Allegiances

Allegiances

Thunderclan

Leader: Firestar

Deputy: Brambleclaw

Medicine cat: Jayfeather

Warriors:
Graystripe
Swiftpath
Spottedhead
Lionblaze
Apprentice: Rainpaw
Cinderheart
Spiderleg
Sorreltail
Apprentice: Rosepaw
Berrynose
Apprentice: Mudpaw
Mouswhisker
Hazeltail
Apprentice: Briarpaw
Birchfall
Cloudtail
Brightheart
Apprentice: Toadpaw
Whitewing
Apprentice: Blossompaw
Bumblestripe
Mosstalon

Apprentices:
Rosepaw
Toadpaw
Briarpaw
Blossompaw
Rainpaw
Mudpaw

Queens:
Daisy
Mother of Spiderleg's kits:
Bluekit, Fernkit

Elders:
Longtail
Mousefur

Shadowclan

Leader: Blackstar

Deputy: Rowanclaw

Medicine cat: Littlecloud
Apprentice: Flametail

Warriors:
Tawnypelt
Oakfur
Apprentice: Ferretpaw
Tigerheart
Dawnpelt
Scorchfur
Ratscar
Apprentice: Pinepaw
Smokefoot
Toadfoot
Crowfrost
Applefur

Apprentices:
Ferretpaw
Pinepaw

Queens:
Kinkfur
Ivytail

Elders:
Tallpoppy
Snaketail
Whitewater

Windclan

Leader: Onestar

Deputy: Ashfoot

Medicine cat: Kestrelflight

Warriors:
Hawkfire
Icebreath
Thorntail
Heathertail
Apprentice: Furzepaw
Crowfeather
Owlwhisker
Harespring
Weaslefur
Leaftail
Emberfoot
Breezepelt
Sedgewhisker
Swallowtail
Sunstrike
Boulderpelt

Apprentices:
Furzepaw

Elders:
Webfoot
Tornear

Riverclan

Leader: Leopardstar

Deputy: Mistyfoot

Medicine cat: Willowshine
Apprentice: Petalfur

Warriors:
Reedwhisker
Apprentice: Hollowpaw
Graymist
Apprentice: Troutpaw
Mintfur
Icewing
Minnowtail
Apprentice: Mossypaw
Pebblefoot
Apprentice: Rushpaw
Mallownose

Apprentices:
Hollowpaw
Troutpaw
Mossypaw
Rushpaw

Queens:
Duskfur
Mosspelt

Elders:
Dapplenose
Pouncetail

Lake territory

Chapter One - First day as a warrior

"Mosstalon! Come on! Dawn patrol!" I woke up because Bumblestripe prodded my flank with his paw from where he was sleeping beside me.
"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" I grumbled.
"Just don't be grumpy. I have a feeling it won't give you a very good start as a warrior." Bumblestripe warned me, but quickly added:
"I mean, sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
Uh! I wish everyone would stop feeling so sorry for me! Okay, yes. I am sad about Poppyfrost dying, but she's with Starclan now, and I can't reverse that. So there's no point in feeling sorry, because it won't do any good.

I thought about how my ex-mentor, Poppyfrost, had died of a snake bite minutes after I had been made a warrior.
I padded out of the warriors den after Bumblestripe, and saw that the hollow was less crowded than usual. My brothers, Rainpaw and Mudpaw, were sharing a rabbit beside the fresh kill pile, while Bluekit and Fernkit played outside the nursery.
"I remember when I was a kit. I loved those days, when my only worry was about my brothers becoming better warriors than me." I remembered.
Bumblestripe gave a small mrow of amusment.
"Maybe one day we'll have kits of our own." He said.
I was about to say that we weren't even mates, but stopped myself. Bumblestripe couldn't help his feelings towards me, and he was nice. He was my best friend, and maybe one day we would

end up as mates.
I was interrupted from my thoughts when Rainpaw and Mudpaw came padding over to me.
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here. It's Mosstalon

