Stormstar's Story!!

[Stormy]

Prologue

The Thunderpath was quiet. It was late at night, long after the monsters had stopped coming. Everything was dark, and silent. Suddenly, out of the shadows on both sides of the pavement came cats, lean, scarred, wild cats. The clearing was silent no longer.
Cats raced across the Thunderpath to join battle with the cats on the other side. Screeching and yowling filled the air. Cats tussled and rolled on both sides of the Thunderpath, and one pair had ventured so far as to be fighting on the surface of the hard black pavement, facing certain death if a monster came their way.
One of the cats fighting on the pavement hissed at the other, a huge brown tabby. “ShadowClan has no right to be on ThunderClan territory, Mudtail ” the white shecat spat, clawing at the fur of the tabby’s flank. The tabby yowled back, “Snowpelt, after tonight this territory will belong to ShadowClan ”<br> The shecat threw the ShadowClan deputy off her, using her strong back legs to lever him up and away from her. “Not by the will of StarClan ” she yowled back, and ran off the Thunderpath to fling a black shecat off her apprentice Smokepaw. They were outnumbered, and she knew it.
A cameo colored shecat with white patches on her pelt threw off her attacker, a small grey tomcat called Scarface. She turned at the sound of her name. “Russetfur ” Snowpelt called. “Go back to camp and bring back help ” Russetfur took off, back into the surrounding woods. The new warrior pelted back toward camp, running as fast as her exhausted paws could take her.
Coming over the ridge that looked down on the ThunderClan camp, Russetfur ran head-on into Moonstream and the night patrol. “Moonstream, hurry ShadowClan, at the Thunderpath...”she meowed, out of breath from her dash back to camp. Moonstream and her patrol took off toward the Thunderpath, Russetfur in their wake.
Moonstream exploded from the brush, yowling her battle cry. ShadowClan looked up, surprised by the new arrivals. The patrol was on them within a heartbeat.
The ShadowClan cats were falling back, defeated by the strength and renewed number of the ThunderClan warriors. Mudtail yowled, “Retreat ShadowClan, to me Retreat ” The ShadowClan warriors squirmed out of the hold of the ThunderClan cats and followed their deputy into the shadows on the other side of the Thunderpath.
Mudtail was the last to leave, glaring back at the ThunderClan warriors with malice in his eyes. “This isn’t over,” he spat. “ShadowClan will have the Thunderpath, and the woods surrounding ” The ThunderClan cats hissed back at him, and he disappeared into the trees.

Chapter 1

On windowsill inside a small, white house sat a large, gray cat. She was a Maine Coon cat, big and longhaired. She stared out the window, not really seeing, listening to the cries that came from above her. The female Twoleg had disappeared from the house two sunrises ago, and had returned this morning with a small bundle. From the scent of the little thing, she guessed it was a kit, but it cried far too much to be normal. It must be defective, and that was why her Twolegs didn’t want her to come near it. She had been shut out of their nursery-room all day.
Her food and water bowls were empty. The male Twoleg had not filled them this morning, and she was very hungry. She jumped off the windowsill, landing lightly despite her size. She trotted upstairs to the nursery-room, and mewed at the door. She wasn’t used to being neglected. These Twolegs had owned her for five moons now, and she wasn’t planning on letting them forget her. After all, they must have come a long way to get her, because the ride back to this house had been long and irritating. She had been six moons old then, and she had never ridden in a monster before. She shuddered at the memory.
The door to the nursery-room opened. The male Twoleg stood by the opening in the wall, staring down at her. It made sounds with its mouth, one of them the name they called her; Smoky, and reached down to pick her up. She slipped by his outstretched front legs and trotted into the room.
The female Twoleg sat in one of those contraptions Twolegs liked to sit in. This one was her favorite one to sleep in, and she had been very upset when they had moved it. This one didn’t have those threatening legs that never moved, but it had an extension on the front that the Twolegs rested their hind feet on. Smoky hated that extension. She had been sleeping on it once, just minding her own business, when the male Twoleg had pulled it out from under her, waking her up and causing her to fall onto the soft ground in the resting-room and land undignified on her back.
It was humiliating to have her Twolegs laughing at her.
Now she stared up at the female Twoleg and her kit, drawing in the little one’s scent. It smelled like soap, clean things, and milk. She didn’t like the smell. It reminded her of the vet’s.
She hated the vet. She had an idea she wouldn’t like this one either. Her Twolegs obviously wanted to be in control of her when she came near it, and to her that meant trouble. Was it because they were afraid it would hurt her, or that she would hurt it in retaliation? She wasn’t sure, but she didn’t like the kit anyway. It had made her Twolegs forget about her, and she was still hungry.
She marched downstairs with a commanding meow to the Twolegs that she would like to be fed now. She waited at her bowl, but neither one came. She waited for a while, but they still did not come. She angrily trotted back upstairs and yowled to them to feed her. The male Twoleg came to the door, and she yowled again. He quickly put one of his soft, pink claws to his mouth, and glanced back at the female Twoleg. They talked softly for a moment, then the male Twoleg gave her a gentle push with his hind leg and shut the door in her face.

Chapter 2

Two moons had passed since the Twoleg kit had come to their house. Smoky constantly went hungry, because her owners only filled her food dishes when they weren’t with the little one, which was seldom. Often she crossed the garden and climbed the fence into her friend Boots’ garden, and he let her eat from his bowl. But she couldn’t go there when his Twolegs were around, or they would chase her away, so for the most part she stayed in her own yard.
She was unhappy now. Her Twolegs ignored her most of the time, except when she made noise and woke the kit. Boots did what he could, but his Twolegs didn’t like Smoky and they wouldn’t accept her in their house. She didn’t know what to do.
Then one day Boots came up to her fence with some gossip from the stray cats that hung out in the garbage heap down the road. They said that they had heard of wild cats that lived in the forest. They caught their own food, mice and rabbits and such, and lived all together in groups called Clans. She listened very intently to Boots’ story, thinking about the possibilities.
Would these forest cats accept her? Could she go live with them? Were they dangerous? She asked Boots, and he replied that he didn’t know, but he would ask the Strays.
The next day at sunhigh, Smoky sat on the fence separating her house and Boots’. He came running out of the house when he saw her, excitement on his face.
“They say that the forest cats are vicious hunters and great in battle, but they also said that one of the Clans is having trouble keeping the bordering Clans from taking over its hunting grounds. They said maybe that Clan would let you stay!”<br>Smoky’s face was unreadable, her eyes distant as she gazed out over the forest. “I’ll think about it...”she said quietly. “I don’t know if I could adapt to a life like that...”<br>“Yes, but isn’t your life now just as hard?” Boots asked.
“Yeah...”she said, her eyes lighting up. “Tomorrow I’ll go into the forest and see if I can find them!”<br>

[Stormy]

