Burning Shadow (Me and a friends Warrior fanfic)

[Swifty]

Rusty was overwhelmed by all the new sensations of the forest: the sights, the scents, the sounds! Everything was like a revelation to the young kitten. He was so enthralled he hardly noticed that he had ventured so far into the forest that his housefolk's nest was no longer in sight.

A sudden noise in the bushes ahead of him caused him to crouch down. His nostrils widened as he sought to take in the scent of whatever was there. His fur raised in an attempt to make himself seem larger to whatever was out there and his claws unsheathed themselves. Rusty slowly crawled forward, sniffing at the bush. He let out a startled yowl as a pair of sparrows burst out of the bushes and in a startled flurry flew up into the branches.

Rusty purred at himself, shaking his head in amusement in getting worked up over a few measly birds...it was at that moment that something barreled out of the bushes next to him, caught him in the side, and sent him tumbling. Rusty yowled as he felt claws and teeth bite into him. From beneath his attacker, Rusty hissed and spat; kicking his legs. A lucky blow managed to catch his assailant on the side of the head and Rusty soon extricated himself from the bottom. Rusty clawed and bit at his opponent until Rusty forced him back.

His attacker was a small black tom kitten, about the same age and size as Rusty himself but with one major difference—no collar. Rusty hissed, splaying his claws as he prepared for another attack. But his attacker merely paused to lick his paw. "Hi." He meowed friendly, as if the past fight was of no consequence. "You fight really well for a kittypet! I'm Ravenpaw."

Rusty paused, wondering if this was a trap or distraction...then quickly discarded the idea. "I'm Rusty." He licked his own chest fur, trying to clean his dirtied fur and lessen the sting of some of the scratches. "What are you doing out here? Are you one of the forest cats?" Ravenpaw nodded.

"Yes, I'm—"

"Ravenpaw!" An angry yowl burst from behind them. Rusty whirled around, his ears flattening as a large, amber eyed tom with the biggest claws he'd ever seen strode from the bushes. "Is this your idea of defending our borders?" He growled. "You're never going to become a warrior if you cannot even drive off a kittypet?" He hissed the word as if it were something hateful. "RiverClan already attacked us on one border and stole Sunningrocks. Would you have every cat in the forest bearing down on our other border?" He demanded. as Ravenpaw flattened his ears and looked down in shame.

"I-I'm sorry Tigerclaw." Ravenpaw meowed pitifully. Tigerclaw ignored him and glared fiercely at Rusty.


(What do you think? Should i add more?)

[berry]

Yeah

[Presea]

That's good story there.

[berry]

I liked it

[Swifty]

"This is ThunderClan territory, kittypet."

"I'm-I'm sorry, I didn't know..."Rusty said, his voice wavering as he took a half step back.

Tigerclaw growled as he bore down on him, claws unsheathed. "Then I'm going to make sure you never forget it again..."

Ravenpaw spoke up from behind. "B-but if he's just a kittypet, then why—" Tigerclaw glared back at Ravenpaw.

"Because we cannot tolerate any weakness in our defenses!" He yowled back at his apprentice. "If you ever wish to be a warrior then learn to follow orders and show no mercy to ANY enemy!" Rusty didn't wait around to hear Tigerclaw demean his apprentice. He turned around and bolted through the brushes. Though he didn't know where he was going, he knew he couldn't stay there. Rusty didn't dare look back, but the angry yowl from Tigerclaw and the snapping of twigs and rustling of leaves was evidence enough that he was following him.

The forest start to clear out, Rusty could see it thinning. Then he was out...and before him stretched a long, black harsh smelling path that assailed Rusty's senses. He paused for a second too long and barely had time to register his surprise as Tigerclaw bound out of the underbrush and sent Rusty reeling with a smack of his large paw.

Landing hard on his side, Rusty winced as he climbed back to his paws. "...I don't want a fight..."

"Good." Tigerclaw purred. "Because this isn't going to be one." He raised a mammoth paw, claws out. Suddenly, a slight scent distracted the large tabby. He hesitated, turning his head to the other side of the black path for a mere second. But that was enough. Rusty, full of desperation and fear lashed out and scored a glancing blow right above Tigerclaw's eye. Rusty rolled away and sprung to his paws again as Tigerclaw yowled in pain and anger. After putting some distance between them, Rusty turned around hissing and spitting at Tigerclaw, claws splayed.

