Clans

RiverClan:
Leader: RAINSTAR- gray tom with blue eyes and a sliced ear
Deputy: DAWNPELT- young she-cat with kind blue eyes and off-white fur
Medicine Cat: BRIGHTSHINE- white tabby she-cat and yellow eyes
Warriors:
LAKESPLASH- once beautiful silver she-cat with turquoise eyes
REDFUR- red with white stripes tom with yellow eyes
SILVERHEART- very pretty silver she-cat with black paws and green eyes
WHITEFOOT- white broad-shouldered tom with icy blue eyes
MISTYSTREAM- grey she-cat with orange eyes
LEAFSTORM- tan she-cat with white paws and green eyes
YELLOWTOOTH- old black tom with piercing amber eyes and ragged ears
SILKYFUR- beautiful tiny she-cat with blue-green eyes and white fur
TIMBERPELT- gray tom with black ears and paws and orange eyes
STORMEAR- handsome young tom with amber eyes and silver-black fur
MOSSLEAF- pretty brown she-cat with green eyes
Apprentices:
WILLOWPAW- very pretty black and white she-cat with shining yellow eyes (daughter of Silverheart and Whitefoot)
GRAYPAW- gray tom with blue eyes (son of Leafstorm and???)
MINNOWPAW- red and white she-cat with mysterious amber eyes (daughter of Redfur and Lakesplash)
STORMPAW- handsomely built gray tom with blue eyes and white paws (son of Redfur and Lakesplash)
Queens:
DAPPLESTREAK- very beautiful silver she-cat with white spots and paws; blue eyes (Mother of Cherrykit- a reddish-brown she-cat with green eyes; Littlekit- a black tom with gray eyes
POPPYTAIL- ginger she-cat with amber eyes
Elders:
SUNSKY- red tom with a shredded tail and yellow eyes
BRAMBLEBUSH- old brown tom with dull blue eyes


ThunderClan:
Leader: Oakfeather- unquestionably strong red tom with amber eyes
Deputy: ???
Medicine Cat: Mudpelt- very old brittle brown tom with drooping green eyes
Warriors:
LOUDBELLOW- weak ragged silver she-cat with yellow eyes
BEETLEFUR- black tom with amber eyes and mostly always has ticks and beetles in his fur
STARSKY- fit orange she-cat with exciting blue eyes and white paws
(not all cats will be included because I got lazy sorry)

Prologue

The warm greenleaf night was dreadful for the cats of RiverClan. Their deputy, Raggedear, joined StarClan that morning. The RiverClan leader, Rainstar, refused to pick a new deputy. This left the warriors of RiverClan shaken.
“How can he not pick a deputy?” Lakesplash growled. “Who will take over when Rainstar dies? RiverClan will scatter and become rogues!”
“Yes,” Redfur agreed. He flexed his shoulders. “Rainstar is just upset because Raggedear was his littermate. He’ll get over it.”
“And what if he doesn’t?” Lakesplash snarled. “Can you answer me that?”
Redfur shook his head. “StarClan can. And they will.”

