember where your true loyalties lie.”
The she-cat nodded. “Of course.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The small brown she-cat raced through the forest as fast her legs would carry her. As she approached her destination with another warrior by her side, she could hear the yowls of cats locked in battle.
She crested the top of the ridge and looked down to see her warriors tussling with the warriors of the enemy Clan. She snarled and launched herself into battle. She batted away a brown tom from one of her Clan mates and then turned to her real opponent, the fur bristling along her spine.
The sounds of battle died away as cats from both Clans watched the two leaders stare each other down. The small she-cat hoped that the big black tom facing her would underestimate her strength. She was small, but she was just as powerful as him.
“These are our lands,” she spat.
The tom scoffed. “Not for long. This forest will soon belong to StormClan.”
“Not as long as I have breath in my body,” the she-cat responded. She crouched, waiting for the tom to lunge.
He did and she rolled onto her back, catching the tom’s shoulders in her claws. She unsheathed her back claws and raked them across the tom’s belly.
The tom screeched and pulled himself free of her grip and sprang away, but the she-cat was ready. She rolled over and grappled onto the tom as he tried to regain his balance, pulling him to the ground again. She closed her jaws around the tom’s neck and bit down hard, meant to be a strong warning bite, but was surprised when there was no noise from the tom. She sheathed her claws and backed away before she noticed the tom was not breathing. Blood pooled around his neck.
“Oh no,” she backed away from the body, horrified with herself. She prayed to StarClan that this was not the tom’s last life.
After when seemed like forever, the tom twitched and started to get to his paws as the wounds around his neck healed. He turned and glared daggers at the she-cat as his Clan mates began to hiss around her.
“You win this battle, Birdstar,” the tom hissed, “but you will not win this war. I will tear your Clan apart, piece by piece.” And with a flick of his tail, he and his Clan mates turned and disappeared into the darkness of the trees.
Birdstar turned to her warriors. They all stared at her, wide-eyed. She had not meant to take a life from the leader of StormClan. But what was done was done. “Come,” she said.
Chapter One
Leafpaw sat in the sandy hollow, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the other mentors and apprentices. Today was the day. It was finally here.
He watched as the sun began to crest above the trees. Stonestripe had told him to a good night’s sleep, but of course he hadn’t listened to the senior warrior. No, he had been much too excited to sleep. By sundown, he might be a full-fledged warrior. There was just one test left to pass.
Leafpaw pricked his ears as he saw a black tom with amber eyes skid down the slope and into the hollow. Copperfang was an early riser and Leafpaw wasn’t surprised that he was here first. The warrior was surprised to see him though. “You’re very early, Leafpaw,” he observed. “I thought Stonestripe told you to get some sleep.”
Leafpaw nodded. “He did. I’m too excited to sleep.”
Copperfang purred as he sat down and wrapped his tail neatly around his paws. “I felt the same when I was an apprentice. That’s probably when I first started rising with the sun.”
“Is Icepaw up yet?” Leafpaw asked. Stonestripe and Copperfang had trained their two apprentices side by side and Leafpaw had grown fond of the other apprentice. He hoped they would be named warriors together today.
Copperfang shook his head. “Still sound asleep. You know how much she likes her sleep though.”
Leafpaw wrinkled his nose. “I can tell by how much she snores.”
The two cats sat in a comfortable silence as the sun climbed higher in the sky before Leafpaw noticed two more shapes making their way to the hollow. A big gray tom slid into the hollow just as Copperfang had, followed by a smaller white she-cat. Icepaw waved her tail in greeting to Leafpaw as he glanced at his mentor.
Stonestripe narrowed his eyes. “How long have you been awake?”
“He only just came a few minutes ago,” Copperfang said, giving Leafpaw a little wink.
Leafpaw gave the older tom a grateful expression.
Stonestripe seemed accept that and sat down. “Now, as you both know, today is your final assessment. Pass and you become warriors. Fail and you’ll have to wait a little longer.”
Leafpaw stood up. He was eager to hear what the assignment was. He had been training especially hard in the past few days. Today is the day, he thought. I wonder what my warrior name will be. Leafclaw? Maybe Leaffang? “You will have until sunhigh to catch as much prey as possible,” Stonestripe continued. “After that, you will bury your catches and come back here for your next task. Everything you catch will go to the elders and kits first. Understand?”
Leafpaw and Icepaw gave him a nod.
“Good. Now go!”
The apprentices took off into the woods.
“Just you wait!” Icepaw said as she ran next to Leafpaw. “I’m going to be the best warrior in the Clan. I’ll even be deputy and leader someday!”
Leafpaw gave an amused chuckle. He didn’t quite share Icepaw’s ambitions. Though he couldn’t wait to be a warrior. “Icestar, I can see it now!” he told her.
“See you later, Leafpaw!” Icepaw bounded off in another direction.
Leafpaw stopped running and dropped into a crouch. He pricked his ears and listened for anything in the area. Nothing. Perhaps it was scared off by him and Icepaw. He started off in another direction in search of prey.
By sunhigh, he had caught two mice, a vole, and a thrush. He buried his catches a short ways from the hollow and then made his way back to the mentors.
Copperfang and Stonestripe were waiting patiently when he entered the hollow and Icepaw came skidding in a moment later.
“What have you caught?” Copperfang asked.
“A chaffinch, a young rabbit, and two voles!” Icepaw responded excitedly.
“And you, Leafpaw?” Stonestripe added.
“A thrush, a vole, and two mice!” Leafpaw said.
“Excellent!” Stonestripe meowed, sounding impressed. “Okay, picture this.” The senior warrior stood up and drew a line in the sand with a paw. “This is the border between your Clan and an enemy Clan.” Leafpaw glanced up and saw Icepaw’s blue eyes looking at him from across the line. He could see where this was going. “You’ve just scented the air and a cat from a different Clan has entered your territory! Now you must drive the enemy out, like any brave warrior would,” Stonestripe finished.
“The rules are simple,” Copperfang put in. “Claws sheathed, no deep bites. The first to pin the other wins.”
Wins what? Leafpaw wondered. Was only he or Icepaw going to become a warrior today, the winner of the fight? Then I’ll fight with all my strength.
He dropped into a crouch and started to circle Icepaw. Any trace of friendliness in the young she-cat’s eyes was gone, replaced with ferocity. She wanted to be a warrior and Leafpaw was the only thing standing in her way.
Icepaw sprang and Leafpaw rolled away, bringing up his paws to ward off an attack. Icepaw had reared onto her hind legs and was towering over him, holding out her paws. Leafpaw seized the opportunity and lunged forward, crashing right into the white apprentice’s belly and planting his paws on her shoulders. Icepaw wriggled around underneath him, eventually succeeding in pushing him off her. Leafpaw realized he had to remember his size. Icepaw was actually bigger than him and he needed to remember that. It would be tough to pin her down.
In one private session with Stonestripe, the older warrior had taught him a move that would only work once on an opponent. Now was the time. When Icepaw lunged again, he allowed her to crash into him and push him to ground. He forced his entire body to go limp, even though adrenaline pumped through him. Icepaw planted a paw on him. “Are you giving up?” she asked incredulously.
