Introduction

Who's there? You can come out, don't be shy. I won't hurt you.
Oh wait, I know you. You're Gorsekit. I can tell from your dark brown fur, the white splash on your chest and blue eyes. Your death brought grief to your clan. I know, because I'm from your clan.
You ask my name? Well, I'm Lightleaf. I'm a StarClan warrior, but I was formerly of ForestClan, like you. I died saving my clanmates in a dog attack. I still guide my clan down the right paths, advising them and bringing them news. That's what StarClan are here for, though, yet I am desperate to keep ForestClan out of danger.
Of course, I expect your mother told you stories. I knew Silverleaf well. She was a loyal, brave young she-cat who loved you. Your father did too, he is popular within the clans because of his past. I know your father's past, all of it.
I expect you want to know about other cats outside of ForestClan? Cats like Bravestar and Noblespirit from CourageClan, or Fishstar from ReedClan? All mighty warriors, some with the most tragic pasts known to me. Noblespirit's is a rather sad story, so many friends and family close to him died.
I know that you didn't know about Eagletalon, Lionclaw and Lostsong. They came after your death, little one. Lostsong walks these skies, but her brothers still live, fighting to safe the clan they found after hope was lost.
Dawnsong and Crowpelt had a hard start to life, being born into CourageClan and then moving to ForestClan. Crowpelt returned to his birth clan while his sister stayed behind and learnt the ways of ForestClan. Many cats don't like Crowpelt or Dawnsong that much, but only their parents are for the blame.
Echopath's had a difficult life, loosing her sister and being entrusted with the care of her two kits.
I'm not going to go down any more cats, don't worry. I can sense that you want to know some stories without me blurting it all out. There are some lessons to learn from other cat's mistakes. No one is perfect.
Now, if you want to settle down and listen, then I will tell you of your unknown past. Your ancestors have faced many battles, all fighting bravely. After all, every cat's duty is to protect their clan at all costs...

A New Life (Eagle's POV)

"Bet you can't catch me!"
"Bet you I can!"
The sun's first rays shone through the trees, giving puddles from the earlier rain a intresting glow. Nearby, two young kits chased eachother. One was a small light brown tabby she-kit with a white underbelly, while the other was a large golden tabby tom with amber eyes.
Another kit watched close by, his green eyes sparkling in the sunlight. His fur was different to the others, gold and white. He was also a long-haired cat, unlike the other two.
"Save your energy." He called to others. "We'll need lots of energy if we're going to find someone who can look after us."
"Eagle, surely you should have some fun in your life?" The she-kit replied, her bright blue eyes shining with amusement. "You're so serious!"
A rustle startled the three kits. Eagle instantly sprang to his paws, fur bristling. He knew that three kits would be no match for anything large than a stick, but it was worth a try.
"Fox!" The golden tabby kit squealed, hiding behind Eagle. "Do something!"
"We're just kits, Lion." Eagle retorted. "I can't do anything, and neither can you."
Before anyone could reply, a young hare hopped out of the bushes, ears twitching nervously. Eagle gazed at the hare, excited. He'd seen hares before, but this one was huge! He stepped forward, his fear gone within a second.
"Get back, Eagle!" The she-kit whined. "What if it eats you?" Eagle spun round in annoyence. "Hares don't eat cats, mouse-brain!"
When Eagle turned round, he realised that there was a pair of green eyes staring at him in the bushes, along with two pairs of blue eyes. He poked Lion with his claw. "There are other cats here!" He whispered, terrified.
One of the cats, a white she-cat, jumped out of the bushes and sank her claws into the hare's neck, giving it a swift blow across the head. The hare fell limp under the she-cat's long claws.
"Nice catch, Cloudeye!" A voice exclaimed from the bushes.
"Thanks, Ferretjaw." Cloudeye replied brightly. Her green eyes then showed shock as she noticed the three kits, staring wide-eyed at her. "Hey, there's three kits here!"
Two other cats stalked out of the bushes. One was a cream coloured tom, while the other was a smaller black she-cat with a white muzzle.
Maybe these cats could look after us!

Eagle realised. They could give us a home!

