(AP) Prowess of Paws - Veil of Secrets

== Warning ==
This book contains gory imagery throughout the passages. Proceed at your own discretion!
== Front matter ==
"In moonlit shadows, four feline spirits unite,
White, Brown, Ginger, and Tortoiseshell, eyes alight.
Prophecy whispers through the ancient trees,
Four clans in peril, their fate on the breeze.
White as snow, a beacon pure,
Unveiling secrets, a guide for the unsure.
Brown as earth, foundations to shake,
A profound shift, a Clan’s perception at stake.
Ginger's flame, a passion untamed,
Igniting the hearts, the old reclaimed.
Tortoiseshell's dance, a mosaic of fate,
Destinies entwined, a new path they create.
Four clans entangled in destiny's weave,
Torn down they must be, in order to achieve.
From the ruins rise anew, reborn,
A harmonious future, by prophecy sworn.
Through trials and strife, they'll find their way,
United they stand, as night turns to day.
In the ashes of old, a new legacy begins,
The White, Brown, Ginger, and Tortoiseshell, friends that fate befriends…"
== Prologue ==
Spirits sat gathered. They were as silent as the wind on a still night. Their starry eyes were intent and unmoving. Their gazes stayed fixated on a warm twoleg house.
One cat, a star-laden white tom stepped forward. His eyes narrowed. “This is where she escaped to.” He proclaimed. “She betrayed her Clan, her lineage, to live the soft life of a kittypet.”
“You must understand her reasons.” A smaller white tom meowed. “We’ve seen what lies in the future for all four Clans.”
“So you're saying it was a mistake to tell her?”
The smaller tom was quiet after that. “Right. We must not dwell on our lost prophet any longer. We have business to attend to.”
As if they were one, the group of cats doubled back and disappeared into the night, leaving the twoleg garden vacant. All except the small white tom.
He stepped forward into the garden. Nimbly, he perched himself on a wooden structure and peered into the clear wall. The cat he had oh so much trust in laid with a pink collar around her neck and three kits at her stomach. One gray, one black, and one white. He repeated the prophecy to himself. 
“In moonlit shadows, four feline spirits unite, White, Brown, Ginger, and Tortoiseshell, eyes alight. Prophecy whispers through the ancient trees, Four clans in peril, their fate on the breeze. White as snow, a beacon pure. Unveiling secrets, a guide for the unsure.”
== Chapter One ==
The forest was warm. Sunlight filtered from the canopy above onto the forest floor, revealing the leaves that had fallen the previous winter. Prey animals scurried around as they fed on the new sprouts and seeds. They were unaware of the lurking danger nearby.
A young cat was crouched in the various ferns and grass that the forest offered fixated on the tasty mouse that was in front of him. His silvery white ears were lowered so as to not alarm the rodent.
The tom held his breath and brought his hind legs and his fore legs closer together, pushing on the ground hard, he leaped. The mouse was prepared though, and darted in a different direction at the same moment. The kitten landed without his meal and turned to pursue it.
He was hard on its path until it disappeared beneath a cleverly hidden burrow. He scowled, pawing at the burrow, before stalking off angrily. 
As he stormed through the forest, the trees became thin and less natural. The floor beneath him became shiny and fake, and the sun was replaced with fluorescent lights. The cat stood in place and blinked. The forest was gone, and he was curled into a ball of fur in his bed, his blue nylon collar hugged tightly around his neck.
He turned over to his back in the bright green nest and yawned. He licked his lips - he could almost taste the mouse.
“Pluto!” A voice called out his name. Pluto flipped onto his paws and padded towards the voice with his tail raised high and rubbed his head against the leg of his caretaker. He leaped onto the table that she was standing at and was greeted by the soft slop he was often fed.
He lowered his head and swallowed a few mouthfuls, imagining the mouse. Perhaps this is what it would taste like? His housefolk stroked his back a few times, and Pluto turned to bite her hand once he decided he had enough. She backed away into a separate room after telling off Pluto for a bit.
The silver tom snorted and leaped off the table. He bounded towards a flap in a wall and dove outside the nest. He traversed the overgrown garden and located the white fence that separated him from the forest.
It was a dark blue outside, but Pluto could see the welcoming glow of the sun slowly rise. Outside of the fence was a creek that bordered the forest. He often walked towards the creek, but never a step farther.
He sniffed from a distance, then left the safety of his fence to walk towards the creek. Pluto touched the icy water gingery with his nose, licking off the liquid after he drew his head back up.
He flinched at the sound of a stick snapping across the creek. It was instinct for him to run back to the warmth of his home, but his curiosity of what lay on the other side kept his paws firm on the ground. He hissed in annoyance when the face of his friend, Snail, came into view.
He wasn’t a house cat like Pluto. He roamed the twolegplace and the forest whenever he pleased, found his own food and water, and made his own nests where he saw fit. His gray tabby pelt rippled with muscles and his fur shone healthily. He didn’t have the same pudgy build as Pluto or any other house cat. Pluto admired him for that and often wondered if maybe he could survive out in the wild.
“Hey, Pluto!” Snail purred. He easily cleared the creek and touched his nose to Pluto’s ear. “Hey, Snail,” Pluto meowed. “You spend an awfully lot of time staring at the forest when you could be exploring it,” Snail said as he sat beside Pluto. The white tom shrugged. “So what?”
“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing.” Snail lifted a black paw and began to groom his ears. “You just might enjoy exploring it more.”
There was a mocking tone to Snail’s voice and Pluto could hear it. “I could go into the forest whenever I please, Snail. I just choose not to.”
“Yeah, whatever you say,” Snail purred. He leaped back over the creek and turned to look at Pluto. “When you do decide to join me, try not to get lost.”
Snail’s cream tail tip disappeared into the bush a moment later. Pluto hissed to himself. “Don’t get lost, Pluto.” He muttered mockingly. He stared into the woods. For a moment he wanted to follow Snail into the forest to prove him wrong, but at the same time he knew he would get turned around and lost before he knew it.
He sighed, and turned back to his home. A twig snap, and his body froze. He looked back at the creek. “Snail?” He turned his body and leaned forward. The forest seemed to be more still, like even the trees had been startled. There was a flash of gray, and Pluto was tackled and pinned to the ground.
He yowled and writhed under the weight of the cat, who he could tell was a kitten just like him. Pluto stared up at his attacker, wide-eyed. He looked friendly despite his aggressive pose. 
“Sorry about that, kittypet!” the cat mewed. He stepped off of Pluto and sat down in front of him. “I thought you were an enemy of EbonyClan! Has any cat ever tell you you look weirdly similar to Twistedstar?”
“Uh, er, who?” Pluto mewed. The kitten shook his head and scuffed the ground with his pinkish-gray paw. “Oh, nothing, nevermind. I wouldn’t expect a kittypet like you to know.”
“What’s a kittypet?”
“An owned cat; a cat who relies on twolegs for food,”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Naw, not if you don’t think so,”
Despite the aggressive attack, Pluto was quick to realize this cat was no danger to him. His face looked friendly, yet thin, and he wasn’t plump like the other cats Pluto had seen. Infact, his build was very similar to Snail’s.
“Are you a lone cat?” Pluto inquired. “No, I belong to EbonyClan: One of the four Clans of cats in the forest. Why d’you ask?” The kitten meowed. “You look similar to my friend Snail, I guess. Except he’s older than you and me.” Pluto said. The cat nodded in acknowledgement; he didn’t reply with anything. To Pluto, it looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t.
After a few awkward moments the kitten’s ear flicked and his nose twitched. “I smell cats from my Clan,” he said. “They might not be too happy about me talking to you.”
Pluto tilted his head to the side. “Why not?”
“Clancats and kittypets don’t mix usually. Lots of my Clanmates would call me disloyal for talking to you like this.”
Pluto thought this cat was strange. He knew they shouldn’t have been talking, but here he was, fur flat and eyes friendly having a partially enjoyable conversation with him.
The tom offered a friendly smile. A second later, the brush behind the two and two more cats appeared on the bank of the creek. One was a thick-pelted light ginger tom with freckles. His fur stuck up at angles, like the base of his ears, tails, and wrists. The beside him was smaller, either that or his thinner, smoother fur made him appear smaller. He had sandy beige and was blinded in one eye.
They cleared the creek easily and joined the gray kitten and Pluto. “Stonepaw, when I said to bring back prey, I didn’t mean a kittypet,” the ginger cat said. “I know, Rainshadow; I’m sorry. I thought he was an enemy warrior.” said Stonepaw.
“That’s a brave apprentice you’ve got, Rainshadow,” the beige cat meowed. He abruptly turned his head to Pluto. “What about you, kittypet? Have you got any bravery yourself?”
Pluto shuffled his paws under the uncomfortable gazes of the Clancats. “Hmm,” the beige cat hummed before Pluto could answer. “Guess not.”
“I do, really.” Pluto answered anyway. “The young kit probably doesn’t even know what it means to have bravery,” Rainshadow meowed. It sounded like an insult, but his voice was more wise than condescending. “Such a soft, warmly lived life. He doesn’t know of the daily struggles of a Clancat.”