Chapter 3

The next day dawned bright and warm. Smoky woke, stretched, and yawned. Her sleep had been disturbed by the kit last night, and even when she had been able to sleep, odd dreams jolted her awake, gasping. She was now in a very grumpy mood, hungry and tired, but she couldn’t pass up her trip into the forest today. She was too excited by the prospect of getting away from the little thing that screamed all day and cried all night, away from the Twolegs who scolded her, away from her life. She needed to go.
She trotted through the cat-flap, headed for the garden fence. She felt that if she didn’t get started right away, she wouldn’t have the nerve. She jumped up onto the fencepost, looking into Boots’ yard. She called to him quietly, not wanting to wake his Twolegs. He came out of the house sleepily, yawned, and looked up at her.
“So you’re really leaving?” he asked, concerned. “Yes,” she answered, meeting his eyes. “I can’t stay any longer. Now that I know there are cats who live wild and free of Twolegs, ones that catch wild prey and fend for themselves, I can’t stay here and starve.”<br>“I understand. I’ll miss you, Smoky.”<br>“I’ll miss you too.”<br>Smoky turned and jumped off the fence, headed for the forest. She trotted at first, then broke into a run as she neared the trees. She entered the trees and slowed down. She didn’t want to alert any bigger animals to her presence. She shrunk down to a crouch, suddenly worried. What if some of the animals in the forest weren’t friendly? What if the cats ambushed her? She had no idea what would happen to her if she stayed here, but she had a feeling that staying in one spot to long was dangerous. It would allow other cats to pinpoint her position and jump her. She moved on, quietly.
She moved through the woods for a long time. She smelled no cats for a while. Then she came to a river. It was scent marked very heavily. She smelled the marks. They carried many warnings for the cats on the other side of the river to stay out of their territory. She also smelled blood. There had been a battle here recently.
Was this the Clan those Strays had talked about? The one having border trouble? If it was, she was headed in the right direction. She moved on.



Chapter 4

Russetfur opened her mouth, scenting the air. She found nothing. She had been so sure...maybe it was just a whiff. Maybe she imagined it. She turned around to pick up the thrush she had dropped, and spun around. There it was again It was something, she was sure now. She crept slowly towards the smell of cat, silently preparing for attack.

ddd

Smoky stopped. What was that? She heard it again, a soft rustle of fur in the wind. She panicked. Was this a fox, or a badger? She had heard of these terrifying creatures from Boots, and now his stories of dead kits and even full-grown cats vanishing, and their mangled bodies being found later, torn and shredded by badger teeth. She wasn’t sure if they were true, but she knew that these creatures were dangerous.
She crouched, listening, ears pricked and mouth open to catch every sound and scent. Was that cat she smelled? She sniffed again, more sure this time. Yes, it was cat Now where was it? She struggled desperately to pinpoint the enemy, using mouth, nose, and ears. She thought she had it now; in the thorn bushes to her left. Or was it behind the clump of ferns behind her? She couldn’t decide where to attack.
Suddenly, a huge shape burst out of the high grass to her right, hissing. She had been wrong on both counts She turned to face her attacker, spitting and hissing frantically in an attempt to warn the huge shecat that now crouched in front of her. She was big, longhaired, and a pale orange color with a few white streaks. Her black eyes hesitated as they fell on Smoky, confused.
“You aren’t from RiverClan ” she yowled.
“No...what’s RiverClan?” Smoky asked. Now she was as confused as her attacker.
“They’re the Clan that lives across this river. Don’t you know anything?”
“Not about forest life, at least not much...I come from Twolegplace. I ran away from home.” Smoky answered defiantly. “And I’m not going back, so don’t try to make me ”
“A kittypet?” the shecat exclaimed. “You really shouldn’t be here...go back to Twolegplace, you’ll be safe there.”<br>Smoky hissed in exasperation. “Didn’t I just tell you? I’m not going back. I heard about wild cats that live in the forest that are having trouble with keeping the surrounding cats out of their territory...you wouldn’t happen to be one, would you?”<br>“How can you know that? ?” the shecat yowled. “A kittypet shouldn’t know things like that...”<br>“My friend Boots heard it from some Strays that live in the alley near his garden...he said that they thought that Clan might accept me, because they need more fighters...” Smoky trailed off at the shocked look on the cat’s face.
“ThunderClan does not need to recruit kittypets because of border disputes ” Smoky could tell the shecat was angry at the mere suggestion that her Clan was weak. “We have not sunk that low ”<br>“I wasn’t saying you had...I just wanted to get away from my home life. My Twolegs brought home a kit, and they’ve forgotten about me ever since. I’m lucky to eat twice in a week, sometimes.”<br>The shecat looked shocked. “We were always told that kittypets were soft, well-cared-for, spoiled, selfish cats. I never expected that the Twolegs would mistreat them You’d better come with me. My name’s Russetfur, by the way.”<br>"Mine's Smoky."

[Stormy]

Chapter 5

Russetfur led Smoky back to the ThunderClan camp. She explained about the Clans as they ran, amazed at how little this cat knew. Smoky, on the other hand, was fascinated with the Clan system, their traditions and rituals, the warrior code. She knew she would enjoy this way of living, if these cats would accept her.
“We’re approaching the camp entrance,” called Russetfur over her shoulder. “Let me so the talking unless Redstar asks you a direct question.”<br>“Okay ” Smoky called back, nervous. She was glad she had a friend in this new life, ThunderClan. But she still wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. What if these cats turned on her? Russetfur seemed to accept her, but she wouldn’t stand a chance of protecting Smoky from all the cats in the Clan, she deduced from what Russetfur told her.
They slowed down to a walk as they approached the gorse tunnel. Smoky instinctively crouched in submission as the stares and whispers of the Clan cats bored into her. By the time Russetfur had coaxed her to the big rock near the center of the camp, she was almost crawling on her belly.
Two cats emerged from a den in the rock. One was snow white, walking with authority around her like mist. The other, however, walked amidst a cloud of power, carrying his head high, his red pelt shining in the strong sunlight. Smoky gulped. She assumed this was Redstar.
“Russetfur?” The red cat’s deep, strong voice rang through the camp, silent after the appearance of the leader. He leaped to the top of the rock before he spoke again.“Who is this cat you have brought back to us?”<br>Russetfur approached the cat respectfully. “Redstar, this is Smoky. She’s from Twolegplace.”<br>“And what is a kittypet doing in our territory?” Now the leader’s voice was stern, but Smoky thought she could detect a hint of curiosity in his voice.
“She wants to live with us.” Russetfur’s voice rose as the cats around her yowled in shock and anger. “Her Twolegs were abusing her They didn’t feed her days at a time ”<br>“She doesn’t look thin to me ” Voices rose up from the crowd.
“She’s a decent weight, even fat maybe ”<br>“Twolegs don’t abuse their kittypets They coddle them ”<br>Russetfur looked angry now. “She’s a longhaired cat Can you expect her to look starved?”<br>Redstar silenced them with a flick of his tail. “Kittypet Smoky, did you say her name was?” Russetfur nodded. “Is this true about your former owners?”<br>Smoky stood up shakily. “Y-Yes, sir,” she meowed, very nervous.
“How did you know to come into the forest for help?” Redstar now sounded intrigued.
“My friend Boots told me. He talked to some Strays, and them he told me that there were wild cats living in the forest ” Her eyes gleamed with thoughts of heroic, courageous deeds to be done in defense of friends. “The strays told of a Clan that was having trouble with border defense. They said that maybe that Clan would let me join, because any cat with border trouble is always happy to have more fighters.”
“Hmm...I shall have to think about this. You are a full-grown cat, and you may have trouble adapting to forest life. I also cannot make you an apprentice, to learn the ways on the forest with a mentor to guide you...you wouldn’t fit into the apprentice den.” Purrs of amusement rose from the cats below him. “I will retire to my den to think about my decision on this matter. I will require Icefall, Moonstream, Longnose, and Tigerstripe to talk with me.” He jumped back off the rock and retreated to the den underneath.