Chapter 1

“Finally!” Willowpaw yowled. “Leaf-fall!”
“What?” Graypaw jabbed his paw at a beetle in the grass. “You hated greenleaf?”
“It was too hot,” Willowpaw meowed. “Besides leaf-fall is my favorite season.”
Graypaw snarled as he missed the beetle again. “Frog dung!”
Rainstar jumped onto the rock of which he addressed the clan. “Let all cats that are old enough to swim gather to hear my words!”
“What do you suppose this is about?” Willowpaw asked Graypaw, but he had already vanished. Willowpaw sat next to Brightshine the medicine cat. “Greetings.”
“Hi, Willowpaw,” Brightshine mewled cheerfully. “Excited about the Gathering tomorrow?”
“I completely forgot, but now that you mention it… Yes,” Willowpaw replied.
Brightshine’s attention turned to Rainstar as he began.
“Cats of RiverClan,” Rainstar meowed, his voice traveling all the way to the trees. “Today I will appoint a new deputy.”
“About time.” Willowpaw heard Lakesplash mumble.
Rainstar ignored the comment but Willowpaw saw his tail twitch. “We all were grieving over Raggedear, especially me. He was my brother and I dearly miss him,” Rainstar’s voice cracked with grief. “But today we have a new deputy.”
The clan glanced around at the gathered cats. The most obvious choice was Appletail, but Rainstar might not choose him.
“Dawnpelt,” Rainstar called. “Step forward.”
Dawnpelt’s eyes widened in disbelief and shock, but she padded over to Rainstar.
“Do you accept the job as deputy? To serve your clan and never give up and risk your life? To maybe even rule this clan?” Rainstar asked.
Dawnpelt thought it over, uncertain of her choice. She finally nodded and whispered, “I accept.”
“RiverClan has a new deputy!” Rainstar yowled.
Cheers came and the clan shouted, “Dawnpelt! Dawnpelt!”
Dawnpelt’s eyes shone. But Willowpaw saw something else. Doubt? Uncertainty? Willowpaw shook her head. She’ll talk to Dawnpelt right now.
Dawnpelt had quickly escaped the crowd and taken a walk through RiverClan’s territory.
Willowpaw went up behind her and mewled, “Thought you would like some company.”
Dawnpelt whirled around, fur spiked, but her pelt lay smooth when she saw who it was. “Willowpaw.” She blinked.
“You’re wondering if you made the right choice aren’t you.” Willowpaw meowed.
“Of course.” Dawnpelt looked at Silverpelt above. “Is there any deputy who doesn’t?”
“Good point.” Willowpaw stepped up so that she was beside Dawnpelt. “It’s not really you’re thinking about making the right choice or not. You’re afraid to be leader.”
Dawnpelt’s fear crashed onto Willowpaw. “You’re right,” she whispered.
“It’s tough being deputy. But trust me on this Dawnpelt; you will make a fine leader.”
Dawnpelt snorted. “All the apprentices say they want to be leader. If only they knew what being a leader costs you.”
Willowpaw stared at Dawnpelt. “Don’t let fear take over you. You take over fear. You throw away your fear and do what you need to do.”
Uncertainty flashed in Dawnpelt’s eyes. “You’ve got a lot of wisdom for an apprentice.”
Willowpaw’s whiskers twitched in amusement. “I get it from Silverheart.” Silverheart is Willowpaw’s mother.
“We should be getting back to camp,” Dawnpelt decided. “After all I am deputy now.”
Willowpaw and Dawnpelt raced back to camp. Willowpaw ducked inside the apprentices’ dens while Dawnpelt got pelted with warriors and elders.
Graypaw was in his nest, snoozing. While the other apprentices Minnowpaw and Stormpaw were sitting up, whispering.
“What’s all the secrecy about?” Willowpaw asked, sitting in her own nest.
“Rainstar appointed a deputy late.” Minnowpaw was shaking.
“What if StarClan is so angry they send a tree to fall on us? Not a little tree, a HUGE tree! One that can kill all of us!” Stormpaw’s eyes were wide with fear.
“Calm down,” Willowpaw soothed. “I just had a talk with Dawnpelt. Everything’s fine.”
“How do you know?” Minnowpaw hissed. Her eyes narrowed slits.
“Yeah!” Stormpaw agreed, trying to narrow his eyes too.
Willowpaw looked at Minnowpaw’s menacing face and at Stormpaw’s not-so-menacing face. “Rainstar was grieving. How would you guys feel if you lost each other?” Willowpaw knew Minnowpaw and Stormpaw were close littermates.
Minnowpaw grumbled. “Upset. Lonely, I guess.”
Stormpaw didn’t look sad at all. “Happy!”
“Why you piece of frog dung!” Minnowpaw leaped at him, and started fighting him. Willowpaw watched in amusement because it was a play-fight. Both of the littermates’ claws were sheathed.
Graypaw awoke to the sight of fighting and the hard step on his belly by Minnowpaw’s hind paw. “Hey!”
Minnowpaw and Stormpaw stopped fighting. Minnowpaw’s face turned serious. “You don’t really mean that right?”
“Of course not,” Stormpaw meowed. “You’re my only sister. A pain in the hindquarters but still my only sister.”
Willowpaw’s ears flattened. She was born in a litter of four but all her brothers and sisters had gone to StarClan when they were only a few sunrises old.
Stormpaw noticed and flattened his ears. He crossed his eyes and left his tongue lolling, pretending to be the dog Raggedear had chased away before he died. Stormpaw was really good at getting cats amused.
“Stop,” Willowpaw smiled. “I get it. I’m happy now.”
“Willowpaw,” a voice mewed behind her.
WIllowpaw whipped around to see her father Whitefoot. She relaxed. “Hello.”
“Your mother would like to see you.” Whitefoot’s eyes were shining.
Confused, WIllowpaw padded out of the dens after Whitefoot and they met up with Willowpaw’s mother, Silverheart, outside the camp entrance.
“Tell Willowpaw what you just told me,” Whitefoot demanded Silverheart, barely controlling his excitement.
Silverheart took a breath. Her eyes sparkling, she announced,
“I’m having kits.”