Quick as lightning, Leafpaw jumped forward, grabbing onto Icepaw’s shoulders and forcing her to the ground. The other apprentice let out a surprised yowl as she was pinned beneath him. But she was able to recover quicker than Leafpaw predicted. Using her greater strength, she flipped them, so Leafpaw was pinned beneath her. Something sharp poked into his shoulder. Icepaw had her claws out.
“Well done, both of you,” Copperfang said. Neither of the warriors had noticed Icepaw’s unsheathed claws and when she let him up, they were sheathed again.
“That was truly a fantastic performance from both of you,” Stonestripe mewed. “Even though Icepaw was the winner, you showed just how clever you are, Leafpaw. I’m very impressed. You have both learned well.”
“And now, we should fetch your prey and make our way back to camp,” Copperfang said, “and give our report to Birdstar.”
Leafpaw went with Stonestripe to dig up his fresh-kill and as they made their way back to camp, Leafpaw couldn’t help the sinking feeling in his chest that he wasn’t going to become a warrior today.
Chapter Two
The group padded back into camp as the sun started to dip below the horizon. Leafpaw dropped his prey into the fresh-kill pile and made his way over to the apprentices’ den. Sootpaw was laying outside, a vole next to her. “Hi,” the younger cat meowed.
“Hello.” Leafpaw couldn’t keep the depression out of his voice.
“How did it go?” Sootpaw asked.
Leafpaw shook his head. “Not well. Icepaw and I both caught the same amount of prey and she beat me when we fought. I’m not sure I’ll be a warrior today.”
He saw Stonestripe and Copperfang walk over to a small brown she-cat sitting outside the leader’s den. Birdstar meowed a greeting as they approached. Leafpaw wondered what the two warriors were telling her.
“Hey, on the plus side, you still get to sleep in the same den as me!” Sootpaw purred. “I’m sure Birdstar will make you a warrior. You’ve been training so hard!”
The senior warriors and the leader talked for a long while before Birdstar leaped up onto the Tall Rock and called out, “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Tall Rock for a Clan meeting!”
It was time. These next few minutes were going to make him or break him.
Leafpaw seeked out Icepaw among the cats and took a seat next to her. Icepaw looked at him with her stunning blue eyes and nudged him a little. “It’s finally time!”
The small wounds in Leafpaw’s shoulder stung a little bit. Did Icepaw just get too excited? Or had she meant to hurt him?
Birdstar looked down on her Clan mates with the soft eyes of a mother looking at her kits. She leaped down from the rock and beckoned Icepaw with a flick of her tail. Icepaw excitedly ran forward and sat in front of the leader. “I, Birdstar, leader of SunClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice,” Birdstar started, beginning the warrior naming ritual. “She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.”
Icepaw bent her head before her leader. Even though she was young, she was almost bigger than Birdstar already.
“Icepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?”
“I do,” the white she-cat replied solemnly.
“Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name.” Birdstar paused and looked at Copperfang, who was radiating pride while watching his former apprentice. “Icepaw, from this moment you will be known as Icefang, in honor of your mentor. StarClan honors your strength and your loyalty and we welcome you as a full warrior of SunClan.” Birdstar rested her muzzle on top of Icefang’s head and the new warrior respectfully licked the leader’s shoulder in return.
And that was it, Leafpaw thought. Icefang would be a warrior and he would remain an apprentice. He saw Copperfang walk over to congratulate the new warrior, as proud as she was. He searched for Stonestripe and found the big gray tomcat looking at him. His mentor gave him a little nod.
“We have another new warrior to welcome today.” Birdstar rested her gaze on Leafpaw.
His heart leapt into his chest. He was going to be a warrior after all! Leafpaw padded over to his leader and sat in front of her. Icefang was next to him, purring very loudly. Leafpaw thought at least some of it was for him.
“Leafpaw,” Birdstar began, “do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?”
“I do.” Leafpaw stared up at Birdstar with unmistakable pride. Was that a glimmer of amusement that danced through her eyes? She was happy for him as well.
“Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name.” What will it be? he wondered. “Leafpaw, from this moment you will be known as Leafstorm. StarClan honors your cleverness and your spirit and we welcome you as a full warrior of SunClan.”
Leafstorm felt his leader rest her muzzle on top of his head and he bent to lick her shoulder. He then went to stand by Icefang as the Clan raised their noses to the sky and chanted their new names. “Icefang! Leafstorm! Icefang! Leafstorm!”
Icefang playfully butted her head against Leafstorm’s shoulder. “We did it,” she whispered.
Leafstorm could not contain the purrs rumbling from him. He turned around to seek out Stonestripe.
His former mentor was waiting for him a small distance from the crowd of cats. “Congratulations!” the older cat mewed.
Leafstorm sat down and shook his head. “How?” he asked. It was a strange question, but it was the only word he could get out.
Stonestripe looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“I lost to Icefang,” Leafstorm responded. “How did I become a warrior?”
“It’s as I said in the training hollow, Leafstorm,” Stonestripe responded. “Icefang was stronger, but you were quicker and much cleverer. You deserve this. I thought you always wanted to be warrior.” A playful tone entered the senior warrior’s voice.
Leafstorm chuckled. Yes, he thought. This is what I always wanted. I’ve done it.
He and Icefang sat at the camp entrance for their silent vigil that night. He watched the moon rise and fall before the first rays of dawn appeared on the horizon. Copperfang came to relieve them of their duty and the two new warriors made their way over to the warriors’ den.
Now, Leafstorm thought, his real life was about to begin.
Chapter Three
“Are you excited? Birdstar has chosen you to go to the Gathering.” Leafstorm looked up as Stonestripe approached him. “She wants all the Clans to know that we have new warriors,” the big tom continued.
“Are you going, too?” Leafstorm looked up from his washing.
Stonestripe shook his head. “No, Birdstar put me in charge of guarding the camp while you’re all gone. Icefang is going though.”
It had been three sunrises since Leafstorm had been made a warrior. Although he and Icefang had made nests for themselves close together in the warriors’ den, he hadn’t spoken more than a few words to the white she-cat. Their warrior life had kept them busy and none of their patrols had been together. Maybe this was a chance to catch up.
Leafstorm stood up and felt his shoulder sting a little bit from the small clawmarks. They were almost healed, but every time he moved he had a constant reminder of the final assessment.
“Hey, Leafstorm!” Sootpaw bounded towards him, almost bouncing up and down. “Sandpoppy said I’m going to the Gathering!”
Leafstorm purred. Even though Sootpaw was still apprentice, she was still his friend. He had actually missed sleeping near her in the apprentices’ den. This would be a good chance to reconnect with her and Icefang.
The sun was setting when Birdstar gave the call for all the cats going to the Gathering.
Leafstorm fell into step with Icefang and Sootpaw near the front of the group, behind Birdstar and her deputy Firefang.
“Have you heard the rumors about StormClan?” Sootpaw asked in a hushed tone.
Leafstorm ducked his head a little to hear her better. He had actually not been for a few moons by the StormClan border. Firefang had always sent him to remark the DawnClan border by the stream.
“Some of the older warriors are saying that they’ve scented StormClan cats crossing the border to hunt,” Sootpaw meowed. “I heard Sandpoppy talking about it.”
“Quiet!” came a hiss from up ahead. Leafstorm turned to see Firefang fixing his fierce green gaze on him. The orange tom was even bigger than Stonestripe. “No such rumors will be spread.”