Chapter 6

Russetfur looked at the Highrock, her eyes distant. “You know, I didn’t know he had a sense of humor ” she laughed. “You’d never know it from the way he goes on.”<br>“He’s very formal,” Smoky muttered, still unsettled by the continued stares of the ThunderClan cats.
“Yeah, but he’s very fair. I think he’ll let you stay.” She noticed Smoky was staring off into one corner of the camp, looking very uncomfortable. She followed her gaze, eyes locking on a chocolate-brown cat at the center of a group of warriors, five or six total. They were shooting scornful glances at the pair of shecats. “Oh, that’s just Riverwind and his crowd. They’re the rudest cats I have ever met Come on, lets go get something to eat.”<br>The two shecats headed toward the center of the clearing. Russetfur explained the fresh-kill system to Smoky, and went into a little more detail about the warrior code. Smoky listened intently, her eyes moving about the camp. She paused at the sight of the cats who had finished their meal. They were laying together in pairs and small groups washing each other.
“Sharing tounges.” Russetfur’s voice startled Smoky. “We forest cats share tounges with each other after eating. Usually cats share tounges with their close friends.” With that the shecat began to wash Smoky’s flank. Smoky tenatively joined in, licking Russetfur’s neck and shoulders. They washed together, ignoring the stares of other cats who would rather die than share tounges with a kittypet. Smoky enjoyed the peace and comfort that came with close friendship. She had never experienced anything like this before.


It was near sunhigh, and the senior warriors had not come out of their dens yet. Smoky began to worry. What if they didn’t want her? What would happen to her? She would never go back to the Twolegs; she didn’t trust them anymore. Maybe she would be forced to become a loner. She would hate that. She liked this new way of living. She would have to leave it without knowing what it meant to be truly a part of the Clan, without proving herself to those who doubted her.
She would have to leave Russetfur.
She looked down at her new friend. Never had another cat showed her such understanding and wisdom. Even Boots, who she had known for 11 moons, never affected her this way. She didn’t feel this sense of closeness and belonging at Twolegplace. She knew she belonged here. The problem was going to be convincing the others.

[Stormy]

Chapter 7

A red ear poked out of the leader’s den, followed by whiskers, then Redstar’s head. The other senior warriors followed, looking grave.
“All cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting ” The call rang out over the camp, echoing until all the cats were assembled. Redstar looked down at them. “A matter has come into dispute. This morning, a kittypet by the name of Smoky was brought into our camp by Russetfur. She wishes to join ThunderClan.” Hisses and yowls of renewed outrage filled the camp. Redstar silenced them with a glare. “Smoky, come up to the rock.” Smoky obeyed shakily. “You truly understand how hard a warrior’s life is? I trust Russetfur has explained to you everything and more, but have you really thought about the consequences?”<br>Smoky was silent for a moment. Her mind drifted over the last two moons. She looked up at Redstar, trying to convey her understanding through her eyes. “I have, Redstar. I truly understand, and I do still wish to join you.”<br>Redstar’s eyes were thoughtful for a moment. Then he replied, “Very well. Tomorrow at sunhigh you will take a test, to see if you would be able to survive out here. If you fail it,” at these words yowls rose from the crowd again. Redstar lashed his tail angrily. The cats quieted, but not fully. “If you fail, we will escort you to the edge of our territory. There you may do as you like, as long as you stay out of ThunderClan hunting grounds.”<br>Smoky nodded her understanding. Her blood boiled, not with dread or worry, but with an excitement that filled her up and spilled out. She was ready. She would show them who the warrior was Maybe she didn’t have their experience, but she could learn, and soon she would be as experienced as they. She could just imagine it, her showing up that Riverwind and her goons. Her eyes lit with enthusiasm for the day to come.



The following morning, Smoky got up out of her small nest in the warrior’s den next to Russetfur. She had been allowed to sleep there for the night, since ThunderClan didn’t have anywhere else to bed her down. Riverwind had not been happy, but Redstar had talked to him. Smoky smiled happily at the memory of the big red cat facing down the smaller warrior.
She stretched, breathing in the scents of morning. Russetfur awoke beside her, yawning. Together the pair walked out of the den, Smoky watching the other cats as they went about their morning tasks.
Russetfur walked over to the fresh-kill pile, stocked up by the dusk and dawn patrols. She selected three plump mice, one apiece and another to share. They ate together, purring at the delicious taste. Then the pair of shecats shared tounges, talking about the test to come.
“What do you think it will be?” Smoky asked, a bit nervously.
“Oh, probably just hunting or something. You’ll probably have a certain amount of time to catch a certain amount of prey, or something like that.”<br>Russetfur had no idea how wrong she was.

[Stormy]