Suddenly an amused mrow broke out. Tigerclaw and Rusty both turned to its source. Rusty saw them before he scented them. A party of cat stood watching from the other side of the path. "It seems the mighty ThunderClan can't even intimidate a kittypet anymore!" Said a brown tom with a short tail. A battle scarred brown tom stood next to him and called out, "Look out Tigerclaw, that kittypet looks fierce! Better visit your medicine cat for those scratches!"

Visibly stung, Tigerclaw growled and leaped at Rusty. The poor house kitten suffered a slash along his chest. With no other place to go, Rusty jumped onto the black path, edging towards the other cats. Tigerclaw growled and approached the path.

"Ah ah ah." Meowed the leader of the party on the other side, a large white tom with jet black paws. "This is ShadowClan territory. You cannot step foot on our side of the Thunder Path." Tigerclaw stared daggers at him.

"I know perfectly well where I am Blackfoot." He growled. "That kittypet strayed into ThunderClan territory. I was teaching him a lesson about boundaries." Tigerclaw looked at Blackfoot in the eye and went on. "Something for all cats to bear in mind."

An amused purr broke from Blackfoot as he responded. "So instead of regaining the Sunningrocks from RiverClan you find your time better spent attacking a lost kittypet half your size. Truly, tales of your courage do not disappoint."

The mocking meows of laughter made Tigerclaw dig his claws into the Thunderpath, trembling in barely repressed rage. "He is a kittypet. He's now your problem. Drive him off and be done with it!" Stumpytail and Clawface, the two cats who had spoken up earlier, edged forward trapping Rusty on the Thunderpath—midway between ThunderClan and ShadowClan territory. Blackfoot raised his voice. "Hold." Stumpytail and Clawface paused and took a half-step back. "ShadowClan does not take orders from ThunderClan. We will decide what to do with the kittypet."

Rusty, tired and weak, decided that his best bet lay with the cats who didn't want to tear him to shreds. He weaved his way over to ShadowClan side. Blackfoot nodded to the apprentices of the two warriors with him. "Brownpaw, Wetpaw. Escort the kittypet back to our camp. Have him see Yellowfang for his injuries."

Two smaller cats, both roughly Rusty's size, made their way over to him tentatively. Not out of fear but more out of confusion. "Um, follow us," Wetpaw said as he made his way over to one side of Rusty, with Brownpaw on the other. They guided him forward, laying their tails over the orange-furred cat's back.

Tigerclaw glowered. "This isn't over." Without waiting for a reply, he turned back and disappeared into the forest.

As soon as he left, Clawface turned to Blackfoot. "Why did you help that kittypet?"

Blackfoot's ready answer was, "Because it annoyed him. Because it will not do to have any cat think they can give ShadowClan orders; especially ThunderClan." He lashed his tail. "Besides...Brokenstar instructed that I keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary." He looked back at the small orange kitten being guided back to the ShadowClan camp. "And something tells me that kittypet definitely qualifies."

END OF CHAPTER 1

(^^ Yay!)

[berry]

Great story!

[Swifty]

A little preview of Chapter 2 ^^

Rusty felt his head swimming as the two cats flanking him "escorted" him. He barely had any sense of where he was going. The excitement, the terror, the exhaustion...so many strong sensations for a house cat it was a wonder he knew which way was up.

His eyelids started drooping until Rusty felt a cat bump into him. "Stay awake kittypet, I'm not dragging you back to our camp by the scruff like a queen," snapped the cat on his left.

"Ease up Brownpaw," said the other. "It's not much further." Brownpaw dropped off into incoherent mumbles. Wetpaw, the other cat helping Rusty, looked up. "There's the patrol." He raised his voice and meowed, "Boulder!" he called out his mentor's name.

A silver-gray skinny tom with bright eyes and a ragged ear looked up. His apprentice had been detached from him to go on patrol while Boulder went hunting. He blinked at the sight of his apprentice helping up an unfamiliar orange kitten with no clan scent, but ripe with a scent he knew all too well. Twolegs!

