Spottedspirit's Fan Fiction Contest Entries

Cheetahspark's Entry
The she-cat stretched, delicately flexing her claws into the damp earth, and opened her jaws into a massive yawn. She flicked a speck of moss off of her shoulder with one claw, giving a small nod of satisfaction. A small brown tabby suddenly barreled into the den, her sides heaving. She stopped and scowled as she saw the other cat, rolling her eyes. “You were in here the  whole  time?” She hissed, annoyed. “I was getting ready.” The black she-cat sniffed. “Right,” The brown tabby muttered. “You know, I think you’re the only apprentice ever to take her sweet time  getting ready  before her warrior ceremony.” “Wait, that’s today?” The black she-cat exclaimed. “Great StarClan—“ “Kidding!” The apprentice chuckled. The other she-cat scowled, her tail twitching irritably. “Are you coming or not?” “I think  you’re  the only apprentice ever to be so nervous about her sister missing her naming ceremony when you’re not even going to be named.” “I just…” The brown tabby paused. “I want it to be perfect.” The black she-cat purred, pressing herself up against her sister. “It will be.” She whispered. “Everything is going exactly as we planned from the very beginning of our apprenticeships. I’ll become a warrior.” “I’ll become a medicine cat.” The other she-cat purred. “Earning my name just a couple of moons after you earn yours.” “I find a mate!” The black she-cat exclaimed. “Maybe even have a couple of kits.” The brown tabby’s tail curled over her back. “Applespots retires to the elder’s den, and I become the only medicine cat.” “My kits grow up,” the black cat continued. “And I go back to being a warrior, taking an apprentice along the way.” “I find my own apprentice, and begin to train them to become a medicine cat.” The brown tabby meowed. “Hickorystar makes me his deputy!” The black she-cat squealed, unable to contain her excitement. “And later I become leader.” The other she-cat’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Your mate or one of your kits will be named your deputy, and…” She sighed. “Everything will be perfect.” “Exactly.” The black she-cat affirmed with a stern nod. Then she began bouncing on her toes, unable to contain her happiness. “Twigpaw, I have something to tell you.” The brown tabby whipped her head around, her doe-like amber eyes widening. “What is it?” “Last night—” “Yes…” Twigpaw interrupted slowly. The black she-cat shot her sister a glare, but continued. “After patrol—” “ Yes …” The she-cat whipped her head around. “Shut up, will you?” She hissed. Then her tone lightened. “Anyway, last night, after patrol, Brackenblaze took me aside.” She paused, waiting for Twigpaw to interrupt, but the brown she-cat only listened with wide eyes. “He told me that… that we would be great together. And he asked me to be his mate!” The she-cat finished excitedly. Twigpaw gasped. “Petalpaw, that’s  amazing !” She suddenly let out a squeal, curling her tail around Petalpaw’s. The black she-cat’s heart filled up with love for her sister. Finally, after moons of training, waiting, and planning, everything was finally starting to work out the way they had imagined! Suddenly a yowl from outside of the den broke into her thoughts. “Let all cats old enough to hunt in the snow join beneath the Flatstone for a Clan meeting!” Petalpaw flattened her black fur, calming her rapid thoughts. Twigpaw looked as if she was doing the same, her amber eyes starting to lose their wild shine. The two sisters looked at each other for a few heartbeats, and Petalpaw gave Twigpaw a small nod. They both padded into the clearing side by side. The large silhouette of a cat sat on a stone, the flat, gray mass sitting dead center in the clearing. Petalpaw’s heartbeat quickened as she took in her leader’s proud gaze boring into her fur, and her paws seemed to move subconsciously, carrying her closer and closer to her future. Cats were beginning to stream out of their dens, surrounding the Flatstone and making a small circle around Petalpaw, all staring at her with excitement in their gazes. She let out a deep breath, suddenly feeling a pang of sadness in her heart. She wished that her mother and father could be their to watch her become a warrior. The only family she had was Twigpaw. Petalpaw puffed out her chest. If Twigpaw was all she had, then she would do her best to make her sister proud. “I, Hickorystar, leader of IceClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice,” Hickorystar began, while Petalpaw’s fur began to quiver with anticipation. “She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.” It’s finally happening…  Petalpaw thought. Her heart felt as if it was about to burst. Hickorystar continued. “Petalpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?” “I do.” Her voice was barely a whisper, but it was filled with determination. “Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Petalpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Petalheart. StarClan honors your determination and spirit, and we welcome you as a full warrior of IceClan.” Suddenly, Petalheart was surrounded by meows of congratulations, the pelts of every cat in IceClan pressing up against her. She bathed in the praise, her head held high. She felt a rough lick on her cheek, and turned her head to see Twigpaw staring at her pridefully. “Petalheart,” Twigpaw breathed. “That’s a nice name.” She nodded confidently. “I’m sure your medicine cat name will be just as nice.” Twigpaw ducked her head. Before she could respond, however, Petalheart was interrupted by a rumble from behind her. “Congratulations.” Petalheart whipped around, but let out a purr when she saw the muscular form of Brackenblaze standing behind her. She tentatively pressed her nose to his, the unfamiliar gesture making her slightly uncomfortable. Brackenblaze purred, obviously pleased at the show of affection. A cough interrupted Petalheart and her new mate’s exchange. The newly made warrior turned, slightly annoyed, and was surprised to find the IceClan deputy, Dewfrost, standing beside her, the gray she-cat’s stance rigid. Dewfrost had rarely acknowledged Petalheart’s existence. Maybe the deputy had finally realized Petalheart’s potential. Instead, all the she-cat said was, “Don’t forget that you have your silent vigil tonight.” The deputy walked off, and Petalheart’s pelt spiked angrily. She would prove herself to be a valuable warrior, and her plan would make sure of it.

*****

It had been two moons since Petalheart’s warrior ceremony, and she was lying in the training hollow, sharing tongues with Brackenblaze. A small dark gray cat was tumbling around in the clearing. It looked like he was chasing his tail, but he was, in fact, trying to practice the rather complicated battle move that Brackenblaze had taught him. “Is this right?” The small tom asked, looking confused. He leapt into the air, attempting to twist mid-jump, but ended up crashing onto the ground in a tangle of limbs. Brackenblaze, barely paying attention, just mumbled an incoherent, “Good.” Petalheart rolled her eyes and pushed herself to her paws. Brackenblaze moaned in protest, but Petalheart just sniffed, giving him a quick lick on the ear. “Hickorystar should’ve thought twice before making  you  a mentor,” she chuckled. “You’re lazier than an old badger!” Without waiting for a reply, she trotted to the middle of the clearing, crouching beside the dark gray tom. “Here, Shadowpaw.” She meowed, gesturing with her tail for him to watch her. “Do it like this.” She bunched her muscles, leaping and twisting with perfect efficiency. “Got it?” Shadowpaw copied her move, this time, at least, not falling in the middle of it. “Good.” Petalheart meowed. “But try to use your tail for balance.” The apprentice attempted the move a third time, finally doing it correctly. “Great job!” Petalheart exclaimed. “Now keep practicing that.” Before Petalheart turned to go back to her mate, Shadowpaw whispered, “I wish you were my mentor instead of that lump of fur.” She chuckled. She knew she should have scolded the apprentice for insulting his mentor, but she slightly agreed with Shadowpaw. “See you around,” She meowed, trotting back to Brackenblaze. The brown warrior looked at her pridefully. “You’re good with young cats,” He meowed. “You would make a great mother.” Petalheart giggled, not disagreeing. “I’m gonna go hunt. You  train that apprentice of yours.” Strolling through the trees, she noticed that the leaves were starting to grow back from the past leaf-bare, the sweet scent of flowers overwhelming her senses. She caught one mouse, but decided that it wouldn’t hurt to rest for a little while. Stopping in a clearing, sunlight streaming clearly through branches of the trees, she stopped and rested. She didn’t mean to fall asleep, but once her eyes drifted closed, she started to feel herself slipping away. When her eyes finally fluttered open, the sunlight didn’t immediately make her shut them again. Everything was dark. Is it nightfall already? She groaned. I am in so much trouble. Her vision finally focused, and she let out a yelp when she saw that the face of a cat was blocking the sunlight. She scrambled up, letting out a hiss. This cat didn’t carry the scent of any Clan. She wrinkled her nose when she saw the collar clasped around his throat. He was a kittypet. “Get out of our territory!” She hissed. The tom looked around, not impressed. “Last time I checked, your border was over there,” he meowed, gesturing with his tail in the opposite direction. Petalheart’s pelt burned with embarrassment. I must have crossed the border by mistake. “ Well… ” She meowed. “How would you even know? You’re a kittypet.” “Because your ‘Clan’s’ stench starts over there, and just because I’m a kittypet, it doesn’t mean that my nose doesn’t work.” He meowed plainly. “And before you ask, I know about the Clans because of what other cats say about you.” She didn’t answer, just letting her gaze rake over the tom menacingly. He looked strange — like no cat she had ever seen. His pelt was tan, but he had strangely shaped spots all over his fur, with stripes on his legs and face. But he didn’t look scared of her. She let her claws slide out. “If you want to start a fight,” The tom meowed. “Get on with it.” Startled, she sheathed her claws. “What’s your name?” She asked instead. She knew she wasn’t supposed to be talking to kittypets, but curiosity overtook her. Besides, it wouldn’t do any harm. Looking at her strangely, as if he thought she was tricking him, he meowed, “Hunter.” She snorted. Kittypets were a lot of things, but they definetly weren’t hunters. Still, lean muscles showed beneath his sleek pelt, so Petalheart could sense that he was a good fighter, for a kittypet, at least. “You look like a leopard.” She meowed, realizing she had said that out loud. Her whiskers twitched embarrassingly, but Hunter didn’t seem to mind her comment. His eyes twinkled jokingly. “Yeah, but I like to think that I’m as fast as a cheetah.” “A… cheetah?” She asked, confused. She had never heard of a cheetah before. “Oh, come on.” Hunter meowed. “You’ve heard of leopards, but not cheetahs?” She shrugged, and Hunter sighed. “Cheetahs are like leopards, but smaller, more agile, and  way  faster.” Her pelt ruffled with amusement, but then she smoothed it down. “I have a mate, you know.” She blurted out. Hunter narrowed his eyes. “… Okay?” She gave a stiff nod. She couldn’t have this cat getting the wrong idea. “Well, bye, Hunter.” She finally meowed, heading back to her border. The tom waved with his tail, shrugging. Once she was back on IceClan territory, she looked back to see if Hunter had watched her go, but the still-quivering ferns told her that the tom was already gone. She felt a strange twinge of disappointment. She shook out her pelt, pushing thoughts of Hunter from her mind. She suddenly remembered that Twigpaw would be back from the Mooncrystal by now. Her sister had left for the half-moon meeting of medicine cats the previous day, and Petalheart had promised that she would be waiting for her when she got back. The black she-cat started racing for camp, hoping Twigpaw wasn’t back yet. Her legs started burning, and the greens of the forest blurred around her. When she finally got back to camp, it was almost nightfall. Petalheart wheezed, about to fall over. She noticed Twigpaw standing in the middle of the camp, surrounded by other warriors. She looked joyful when her gaze found Petalheart’s. Petalheart trotted up to her sister, ears pricked. “What’s going on, Twigpaw?” She asked. “Did you get a good sign from StarClan or something?” Her sister chuckled. “It’s Twigleaf now.” Petalheart gasped, purring. “You’re finally a full medicine cat!” “Well, I’m still Applespots’s apprentice. But I do have my medicine cat name.” Twigleaf meowed. Sootpaw and Morningpaw scampered up to Twigleaf, their eyes wide with awe. The brother and sister were the two oldest apprentices, and would be having their warrior ceremonies in less than a moon. Still, they quivered with a kit-like wonder. “What did you see at the Mooncrystal?” Sootpaw meowed. Twigleaf’s eyes glittered like stars. “Well, I’m not supposed to say, but—” A growl interrupted the new medicine cat. A large dark ginger tom lumbered up to Twigleaf, his eyes glowing menacingly. His fur was mangled and ragged, hanging off of his bony form in clumps. But Applespots was the most respected cat in the Clan, aside from Hickorystar. Even though he gave the kits nightmares, everyone had to listen to him. “What was that?” He rumbled. His green eyes glowed with anger. But Twigleaf didn’t seem ruffled. “I was just telling the apprentices that if they became leader one day, they could see for themselves.” The medicine couldn’t find fault with that, so he lumbered away into the darkness of the den with a last growl directed at them. “You weren’t gonna tell them that, were you?” Petalheart whispered into her sister’s ear. The brown tabby’s whiskers twitched with amusement. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Morningpaw bounced on her toes. “Hey, Petalheart, can you take us on a hunting patrol? We’ve been in camp all day.” “What about your mentors?” The black warrior asked. “Leafslide and Daisystep have been in Hickorystar’s den. They said something about assisting with planning or… something.” Sootpaw meowed absently. Petalheart was curious about what Hickorystar was planning, but she knew it wasn’t her place to ask, considering she had only been made a warrior two moons ago. “Okay,” meowed Petalheart. “We can go on a patrol. I’ll tell Dewfrost, and you can fetch Redpelt and Rabbitsong to come with us.” The black warrior watched the apprentices scampering off into the warrior’s den. She gave Twigleaf a quick lick on the ear, still immensely proud of her sister, and trotted over to Hickorystar’s den. She assumed that was where Dewfrost was, considering her scent, along with the scents of a few of the senior warriors, drifted from the cave. She didn’t want to interrupt, so she sat outside. She couldn’t make out the muffled words from inside the cave, but it sounded like there was an argument. Soon, a light gray she-cat slid out of the cave, the light of victory glittering in her deep blue eyes. She was about to slip off to the fresh-kill pile, but Petalheart interrupted. “Um, Dewfrost.” She called. The IceClan deputy whipped her head around, annoyed. Petalheart continued. “I was going to take a hunting patrol. That’s okay, right?” She didn’t exactly know how she was supposed to ask, or  if  she was even supposed to ask, considering she had never led a patrol before. Dewfrost just twitched an ear. “Sure.” She meowed curtly. “Just don’t get into any trouble.” Petalheart was about to ask what that meant, but the deputy had slipped away before she got the chance. The black she-cat’s fur ruffled irritably. What was that supposed to mean? Does Dewfrost really think I’ll get into trouble? Before she could think on it further, Sootpaw called up to her. “Come on!” The dark gray tom meowed. “We’re all waiting for you!” She smoothed out her fur. Whatever Hickorystar was planning, or what Dewfrost meant, she couldn’t do anything about it. “Coming!” She called, slipping off to join the patrol.