Chapter 8

Redstar stood again on the Highrock, watching as the cats below him gathered. He waited patiently for them to quiet down. When there was no slowing of the rush of scornful or excited voices, the ThunderClan leader gave an exasperated yowl. The clearing was silent at once.
“The day has come. Today the kittypet will either prove herself worthy, or be driven out of ThunderClan hunting grounds for good.” Taunts came from the cats assembled below. Redstar was growing impatient with all this talk. He yowled again, louder this time. The camp fell into silence once more.
“Smoky, are you prepared for your test?” The camp was more than silent now. Every ear was straining for her answer, every nose looking for her fear-scent.
“I am, Redstar,” came the reply. Smoky’s voice was strong, her head high. No trace of the fear that had plagued her yesterday could be seen, smelled, or heard.
“Very well.” Redstar jumped off the rock. “Attack me.”<br>The cats around him were shocked. Smoky was shocked. This was her test? To fight the leader of the Clan she wanted to live in? What if she hurt him? What if he killed her? The last question she quickly dismissed. Redstar would never kill another cat except in a life-or-death situation, Russetfur had told her. She forced herself to get over her shock and dismay, and crouched.
Redstar circled her, waiting for her to make the first move. He was going to force her onto the offensive. Smoky waited, saw her chance, and leaped
Redstar was not surprised by her sudden attack. He threw himself onto his back, using his legs to push Smoky off him easily. He leaped up and crouched again.
Smoky was very nervous. This was going to be hard. She had expected it to be hard, but she had no idea what he was going to do. She had no warning at all. She strained her eyes, forcing herself to look even harder to see his body shift.
Redstar noticed this with approval. She was trying to see where he was going to go. That was good. She wasn’t looking in the right place, but she was looking all the same. He slowly put his weight back on his haunches, ready to spring.
Smoky circled, looking for the right place to attack. She didn’t see the slight shift in his body position. Redstar leaped onto her and pinned her to the ground. She wriggled, but she could not free herself. Then she noticed his tail. It was flicking back and forth. She waited, trying to time it right. When the red tail was close enough, she lunged, pulling him off-balance as she tugged on his tail. She let go of the tail and scrambled to her feet, breathing hard. Redstar looked pleased at her quick thinking. Then all traces of emotion were gone from his eyes as he crouched, ready for a fresh attack.
Smoky decided that she would go on the offensive by herself this time. She wanted to prove to them that she was not going to give up, that she had the spirit to keep going, even when it looked like she was losing. She pushed that fragment of a thought to the back of her skull. She would not lose. She would not be driven out of the forest, driven away from the place she knew she belonged.
She waited, relaxed, trying to look as if she were waiting for him to make a move. When she saw his body shift, she leaped into the air, putting all her remaining strength behind the one blow she was sure would finish the fight.
Redstar was surprised to see Smoky come flying at him so soon after her tumble. He had expected her to wait a moment, catching her breath. He tried to scramble around to counter-attack, but this put him off-balance. Smoky landed right on his shoulder, and felt him buckle beneath the force of her leap. She hoped she hadn’t hurt him.
No time for thinking about that now. She rolled him over, pinning him as best she knew how. She remembered his position when he had held her down, and adjusted her body to fit the feel of how his had been. Then she remembered how she had flung him off, and kept her tail from lashing back and forth in triumph. She held him as he wriggled, almost being upset twice, but she managed to stay on top and in control.
Finally Redstar relaxed. Smoky relaxed a bit too, thinking she had passed the test. The next thing she knew was flight. Redstar had felt her body relax and had flung her off him. She landed in a bramble bush ten tail-lengths away.
Redstar was on his feet and coming toward her. She scrambled deeper into the bush. When the ThunderClan leader reached the bush, she was nowhere in sight.
Redstar toppled into the bush as he was hit from behind. Smoky had crawled out of the brambles on the other side, come around the back, and leaped on him from behind. Then she planned to pin him down in the bush, so he couldn’t send her flying anywhere. It was a good plan; in theory. What she forgot was that Redstar was bigger than her. When she threw him into the bush, he went right out the other side, turned around, ran back through the brambles, and had her pinned before she could blink.
Try as she might, she couldn’t get him off this time. Finally he told her, “The test is over.” She knew right then she had failed. A sense of despair ran over her, and she felt small and insignificant.
Redstar, meanwhile, had jumped back up to the Highrock. There was no need to summon the Clan; they were already waiting. They had watched the whole fight. Smoky saw Riverwind laughing with his group. She didn’t feel anger. She felt disappointment, and a sense of overwhelming sadness.
“I, Redstar, say in regards to this test of young Smoky, that she has fought well, and bravely. However, she was not able to defeat me in battle. So, in the matter of this young shecat...” he went on, but Smoky did not hear. Shecat? He had called her a shecat? Not a kittypet? A small spark of hope flickered in her chest. She eagerly listened to the rest of Redstar’s speech.
“Smoky, you have fought well. I say it was a matter only of my age and experience in combat that you were unable to defeat me. If I had pitted you against a less experienced cat, I feel assured you would stand a very good chance of defeating them.” Smoky saw Russetfur give her a hopeful glance. “Your quick thinking and good use of both your instincts and the things around you–for example, my tail–“ This brought laughter out of the crowd. Redstar continued. “These things show that you have a quick and creative mind, which is necessary for survival in the harsh life of a Clan cat. You are also a very quick learner. You remembered my pinning position well enough to pin me down, which, if I may say so, is quite a feat in itself.” He looked around the camp, then resettled his eyes on her. “You have passed your test, Smoky. Do you wish to join ThunderClan?”<br>Smoky looked up at her leader, and replied, voice strong and senses tingling, “Yes Redstar. Nothing would make me happier.”<br>“Then by my authority as leader of ThunderClan, I give you your new name. From this day forward, until she has earned her warrior name, this apprentice will be called Stormpaw.” He looked out at the crowd. “Russetfur, you are ready for your first apprentice. You will begin Stormpaw’s training.” Russetfur, beaming with pride, came up to touch noses with Stormpaw. “You had a good mentor in Icefall. I expect you to pass on everything you learned to this apprentice, and educate her in the ways of the forest.”<br>Stormpaw looked up at Russetfur. She smiled. Russetfur smiled back.
Redstar was speaking again. “Stormpaw, you will sleep in the apprentices den. We have made the entrance bigger to accommodate you.” Laughter filled the clearing at these words. “Your training will be different than the other apprentices, since you are old enough to be a warrior already. You only need to learn how to fight properly, hunting, and the Clan boundaries. I’m sure you have already been told the entire warrior code, as well as some bits that were repeated–“ he looked at Russetfur. She smiled shyly, and laughed. “However, you will be in training until I feel you are ready to be a warrior, and that may or may not be sooner than our current apprentices. I’m sure Russetfur will introduce you.” With that he leaped down off the rock, muttering quietly to Russetfur, “I expect her to be ready in four moons.” Russetfur laughed quietly. Then the pair of them, mentor and apprentice, headed back to the fern bush to talk about the moons to come.

[Stormy]

Chapter 9

Stormpaw stood up and stretched. She could hear Russetfur calling from outside the apprentices den. Her first day of training She was very excited. She trotted outside, and almost ran her mentor over.
“Watch it, Stormpaw ” Russetfur called playfully. This may be her apprentice, but she was still her friend. “I could have been severely injured, and then you wouldn’t have a mentor at all ”<br>Stormpaw blushed shyly, then shot back, “Well, you’re an all-mighty mentor now. All-mighty mentors can’t be injured ”
Russetfur swiped playfully at her apprentice’s head. “Let’s take a small tour of the grounds, shall we?” She asked, trying to sound grown-up and important. “Then we’ll go to the training hollow and try you out.”<br>Stormpaw followed her friend excitedly out of the camp.


The two friends came along the RiverClan border, close to where Russetfur had found Stormpaw. Stormpaw stopped and looked across the river, to where a RiverClan patrol was making their way toward them. Russetfur hissed a warning.
Snakeeyes, the RiverClan deputy, looked them over with cool indifference. “What is ThunderClan doing so close to RiverClan territory?” He asked coldly.
Russetfur answered him. “Patrolling.” She meowed, her face unreadable. “We are not on your territory. Your threats are meaningless.”<br>Snakeeyes glared at her. “We’ll see.” He and his patrol turned around and left.
“What was that about?” Stormpaw asked. She was intrigued by this exchange. “What Clan is that?”
“RiverClan,” her mentor spat. “They attacked us three nights before you came. Then ShadowClan attacked the night after, at moonhigh. Our Clan almost lost territory to RiverClan, and we were weak when ShadowClan attacked. The past moon has not gone so well for us.”<br>“Why did they attack ThunderClan?” Stormpaw was shocked. “Did we do something to them?”<br>“No,” Russetfur answered. “They are losing prey to Twoleg interference. They know that our territory is still mostly untouched by Twolegs, except for the Tallpines and Towlegplace, which are both in our territory as well. Come on, I’ll show them to you.” Russetfur moved on, and Stormpaw followed her, still thinking about Twolegs. She held in her heart a bitter hatred for Twolegs, ever since she left to become part of ThunderClan. She wondered, Is there anything I can do? Is there any way to make them see reason?

[Stormy]

Chapter 10

The two cats headed back to the training hollow, after their border patrol. Stormpaw was excited. Her first real training session
Russetfur led the way into the hollow, and turned around to face Stormpaw. “Right. Now, we’re going to work on hunting first. Show me how you think you should stalk a bird.” This carried on for a while, until Stormpaw had learned how to stalk birds. Then Russetfur called it a day. “We’ll do more tomorrow.” She promised. Together the two friends headed back to the camp, tired, but eager for the next day’s training.