"Wetpaw...what is that kittypet doing here?" He demanded. The two apprentices started talking over one another, each eager to be the one who delivered the important news.

"Blackfoot told us to bring him—" "He ran across the border—" "—told ThunderClan cat to go—" "—Stood up to Tigerclaw!"

Boulder flattened his ears. "Apprentices!" He thought. Raising his voice he yowled over the two of them "Enough! I think I get the idea." He twitched his tail and made his way over to Rusty. The ShadowClan warrior stood over the young cat, watching him. Rusty looked up at him. Small and tired, but somehow...not afraid. He met Boulder's gaze. Boulder twitched an ear. "Alright, take him to Yellowfang. Then report back to me Wetpaw."

Wetpaw nodded eagerly. "Right Boulder! C'mon..." He nudged Rusty ahead toward the medicine cat's den. "Yellowfang will take good care of you—"

As they drew near the medicine cat den, they heard an exasperated female yowl. "Runningnose I told you I needed poppy seeds, not nettle seeds! Mouse brain! Do you keep your mind in your tail, so that you squash it whenever you sit down? It's the only explanation I can think of..."

"—Or not." Brownpaw smirked. "With ol' Yellowfang, some cats would prefer to be sick than see her. Disease isn't as painful."

"I heard that!" Yellowfang yowled from inside the den. Brownpaw's ears flattened and he winced as Wetpaw purred in amusement.

"Tough luck." He said, half sincerely. Then he proceeded to prod Rusty forward. "Go on in. She wont claw you...much."

Too tired and exhausted and in pain to really care, Rusty dragged himself into the medicine cat den. He scented two cats inside before he saw them. An old dark gray she-cat with a broad, flat face and a small gray-and-white tom with a wet nose regarded him. Yellowfang opened her mouth to take in his scent; almost gagging upon doing so. "A kittypet? What are you doing here?"

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[Swifty]

Enjoy! :3

"Blackfoot sent him." Wetpaw answered respectfully, not wanting to get on Yellowfang's bad side.

Yellowfang's eyes widened. "Blackfoot? That's...hard to believe." She said in lieu of something stronger.

Brownpaw chimed in. "He did it to annoy ThunderClan."

Yellowfang blinked. "...Alright, that's not so hard to believe." She purred, walking over to butt Rusty's side with her head. "Let's take a look...hmmm. Runningnose, we're going to need cobwebs for those cuts."

"And poppy seeds so he can rest?" Sniffed her apprentice. Yellowfang nodded. Rusty tensed as Yellowfang approached him, her paw full of cobwebs.

"For StarClan's sake, what is it about being healed that makes all toms into mice?" Yellowpaw mumbled as she dabbed a wad of cobwebs in his chest. "Hold still."

Rusty winced. "I'm fine. Thank you..."

"The kittypet speaks!" Yellowfang's whiskers twitched. Then they twitched again and her face took on a distinctly unhappy look as she scented someone standing in the entrance of her den.

"Yellowfang!" It was Jaggedtooth. "Brokenstar wants to see you in his den, immediately." Yellowfang snorted. "I'm with a patient..."

Jaggedtooth took a step forward. "You are with a kittypet." He hissed. "Your leader summoned you. If you call yourself a ShadowClan cat you will come with me. Now." Yellowfang hissed back. Jaggedtooth unsheathed his claws...

"I can take it from here Yellowfang." Runningnose said quickly, offering Rusty a poppy seed. "Eat this. It'll help you sleep." Rusty ate it without thinking, too confused by everything going on. What was this place? Who were these cats? And...and...his eyelids fluttered as the poppy seed took effect.

Yellowfang walked into Brokenstar's den, ignoring Jaggedtooth as he stopped outside the entrance and turned away. "You wanted to see me." She said flatly, not a question. A long-haired, dark brown tabby tom grumbled as she approached.

"I did, old one." Brokenstar said not bothering to hide his contempt. "Blackfoot gave me his report from the Thunderpath. Could this...this kittypet be the one StarClan spoke of? The fire that will save the clan?" Yellowfang's tail curled and she forced herself to nod, once.

"It...seems likely."

Brokenstar got up and paced around his den angrily. "A kittypet to save ShadowClan? And save it from what?"

"That I could not say." Yellowfang meowed, all emotion kept out of her voice. "StarClan hasn't revealed that to me." Brokenstar snorted.