Leafstorm started to slow his pace and Icefang and Sootpaw matched him until they fell towards the back of the group, near the elders. Leafstorm could hear them talking.
“What did you say, Deerfoot?” asked Tornstrike, a gray tom with a large nick in his ear.
“I swear, you haven’t been able to hear anything since that StormClan cat tore your ear,” Deerfoot responded loudly. “I said, I wonder if Birdstar is going to challenge StormClan at this Gathering.”
Leafstorm angled his ears towards the elders and shared a glance with Icefang. Everything seemed to falling into place. If StormClan was crossing the border, it made sense that Firefang wouldn’t send new warriors in that direction. Maybe there was some truth in Sootpaw’s claims.
“I don’t believe she will,” Littleshade responded from a little bit ahead. The small tabby turned her head back to look at the other elders. “We’ve only fought a couple battles in the whole time she’s been leader. I doubt she’ll try to start one.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Leafstorm said to Sootpaw.
“We should investigate for ourselves,” Icefang whispered to them.
“Are you crazy?” Leafstorm said. He was shocked that Icefang would suggest such a thing. “We shouldn’t go looking for trouble. We just might find it.”
Icefang’s blue eyes sparkled. “That’s the idea.”
“It sounds like fun!” Sootpaw meowed. “Sandpoppy refuses to take me to that side of the forest.”
“Which side of the forest?” the dust-colored she-cat herself fell in step with her apprentice.
Sootpaw’s yellow eyes widened. “N-nothing!”
“We were just wondering how the hunting was near the StormClan border,” Icefang mewed smoothly. “We haven’t been that far in a while.”
Sandpoppy’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not too good. It’s much better by the stream.”
Near the DawnClan border, Leafstorm thought. What were these senior warriors hiding?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Birdstar gave the signal a little while later and SunClan cats raced down the slope to mingle with the other Clans below. The scents of StormClan and DawnClan filled Leafstorm’s nose.
Leafstorm looked around at the faces of the cats. There was one he was looking for, a friend in another Clan. “Applepaw!” he called.
The scent of DawnClan filled his nose as he approached the black she-cat. She was glowing with pride. “Appleface now, Leafpaw!” she said.
Leafstorm purred loudly. “Wow, really! It’s actually Leafstorm now!”
Appleface’s jaw dropped. “You’re a warrior too!” She touched his nose.
“Where shall we sit tonight?” he asked. He and Appleface had been to a couple Gatherings together before and had a tradition of picking whose conversations they should listen in on.
The she-cat pointed her nose at a group of elders sitting not too far. “That’s Icepaw, isn’t it?” Icefang was sitting next to elders listening to a story. “Is she a warrior, too?”
Leafstorm nodded. “Yes. Her name is Icefang now. We can join her by the elders.”
“I love listening to the elders’ stories,” Appleface meowed.
The pair joined Icefang by the elders from all Clans.
“You’ve retired, Blazewater?” Leafstorm heard Littleshade ask a StormClan tomcat.
“I’ve served my Clan for a long time. Now I’m ready to be pampered by the apprentices,” an orange tom with amber eyes chuckled.
“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” muttered an old DawnClan she-cat, wrinkling her nose.
“You would complain if StarClan themselves pampered you, Spottedbranch,” purred Littleshade. “Well, if it isn’t our newest and finest warriors,” she mewed, turning her attention to the young warriors sitting nearby.
“You’ve come to hear us complain about the apprentices?” Blazewater asked good-naturedly.
Leafstorm purred. “We were actually wondering if any of you had any good stories for us.”
“Ah yes, I have a good story,” Spottedbranch meowed. “It’s one of Appleface’s favorites.” Leafstorm looked at the black she-cat and saw her eyes dancing in delight.
“Long ago,” Spottedbranch began, “when I was still a young warrior, these two were kits,” she flicked her tail to Littleshade and Blazewater, “and you three weren’t even thought of, DawnClan, SunClan, and StormClan all came together to unite against one common foe.”
“Oh no,” Littleshade said. She turned her head to the young warriors. “Don’t listen to this old cat. I’ve heard this story a thousand times and I still don’t believe it.”
“It’s absolute mouse-dung!” confirmed Blazewater.
“It is true, I swear on StarClan!” Spottedbranch protested. “I had just finished my apprenticeship when all of a sudden there was a rumbling off in the distance, at the edge of our territory. Our leader sent warriors to investigate and there was a massive Twoleg monster there, with its jaws wide to tear the forest apart. At the next Gathering, our leader warned the other Clans of the danger approaching from the south. But the leader of StormClan proposed a dangerous idea. Perhaps if all of the Clans united, we could drive this Twoleg monster from our home. It was so crazy that it just might work.” Spottedbranch paused and flicked her amber eyes between Icefang, Leafstorm, and Appleface, to confirm that she had their attention. “At dawn, warriors and apprentices from all three Clans united and marched across DawnClan’s territory to meet the monster in battle. It was sleeping, but there was a small pack of Twolegs heading towards it, probably to wake it up. We launched ourselves into battle. With our claws and teeth bared, we drove the Twolegs away and a few days later, the monster had vanished as well. There is still a gully where that monster stood. It is the mark of what the Clans can do when we unite.”
Leafstorm was amazed. He wanted to believe it was true, in spite of Littleshade’s warning. Appleface’s eyes were sparkling. Icefang looked impressed as well, a purr rumbling deep in her throat.
Littleshade poked Leafstorm in the chest playfully. “I can see your expressions. You want to believe it’s true.”
“It is!” Spottedbranch said, a hint of anger entering her voice.
“Spottedbranch has always supported the unification of the Clans,” Blazewater said. “She invented this story to try and convince more cats that she’s right. Pay her no attention, youngsters.”
A growl rose from Spottedbranch at Blazewater’s words and the orange cat poked her good-naturedly with a paw.
And then a yowl sounded from the Great Rock and Leafstorm turned towards it. The Gathering was about to begin.
As the cats around him began to settle down and he sat between Icefang and Appleface, Leafstorm couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Spottedbranch had a point.
Chapter Four
Three cats stood on top of the Great Rock. Leafstorm recognized Birdstar, the smallest of the three, Flowerstar, the leader of DawnClan, and a big, powerful black tom called Thawstar, the leader of StormClan. Flowerstar stepped forward first.
“Things have been going very well for DawnClan,” the tortoiseshell she-cat began. “Prey has been plentiful and we are honored to welcome a new warrior, Appleface.”
Appleface radiated pride from next to Leafstorm as the cats around her turned to congratulate her.
“However, some of my warriors have noticed the tell-tale signs of leaf-bare at the edge of our territory. Snow fell there a couple days ago. The season may be coming early this year and I wanted the other Clans to know so you all can prepare.”
A murmur rippled throughout the crowd and Leafstorm felt his eyes narrow. Leaf-bare? It was the middle of green-leaf!
“Thank you for your warning, Flowerstar.” Birdstar padded to the front of the rock. “SunClan also has two new warriors to welcome, Leafstorm and Icefang.”
Cats in front of Leafstorm turned to congratulate him. He heard Icefang purring next to him as he sat up a little straighter and puffed out his chest.
“Prey has also been plentiful for us,” Birdstar continued, “and SunClan has been patrolling its borders.” And then she stepped back.