, not Mosspaw

. You're a big warrior now, aren't you? And you have more rights than us, don't you? Well, you shouldn't! It's unfair that you were made a warrior before us, even though we're littermates, and

me and Mudpaw are older than you!" Rainpaw spat.
"Don't take any notice of them, Mosstalon. They're just jealos because they know that they are being held back from being made warriors for two more moons because of what they did yesterday." Bumblestripe comforted me.
"Yeah. You're right, Bumblestripe. Rainpaw and Mudpaw are just acting stupid because they know that they did something extremely silly and are trying to make themselves feel better by trying to make other people feel bad about themselves. Ha!" I hissed, thinking about how Rainpaw had gotten annoyed when he hadn't been chosen to go on a patrol to find some missing kits and had gathered up a patrol of apprentices without any warriors in the patrol and had led the patrol further and further away from the lake, because his navigation skills were rubbish, and the patrol had gotten lost and had to wait for another patrol to find them.
"Uh! I hate you Mosstalon!" Rainpaw turned and stalked away.
"Ummm..... Yeah. What he said." Mudpaw was obviously feeling uncomfortable.
I can't believe that they're acting like this!

Ithought We used to be so close, probably the closest littermates in the whole of Thunderclan. And now, Rainpaw hates me, and Mudpaw feels uncomfortable whenever he comes close to me now.

"Come on, Mosstalon!" Cloudtail called, jolting me back to reality.
"Okay. I'll keep sleeping." I answered.
"What?!"
"And hedgehogs might fly." I joked.
"Oh. Well, let's get a move on, before Windclan decide to attack us because there's no border patrol."

Chapter Two - A kit?

The next morning, I woke up feeling extremely heavy.
Huh? How could I have put on that much weight overnight?

I then noticed that I hadn't put on weight, but that I was swolen.
I look like a bubble in a bog! Why could this be? I'll go ask Jayfeather what he thinks. Could I have a disease?

I tip-toed out into the camp's clearing and over to the medicine den.
"Jayfeather? I need to ask you something." I whispered gently, careful not to wake any of the cats still sleeping.
"What is it, Mosstalon?" Jayfeather questioned.
"I feel really heavy and swollen. I was wondering if I've caught a sickness."
"Let me see." Jayfeather padded over to me and sniffed my pelt. He tapped it, then pressed his ear against it.
"It looks like, and you might be dissapointed to hear it, well, it looks like you'll be having kits." He said.
"What? Kits? How many?" I asked, shocked.
"I think that there's one kit." Jayfeather told me.
"Does this mean I'll have to move into the nursery? Already? I've only just joined the warriors den!"
"I'm afraid so." Jayfeather told me, "You'd better go talk to Firestar. It's quite unnatural for a cat as young as you to be having kits."
"Okay." I agreed.
As I left the medicine den, my mother, Spottedhead, came bounding up to me.
"Why are you that swollen? You look like a giant blueberry!" She exclaimed.
"Spottedhead, I'm going to have a kit."
"Really? I'm a grandmother!" She exclaimed.
"Not yet." I told her, "I need to go and speak with Firestar."
I left Spottedhead talking to herself, saying things like:
"It seems too short ago that I was in the nursery as a queen! I just can't believe it! It's unbelievable!"
I bounded up the rocks leading to Firestar's den,but was shocked to find myself slowing down.
What? Why can't I go as fast as I usually can? It must be because I'm so, well, so big!

I peered into Firestar's den and called:
"Firestar?"
"Yes, Mosstalon? Is there something wrong?" Firestar asked me.
"I, I don't know. Jayfeather says that I might be having a kit."
"You don't know if that's wrong? That's fantastic news!" Sandstorm told me from where she had just woken up beside Firestar.
"Hush, Sandstorm. This is serious. Mosstalon, I suggest you start to set up a bed in the nursery. Get some fresh kill, and some rest." Firestar suggested.
"Alright, Firestar."

Chapter Three - No warrior duties?