*****

The camp was swathed in shadow when the patrol got back, the moon already hanging in the sky. Petalheart staggered up to the fresh-kill pile and dropped her rabbit onto the dwindling mound. She was exhausted, and the rest of the patrol didn’t seem much better. Sootpaw and Morningpaw quickly deposited their prey before running off to the apprentice’s den and into the comfort of their nests. Redpelt slipped to her side. “You did well,” The senior warrior meowed. “I could tell you were nervous about leading the patrol, so I thought I should tell you that.” The black warrior dipped her head gratefully. “Thank you, Redpelt.” Redpelt had been her mentor, and a good one, at that. She had missed his constant support. She followed the dark ginger tom into the warrior’s den and gratefully sank into her soft nest. Even though she had taken a nap just earlier that day, it felt as if she hadn’t slept in moons. As soon as she closed her eyes, ready to drift into the comfort of sleep, a loud screech sliced through her senses. Now filled with adrenaline, she leapt to her paws. The warriors around her were beginning to wake up, some grumbling and others hissing in preparation for battle. She thundered into the clearing, Brackenblaze at her side. Sunflame and Vixenfang, two of the queens, stopped them in their tracks. “Sheathe your claws!” Vixenfang hissed. “It’s only Nightsky; she’s begun her kitting.” A startled gasp rung out from behind Petalheart. A brown tom pushed his way through the warriors. “But… it’s too early!” Spluttered Leafslide. She remembered that Leafslide was Nightsky’s mate, and the father of the kits. Sunflame nodded somberly. “She isn’t due for another moon.” She murmured. Petalheart hung her head, but then raised it again, her green eyes blazing with defiance. “Don’t worry,” She meowed. “Twigleaf and Applespots are great medicine cats. Nightsky and the kits will be fine.” Still, her stomach churned with apprehension. Applespots was old, and Twigleaf had just become a medicine cat. But Oakbranch, Nightsky’s brother, seemed reassured by the younger warrior’s words. He nodded and slipped off to the medicine den in search of the healers. Vixenfang rolled her eyes. “Which means that you all can go back to sleep.” She snarled. Most of the warriors heeded the aggressive queen’s words, but Petalheart stayed, knowing that her sister would need her support. She had a feeling that Nightsky’s kitting would not be an easy one. Vixenfang gave her a glare, but sat down heavily. The ginger she-cat twitched a black ear. “We don’t need any more kits in the nursery.” Vixenfang finally growled. “But I do hope that Nightsky’s kitting goes well. Her mother died while kitting. I hope it doesn’t run in the family.” At that moment, Twigleaf and Applespots pounded out of their den, bundles of herbs held in both of their jaws. Applespots shuffled into the nursery without a word, while Twigleaf stopped beside Petalheart, her whiskers twitching nervously. “I’m staying outside the nursery while you work,” mewed Petalheart. “I’ll be praying to StarClan for Nightsky and you.” Twigleaf nodded gratefully, finally slipping into the nursery, where Nightsky’s shrieks cut through the night. Petalheart flattened her ears, but it did nothing to dull the noise. She laid her head on her paws, praying to StarClan a thousand times over that Nightsky would be okay. The kitting lasted all through the night, while Nightsky’s yowling grew weaker and weaker. At last, when the screeching descended into a low moaning, and the sun was beginning to rise, Petalheart sorrowfully lifted her eyes to Sunflame’s. “She’s not going to make it, is she?” Petalheart whispered. Sunflame silently shook her head, her blue eyes filled with pain. The ferns outside of the nursery quivered and Applespots shuffled out. He started heading towards his den, but Vixenfang stopped him with a small hiss. The red queen cocked her head. “Well?” She asked. The old, dark ginger tom shook his head sadly, looking older and more frail than Petalheart had ever seen. “One kit survived.” Before he could explain further, he had disappeared into the cave that was the medicine den. Vixenfang and Sunflame shuffled into the nursery, Petalheart following close behind. She probably wasn’t allowed to be in there, but she needed to comfort Twigleaf. She found her sister hunched over the lifeless body of Nightsky, the brown tabby shaking her head sadly. Petalheart pressed herself up against Twigleaf, and whispered, “It’s not your fault.” Nightsky was curled up around three tiny kits, but she was unmoving, and her eyes were closed. Her black fur was ruffled and coated in blood, and her kits didn’t look much better. Two small black toms, both the perfect image of their mother, were completely still. At first, Petalheart thought that the tiny yellow tabby she-kit had died too, but then the kitten began mewling in hunger, for milk. Something her mother could now never give. “Does Leafslide know?” Meadowpetal, another one of the queens, asked. Petalheart raised her head. “I’ll… I’ll tell him.” “No.” Twigleaf interrupted softly. “It should be me. It’s my fault she’s gone.” “It’s not your—“ “Yes it  is, Petalheart.” The brown tabby hissed, before padding out of the den. Sunflame gave the warrior a sympathetic glance. “She’ll stop blaming herself, eventually.” Poolflower, a pretty silver queen, licked at the squirming bundle at Nightsky’s belly. “This little one needs milk.” She murmured. “I’ll provide it. Juniperkit might like a littermate.” She meowed with a glance at the tiny white kit at her belly, Juniperkit’s eyes not yet open. She guided the tiny yellow tabby to her belly, where the kit immediately began suckling. At that moment, Twigleaf walked back into the den, her eyes filed with pain. “He… He told me to get out of his sight.” “He’s just grieving.” Vixenfang meowed. Twigleaf shook her head. “I asked him if he wanted to see his surviving kit, and he said no. He said he wished that she had died, too.” Their conversation was interrupted by a yowling from the camp. Petalheart and her sister trotted out to find most of the Clan gathered around the Flatstone, Hickorystar sitting atop of it. “IceClan,” Hickorystar began, “You may have already heard by now that Nightsky has not survived her kitting.” He paused, but everyone stayed silent. “One of her kits survived—” “Beekit.” A voice meowed from the back of the crowd. A few cats parted to reveal Leafslide standing somberly behind everyone else. “Her name will be Beekit.” Hickorystar nodded respectfully to Leafslide before continuing. “But even with this tragedy, our plans for this morning will not be postponed.” “Plans?” Oakbranch growled. “What plans?” Dewfrost shot him a glare. Clearly, she had no sympathy for the tom that had just lost his sister. “I’ve organized a plan. We’re going to attack TreeClan.” A collective gasp rang out from among the cats, mingled in with outbursts of anger and excitement. One of them rang out clear above every other cat. “Why?” Aspenfall asked, her eyes burning with defiance. “We have no need to attack another Clan.” “We could show them how strong IceClan is!” Firestrike hissed. Lilylight, a young tortoiseshell warrior, meowed, “But at what cost?” The clearing rang out in accusations, cats yowling at each other in anger and fear. Dewfrost interrupted. “This isn’t up for debate.” She growled. “We’ve already sorted everything out. Now who’s coming?” Aspenfall and Lilylight turned their tails on the group immediately and trotted back into the warriors den. Brackenblaze was the first to volunteer himself. “I’ll go!” He meowed. He was soon followed by others, but Petalheart wasn’t paying attention, because she was padding up to her mate. “You’re so brave.” She purred. His amber eyes twinkled. “I know.” Petalheart trotted up to Dewfrost to ask if she could fight too, but as soon as the deputy saw her, she snorted. “You can’t come,” Dewfrost meowed before Petalheart could even ask. “You’re practically swaying on your paws! You’ve been up  all  night.” It suddenly occurred to her how tired she was, so she nodded to Dewfrost sullenly. This could have been her first battle as a warrior! But it was probably better if she didn’t go; she would be a liability. The raiding group consisted of Hickorystar, Dewfrost, Brackenblaze, Firestrike, Daisystep, Leafslide, Morningpaw, Sootpaw, Marshpad, Nettlethorn, and Rabbitsong. It seemed like it wasn’t enough cats to be raiding the whole of TreeClan, but it was probably better for stealth if they took fewer cats. Before Petalheart could say “mouse”, Dewfrost and Hickorystar had rounded up all of the volunteers, and they thundered out of camp. Twigleaf appeared at Petalheart’s side. “Didn’t they want to stay a little longer, I don’t know, to go over their plan?” She chuckled. “They must have a lot of confidence.” “They’ll probably go over it on their way there.” Petalheart meowed distractedly. She had noticed that Leafslide had been one of the warriors to leave camp with the fighters. Wouldn’t he want time to grieve for Nightsky? Oakbranch, however, had disappeared into the nursery almost as soon as Dewfrost had asked for volunteers. Petalheart had the feeling that Oakbranch would act more as a father to Beekit than Leafslide would. She was glad that Twigleaf was acting like her old self, though. Twigleaf was distracted for the time being so she couldn’t think about Nightsky. But all Petalheart could think about was the attack. A fight that  she  would miss.

*****

Her ears were pounding. She staggered, not sure she had heard correctly. It couldn’t be true. Not Brackenblaze. Not… not him. “No.” She gasped after a moment. Daisystep’s eyes softened. “Yes. And… And Morningpaw. I wish I could have saved her.” Daisystep had been Morningpaw’s mentor. The light brown she-cat glanced at Sootpaw, who was collapsed on the ground in mourning for his sister. Now Petalheart was staggering, the world beginning to spin in a blur of grays, greens, and browns. Her blood was pounding in anger, now. “And you couldn’t even bring his  body ?” She hissed. “This is all Dewfrost’s fault! She organized the attack.” Daisystep backed away. “Don’t blame anyone—” “Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do!” Petalheart growled. Before Daisystep could retort, she had stormed into the warrior’s den, collapsing into her nest in a fit of sobs. She felt words echoing from the clearing, but she ignored the world around her. If Brackenblaze was dead… Then what would happen to her? Everything was falling apart. It… Everything was gone. She was swirling into a dark void, her head spinning and twirling. She could vaguely sense that Twigleaf was beside her, roughly licking her ear, but she didn’t respond. Everything was gone. Brackenblaze was the strongest, most perfect warrior she had ever known. How could she find another mate after him? She couldn’t… But she had to. Her plan. What was the use? Life was death. Everyone she knew was dying around her. Twigleaf was her only family. She was incapable of loving anyone else. “Petalheart.” The young warrior snapped her head up. “What?” She hissed. Dewfrost stood above her, the deputy’s eyes cold as always. Petalheart cackled. What would Dewfrost possibly tell her? The light gray she-cat stiffened at the black warrior’s outburst. “Please accept my condolences.” Dewfrost meowed stiffly. Petalheart rose up slowly, until she was face-to-face with the IceClan deputy. And she wasn’t afraid. “You’re  sorry ?” She hissed. “You’ve ruined my life! You’ve ended Brackenblaze’s! Tell me, where did it go wrong?” Petalheart didn’t wait for Dewfrost to answer. “What was the point? For more favor with the Clan, or with Hickorystar? You risked the entire Clan for your little plot. You underestimated TreeClan, and guess what? They beat you!” Without thinking, she raked her claws across Dewfrost’s muzzle. The light gray she-cat’s eyes narrowed, but she did not strike back. Instead, she turned tail and left the den without a word. Petalheart was fuming. She almost wanted to chase down the deputy and continue the fight. Before she could, Twigleaf barreled into the den. But her eyes were not sympathetic. “I understand that you’re grieving,” Twigleaf hissed. “But that gives you no right to attack the deputy!” Petalheart stiffened. “ Our deputy  is the reason that Brackenblaze is dead.” “No,  Brackenblaze  is that reason that he’s dead.” Twigleaf hissed. “He didn’t fight hard enough, so he died.” The warrior gasped. “How can you talk like that?” She spluttered. “How could you blame him for his own death? I thought medicine cats were supposed to be noble, humble, and kind.” Twigleaf narrowed her eyes. “I  am. I love you, Petalheart, but you shouldn’t be acting this way. Attacking the deputy? How will you ever become deputy, and then leader after that, if you act like this? You can find another mate. There will be others. This is just a setback.” She then turned tail and trotted out of the den. Petalheart collapsed back into her nest. This wasn’t Twigleaf! Twigleaf… she was kind, and she would never act like this. Was her ambition really this powerful? She had called Brackenblaze’s death a  setback. No cat in their right mind would say something like that! Or… or that his death was  his own fault. It was Dewfrost’s fault! It was Dewfrost’s plan, and it failed. Everything was falling apart. Petalheart and Twigleaf’s plan. Petalheart’s relationship with her sister, Dewfrost, and her Clan. Their whole  lives.