Leafstorm turned to the elders to see Littleshade murmur something to Tornstrike and Deerfoot. Beyond the last pointed comment, Birdstar had not mentioned anything about StormClan.
Flowerstar and Birdstar looked expectantly to Thawstar at the far end of the rock. The jet-black tom was sitting still, his amber eyes fixed down on the crowd, as if he was lost in thought.
“Thawstar?” Flowerstar meowed. “Have you any news to share?”
Leafstorm looked at Icefang next to him and saw that she was staring up at the StormClan leader with something in her eyes that he couldn’t quite place. Was that admiration?
Thawstar turned his gaze to the other leaders. He stood and walked to the front of the rock slowly. It seemed as if every cat below was holding their breath, tensely waiting for him to speak.
“Cats of all Clans!” Thawstar’s deep voice echoed throughout the area. “I ask you to look at the cats sitting next to you. Are any of them from SunClan?”
Murmuring spread throughout the cats. Leafstorm made eye contact with Appleface, who shifted a little bit further away from him. He heard hissing behind him and turned to see Blazewater snarl at Littleshade and the other SunClan elders. They had been so friendly to each other before, but now warrior blood pumped through Blazewater’s veins. He looked ready to rip the SunClan cats apart.
Without thinking, Leafstorm jumped in between them, baring his teeth a little at Blazewater. He would protect his elders. He caught sight of Spottedbranch slipping away, heading closer to her Clan mates.
“If there are SunClan cats next to you,” Thawstar continued, “be wary! One of them might just tear out your throat! In a simple border dispute not too long ago, I lost one of my lives to Birdstar!”
Leafstorm had heard about the battle, but not any of the details. He saw Sootpaw snarl at a StormClan apprentice rounding on her and watched Copperfang step in between Silverfrost, a gray queen with her belly swollen from her expectant kits, and a couple of StormClan warriors.
On top of the Great Rock, Thawstar rounded on Birdstar. The SunClan leader looked so small compared to the massive black tom. “Even the smallest kit knows that killing is against the warrior code,” Thawstar spat. “Perhaps you should not be leader anymore! Perhaps your Clan should consider driving you out!”
Birdstar stood and when she spoke, she was calm, despite the fur bristling along her spine. “I never meant for that to happen, Thawstar. Leaders lose lives. It’s not worth starting a war over. Especially at a Gathering!”
Leafstorm saw muscles bunching in all the StormClan cats, including Blazewater in front of him. Would the StormClan cats really attack here, at a Gathering?
The moonlight illuminating the clearing suddenly vanished as a huge cloud covered the moon. There was yowling among the crowd of cats.
“StarClan has sent us a sign!” meowed Flowerstar. “This Gathering is over!” She jumped her way down from the Great Rock and DawnClan warriors fell into step next to her.
Appleface looked at Leafstorm one last time with a grieved expression, and then followed her leader out of the clearing.
With one last glare at Thawstar, Birdstar leaped from the Great Rock and Sandpoppy and Firefang flanked her immediately, baring their teeth at any StormClan warriors they passed.
“Let’s go.” Leafstorm turned away from Blazewater, to the elders, who all gave him a nod. Icefang joined him in protecting them as they joined the rest of their Clan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The cats from the Gathering padded into camp, exhausted and drained.
Stonestripe stood when they entered, looking eager, but his tail started to droop as he noticed the expression on every cat’s face. “What happened?” he asked, to no cat in particular.
“Thawstar chewed out SunClan for the border dispute,” Firefang told the senior warrior gravely.
“Yes, and it’s time all of the Clan knew,” Birdstar said, leaping her way onto the Tall Rock. There was no need for the formal call. Stonestripe and Emberfeather joined the other cats below and Whitewhisper poked her head out of the nursery.
“Cats of SunClan,” Birdstar began, “you should all know that Thawstar and StormClan pose more of a threat than I’ve had you believe. Firefang, Stonestripe, Sandpoppy, and I all believed that we should keep the younger warriors and apprentices away from the border. We’ve scented StormClan cats pushing their luck. Even Thawstar himself has been scented crossing the border.” There were yowls of anger down below. Leafstorm looked at Icefang, who was joining in the chorus. He noticed Sootpaw sitting by her mentor, a worried look on her face. She was not joining in.
“I understand your anger,” the leader continued. “That is why I put more frequent patrols along the StormClan border, full of experienced warriors. And one day a patrol found StormClan cats on our side of the border, led by Thawstar. One cat came back to tell me while the rest launched into battle. I joined the battle and fought Thawstar myself. I accidentally took one of his lives. The fact that I did that still keeps me up at night. I understand it is against the warrior code and I did not mean for it to happen. I hope that you might all forgive me, for it seems Thawstar holds a grudge.” Birdstar bowed her head and her tail drooped. Leafstorm had never seen his leader look so upset and… defeated.
“There’s nothing to forgive, Birdstar!” Emberfeather called. “You’ve done nothing wrong!”
“Yes, it’s Thawstar at fault here!” Eagleflight meowed. “You were right at the Gathering. This is not worth starting a war over!”
“But nevertheless, Thawstar seems eager to start a battle,” Firefang said from the base of the Tall Rock in his gruff voice. “We will always stand beside you, Birdstar.” There was a chorus of approval from the cats below and this time, Leafstorm joined in.
Birdstar looked incredibly happy and proud as she looked down at her Clan. Leafstorm knew every single cat here would stand by her as long as they lived. Then he looked over at Icefang, who had not joined in. The wound on his shoulder stung again.
“Here’s what we’ll do!” Birdstar called. “We’ll double up on patrols. We’ll speed up the training of our apprentices. In fact, Whitewhisper, your kits are six moons old now, aren’t they?”
Whitewhisper looked surprised. “Yes, they are, Birdstar.”
Larkkit and Stagkit tumbled out of the nursery, bounding up to the Tall Rock. Birdstar descended to look down on the two kits. “Until they have earned their warrior names, these two apprentices will be known as Larkpaw and Stagpaw. Eagleflight, you are ready for an apprentice. You will mentor Larkpaw.”
The dark brown she-cat padded forward and touched noses with her new apprentice.
“I hope you will pass on all that Littleshade taught you to Larkpaw.” Birdstar finished. Then she turned her attention to the remaining apprentice. “Stonestripe, now that Leafstorm has become a warrior, you are free to take a new apprentice. You will mentor Stagpaw.” The big gray tom stepped forward and touched noses with the brown apprentice. Stonestripe purred comfortingly to the obviously nervous Stagpaw.
Leafstorm was happy that his old mentor had received a new apprentice. Stonestripe was the best teacher he could’ve asked for. He knew Stagpaw would grow to be a great warrior.
As the Clan chanted the new apprentices’ names, Leafstorm couldn’t help finding Icefang in the crowd. She looked just as happy as any other cat.
What was that look she had given Thawstar at the Gathering? There was so much Leafstorm had to figure out.
Chapter Five
“What can you smell, Larkpaw?”
Leafstorm watched the young black cat sniff the air. “The border up ahead,” she said. “Some birds in the trees.”
“Not bad,” Eagleflight purred.
Leafstorm was on patrol with Eagleflight, Larkpaw, and Firefang. The deputy had decided to take some younger warriors and the new apprentice to the StormClan border. Leafstorm hadn’t been this way since his early days as an apprentice. In the past couple moons, Stonestripe had always led him towards DawnClan.