"Do you really think that he could last a day as a warrior?" He asked incredulously.

Yellowfang's blinked her eyes slowly. "There is only one way to find out."

Brokenstar said nothing for a long time. Finally he mewed evenly. "Send Blackfoot in."

"You can't be serious." The words had burst from Blackfoot before he could restrain himself. He immediately regretted it when Brokenstar glowered at him, growling.

"I am always serious. You should know that by now."

Blackfoot backpeddled, grateful no one else was present for this. "Brokenstar, I know I brought that kittypet here by your order—and I admit that angering ThunderClan is in itself no small pleasure—but how could we permit a kittypet to join our clan? He knows nothing of our ways! Kittypet blood is inferior to warrior blood!"

Brokenstar's tail languidly waved. "I have my reasons, which as your leader, I do not have to tell you of." Brokenstar had told no one else of the prophecy Yellowfang had told him of the night before and ordered her to keep silent as well. "If I tell you to do something, you will do it and that will be all. Understood?"

"Yes Brokenstar." Blackfoot's eyes flickered down. "I meant no disrespect."

"In any event," Brokenstar went on, essentially ignoring Blackfoot. "I would remind you that the same could—and was—said of Boulder when I welcomed him into the clan. Even Raggedstar balked until I won him over." Neither one of them commented that Raggedstar's pride in his son and then-deputy was such that he could never deny Brokenstar (then merely Brokentail) anything. Brokenstar went on. "And now he is one of our clan's finest warriors."

Blackfoot though about disputing that but thought better of it. Instead he merely said, "Boulder was never a kittypet though. He had to live, hunt, and fight all on his own to survive as a loner. That accounts for much of his strength and skills which, as you say, are a benefit to us. But that little furball probable never hunted so much as a mouse!"

Brokenstar gazed levelly at Blackfoot. "He will, of course be tested. Should he pass, I will make him an apprentice so that he may learn the skills he needs." When Blackfoot looked like he was about to object Brokenstar added. "Continue to complain and I will be sure that you are chosen as his mentor." Blackfoot closed his mouth. "Tomorrow once he has rested somewhat, I will test him. If he passes he will be apprenticed. If not..." Brokenstar gave a languid flick of his tail. "Go."

Blackfoot nodded and departed. A pair of eyes watched him go, dark with suspicion as he watched the leader's den. "He will ruin us." The cat meowed to himself. He didn't know what was happening with the strange things Brokenstar had done since becoming leader...especially this latest episode with bringing that kittypet back to their camp. "StarClan save us, he will ruin us all."

( END OF CHAPTER 2 )

[berry]

Great story loved it!

[Swifty]

Enjoy! :3

The sun was starting to go down when Rusty stirred. Half the day had gone past since he was brought in. Yawning, he pried one eye open. He faintly heard the medicine cat—Yellowfang, he recalled—tell Runningnose to "get Brokenstar." His ears perked up as he heard Runningnose leave.

Rusty lifted his head and looked around. "W-where..." Yellowfang walked over, something clenched in her mouth. She dropped it beside his head. Rusty looked to see that it was a wet ball of moss

"Here. Drink." Yellowfang said curtly. "You're about to have company—be respectful and you may walk out of here with your ears. Maybe." Rusty's eyes widened at that, causing Yellowfang's whiskers to droop. "Look," she said a touch more softly. "Everything will be fine. Just...don't say anything mousebrained."

"Yellowfang." A strong voiced rumbled from behind them. Brokenstar strode in, nodding curtly to Yellowfang. "You can go." His voice left no room for question or doubt. With one last look at Rusty, the medicine cat walked out of her den, leaving the two of them alone.

Rusty looked up at Brokenstar. He was truly a sight to behold...like something that stepped out of one of Smudge's stories about the ferocious forest cats...only it wasn't just some story to Rusty anymore. "Who are you?" The young cat meowed.

Smoothly, Brokenstar replied "I am Brokenstar, the leader of ShadowClan. You are in my camp." He nodded, keeping his face neutral. "You are a kittypet. What is your name?"

Rusty's eyes widened, his tail standing up. He didn't know much but he knew that if the leader of these cats was talking to him, it was serious. "My name is Rusty...what's a kittypet?"