Chapter 2

It’s been a moon since the news about Silverheart arriving to the nursery. Dapplestreak and Poppytail had welcomed her kindly. Poppytail had given birth to Shrewkit, Marshkit, and Riverkit. Willowpaw was sharing fresh-kill with Graypaw under a tree.
“Exciting, isn’t it?” Graypaw asked, taking a bite of the fish.
“Exciting?” Willowpaw asked. “It’s thrilling! Having little brothers and sisters looking up to you? It’s a dream!”
Graypaw swallowed. “Hey, Willowpaw.”
“Yes?” Willowpaw mewed.
“Could you talk to Leafstorm later? I’m going to my den soon.”
“What about?” Willowpaw took a bite of her share of the fish.
“You know,” Graypaw hesitated. “About her not telling who her mate was. I really want to know who my father is.”
Willowpaw’s eyes shone with understanding. “It must be tough being fatherless.”
Graypaw nodded. “She never told me,” his voice cracked. “Her only son and kit…”
Willowpaw stroked Graypaw’s spine with her tail. “I understand.”
“No you don’t!” Graypaw’s eyes shone with agony. “She never even brought it up. Never showed any signs of talking about it.”
Willowpaw shushed him. “I’ll talk to her.”
Graypaw purred. “Thank you.”
Willowpaw and Graypaw finished the fresh-kill. Willowpaw got up and as soon as she started padding to the warriors’ dens, she heard her name being called. She turned to see her mentor, Timberpelt padding over to her.
“Have you forgotten your apprentice duties?” he growled.
Willowpaw gulped. “I just went to have fresh-kill—“
“You’ve forgotten the warrior code.”
“Having fresh-kill after you wake up is not against the warrior code!” Willowpaw growled.
“No, but the warrior code also says “Put your Clan first” so let’s get hunting.” Timberpelt, not waiting for a reply, raced toward the camp entrance and disappeared through it.
“Mangy frog-brain,” Willowpaw mumbled as she slowly followed Timberpelt.
“Who’s a mangy frog-brain?” she heard a soft mew behind her.
Willowpaw slowly turned to see Silkyfur. “Hi.”
“Answer me.”
“Timberpelt,” Willowpaw murmured guiltily.
Silkyfur didn’t seem to feel offended at all. After all, Timberpelt is her mate. “He can be a pain sometimes,” Silkyfur purred.
Willowpaw smiled but quickly frowned as Timberpelt’s roar filled the forest. “WILLOWPAW!!”
“Gotta go!” Willowpaw yelled over her shoulder as she raced to the camp entrance.
“Good luck!” Silkyfur called, watching Willowpaw leave.
Willowpaw ducked in the entrance and disappeared in the luscious forest.