Redstar called Russetfur to his den one night, about half a moon since Stormpaw joined them. “How is she doing?” He asked. He did not have to tell her who he meant, and she did not have to ask. They both knew that the shecat in question was Stormpaw.
“She’s doing great. She’s very willing to do what I ask her. She’s eager, but she doesn’t show it often. She thinks about what she’s told to do and remembers it for the next time I ask her to do it. She’s bright, but she’s also modest.” Russetfur praised her apprentice and friend. Redstar looked thoughtful.
“I notice she hasn’t made many friends in camp. Do you know why?”<br>Russetfur hesitated before answering. “Well, I’ve noticed something about her. She doesn’t ask anything of anyone else unless she has to. She’s shy, I guess you could say, when it comes to other cats. I think she wouldn’t have even talked to me if I hadn’t told her my name first. “<br>”Is she friendly with you now?”<br>Ruusetfur couldn’t imagine why he would ask this question–this was her friend they were talking about. “Yes,” she replied. “I think I’m right to believe she would trust me with her life, just as I would trust her with mine.”<br>“Then we will have to cure her of this...shyness, as you call it. She has to be bold enough to challenge others.” Redstar looked thoughtful. He dismissed her with a flick of his tail. As Russetfur neared the den entrance, she stopped and looked back. Her leader sat just as she had left him, deep in thought. You know, he really isn’t all that formal when he’s talking by himself. And he’s actually quite handsome. She left, pondering her thoughts.

Stormpaw sat in the apprentices den, thinking. She thought a lot, it was true, but at the moment she had buried herself so deep into her ideas that she didn’t even hear Russetfur calling her from outside.
She finally noticed her mentor when the big shecat poked her head in the entrance, looking for her apprentice. Stormpaw jumped when Russtfur touched her, and then jumped again when she realized who it was.
“I’m sorry Russetfur. I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.” She hurried out of the den, Russetfur right behind her.
They came out into the sunlight, blinking at the glare of the sun at its highest. “Didn’t you hear me calling?” Russetfur asked her friend.
“No, not really...I was thinking.” Her apprentice frowned.
“About what?” Russetfur was curious. Stormpaw rarely frowned. She was a happy cat, always willing to please. She only frowned this deeply when she was thinking hard about something, something important.
Stormpaw glanced around the clearing. “Not here,” she answered. “Can we go out towards Snakerocks? I’d feel better there.”<br>Russet fur’s interest was peaked. “Sure...” she answered, still not sure what her young friend was talking about. It really must be something big, or her apprentice would not be so secretive.

The two cats sat together at Snakerocks, Stormpaw just enjoying the peace and quiet, Russetfur waiting very impatiently for her apprentice to tell her what was on her mind. Finally she couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Well?” She asked.
“Well what?” Stormpaw answered evasively, not looking at her mentor. Her eyes were fixed on Twolegplace.
Russetfur was now very agitated. “What is on your mind?” She asked, trying to keep her voice calm. “You haven’t been yourself since–well, since I don’t remember exactly when, but since sometime ” Russetfur was famous in ThunderClan for her poor memory and lack of organization.
“Oh, yeah...” Stormpaw wasn’t sure if she wanted to tell her mentor what she had been debating with herself for weeks. “Well, remember the day you showed me all the ThunderClan borders?” She felt reassured by her mentor’s confident nod. “Do you remember the RiverClan patrol we met?”<br>Russetfur thought for a moment, then nodded her head cautiously. “What does that have to do with anything? Don’t tell me you’ve fallen in love with Snakeeyes.”<br>Stormpaw was shocked by her mentor’s suspicions. “No You know I wouldn’t break code like that ” Her mentor nodded again–her student kept very strictly to the warrior code. “Its something you said to me about the Twolegs invading RiverClan and ShadowClan territories.” Russetfur remembered that. She nodded her head once again. “Well, I’ve been thinking that maybe the forest cats could do something about it.”<br>Russetfur stared at her apprentice. “Are you out of your mind? ? Go near those stinking, miserable excuses for creatures?” Russetfur hated Twolegs.
Stormpaw nodded carefully. She had to be extra careful how she worded this. She had never seen Russetfur really angry; her mentor was an extremely easygoing cat. “Well, think about this, please, before you get angry with me. When I was a kittypet, there were certain things you could do to tell them things, for example, that you wanted to be fed, or you wanted to be picked up. They understand you, to a certain extent, when you are mad at them; they know you’re really mad when you hiss at them. The clans could try it, Russetfur. We could try to tell the humans that we want them to stay out of our lands. Tallpines is lost to us already, but the humans who go there don’t really bother us, and it’s a good spot for catching prey. We could warn them off the territory they’ve spoiled in ShadowClan and RiverClan territories, or at least we could try.”<br>Russetfur stared at her friend. She had never heard her say so much at one time, and Stormpaw never said anything big like this without thinking it over carefully first. She tought about the key points in Stormpaw’s speech. It was true, the kittypets somehow got the Twolegs to understand them, to some extent, like Stormpaw said. This might work. There wasn’t much of a chance, but at least it would be worth trying!

[Stormy]