This time Brokenstar only narrowly avoided expressing the annoyance he felt. "A cat who lives with twolegs." He couldn't resist a snort of derision. "Your collar is a giveaway."

"...Oh." Rusty meowed, his ears flattening. "You're one of the forest cats, aren't you?"

"Yes...there are four clans living in the forest: ShadowClan, ThunderClan, RiverClan, and WindClan. This is ShadowClan. The cat who attacked you was from ThunderClan." Brokenstar paused for effect. "You're lucky my patrol found you when it did."

Rusty didn't doubt it. "Thank you." He meowed. "And I'm sorry that I trespassed—I tried telling that other cat that, but—"

Brokenstar waved his tail for silence, "ThunderClan is in the habit of giving orders and not in the habit of listening. You did well to escape from ThunderClan...and to have struck a blow on Tigerclaw, one of the most dangerous warriors in all the clans." He nodded to the tuft of Tigerclaw's fur caught between Rusty's claws. Brokenstar paused, scarcely believing what he was saying. "You are not a normal kittypet young Rusty. A normal kittypet would never have dared leave the safety of their twolegs and explore the forest." He lowered his voice. "You...were interested in the forest, weren't you?"

[berry]

I like it so far. It's going great!

[Swifty]

Rusty nodded quickly. "Y-yes. I—I just wanted to see what it was like. I kept having these dreams and something just...called to me! So I went out to hunt and then—" Brokenstar nodded.

"I see...well, I offer you the chance to have what you desire. I'm will allow you to join ShadowClan."

Eyes wide, Rusty found himself gaping. "B-but, I need time to think...my twolegs will be worried! And—"

"You cannot go back." Brokenstar interrupted. "The only way would be to go back through ThunderClan territory. You were lucky once. I would not count on being so lucky again." He smiled, as if trying not to give the impression that his 'offer' was anything but. "We will hold a ceremony tonight where we will formally make you part of the clan. I will see you then."

Brokenstar strode out of the den, leaving a very confused and stunned Rusty behind, trying to decide if his dream was being fulfilled...or if he was a prisoner.

Night fell. Rusty was still wrestling with what to do when two cats "escorted" him out of the medicine cat's den. They had barely gone two tail lengths from the entrance when they stopped and turned around. As his vision adjusted, Rusty looked up. Standing atop of a smooth boulder that made up half of the medicine cat den was Brokenstar. A second boulder, propped up against the first, created a sheltered half-cave that was the medicine den.

"Let all those cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Smooth Boulder for a Clan meeting!" Brokenstar yowled.

Rusty's fur stood on end as cat scents assailed him from all sides. More cats than he imagined lived in the forest converged on the site and soon Rusty found himself in the center of a ring of cats. He felt their collective gaze on him and it was decidedly not friendly. He spied Wetpaw nodding friendly, and there was Brownpaw looking uncomfortable for some reason. The others were murmuring and muttering to themselves, looking none too happy with the situation.

"Today we welcome a new cat into our clan. With our enemies all around us and our territory the most prey-poor, we in ShadowClan must always be strong. This cat, though only a kitten, has shown great promise. It is my intention to have him trained alongside our other apprentices."

An outraged yowl burst forth from the assembled cats, with one voice rising above the rest. "Impossible! He stinks of twolegs! He wears their collar! Once a kittypet, always a kittypet!" Rusty looked back and forth, searching for the voice. A gray tom raised his head higher to be seen, he glowered at Rusty and Brokenstar with near equal venom.

Rusty felt his heart beat faster. Beside him Blackfoot whispered in his ear. "ShadowClan cats do not show fear. Control yourself."

"Silence!" Brokenstar growled angrily. "I am the Clan leader Ashfur. My decision is final."

Ashfur stood up, lashing his tail angrily. "A WindClan kit could knock that kittypet over. He's no warrior and he never will be!" Their were yowls of agreement from the assembled cats, but not many. Few would speak out openly against something Brokenstar had done...even if more privately agreed with him.

Again, Blackfoot meowed in Rusty's ear. "He's challenging you. Are you going to back done?" Rusty paused, trying to drown out all the other noises and distractions as Ashfur crept around the circle, haranguing and arguing.