“No!” Timberpelt growled. “You don’t stalk a mouse with your tail swishing in the grass. Honestly, Willowpaw! I thought you knew better than that!”
Willowpaw sat up, embarrassed. All through the hunting assessment she’d been slipping up. When she faced Timberpelt, his face was angry and his tail was lashing back and forth.
“Sometimes you make me feel as if I’m wasting my time with you!” Timberpelt went on. “Stop gazing at the sky for once and listen to me!”
Willowpaw swallowed, ashamed. “I’m sorry.”
“’Sorry’ doesn’t fill hungry bellies!” Timberpelt snapped. “I never thought I would have to re-teach this but watch.”
Willowpaw watched as Timberpelt pricked his ears and quietly went into a hunter’s crouch. He stalked at what seemed a vole, then suddenly pounced and came back to Willowpaw with a vole in his jaws.
He dropped it at Willowpaw’s feet. “Go over to the river and catch a fish, since you’re not ready for ground prey.”
Willowpaw went to the river. She felt more comfortable fishing in the river then hunting forest prey. After the condition ThunderClan was in, Rainstar had demanded they use some of ThunderClan’s territory and hunt in it. Would there be a war soon between the two clans? Willowpaw shuddered. She hoped there wouldn’t.
Willowpaw watched the river. It was calm. The river swished against the stepping-stones. And there was no noise. Willowpaw strained her ears to hear if any fish were approaching in the water, but all she heard was a screech of ‘Help!’
Willowpaw raced to the stepping-stones. She skidded across and bounded in deep ThunderClan territory. On the border of ThunderClan and WindClan, lay an injured queen.
“What happened?” Willowpaw gasped.
“Twolegs and their kittypets,” the queen gasped.
“What’s your name?” Willowpaw demanded.
“Daffodil.”
“Daffodil,” Willowpaw repeated. “What a pretty name.”
Daffodil managed a weak smile. She groaned when her wounds started to bleed.
“Oh!” Willowpaw shrieked. “You need help!” She pressed against Daffodil and tried to help the queen stand up. It was hard, the queen weighed a ton!
Daffodil finally managed to get up. “Do you have a home?” Daffodil asked Willowpaw.
“Yes. RiverClan.”
“So you’re a clan cat,” Daffodil mewed.
“Yes. And I suppose you’re a loner?”
Daffodil shrugged. “You could say that. I prefer to be called a farm cat.”
“Okay.” Willowpaw started walking towards the river. “Are you coming?”
Daffodil’s eyes quickly shone with fear. “Across the river?”
“Don’t worry,” Willowpaw assured her. “We have stepping-stones.”
Daffodil still looked uneasy, but she padded after Willowpaw anyway. “What territory are we in?”
“ThunderClan,” Willowpaw answered. “We aren’t supposed to be here though. But not as if ThunderClan has the power to chase us away.”
Daffodil purred. “They aren’t strong, are they?”
“When they have prey and herbs, they are. But right now they aren’t what you call ‘strong’.”
Willowpaw stopped at the stepping-stones. “You go first and I’ll help you if you fall.”
Daffodil padded onto the cool stepping-stones and cautiously walked on them. She lost a step but Willowpaw quickly reacted and helped her up.
“We have a medicine cat,” Willowpaw meowed. “She can tend to your wounds and make sure your kits are safe.”
Daffodil’s eyes shone with pride. “You noticed?”
Willowpaw purred. “Who couldn’t?”
“His name is Raven. And he would be a good father to the kits about to be born.”
“So your kitting soon?” Willowpaw asked.
“They’re actually due tomorrow.”
Willowpaw stopped in her tracks. She gaped at Daffodil. “You should be resting! Not doing battles with Twolegs and kittypets!”
Daffodil smiled. “I’ve had a litter before. I know how to cope.”