Chapter 11

Russetfur pushed through the lichen hanging in front of Redstar’s den. The handsome tom looked up, his tail twitching with pleasure as he realized who came to see him. “Russetfur, sit down.” He purred. Russetfur sat, curling her tail around her paws against the chill that was beginning to creep over the forest. She was silent for a long moment. Then she seemed to find her voice, and chose her words carefully.
“Redstar, Stormpaw told me something yesterday...” she said. She told him the whole story, watching as his expression turned from one of curiosity to approving thoughtfulness.
“She has spirit,” he said, a deep expression on his face. “And her idea has spine, even if it is a little...” he drifted, trying to find the right word, “extravagant.” He finished, looking at Russetfur with a proud expression on his face. “You did well to bring her to us, Russetfur. I am proud of your judgment, and of your apprentice’s progress. With StarClan’s luck, she will be made a warrior within a moon.”<br>Russetfur was surprised at his praise. “Thank you,” she meowed softly, and gratefully. She turned and left her leader’s den, her paws making no noise on the smooth stone.
Stormpaw lay asleep in her den. She woke with a start. A cat’s anguished cry broke the stillness of the air, and she was out of her nest immediately. Russetfur came charging out of the warrior’s den, almost crashing into mer apprentice, who was on her way to fetch her. “Hurry ” Stormpaw’s mentor called, dashing out of the camp entrance toward the sound. “ShadowClan ”<br>The two cats raced through the woods, toward the Thunderpath. They met ShadowClan and ThunderClan cats near the Great Sycamore. Goldenfur, Tigerstripe, and the night patrol were trying to hold back the ShadowClan warriors. Russetfur leaped onto a brown tabby tom, Stormpaw onto the smaller black apprentice beside him. Stormpaw used everything Russetfur had taught her about ShadowClan tactics, plus her fighting lessons, to fling the shecat onto the ground leaping on top of her to pin her down. The small cat shivered, and Stormpaw could smell the apprentice’s fear-scent. She held the small cat down, and was ready to deliver a warning bite into her shoulder, when she was hit from the side. She glimpsed brown fur before she was thrown into the Great Sycamore, smacking her head on the trunk of the huge tree. She shook her head, and looked for the cat who had attacked her. She would teach him Her blue eyes found him, and she froze. On second thought, maybe I’ll need Russetfur’s help on this one. She called for her mentor as she skirted the tom, who had used her amazement and fear to his advantage, coming in from the side. Stormpaw heard the crackle of paws on dry leaves, before her mentor crashed into the ShadowClan deputy’s side, sending him flying into Steelfang, who turned on him immediately. Stormpaw ran to her friend, looking for another cat to fight. “You shouldn’t have taken him on by yourself ” Russetfur scolded, as if Stormpaw was a young kit she had misplaced. “I didn’t ” Stormpaw shouted above the noise, “he attacked me I had that little coward of a ShadowClan apprentice, and he bowled me right off her ”<br>“That was a mistake. Don’t come near Deadpaw, that’s his daughter.” Her mentor’s eyes widened. “Look out ”<br>Stormpaw turned in time to see a dark gray shecat coming at her from the back. She reacted instinctively, and pushed the shecat on past her. She turned her head, searching for her mentor. She spotted amber fur out of the corner of her eye, and saw her mentor grappling with a quick orange tom. The two were slashing and hissing fiercely, and Stormpaw ran over to her mentor’s side, dealing a blow with her front claws to the tom’s belly.
He roared with a volume she never would have expected a cat that small to have, and forgot about Russetfur. He turned on her, fangs bared, ready to slice open her throat with thorn-sharp teeth. Stormpaw dodged, but not fast enough. His fangs slit open a huge gash in her shoulder, and she fought not to cry out.
But the orange warrior had forgotten her mentor. Russetfur buried her teeth in his hind leg, her claws embedded in his flank. He ran, screeching, toward the Thunderpath and ShadowClan territory beyond. Russetfur went to her apprentice, who was now bleeding badly. “Go back home ” She ordered Stormpaw. Her apprentice ran back the way they had come. Russetfur turned back to ShadowClan, trying to force them back to their own territory.
But Stormpaw never got back to camp. She stumbled over something that was lying at the edge of the clearing. She recognized tortoiseshell fur, and cried out. This was no ShadowClan warrior. This was the same soft tortoiseshell fur she saw every night as she came into the apprentice’s den. It was Morningpaw.

[Stormy]

Chapter 12
She ran back the way she had come, towards the battle. She immediately saw Tigerstripe, battling with Mudtail. She leaped in to help him, landing on the hind leg aimed at Tigerstripe’s face. Tigerstripe sent Mudtail flying into the Great Sycamore, like Mudtail had done to Stormpaw. Then the great warrior turned to her.
“Tigerstripe, you’ve got to come It’s Morningpaw, she’s...” she ran back toward the place where she had tripped over the young shecat, Tigerstripe bounding after her.
When they reached the spot, Tigerstripe stared down at the lifeless body of his apprentice, horrorstruck. Stormpaw had known the little shecat well, and she too grieved for the apprentice lying at her feet. She had never really been friends with the tortoiseshell, but the little one had been friendly to her, and now she kicked herself for not being friendly in return.
Tigerstripe threw back his head and roared. Stormpaw cowered as his cry rose in grief, volume, and anger. He turned and raced back toward the battle, Stormpaw at his heels. She had forgotten about her wound, and now she didn’t realize she was losing blood quickly. If she didn’t stop soon, she’s faint.
Tigerstripe threw himself back into the battle, crying out for Morningpaw. The two had been as much friends as mentor and apprentice, and Stormpaw knew they had been close.
The Thunderclan warriors froze as Tigerstripe’s battle cry reached their ears. They had never seen the mighty warrior so angry. Then they flung themselves back into the battle as his words reached their ears. Morningpaw had been a popular cat, always friendly to others. She had also been pretty, and the tomcats who had loved her tore back into their enemies, crying out in grief.
More cats were arriving from ThunderClan every minute, and the ShadowClan warriors were again outnumbered. They fled back into their own territory, frightened by the raw anger flowing from their enemies. Only when the last cat was across the Thunderpath did Stormpaw look for her mentor. She found her with Tigerstripe at Morningpaw’s body, consoling the great tom as she looked at Morningpaw, trying to figure out who had done this to her.
Stormpaw went to her mentor, sniffing around the small tortoiseshell’s body. She frowned as she recognized the scent. It was ShadowClan, all right...but where had she smelled this particular scent?
Her mind froze as she remembered. Deadpaw The ShadowClan apprentice 

Chapter 13

Russetfur looked on as Stormpaw sniffed carefully around Tigerstripe’s apprentice. She watched as her apprentice’s eyes widened in recognition. She must know who had done this
“Stormpaw?” She asked carefully. “Do you know who it was?”<br>She was shocked to see her apprentice’s eyes fill with fury and disbelief. “It was that apprentice, Deadpaw The little rat That black-hearted, evil-minded, snake ” Stormpaw ranted on and an about Mudtail’s daughter. Russetfur sniffed the body again, carefully. This time she too recognized the subtle scent of the shecat. “We need to get back to camp.” Russetufr meowed. She glanced at the spot where her apprentice had been pacing back and forth in anger. There was no one there. She looked around, and spotted Stormpaw’s body a few feet away. Her apprentice had fainted from blood loss.
She looked at Tigerstripe. “You can carry Morningpaw.” She told him. “I’ll take care of Stormpaw.” Together the two cats left the blood-stained clearing in silence, following the ThunderClan cats who had gone back to the camp to tell Redstar about their lost apprentice.

The two warriors walked through the gorse tunnel, to meet a Clan silent with shock and grief. Russetfur took Stormpaw’s unconscious body to Fernleaf’s clearing. She left her apprentice with ThunderClan’s trusted medicine cat, and walked back to the Highrock for the Clan meeting.
Redstar stood on top of the Highrock, looking down at the cats below. His gaze traveled over all the cats that had been in the battle, ordering the ones that were badly wounded to Fernleaf. His yellow eyes met hers, and she nodded to him. She was fine. True, she did have a scratch above her eye, and her right front leg stung from a nasty bite, but that was nothing serious. Both wounds could be taken care of later, once the other cats had been seem to.
Redstar was speaking. “...our brave apprentice Morningpaw, who died this morning in a battle with ShdowClan.” At this, Icefall let out a small moan of grief. Morningpaw had been her daughter. Redstar looked at her, sympathy for his deputy in his eyes. “We shall mourn her at moonrise, as is the custom. Be sure that ShadowClan will not go unpunished. The Gathering is coming up soon, and ThunderClan will certainly have something to say to ShadowClan then. For now, we all need to rest. Longnose,” Redstar directed this at the ThunderClan second, a lean black-and-white tom. Seconds were only used when a female leader or deputy was going to have kits, at which time the second took over the responsibilities of the deputy. “Please send out a hunting patrol, and two border patrols. We don’t want RiverClan or ShadowClan to catch us off guard.” The black-and-white tom nodded, and turned towards the other warriors, selecting those who had not been in the battle or those who had not been injured badly to go on patrol. Moonstream and Blackfur were sent on hunting patrol. Silverstorm and Windheart were to take a patrol by the RiverClan border, and Riverwind and Coalheart were to take the ShadowClan border. The warriors left quickly, as the other cats headed for their dens and a guarded sleep.