“Then tell me.” Pluto mewed indignantly. He wouldn’t sit here and let these older cats talk about him so shamelessly. Rainshadow was silent, but his companion looked thoughtful. Stonepaw was first to break the silence. “Well, we need to find our own food for starters. It takes moons to find the perfect way to hunt. Not even I figured it out.”
Stonepaw wanted to keep going, but Rainshadow cuffed his paw over his mouth meowing: “That’s enough, Stonepaw.” He looked embarrassed.
“Yes,” the supposed leader purred in amusement. “And you must be willing to venture out during the coldest of days just to get a little more than a scrap of bones. On top of that, an attack could be launched on the Clan at any moment, and you must fight; The Clan always comes first.” The cat’s eyes flashed with sadness. “Our Clan was subject to many attacks led by BugClan and WhistleClan this winter. It left our ranks low and cats hungry, yet our warriors still venture out to mark the borders and feed each other.”
Pluto looked at his paws. “Oh,” was all he could manage. The sandy cat continued. “We’ve been left with only one apprentice, Stonepaw, after it all. And the only thing a leader could hope for is another set of paws to help around camp. Perhaps that could be you, kittypet.”
There were a few seconds of silence, and at the cat’s nod, they all turned back towards the creek and prepared to leap over it again - all except Stonepaw. He lingered with Pluto for a moment longer. “Well, see you around. Or, er, maybe not?” he stammered. “Stonepaw!” Rainshadow yowled from the forest. Stonepaw dashed back over to the creek and landed neatly on the other side, his tail high. “Coming, Rainshadow!”
Pluto’s ears angled forward until he couldn’t hear the rustling leaves anymore.
“Pluto!” his housefolk called for him back. Obediently, he turned and padded back into the nest. As he reached up to feel his caretaker’s hand, he thought about what the cats were telling him, and how easily he had obeyed. Then he thought about the cats he had just met. They all had an air of respect for eachother, and it seemed like the beige cat had earned their trust with how unbothered they seemed with having to leave so abruptly. Pluto only followed what his housefolk said because he never thought otherwise, yet these cats had been doing it out of trust.
Pluto yawned the thoughts out of his head and settled back into his nest. Perhaps if he dreams this time he’d be able to catch the mouse that had evaded him earlier. Then, maybe, he’d have an idea about how Clan life truly was.
== Chapter Two ==
Pluto’s day was full of resting, but even after that, he found himself snuggled into his warm nest. The moon hung low through the see-through walls of his home, and few stars shone in the darkening blue sky. The blinding lights were turned off, and all Pluto had to listen to was the orchestra of crickets and owls.
He was just ready to close his eyes when a shadow was casted on the floor in front of him. Looking up, Pluto saw his friend Snail peering through the window. He picked himself up from his comfortable nest and slipped outside to his garden to greet his friend.
“Hey, Pluto,” Snail purred, rubbing his head against Pluto’s. 
“Hi, Snail. Where were you all day?”
“Did I forget to tell you I was going to my sister’s old nest today?”
“Oh,” Pluto meowed. “Guess so.” Snail’s sister was a brindled she-cat who lived on a farm with two housefolk. Pluto didn’t know much about her or the farm, but from Snail’s stories he brought back from visiting her, she seemed like a nice cat.
“Say, did you end up going into the forest today?” Snail inquired. “No,” meowed Pluto. “But, I met some cats from the forest. They weren’t loners like you; they were Clancats.”
“Clancats?” Snail said. He sounded surprised. “I didn’t think Clancats were the type to talk to a house cat like you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Clancats don’t take kindly to stranger cats on their territory. I mean, even today I was strolling through their territory, and two cats a bit older than you jumped out at me. I scared them away, of course. They weren’t a match for me,” Snail bragged. “But seriously, I think you need to be more careful around them.”
“Well, the ones I met seemed nice, especially the one Stonepaw.” Pluto left out the part where Stonepaw had attacked him. He thought that would only prove Snail right in his mind.
Snail shrugged. “Well, if you think so.”
“Where are you going now?”
“Nowhere, really; I’m just passing by, trying to find a place to sleep tonight.”
“Well, you’re welcome to stay with me. I have tons of extra nests.”
Snail smiled. “Thanks, Pluto! Will your twoleg mind?”
“Not if you’re gone by the time they’re up.” Pluto meowed. He spun around and led Snail into the nest. He showed him multiple soft nests like Pluto’s, but Snail insisted on sleeping near the see-through walls so he could “still feel connected to the outdoors.” Pluto thought he was being dramatic.
Settling back into his nest, Pluto fell asleep, and by the time he awoke, Snail had gone. The silver cat laid in the green, plush nest for a moment longer, even ignoring his housefolk’s call for him.
He gazed outside of the window as his tail thumped lightly beside him. The only thing that caught his eye was a crow. The black bird was hopping just outside on his fence, singing its raspy song. Pluto had only ever seen one before, and he had tried to catch that one. He failed, of course, but this time he was determined.
Creeping outside to the overgrown garden, the tom’s eyes were set on the bird. It stretched its wings as it cawed. Pluto dropped down low to the ground and moved towards it. Every fur on his body seemed to be trembling with the thrill of the hunt. He felt all of his senses heightened: he could taste the scent of the crow through his mouth and feel every blade of grass tickle his paw pads.
Pluto put another paw forward, and hissed in annoyance as it disturbed a stray praying mantis. It fluttered up, catching the eye of the crow. It cawed and lifted into the air. Pluto ran for it, but his sluggish speed hadn’t brought him closer to catching it; the crow escaped into the forest.
Frustration coursing through Pluto, and bounded to his fence and balanced on top of it, staring defiantly into the forest. He could just see the black feathers of the crow on the other side of the creek. Leaving the safety of his garden once again, Pluto creeped to the edge of the creek. His tail swished with the anticipation of catching the crow, and he leaped.
The gray cat landed messily on the other side of the creek, but his paw had landed on the crow. Pluto shot up to bring it to his catch to his mouth, but the bird was able to wriggle out of his grasp before he could taste it. It flew off into the forest with Pluto chasing behind it.
He had no hesitation venturing deeper into the mass of trees and brush. Perhaps he was just set on eating a crow for breakfast, or he wanted to prove to Snail he would enter the forest eventually.
Bunching his muscles together, Pluto leaped into the air. The crow, who had oddly been flying just in reach of Pluto, swerved abruptly, leaving Pluto to crash through the mass of thickets.
Unlucky, he landed on another animal, who yowled in surprise. He attempted to scramble upwards, but was bundled away skillfully by the cat. Pluto crouched down beside a tree, ears flat, and looked up at the aggressor.
He was quick to recognize the lean shape and sandy beige color of the leading cat from yesterday. He seemed so respectful and willing then, but now with his neck fur ruffled and teeth bared, it was hard for Pluto to think of him as the same cat. It was far scarier than any alley-cat fight he’d ever seen. Though, the scene only lasted for a brief second before he blinked and lowered his haunches.
“Kittypet,” he greeted. “I’m sorry - you surprised me. I’m expecting an invasion any day now.”
Pluto was too afraid to speak up, but then he remembered the seemingly horrific life this cat had to live, and decided being frightened wouldn’t help him prove himself to this cat anymore.
With all his strength, the silvery cat pushed himself up off the ground and faced the beige one with no fear. “It’s alright,” he meowed cooly. The older cat’s gaze brushed up and down Pluto. “Don’t try so hard, young one. Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is admit you're afraid.” He sat down and wrapped his tail neatly over his paws. “What do your housefolk call you?”
“Pluto.”
The cat dipped his head. “I’m called Duststar. May I ask why you're on my territory again Pluto?”
“Oh, er, I was trying to catch a crow.” Pluto mumbled. He glanced around for a bit. “I’m not sure where it went though.”
Duststar opened his mouth slightly, tasting the air. Pluto had known it could be done, but he never saw a cat do it. After a moment, Duststar nodded to a low-hanging birch tree branch. “Behind that branch, I suppose,” he murmured, then looked back at Pluto. “You seem to be drawn to the forest more than any other kittypet I’ve seen. Tell me, were you always a house-cat?”
“Always.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
Pluto shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t put much thought into it.”
“Well, think, Pluto. Close your eyes, and think.”
So, Pluto did just that. He sat down and wrapped his tail over his paws like Duststar. Then, he closed his eyes. He thought about the fresh breeze ruffling his fur slightly, the soft grass beneath his paws, and the rising sun warm on his back; the scents floating around him, the morning songs of the birds in the canopy, and the soft rustling of the flora around him.
It was a direct opposite of the stale, still air of his home and hard polished floors. “Well?” Duststar inquired when Pluto opened his eyes. 
“I think I prefer the outdoors more, but hunting my own food and fighting every second of the day doesn’t sound too appealing.” He concluded.