I had just finished making my nest in the nursery, when I saw a hunting patrol getting ready to leave.
"Mind if I join the patrol?" I asked Graystripe.
"Sorry, Mosstalon. You need to rest." He told me.
I then spotted Bumblestripe and Spiderleg putting more brambles into the breaking-down warriors den.
"I'll help!" I volunteered.
"We can do it on our own, thanks. You should be thinking about what to call that kit of yours." Spiderleg objected.
"Yeah. Right." I mumbled, and went over to join the group of she-cats talking exitedly beside the apprentices den.
I decided that if I had nothing to do, then I might as well go talk to them.
"Did you hear about Mosstalon?" One of them was saying.
"Yes! I wonder what her kit will look like. I'm sure it will look like it's mother, simply gorgeous!" Another replied.
"Oh, hi, Mosstalon." Cinderheart said to me.
"Yeah. Hi. I was wondering, I wanted to do the hunting patrol, but they just told me to get some rest. Then, I volunteered to put brambles into the warrior den's walls, but Spiderleg said no. Why aren't they letting me?" I asked her.
"That's what it's like when you're going to have kits, apparently. The toms won't let you do any warrior duties." Cinderheart sighed.
"So, Mosstalon, who's the father of your kits?" Brightheart asked me.
"Um, uh..." I began.
I never thought of that! Who is the father of my kits?

I wondered.
"I bet that it's Bumblestripe! You two have become so close!" Whitewing said.
"Well, to be honest, I don't know." I told them.
"You don't know, or you don't want to tell us because you've been meeting in secret with some strong, tough, rogue?" Whitewing asked cheekily.
"Bramblenose?" Sorreltail questioned, sounding shocked.
"No! I really don't know! I hate Bramblenose now, and you know that!" I said to her, gritting my teeth. I thought about the rogue who I had fallen in love with, but he then murdered Thornclaw, who had been his mentor before Bramblenose had run away.
"What? Mosstalon doesn't know the father of her kits? Are you sure? They must be someone

other than Mosstalon that is the parent of her kit!" Mousewhisker hissed, "Are you disloyal to your clan? Obviously you are, because you won't tell us your kit's father!"
"Since when did we say you could listen to our conversation?" Brightheart asked him, but Mousewhisker had already gone.
Oh, no! Now there's going to be a rumor going around the clan that I'm lying to them!

Chapter Four - Proving my loyalty

The next few days were hard, because many cats believed that I was disloyal to Thunderclan, including Rainpaw and Mudpaw.
When we had to go to a gathering, I was about to join the cats that were just leaving for the gathering, when Birchfall told me:
"I'm afraid you can't come to the gathering, Mosstalon. You're a queen now, and queens don't come to gatherings."
"As well as that, we don't want a traitor at our gatherings." Spiderleg sneered.
"Hey!"
"Spiderleg, I will not allow a cat in my clan to be called a traitor by her clanmates. Mosstalon, even though you're a queen, you can come to the gathering." Firestar told me.
"Thankyou, Firestar."


Once we had reached the gathering island and everyone had crossed the dead tree bridge, we entered the clearing where the other clans were waiting. Firestar jumped up onto one of the lower branches of the tree where the clan leaders were sitting and started:
"Thunderclan have very good news to share. Two of our cats have been made into warriors. Mosstalon and Bumblestripe."
I felt many gazes burning my pelt, and forced myself not to look away.
"Better still, Mosstalon is going to have a kit." Firestar added.
"What? But she's so young!"
"That can't be possible!"
"Surely a warrior as young as that wouldn't already have a mate?"
Murmurs rose up from the crowd. Then, Heathertail from Windclan called:
"Who's the father?"
"We are not sure." Firestar answered, and then more cats started to stare at me. Some had confusion clouding their eyes, others scowling at me.
"Surely Mosstalon knows!" Smokefoot of Shadowclan called.
"Yeah! Who's the father?" The Riverclan apprentice, Troutpaw, demanded.
"Wait!" Bumblestripe silenced the cats. "I am the father of Mosstalon's kits."
"What? How do you know? Mosstalon said she