Suddenly Ashfur stopped right by Rusty's side and hissed in his ear. "Crawl back to your twolegs...only real cats belong in ShadowClan."

Seething, his hackles raised, Rusty threw himself on Ashfur, biting and scratching with rage and desperation. Caught blindsided, Ashfur was totally unprepared for the attack and could not bring the fury Rusty brought with him to he fight.

The two battling cats thrashed around on the ground. Rusty scratched Ashfur's flanks, scoring red streaks. The older cat yowled and bit his teeth into Rusty's collar. As they thrashed and writhed, Rusty felt himself starting to choke as the collar constricted. His vision started to fade in and out until...the collar snapped. Rusty tumbled over backwards as his collar broke; Ashfur fell away too, the collar still in his mouth.

Seeing the two opponents separated, Brokenstar leaped down from boulder between them. "Enough!" He yowled. "StarClan has made its decision clear with the breaking of the collar! His kittypet life is behind him, he is now free to become a warrior!"

The ShadowClan leader looked around as if challenging anyone to dispute it. Ashfur lay on the ground, panting. The rest of the Clan was silent. Brokenstar glowered at Ashfur and the pawful of cats who walked over to help him up. They were all elders, whose support for Brokenstar's leadership had been rather lackluster, instead harkening back to Raggedstar's rule: Ashfur, Dawncloud, Cinderfur, and Nightpelt.

The last one was particularly troublesome. Nightpelt was the senior warrior under Raggedstar and never cared much for Brokenstar. Yellowfang too, was troublesome, being Raggedstar's devoted medicine cat. Brokenstar trusted neither of them. "I want you out of the main camp." He meowed to the four old guard cats. There was a sharp intake of breath at that declaration. "You are not banished from our Clan or our territory...but you are not to remain in the camp, until I deem it fit." His eyes narrowed. "Now go."

Cinderfur and Dawncloud helped Ashfur up and guided him out of the circle. Nightpelt bristled, eyes narrowing. "You go against StarClan at your own peril Brokenstar." He meowed, shooting a baleful glance at Rusty as he went. It was he who had been outside Brokenstar's den earlier when Blackfoot went in. He knew what Brokenstar was doing: surrounding himself with cats who were loyal only to him and not to the clan.

This kittypet was only the latest. Before him there was the loner Boulder and then before him he had recruited within the clan Blackfoot, Clawface, and Jaggedtooth. He was building his own private elite within the ranks of ShadowClan. Nightpelt knew what was happening...but that came of no comfort to him since he'd been utterly powerless to stop it. And now he was banished from his own home. Shaking his head sadly, Nightpelt started to walk out of the camp with only one last backward glance. He briefly caught Yellowfang's eye. She was bristling in anger. He shook his head at her. While Brokenstar might not be able to banish a medicine cat—yet—there wasn't anything she could do to help them now. With a sad twitch of his whiskers, Nightpelt walked out of the camp.

Brokenstar waited for them to depart before he continued, turning back to Rusty. "From this day, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Firepaw." Brokenstar smirked inwardly at the name. There was no question that this was the cat of the prophecy...what the prophecy meant with another matter. Still, best to keep a close eye on him until he was sure. "I ask StarClan to watch over you and guide you until you find in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior."

Rusty panted heavily, the thrill of the fight taking him by surprise...he was drawn to the warriors life. "Do I want to stay though?" He asked himself, wishing that he'd been given a choice...but he knew Brokenstar hadn't offered him one. Still, he mused, best to keep his options open. After all, he could always escape once they let their guard down...he hoped.

Brokenstar looked around the assembled cats. "...Boulder, you will be mentor to this apprentice. You are a true and trusted warrior, and I hope you will pass this knowledge to your new apprentice." Boulder looked up in shock.

"But Brokenstar, I—" Brokenstar narrowed his eyes.

"Yes of course...Wetpaw, you will now be mentored by Jaggedtooth." His whiskers twitched, ignoring Wetpaw's look of disappointment and Boulder's shock. A few cats' hackles were raised over the unusual step of switching an apprentice's mentor, but after Ashfur's defeat and the banishing of the elders there was no possibility of challenging Brokenstar on that. Indeed, of everything he'd done tonight, changing mentors was the least shocking. "This meeting is over. Apprentices, show Firepaw the apprentice den."