Duststar smiled softly. “That’s not all Clan life, Pluto.” He purred, and suddenly stood back up. “Well, I won’t escort you back to your home, I trust you’ll leave with no issue. In the future, though, try hunting within your own garden.”
“Can’t I atleast try to catch the crow again?”
Duststar looked thoughtful. “Well, Pluto, if you try to catch that crow, I’ll have no choice but to take you back to EbonyClan as a prisoner. If you leave now, you can return to your comfortable life as a kittypet; but I can’t promise I won’t tell my warriors to keep you away from the forest.”
Pluto thought for a moment. He can either risk catching nothing in turn of forcefully being kept within Duststar’s Clan, or never enter the forest again. He shifted his paws. Even if this would be his last taste of freedom, Pluto couldn’t give up the rush of adrenaline he felt while hunting prey.
As silent as he could, he dropped down low and crept towards the white and black branch that Duststar had said the crow was hiding behind. He tried to taste its scent like the older cat had done, but couldn’t distinguish the crow scent from the other prey scents around him.
He blindly moved forward into the darker part of the brush. He was still until he saw the black silhouette of the bird hopping around. 
Every one of Pluto’s senses were on edge as he moved forward. He had learned from earlier mistakes and quickly checked his surroundings. There were no grasshoppers, but there was a twig. He swerved it, and continued forward. He was nearly within pouncing distance when his tail tip brushed against a stray fern.
Pluto sunk back as the crow turned and cawed at him. It flew upward, yet Pluto was set on catching it. He leaped up with it and grabbed it with his front paws. The crow unexpectedly scored a mark on Pluto’s ear, and a steady stream of blood began.
He yowled from the shock of the pain and fell backwards. The bird had become disoriented as well from the ordeal and struggled with flying again. Pluto recovered quickly from the scar and lunged for the bird again. This time, he caught it in his mouth, though he struggled to keep it there. With an ear-splitting caw, Pluto spat out the bird. It was all too much for Pluto; the mass of feathers and flailing limbs exhausted him.
Pluto watched as the crow flew lowly against the ground. He had very clearly injured its wing. There was a flash of sandy-colored fur and Duststar held the bird in his mouth a moment later. It laid limp in his jaws.
He set it down and stared at Pluto. “You certainly put up a fight,” Duststar purred. He stepped closer and his gaze turned from stern to curious. “I’ve only ever met one kittypet like you, but even she hesitated from journeying into the forest.”
Pluto met Duststar’s gaze bravely as he continued. “There’d be no reason to hold you prisoner, Pluto. You can’t catch prey or defeat our cats in a battle - you aren’t a threat. But, maybe, you could be an asset to EbonyClan with proper training.”
Pluto tilted his head slightly. “What do you mean?”
“I’m offering you a place in EbonyClan, Pluto. You would train alongside Stonepaw to become a full warrior. But, of course, only if you truly wanted to.”
Pluto hesitated. “Er, I don’t know…”
Duststar looked disappointed. “Of course. I should’ve guessed.”
Pluto felt a pang of pity for the leader. It was clear he and his Clan had been through hard times and they needed more paws to help, but Pluto wasn’t fully behind leaving his housefolk. They had taken care of him since he was a young kit.
Alas, he couldn’t ignore the draw he had to the forest. Even now, battered and a trickle of blood soaking his fur, he enjoyed being here. “Would it be hard?” he inquired.
“The most difficult training you’d ever been through.”
“And what’s the reward?”
“The safety of your Clanmates.” Duststar added on when Pluto blinked at him. “It may not matter to you now, but if you join, it would mean the world.”
Pluto thought of Stonepaw. The kitten was nice to him, talkative, but nice. And even in the short amount of time Pluto had known Duststar, he had an odd feeling of respect for him. Pluto was torn between the life he had always known and this new one that seemed to be calling for him everyday.
“Whatever you’re thinking, EbonyClan needs loyal cats; you can’t live with a paw in each world.” Duststar spun around and scooped up the crow. Just as he was about to bound out of sight, Pluto spoke up. “Wait! I’ll join.”
Duststar’s eyes focused on him, and Pluto felt a wave of a feeling he’d never felt before. It was so overwhelming it nearly knocked him off his paws. After a moment of silence, Duststar simply nodded and continued forward. Pluto hesitated for a moment before diving after him.
Almost instantly, Pluto was wheezing from the energy needed to keep up. All he could see were flashes of beige fur and the occasional ears and tail tip of Duststar.
Eventually, the scent of many cats filled the air and Pluto saw Duststar staring down at a mass of branches and fallen trees. They were all intertwined with each other - it was clear a cat had done this.
Duststar set down the crow he’d caught. “They’ll challenge you,” he warned Pluto. “And I as well, but less so. You cannot show them you’re afraid. “
Pluto puffed out his chest. “I’m not afraid.”
Duststar purred in amusement and said nothing more. He took the crow back in his jaws and moved forward and ducked under a branch, disappearing into the cat-ridden place. Pluto took a breath, and plunged in after him.
It teemed with cats, both young and old, and meticulously placed branches and twigs to shelter the dip. By the well-protected entrance was a pile of dead prey. Duststar had sat next to it with the crow laying at his paws. He was talking to a white tom. Pluto noticed the cat glancing at him with his small eyes. Pluto skittered to sit beside Duststar once he gestured to him.
“He’s well round…” the white tom murmured as Pluto plopped down beside Duststar. “Yes, but that can be solved without issue.” The chestnut tom meowed dismissively.
By now, more cats were noticing Pluto’s arrival. Cats who Pluto assumed to be the lifeline of the Clan were gathering in a circle, sniffing at his scent gingerly and whispering among themselves. Two older cats pushed their way to the front with a third following more slowly behind.
“Duststar, what’ve you brought back now?” a battle-scarred light gray tom spat. “Another cat to clean your bedding, Whitestrike.” Duststar answered calmly. “Are you sure? It looks like he doesn’t get much exercise,” a blueish she-cat with five curious kits at her paws chimed in. “He has the determination that we all need, Skywatcher.”
“It sounds like you’re about to recruit this cat…” a cat called from the crowd.
Duststar shrugged. “What’s wrong with more help around camp?”
The gathered cats grew louder with protest, yowling whatever reason they had to not live alongside Pluto.
“Silence!” Duststar shouted with a lash of his tail. Pluto shrunk back - it was the first time he had seen Duststar visibly upset. “Every cat here knows the cold seasons have been especially hard for us, and how much longer will it be until BugClan launches yet another attack on us? We cannot wait for more apprentices - we must get them when we can.”
Another cat had joined the group: a grayish tom with wave-like markings. He commanded an air of respect around him, and unlike Duststar’s, Pluto felt nervous because of it. He walked forward bravely, leaning down to sniff Pluto properly. When he drew back, his mouth was twisted into a snarl. “He smells of twolegs, and that collar isn’t helping his case at all.”
The camp was quiet as the tom turned to join the cats who were watching him intently. “He won’t be a proper fit for EbonyClan, Duststar. I’d be surprised if he could catch a dead mouse, let alone defend himself from a BugClan warrior.”
Pluto looked at Duststar, but the tom had his gaze fixed forward. When Pluto didn’t respond to the gray cat’s berating, he scoffed indignantly.
“No cat is born able to hunt and fight like a true warrior, Wavewhisker, but every cat is born with the ability to train hard to become one. Honestly, is it really like EbonyClan to judge a cat they don’t even know the name of?” Moonleap spoke out. “We’d be no better than WhistleClan. I trust in Duststar’s decisions; this kitten could make a fine warrior, all he needs is the dedication and determination, which Duststar has assured me he has.”
The camp was silent after that. Pluto’s pelt suddenly felt hot and prickly under the stares of these indifferent cats.
“What’s his name anyway?” A yellow-brown tom inquired. “I was just getting to that,” Duststar meowed. He positioned himself opposite of Pluto so he was staring down at him, and Pluto felt that same overwhelming feeling from earlier. “Pluto, despite your kittypet roots, you claim to be ready to go through the training of a warrior. Do you vow to train hard to protect this Clan?”
The words were almost automatic for Pluto. “I do.”
“Then I pronounce you Ghostpaw of EbonyClan, in honor of your silver-white fur. EbonyClan welcomes you as a new apprentice.”
“What about the collar around his neck? No warrior dares to be caught in one of those,” Wavewhisker spat. “Then his first assignment will be to get rid of it. Rainshadow, I trust you’ll be able to help Ghostpaw find a way to tear it off.”
Rainshadow stepped forward, Stonepaw at his side. “Sure, Duststar.”
He nodded and stood up. “Well then, once you do, you can start his training right away. As for the rest of you, there’s work that needs to be done.”
At Duststar’s words, the group disbanded and got back to their busy lives. Stonepaw bounced up to Ghostpaw. “Hey, Ghostpaw! I can’t believe Duststar just accepted you like that.”
Ghostpaw shrugged. He felt confident once out in the forest, but the uncomfortable stares he was still getting from his new Clanmates as they passed by set him on edge.