It was a few sunrises after the Gathering and all of the warriors in the Clan were tired from the constant patrols. As soon as one patrol ended, Leafstorm would be selected to go out again.
He had shared a few patrols with Icefang and the white she-cat was as friendly as ever. Leafstorm no longer felt the wounds on his shoulder. They had finally healed.
“What’s that smell?” Larkpaw asked, her face twisted in confusion. “I haven’t smelled that before.”
Eagleflight opened her mouth to sniff the air as well. She bristled. “That’s a fox!”
Leafstorm saw Firefang drop into a crouch ahead of them. The big deputy had seen something. He flicked his tail to tell the other cats to be silent, and then to come up and join him. Leafstorm moved silently until he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Firefang.
A big, ugly orange creature stood only a cat-length away. It was sniffing the ground and had not noticed them yet. It padded a couple steps towards the SunClan camp.
Leafstorm looked to Firefang for directions. The orange warrior met his eyes and then nodded to the left, telling Leafstorm to circle around. “Wait for my call,” Firefang breathed in his ear.
Leafstorm made his way over to the left, flanking the fox.
He saw the massive deputy launch himself at the fox with a yowl, latching right onto the fox’s face. A moment later, Eagleflight emerged as well, jumping onto the creature’s back and digging her claws in. The fox let out a startled howl and then shook its head, sending Firefang tumbling away. “Now, Leafstorm!”
Leafstorm sprang out of the cover of the bushes, claws unsheathed and swiped his claws at the fox’s eyes. The fox howled again as blood filled its eyes, and then snapped at Eagleflight on its back, catching a foreleg in its mouth. Eagleflight cried out pain as the fox pulled her off its back. Leafstorm launched himself at its exposed throat, biting down and getting a mouthful of horrid-tasting fur. The fox reached out a paw with its blunt claws and pushed Leafstorm away. He went tumbling to the ground, coughing as the wind was knocked out of him. The fox lunged forward, catching Leafstorm’s shoulder in its jaws. He let out a yowl as he felt blood soak his fur. The teeth were torn away and Leafstorm looked to see Firefang slashing the fox’s face with blow after blow. The orange creature backed off and then went running towards StormClan territory.
“Let’s see how Thawstar likes that!” Firefang growled. He turned his attention to Leafstorm. “Are you alright?”
Leafstorm honestly didn’t know. He stood up and tried to place weight on his foreleg, but the pain in his shoulder was so great he had to bite back a cry.
“We need to get you Crookedwillow,” Firefang said. He looked around for the other two cats. “Eagleflight? Larkpaw? Are you two okay?”
“We’re fine, Firefang.” The brown she-cat and her apprentice padded over. “Its teeth only tore away fur.”
“We’ll need to cut this patrol short,” Firefang told them. “Leafstorm is injured.”
“I’m okay,” Leafstorm protested, even though he really was not.
Firefang ignored him. “Eagleflight, will you help him?”
Eagleflight pressed against Leafstorm’s side, allowing him to put a little weight on her.
“Thanks, Eagleflight,” Leafstorm meowed gratefully.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at camp, Leafstorm limped his way over to the medicine den. He was greeted with a surprised purr from Mossypaw, who was sorting herbs near the entrance. “Hey, Leafstorm!” she mewed. “Are you sick?”
“I got a fox bite,” he told her.
“Come inside,” Mossypaw said. “Crookedwillow’s back here.”
The medicine den went from a narrow tunnel to a large cave, for sick cats and for herb storage. Crookedwillow was at the far end, sorting herbs into little slits in the cave walls.
“Crookedwillow!” Mossypaw called. “Leafstorm is here!”
The old tortoiseshell she-cat fixed her yellow eyes on them. “Hello, Leafstorm. What do you need?”
“My patrol fought a fox and I got a pretty nasty bite,” Leafstorm told her.
“You fought a fox?” meowed an incredulous voice behind him. Icefang entered the cave with an expression of admiration. “Did you win?”
Leafstorm chuckled a little. “Sort of. We drove it into StormClan territory, but I was injured.”
“Serves StormClan right!” Icefang said. “I would’ve chased it right into their camp!”
Crookedwillow gave a snort. “You know how to treat a fox bite, Mossypaw! You don’t need me for that.”
“I wanted to make sure I got everything though!” Mossypaw was purring. Leafstorm knew how much Mossypaw loved to argue with her mentor. “Goldenrod to heal the wound and cobwebs to stop the bleeding. Maybe burdock for infection?”
“It’s a fox bite, not a rat bite,” Crookedwillow told her. “Yes to goldenrod and cobwebs and just keep an eye on it for infection.”
The medicine cat turned her gaze to Icefang. “What can I do for you, Icefang?”
“Deerfoot and Tornstrike were complaining about aching joints and I was wondering if you had anything for them,” Icefang responded.
“Come here, I’m sure I can find something.” Icefang padded towards Crookedwillow on the far side of the cave.
“Come on, I have goldenrod and cobwebs up here,” Mossypaw said to Leafstorm. He followed to apprentice back to the front of the den, his shoulder still aching.
“How close do you think you are to earning your warrior name?” Leafstorm asked Mossypaw as she spat goldenrod poultice onto the wound and then turned to grab some cobwebs.
“I’m not sure,” Mossypaw meowed. “The half-moon will come soon enough and then I’ll be joining the other medicine cats at the Star Tree.”
The large tree that glowed at night grew not far from the Gathering site. It is where leaders went to receive their nine lives and where the medicine cats gathered to speak to StarClan every half-moon.
“Crookedwillow seems to have a lot of faith in you,” Leafstorm observed. “She doesn’t put faith in just any cat.”
Mossypaw nodded. “I’m just so afraid of messing up.” She put her paws down and checked her work. “You should be okay now. If the pain doesn’t go down or it starts to swell, come back and I’ll give you some burdock root. Also, try not to claw the cobwebs out,” she teased.
Leafstorm purred. “I’ll try.”
Chapter Six
“Leafstorm.” A paw prodded him. He was so exhausted that he couldn’t gather the strength to let out a little growl. “Wake up. Come on.”
He opened his eyes and was surprised to see Icefang’s blue eyes looking back at him. “Come on, we have work to do,” she whispered.
Leafstorm could see dawn light streaming through the entrance to the warriors’ den. The sun had barely come up.
“Patrol’s not for a little while yet,” he protested to Icefang.
“But Copperfang isn’t even up yet,” she told him. “Now’s our chance to get Sootpaw and check the StormClan border.”
Leafstorm was surprised she was still on that. What was her new obsession with StormClan and its leader?
He stood and stretched with a yawn. “Why? I was just there a couple days ago.”
She snorted. “But did you really check the border? Or was Firefang trying to hide something from you?”
Leafstorm’s heart lurched a little. “Do you really not trust the senior warriors that much?” Despite his earlier protests, he followed Icefang out of the den.
“They hid something from us once,” Icefang told him. “I wouldn’t put it past them to do it again.”
Leafstorm thought back to Birdstar when she admitted what she and the senior warriors had been hiding. She had been so upset. Clearly it hurt her to lie to her Clan. He knew that Firefang, Stonestripe, and Sandpoppy had just been trying to protect them. He forgave them with all his heart.