It had been five moons. Five moons since Brackenblaze’s death. Five moons since Petalheart’s fight with Twigleaf. Five moons since Petalheart had confronted Dewfrost. Nothing had ended up the same as it had been. Not really. Petalheart could tell that cats were still tip-toeing around her, waiting for her to get back to “normal”. She didn’t think she could ever go back to the way she was. The next phase of her and Twigleaf’s plan had been for Petalheart to get an apprentice. But that hadn’t happened. Hickorystar probably didn’t think she was stable enough to train a future warrior. It wasn’t as if Petalheart cared, anyway. Every time she saw Shadowpaw, Brackenblaze’s old apprentice, she was overwhelmed with guilt. After Brackenblaze’s death, the young tom had been given Daisystep as a mentor, who had just lost her own apprentice, Morningpaw. Petalheart could barely face Shadowpaw, or any other apprentice, for that matter. She pricked her ears, the rumblings of the IceClan camp suddenly growing sharper. She was eating her mouse alone, as usual. Not many cats really spoke to her anymore. They said they needed to give her time to grieve, but she knew they were really just scared that she would snap around them. She took another bite of her mouse. There was only one cat that treated her normally. “Hey, Petalheart!” She didn’t really need to look up from her meal to know who it was. “Hi, Sootwing.” She muttered sarcastically. The sleek, long-furred dark gray tom slid enthusiastically next to her, a chaffinch in his jaws. “How’re you today?” He mumbled through a mouthful of feathers. “Eh.” She meowed. “Dewfrost still won’t let me go on any patrols.” “Can you blame her?” Sootwing meowed. “You look like you haven’t slept in a moon.” If any other cat had said that, she would have clawed them. Not that any other cat  would  have said that. But Sootwing understood that treating Petalheart like an outsider was not helping. And having his friendship had helped her when she felt like she couldn’t go on, when she felt she didn’t deserve to live. But Sootwing talked her out of it. He understood, considering he had gone through something similar after his sister, Morningpaw’s, death. But he had— “Rabbitsong.” Sootwing breathed, interrupting her thoughts, his mouth hanging open. Petalheart rolled her eyes, but nudged the young warrior in the ribs. “Why don’t you stop mooning over her and just  talk  to her?” Rabbitsong had entered the camp through the rock tunnel, a couple of mice in her jaws. Petalheart figured Rabbitsong had just come back from a hunting patrol. Rabbitsong shook out her pelt, depositing her mice on the fresh-kill pile. Sootwing’s blue eyes widened. Petalheart narrowed her eyes. “Did you hear me?” The young warrior didn’t respond, so she nipped him on the ear. “Ouch!” He yelped. She sighed. “Are you going—” “All cats old enough to hunt in the snow join beneath the Flatstone for a Clan meeting!” Hickorystar’s voice interrupted. She snapped her head up to see the cream-colored leader sitting atop the Flatstone. Cats were beginning to gather below. Poolflower and Lilylight emerged from the nursery, Juniperkit and Beekit on their heels. The two she-kits weren’t old enough to “hunt in the snow” as the saying went, but their brown eyes were wide with excitement, and it didn’t do any harm. Jayflight walked slowly from the elder’s den, still yawning massively. Oakbranch, Aspenfall, and Larkleap trotted from the warrior’s den, all looking curious, and Oakbranch stopped next to the queens. He bent down and gave Beekit a lick, the little tabby she-kit squealing in delight. Leafslide and Dewfrost both slid next to the Flatstone, Leafslide not even paying attention to Beekit. Petalheart growled deep in her throat in disgust as Dewfrost twined her tail around Leafslide’s. That snake hadn’t even waited six moons after Nightsky’s death before claiming Leafslide as her mate, and the tom wasn’t any better. Petalheart had never even seen him talk to Beekit  once. Now most of the Clan had gathered beneath the Flatstone, and Petalheart still had no idea what was going on. Sootwing pushed himself to his paws. “Are you coming?” The young tom asked. “No,” She mumbled. This might have been one of her better days, but that didn’t mean she was ready to participate in whatever this was. Sootwing gave her a sympathetic look but then he trotted away into the throng of cats and sat right behind Rabbitsong. No one else seemed to notice that Petalheart hadn’t joined them. She sighed through her nose. She didn’t know why any of them would have. “Cats of IceClan,” Hickorystar began. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the making of a new warrior.” Petalheart pricked her ears. Hickorystar beckoned Shadowpaw forward, the young tom looking surprisingly calm under circumstances. Petalheart’s belly began to churn with nervousness and guilt, and she suddenly felt as stiff as stone. “I, Hickorystar, leader of IceClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice,” Hickorystar began. Only Shadowpaw’s twitching tail betrayed his excitement. “He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code. He has overcome many trials, one being the death of his first mentor, Brackenblaze, who we honor today.” Hickorystar bowed his head in silence, as did many of the cats in the crowd, but Petalheart only began rocking back and forth, moaning quietly. She shakily got to her paws, stumbling around the Flatstone. She didn’t know where she was going, but she had to get out of that camp. Some cats began murmuring as they noticed her leaving, but no cat intercepted her. She started picking up speed, racing through the rock tunnel and then through the forest. Her legs started burning from lack of use, but she kept going. She only stopped when she heard someone call her name. “Petalheart! Petalheart!” She skidded to a halt, whipping around. Twigleaf stood across from her, the medicine cat’s eyes pleading. Applespots had died two moons before, along with several of their Clanmates, when a bout of greencough had spread through all four Clans. Twigleaf had been the only medicine cat since, and she seemed to have been excelling. It seemed as if all of Twigleaf’s dreams had come true. Good for her,  Petalheart thought angrily. She can have the perfect life, for all I care. While she lives her dreams, she’ll be leaving me in the dust. And I’ll bet she won’t even look back. “Please, Petalheart.” Twigleaf begged. “Why are you doing this to yourself?” “Doing this to  myself ?” Petalheart hissed. Twigleaf’s eyes suddenly hardened. “Yes. You’ve spiraled into so much self-pity and depression over this, and truthfully, I don’t think that it’s even about Brackenblaze anymore.” “Why would it not be about Brackenblaze?” The warrior growled. “You tell me.” Petalheart turned, racing away from her sister. She didn’t care what Twigleaf said. All that her sister cared about was being important. She didn’t really know where she was going anymore. She just let her paws guide her as far away as possible. When she finally collapsed in the shade of an oak tree in a heap of sobs, she didn’t care what happened to her from then. She could just disappear for all she cared. Her entire life had fallen apart from the moment Brackenblaze had died, and… And maybe Twigleaf was right. Maybe it wasn’t about Brackenblaze anymore. Maybe— “Hey, I know you!” She whipped her head up, swiveling her ears in search of the voice. Who had found her? Suddenly, a tan-and-black head popped out from one of the ferns, and Petalheart’s nose twitched when she noticed the scent of kittypet. Under different circumstances, she would have chased the tom away. But she didn’t really care. As the tom picked his way out of the fern, she spoke up. “What do you want?” She hissed. The tom looked taken aback, but he trotted towards the warrior anyway. “Remember me?” He meowed. “No.” Petalheart muttered drily. The kittypet rolled his eyes. “We met a few moons ago. You told me I looked like a leopard, and I said I was as fast as a—“ “Yes, I remember now.” The she-cat interrupted. Truthfully, she had recognized Hunter from the moment he poked his head out of the fern, what with his unique pelt and all, but she wouldn’t tell him that. Hunter frowned. “Why the long face?” “My life sucks.” She meowed plainly. The tom just laughed. He stretched, laying down next to her. “With that attitude, how could it not?” “What’s that supposed to mean?” She hissed. “It  means ,” the kittypet began, “That if you have a bad attitude, your mind will be set on everything being horrible. Then, to you, it will be.” She twitched her whiskers. She’d never really thought of it like that before. “I’m assuming that’s how kittypets think?” She chided. “Only the smart ones.” Hunter retorted. Petalheart chuckled. The tom continued. “What are you doing over here?” She took in her surroundings. It seems that she had wandered into kittypet territory  again. Petalheart laid her head on her paws. She paused. “My mate died.” She meowed quietly. Hunter stayed silent. Then, after a moment, he sighed. “Do you want to talk about it?” She flinched. No one had asked her that since Brackenblaze’s death. No one had really given her a chance to, since they didn’t talk to her much in the first place. “Well…” She started steadily, “Dewfrost, our deputy, planned a raid on TreeClan—” “Why?” Hunter interrupted. Petalheart gave him a glare, but then tilted her head. “Well, because TreeClan had been pretty vulnerable lately and—” “No,” He interrupted again. “I meant, why would your Clan want to attack TreeClan in the first place?” “Ummm… To show them how strong we are?” The tom snorted. “You Clan cats cause needless battles and bloodshed for no reason!” After what had happened to both her parents and Brackenblaze, Petalheart couldn’t really argue with that. “Anyway, Brackenblaze was the first to volunteer.” She paused in case Hunter wanted to comment. The tom narrowed his eyes, but stayed silent. So Petalheart continued. “Brackenblaze was my mate, by the way.” Her heart briefly twinged in pain. “I told him that he was brave for volunteering, and he said that he knew.” That was where Hunter interrupted. “Wait a minute,” He meowed. “You told him that he was brave, and he said ‘I know’?” Hunter lowered his voice in a mocking tone on the ‘I know’. Her pelt ruffled. “Yes?” Hunter snorted. “Brackenblaze sounded like a jerk.” Petalheart gasped. “That’s… That’s so… well, rude!” She spluttered. He blushed. “I’m sorry.” He admitted. “I just… Sometimes I’m kinda… unfiltered?” “…Unfiltered.” “Erm… Yes.” Hunter meowed awkwardly. She started to wonder if confiding in this kittypet was a good idea, but she had already continued talking before she had finished thinking it through. “Then they left.” She meowed. “When they came back, Daisystep, one of the warriors, told me that he didn’t make it.” “So I’m assuming the raid failed?” Hunter asked. Petalheart’s pelt itched with embarrassment at what she had done. “I never really got the chance to ask for details. When I confronted Dewfrost, I may have… attacked her?” “I… don’t really know how to respond to that.” Hunter meowed. “Neither did Dewfrost, it seems.” Petalheart meowed. “She just… left. I never really talked to her afterwords, save for when I asked if I could join patrols. She always said no.” “Can you blame her?” He muttered. “You seem emotionally unstable.” She laughed, her sadness temporarily gone. “What about you?” He sighed wistfully. “I wish my life could be as  exciting  as yours. I mostly just hang around the neighborhood and talk to… well, whoever.” “Well that’s obvious.” Petalheart snorted. “You’re talking to  me. And it’s clear that I’m mentally unstable.” It suddenly occurred to her that she was actually laughing. She hadn’t really laughed in… well, since Brackenblaze died. She thought it would have made her feel guilty. Instead, it just made her feel… normal. She wanted to feel like this more often. Not in the Clan, where there’s always a constant reminder of what she could have had. Hunter had… helped her. How? He was a kittypet. Even her Clanmates couldn’t have done that. She didn’t want to go back to IceClan and go back to how she had been acting for the past five moons. She didn’t want life to pass her buy. She could try and figure out how to do this on her own. Or… or she could have someone help her. “Hey, Hunter?” She asked abruptly. His amber eyes found hers. “Yes?” “Can you… can you meet me here more often?” She asked awkwardly. “I… you… uh… I like having conversations with you.” Hunter’s eyes brightened. “Sure!” Maybe she could still make something of her life.

*****

Petalheart narrowed her eyes, scanning the undergrowth. Her muscles ached from how long she had been in a battle crouch. Finally, she caught a flash of fur behind a juniper bush out of the corner of her eye. She slowly crept forward, her pawsteps light over the leaves. She bunched her hindquarters, keeping her tail above the ground. She pounced. Her outstretched paws landed squarely on the shoulders of her opponent. He growled, trying to dislodge her, but she held onto him tightly. Suddenly, he threw himself to the ground, and she tumbled off of him with a huff. He put his large paw on her chest, and she let out a laugh. “I think you’re finally getting it!” She called up to him. Hunter narrowed his green eyes. “Do you surrender?” The warrior rolled her eyes. “Yes, I surrender, oh great one.” She slipped out from under his grip. He brightened, but she continued. “But only because I have to get back to camp.” He moaned. “We never get to spend any time together.” “I beg to differ.” Petalheart snorted. “I’ve been sneaking out of camp for four moons now just to see you.” “Exactly,” he meowed. “It’s been four moons. Why do you have to sneak out?” She tilted her head. “I have told you about the warrior code, haven’t I?” “Yes, but eventually you’ll have to tell your Clan about me.” “Or we could always run away together.” She meowed wistfully. Hunter licked her ear. “But we have our responsibilities.” She sighed. “Yep. Speaking of which, I’ve got to get going.” She turned away, heading back to her border. Hunter sped up ahead of her, touching his nose to hers. “I love you, Petalheart.” She purred. “I love you too, but I have to go.” She sped off into IceClan territory, leaving Hunter behind. She caught a pigeon on the way, so it didn’t look suspicious that she had been gone for so long. When she finally trotted into camp, she was almost bowled over. She slid back, claws out, but only saw two kits in front of her. One of them, a tiny tortoiseshell, was splayed out on the ground. A little white she-kit nosed her up, turning to Petalheart. “We’re sorry.” She meowed. “We thought you were an intruder, Petalheart.” The warrior chuckled. “Why is that, Moonkit?” The tiny kit wrinkled her nose. “You smell different.”” Petalheart stiffened. She’d been in kittypet territory. Hunter’s scent was probably all over her. “Um… that was because I chased a squirrel into kittypet territory. “Really?” The tortoiseshell exclaimed. “Did you catch it?” “Erm… No.” She meowed. The tortoiseshell, Deerkit, opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted but Twigleaf, who was padding up to Petalheart. “Where have you been?” She meowed. “I was just telling the kits that I was hunting.” The black she-cat stammered. The medicine cat brightened. “I’m so glad that you’re finally out and about.” She meowed. “I thought you’d never get over Brackenblaze.” Truthfully, Petalheart had rarely thought of Brackenblaze over the last few moons. Of course, she missed him, but Hunter helped her realize that she had never really loved the tom. She just hoped that he could find someone in StarClan that loved him as much as she loved Hunter.