Brokenstar headed for his own den, leading the meeting to break up. Rusty looked around as the assembled cats went their separate ways, a few of them nodding in his direction or calling out a few greetings. "Welcome Firepaw!" "Well fought!" "Firepaw!" "Firepaw?"

That last one was Wetpaw, who was looking at Firepaw with a mixture of excitement and unhappiness. "The den for apprentices is this way...c'mon." Firepaw nodded.

"Thanks..." He started off in the direction Wetpaw indicated, then turned when he realized Wetpaw wasn't coming with him. Wetpaw was looking over at Boulder who was making his way to the warrior's den. Their gaze met briefly. Boulder looked down and shook his head sadly. Wetpaw's ears flattened and his tail drooped down, then he turned back to show Firepaw the way. Firepaw looked back at Boulder just as the warrior turned to look back at him. His mentor's expression—Firepaw's mind still reeled that he was now a warrior apprentice with a mentor in a clan of warriors!—was not a happy one. Firepaw looked away, following Wetpaw to the apprentice's den, wondering just what he'd gotten himself into.


END OF CHAPTER 3

[Swifty]

Chapter 4 part 1

Rusty—no Firepaw—his mind still reeling at the transition, numbly followed Wetpaw into the apprentices' den. He smelled new scents as he entered and saw that they were not alone. New suspicious, calculating eyes seemed to cut into his flesh as he felt oh so very alone. Wetpaw nudged him with his head. "So, Firepaw, welcome to the den. These are the rest of the apprentices..." he waved his tail over to them as he introduced them one by one. "You already know me and Brownpaw—" the brown apprentice gave an awkward nod and quickly looked away. "—and this is Rowanpaw."

Firepaw nodded politely. Rowanpaw looked at him only long enough to sneer and looked away. "Now we have to share the den with a kittypet." He hissed. "He'll stink up the den with his twoleg stink!"

Back bristling, Firepaw hissed back. Wetpaw lay a tail across his back. "Don't. Rowanpaw's always like that." He assured him. "Besides," he lowered his voice. "fights between cats in the clan is frowned upon." Firepaw set his fur back down flat and licked his paw. Wetpaw nodded, gratefully. "And this is Whitepaw and Littlepaw." He nodded to two small cats. Firepaw blinked. These two balls of fluff looked too young to be apprentice warriors!

Littlepaw, a very small tabby-tom, looked up at Firepaw with big eyes. "H-hello." He meowed shyly. Whitepaw nodded and echoed him. Wetpaw looked outside.

"We should get some sleep." He meowed. "You have a long day ahead of you, Firepaw." Wetpaw sat down on the floor. "Tomorrow you start your training as an apprentice."

Rowanpaw gave a condescending smirk. "He won't last a moon." He purred nastily. "But at least we'll have someone else to check the elders for ticks and bring in new moss bedding."

Firepaw's whiskers twisted as he curled up to go to sleep. Things were just getting better and better...

It took Firepaw half the night before he could finally get to sleep...and it felt that he had no sooner done that then he felt someone nudging him to get up. "Firepaw? Firepaw!" The orange tabby winced. Wetpaw. "Firepaw, I'm serious you have to get up! It's time for the apprentices to wake up!"

With a faint moan, Firepaw hauled himself up to his feet. He stretched and yawned, blinking sleepily. "I'm awake, I'm awake..." Wetpaw turned and beckoned Firepaw to follow him with his tail.

Firepaw looked over at where Wetpaw was headed. A skinny gray tom stood in the middle of the camp, waiting for them. Wetpaw nodded respectfully. "I brought him Boulder." His gaze flickered. "I-I guess I should go to Jaggedtooth..." he trailed off.

Boulder frowned, his tail swishing. "Your apprenticeship is almost over. You should be getting evaluated soon." He said, his voice sounding none too happy despite his words. His gaze softened and he licked Wetpaw's ear. "I may not be your mentor anymore, but I know you'll do me and the Clan proud when you're made a warrior." He looked up and his face took on an annoyed expression. "I don't know if I can say the same about this one..." He looked at Firepaw. "Go on Wetpaw. Jaggedtooth and Rowanpaw will be waiting."