[Stormy]

Chapter 14

Stormpaw opened her eyes. She was in a soft moss nest, in a place she didn’t recognize. She sat up with a jolt. Fernleaf noticed she was awake and hurried over.
“Where am I ?” Stormpaw meowed sleepily. “The last thing I remember is that Deadpaw slime killing Morningpaw...”<br>“You fainted.” Fernleaf answered gently. “Russetfur had to carry you home.”<br>“Oh...” Stormpaw was still groggy from her long sleep. She lay back down in her nest, and went back to sleep.

Russetfur came to see her at sunhigh. Fernleaf assured her that her apprentice was all right, that she was just weak from blood loss. The two shecats came to Stormpaw’s side, to see that she was awake. Fernleaf asked her a few questions about how she felt, then left the two friends together.
Russetfur looked at her apprentice. “How are you feeling?” She asked. Stormpaw smiled at her. My shoulder’s a bit sore, but other than that, I’m fine.”<br>“Good.” Her mentor smiled. “We have to have you back in training soon. It can’t be long before Redstar makes you a warrior.”<br>Stormpaw glanced slyly at her mentor. “You know something?” She asked. “I’ve noticed that you talk about a particular tom WAY too often for it to be coincidence.
Russetfur stiffened. “And who might that be?” She asked cautiously.
Stormpaw replied with a self-satisfied grin. “Redstar ” She meowed triumphantly.
Russetfur blushed. Fortunately, it was hidden from Stormpaw by the shadows. “I do not ” She protested. Stormpaw gave her a knowing look.
“I may be your apprentice, but I’m still a mature shecat with almost as many seasons as you. I know you’re lying about not liking him, just as I know that he likes you too.”<br>This small speech threw Russetfur off guard. She decided to trust Stormpaw as a friend, not as her apprentice. “How are you sure?” She asked, her voice little more than the whisper of the winds above their heads.
Stormpaw smiled, the patient smile of a mother to a kit who asked if the sky was really blue. “Haven’t you noticed? When he came to watch my training session, his eyes were more on you than me. Whenever he calls you to his den, which he does more often than he calls anybody else, you both emerge looking happier than you did before you went in. When you came back to the camp after the battle, who did he look for first?”<br>“Who told you about the ceremony? You were unconscious ” Russetfur asked.
Stormpaw rolled her eyes at her mentor and friend. “Fernleaf has noticed his affections as much as I have,” she told Russetfur. “She thinks that it’s a good thing for him. She says he thinks too much of the Clan, if that’s possible.”<br>“What do you mean?”<br>“He always puts duty to the Clan before duty to himself. I know that’s what the warrior code says to do, but he never thinks of himself. He’s always the last one to eat, always the last one to have wounds seen to. It’s time he thought of himself for once. If he loves you, then that gives him a chance to enjoy himself. It takes him away from his duty for a while.”<br>Russetfur left the den, deep in thought. Everything the gray shecat had said was true. Maybe it’s time I enjoyed myself too, she thought. I have to find a way to tell him.

Chapter 15

Stormpaw stayed in Fernleaf’s den for a few more days. She came out feeling a bit sore, but her shoulder injury was healing well and Fernleaf said that there was nothing more to do for it than to exercise it. Stormpaw joined the other apprentices for some light training for three days. By then she was back to her old self.
It was a good thing. She was to go to the Gathering with Russetfur. She could hardly wait. She had been disappointed when Russetfur had said they were not going to the first Gathering since she had joined, which had been held one week after her arrival. She was doubly excited to be going to this one.
One thing made her nervous. She was not very good with other cats. Russetfur had mentioned that Redstar had noticed. He had told Stormpaw’s mentor that she needed to help her overcome that. She needed to be able to challenge other cats, and, if she ever got a position of power, to command other cats. She had gotten better at talking to other cats since the ShadowClan battle, but she still needed to work on it. She made herself a promise. She was going to make some friends at the Gathering.
They set off at moonrise. Russetfur and Stormpaw ran beside Icefall, Steelfang, Blackpaw, Silverstorm, Birchpaw, Windheart, Willowpaw, and RIverwind. Redstar was in the lead.
As they came ever closer to Fourtrees, ThunderClan could hear the meows and caterwauls of many cats gathered together. When they paused at the top of the slope, Stormpaw was confused. She asked Russetfur why they were stopping.
“Because we have to make sure that there is no ambush waiting for us, or some other sort of thing.” Russetfur answered patiently. Stormpaw nodded in understanding.
As the ThunderClan cats plunged down the slope and into the clearing, Stormpaw’s nerves were pushed to the breaking point. She had never been so excited. A chance to meet the other cats in the forest All these brave warriors of the other Clans she had heard about so often. She had a chance to meet them And I will, she thought to herself. I’m going to stand up and make friends today. And with that thought she joined her mentor in the center of the clearing.

[Stormy]

Chapter 16

Stormpaw looked at the cats beside her friend. One was a dark gray tom. He stood beside a small orange apprentice. The little tom mewed a shy hello.
Only then did Russetfur notice Stormpaw standing beside her. “Oh, Stormpaw. This is Stormcloud, from RiverClan, and his apprentice, Dingopaw.” She turned to the black-and-white cat on her right, saying, “This is Leafstone, a WindClan queen, “ Stormpaw mewed a greeting, “and Whitestream, her mate, WindClan’s deputy.” The white tom looked up at the sound of his name, green eyes showing kindness and authority.
Stormpaw talked with these cats for a while, feeling more confident when they addressed her as an equal, not as a kit like some of the ThunderClan cats did (namely, Riverwind and his cronies). Soon she was telling them her life story, from the very beginning, what she remembered of her kithood. These cats gave her only interested and amazed looks, not stares of disdain or dislike. They were pleased with how well she understood the warrior code, surprised with how far her training had progressed. Dingopaw admired the scar on her shoulder. Stormpaw had fulfilled her promise to herself. She had made some friends.