“Don’t worry about them, Ghostpaw. They’re still worried about stranger cats after all the attacks.” Rainshadow meowed. “And it won’t get better if we waste all day standing here. Let’s go you two.”
Rainshadow ducked under the camp’s exit and disappeared into the forest, followed by Stonepaw. Ghostpaw stood before the entrance of the forest he had dreamed about for so long. It seemed so far out of reach before, but now it was all right in front of him.
Taking a breath, Ghostpaw followed Rainshadow and Stonepaw into his new life as a wild cat.
== Chapter Three ==
Ghostpaw held still as Rainshadow sawed through his collar with an adder fang. Stonepaw had killed it before it could strike out at Ghostpaw, who was none the wiser to its presence. Ghostpaw held still until he felt the tight feeling around his neck soften, and the blue collar fell down before him.
“Does that feel better, Ghostpaw?” Rainshadow inquired. “Much better,” Ghostpaw purred as a breeze ruffled his neck fur for the first time. Rainshadow smiled. “It’s a custom to show every new EbonyClan apprentice the borders, so that’ll be our lesson for today. And Stonepaw, you could do with a refresher.”
Stonepaw scoffed. “Borders, I don’t see the point of them. Why can’t we just go where we want?”
“Because that’s what StarClan intended.” Rainshadow answered quickly. He spun around and plunged deeper into the forest. Ghostpaw and Stonepaw followed eagerly after, leaving the blue collar that binded Ghostpaw to his former life behind.
Though Ghostpaw had set after Rainshadow before Stonepaw, it wasn’t long until the fitter tom overtook him, and Ghostpaw was relieved when they had finally stopped.
The forest began to thin out before them into a rolling moorland. Blankets of grass covered the hilly biome and were dotted with stones. “This is OwlClan territory,” Rainshadow meowed. “We’ve become allies during the winter, and they supplied us with food when our Clan was too weak to hunt. You can’t let WhistleClan or BugClan know that though, Ghostpaw.”
Ghostpaw nodded and followed Rainshadow along the border as he continued. “They’re kind souls, and we’re normally welcomed on their territory without trouble. Infact, I have a few friends there: Creekpath and Windheart. If you see a few OwlClan cats on patrol, don’t be afraid to say hi.”
“Look, Rainshadow! There’s some there!”
The group of cats looked over to see five OwlClan cats. Most of them carried expertly killed prey. Rainshadow raised his tail in hello once the hunters noticed them, and continued to lead both Ghostpaw and Stonepaw along the border.
“So, I can cross the border when I want?” Ghostpaw meowed. “Well, not to hunt or invade their camp, of course. But if you're chasing a squirrel and it happens to cross the border, no cat should get mad at you for pursuing it.”
Rainshadow had set a steady pace to the next border, and Ghostpaw was able to easily keep up until they stopped.
In front of Ghostpaw was a moor just like before, but jutting up from the earth was a huge mesa. Ghostpaw had to crane his neck upward and step backward just to see the rim of it.
“This is the WhistleClan border. We patrol it frequently, but not as often as the BugClan border. They’ve been responsible for a few attacks, but they stopped at the start of this season.
“They live inside and on that mesa, and never leave it. Unless there’s a gathering, of course.”
“What’s a gathering?” Ghostpaw asked.
“Every full moon all Clans gather at the Star Lake. It’s a special place that our ancestors made. There, no fighting or hunting is allowed, and every full moon all Clans meet there to give reports on their Clan.”
“We’ll probably be picked to go, I’ve never been, but usually all new apprentices get picked to go.” Stonepaw smiled.
“So only a few cats are allowed to go?”
“Yup. The best way to get picked is to do something great for your Clan. Like, last moon, Rainshadow found and killed an adder that was hiding in the nursery. He saved Skywatcher and her kits! Duststar was really proud of him.”
Rainshadow shrugged, but his eyes shone with satisfaction of the story being told. “I was just doing what a good warrior does.”
The cats continued quickly along the border and stopped once they came across a hill. Before climbing to the top of it, Rainshadow turned to face Ghostpaw. “From the top of this hill, you can see the BugClan border. I’m afraid you’re too undertrained to stand directly beside it. Even a whiff of any EbonyClan cat is enough to start a border scrap with them.”
Ghostpaw nodded and after a moment of hesitation, Rainshadow led the two apprentices up the hill to gaze into BugClan. Stonepaw bounced excitedly forward. “I don’t get why they hate us so much. All we do is mind our business.” Rainshadow shrugged. Ghostpaw stepped forward to join Stonepaw. Their territory was a mountain range.
“Memorize the scent, Ghostpaw. You will meet them in battle one day.” Rainshadow ordered.
Ghostpaw opened his mouth and drank in the scent. It was faint, but he could smell a tang of acrid and crisp in the air. “Well, it’s nearly sunset. I’ll take you two out tomorrow for a hunting assessment. For now, we’ll head back to camp.”
Rainshadow turned and trotted back into the forest. Ghostpaw stood on the hill just a bit long, staring into the vast canvas of gray dotted with green elm-trees. He leaned forward, and just for a moment, he swore a pair of blue eyes staring back at him.
“Ghostpaw!” Rainshadow called for him. Ghostpaw tore his eyes away from the scene and slid down the hill to join his Clanmates.
The trip back to camp went quickly and by the time the three got back, the sky was just turning pink as the sun dipped below the tree-line. The camp seemed emptier now.
“Most warriors are out doing their nightly patrols,” Rainshadow said. “Once you two become more experienced, you’ll be ready to join them. For now, go eat and get ready for bed.”
Ghostpaw followed Stonepaw to the pile of prey that was near the camp’s exit. It didn’t hold as much as it did earlier in the day, but there was still a good amount left. “So, what did you think about your first day as an apprentice, Ghostpaw?” Stonepaw meowed as he pawed a squirrel towards him.
“Tiring,” said Ghostpaw, and he stopped before he added in "boring.”
“Yeah, well just wait until you start really training. I bet you’ll really start regretting your choice.”
Ghostpaw grabbed a mouse by his jaws and crouched to eat it. He had never eaten a mouse. Ghostpaw prodded it with a paw to determine the best way to eat it.
“Just take a bite, Ghostpaw,” Stonepaw encouraged from the side. Ghostpaw dipped his head and did as Stonepaw said. It certainly tasted better than any food his twoleg could’ve given him. “I can’t see myself ever leaving.”
The two ate in silence until Stonepaw had finished his squirrel and popped up. “Come on, Ghostpaw, let’s go find a place for you to make your nest.”
Ghostpaw hurriedly finished the mouse and trailed after Stonepaw as he led him to a fallen tree. The bare branches were intertwined with thickets but there was a small space that offered a warm place for shelter. Stonepaw squeezed in first, followed by Ghostpaw.
The den was dark with the only light that was being let in being the moonlight from outside. The walls were dirt, and the ground was bare with well-trodden dirt. “I’ve been the only apprentice in here since the cold seasons There were three more who trained with me, but they either died from the cold, hunger, wounds, or sickness like most of the Clan.” 
Ghostpaw looked at Stonepaw. His normally cheerful and whimsical self looked solemn now. “Were you friends with them all?”
“Not all of them, but there was this cat, Opalpaw, I would’ve spent all my days with them if I could.”
Ghostpaw pressed against Stonepaw comfortingly. He didn’t know what to say.
The two sat there together for a moment until Rainshadow came in. “Oh, good, you two are in here. Don’t stay up too late; we’ll be training with Wavewhisker tomorrow.”
Stonepaw perked up. “Really? Is he assessing us?”
“No, not yet, Stonepaw. He’s just interested to see if you’re getting on well. And he wants to see if you have any skills yet, Ghostpaw.”
Ghostpaw shuffled uncomfortably. “I haven’t learned anything yet.”
“That’s okay. Nobody’s expecting you to catch the most prey or fight off a BugClan warrior single-pawed just yet.” Rainshadow smiled at Ghostpaw before backing out of the den.
“Do you want help building a nest?” Stonepaw asked. Ghostpaw nodded, and the two got to work patting moss and bracken into place, as well as bird feathers and tufts of “wolf” fur. They took the scraps from around the den to work on it.
By the end Ghostpaw was certain he couldn’t walk another step. He collapsed into his nest, which wasn’t nearly as soft as his old one, but it would do. “Goodnight,” Stonepaw curled into a ball and was nearly instantly asleep.
Ghostpaw did the same, but didn’t find sleep so easily. He felt so exposed, and the night was only getting colder. The previous cool breeze that ran through his silver fur was now unwelcomed. “How can any cat sleep like this?” he thought, curling tighter around himself.
It took great effort to fall asleep that night, and when Ghostpaw awoke, he felt as if he hadn’t slept at all.
A paw was prodding his side. “Ghostpaw, come on. Rainshadow and Wavewhisker are waiting for us.”
Ghostpaw looked up and saw Stonepaw’s face staring back down at him. The tom looked just as bright-eyed as he did the day before. Hauling himself to his paws, Ghostpaw trudged after Stonepaw as they entered the clearing.