Clearly Icefang had not.
“You know I have a point,” the white she-cat pressed.
And she did. So Leafstorm bit back his argument.
They woke up Sootpaw and the gray she-cat stumbled sleepily after them as they exited the camp.
Icefang set a fast pace to the border. Her blue eyes were fixed ahead. She was on a mission.
Leafstorm felt fear blossom deep in his belly. Did Icefang have some ulterior motive for taking them to the border?
He shook his head to clear it. Besides the tiny wounds that had healed now and the one gaze at the Gathering, he had no reason to believe Icefang was nothing but loyal to SunClan. Even though she wasn’t happy with the senior warriors, it would do nothing to make her less of a warrior.
They stopped near the border and Leafstorm sniffed the air. He smelled the scent markers, but nothing beyond that.
Icefang pressed her nose to the ground. The border was only a couple tail-lengths away. “This is definitely StormClan scent on this side of the border. I think it’s old though,” she meowed.
Sootpaw’s yellow eyes glanced around tiredly. “We’re going to get in trouble if the senior warriors catch us out here.”
“Or if a StormClan patrol comes along.” Leafstorm padded closer to Icefang. He could feel the fur pricked along his back. He didn’t like being out here. He had a bad feeling deep in his gut. “Icefang, we’re not going to find anything. We should go back.”
“Yes, you should,” snarled a deep voice.
Leafstorm froze. The voice came from the other side of the border.
A big black cat stalked out from the darkness of the trees. Leafstorm saw the amber eyes and recognized Thawstar immediately.
“You’re a long ways from home,” Thawstar sneered. “Where is Birdstar to help you now?”
Leafstorm unsheathed his claws. There were three of them and only one of him. They could take him.
But then he heard growls from all around him. The scent of StormClan filled his nostrils as lean, muscled warriors appeared from all around them. He exchanged a fear-filled look with Sootpaw. They were sorely outnumbered. This was a raiding party!
“We’ll cut a hole for you to escape,” he whispered to Sootpaw. “Then you need to run back to the camp and warn Birdstar.” The gray apprentice gave him a nod.
“We’ve got them,” Thawstar meowed to his warriors, somehow sounding incredibly calm. “Kill them.”
Kill them? That was against the warrior code! There was no time to think about that now.
A big gray tom launched himself at Leafstorm and he rolled away to avoid his claws. If he was pinned, there was no way he was getting out.
Icefang let out a yowl, grappling with a gray-flecked she-cat. Leafstorm couldn’t help her now.
The gray tom in front of him lunged again, swiping Leafstorm across the face. Leafstorm grappled onto the tom’s side and bit deep into his shoulder. The tom let out a screech as Leafstorm pulled himself onto his back and dug his claws in. Something slammed into him and he was knocked off the tom’s back. He spun around and saw a brown tom with dark stripes snarling at him. Leafstorm recognized him as Cedarbranch, the StormClan deputy.
“I’m going to rip you apart, runt!” Cedarbranch spat.
Leafstorm looked desperately around for Sootpaw. She was fighting a brown tom with amber eyes that was more than twice her size. She swiped at his face bravely again and again.
Leafstorm turned away from Cedarbranch and launched himself at Sootpaw’s opponent, tackling him to the ground. “Go!” he yowled to Sootpaw. She took off through the hole in the circle, towards the SunClan camp.
“Don’t chase!” Leafstorm heard Thawstar order.
Leafstorm turned to see Cedarbranch lunging towards him. A white shape crashed into the deputy in midair. Icefang bit into Cedarbranch’s shoulder, causing the brown tom to yowl. A black tom with white paws pushed Icefang off of Cedarbranch.
The brown tom underneath Leafstorm took advantage of his distraction, pushing against him and causing Leafstorm to tumble to the ground. Pain clouded his gaze as the tom dug his claws into his pelt. He fought vainly against the grip, but there was nothing he could do.
The weight of the paws were lifted off him and Leafstorm found amber eyes looking back at him. “I saw you at the Gathering,” Thawstar said to him. “You stopped Blazewater from attacking your elders. That kind of loyalty is very admirable.”
What game was Thawstar playing?
“It’s too bad not every cat in your Clan shares your conviction,” the StormClan leader whispered in his ear. What in StarClan’s name did that mean?
Suddenly, teeth grabbed his scruff and Leafstorm was being pulled to his feet. He turned to see Icefang clawing at Thawstar bravely, pushing the black tom back. “Go!” she yowled.
Leafstorm left the circle of StormClan warriors and turned to see Icefang racing away as well. He pelted back towards the camp with the white warrior.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leafstorm and Icefang burst into the camp to see a line of SunClan warriors with their fur bristling. It immediately relaxed when they recognized the two young warriors.
“Are you two alright?” Stonestripe asked.
Leafstorm nodded. “For the most part. The StormClan raiding party is on their way!”
Yowls and caterwauls split the air behind them.
“Get in the second line!” Firefang growled.
Leafstorm stood with Icefang on one side and Sootpaw on the other. Emberfeather and Eagleflight stood in this line as well while the other warriors waited in front. Leafstorm noticed Whitewhisper there as well. With her kits now apprentices, the queen must have joined the warriors again.
“Brace yourselves!” Birdstar yelled from atop the Tall Rock.
StormClan warriors burst from the entrance to the camp. Firefang gave his battle cry and the SunClan warriors met StormClan in the center of the camp in a flurry of teeth and claws.
A tom made his way through the first line of warriors and ran towards Leafstorm. He recognized this tom as the one he had bit before. He gave a cry and slashed the tom across the face as Emberfeather tackled him, giving him a powerful warning bite before allowing the tom to run back through and leave the camp.
“Birdstar!” Leafstorm saw a black shape crash into his leader atop Tall Rock. Both cats went sprawling to the ground. “It’s time I repaid you,” Thawstar sneered as he got to his paws. Birdstar snarled and met Thawstar as the tom reared onto his hind paws. The two cats wrestled with each other, evenly matched despite Birdstar’s smaller stance.
Leafstorm’s heart sank as the invaders burst through the first line of defense. He snarled and fought side-by-side with Sootpaw to drive another tom out of the camp.
“Crookedwillow!” Leafstorm heard Icefang’s yowl over top of everything else. He saw her duck into the medicine den.
Leafstorm raced across the clearing towards the den. He was worried about Mossypaw. The apprentice didn’t have much fighting experience and she was a good friend. But then a brown tom blocked his path. It was Cedarbranch.
“Surrender!” the StormClan deputy spat.
“Never!” Leafstorm responded, launching himself at the much bigger cat. Cedarbranch batted him away and he went sprawling to the ground. He felt a weight on his back as Cedarbranch dug his claws in the sharp teeth poked into his neck. Leafstorm gave a cry as he was pinned beneath the bigger tom. He was exhausted from the first bout and he felt his strength fading.
But then the weight was lifted off him. Leafstorm turned to see Birdstar hauling Cedarbranch away and then clamping onto the tom’s shoulder. The tom gave a screech and pelted off into the woods.
Another cat grabbed Birdstar and shoved the leader to the ground. Thawstar bit down into Birdstar’s neck as the she-cat howled in pain.
Leafstorm struggled to his feet. He couldn’t beat Thawstar as he was, but he knew he would never forgive himself if he didn’t try. He would give his life for his leader.