“Where’s your litter?”
“Drowned in an ocean.”
Willowpaw shook her head. “Really?”
“Yes. Raven tried so hard to save them.”
“Okay. Well.” Willowpaw started walking again. “I hope you find RiverClan welcoming.”
They leaped off the last stepping-stone. “Wait here,” Willowpaw ordered Daffodil. She sneaked in the camp entrance. Willowpaw quickly walked to the fresh-kill pile and raced for the entrance, only to be stopped by her mentor, Timberpelt.
“About time.” He growled. He nodded to the fish. “Where are you taking that?”
Willowpaw dropped the fish on the ground. “Out in the territory to watch the river as I eat.”
“Thought you ate before we left. And according to the warrior code, you—“
“Put your Clan first,” Willowpaw finished. “I know.”
“You haven’t bought any fresh-kill back. So you cannot eat a meal.” Timberpelt picked up the fish and dropped it in the fresh-kill pile. “Go catch something and then you can eat again.”
Willowpaw hastily left and padded to Daffodil who was lying in the sand. “I have to catch something for you.”
“Oh, no thanks,” Daffodil refused. “I caught something while you were inside.”
Willowpaw gaped at her. “Okay then. The coast inside is clear. Timberpelt must’ve wondered off to find Silkyfur. We’ll just sneak you off to Brightshine.”
“Brightshine?” Daffodil tipped her head, confused.
“Our medicine cat.”
“Okay.” Daffodil got up and told Willowpaw. “After you.”
Willowpaw raced quickly inside the camp and Daffodil followed behind her. They skidded to a halt in Brightshine’s den.
“Huh?” Brightshine’s eyes widened. “A queen? Where did you find her?”
“Never mind that. Tend to her wounds please.”
“Of course,” Brightshine mewed. “Lie down here please.”
Daffodil laid down while Brightshine checked her. “No major injuries,” Brightshine reported. “Nothing a few cobwebs and wet moss can’t fix.”
While Brightshine worked with Daffodil, Willowpaw padded out of the den. With a breath of fear, she padded to Rainstar’s den.
“Come in, Willowpaw. I know you’re out there.”
Willowpaw came in and saw Rainstar trying to catch a moth in his den. Quitting his game, he focused on Willowpaw. “What happened?”
Willowpaw told the story about meeting Daffodil.
“A loner?”
“Farm cat,” Willowpaw corrected.
“On the border of ThunderClan and WindClan? Strange.”
“She’s a queen. Please accept her. Her kits are due tomorrow. They can grow up in our clan.”
Rainstar thought about it. “I’m afraid not.”
“Why?”
“We should give them to ThunderClan. They need new arrivals after all.”
“But if we give Daffodil and her kits to ThunderClan, they’ll probably die of hunger!” Willowpaw exclaimed. “We’ve got prey, plenty of water and space.”
Rainstar shook his head. “You’ve developed an attachment to this farm cat.”
“I just don’t want innocent cats to die.”
“Willowpaw, you must accept it that this clan, as long as I’m leader, will not take in outside cats.”
“Rainstar!” Willowpaw yowled.
“Enough.” Rainstar got up. “Go find Timberpelt, rest, or do something useful. I’m going to talk to Brightshine.”
Willowpaw didn’t even leave Rainstar’s den. She merely sat down and whimpered.

Author's Note

Hope you guys liked my new book! I really pent time with this book. If there are errors, forgive me, i didn't check the book before i uploaded. Just kept copying and pasting. Please comment and i really hoped you liked it!!!

Impressum

Texte: This is an original Spottednose book. Picture on cover does not belong to me.
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 17.02.2012

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Widmung:
To Erin Hunter, for her amazing warrior cat series!