It was empty aside from a chocolate-and-cream she-cat and a caramel colored one talking and eating by the prey pile. The sky was a creamy pink with the arriving sun and the air was warm and filled with new scents.
“It looks like you barely slept, Ghostpaw,” Rainshadow murmured as Ghostpaw plodded up to him. “Oh, he’s fine.” Wavewhisker said. “Come on, let’s not waste anymore time.”
Ghostpaw hadn’t even known where he was going or where he was going when he followed the older cats blindly through the forest. He was still slow with sleep, and Stonepaw stayed at his side. “Maybe we can find some sheep wool in OwlClan territory today. Usually only the elders can have it, but no cat will notice if we tuck a bit into our nests.”
“Try to keep up!” Wavewhisker called from the front. Stonepaw had sped up in a hurry, but Ghostpaw couldn’t find the strength to follow.
It felt like Ghostpaw had broken through millions of overgrown walls or flora until he came to a stop at a bubbling stream. The rest of the patrol were waiting for him by the time he got there, and when he showed Wavewhisker leaned over and whispered something into Rainshadow’s ear. Ghostpaw walked over to Stonepaw and sat next to him and met Wavewhisker’s gaze steadily, though his whiskers quivered with nervousness.
“Today I want to test both of your skills in tracking. It is the first thing you need to master if you want to become a decent hunter,” Wavewhisker started. “Ghostpaw, I understand kittypets don’t do much tracking, so try your best.”
Ghostpaw bit back a retort. “I’m not a kittypet anymore.”
“Rainshadow and I hid a wolf claw, squirrel tail, and pawful of adder skills around this stream somewhere. Stonepaw, Rainshadow will be padding after you, and I will be following you, Ghostpaw.”
Ghostpaw didn’t feel any more nervous after what Wavewhisker said. If anything, he felt a surge of excitement to prove his place in EbonyClan.
“Well, let’s get started.” Wavewhisker meowed. Stonepaw jumped up and started along the stream, his head low to the ground like a hound. “Stonepaw, scents don’t fall to the ground usually…” Rainshadow was saying as he followed after him.
When Ghostpaw looked back to Wavewhisker, the tom was watching him with narrowed eyes. “Well?”
Ghostpaw sat up and raised his muzzle to the sky, mouth ajar and eyes focused on scents. He had no clue what a wolf and an adder were, let alone what they smelled like. Though, he could recognize the scents of Rainshadow and Wavewhisker. Maybe their scents were still clinging to the ground they had walked on, which in turn would lead him to the items he needed to find.
He stood where he was for a bit longer until the faint trace of Wavewhisker drifted onto his tongue. Now filled with energy, Ghostpaw plunged into the forest. His head was still held high as he ran after Wavewhisker’s scent which was strengthening with each stride. He barely even noticed the tom’s smell from behind.
After a while of weaving in and out of fern swaths, ducking under branches, and leaping over mud puddles, Ghostpaw arrived at where the scent seemed the strongest. He lowered his head a bit and sniffed around vigorously until he came up to a strange moss and fern pile. Shuffling the green plants around, Ghostpaw was face to face with a squirrel tail. He took it in his draws and held it proudly for Wavewhisker to see.
The silver-gray cat seemed unimpressed. “I’m sure even a kit could’ve found that. Put it back, and be sure to cover it back up.”
Ghostpaw did as he was told, undeterred from Wavewhisker’s indifference. His plan worked nicely, and he figured it would work again, but he decided to try something else. Stonepaw seemed so eager to start in the complete opposite direction of the stream. Perhaps he had smelt something before Wavewhisker announced the challenge? Confidently, he began to retrace his steps.
“There’s nothing hidden where we’ve been.” Wavewhisker said from behind him. “Nice to know.” Ghostpaw treated him with arrogance.
The walk back was tense and quiet. Ghostpaw walked with a new found liveliness after finding the squirrel tail so easily and it wasn’t long until he crossed paths with Stonepaw, who only nodded at him. Ghostpaw took it as a sign that they were not allowed to speak during the test, but the look on Stonepaw’s face, pleased, was enough to tell him his suspicions were correct: Stonepaw had found something.
After his friend and Rainshadow had continued deeper into the forest, Ghostpaw caught their fresh scent in the air and followed it to a pile of neatly stacked adder scales. He looked to Wavewhisker for approval.
The deputy seemed confused. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. “I won’t praise you with every find, Ghostpaw. You still need to find the wolf claw.”
Ghostpaw shrugged and glanced around. “Maybe it’s on the other side of the stream.”
He headed for the bank of the stream and crouched, preparing himself to jump. He cleared the canal easier than expected and trotted around this part of the forest. He looked around for any hints or any scents that could be floating around.
Ghostpaw stopped when he saw a flash of white. He walked forward to investigate and was met with a toothy skull. He leaped back, yowling out of fright. “Shush!” Wavewhisker scolded. Ghostpaw forced himself to face the skull bravely and realized it wasn’t by itself, there were all sorts of bones in the area.
He picked around the area for a bit longer until he came across a huge paw. The claws look deadly, but Ghostpaw couldn’t help but notice one was missing.
Ghostpaw tried to pull his thoughts away from the beast and to the scents in the air. There was the distinct smell of Rainshadow lingering among the skeleton. Ghostpaw passed through the bones until he found a coherent trail.
A while away, Ghostpaw uncovered a shiny hooked claw. Assuming it belonged to the supposed wolf skeleton, he looked at Wavewhisker expectantly. Wavewhisker’s face was twisted into one of confusion. “How did you find all three so easily? Kittypets don’t know what these things smell like.”
“I’m not a kittypet,” Ghostpaw spat. Wavewhisker drew his lips back into a snarl.
“And you surely aren’t a Clancat. Even the smallest kit of the forest would know to never talk back to their deputy.”
Ghostpaw shrugged. “Then the smallest kit in the forest needs to hurry up and learn to not let cats bully them.”
Just as Wavewhisker was about to say something else, Stonepaw came crashing from the undergrowth with Rainshadow at his side. “Wow, Ghostpaw! You found everything before me!” he mewed.
“Well done, Ghostpaw. Duststar will be happy to hear you have a natural affinity to track things down.” Rainshadow praised. Ghostpaw felt warm from the compliments of his Clanmates, even if he was missing Wavewhisker’s, who had turned quiet once the two others joined them.
“Well, it’s not sun-high just yet, why don’t we try a bit of hunting training too?” Rainshadow suggested. 
“Yes, you three can go ahead. I’ll get back to camp and report how you two did.” Wavewhisker barely nodded a goodbye to the group before slinking off back to camp.
“Well, Stonepaw, why don’t you find me a mouse, vole, and robin while I work with Ghostpaw. Don’t take too long!” Rainshadow added the last part while Stonepaw padded back into the undergrowth. “Well, Ghostpaw, show me your best hunting crouch.”
Ghostpaw fell messily into a crouching position. Rainshadow walked around him and commented on everything about him. “Your tail is too low to the ground, your rump is sticking up in the air, and I can tell you aren’t balancing your weight on all four of your paws.”
Ghostpaw tried his best to fix each mistake and only got into the correct position after Rainshadow nudged him into place. Rainshadow went on teaching him about the proper way to hunt, like how to not wobble when sneaking forward and to be focused on everything around him all at once. By the end of it Ghostpaw felt much more like a wild cat.
“Now, I want you to try your best and find a mouse for me. You have until sun-high.” Rainshadow sat down and wrapped his tail neatly over his paws, nodding for Ghostpaw to go. The silver tom started up and trotted into the forest.
His ears were alert for the sound of any prey that could be a mouse. After a moment of silently walking, he was quick to notice a small gray shape twitching around beneath a fern.
Just as he was taught, Ghostpaw lowered himself into a hunting crouch and crept forward. The mouse was unaware of his presence and was happily munching on a grass seed.
Ghostpaw swerved a fallen stick and was close enough to leap onto the mouse. Rainshadow hadn’t told him if there were any specific way to do so, so Ghostpaw bunched his muscles together and pounced on the mouse with outstretched paws.
The rodent tried to escape but Ghostpaw was already on top of it. He bit down into it and let go when he heard the satisfying crack in bones beneath him.
As he drew himself to stand, Ghostpaw felt a rush of satisfaction from the successful hunt. Head high, Ghostpaw pranced back to where Rainshadow would be waiting for him.
Upon arrival Stonepaw was sitting there too. His paws were cleanly killed vole and mouse, and Stonepaw had leaves stuck in his fur.
“I tried to follow a robin up into a tree, but I ended up falling after a few branches,” Stonepaw said as Ghostpaw dropped his mouse onto the prey pile. 
“Well done, both of you. We’ll head back to camp to rest and I’ll take the two of you out again before evening patrols.” Said Rainshadow.
On the way back to camp, Stonepaw started a conversation on the best piece of prey. “You’ve only tasted a mouse before, but trust me, robins are great. You have to try them.”
After a brief pause, Stonepaw continued. “So, how’s your second day as an EbonyClan apprentice?”