Another battle cry split the air and Leafstorm was shocked to see Icefang crash into Thawstar, pushing him off the SunClan leader. She snarled and slashed him across the face again and again. Finally, Thawstar gave a caterwaul and took off away from the camp. The rest of his warriors took this as the signal to retreat and followed their leader.
Leafstorm collapsed where he stood. He felt that his legs couldn’t possibly hold him up anymore.
“Someone get Crookedwillow!” Icefang called. She stood next to Birdstar’s broken body.
Leafstorm saw Mossypaw race over to Birdstar, placing cobwebs on her wounds. “Where’s Crookedwillow?” Icefang asked.
Mossypaw shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m the best you’ve got right now.”
Leafstorm summoned the strength to walk over to Mossypaw and Birdstar and sit down. Icefang had turned and stalked away, presumably to find Crookedwillow. “Is she going to be okay?” Leafstorm asked Mossypaw.
Mossypaw didn’t answer right away. She spat goldenrod poultice onto the wounds and pressed more cobwebs in until the bleeding slowed. She placed a paw on Birdstar’s side. “She’s losing a life,” Mossypaw said quietly. “She’s with StarClan for the time being.”
Leafstorm bowed his head. His leader had lost a life protecting him. If he’d have been stronger, this never would have happened.
And where was Crookedwillow?
Chapter Seven
“This isn’t her last life, right?” Leafstorm meowed quietly to Mossypaw. He knew that medicine cats could often tell how many lives a leader had left and he wondered if Mossypaw had reached that stage in her training.
Mossypaw was shaking her head. “It’s not her last. But it is her seventh.”
Leafstorm knew Birdstar had been a great leader for SunClan for a long time. It pained him that she might lose her last life before he went to join the elders. He looked across the clearing and saw Firefang checking on every warrior and apprentice, making sure they were all okay and whispering words of encouragement. He would also make a fantastic leader.
The big orange tom came racing over to them when he saw Birdstar. Leafstorm saw claw marks bleeding all over him, but it was
like he didn’t even feel them.
“Is she alright?” the deputy asked. His green gaze carried something Leafstorm hadn’t seen in him before: fear.
“She will be,” Mossypaw told him. “She’s losing a life right now.”
Firefang bowed his head and rested his muzzle on Birdstar’s head for a moment. The she-cat suddenly coughed and sputtered, her claws digging into the ground, as if fighting an invisible enemy.
“You’re okay, Birdstar,” Mossypaw meowed comfortingly, giving her leader’s shoulder a couple of licks. “You need to rest. StarClan healed the wound that killed you, but I need to see to your other wounds.”
Birdstar coughed again and shook her head. “No. The others first.” She looked up and her gaze traveled over Firefang standing in front of her. “Firefang, you’re hurt! You don’t have any more lives, my friend. Mossypaw, see to him first.”
Leafstorm saw Mossypaw wrestle with obedience to her leader and the sharp tongue she had picked up from her mentor. But she turned away and carried some herbs over and started addressing Firefang’s wounds.
Birdstar’s amber eyes rested on him next. “Leafstorm! Are you alright?”
Leafstorm nodded, warmed by his leader’s concern. “Just exhausted.”
“Where is Crookedwillow?” Firefang asked Mossypaw. “She can see to Birdstar.”
“Icefang went to find her,” Mossypaw told the huge deputy.
Firefang’s green gaze turned to Leafstorm. “Will you look for her? Or should I ask someone else?” he asked, not unkindly.
Leafstorm stood up, a little shaky on his paws. “I’ll look.” He padded off towards the medicine den.
“Icefang? Crookedwillow?” he called, hearing his voice echo a little in the cave ahead. He made his way through the narrow tunnel and then into the cave. He stopped at what he saw.
Icefang sat at the far end of the cave, staring down at something in front her. Her white pelt was stained red with blood, though
Leafstorm couldn’t find a wound on her. She looked up and for just a second, Leafstorm saw something wild in her gaze. Blood dripped from her muzzle and onto the floor and her blue eyes glittered with triumph. She blinked it away when she saw him. She had panic in her voice when she meowed, “Crookedwillow’s vanished!”
And then Leafstorm saw when she had been staring at. There was a large pool of blood on the cave ground.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Tell us exactly what happened,” Birdstar said to Icefang. “Every single detail.”
The Clan leader had called a meeting after Mossypaw had patched her up. The blue-gray apprentice sat in front now, her worried gaze fixed on Icefang.
“I saw Cedarbranch, the StormClan deputy, duck into the medicine den,” Icefang began. She had washed the blood off her face and paws, but it was still coated on her fur. “I couldn’t let him attack Crookedwillow and Mossypaw, so I went after him.”
Wait, Leafstorm thought. Cedarbranch stopped me from following her into the medicine den! But Icefang had already moved on before he could call out a challenge.
“When I went in,” Icefang continued, “Mossypaw wasn’t there, but I watched Cedarbranch attack Crookedwillow. He had her pinned to the ground and was clawing at her belly. There was so much blood.” She paused for a second, as if shaken by the memory. “I attacked Cedarbranch and sent him away. I told Crookedwillow to stay here and that I would go find Mossypaw to tend to her. And then I saw Thawstar attacking Birdstar, and so I went after him.”
Leafstorm was confused. He shared a glance with Mossypaw. They had both heard Icefang ask where Crookedwillow was, as if she had had no idea. If she knew Crookedwillow was bleeding out in the medicine den, why had she gone off to find her?
“Mossypaw,” Birdstar swung her head to face the apprentice. “Where were you during the battle?”
Mossypaw looked a little shocked. Leafstorm narrowed his eyes at Birdstar. Was she doubting Mossypaw?
“I was with the elders,” she told the Clan. “Silverfrost and her kits were hiding in there too. Crookedwillow has shown me a couple fighting moves, so she sent me to be the last line of defense if a StormClan warrior got that far. She said we needed all paws on deck.”
“It’s true!” Littleshade called from the back. “Mossypaw was with us. When she saw Icefang drive Thawstar away, she went out to treat Birdstar.”
“We haven’t addressed the fact that Crookedwillow is missing,” Firefang pointed out. Leafstorm was grateful for the deputy’s sensible meow. “It’s possible that StormClan has taken her prisoner. If Icefang is telling the truth, which I’m going to assume she is, then Crookedwillow would not have gone anywhere.”
Leafstorm looked up at the rising sun. It was halfway to its highest point by now.
“What should we do, Birdstar?” Emberfeather called.
Birdstar looked deep in thought. “Mossypaw, tend to the wounded cats. I would like to speak privately with my senior warriors.” She jumped from the Tall Rock and ducked into her den. Firefang, Stonestripe, and Sandpoppy followed her.
Leafstorm found Sootpaw in the crowd. The apprentice looked ready to fall over and sleep for moon. “Are you okay?” he asked her.
Sootpaw nodded. “Nothing serious. I’m just exhausted.”
“You fought well,” Leafstorm told her. “Maybe Birdstar will consider making you a warrior soon.”
Sootpaw purred. “You think?”
“Maybe,” he meowed. “You can probably go get some sleep. I doubt Sandpoppy is going to make you train today.”
Sootpaw gave him a friendly lick on the ear and then turned and padded away to the apprentices’ den. Leafstorm could see the shapes of Larkpaw and Stagpaw resting in there.