*****

Trotting through the forest with the breeze whispering through her fur and the birds singing in the trees, Petalheart couldn’t help thinking that she was happier than she had ever been. Eight moons with Hunter had helped her become a better cat overall. She had even gotten her own apprentice, Moonpaw. She slid into a hunting crouch, her mouth agape in search of the scent of prey. She had been in Hunter’s territory longer than she had expected, so she had to catch more prey than usual to keep up her cover of hunting. Her nose twitched at the scent of rabbit. The warrior slowly crept forward, pinpointing the location of the prey on smell rather than sight. When she finally saw the creature, she licked her lips in anticipation. Just as she was about to pounce, a voice cut through the air. “Petalheart!” The rabbit bounded away, and Petalheart hissed in frustration. “What was that for?” She growled, whipping around to see Twigleaf standing behind her. “You ruined my catch!” “And you ruined my life.” Twigleaf meowed, her eyes blazing with anger. Petalheart slowly rose up, her eyes narrowing. “What are you talking about?” “I followed you as soon as you left camp.” Twigleaf growled. “I saw you with that…  kittypet .” The warrior’s fur began to rise. How could she come up with an excuse for that? Instead, she just stated her thoughts. “What’s the harm?” “What’s the  harm ?” Twigleaf spluttered. “It’s against the warrior code, for one.” “The warrior code says that warriors have to reject kittypet life.” Petalheart sniffed. “It’s not like I’m becoming a kittypet.” “Yes,” The brown tabby meowed. “But if you’re always thinking about that kittypet, how can you be a loyal warrior of your Clan? Remember when TreeClan attacked us last moon? You were the  only  cat that wasn’t there to help us fight! Cats  died  because of you.” Guilt churned in Petalheart’s belly. She remembered that day. She had come back to camp with a pigeon in her jaws, only to see the bodies of her dead Clanmates riddling the ground. TreeClan had attacked in revenge for the raid where Brackenblaze had died. It seems that Dewfrost’s plan, even all these moons later, was still harming the Clan. Sootwing had died in that battle, along with a few of their other Clanmates. Dewfrost’s own sister, Aspenfall, had died in that battle, leaving her daughter, Robinkit, an orphan. “I still don’t think my presence would have changed the outcome of the battle. And yes, I feel guilty about that. But that could have happened with any cat, even if they were just hunting.” Petalheart paused. “How does me being with Hunter affect you?” She hissed. “It’s my life, not yours.” “But Petalheart,” Twigleaf begged, her eyes suddenly becoming frightened. “What about the lives we planned since we became apprentices?” “I’ve found something better.” She meowed simply. Twigleaf’s eyes blazed with amber fire. “How could you do this to me?” She hissed. “We could have had perfect lives! And you ruined it all!” “What about you, Twigleaf?” Petalheart hissed, her blood suddenly boiling with rage. “Have you become so consumed with ambition that all you care about is us having perfect lives, me becoming leader, and you being my medicine cat?” “That’s what it’s always been about.” The medicine cat meowed carefully. “Why?” Petalheart asked. “Why do we have to have the perfect lives? Why can’t we just… See where life takes us?” “Look what happened to you because of Brackenblaze.” Twigleaf retorted. “He died, and your life was ruined. You want to ‘see where life takes you’? Without a plan, that’s usually where it leads.” “For a medicine cat,” The warrior growled. “You don’t have any respect for the dead. Brackenblaze gave his life for his Clan. I wish he was still alive, but I’m glad that he’s not my mate anymore. He certainly gave me what I wanted, but we never really loved each other.” Twigleaf narrowed her eyes. “So now you’re satisfied with what you have? You’ll never be leader. No one will ever remember you exist. You’ll just be an insignificant warrior. Maybe not even that, if you end up with this kittypet.” “If you think like that, then you don’t even deserve to be a part of IceClan, much less our medicine cat.” Petalheart meowed, turning away from Twigleaf and racing back to camp. She didn’t even care if her sister told everyone about Hunter. IceClan didn’t deserve her. If Dewfrost and Twigleaf were the kind of cats in power, then ambition would overcome the Clan. When she finally padded through the rock tunnel, Moonpaw was waiting for her near the fresh-kill pile. “Finally!” The white she-cat sighed. “I’ve been waiting for you for ages.” Shadowpelt stepped from the warriors den, his jaws opening in a massive yawn. “Oh, hey Petalheart.” He meowed. “Deerpaw and Moonpaw wanted to battle train together. If you’re not too tired from your hunt, we can leave now.” Petalheart cocked her head. “My hunt? Oh right,” She meowed, realizing that she had told everyone she was going hunting that morning. “I didn’t really catch anything. Also, no, I’m not too tired. Let’s go!” Shadowpelt gave her a strange look, but shrugged, motioning with his tail for the two apprentices to follow them through the rock tunnel. As they traveled through the forest, on their way to the training clearing, Petalheart couldn’t really think about anything but Twigleaf’s words echoing through her head. Her sister was different than she had thought. Maybe Twigleaf had always had this ambition, and Petalheart just had never noticed. Or maybe it had been happening over time, so slowly that no cat could have stopped it from happening. “Petalheart?” Moonpaw asked, cutting into her thoughts. “Did you hear me?” She twitched an ear. “Sorry, Moonpaw. What did you say?” “I asked if you could teach me some hunting moves after battle training.” Her apprentice repeated. “I’m impressed,” The warrior meowed. “Most apprentices prefer battle training to hunting. Or sleep.” “Not me!” Moonpaw proclaimed. “I want to learn  everything .” Petalheart shuddered. She recalled that Twigleaf had said that exact same phrase on the day she had become a medicine cat apprentice. No. Moonpaw would not end up like Twigleaf. Not if Petalheart had anything to do with it. “We’re here!” Deerpaw squeaked. “I can’t wait to start training!” Moonpaw snorted. “You’ll probably fall into a ditch before you get the chance.” Shadowpelt hushed them. “If you want to become valuable warriors, you’ll stop squabbling.” Petalheart was proud of Shadowpelt. She thought that Brackenblaze would be proud of his former apprentice as well. “Okay,” She called to the apprentices. “Shadowpelt will demonstrate—” “Petalheart!” The warrior turned to see Twigleaf trotting up to her. Petalheart’s stomach started churning in nervousness. “What are you doing here?” She asked her sister. “Hickorystar wants you back in camp.” The medicine cat meowed smugly. “Is Petalheart in trouble?” Deerpaw meowed, her voice quavering. Ignoring the tortoiseshell, Petalheart turned to Shadowpelt. “Can you take over training?” “Of course.” The dark gray tom meowed. She nodded, following her sister out of the training hollow. When she was sure she was out of earshot of Moonpaw, Deerpaw, and Shadowpelt, she turned to her sister, hissing. “What’s going on?” “I told Dewfrost what was going on with you.” Twigleaf meowed, expressionless. Petalheart walked on, her blood suddenly going cold. She didn’t say another word to Twigleaf on their way back. She was afraid. Since Aspenfall’s death, Dewfrost had somehow become more cold, more stoic, almost as if she could let her whole Clan die around her and wouldn’t care. The only cat she seemed to care about was Robinkit, Aspenfall’s kit. And now Dewfrost knew Petalheart’s deepest secret. What would she do to her? When they got to camp, Dewfrost was waiting outside of the leader’s den, her long light gray tail swishing behind her, and her deep blue eyes flitting across the camp, until they landed on Petalheart. They narrowed, and Dewfrost broke into a purr. “I’ve been waiting for you, Petalheart.” She trilled. The black she-cat shuddered as she slipped into the leader’s den, Twigleaf and Dewfrost at her heels. When she entered, she almost gasped at the state of Hickorystar. He was huddled in the corner of the den, his long cream-colored fur matted and dull. His green eyes looked faraway, as if he could see StarClan already. She slowly crept up to him, her ears back. Even though the old leader hardly looked threatening, he still held her future in IceClan between is claws. “Why are you here?” He croaked. Dewfrost glanced at Petalheart. “This cat is a traitor.” Petalheart flinched, while Hickorystar barely looked phased. “Oh?” The leader asked. “She was seen fraternizing with a kittypet.” The deputy growled. Hickorystar pricked his ears. “That’s against the warrior code, Shadowskip.” Shadowskip? Dewfrost didn’t seem surprised that the leader had called her that name. “This is Petalheart,” Dewfrost prodded. Hickorystar didn’t say anything, only letting his claws slide in and out off the ground. “Dewfrost?” He meowed. “What is the fair punishment for… um…  Petalheart ?” Petalheart shuddered. She braced herself for Dewfrost to say that she should be exiled, or worse. That she should be…  killed. Instead, the light gray she-cat only meowed, “She needs to be confined to camp until she can be trusted.” Petalheart was surprised, but felt relieved that she wouldn’t be exiled or worse. Until she remembered that if she was confined to camp… She wouldn’t get to see Hunter. What would Hunter think had happened to her? Hickorystar nodded, flicking his tail as a signal that they should leave. Petalheart numbly staggered out fo the leader’s den, about to slip off into the warrior’s den, but Twigleaf stopped her. “You brought this upon yourself.” Twigleaf whispered. “Will… will Dewfrost tell the Clan what I’ve done?” Petalheart asked. Twigleaf snorted. “Why do you care? You obviously have no more respect for Clan life.” The brown tabby whipped around, trotting towards the medicine den with with her tail swishing behind her. Petalheart walked slowly to the warrior’s den, her tail dragging behind her. How had everything gone so wrong so quickly? She crouched in her nest, digging her nose into the soft moss. The sun was already beginning to set, the orange rays of the sunset beaming down on her sleek black pelt. She didn’t think she would ever be able to go to sleep again, and her belly writhed in hunger, but she ended up slipping away into the void of dreams. Petalheart opened her eyes to see that she was in a field riddled with violets and peonies, the faint trickle of a stream flowing near her. She looked around, eyes wide, as she took in the surroundings of her dream world. She tentatively crept up to the silver stream, lapping eagerly at the fast-flowing water. It tasted of starlight, and she giggled at the sensation. “It’s good to see you again, Petalheart.” A voice rumbled from behind her. When she turned around, she broke into a purr as she saw a muscular light brown tom, stars sparkling on his fur. “Brackenblaze!” She exclaimed. “What are you doing here? Am I in StarClan?” “Yes, this is a part of StarClan.” She gasped. “Does that mean that I’m dead?” He chuckled. “No. I have a message for you.” She sighed. “Brackenblaze, if it’s about Hunter—” “Petalheart,” He interrupted. “I came to tell you that you are carrying Hunter’s  kits .” Her mouth hung open. Her heart suddenly sped up, whether in joy or fear, she didn’t know. She instinctively looked at her belly, but it didn’t look ay different. “Are you sure?” “Um, yeah.” Brackenblaze meowed. “I’m pretty sure.” She sighed, sitting down heavily. “Well.. What do I do?” She spluttered. Brackenblaze’s response was simple. “Leave IceClan.” “What?” She exclaimed. The tom flicked an ear. “Horror and heartbreak await you if you remain. Leave IceClan.” “Is that, like, a prophecy?” She murmured. “No,” Brackenblaze meowed “I just made it up. But it is the will of your ancestors that you leave.” She chuckled, despite of her dire situation. “How did you get so wise?” He licked his chest. “Hunter was right. I was a jerk. And I’m trying to correct that here.” “So… you’re not mad about Hunter?” His eyes softened. “Of course not. I’m just glad you’re happy. I even have my own mate now. Her name is Shadowskip.” “Wait, Shadowskip?” Petalheart exclaimed. “Hickorystar—“ Brackenblaze interrupted. “Petalheart, I have to go. You’re waking up. Remember, horror and heartbreak await you if you remain in IceClan!” Petalheart looked at her paws to see that they were beginning to fade away. When she looked back up, Brackenblaze was gone. And then the dream ended.

*****

Petalheart had been confined to camp for about a quarter moon, and each day Brackenblaze’s words rung in her ears. How long until this “horror and heartbreak” was supposed to happen? The camp was always guarded, and she always had a shadow, so there was no way that she could escape. Dewfrost had told everyone about how she had broken the warrior code. No one talked to her anymore, not even Twigleaf. Every time she walked past, she was given icy glares. Some cats, like Shadowpelt, and even Vixenfang, pitied her. But others, including Moonpaw, who had been given a new mentor, were horrified by her actions. Even the cats sympathetic to her wouldn’t go near her, probably because they were worried that Dewfrost would notice. She padded towards the fresh-kill pile from the warrior’s den, her eyes staring straight ahead. She dragged a pigeon out of the pile, only to find that when she looked up, one of the young warriors of IceClan, Raintail, was laughing at her. He grabbed a mouse from the pile, dropping it on the ground. Petalheart gave him a glare. Suddenly, without warning, he raked his claws across the mouse’s neck. “This,” He meowed, motioning to the mouse, “Is your kittypet mate if I ever come across him.” Before Petalheart could retort, Beestripe, who was sunning herself on a stone not far from the pile, soaking up the last of the sun’s rays before night would fall, hissed at Raintail. “Don’t you have anything better to do than harass Petalheart? Stop being a jerk.” Raintail ducked his head, somehow restrained by the she-cat’s words, and raced away. Beestripe gave Petalheart a sympathetic glance. “Don’t listen to that mouse-brain.” But that was it for Petalheart. She couldn’t stay in IceClan any longer. Not if cats were constantly treating her like this. And what Raintail had done was only one of the things that cats had done to harass Petalheart. She was leaving IceClan and going back to Hunter. Tonight. Sh waited in her nest that night, without sleeping, while every other cat went to sleep. She knew a secret crevice in the back of the medicine den that led out of camp. If she could just sneak through the den and avoid Twigleaf, she could be free. After the last cat fell asleep, Petalheart slowly rose from her nest, careful not to make any noise. She picked her way around the sleeping bodies, her chest rising and falling slowly. Every breath felt louder than thunder. When she finally made it out of the den and into the clearing, the almost-full moon reflected off of her dark pelt, making her eyes reflect starlight. The snores of her Clanmates made her think of back when she had been made an apprentice, when she and Twigleaf had snuck out of camp to run through the forest. But those times were behind her. This IceClan was not the same as the one that she had loved. Corruption ran through it’s roots. Even in her sister. And Petalheart would not be a part of it anymore. She turned to sneak into the medicine den, but a loud yowl stopped her in her tracks. “Intruder!” Warriors became staggering out of their den, yowling battle cries, Twigleaf and some of the queens poking their heads out of their dens. Hollyfall, who was guarding the camp, and had called the warning, led a tom into the middle of the clearing, the warriors making a small circle around him. Petalheart’s heart stopped. It was Hunter. Hollyfall bared her teeth at the tom. “What are you doing here,” She paused, sniffing at him,“Kittypet?” “I…I came here to see if Petalheart was okay.” He stammered, seeming to shrink under the gaze of so many cats. Warriors began turning on her, some laughing, and some hissing. “I’m fine.” She meowed stiffly to Hunter. “It isn’t safe for you here. You need to leave.” Dewfrost suddenly pushed herself to the front of the crowd, licking her lips. “Oh, he doesn’t have a choice.” Petalheart stiffened. “Dewfrost, please don’t hurt him,” She begged. “He doesn’t mean any harm.” “Harm?” Twigleaf exclaimed. “He ruins everything he goes near.” Hunter only had his focus on Petalheart. “Why haven’t you come to see me? Are you in trouble?” “Um.” Petalheart meowed, her heartbeat growing faster. Hunter didn’t know how much trouble  he was in. “Hunter, I’m fine. It’s just that I’m not allowed to see you anymore.” He sighed. “Okay, Petalheart.” It was then that she noticed he is eyes were sparkling with fear. He knew how dangerous it was to go looking for her, but he did it anyway. Dewfrost slid forward, her claws unsheathed. “Hunter is you name?” She snorted. “You don’t look like much of a hunter.” Hunter puffed out his chest. “You’re Dewfrost, right? Petalheart told me about you. She said that you’d make a horrible leader. Because you don’t care about anyone but yourself.” Hunter, why would you say that? Dewfrost’s eyes blazed with blue fire. She crept forward, her muscles bunching under her sleek pelt. Without warning, she pounced on Hunter, her claws ripping into his spotted fur. Petalheart yowled and was about to race forward to defend him, but she was held back by a couple of other warriors. She struggled, but she could do nothing as she watched Dewfrost attack Hunter. The tom flipped Dewfrost off of his back, putting his paw on her throat. A move that Petalheart had taught him. Dewfrost hissed, biting his paw and slipping out from underneath him while he was distracted. They started wrestling each other in a tail of limbs, so it was unclear who was winning. But Dewfrost’s warrior training and Hunter’s soft kittypet life made it clear who would win the battle. Dewfrost and Hunter broke apart, the IceClan deputy’s right paw suspended off of the ground with blood dripping from it, along with a few scratches on her pelt. Hunter’s ear was split, and blood was pouring from a scratch above his eye. Dewfrost struck. A blow to the neck. A killing blow. Everything seemed to slow down as the two warriors released Petalheart and she ran towards the tom, who had fallen to the ground with blood pulsing from his neck. The circle of warriors broke apart, cats backing away from the pool of blood in the clearing. Petalheart skidded to a halt at Hunter’s body. He was still breathing. Barely. “Twigleaf!” Petalheart screeched. Twigleaf walked up to her, the medicine cat’s eyes cold. “Please help him,” Petalheart whispered. “He’ll die without a healer.” Twigleaf only said one word. “No.” “What are you talking about?” Petalheart begged, tears streaming from her eyes. “You’re my sister.” “I’m not your sister anymore.” Twigleaf meowed, turning tail and trotting back to her den. Petalheart crouched next to Hunter, licking his head. “Everything will be okay,” She murmured, pressing her paws onto the wound on his neck in order to stanch the bleeding. “I’m going to save you.” “Petalheart,” Hunter croaked. “No you’re not.” “What are you talking about?” She meowed, now pressing her paws on his wound hysterically. His amber eyes gleamed. “You may be a great warrior, but you’re no medicine cat.” She laid her head next to his, her nose almost close enough to touch his. “It’s not fair. I was going to sneak out of camp tonight… Hunter, I’m carrying your kits.” His eyes lit up with joy for a moment, only to be replaced with pain. “You’re right. That isn’t fair.” She cast her eyes down, her heart feeling like a stone in her chest. But Hunter continued. “But at least we’ve loved each other. Life is a lot of ups and downs, but there’s always love.” She sobbed, her shoulders shaking. “I love you, Hunter.” “I love you too.” He choked, his words becoming weaker. “I’ll see you in StarClan.” She buried her head in his shoulder fur. When she felt his breathing stop, she yowled in pain. Brackenblaze was right. This was horror and heartbreak. “Petalheart.” “What?” She hissed, recognizing Dewfrost’s voice. “I just heard you say that you’re carrying half-clan kits.” Petalheart stiffened. Dewfrost continued. “Don’t think that you can ever leave IceClan now. Your kits will grow up here. And worst of all, they’ll never know their father. They’ll be loyal IceClan warriors. Maybe I’ll even mentor one of them myself.” She mused. “But you can  never  tell them about their father. Look what happened to you. You wouldn’t want that to happen to them.” Petalheart didn’t respond. Maybe Dewfrost could control Petalheart’s choices now. But Petalheart would  never  let her kits be corrupted. Not like Dewfrost. Not like Twigleaf. So she stood up, her legs shaky. She touched her nose to Hunter’s head. “May you find good hunting, swift running, and shelter when you sleep.” She would remember Hunter. And Dewfrost would learn her lesson. Someday.