Ghostpaw beamed. “Great! I don’t miss my old home at all.”
“I didn’t think you would.”
When the cats arrived at camp, Rainshadow broke off to speak with a heavily pregnant silver tabby tom. “That’s Silverdance; he’s Rainshadow’s mate, and his kits are due any day now,” Stonepaw said. “Tigerfoot believes it’ll be three days from now, and so does Sweetsun.”
“Who are they?”
“The younger healers. Moonleap was both of their mentors. Look, that’s them over there.”
Ghostpaw looked to where Stonepaw pointed to and saw two cats along with Moonleap basking in the sunlight. They all seemed very close to each other.
“Ooh, look, Ghostpaw! Two robins!” Stonepaw squealed. He led Ghostpaw to the prey pile and took the birds by their wings. “You’re going to love it. Go on, take a bite.”
Ghostpaw lowered his head to take a bite but was interrupted by Wavewhisker calling his name. “Ghostpaw! Come here!”
Ghostpaw groaned but stood and turned. Wavewhisker was sitting at a fallen oak tree with two cats beside him. “No cat gave you permission to eat yet, you haven’t earned it.”
“I need to earn permission to eat?”
“Yes, you do. And by looking at you, I think you could stand another hour or two with no food.”
Ghostpaw felt hot beneath his pelt with embarrassment. “But me and Stonepaw did just about the same amount of work.”
“And Stonepaw’s been a loyal EbonyClan member all his life. Go to the elders’ den and ask if they need anything, then you can eat.”
Ghostpaw turned and forced himself to walk away calmly. He was halfway across the clearing when he realized he had no idea where the elders’ den was. He spotted the healers from earlier and bounded towards them. “Er, hello?”
A pretty ginger-spotted cat lifted their head. “Oh, hello.” They said sleepily. Now that Ghostpaw was close to them, he could tell they weren’t too much older than himself. “Do you know where the Elders’ den is?”
“Oh, yes. It’s right there, the log connected to that tree stump. That’s our den right next to it.”
Ghostpaw smiled shyly. “Thanks.” He scampered off to the log and squeezed inside.
Two toms and a cat were relaxing inside. A beige-and-white cat with smaller ears was grooming a tawny-and-ice tom, while the third dozed across from them. “Hello?” Ghostpaw squeaked.
The beige tom Ghostpaw, recognized to be Whitestrike, stopped grooming and scoffed. “Oh, hello Ghostpaw.”
“Don’t be rude, Whitestrike.” Meowed the tawny cat. “Hello, dear, I’m Leafdawn. What can we do for you?”
“Wavewhisker told me to come here and help you all out with anything.”
“Well, I could go for a freshly caught squirrel,” Whitestrike meowed. Ghostpaw felt a little bitter about how rudely the elder had initially greeted him but didn’t say anything.
“I’m fine how I am, dear, and Foreststep won’t wake up until night.” Leafdawn smiled. “Well, best get to it.”
Ghostpaw left the den and sped towards where Stonepaw was still eating. “Whitestrike is sending me out to catch a squirrel. I’ll see you later.”
“Oh, alright! If anyone asks, I’ll tell them where you are,” Stonepaw promised. Ghostpaw doubted any cat would be wondering where he was but he appreciated the gesture.
Ghostpaw entered the forest and began searching for the rodent. His stomach cramped with hunger; he wasn’t used to not having a proper breakfast or lunch, and he wanted to find a squirrel as quickly as possible.
After a few moments of searching, he spotted a brown squirrel picking around a tree. Channeling his knowledge prior, Ghostpaw inched closer to it and leaped. The squirrel tried to flee up the birch tree, but Ghostpaw was quicker. He caught it with his paws and crunched down on it with his teeth.
Returning to camp, he walked straight to the elder’s den to deliver the prey. “Thank you, Ghostpaw,” Leafdawn meowed for Whitestrike as they began to tear into the squirrel.
Pushing his way into the main clearing, Ghostpaw sat by the prey pile and hooked his claw around the robin from earlier, crouching to eat it. He barely noticed his Clanmates talking beside him.
After eating, Ghostpaw began to groom his pelt, all to be interrupted by Rainshadow. “Hey, Ghostpaw. Could you fetch Stonepaw for me? It’s just about time for us to head back into the forest.”
Ghostpaw caught himself about to complain but stopped just in time. Maybe it was a part of a Clancat’s life to be on their paws all day. “Alright, Rainshadow!” Ghostpaw meowed.
He bounded towards the apprentices’ den and saw his friend grooming his own pelt in his nest. “It’s time to leave again,” Ghostpaw told him.
The two silently followed Rainshadow into the forest. They stopped at an old juniper tree, and Ghostpaw smelled a lot of something all around the area. “This is the Squirrel Tree. Every Greenleaf, squirrels gather here to do whatever it is squirrels do. It’s a good source of food, and a great area to practice climbing, fighting, and hunting.” Rainshadow told them. “We’ll be doing battle training today. Why don’t you two spar quickly, and we’ll go on from there.”
Ghostpaw watched as Stonepaw took a rather aggressive battle stance. He didn’t feel too confident in his own ability to fight, and with Stonepaw’s hackles raised and teeth bared, he didn’t feel any better.
“Ghostpaw, you take first move.” Rainshadow move to make himself comfortable on a jutting tree root.
Ghostpaw copied Stonepaw’s stance to the best of his ability and leaped at him. Stonepaw darted away just in time and batted Ghostpaw’s back with mock aggression. Ghostpaw landed face first into the ground and didn’t have time to straighten again before Stonepaw was on his back. Ghostpaw yowled and lost balance. He fell on his side and felt Stonepaw’s back paws pummeling his white flank.
Ghostpaw felt a surge of frustration and flipped onto his back, reaching up with his forepaw and smacking Stonepaw’s cheek.
The older tom sneezed from the impact, and Ghostpaw took the short time of weakness to escape his grasp and crouched a while in front of him. Stonepaw barreled towards Ghostpaw, who waited until the gray cat was close enough to grab him by the neck, slamming him to the ground. Unfortunately, Ghostpaw wasn’t nearly as developed as Stonepaw, and he escaped Ghostpaw easily.
Stonepaw was about to go in for another attack until Rainshadow stopped the match. “Well done, both of you. There are obviously things you both can work on to get better, so it’s better we get started now so you are rested for tomorrow’s training.”
Ghostpaw huffed and he and Stonepaw moved to stand next to each other. He was already out of breath, and the thought of doing this tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after made him feel weary, but he couldn’t ignore the rush of excitement that pulsed through him when he had Stonepaw beat for that first time. After taking a breath, Ghostpaw joined Rainshadow and Stonepaw and listened attentively to what Rainshadow was teaching.
== Chapter Four ==
Ghostpaw moved forward, slinking through the forest with the silence and stealth of a snake. It had been a moon since he had joined the forest, and he had gotten significantly better at numerous things. He could hunt, fight, and track better, and being put to work all day was getting increasingly easier. 
As Ghostpaw skillfully avoided a low-hanging branch, his target came into sight: a robin.
Ghostpaw pounced, catching the bird in his mouth. He nipped at its neck and felt joyful once it went limp in his jaws. Just a moon ago, Ghostpaw wouldn’t have a chance at catching a bird, but now it felt more like second-nature.
The silver tom turned and padded back to his patrol; Duststar, Wavewhisker, and Stonepaw. There would be a gathering once the sun set, and Duststar had decided to bring Ghostpaw and Stonepaw out for a quick hunting mission beforehand. They had been out since sun-high and Ghostpaw hoped they’d be able to go back to camp now.
“Well done, Ghostpaw. It seems I made a good choice on bringing you to the gathering,” meowed Duststar.
“Stonepaw caught loads more prey if I remember correctly. Maybe it would’ve been a better display of skill if only he came,” Wavewhisker butted in.
Ghostpaw suppressed a hiss of annoyance. Wavewhisker hadn’t let up with the discouraging words towards Ghostpaw despite the apprentice becoming an excellent hunter and decent fighter. Most of EbonyClan had accepted him, so why couldn’t Wavewhisker?
“Well, Stonepaw is two moons older than Ghostpaw, and what would we look like bringing only a nine-moon-old apprentice to a gathering?” Duststar said carefully. Ghostpaw was happy that his leader was sticking up from him - Duststar didn’t do so very often.
Wavewhisker snatched up the crow turned away. “I’ll go back and fetch the prey we caught.” He mumbled.
Duststar watched him leave before turning in the direction of the camp and padding off. Stonepaw followed after him and Ghostpaw fell into step.
“Don’t worry about what Wavewhisker says. That catch was really good, and I heard Molethroat complimenting a squirrel you caught the other day, and she’s not easy to impress.” Meowed Stonepaw.
Ghostpaw shrugged. He couldn’t help but wish the deputy liked him. “What are gatherings like?” He changed the subject tactfully. Ghostpaw could recall when he first joined the Clan that Stonepaw and Rainshadow told him bits of it, but he never fully understood it.