"Who are you?" Cloudeye asked gently. Eagle stepped forward, his green eyes showing no fear. "I'm Eagle." He mewed.
"I'm Lion." Lion added, stepping forward beside his brother.
"And I'm Lost." The brown tabby she-kit piped up.
"What do you mean? Are you lost?" Cloudeye enquired, looking a bit confused. The young she-kit gazed up at the tall white she-cat. "No. I am lost, but Lost is my name. That is what my mother decided to call me, and I see no shame in it."
"What sort of name is 'Lost'?" The black she-cat snarled. "A mother must be mouse-brainned to call her kit such a stupid name!"
"And I expect you've got a better name?" Lost challenged. The black and white she-cat puffed her fur up to make herself look bigger. "I have, actually. I'm Brokenpaw, apprentice of ForestClan."
"ForestClan?" Lion repeated. "What is that?"
"Our home." Cloudeye explained. "I'm Cloudeye. The cream tom is Ferretjaw and I gather that you already know Brokenpaw. Ferretjaw and I are warriors, which means we have completed our apprentice training."
"I still don't get it." Lion wailed. "We lost our mother and we've been travelling for ages!"
"So you're loners?" Ferretjaw pressed on. Eagle nodded his head, and Cloudeye gave him a sympathetic look. "We'll take you all back to our camp, then the rest of the clan can decide if we'll take you in or not."
"Yay!" Lost exclaimed.
Eagle felt a pang of anxiety as Ferretjaw picked him up in his strong jaws. Brokenpaw, the rude young she-cat, recluently took Lion and Cloudeye took Lost without a thought. The three clan cats then started to move in a different direction, the three young kits dangling from their jaws.

After a long journey, the kits finally got to rest. Cloudeye had left them with a young queen called Specklenose, who was nursing a young kit called Pigeonkit. She was slightly younger than Eagle and his siblings, but she was just as talkaive and curious.
There were several other kits in the nursery too. A light grey she-cat called Rainflight was nursing two she-kits called Echokit and Rosekit. They were younger than Pigeonkit, but the three were all firm friends. Another tortoiseshell and white she-cat named Sparklewhisker was caring for two kits called Flamekit and Spottedkit. Eagle noticed that Spottedkit was almost a exact copy of Sparklewhisker. However, one black she-cat called Breezesong was yet to have her kits.
"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!" A loud voice cried out.
"That's Thistlestar, our leader." Specklenose told Eagle. "Let's go and listen to what he has to say."
Eagle, Lion and Lost followed Specklenose out of the nursery and towards a patch of grass, near to the other cats of ForestClan. There were many cats, many of them were warriors. Eagle noticed Brokenpaw had settled down with some other apprentices.
"Today, one of our patrols found three young kits on our territory." Thistlestar reported. "They were all alone without their mother."
"What sort of mother abandons her kits like that?" A young cream she-cat cried from the other side. "It's outragous!"
"The kit's mother died." Thistlestar replied. "You can keep calm, Sweetpetal. I know you are still anxious about being our sole medicine cat since Bushfur retired to the elder's den, but you don't need to comment about everything."
"I don't think we should let them in." Brokenpaw growled. "We don't know anything about them."
Murmurs of suprise broke out between the cats. Thistlestar instantly silenced them. "I have thought about it, and I have decided that ForestClan will take in the three outsiders. Their names will be changed to Eaglekit, Lionkit and Lostkit until they become apprentices. We need more apprentices in the clan, and these three are almost ready to become apprentices."
"Eaglekit! Lionkit! Lostkit!" The clan yowled.
It's time to start fresh.

Eaglekit thought in his head. It's time to begin a journey down a new path, and a new name too. From this day forward, I am no longer Eagle, but Eaglekit, a proud soon to be warrior of ForestClan.

Bramblefoot's Leader Ceremony (Bramblefoot's POV)