Leafstorm watched Mossypaw move from cat to cat, tending to their wounds. She came up to him last. As she dressed his wounds, he could see the concern on her face. “I’m sure Crookedwillow is okay. She’s tough.”
Mossypaw stopped and gave him a look. “I know that. To be completely honest, I’m not concerned in the least about Crookedwillow. I know she’ll be find. I’m worried about Icefang.”
Leafstorm felt a pit growing in his stomach. Now he wasn’t the only one who didn’t completely trust her. “Why’s that?” he forced himself to ask, even though he already knew.
Mossypaw gave him another annoyed look. “You know exactly why. We both know Cedarbranch wasn’t in the medicine den. He attacked you. He stopped you from going to follow Icefang.”
“Do you think Icefang did something to Crookedwillow?” he asked her, lowering his voice.
“I think it’s entirely possible,” Mossypaw said. “If we don’t find Crookedwillow soon, maybe we should say something to Birdstar.”
Leafstorm nodded in agreement. He saw Icefang sitting a little ways from Birdstar’s den. He had more proof now.
She had attacked him during the final assessment. She had given Thawstar a look of admiration at the Gathering. Thawstar had told him not all the cats in SunClan were loyal. She had a look of triumph when he found her in the medicine den. And she had lied to the whole Clan.
It was enough for him. But would it be enough to convince Birdstar? It would be his word against Icefang’s.
Leafstorm turned when he saw movement by Birdstar’s den. The leader exited with her senior warriors in toe. She jumped onto the Tall Rock, but there was no need to summon the Clan. All the cats were still in the clearing, besides the apprentices who were getting some sleep. Their mentors could fill them in later.
“Cats of SunClan,” Birdstar called, “we have successfully defended ourselves from an attack by StormClan. They won’t come back here in a hurry.” There were a few yowls of pride from the cats gathered below. “However, we need time to heal. Firefang will organize the regular patrols for the borders and hunting parties. We need fresh-kill to regain our strength. He will also send out a search party to check our territory for Crookedwillow. If we can’t find her, then we must assume that StormClan has captured her. I will challenge Thawstar at the next Gathering.”
There were a couple meows of protest. The next full moon seemed very far away. “That is the best we can do!” Birdstar shouted above the yowls. “We are too weak to attack StormClan now. If Thawstar refuses to give Crookedwillow up, then we will raid their camp.”
She left her position on the Tall Rock and walked back to her den as the crowd dispersed.
“Leafstorm.” He turned as he heard a cat call his name. It was Stonestripe. “Birdstar wants to see you in her den.”
Chapter Eight
Leafstorm padded his way over to the leader’s den. What could she want so soon after the Clan meeting? He called a greeting as he approached.
“Come in!” she called.
Leafstorm had never been in her den before. It was dark and a little gloomy, but he could see Birdstar’s small frame laying on a comfortable looking nest.
“Leafstorm. I have a special mission for you,” she mewed. “It’s very dangerous and very risky, but the other senior warriors have approved it and believe you are the right cat for the job. I would like you to know that you can refuse and I will not hold it against you. It’s not something that any cat has been asked to do before. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Leafstorm was trembling a little bit now. What could Birdstar want him to do?
“I want you to take another cat and spy on the StormClan camp.”
Leafstorm could not stop the surprised expression from spreading across his face. It was certainly a unique request. But the strange part was that he felt he could do it.
“I’ll do it,” he told Birdstar.
She looked surprised and delighted, as if she had been expecting to need to convince him. “Thank you, Leafstorm. I need you to go to their camp every other day and report back to me when you return. You’ll be listening for any secret plans Thawstar might have and looking for Crookedwillow. If you find her, then I will announce what you have been doing to the Clan and we will raid the StormClan camp as soon as we are strong enough to rescue her. But you must not mention your mission to any cat before that. It will be a secret. You may also take another cat with you, if you would like.”
Leafstorm kneaded the ground with his paws nervously. He knew which cat he wanted to take with him. “I’d like to ask Sootpaw to come with me.”
Birdstar cocked her head a little. “Sootpaw? I thought you would ask for Icefang. I know you two have been friends for a long time.”
But Leafstorm was afraid of what Icefang might do if he was alone with her. He trusted Sootpaw completely. He would much rather have her by his side.
“I know she’s not a warrior,” Leafstorm meowed, “but there’s no cat I’d rather have at my side.”
Birdstar was nodding. “No, I see the wisdom in your choice. She is small and able to hide. Her pelt isn’t as easy to spot as Icefang’s. You may take Sootpaw with you. It might make a good final assessment for her.” She looked at him. “I’ll let you choose how to tell her. I need you to leave at dawn tomorrow.”
“Yes, Birdstar. I’ll report back to you when I return.” Leafstorm turned to walk away.
“Oh, Leafstorm?”
Leafstorm looked back at his leader. “Yes?”
“You should know that if you’re captured, I will claim to know nothing about it. I will claim that I did not send you there.” Birdstar looked at him very seriously. “Do you understand?”
Leafstorm nodded. “I do, Birdstar.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Spy?!”
Leafstorm cuffed Sootpaw over the head with a paw. “Not so loud. It’s a secret mission, remember?” Good thing he had taken her out of camp to talk to her.
“Why do you want me to go with you?” Sootpaw asked as he released her. “Why not Icefang? Or Stonestripe? I’m not even a warrior!” Her voice got increasingly louder.
Leafstorm let out a hiss. This was not exactly how he imagined it going. He had hoped Sootpaw would feel the same confidence as he felt in Birdstar’s den. “Icefang’s pelt is not good for blending in.” He decided to use the same excuse he had given Birdstar. “Stonestripe’s is better, but I’m sure he’s busy training Stagpaw. SunClan needs all the warriors we can get. Plus, Birdstar said it might make a good final assessment,” he added.
Sootpaw was kneading the ground. She looked up at the mention of that. He saw her wrestling with herself.
“I’m not asking you.” Leafstorm knew just how to push her over the edge. “Birdstar is asking you.”
Sootpaw sighed. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
Leafstorm nodded. “Then we leave at dawn.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leafstorm didn’t get much sleep that night. When he opened his eyes against the light of the sun, he saw that it was time to leave. He stood up, stretched, and padded outside.
Sootpaw was waiting next to the warriors’ den. She looked up from where she was kneading again. He could see how nervous she was. He nodded to her and she stood up to follow him.
They were just about to exit the camp when a voice called behind them. “Hey!”
Leafstorm stopped in his tracks and turned. It was Copperfang. He knew that the black tom was an early riser. He hadn’t thought of mentioning that to Birdstar.
“Where are you two off to so early?” Copperfang narrowed his eyes at them.
A cat exited the warriors’ den, blinking sleep from his eyes. Leafstorm was relieved when he recognized the gray pelt. Stonestripe knew about their mission. He would know how to save them from Copperfang.
The big warrior bounded over to them when he noticed their predicament. “Copperfang!” he said. “Have you met Silverfrost’s new kits? Come on, let’s see if they’re awake!”
“I was just there yesterday…” Copperfang trailed off, realizing his argument was no use as Stonestripe turned away. So the black warrior followed him.
Leafstorm exchanged a look with Sootpaw, and then the two of them raced out of camp, towards the StormClan border.