*****

Petalheart purred, staring down at the squirming bundles at her belly. She twitched her whiskers as the tom-kit opened his pink jaws into a massive yawn. “They’re beautiful,” Rabbitsong meowed from the other side of the nursery. Petalheart licked the top of the black tom’s head. He looked just like Petalheart, but with Hunter’s eyes. “This one,” She meowed to Rabbitsong with a glance at the tom. “Is Sootkit.” Rabbitsong’s eyes misted over in sadness. The tom, of course, was named after Sootwing, Rabbitsong’s mate and Petalheart’s friend. She liked to think that Sootwing was watching her now, from StarClan. And Brackenblaze, her parents, and, most importantly, Hunter. The she-kit was the spitting image of her father. “What’s the she-kit’s name?” Rabbitsong asked. “I haven’t decided yet.” Petalheart meowed. At that moment, Dewfrost — no, Dewstar, now — quietly slid into the nursery. “They’re very… cute.” She meowed, with a look of distain directed at the she-kit. Petalheart snorted, pushing the kits closer to her belly, her tail curled around them. “What do you want, Dewstar?” She walked closer to Petalheart, whispering in her ear. “I was just reminding you of our… deal. These kits will grow up not knowing the situation of their birth.” “It’s not like I would want to tell them, anyway.” Petalheart sniffed. “I don’t want them growing up knowing that their leader is a murderer.” Dewstar growled, but whirled out of the nursery. Petalheart didn’t care what the leader said. Her kits would be loved. They would make amazing warriors. And they wouldn’t end up like Twigleaf, Dewstar, Leafslide, or any of the others. One day, IceClan would be released from the grip of those three. Twigleaf had an apprentice, Riverpaw, with more gentleness and less ambition than the medicine cat. Dewstar had made Leafslide her deputy, Leafslide nothing like the tom he had once been. But his daughter, Beestripe, had all of his warrior skills but none of his coldness. There would be a new generation of IceClan cats. And Petalheart’s kits would be a part of this new generation. They would make their father proud.

Ivykit the Snivykit's Entry
Lavenderpaw looked at the sky. The sun was bright as it began very slowly to sink. She took deep breaths. Her brother had already been named – Beetlenose. Lavenderpaw looked at her leader, Ashstar. He looked down at her. “Lavenderpaw, do you promise to uphold he warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?” Lavenderpaw actually had to think about it. She had been in horrible accidents as an apprentice, like when Applepaw was hit by a monster while chasing his prey. . . When Sweetpaw was scarred for life, with half of a tail. . . when Petalsplash’s kits had died. . . “I. . . do.” She answered firmly. “Then, by the powers of StarClan I give you your new name.” She waited, waited for the name she would be called from now on. No longer would cats call her Lavenderpaw, but Lavender. . . “Lavenderpaw, from this moment you will be known as Lavenderstep. StarClan honours your courage and your perseverance and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan.” Ashstar stooped to rest his muzzle on Lavenderstep’s bowed head. Lavenderstep licked Ashstar’s shoulder respectfully before she turned. The voices of WindClan rose, chanting the new names. “Beetlenose! Lavenderstep!” And all felt good in the world.

***

Dawn patrol. That was the first thing Lavenderstep though as she woke up. Stretching her legs, she stood and tiptoed out of the den, where the rest of the dawn patrol was waiting. Petalsplash. . . Thornbreeze. . . “Is this all of us?” She asked. Thornbreeze shook his head. “We’re waiting on Cedarwhisker.” “Oh.” Lavenderstep huffed. Cedarwhisker could be so annoying sometimes. The deputy look at her. “Actually, can you go and wake him?” Thornbreeze flicked his tail, as if inpatient while waiting for the tom. Lavenderstep huffed again. “Fine. . .” She muttered, so the deputy and Petalsplash couldn’t hear her. “Hey.” She said when she was back in the den, prodding Cedarwhisker. “Get  up  you lazy lump!” She laughed quietly, prodding him again. “Wha- Hey! Don’t scare me like that! I was having a  great  sleep, and I haven’t had one of those in  ages! Thanks to you -“ “Thanks to me what?” Lavenderstep said, flicking her tail, unable to hide her smile. “You haven’t had a  great  dawn patrol in ages either.” Cedarwhisker grunted as Lavenderstep laughed. When they were both outside, the patrol discussed the borders. “RiverClan border, then home, and I can sleep again, right?” Cedarwhisker yawned. Lavenderwhisker nudged him and he almost fell to the ground. “What was that for?” He moaned. “For you being so lazy!” “Aren’t we  all  lazy during mid green-leaf?” “Cedarwhisker, stop it.” Petalsplash cut in, flicking her plummy tail at the tom. He nodded and looked at his paws. The patrol took off into the forest, and headed to the RiverClan border. Lavenderstep noticed that Cedarwhisker was walking very close to her. “Hey.” She mewed, and stepped away. “Hey what?” Cedarwhisker mewed playfully and stepped closer to her again. “Hey, as in, why are you walking right next to me?!” She couldn’t place her words right, making the, sound like a mess. He chuckled. “What?!” Lavenderstep meowed, nudging him. There was a long science. “Hey, you’re such a flirt, you know that?” “Yeah.” Cedarwhisker said, his head still facing his paws, but he widened his eyes as he spoke. Lavenderstep snorted. They checked out the RiverClan border, then headed back to camp. On the way back, Lavenderstep tried to talk to the deputy, but Cedarwhisker stepped over to her, annoying her again. He opened his mouth, but Lavenderstep cut in before him. “What do you want  now ?” He smirked. “You,” What in the name of StarClan do you mean? “Look, I don’t get you, I don’t need you, I don’t care.” She sped up her pace, and managed to talk to the deputy. But as she spoke with Thornbreeze, all she could think about was Cedarwhisker.

***

Lavenderstep couldn’t sleep. She had gotten into a habit of not being able to rest at night. She tossed and turned, and accidentally flicked her tail at Cedarwhisker. He woke instantly. “Sorry!” She whispered. Cedarwhisker shook his head. “I was awake anyway.” The laughed, quietly. “Well, try and get some sleep again.” He said, rolling over. Lavenderstep laughed again, turning onto her side. After what seemed like days of sleeping, Lavenderstep decided, yet again, that there was no way she was getting back to sleep. Quietly, she stepped out of the den. The stars are bright tonight. Lavenderstep let out a small sigh – the night sky comforted her. “The stars are pretty, huh?” “Cedarwhisker! I didn’t, uh, hear you come out! I -” The tom just smiled. “The stars are pretty, just like you.” He said, wrapping his tail around her. Lavenderstep looked up at him. “And just like you,” she replied after a long silence. This was how she’d always wanted it to be, right? Her and Cedarwhisker, together. Yes. It was. And now it could happen. All she needed to do now was get the words out of her mouth. “I lo-” “I love you too. I always have. And we can do it. It’s hard, being leaf-fall and everything, but I belive this could work.” He said, taking her words. Smiling, she curled her tail around him, too, and they sat together, watching the stars.

***

“Perfect. . . just. . .  perfect !” Cedarwhisker mewed, licking her head. Lavenderstep smiled. “I know. . . perfect. . . just like you.” She mewed. “And just like you.” “They’re adorable!” “But they need names,” Cedarwhisker purred. “This little dark brown tom is Briarkit.” He said, raising his paw above the kit. “And the calico one can be. . .” “Sorrelkit,” She mewed. “It’s one of my favourite names. And the last one. . . Gorsekit.” “Perfect names for perfect kits and a perfect mate!” Cedarwhisker mewed. “Great StarClan, I have a  goooood  life.” Her mate joked. Lavenderstep admired her kits – Briarkit, a dark brown tabby tom; Sorrelkit, a calico she-cat; and Gorsekit, a ginger-and-white tabby tom. None of them looked particularly like their parents – Briarkit the closest to looking like his mother, but being about 100 shades darker than Lavenderstep’s pale brown tabby pelt – but they were the best thing that had ever happened to her. “Hey,” a voice said. It was her brother, Beetlenose. “Can I. . . see the kits?” He said, almost. . .  awkwardly. “O-of course!” Lavenderstep said, wary of how her brother was acting. Once he had finished admiring Briarkit, Sorrelkit and Gorsekit, and had left the nursery, Lavenderstep blurted out, “Why was he acting so weird?!” Cedarwhisker always knew that sort of stuff, even if it was her own brother that she was talking about. “Well. . .” He seemed even more reluctant to talk about the subject than her brother. Silence. “Didn’t you know? Your brother? Your best friend?” “I. . .  what? ” “Beetlenose and Applepaw! Your brother. My apprentice. They loved each other more than I can recall!” He paused, shaking his head. “It was my fault she died. All me. And your brother knows it. I. . . I just thought. . . it would be better experience for her, hunting somewhere loud like the Thunderpath. Maybe it would make her the most skilled apprentice in the Clans But she died. And Beetlenose hates me for that. He always wanted kits with her. And she wanted kits with him. I’ve never forgotten that.” There was a long, long silence. Then Lavenderstep thrust her muzzle into her mate’s fur. “Don’t say that! It wasn’t your fault! It was a wrong decision, but it was done with the best intentions.” She mewed. Cedarwhisker stared down at her. “You really think so?” “I know so.” Ashstar’s voice rang from outside, calling a Clan meeting. “I can’t leave the kits!” Lavenderstep fretted. “Don’t worry. We can sit by the nursery entrance and guard them. They’ll be okay.” Cedarwhisker purred. Lavenderstep shrugged. “ThunderClan threaten to attack.” The leader said. Yowls erupted from the Clan. “Silence! Yes. We will attack back. But I wish for volunteers. I don’t want the wrong people going.” “Well, I’m coming,” said the deputy, Thornbreeze. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time.” A small figure stepped forward. “I’m not going to let my injury stop me.” Said Sweetpaw. “Bring me along.” She mewed. “Me too.” Said a voice beside her. Her brother again. “I’m not going to miss my first chance for a battle.” “So am I.” Lavenderstep said, stepping forward. “I have kits now, but one battle won’t hurt.” “No. She’s not.” Cedarwhisker stepped up beside her. “I won’t let her. I’m going instead.” Lavenderstep glared up at her mate angrily, about to speak. But her brother interfered first. “Let her go if she wants to go! There are other queens that could look after them.” He argued. “They’re  my kits .” “She’s  my sister !” Ashstar’s voice cut through the two snarling toms. “I’m afraid you can’t come Lavenderstep. You’re a queen, with three lives to look after.” He said. Lavenderstep opened her mouth to object, but he widened his eyes at her. While the cats kept shouting to volunteer, Beetlenose stepped up to Cedarwhisker. “They’re  your kits? Well Applepaw was going to be  my mate .”

***

Thunder clapped in the sky as the patrol of warriors, apprentices, the leader and deputy got ready to battle. Lavenderstep made her way up to Cedarwhisker. “Look, what you did was brave, but I don’t thank you.” She meowed. Lavenderstep took a deep breath. “Well, good luck, and don’t die.” She said. “I’m not gonna  die .” Cedarwhisker scoffed. “Stop worrying so much.” “Goodbye then! And good luck!” The patrol left, and Lavenderstep took deep breaths, in and out. She padded back to the nursery and curled around her kits. Gorsekit, the smallest kit, let out a wail. He scrambled up to her and mewled for milk. “Go to sleep, little one,” She whispered. The tiny tom-kit curled up at her belly and fell asleep. After endless worried about her mate, Lavenderstep closed her eyes too.

***

Noises woke Lavenderstep from her deep sleep. She suddenly remembered the battle, and jumped up, out of her nest. Sorrelkit squeaked angrily, as if to get her mother back. “I’ll be right back, Sorrelkit, don’t you worry.” Speeding out onto the rain-drenched grass, she searched the patrol. There was wails of grief, and Lavenderstep saw the body. To her delight, it wasn’t her brother or mate, but felt heartbroken as she realised her. Poor, helpless little Sweetpaw, life lost in battle. Tail damaged. A huge, bleeding cut across her back. Lavenderstep closed her eyes and felt the tears come. “Are – are you okay?” Said a familiar voice. “Yes. I just can’t belive she’s gone.” She was about to say ‘her and her sister’, but Beetlenose would probably kill her on the spot for mentioning Applepaw. Her brother sighed. “She was so young, so brave!” Lavenderstep went on. “Y-yes. . .” Her brother said. Lavenderstep saw the way he was looking at her. “What. . .?” He didn’t respond. “What?!” “Lavenderstep, see. . . Cedarwhisker didn’t make it.”