"Come along, Bramblefoot. It's time to leave."
The dark brown tabby tom opened his eyes and sighed. ForestClan's leader, Thistlestar, had lost his ninth life to greencough, and now it was Bramblefoot who would become leader.
"This is hard on you, I know." Sweetpetal, the medicine cat, was beside him, her tail rested on the deputy's shoulders. "But you don't have much of a choice. It is your destiny to become ForestClan's new leader."
"But I've lost so much!" Bramblefoot wailed. "How can I take on such a large and important duty when I lost my friends and almost my mate?"
"Silverleaf is still alive." Sweetpetal reminded him. "And so are your future kits.
Bramblefoot's mate, Silverleaf, was expecting his kits, but had almost died in the greencough outbreak that killed Thistlestar. Thanks to Sweetpetal's efforts, she had been saved, but she was unable to save Thistlestar.
"We need to get going now." The medicine cat sighed.
Bramblefoot stepped out of the warrior's den and glanced around. The four elders of the clan had just returned from burying Thistlestar, and many other cats were trying to continue their normal duties. He waved his tail in greeting to Lostsong, one of his most trusted clanmates. Despite she wasn't clanborn and she had been brought to ForestClan as a kit, the young she-cat was a loyal and fierce warrior.
"Can you keep charge until I come back?" He asked. The light brown tabby dipped her head. "Of course. Travel safely, Bramblefoot. I'll be the first cat to greet you by your new name."
"Thanks." The dark brown tabby purred in amusement.
"We haven't got all day!" Sweetpetal called. The deputy quickly dashed over to the medicine cat and followed her out of camp, up the slope which led out of the gorge and into the forest.
"I wonder if ReedClan will let us past." Bramblefoot wondered out loud. Sweetpetal glanced at him. "They'll have to. Even they wouldn't let one clan go leaderless. Fishstar is a reasonable cat who wouldn't be that cruel."
As they approached the border with ReedClan, the two cats noticed a border patrol. Leader of it was Bigfur, the large black tom. The other three cats with him were Puffinfeather, Seaview and one of the older apprentices called Swanpaw.
"Sweetpetal, Bramblefoot," Bigfur greeted them. "Why are you coming through here?"
"We're going to Highstones." Sweetpetal told him. "Thistlestar died yesterday and now Bramblefoot is leader."
"I see." The patrol dipped their heads respectfully, and then Puffinfeather spoke. "We'll tell Fishstar. He will be upset to hear this news."
"You'd better go now, anyway. StarClan be with you!" Bigfur meowed.

It was nearly moonhigh by the time Sweetpetal and Bramblefoot reached Mothermouth. The young deputy had been resting while Sweetpetal watched the sky.
"It's time." She murmured, nudging the dark brown tabby awake. Bramblefoot rose to his paws with a yawn and blindly followed the cream she-cat towards Highstones.
"Once we get inside, follow my scent." Sweetpetal instructed. "That way, you'll find the moonstone and you won't have to worry about a thing."
"Alright." Bramblefoot meowed.
In the darkness of the cave, the medicine cat's sweet scent comforted the deputy as he followed it. Yet a newfound light almost blinded him as they came closer to the Moonstone.
"Lay down beside the Moonstone and touch your nose to it." Sweetpetal told him. "StarClan will come to you."
Bramblefoot slowly padded over to the brightly lit quartz and laid down beside it, pretending that he was in the warrior's den with his clanmates.
Sleep soon claimed him as he shut his eyes tightly, waiting for StarClan.