didn't know, and you're not the one going to have a kit, so how do you know?" Sorreltail asked him.
"Um, well, Mosstalon wanted to keep it a secret that she was having a kit, but she told me because I was the only possible father, but didn't tell anyone else so that it would be a lovely surprise for our clan. Then, um, er..."
"But eventually I couldn't bear the weight, so I had to point it out to Jayfeather. But I still kept it a secret who the father was." I finished, giving Bumblestripe a grateful glance.
"Oh. Well, Shadowclan has some grave news to share. One of our elders, Cedarheart, has died of greencough." Blackstar reported, but quickly added:
"However, Shadowclan has now recovered and are as healthy as ever."
"Wonderful news in Riverclan." Leopardstar continued. "Petalpaw is now a full medicine cat, however, she is no longer Petalpaw, but Petalfur.
"Well done, Petalfur." I purred, remembering the friendship I once had with her.
"Windclan has a new warrior too. Congratultions, Boulderpelt." Onestar finished.
As cats were getting ready to leave, Mousewhisker padded up to me.
"I'm sorry, Mosstalon. I really thought that you were lying that you weren't disloyal to Thunderclan. But now I know better."
"It's okay." I told him, then bounded up to Bumblestripe.
"Thankyou, Bumblestripe." I thanked him.
"You're welcome. But you know that I can only tell the truth." He told me.
Oh, no! Bumblstripe relly thinks that he's the father of my kit! Well, he might be. No! He can't be! I know that I don't really love him.

Chapter Five - The kit

One night, when the moon shone high in the air, I woke up in terrible pain. I tried to get up to eat some of the fresh kill left over from the day before, but couldn't.
"Um, Cinderheart?" I called to Cinderheart, who was outside the nursury to let Jayfeather know if my kit was coming. He said it would be any day now.
"What is it?" Cinderheart asked.
"I feel really painful."
"Do you have a sore belly?"
"Uh, yes, actually."
"Jayfeather! Mosstalon's kit is coming!" Cinderheart called for Jayfeather.
"Okay. I'm coming." Jayfeather's voice was surprisingly calm.
He padded into the den, his blind blue gaze fixed on me as if he could really see me.
"Okay. I need you to stay calm. Just push, and it will be over before you know it."
"Alright." I agreed, and found my breathing quickening.
I felt something travel through my body, and then remembered what Jayfeather had told me. I pushed, and pushed, and pushed. I felt something pop out of my body.
My kit!

I thought.
"Are there any more coming?" I asked Jayfeather.
"No. This is your kit. They're very handsome." Jayfeather commented, and held out a furry ball to me.
I saw that the kit looked as Jayfeather had said. He had gold and grey fur, with dark stripes down his face that then turned to spots.
"Cinderheart, go get Bumblestripe. I think that he will want to see his new son." Jayfeather ordered Cinderheart.
"Okay." Cinderheart padded out of the den.
"So he's a boy?" I asked.
"Yes." Jayfeather told me, and I looked down at my kit again, who was busy suckling milk.
I then noticed that the kit reminded me of someone.
The tabby peltand fur colour looked just like-
"Bramblenose!" I muttered.
"Did you say something?" Jayfeather asked.
"Um, no." I told him quickly.
I can't believe it! Bramblenose is his father! Now I definitly have to pretend that Bumblestripe is my kits father.

"So this is our kit?" I realised that Bumblestripe had entered the nursery.
"Um, yes."
"What shall we call him?"
"How about..." I noticed that the kit's fur was very tangled. "Tanglekit!"
"Tanglekit? Oh, yes. I see what you mean. Tanglekit it is!" Bumblestripe told me. He ran out of the nursery and retured with a plump rabbit in his jaws.
"I've been saving this for you." He told me gently, and put the rabbit down at my paws.
"Thankyou." I said, and began to gulp down mouthfulls of the rabbit.

Chapter Six - The prophecy

Once Tanglekit had finished suckling, the sun was beggining to rise. I picked him up by the scruff and carried him out of the nursery.
"So this

is your kit! Isn't he just perfect!" Brightheart bounded up to me.
"What's his name?" Birchfall asked me.
"Tanglekit." I told him.
"Tanglekit is his name?" Firestar asked, bounding down from highledge.
"Yes." I replied, and licked Tanglekit affectionatly.
"And moss will get tangled..." I heard Firestar murmuring.
What was that about? It sounded like a prophecy...

I thought, then remembered that there was a prophecy about me. A kit will be born, by the name of Moss, but worth much more than moss, and whose destiny will be greater than any other cat's...

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 16.03.2012

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This book is dedicated to the real Tanglekit.