The words hit her like a blow. “W-what?” Her brother curled his tail around her. “I’m sorry, we couldn’t find his body. He died near a stream. I saw everything, I -“ “No! No, no, no!” Lavenderstep yelled, twisting and running away. “No!” She ran, and ran, and ran. Out of the camp, out of familiar territory. Panting, she reached the horseplace. Tears stung her eyes. Her mate, lost in battle. What had happened to him? She collapsed in a ball, shaking. “Hey, what’re you doing here?!” Lavenderstep looked up, glaring at the tom who approached her. “What do you want?” She hissed. The tom sighed. “I want to know what you’re doing here. This is our territory, you have yours.” So this cat from the horseplace was smart – he knew about scent markers and territory. Lavenderstep sighed. “Well, if you must know, my mate just died in a battle, and-” “Well obviously. You Clan cats are so bloodthirsty. You hate someone, you have to attack them – or worse, kill them.” He shrugged. Lavenderstep paused. . . . You hate someone, you have to attack them – or worse, kill them. . . You hate someone, you kill them. It all made sense. “Thank you, goodbye!” Lavenderstep called over her shoulder as she ran back to camp.

When she got back, she searched for someone. Luckily, they crossed her path. “Lavenderstep! I’ve been looking all over for you. I’m sorry he’s dead, I really am.” Beetlenose said. “I don’t know who killed him, but-” “No,” Lavenderstep said, shaking with fury. “You know who killed him very well. In fact, you’ve known them your whole life!” She hissed. Beetlenose looked at her as if she was crazy. “Excuse me?” “Spill it! I know you killed him!” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “You loved too much, that you would actually kill for her.” Beetlenose shook his head. There was a long silence. Then her brother spoke, giving her the answer she knew. “I didn’t mean to. I’m so, so sorry. It’s just. . . a ThunderClan cat killed Sweetpaw, so I tried to avenge her, and Cedarwhisker told me to  leave her alone ! I guess I just attacked him. He was weak from battle, and. . .” Beetlenose shook his head again. “Believe me, I – ” Lavenderstep turned. “Don’t,” she whispered. “I don’t care anymore.” She sat in the nursery as the grey sky darkened, curled around her kits, her nose buried into their tiny bodies as they lay at her belly, looking for milk, and Lavenderstep remembered when they had been born, her and Cedarwhisker filled with joy. Now they were apart. Forever.

***

Over a moon had passed since the death of Cedarwhisker, and Lavenderstep still hadn’t gotten over it. She had begun to forgive her brother, but fury still burned in her. Dawn light was pouring through the nursery, and Lavenderstep was woken by shrill shrieks of excitement. “Ow! That  hurt  Sorrelkit!” “Got you!” “Ha ha!” “Stop it! Ow!” Lavenderstep opened her eyes to see her kits playing. Briarkit was on the ground, shrieking with laughter. Sorrelkit was bending over a wailing Gorsekit. “Just what are you doing?” Lavenderstep scolded. “I told you, don’t tease Gorsekit! Just because he’s smaller than you, doesn’t give you the rights to annoy him!” “Sorry.” Briarkit said, looking at his paws. Sorrelkit snorted. “He’s such a crybaby.” Lavenderstep widened her eyes at her angrily. “Sorry.” The calico she-kit mewed, looking at her paws too. “Now,” Lavenderstep sighed, shaking her head. “I’m going out, to stretch my legs. I’ll be back soon.” She said, looking at the three kits, standing in a perfect line. “For now, Petalsplash can look after you. Is that okay with you, Petalsplash?” The she-cat had had a new litter over the time, and both of them had survived this time. The last time, all of them had died – one a birth, and two of them of weakness, and the other one of starvation. She nodded. “That’s fine by me,” He queen purred, “as I’m sure Cinderkit and Puddlekit will want to play soon.” She purred. Gorsekit was extremely pleased by this, and the two younger she-kits were the same size as him. Once everything was organised, Lavenderstep took a few paces outside. She planned on going back to the horseplace, and telling he tom about how he had helped. After all, she had never learned his name. She leaped out of the WindClan camp, and in the direction of where she last saw the tom. Fortunately, he was outside. “Hey!” She yelled as she came closer. He stumbled, obviously getting a shock. “Oh, hi! I didn’t hear you come up. Wait, you’re that Clan cat again!” He said. She nodded. “Why did you run off like that?” He questioned. Lavenderstep flicked her tail. “Never you mind.” She said. “What’s your name, anyway? I’m Lavenderstep.” She blurted out, thinking that she could trust this smart kittypet. “Well, Lavenderstep, I’m Thistle.” He smiled. She just stared at him. “I know, I know, it doesn’t match my personality. But I like to think of it positively.” Said the grey-and-white tom. Thistle. Lavenderstep smiled too. A real smile. She felt her pelt growing hot. “Uh, I’d better go now. . .” “Okay. But you will come visit me, right?” He mewed. “I promise,” Lavenderstep whispered. So once each moon, Lavenderstep would visit him. One particular time, he introduced her to his brother and sister. His sister, Ebony, was smart, fast and strict, quite the opposite of Thistle. And his brother, Glass, had the same personality as his sister, Lavendertep thinking she considered them more as rogues or loners than kittypet. Lavenderstep realised that she was more like Ebony and Glass than Thistle. The three of them shared grey and white pelts, Ebony and Glass with blue eyes, Thistle with amber. “So,” Glass mewed, the next time she visited, “what’re the Clans like?” “Oh, they’re  amazing. You should come visit some time.” Ebony and Thistle’s eyes widened, while Glass shrugged. “Sure. But what if you got in trouble? What if I didn’t want to stay?” Lavenderstep looked at him. “You considered staying?” “Yeah.” “How about you?” Lavenderstep looked at Thistle. She thought she could sense a bond with him. “Would you come?” To her disappointment, he shook his head. “I couldn’t. I’m sorry.” Ebony shook her head too when Lavenderstep asked. Glass just stepped forward. “I think I’ll go. And I might stay as well.” He turned to Lavenderstep. “What is it your Clan does? Running?” He asked. She nodded. “I love running. It’s my best skill.” “Except from being sarcastic,” Ebony muttered, rolling her eyes. Glass ignored her. “Yes. I’m going to stay.” He decided. Ebony got to her paws. “What!” There was silence. “Fine. I’m cool with it. Are you Thistle?” Thistle was shaking his head. “Go. Get killed in some stupid battle.” He said to his brother. His words paused time. All she could think of was Cedarwhisker, gone forever, as Thistle turned to her. “You’ll still visit me?” He meowed. “Of course. . .” Lavenderstep purred, laying her muzzle on his shoulder. Then she and Glass headed back to the WindClan camp.

***

“Hey, what’re you doing?!” “Is that a rogue?” “Lavenderstep?” “Look at that!” “What’s going on?” The last voice was Ashstar, addressing Lavenderstep and Glass. Lavenderstep took deep breaths. “This is Glass. He wants to join WindClan.” She meowed. Glass nodded. “I’ve always been interested in the Clans, and I love running, as your Clan does.” He meowed. They were in conversation with Ashstar for a while, then the leader nodded. “Very well. I’ll call a meeting now.” He said. Lavenderstep was too excited to hear all of the words, until – “Glass, from this moment you will be known as Sharpstrike.” Sharpstrike has been taught by Lavenderstep what to to when he earned his warrior name. He had mastered it well. “Sharpstrike! Sharpstrike! Sharpstrike!” Was called though the Clan. No cat seemed reluctant for him to join.

***

Lavenderstep and Sharpstrike raced across the moors, waiting to tell Thistle and Ebony the news. It was moons since Glass had become Sharpstrike, and they had something to tell the two cats. Ebony had had her kits, and they were strong and healthy, playing around and laughing. “Thistle! Thistle!” Lavenderstep called. They found him bent over Rain, Ebony’s only tom-kit. “We have some news!” She said excitedly. The kind tom stared at him with wide blinking amber eyes. “Yes?” “I’m expecting Sharpstrike’s kits!” Thistle nodded, smiling. “That’s great! Briarpaw, Sorrelpaw and Gorsepaw can have brothers and sisters to play with!” He purred. Ebony smiled too. They chatted for a while, then the two Clan cats made their way home.

***

“I wonder where he gets his grey flecked pelt from. . .” Sharpstrike mewed, looking at their small tom kit. Lavenderstep knew. She knew. And she also knew a perfect name. “Let’s call him Cedarkit.”

Rainshine's Entry
WindClan Leader: Fallowstar – she-cat, fallow, green, moor runner Deputy: Fenfoot – tom, dusky, green, tunneller Medicine Cat: Eaglefern – she-cat, brown Moor Runners Goldengrass – tom, ginger tabby, amber Ryesplash – tom, cream, blue Dandelionpaw – she-cat, white, amber Dunnockfeather – tom, brown Heatherpaw – she-cat, grey tabby Fruitfern – she-cat, calico, green Daisypetal – she-cat, white, amber Merlinwing – tom, brown spotted tabby Ploverbelly – tom, brown and white Cottongrass – she-cat, white, blue Curlewpaw – tom, brown spotted tabby Tunnellers Greenwing – she-cat, ginger white tabby, green Branchpelt – tom, brown tabby, blue Cranberrystalk – tom, ginger, green Frostpaw – she-cat, white, green Sundew – she-cat, ginger, green Dalesong – she-cat, white tabby, green Silkheart – she-cat, silver, copper Starlingstrike – tom, black with white, green Flurrypaw – she-cat, white and grey, blue Queens Cloverstem – grey, green, tunneller Kits (Dunnockfeather): Bladekit, Stonekit, Glenkit, Birdkit Spiderdrift – grey tabby, copper, moor runner Kits (Fenfoot): Beekit, Hillkit Nursing (FerretsongxRayfern): Pipitkit, Chivekit Elders Finchtail – tom, yellow Magpieflight – she-cat, black and white, blue Molenose – tom, brown, yellow

RiverClan Leader: Ivystar – she, black Deputy: Doesplash – she-cat, brown Cloudpaw – tom, white Medicine Cat: Camellialeaf – she, white Sparrowpaw – tom Warriors Rayfern – tom Sprinklepaw – she-cat Limedust – tom, grey, green Herringtooth – tom Carpstream – tom Sandshine – she-cat, sandy brown Sleetpaw – she-cat Shellflower – she-cat Voleflight – tom Tricklepaw – tom Salmonstep – tom Flowingfur – she-cat Pebblefire – tom Stoatfoot – tom Queens Rainyrose – cream, blue (ex. Limedust) Stonewish – grey Kits (Carpstream): Viridiankit, Ivorykit Ashflower Kit (Cinderscar): Lichenkit Elders Snowripple – she-cat, white Silvershade – she-cat, silver Smallwolf – tom, grey

SkyClan Leader: Rowanstar – tom, brown Deputy: Mapleshine – she-cat, brown and black Medicine Cat: Spottedfern – she-cat Warriors Rosebloom – she-cat Breezepetal – she-cat Saplingtree – tom Garlicfur – tom Berryheart – tom Thistlemouse – tom Dipperbelly – tom, brown and white Lightningfoot – tom Oddfoot – tom Crowpool – tom Shinypaw – she-cat Coppercreek – tom Wrenpaw – she-cat Bubbleshine – she-cat Bluepaw – tom Silverwind – she-cat Fawnleap – she-cat, fawn Rockflight – tom Poppycloud – she-cat Mottlepaw – tom Queens Canopybreeze – grey, green Kits (Rockflight): Pinekit, Puddlekit, Applekit Songwish (ex. Oddfoot) Elders Birchleaf – she-cat, gray and white tabby Redberry – tom, red Sprucefall – tom, brown Cedarspring – tom, brown tabby

ShadowClan Leader: Yellowstar – tom Deputy: Nightmask – tom Medicine Cat: Feathermoon – she-cat Warriors Serpentwing – tom Waterlily – she-cat Silvercreek – she-cat Gustyear – tom Bouncecloud – tom Tigernose – tom Tansypaw – she-cat Snowshine – she-cat Ashensnow – she-cat Nestpelt – tom Marshfoot – tom Shadystream – tom Queens Snowyflower Kits (Tigernose): Brightkit, Shimmerkit, Sparklekit Flashfoot (ex. Nightmask) Elders Pollenflight – she-cat Gustybranch – tom

ThunderClan Leader: Lionstar – tom Deputy: Greeneyes – tom Medicine Cat: Runningheart – tom Warriors Honeymeadow – she-cat Cinderscar – tom Rhynetail – tom Fungiheart – tom Mushroomfall – she-cat Bluebellfrost – she-cat Hawthornshell – she-cat Squirrelclaw – tom Bramblepaw – she-cat, brown tabby Buckstep – tom Nectarpetal – she-cat Hedgeclaw – tom Cliffrunner – tom Shorebird – she-cat Whiteflower – she-cat Queens Roecloud – green Kits (Rhynetail): Foggykit, Swaykit, Risekit Freesiapetal – ex. Cliffrunner Elders Tulipfur – she-cat Gerberastem – she-cat

Cats Outside of Clans Jackson – tom, ginger and white, blue Ronaldo – tom, ginger and white, green Lion – tom, ginger, amber Artemis – she-cat, white, blue Blueberry – she-cat, grey, blue Calypso – she-cat, brown tabby and white, green

Dandelionpaw raced after Branchpelt on the hare’s tracks. Not chasing the prey, but having a blissful moment together, laughing and breathing in a warm spring breeze. The two were celebrating one last evening before Dandelionpaw became a warrior with her littermates. Dandelionpaw was catching up to Branchpelt, and with a few last strides, she jumped onto the brown tabby tom’s back, and the two tumbled off the track into a patch of heather. They tussled for a moment before Dandelionpaw pinned Branchpelt onto his back. “I win!” she giggled, before snuggling against Branchpelt’s fur, breathing in his scent. She could stay here with him, under the setting sun, forever.

“Dandelionpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?” Fallowstar looked down upon the white apprentice from her spot on the rock. Eyes shining, Dandelionpaw replied: “I do.” “Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Dandelionpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Dandelionflight. StarClan honours your courage and kindness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan.” Dandelionflight proudly sat with her siblings, Heathershine and Curlewfeather, as the clan cheered their names. Their parents, Merlinwing and Daisypetal, proudly came up and nuzzled them. “Oh, we’re so proud,” Daisypetal sighed. “And soon, we will be able to fight side by side against RiverClan,” their father stated proudly. Merlinwing was one of the clan’s best fighters, and he was excited to teach the dishonourable clan a lesson. Branchpelt bounded up to Dandelionflight. “We’re warriors now!” He could barely contain himself. “We can sleep together, and we can go hunting, and do patrols, we can battle RiverClan side by side! And,” he hesitated, and lowered his voice. “be mates?” “For the rest of our lives,” Dandelionflight breathed. “and in death.”

The sun was sinking below the mountains, and the sky turned a pale, dark blue, streaked with pink. Dandelionflight wound her tail around Branchpelt’s in a last farewell before he left the camp. Her siblings, mate, friends and father were going to meet RiverClan at the border to settle an ongoing dispute that included prey-stealing, border crossing and a litter of half-clan kits. Only three-day-old warriors, Dandelionflight and her littermates couldn’t all go at once, being so inexperienced. And feeling a bit sick, Dandelionflight stayed in camp in case another patrol of RiverClan cats came to retrieve the half-clan kits Spiderdrift was nursing. Dandelionflight’s heart raced in nervousness, and she couldn’t resist walking out of the camp to watch her loved ones leave.

A light brown, sandy she-cat crept alongside her clanmates across the twoleg bridge. The new moon was just a sliver on the horizon, and the first stars started to blink into existence. A sleek black she-cat at the front of the group waved her tail in a signal, and half of the cats took cover in the tall grasses and behind stones. The other half stayed visible and stood as tall as they could, confronting another wave of cats, this time coming from the moor. These cats were lithe, made for chasing rabbits. The sandy she-cat’s clan could easily overpower them. A fallow she-cat from the moor cats signalled for her cats to stop, then took a step forward. “Ivystar, will you call off the attack, and return home?” The black she-cat snarled. “We’re here to teach you a lesson. Fallowstar, will you take your warriors home to their dens, and bring us our kits?” “Of course not. WindClan! Attack!” The moor cats streamed towards the river cats, surprised by the hidden ones. The river cats, too, were surprised by a wave of unseen cats darting in from the forest side. Cats growled and clashed on the howling moor, beside a treacherous drop leading to frothing water below. Small, lithe cats, darting in and out, large-footed cats knocking their opponents over, long-furred cats moving like the water, weaving through the long grasses and around stones. Blood flowing through the grass and dropping down a gorge, mixing with the foaming water below. Multi-coloured fur falling from another cat’s claws. A large brown tabby tom reared up to strike down on the sand-coloured she-cat, but the she-cat easily maneuvered out of the way, and clawed the back leg of the tom. The tom turned around, baring his teeth, feinted to one side but clawed at the other. Howling in pain, the she-cat’s blood pooled from her side. The tabby tom crouched for one last blow, and jumped at the she-cat. Fast as a fish in water, the she-cat rolled away, leaving the tom facing the gorge. He slipped on the she-cats blood, and fell down the edge of the gorge, crashing into the water. The she-cat crawled to the edge herself, though careful not to fall like the tom, and watched a lifeless body bob down the river.

Dandelionflight stayed awake and kept vigil over her resting clan. Eaglefern, WindClan’s medicine cat, and Cottongrass, a moor runner, left to heal their clanmates at the scene of the battle, leaving Dandelionflight to stare at the night sky and the sliver of a moon, hoping. Hoping for the best.

The moon hung high in the sky. Half the night had passed, and Cottongrass had back to get more herbs once, and left again. She told Dandelionflight that she heard that someone had fallen into the gorge, and there was at least one more death. Never before has Dandelionflight felt such intense emotions.

Soon after, the battle was over. A legion of cats stood at the top of a slope, their furs illuminated by the sliver of a moon. Cats leaned against each other, being carried by each other, some dripping blood from their wounds. The result of a battle. The result of pride, stubbornness, greed, and forbidden love. Dandelionflight abandoned her post at the camp entrance and bounded towards her clanmates. She squinted to identify the injured, the dead. She searched for her beloved. Branchpelt. And he wasn’t there. “Where is he?” she demanded. “Where’s Branchpelt?” Fallowstar, her leader, solemnly turned to Dandelionflight. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, only just audible. “We couldn’t find his body. He fell down the gorge.” “No,” Dandelionpelt gasped. “My Branchpelt.” She broke down sobbing. “The father of my kits.”

The days went on without meaning. Everything was merely a routine. Hunt, patrol, eat, sleep. She could tell Fallowstar and Fenfoot kept her away from patrolling near the gorge. Every bite had no flavour, no taste. There was an empty spot in the warrior’s den, one where the smell of Branchpelt still lingered in the air. Faint and alive. Her stomach became swollen as the days got colder, and the leaves grew brighter.

A single, small, brown tabby tom kit lay suckling at her belly. His siblings were born dead. Falconkit, named for his tabby pelt. A simple name, suggested by Heathershine. His mother just couldn’t think for herself anymore. She knew she should be recovering, and being a mother to Falconkit, but she always failed to find the energy to. All of her thoughts were clouded with a numb buzzing of grief.

She lay with her son through the cold, winter nights. Spiderdrift slept beside her in the nursery, with her and Fenfoot’s two kits, and dead Ferretsong and a RiverClan warrior’s two kits. The cause of that battle. She could never look at those two kits without a blank expression on her face, and she could tell Spiderdrift was annoyed. She tried to be nicer to the kits, and she  was  improving. She had to, for Falconkit.

The cold season dragged until it seemed like it would last forever. She was able to find a taste for rabbit again. She finally went to another gathering, and remembered how much she missed her friends that she had made in the other clans back when she was an apprentice. Rainyrose from RiverClan had three apprentice-aged kits. Bubbleshine was mentoring Rosebloom’s kits. Tulipfur, a gentle ThunderClan elder, didn’t survive the cold season, like many other cats. Birdpaw and Molenose’s deaths from her own clan made her realize that things happen like that sometimes, and it’s about time Dandelionflight got over Branchpelt to care for her own family and clan.

“Ploverbelly, take Cranberrystalk, Sundew and Bladepaw on a border patrol down by the ShadowClan border.” Fenfoot ordered. “Silkheart, you lead-” “I’m sorry, Fenfoot,” Sundew interrupted. “Bladepaw caught a cough yesterday, and I’d like for him to recover.” “Very well then,” Feenfoot said. “Silkheart can have Curlewfeather-” He was interrupted again, this time with a bout of coughing coming from Curlewfeather. “Oh, that doesn’t sound good. Curlewfeather, go see Eaglefern please.” “I’m fine,” Curlewfeather rasped. “Just a few snowflakes down my-” He started coughing again before he could finish his sentence. “That was an order, Curlewfeather.” Fenfoot responded sternly. “Ploverbelly, you can have Dalesong and Glenpaw instead. Silkheart, take Starlingstrike, Cloverstem and Flurrysong through the tunnels for prey. Ryesplash, Goldengrass and Merlinwing, see if you can find anything on the moor. Dunnockfeather, help me and Falconpaw clean out the dens and clear out the snow near the entrances. Fruitfern’s leg is too injured to train him for the time being. And I think that’s-” “Wait, Fenfoot,” Eaglefern butt in. “I need someone to get me more catmint from the barn for Curlewfeather and Bladepaw.” “Of course. Dunnockfeather, you can go. And Dandelionflight. Cottongrass can look after Falconkit.” Fenfoot looked at her meaningfully. He knew she was trying to recover, and she needed something to start contributing more. Dandelionflight nodded, and started towards the flow of cats leaving camp. She fell in step with Dunnockfeather as they exited the now-empty camp. Glancing back once for Eaglefern, they noticed she wasn’t following. “Aren’t you coming?” Dunnockfeather commented. Eaglefern shook her head. “No, I’m taking care of the sick. I think one of Cottongrass’s kits might be catching it, too.” Eaglefern half-turned, then turned back around. “You know where it is, right? If you don’t, just ask one of the cats there. Artemis will definitely know.” Dandelionflight nodded, and she and Dunnockfeather stepped onto the snow-covered moor. The two moor runners sped off towards the barn, just before Highstones. Dandelionflight had only been to the barn once before. She and her mentor, Ryesplash, accompanied Eaglefern for catmint when she was an apprentice. There had been five cats living in the barn the last time she’d been there. Artemis, a white she-cat, and Lion, a ginger tom, had been raising two tom cats, only a bit older than Dandelionflight herself. And there was Blueberry, a bouncy grey she-cat. The barn neared as Dandelionflight and Dunnockfeather raced through the bitter leafbare cold. Snowflakes were floating gently towards the ground, and Dandelionflight hoped she wouldn’t be needing the catmint they were about to be getting. She and Dunnockfeather crossed a line of snow-covered bushes, and stepped through the short stalks of wheat. A white she-cat jumped out of the bush line farther down, and ran to meet the two clan cats. “Hello,” she purred. “It’s nice to see you again, Dandelionpaw! And Dunnockpaw! I haven’t seen you in a long time!” Dunnockfeather chuckled. “It’s Dunnockfeather now,” he said. “And Dandelionflight.” “Oh, of course! Come meet the others!” Dandelionflight opened her mouth to object, but Dunnockfeather slapped his tail over her mouth. Thankfully, Artemis was already prancing towards the barn. “Lion wouldn’t have been very nice to impolite customers,” he explained quietly to Dandelionflight. The two followed Artemis through the snowy stalks inside the barn. It was surprisingly warm, and the inside, filled with stacks of hay, looked so much bigger than the outside. A gray she-cat and a ginger tom were grooming themselves on the bales of hay, and as the newcomers announced their arrival with the crunch of hay underfoot, another ginger-and-white tom emerged from the shadows, carrying three mice by their tails. “Hey, Artemis!” the blue she-cat called. “Who’s this?” “Some cats from WindClan!” she said back. “Dunnockfeather and Dandelionflight!” The ginger tabby purred. “I remember the last time Dunnockfeather came! Only and apprentice then, or whatever you call it. He fell off of the hay bales!” “I remember that,” Dunnockfeather purred. “I’m Blueberry,” the grey she-cat cheerily announced. “This tom next to me is Lion, and the tom down there,” she nodded towards the tom with the mice, “is Jackson. You wouldn’t remember me, I came here just before the cold season. Oh, and Calypso and Ronaldo are outside. Dunno where, probably hunting.” Jackson put down the mice on a bale of hay, and stepped closer to the clan xats. “What’s brought you here?” he asked. “Normally you WindClan cats come for catmint.” “Yes,” Dandelionflight answered plainly. “Our clanmates are sick, and we need it for them to recover.” “Would you like Jackson to lead you to some catmint?” Lion offered. “Yes please,” Dunnockfeather said. Jackson slipped through the entrance behind them. “Follow me!” The two clan cats followed Jackson around the barn, towards another twoleg building. This one looked much sturdier, and it was much smaller. Around the side of it, there were lots of dry bushes covered in snow. “Look, see that tall bush over there? There’s some catmint underneath the branches. I can never figure out how it survives. I’ll crawl under and get some for you now.” His ginger-and-white pelt disappeared into the snow, and a few moments later, he came back out holding some wonderfully smelling herbs. He placed it on the ground in front of Dunnockfeather, and went back to get more. As his sleek pelt disappeared behind the snow again, Dandelionflight wondered how many time he’s done this before. The stems Dunnockfeather had in his mouth were nipped cleanly at the stems. Jackson came back out with another mouthful of catmint. “That should be enough,” Dandelionflight said. “Thank you. We’ll head back now, sorry if we bothered you.” Jackson set the catmint in fronto her. “Not at all,” he purred. “It was our pleasure. There’s plenty more, come back anytime.” He glanced shyly at Dandelionflight, then away again. “If you need anymore.” Had she imagined it? She bent down to pick up the catmint, cringing at the snow’s cold touch. Dunnockfeather signalled for her to leave, so they turned to go back around the barn. “Wait,” Jackson said. “You missed one.” Dandelionflight turned around to see him pick up two stems of catmint. Jackson stepped closer and stretched his muzzle out to reach her’s, and tucked the catmint in with the rest. Dandelionflight noticed that he smelled nice, of fresh snow, catmint, and dusty hay. And he had blue eyes, like a jay’s feather. She stepped back, nodded her farewell, and left with Dunnockfeather. Strange, as she was about to cross the line of bushes back into clan territory, she thought she could feel his gaze burning on her back. Yet when she turned, he was talking to Blueberry by the barn. It unnerved her a bit, but she could feel an emotion stirring in her belly, one she hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

“Dandelionflight,” Eaglefern addressed. “I know I sent you for catmint a little while back, but now that Fallowstar and Frostberry have gotten sick too, I’m going to need some more. Fenfoot agreed to just sending you, since you know where it is. We can’t really afford anyone else to go right now, he says.” “Of course,” Dandelionflight said. “I can leave now.” She glanced up at the sky. She wouldn’t be able to make it back by sunset if she went now, but her clanmates needed it. “If it’s possible,” Eaglefern answered. “Thanks, Dandelionflight. You’re the fastest moor runner I know, second to your father. Hopefully you’ll make it back by sunset.” Dandelionflight nodded, and left the camp. She raced across the moor, almost not being able to see her own white paws against the snow. As she neared the bush line, she heard a faint rustling, and scented a cat. Jackson. Dandelionflight carefully made her way around the bushes, and saw him pounce on a skinny mouse. “Nice catch,” she commented. Jackson jumped, startled by Dandelionflight’s quiet approach. “You smell like snow,” he said, then looked embarrassed. “W-which is why I didn’t, uh, hear- no, smell you coming.” Dandelionflight smiled. “May I have some catmint?”

The sun was already halfway below the mountains. Dandelionflight’s shadow stretched out on the snow in front of her as she raced back to camp, her mouth full of catmint. The snow sparkled and reflected the orange dusk, and the first stars appeared in the sky. They reminded her of Branchpelt, in the sky, far away, living, or merely existing, in StarClan. He wouldn’t have let Dandelionflight leave Falconkit when he should be falling asleep. But she had told him to take care of Cottongrass’s kits while she was gone. Falconkit was fine. And Dandelionflight realized that she was okay now, too. And she would make the rest of her life happier than the past few moons have been.