Bramblefoot woke up to find himself surrounded by darkness. He had expected StarClan to come and greet him, but he couldn't see a thing.
He almost fainted in relief when many cats of StarClan appeared before him, stars twinkling in their eyes and their pelts as they faced him. "Welcome, Bramblefoot. Are you ready to recieve your nine lives?" They spoke.
"Yes." The dark brown tabby tom replied.
A small dark grey tom stepped forward. He had bright blue eyes and white paws. Bramblefoot instantly reconised him as Jaggedstone, one of Thistlestar's former deputies.
"With this life I give you strength." He meowed. "Use this to fight side by side with your clanmates, no matter what enemy you face."
A powerful surge struck Bramblefoot. He could feel the life flowing into him, and a mighty roar defeaned his ears. Jaggedstone stepped back and a young light brown she-cat stepped forward. When Bramblefoot noticed that she had a twisted back paw, he knew that this cat was Dreampaw. She had been Specklenose's sister, yet just days before her apprentice ceremony she had fallen into the gorge and broke her neck. She died moments later, causing grief throughout the clan.
"With this life I give you faith." Dreampaw explained, her soft voice reminding Bramblefoot of her sister, gentle and caring. "Use this to believe in your ancestors and in your clanmates."
Bramblefoot had expected this life to be gentle and kind like Dreampaw, but it shocked him when he felt a similar surge to Jaggedstone's life. He felt like the whole of StarClan were his family, his clanmates. Some of his family and friends were among the ranks of StarClan, but not all of them.
As Dreampaw stepped back, a tall, skinny black tom appeared, his muzzle greying with age. Bramblefoot knew that this was Molefang, who had been an elder when Bramblefoot was born. He had served the clan for many moons before finally joining StarClan when Bramblefoot became Thistlestar's final deputy.
"With this life I give you empathy." Molefang rasped. "Use this to feel what others feel, which will help you understand the needs of your clanmates."
This life flowed through Bramblefoot like a wave in the water. He felt as if his heart had expanded in his chest, like if it was going to jump out. The deputy winced quietly in pain, but Molefang rested his long tail on the tom's shoulder, comforting him. He then stepped back, letting a pretty long-haired white and grey she-cat step forward. "You never met me, little one." She purred. "My name is Cloudpatch. I was a former ForestClan medicine cat when Thistlestar was a kit."
"How did you die?" Bramblefoot asked.
"Rat attack." Cloudpatch replied quickly. She stepped closer to Bramblefoot, her warm green eyes showing pride. "With this life I give you joy. Use it well to look on the bright side of things, even on bad days."
Bramblefoot was relieved when Cloudpatch's life was gentle and warm. He felt excited, full of happiness and joy, as the pretty medicine cat had described.
"I will always watch over you, Bramblefoot." Cloudpatch promised, stepping back to join the ranks of StarClan. A small silver she-cat took her place. Bramblefoot realised that this cat was Mistdrop, a CourageClan cat who had fallen in love with Coalstep, a ForestClan cat. She died giving birth to his kit, who had died shortly after her mother without being named.
"With this life I give you loyalty. Use it well to lead your clanmates without them doubting you." She meowed quietly. Her yellow eyes then flashed a warning. "Don't make the same mistakes that I made."
"I won't." Bramblefoot promised her. Mistdrop nodded and turned away, not turning to gaze at him once. A pretty cream she-cat took her place. Bramblefoot's heart skipped a beat when he realised who it was. Lightleaf!

"I'm so sorry!" He mumbled as she approached him. "It's my fault you died!"
"It was no one's fault." Lightleaf comforted him. "You would have died yourself if I didn't save you."
"You have no idea how much we miss you!" Bramblefoot protested, but Lightleaf pressed her muzzle against his for silence. "With this I life I give you wisdom. Use it well to guide your clanmates and make the right choices." She murmured.
Bramblefoot felt a painful surge strike him once again, his head pounding. He hadn't expected this life to be one of the most painful, as a close friend had granted him this life.
"You will make a great leader." Lightleaf reassured him, giving him a quick lick on the ear before turning away, back to the other StarClan warriors.
I've got three more lives to gain.

Bramblefoot told himself. Who will grant them to me?

A pure white she-cat stepped forward. She had a torn ear and small paws, yet despite her obvious appearence Bramblefoot didn't know who she was.
"I am Whitepaw." The she-cat introduced herself. "I was Jaggedstone's daughter, but my mother refused to care for me. She did many terrible things, so she walks among the cats in the Dark Forest. I was dead when you were in the clan."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Bramblefoot sighed, his eyes sympathetic for her. She nodded before speaking again. "With this life I give you good judgement. Use it well to judge your clanmates fairly."
Yet again, another surge of energy flowed through Bramblefoot, making him tremble with fear. He desperately didn't want to show his pain, not in front of StarClan. When the agony finally ended, Whitepaw stepped back and stood beside Lightleaf. The cream warrior murmured a few hushed words to the apprentice while a light ginger tabby tom stepped forward. Bramblefoot knew this cat, because he was his own father, Brackentuft.
"With this life I give you bravery, even when you are lost, it will be the light to show you the way." He mewed. His amber eyes shone in pride. "Desertflower and I are proud to call you our son, Bramblefoot. You will serve you clan well."
"Thank you." The deputy whispered as his father stepped back. This left one more cat, and it was Thistlestar.
"Welcome, young Bramblefoot." He greeted him. "It seems many moons ago since I joined StarClan. But now it is your time to lead ForestClan. With your ninth and final life, I give you curiosity to discover new things and new strengths of your own." He then smiled as he spoke. "You are a deputy no longer. Your new name is Bramblestar, and you are the new leader of ForestClan. Serve it well and use your lives well."
"Bramblestar! Bramblestar!" The StarClan cats chanted. Bramblestar raised his head and gazed at the nine cats in order.
I will be among your ranks soon.

He thought. But, for now, I will continue to live my nine lives as a loyal ForestClan leader.