“They happen once a moon when the moon is at its fullest. During the day, there’s a peace treaty, and no Clans are allowed to attack each other,” Stonepaw said. “Once the night comes, all four Clans gather at the Star Lake and our leaders tell them news from our Clan.”
“We haven’t attended the last two, so you both must make sure you're on your best behavior,” Duststar ordered from ahead of the apprentices.
“Don’t worry about us, Duststar,” Stonepaw purred, and bounded up to ask more about the other Clans. From what Ghostpaw could hear, there weren’t many differences between them besides the fact they had different names and lived in different areas. They all lived under their warrior ancestors, StarClan, hunted the same types of prey, and had similar names. It made Ghostpaw wonder how cats so similar could be so aggressive towards each other.
When the patrol arrived back at camp the sun was beginning to sink below the treeline. “We’ll be living in a little bit so make sure you both look decent,” Duststar said. He padded off towards his den and disappeared into the crevice.
“Ghostpaw, we should go ask the older warriors about gatherings too! I bet they’re all coming,” Stonepaw suggested. Ghostpaw agreed and followed Stonepaw to where Molethroat, a dark brown she-cat, was sitting with two other cats.	“Hey!” Stonepaw purred. Ghostpaw followed his lead and gave the group a friendly wave of his tail. “Are any of you coming to the gathering tonight?”
“Flystripe and I are,” a russet tomcat meowed. Ghostpaw recognized him to be Acornspring. His kits — Bluekit, Coalkit, Whisperingkit, Tadpolekit, and Wrenkit — would become apprentices soon after the gathering, and have been the talk of the Clan.
“This will be both of your first times representing EbonyClan, so don’t say too much or too little,” Flystripe said.
“How will we know what’s what?” Ghostpaw asked.
“Well, don’t go telling all of EbonyClan’s secrets, or your own, Ghostpaw,” Molethroat spat. Ghostpaw wanted to say something back but had been taught not to. He thought with Acornspring’s kits becoming apprentices cats would start to forget about his kittypet past, but apparently not.
“It’ll be a shock for all the Clans to see us there. The last gathering we went to were seasons ago,” Flystripe pointed out.
“I can’t wait to see what WhistleClan and BugClan have to say about the borders. Oh, and that Twistedstar,” The way Molethroat bared her teeth at the end gave Ghostpaw enough knowledge about Twistedstar.
He looked up at the sound of a yowl. Duststar was sitting by the camp’s exit with Wavewhisker calling for the cats who were attending the gathering. Automatically, the three cats got up and bounded towards the leader and deputy. Stonepaw chased after them with his pelt on end with excitement.
Ghostpaw followed more slowly, weaving around the cats until he found himself by Stonepaw’s side. He could see Moonleap, Sweetsun, and Tigerfoot at the head of the group with Duststar and Wavewhisker. He also saw Rainshadow talking with Acornspring, and he felt a bit of ease with his mentor attending alongside him.
Duststar quickly surveyed the gathered cats before yowling again. As if they were one cat, they all began to move simultaneously out of the camp and into the forest. Pawsteps sounded like thunder as cats made their way to the sacred gathering place.
“This is so exciting!” Stonepaw mewed. “I can’t wait to show off my battle moves and hunting techniques!”
“Don’t show too much, Stonepaw. We don’t want the other Clans to use that information against us,” Rainshadow told him from in front of the pair.
“I’m a bit nervous,” Ghostpaw admitted. “What if they can tell I was a kittypet?”
“You look like any other Clan cat,” Stonepaw shrugged. Ghostpaw looked Stonepaw up and down. He looked leaner and stronger than Ghostpaw, but maybe that would come with age.
The rest of the journey was quiet, and the cats stopped once they got to the Star Lake. Duststar slowed his pace and so did Ghostpaw. He carefully picked his way to the front, just a bit away from Duststar, and crouched down to get a better look.
There was a sandy dip with a lake in the center, and to Ghostpaw, it looked as if all the stars in the sky were placed into the lake. The light dazzled him and he forced himself to look away before he got a headache.
Besides that, there were a few stones and shrubbery, along with a bare, dead tree at the very edge of the lake. “We’re the first Clan here,” Ghostpaw heard Duststar murmur. At a flick of his tail, Ghostpaw and cats behind him went followed him into the dip.
Ghostpaw put his first two paws onto the sand and couldn’t help himself from slipping in. His paws scrambled for something to hold onto, but he ended up falling forward on his nose instead. His pelt felt hot with embarrassment as Molethroat and a pretty cream she-cat walked past him, snickering at his fall.
“You’re lucky no other Clan was here to see that,” Stonepaw purred in amusement.
“Right, lucky,” Wavewhisker hissed from behind him. “Perhaps Rainshadow should give you a lesson on how to walk.”
“It was an accident. I wasn’t expecting the sand to be that loose,” Ghostpaw meowed indignantly. He turned his back to the deputy purposely and stuck his nose in the air. It was clear he was done talking to him.
Before Wavewhisker could respond, Chirpstar called for him. “Wavewhisker, help me see if the Dead Tree is still strong enough to hold all four leaders.”
Ghostpaw nearly felt the festering rage follow Wavewhisker away. “You’re a bold apprentice, Ghostpaw,” Stonepaw meowed. “I don’t know many warriors who would say and do things like that to Wavewhisker.”
Ghostpaw scoffed. “Then some warriors need to learn how to stand up for themselves.”
Ghostpaw lifted his nose in the air as the scent he has recognized to be OwlClan wafted into the air. A moment later, Ghostpaw saw a brindled furry head of a cat. It disappeared again, and then another Clan entered the gathering place.
“OwlClan!” Stonepaw perked up. “I have a friend in OwlClan! I hope she comes.”
Ghostpaw followed Stonepaw to where OwlClan and EbonyClan were mixing now. “Hey, Littlepaw!” Stonepaw called out. Ghostpaw watched a tortoiseshell she-cat pad towards the two. She seemed older but Stonepaw was nearly as tall as her.
“Littlepaw? Who’s she? My name’s Littlemouse now.” She said proudly.
“Wow, that’s great!”
Ghostpaw looked at Stonepaw. He seemed to be more hyper and sweeter towards Littlemouse. “Maybe he’s just excited to see her,” Ghostpaw said to himself.
“Who’s your friend?” Littlemouse asked.
“Oh, this is Ghostpaw. He became an apprentice last moon recently.”
“Nice to meet you, Ghostpaw. Oh, Stonepaw, come meet my brother. He became a warrior last moon, too,” Littlemouse said. Ghostpaw was about to follow after them but figured he should let them go on their own. He wasn’t invited, afterall.
Without Stonepaw at his side Ghostpaw felt a bit lost. He glanced around until he found a group of warriors. Maybe they were exchanging hunting or fighting tactics? Figuring it could be a good way to learn more, Ghostpaw trotted over to listen in.
It wasn’t until Ghostpaw had sat beside Flystripe that he realized Duststar was in the center of the group talking to Sparrowstar. “So that’s it? You were too sick to go to gatherings and EbonyClan didn’t want to go without you?” The tom was meowing.
Duststar nodded. “I’m lucky to have such a loyal Clan, but I don’t see us missing any more gatherings in the future.”
Sparrowstar nodded. “That’s good. With WhistleClan and BugClan having an alliance, it felt lonely without a friendly face here.”
Ghostpaw flicked his ear. Ever since he joined, no cat ever mentioned Duststar being sick. He reached up to whisper in Flystripe’s ear. “Is that true, Flystripe? Was Duststar really sick?”
Flystripe breathed in and turned Ghostpaw and himself away from where the OwlClan cats could hear. “No, not entirely, sometimes at gatherings it’s better to lie than tell the truth. OwlClan is our ally but telling what really happened would be dangerous for EbonyClan regardless.”
Ghostpaw nodded but didn’t follow Flystripe back to the listening warriors. As Ghostpaw wandered to find his next  source of interest, he felt the ground rumble beneath his paws. He looked to the rim on the far end of the lake and spotted a mass of cats entering the Star Lake.
The silver apprentice spotted Rainshadow sitting with Molethroat and he bounded over to him. “Is all that one Clan?”
“Use your nose, Ghostpaw; it’s WhistleClan and BugClan together,” Rainshadow scolded. “That means the gathering will start soon. Go find Stonepaw.”
Ghostpaw nodded and disappeared back into the sea of cats. It was much busier now and Ghostpaw wrinkled his nose at the scents all around him.
He found Stonepaw sitting with a group of apprentices with Littlemouse by his side. Ghostpaw was quick to notice there was a mix of BugClan and WhistleClan cats in the mix. “Stonepaw, Rainshadow says the gathering is going to start soon,” he meowed.
“Oh, okay.” Stonepaw meowed goodbye to his friends and followed Ghostpaw through the crowd.
“Why do you bother to speak with BugClan and WhistleClan cats?” Ghostpaw asked.
“It’s not their fault that their clans are so mean to EbonyClan, it’s their leader.”
“They could use their heads and speak out against their leaders.”