The crescent moon hung high in the sky. A ginger-and-white tabby tom greeted a small white she-cat in the shadows of a few dry branches. “Will your clanmates be worried?” the tom asked the she-cat. “They’ll think I’ve only been on a run, as long as I roll in the snow afterwards,” the she-cat answered. “Then come on,” the ginger one said. “I’ve got something to show you. The night sky looks beautiful from the top of the barn.”

“Falconwing! Falconwing! Falconwing!” The clan cheered on it’s newest warrior as the sun set behind the mountains. Dandelionflight swelled with pride. His mentor, Goldengrass, had taught him well over the last two seasons, and now, on the day of the full moon and inter-clan Gathering, he had become a warrior. “And now,” Fallowstar addressed the clan as the cheering died down. “Falconwing will come to the Gathering tonight as his first as a warrior. Eaglefern has requested to stay with Greenwing in case she kits, but her apprentice, Glenpaw, will come with us. The others coming tonight will be Hillpaw, Chivepaw, Pipetpaw and Beepaw, our newest apprentices, and their mentors, Heathershine, Flurrysong, Cloverstem and Daisypetal. Magpieflight, Ryesplash and Finchtail, our elders, and Dandelionflight, Spiderdrift, and Stoneflame.” The clan separated, some leaving for Four Trees and others staying to get a night’s rest. Though the moon had not yet risen fully, WindClan set out, as they always do, to get there first and show that the other clans stood no chance against their speed.

“Let the gathering begin!” Ivystar called from the Great Rock. After the talking subsided, she began. “RiverClan will start, if that’s okay.” She barely glanced at the other leaders for their approval. “Last moon, we welcomed our newest warrior to our clan, Pineconefur. Now, we bring the news that he has been exiled from the clans.” Gasps sounded around the clearing, but the cats of RiverClan remained solemn. “He will not be welcomed inside of clan territory for treachery, disloyalty, and unfaithfulness. Our medicine cat, Camellialeaf, has tragically passed away. We also had a small she-kit at the beginning of this moon, named after our medicine cat, that we had to put under ThunderClan’s care, and we are grateful to them.” Dandelionflight could barely hear the last few words, as cats buzzed around the clearing about this news. Obviously Pineconfur and Camellialeaf had a kit, and Camellialeaf had died in birth. Some were saying that it was StarClan’s punishment for being unfaithful to them. “Silence!” Doesplash, the RiverClan deputy hissed. “Let Ivystar finish.” “Thank you, Doesplash,” Ivystar said courteously. “On a much lighter note, the twolegs haven’t been much of a bother this greenleaf, and,” she paused, looking proudly at her clanmates, “we have two new warriors, Bushclaw and Ottershine,” Ivystar paused to let the clans chant their names, “three new apprentices, Sorrelpaw, Brackenpaw, and Strikepaw,” she paused again for the yelling, “and Mouseflower has just given birth to Leafkit, Strawberrykit, and Cherrykit. Sandshine is also expecting Pebblefire’s kits. I end my report with a word of advice: stay faithful to StarClan, and to the code, and your clan will thrive without rotting from the inside.” The clearing erupted in chattering, saying how they were right, they couldn’t believe it, but all Dandelionflight could think of was: Jackson.

“I can’t keep meeting you here, Jackson,” she hissed as the wind blew through their ears, the waning moon half-covered with clouds. “Why not?” he exclaimed in disbelief. “It’s…” Dandelionflight searched for the words to make him understand, that it wasn’t that she didn’t want to be with him. It was… “the warrior code.” “I’ve heard you lived by something like that,” Jackson said, obviously trying to keep his voice from cracking, or rising. She couldn’t tell which. “Why should it mean you can’t see me?” “It states that I have to stay loyal to my clan.” She inhaled. “That means I can’t have relationships-” “With someone who’s not in the clan,” Jackson finished for her. Dandelionflight nodded numbly, as she watched Jackson struggle to keep his emotions in place. “I’ll find a way to stay together.” Dandelionflight turned to leave, almost as if she had lost hope in everything herself. She tried not to, she battled internally for her to turn back, and say a last farewell as mates. Before they lost everything. “Together forever,” she whispered to herself as she ran across the blooming heather. “But how can that be, if you don’t believe in Starclan?”

It almost felt as if she was reliving the time when Branchpelt died, all over again. But this time, it was different. Jackson was still there. Still alive, able to be loved. And so, so close. Yet she had to choose to stay away, never speak to him the same again. Or never speak at all again, ever. She pounced on a mouse hiding in the heather, and killed it swiftly with a bite that was more than enough to end the mouse’s life.

“Daisypetal, Beepaw, Flurrysong and Chivepaw should be coming back from the dawn patrol soon.” Fenfoot stood in the middle of the camp while sleepy warriors waited for his instructions for the morning’s patrols. “Fallowstar wanted to go hunting today, she’ll have Fruitfern, Spiderdrift and Dandelionflight. Silkheart, Bladewing, Cranberrystalk and Starlingstrike, come with me after and we’ll continue on that tunnel we were-” Fenfoot was interrupted by a sudden distraction at the camp entrance. The cats that were leaving for their patrols parted, and the dawn patrol marched into the camp, and Dandelionflight strained to see that they brought with them, almost like a prisoner- Jackson. “We found him trespassing on WindClan territory. He says he’s from the barn,” Beepaw announced proudly. “He said he wanted to speak with Fallowstar,” Chivepaw butt in, trying earn some credit for the dawn patrol’s dicovery. Fallowstar pushed through the crowd to stand face-to-face with the barn cat who seemed to tower over her. She opened her mouth to speak, but Jackson beat her to it. “I’d like to train as a warrior.”

Jackson stood facing Fallowstar, in the middle of the clearing. “Jackson, before I begin this ceremony, would you like to keep your name, add a suffix, or change it altogether?” Fallowstar asked. Without hesitating, Jackson replied: “Change it altogether. Please.” Fallowstar smiled. “I, Fallowstar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Jackson, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?” “I do,” Jackson replied with a strong certainty. “Then by the powers of StarClan,” Fallowstar continued. “I give you your warrior name. Jackson, from the moment on you will be known as Jaystep. StarClan honours your determination and the path you have taken, and we welcome you as a full member of WindClan.” The clan erupted into cheers at the last word. “Jaystep! Jaystep! Jaystep!” He was well-loved in his new clan, and everyone agreed to his place in the clan. Dandelionflight thrust forward through the crowd and nuzzled Jaystep happily. “Now we can be together forever.” Jaystep’s eyes met hers. “For the rest of our lives,” Dandelionflight purred. “And in death.”

Jasminebreeze's Entry
Where my Loyalties Lie

–

I pad out of the apprentices den, my tail high, my smile bright. My sister, Dawnpaw, was right next to me. The ginger and white she-cat held the same stance, as we were both prideful today.

I shyly glance around, though. Looking for my soon to be mate, Eaglepaw. The dark brown tabby tom smiled back at me, and my spirits lifted.

It was our warrior ceremony. Poppystar, Eaglepaw’s mother and the WindClan leader, had already called the Clan.

“Eaglepaw! Please step forward.” She yelled. The mist settled upon the moors, the sun slowly went down to mark the arrival of a new night, and almost all was silent, as if everything on earth had settled down to watch us.

As Eaglepaw padded to Poppystar, she started speaking again. “Eaglepaw, for many moons you have been trained by Leafrunner, and her death has hurt all of WindClan. But she had taught you well, and left us with a rounded apprentice. From now forward you shall be called Eaglerunner, after your mentor. StarClan values your wit and strength. May you alway take the right path, Eaglerunner.” She said.

Eaglerunner’s name was echoed throughout the moor, as he padded back Poppystar begun again.

“Dawnpaw, step forward.” Her voice silenced everything else. As my sister shook a small bit, she left my side to speak to Poppystar.

“Dawnpaw, your mentor, Larkbriar, has taught you many things, and now we see you at the end of your training. From now forward you shall be named Dawntail. StarClan appreciates your curiosity and balance. May they light your path forevermore.” She finished.

Dawntail smiled as her name was called out, as she made her way to me.

“Featherpaw!” I tremble as I hear my name being called. “Please step forward.”

I try to calm down as my paws somehow make themselves follow her directions. Poppystar looked me in the eye as she begun.

“Featherpaw, you have been trained well by Brookflower, and now deserve your warrior name. From this moment onward you shall be called Featherspirit. StarClan honors your energy and quick thinking. May you always be aware of that.” I let out a shaky breath as the name encounters me. Featherspirit. It wasn’t bad. I go back, and the ceremony is over.

Eaglerunner ran over to me, and nuzzled me.

“Your name is great!” He said. I nodded.

“Yours too.”

And then my mother, Cherrydusk sushed me.

“You must be silent until the next morning.” She said. I nodded.

That night, it was colder than we expected. Sso we sat side by side, keeping warm, Dawntail and I running around a little bit to get warm.

As the moon slowly set, I smelled something wrong. There was a certain stench in the air.

I looked at Eaglerunner and his eyes told me he smelled it too. And then we heard it.

I crouched down and though of my battle moves. I could jump onto its back, while Eaglerunner slashed at one side, ran around and slashed it’s other side. Dawntail would go under and cut the badger’s belly.

And that’s exactly what we did.

As I ran up behind it and jumped on it’s back, I yelled.

“Badger! Badger attacking!”

Then several more cats came out of their dens, the queens looking worried, the apprentices excited, and the warriors annoyed. I slashed and slashed, but the badger suddenly reared up and sent me flying.

Then everything went black

–

“Featherspirit, wake up.” I heard a voice whisper. It was hoarse, but it seemed close.

“Yes?” I managed to say, but I couldn’t lift my head. It was too heavy.

“Featherspirit, open your eyes. It’s me, Eaglerunner.” I hear him say.

I open them slowly, as I see the large brown and bright red tom in front of me.

Wait…Cat’s aren’t usually bright red…

My vision clears, and I see him…bleeding?

His amber eyes sparkled as I look around. We were in a medicine den. I felt my head lighten up, and I get up.

I feel dizzy, but I still nuzzle him. He laughs at me, but then goes solemn.

“Featherspirit, I can see my dad.” He whispered.

“No, silly. You’re dad is dead.” I respond.

“He’s right there…He’s telling me to close my eyes.”

And I got worried.

“No…No…Please, no!” I hiss to myself.

“I’m going to do as he says. Eagleblaze, my grandfather…He’s here too…” He manages to say before he closed his eyes.

And tears start to pour.

All those cats were in StarClan. I look up as I see scarless Eaglerunner, almost transparent, looking at me. He smiled, tears ran down his cheeks, and he licked my ear. He ran outside the den.

I looked back to where his lifeless body was. I lie down and closed my eyes, trying to sleep. I couldn’t mourn, there was no going back.

The medicine cat apprentice, Sunpaw, looked at me. A few black seeds were dropped in front of me and I licked them up.

I was thankful for sleep. My head hurt, so much had gone on, and dreams would have been worse than life.

–

As I woke up, Cherrydawn was right there. As was Dawntail. They both let out a sigh of relief as I opened my eyes and lifted my head. Eaglerunner’s body had been removed, and as I could not smell rosemary or mint, I guess they had buried him too. I sat up and looked down.

“He’s gone.” Is all I managed to mutter.

“I know.” Dawntail looked at me with sorrow in her eyes. “He is buried, also. We decided it was better to let you sleep than to let you grieve.”

I nodded. “When can I get back to warrior duties?” I asked.

Cherrydawn smiled. “Luckily, tomorrow.”

–

I woke up. Poppystar was looking at me, smiling.

“Dawn patrol?” She asked. “I am going, along with Dawntail and Robinflight.”

I nodded.

As we patrolled the borders, nothing exciting had happened. Then, near the end, Poppystar pulled me aside.

“I know you are a new warrior. But a new batch of apprentices are coming, and I would like to know if you could mentor Ashkit.”

I nodded frantically. An apprentice could be my solution, something to take my mind off of it.

“Ok. His apprentice ceremony is in a moon. Be ready.”

We got back to the group, and finished the patrol. But I didn’t want to go back to camp yet, so I stayed near the barn border.

I was just walking, watching the moors and the birds.

“Hi!” Someone said.

I jumped, and unsheathed my claws.

“Put your claws away, I mean no harm!” I turned around to see a large grey tom, who looked about my age. His green eyes sparkled, as I sheathed my claws.

“I’m Koda. What’s your name?” He asked.

“Featherspirit.” I said.

“You’re pretty. I’ve never seen a silver tabby before. Only grey ones. Silver is much prettier.” He commented.

“Thank you…” I said. My mind yelled at me,Complement him back! You know you like him. “You’re eyes are nice.” I said awkwardly.

He chucked. “Do you want to see something? I found a mouse hole, but I have no use of it. My twolegs give me food.”

He’s a kittypet! Featherspirit, no! You’re a WindClan cat! My mind buzzed.

“Umm..ok?” I follow him into tall brown grass, where I found a whole. Something scurried out of it, and I slammed a paw on it, killing it.

“There must be a lot of mice in here…Poppystar will be proud!” I meow as I catch another mouse. “Thank you!” I smile and look back at him. He nodded.

“You can come here tomorrow. I’ll be at the edge!” He said as I went away, having caught about four mice.

I nodded and ran, swiftly like a WindClan cat, back to the camp.

–

The next morning, I was on dawn patrol again. Everything was normal, until we got to the barn.

Lilysong found Koda, and attacked him.

He yelled something though. Something I will always remember.

“I know her! I know the silver tabby!” And Lilysong looked at me.

“Do you know him?” She asked.

“No! I would never know a kittypet!” I lied.

So she continued attacking him until he ran into the tall brown grass.

And that was how I lost him.

Now onto how I got him back.

–

It was midnight, almost at least, and no one was awake. Except for me. I used the dirtplace as an exit, and ran in the direction of the barn.

I collied with a small grey tabby she-cat who narrowed her eyes.

“I’m Featherspirit! I know Koda. I’m leaving my Clan to be with him. Please, lead me to him.” I said, worried.

She widened her eyes and nodded. I followed her, through the tall brown grass, and to a twoleg den.

And there he was.

I ran to him, but some invisible thing kept me from reaching him.

After a few tries, a twoleg showed up. The invisible thing was pushed to the side, and Koda ran out.

He nuzzled me.

“Koda, I’m sorry, is it possible for you to forgive me?” I begged him.

He nodded.

“Do you want to stay here, with me? The twolegs will give you a different name, but they love cats.” He smiled at me.

I nodded. I couldn’t stop nodding.

So I followed him into the Twoleg den, and the next day he told me the twolegs would keep me.

They gave me a new name, but I like it. I am now Carol, a kittypet. I live with Koda, my mate. I live with loving housefolk, and that’s where I still am today.