Flood! (Sleetstar's POV)

"Sleetstar! Help!"
Water rushed into the gorge, tickling Sleetstar's whiskers as he slept in his den. He had been unaware of the flood until now, when a voice awoke him. His patchy grey and white fur was untouched by the water, only his muzzle.
"Sleetstar!" The voice cried again. "There are queens and kits trapped in the nursery!"
The grey and white tom was up instantly. He knew that he had two lives left to help his clan before StarClan came calling, so he could help the she-cats in the nursery with their kits.
He darted out of his den, realising that the ForestClan camp was being battered by water. His deputy Browntree was trying to rescue the queens from the nursery, as his mate was among them. Sleetstar also noticed his mate, Smallcloud, was ushering their three kits away. They were only a moon old, but all three were curious and brave.
"Smallcloud!" The leader called. The young black and grey she-cat poked her head up, her blue eyes filled with panic. "I-I don't know where to go!"
"We need to get all the kits out of camp." Sleetstar told her. "Take them to the top of the gorge and stay there. If you see any queens on the way, tell them what I told you."
"They can't climb the slope!" Smallcloud protested. "Molekit won't make it, especially with his eyes!"
Molekit, Sleetstar's son, was born blind and he had already injured himself many times because of his poor sight. His brother Ferretkit and sister Sweetkit were strong, but they wouldn't be able to climb up the slope which led them out of camp.
"You can carry one kit at a time." Sleetstar meowed. "Take Molekit first, then come back for Ferretkit and Sweetkit. I'll keep watch on them."
Smallcloud grabbed Molekit's scuff in her jaws and started to make her way up the slope. The large black kit was wailing, obviously afraid of what was going on.
"Watch out!" Sleetstar cried as Smallcloud slipped on the wet stone, causing her to slip. She was dangling on the edge, Molekit still hanging firmly in her jaws. The leader's green eyes were clouded with horror and panic as he watched his mate try to drag herself up back onto the ledge.
Thunder roared overhead, deafening Sleetstar's ears. He felt as if he was being plunged into a neverending nightmare, where even if he woke up he couldn't escape. Smallcloud was loosing her grip on the ledge, and Sleetstar feared that she would fall. She was too young to join StarClan, Molekit was even younger.
Suddenly, the grey and white tom heard a terrified shriek. He glanced up at the ledge and realised that Smallcloud was tumbling down from the ledge, towards the water.
"Smallcloud!" He yowled, jumping across to a patch of dry ground. Water was everywhere, only leaving a few scarce patches of dry ground. Smallcloud and Molekit were heading towards one of the worse places where the flood had affected the ForestClan camp.
"Sleetstar, it is too late." The leader spun round and saw his younger brother Bushfur. He was the sole medicine cat of ForestClan, but had his hopes that Sweetkit would become his apprentice. His own mentor, Silvernose, had died two moons ago when ReedClan attacked.
Smallcloud's body smacked down hard on a rock before sliding into the water, while Molekit fell out of his mother's jaws when she hit the rock.
"No!" Sleetstar cried, rushing over franticly and diving into the water. Smallcloud was a strong cat, surely she could survive a fall like that?
He eventually found Smallcloud's body at the bottom. Sleetstar grabbed her scuff and started swimming back up to surface. When he found a dry patch of ground, he gently laid his mate there while he gasped for breath, coughing and spluttering.
"Mouse-brain!" Bushfur snapped. "No cat survives a fall that high! She is most likely to be gone now, Sleetstar! Open your eyes and use your common sense!"
"S-She wouldn't l-leave me down there." Sleetstar spluttered. "It's called love, Bushfur. You're deeply commited to keeping the Clan save because you love your rank, don't you? It's the same with Smallcloud and I. She would die to save me, and I would do anything for her."
"I understand." Bushfur meowed calmly, touching the tom's shoulder with his tail tip. "But you don't need to nearly drown yourself to rescue a dead cat. The clan needs you alive at this time."
Sleetstar turned away when he heard a weak groan. He realised that Smallcloud was still alive, but she had blood trickling out of several wounds on her body.

Impressum

Texte: Warrior Cats belongs to Erin Hunter, the rest belongs to me. Do not copy or edit without permission from the author.
Bildmaterialien: I created the cover, but the photo is not mine.
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 29.10.2012

Alle Rechte vorbehalten