Redstar jumped to the top of the Highrock. Instantly the cats below fell silent. Onestar, the WindClan leader, jumped up beside him, to be followed by Blackstar of RiverClan, and Tawnystar of ShadowClan. Then Redstar spoke.
“ThunderClan has a challenge to make! ” He announced angrily. The ThunderClan leaders raised their voices in support of their leader, as he yowled, “ShadowClan You are charged with murder! ”<br>“Murder?” The RiverClan and WindClan cats were shocked. Redstar went on, “Last week, ShadowClan came over our border in force. They murdered one of our apprentices before the fighting began! ”<br>Tawnystar stood up, rage clearly visible on her face. “You have no right to charge us with murder, Redstar! In a border fight, any cat could have died! ”<br>“Yes, except that it was the cry of our young one that alerted us to ShadowClan’s attack! ” Redstar yowled. The clearing fell silent.
“Redstar.” This remark came from Onestar, the oldest leader among them. He had been named leader of WindClan a few seasons before Redstar. These were the two senior leaders, and they were good friends, normally. “Do you have proof that it was ShadowClan who killed the ThunderClan apprentice?”
Redstar nodded respectfully to him. “You have a good point in your question, Onestar. But we do have proof Our newest apprentice, Stormpaw, recognized the scent of the killer. It lay not only on the body, but in between Morningpaw’s claws. We also found the blood of the killer splattered on Morningpaw’s body. This murdering cat is Deadpaw! ”<br>The clearing roared with fury, for Morningpaw or for the accusations against Deadpaw, no cat could tell. Icefall and Mudtail, the ShadowClan deputy, stared at each other in hatred. Deadpaw was Mudtail’s daughter, and Stormpaw didn’t think it was any coincidence that the ThunderClan deputy’s daughter should die at the claws of the ShadowClan deputy’s daughter.
The leaders, standing on the Great Rock, were illuminated by moonlight as they hurled insults at each other. Onestar, not surprisingly, had taken Redstar’s side. Tawnystar and Blackstar stood together on the other side of the rock, bristling.
Suddenly a yowl broke out from the crowd. Coldclaw, a ShadowClan warrior, had gotten bored with simply bristling. He and Steelfang were rolling on the ground, claws unsheathed. Coldclaw cried out as Steelfang dug his claws into his flank. Steelfang released his hold and swung around to deliver a blow to the white warrior’s head. Coldclaw dodged, and suddenly cats from all Clans were fighting in the clearing at Fourtrees, their screeches and hisses echoing around the entire forest.
Stormpaw was horrified. This was the one time when the Clans were supposed to have a truce, at the Gathering, and now they were fighting? StarClan would not be happy. Stormpaw stood up. She ran toward the Great Rock, leaping over the cats in her way. When she reached the great stone, it was empty. The leaders had been pulled into battle.
Stormpaw jumped up onto the Rock. She knew she wasn’t supposed to be up here, but this had to stop. She ran forward to the edge, and stopped. She opened her mouth, gathering all her air into one spot, feeling her lungs fill to bursting.
“STOP!! ” A mighty voice ripped from her throat. Shocked, the cats below her paused in their fighting. Stormpaw tried to say something else, but her mouth would not work the way she wanted it too. Instead, a great, booming voice came out of her mouth.
“STARCLAN IS ANGRY!! ” The giant voice said. Stormpaw knew she was speaking with the voice of one of StarClan’s greatest warriors, and she stopped fighting and opened up her entire body to this great power.
The cat who possessed the voice moved her legs, taking her off the Great Rock. It made her leap down to the ground with a strength and grace she had never felt before. Her pelt shone with an golden light, growing brighter. The StarClan warrior moved her to the center of the clearing, staring around with her eyes. “YOU BREAK THE TRUCE OF THE GATHERING!! HE WHO STARTED THIS BATTLE WILL NOT LIVE LONG UNDER STARCLAN’S FURY!!” Stormpaw’s pelt shone, blinding the cats around her. Then the light dimmed, and the great spirit left her.
She sat, panting, on the ground. Her chest and throat hurt, and she had a splitting headache. I guess that’s what comes of being used by StarClan, she thought to herself.
She looked up. Everyone was staring at her. She started to lower her head, but then something came over her. She found an inner strength that had not been there before. She raised her head high, looking defiantly at the cats whose stare was unbelieving.
Redstar was the first to speak. He did not remove his gaze from her as he spoke, “This Gathering is over, by the will of StarClan.” He stood up slowly, and came over to her. Stormpaw looked up at him. His eyes were shocked, even fearful. She smiled at him reassuringly. He looked down at her, and he gave her a relieved smile. Russetfur padded over to stand next to her leader, pressing her side against him. He looked at her, surprised, then he relaxed and pressed against her too. Stormpaw hid a smile.
By now all the cats were moving slowly out of the clearing. RiverClan was grouped together, preparing to leave, while Blackstar talked to Tawnystar. They were talking in hushed whispers, frequently glancing over at Stormpaw.
She shrugged mentally. It didn’t matter–StarClan had gotten their message through, and she was honored that they had chosen her.
By now all the ThunderClan warriors had gathered around their leader. Most were casting scared glances at Stormpaw. She was relieved not to see that look in Russetfur’s eyes.
The ThunderClan representatives headed back to camp, silently. No one made a sound. Stormpaw walked beside Russetfur and Redstar, at the front of the pack. No one questioned her being there.

When they arrived back at the ThunderClan camp, cats raced out to greet them. The gathering had been extremely quick. They had not been expecting their warriors back so soon.
“Quiet everyone,” Redstar meowed quietly. His eyes looked tired. There was no need to summon the Clan. They were already gathered around him. He didn’t even jump up onto Highrock. He told them what had happened at the Gathering, down to the last detail.
“Did she really speak with a giant voice?” asked one of the older kits gathered around Redstar. He looked at the kit and smiled.
“Yes, with a voice that sounded like the cry of victory in battle, of the defeat of enemies long engaged in war, of power and majesty beyond anything any cat has ever seen or heard. It was a great and powerful voice, one of a cat who has come to the face of death and defeated it.”<br>The little kit’s eyes shone in wonder. Redstar’s own eyes were bright with the memory of that voice.

[Stormy]

Chapter 17

Later that night, in the apprentice’s den, Stormpaw thought about the being that had taken her over. She pondered far into the night, wondering if she would ever talk to the cat that held that voice. Such a warrior would be great indeed.
She dreamed. She was back in the clearing at Fourtrees. An great gold cat stood before her, his mighty mane flowing out in all directions. His eyes were as golden as his fur, bright and kind. He shook his massive head, and smiled at her. She knew this had to be the cat from the Gathering. She bowed her head before him, for he was mighty and powerful, and he was as old as time itself.
Hello, little one, he said, his eyes shining kindly. His voice was just as redstar had described it. My name is Sunstar. Another cat, like him, except without the golden mane, appeared beside him. This is my mate, Dawnstroke. We are the First of your kind. I was the First leader of LionClan. We have come to speak to you for a time.
Stormpaw bowed her head in awe. The First She had heard the stories from the elders, about the pair of lions that had ruled the forest with their young. All cats were descended from them. They had brought about the Clans, and they were the cats who had written the warrior code. They were majesty itself, and Stormpaw shook in awe and terror.
Don’t be afraid, little one. Dawnstroke’s voice was that of the security of a mother’s warmth, the feeling of belonging that held a Clan together. Her voice held kindness and reassurance. We will not harm you. We have Chosen you to lead the Clans in our ways. They break our Code, not because they do not want to follow it, but because they have forgotten. They have forgotten how to love, how to trust. You are here to lead them back.
Stormpaw lifted her head, her eyes shining with dismay. Me? Lead the Clans? I can’t I’m not the right one, Your Majesties. I don’t know how!
You know how to trust, how to love, how to be kind. You have Clan spirit, and Clan belonging. You are the right one, Coramica . We know. You are the right one. Dawnstroke smiled in understanding.
Stormpaw thought about her words. Wait, she thought, my name’s not Coramica. Its Stormpaw!
We speak your true name, little one. The name you are given by StarClan. When a cat with Clan spirit is born, StarClan gives that cat a name. It is not a name that describes your pelt, or your eyes. It is a name that describes your soul. In your soul, little one, we see true friendship, friendship that comes from your heart. That is your name. Heartfriend.
Then the cats were gone. Sunstar’s scent still lingered, though, as she heard his voice saying, We will visit you again soon. Be ready for us.