“Yeah, no way.” Stonepaw said it in such a way that Ghostpaw figured he wasn’t going to change his mind.
As they neared the Dead Tree, Ghostpaw noticed all four leaders perched high on the oak. Duststar’s sandy beige coat shone a grayish color in the moonlight as did Sparrowstar’s.
Ghostpaw noticed a large cat in the center of it all. Her gaze was menacing and their eyes seemed to bore into Ghostpaw’s skin. He shied away from his gaze and sat down heavily.
Afterwards, Ghostpaw heard an ear-splitting yowl. It silenced the cats and they moved to listen to what the leader’s were ready to say. Stonepaw sat beside Ghostpaw and they were surrounded by unfamiliar cats. Ghostpaw felt a bit of relief when Tigerfoot sat down beside him.
“Welcome all Clans to the gathering,” the large cat in the center Ghostpaw figured to be Twistedstar welcomed. “Duststar, would you like to go first?”
Duststar shook his head. “EbonyClan will speak last.”
Ghostpaw thought he saw a flash of annoyance in Twistedstar, but if it was there it was too quick to note.
“Then I suppose BugClan will speak,” Twistedstar said. “Everything is running well. Our borders are quiet and prey is plentiful. Mistypool has given birth to four healthy kits: Walnutkit, Brightkit, Robinkit, and Cavekit.”
“Oh, Loudswoop told me about that the other day,” Tigerfoot whispered to Ghostpaw. “But they aren’t all healthy; Robinkit is very sick and none of the BugClan healers are sure he’ll make it to Leaf-Bare.”
Ghostpaw felt pity for the kit. It wouldn’t even be given a shot at being a proud BugClan warrior.
“Nectarstar, would you like to go next?” Twistedstar offered. He promptly turned their back away from Sparrowstar and Duststar. Nectarstar nodded and moved forward on his branch.
“Er, WhistleClan also has young kits given to us by Shellrose. They’re called Hootkit, Ripplekit, Fuzzykit, Snipkit, Troutkit, and Swampkit. We’ve also got new warriors, uh, Dewydrop and Corianderfire.”
“He’s so awkward,” Ghostpaw said to Tigerfoot. “Does the Clan really trust him with leading them?” Tigerfoot snickered and shoved Ghostpaw playfully.
Nectarstar had ended the speech with glazing between the leaders and shrugging awkwardly, so Sparrowstar stepped forward and began his speech.
“We’ve also got new warriors: Littlemouse and Spikefire.”
Ghostpaw noticed how Stonepaw seemed so proud of his friend.
“Other than that, we’ve discovered a field just by our BugClan border that twolegs have been dumping their muck in. We advise that no Clan goes to rummage around as we’ve seen rats and Stripetail believes they carry diseases,” Sparrowstar warned. “We plan to send a scouting patrol to search around the outskirts of it, and will report back at the next gathering.”
Sparrowstar nodded to Duststar. “I would like to start by saying that EbonyClan has not attended past gatherings because of a sickness that has overtaken me and me alone, and my Clan stayed behind out of loyalty. I am forever thankful to StarClan that I am, one, healthy again, and two, for such a loyal Clan.”
Duststar took a breath and continued. “As for news with my Clan, we have two apprentices, Stonepaw and Ghostpaw, and a litter of kits who are close to becoming apprentices. Also, Silverdance has given our Clan Newtkit, Firekit, and Oddkit.”
“One question, Duststar,” Twistedstar spoke out. “Where’s Morningcrow, and why is Wavewhisker sitting in her place?”
From the way Ghostpaw’s Clanmates muttered and scowled after the question, Ghostpaw figured Twistedstar was speaking out of turn, as well as Morningcrow being the previous deputy.
“Isn’t it clear? StarClan called upon her and I decided that Wavewhisker’s boldness and strength would be more appreciated as my deputy.” Duststar stood. “This gathering is over.”
He slid down the trunk of the Dead Tree and EbonyClan rallied around him. Ghostpaw took up the rear along with Stonepaw. He glanced around, scowling at the cats who gave EbonyClan strange or suspicious looks. 
“Why can’t the other Clans just mind their business?” Ghostpaw was meowing to Stonepaw, but when he turned to look at his friend, he has disappeared. Ghostpaw noticed his gray-and-brown pelt sitting next to Littlemouse, meowing goodbye. Ghostpaw huffed and wove through the group of EbonyClan cats to reach Tigerfoot.
They were closer to the front and Ghostpaw was pleased to be able to hear the conversations between the older cats.
“That Twistedstar! I can’t believe he’d speak out like that!” Wavewhisker hissed.
“Maybe he was actually curious,” said Sweetsun. “Maybe they figured since Duststar was ‘sick’, Morningcrow would be too.”
“Well, maybe she should mind her own business and listen to what EbonyClan wants to tell her.” Wavewhisker shot back harshly.
“Rainshadow is right, Sweetsun. You’re a healer, you wouldn’t understand,” Rainshadow meowed but his tone was patronizing.
Sweetsun scowled. “healer or not, I have sense!” She fumed. Before Rainshadow or Wavewhisker could apologize, Duststar started moving to leave.
Tigerfoot set off as quickly as his Clanmates, but Ghostpaw hung back. He casted a glance behind him, half checking in Stonepaw was following and half out of hesitation to leave.
His amber eyes met Twistedstar. The cat was staring him down, and for a second, Ghostpaw saw himself in them. The silver pelt, the amber eyes, and her chest having a lighter dash in the middle. It was all too close to Ghostpaw’s appearance. Ghostpaw shivered, but he wasn’t cold.
“Ghostpaw!” Stonepaw’s voice called out to him. The tom was suddenly right in front of him. “Why didn’t you tell me we were leaving? Come on!”
Stonepaw dashed off without him and Ghostpaw went to follow, except he couldn’t help himself but look behind him one last time. Twistedstar was gone and so was the rest of BugClan.
Ghostpaw shook his head to clear it, then darted off to catch up to Stonepaw.
== Chapter Five ==
“Hurry, Ghostpaw! You’ll never become a warrior if you can’t keep up!” Wavewhisker yowled from ahead. Ghostpaw leaped over a fallen branch and came up to the Squirrel Tree.
It was the day after the gathering and the sun hung low in the sky. The forest was heavy with dew after a storm from last night, and so far, no prey was showing for hunting patrols. So, while Stonepaw was out with Rainshadow and Primrosebush, hunting for prey that wouldn’t show, Wavewhisker decided that Ghostpaw’s time would be better spent learning how to fight on wet ground. Ghostpaw had thought that the deputy had actually taken an interest in him, but so far the training session consisted of Wavewhisker scrolling Ghostpaw for small things.
Ghostpaw sat on the soaked grass and attempted to groom the water out of his fur, all to be stopped by Wavewhisker. “There isn’t time for you to groom yourself, Ghostpaw! We have a lesson to get through!”
Ghostpaw rolled his eyes and sat back up, positioning himself opposite of Wavewhisker. He started to spew information about staying balanced on wet ground, but Ghostpaw wasn’t having it. “Can’t we just spar and I’ll learn in my own time?” He snapped.
Wavewhisker curled his lips back in a snarl and got into a fighting position. Ghostpaw did the same, crouching down. The cats were simply watching each other for a moment until Wavewhisker leaped. Ghostpaw moved to dodge the attack but slipped and fell on his stomach from the dewy ground. Wavewhisker landed on top of him and flexed his paws.
Ghostpaw hissed and knocked away at one of his hind legs, unbalancing the older cat. With Wavewhisker unsteady and light above him, Ghostpaw was able to move onto his back and bundle Wavewhisker over his head.
Ghostpaw skittered up in time to see the gray tom rushing back over to him. Instinctively, Ghostpaw reared onto his hind legs and swatted at him. Wavewhisker ignored the attacks and headbutted Ghostpaw’s stomach. The apprentice doubled over in pain and spat at him. “That’s not fair! You’re not allowed to hurt cats during a spar!”
When Wavewhisker lifted a paw with all five claws fully out, aimed to slash Ghostpaw’s flank, he realized Wavewhisker wasn’t sparring, he was having an actual battle with Ghostpaw.
Quickly, Ghostpaw skittered away and Wavewhisker clawed an empty space. Ghostpaw rounded on Wavewhisker and crouched down, hissing. “I’ll tell Duststar!”
Wavewhisker scoffed. “I’d be stupid if I let you get any closer to camp than you are now.”
Wavewhisker darted towards Ghostpaw, ready for another attack, and Ghostpaw realized the only way he could escape would be to fight back.
Before Wavewhisker could slash deep into Ghostpaw, he reached up with his paws and scored a mark across his cheek. Wavewhisker yowled and shied away. Ghostpaw saw his chance and sprung up, attaching himself onto Wavewhisker and sinking his teeth deep into his gray shoulder.
Wavewhisker shrieked and twisted around. Ghostpaw felt his claws scour against his white flank and he broke away. Instead of trying to make himself appear smaller, Ghostpaw drew himself up to full size and let out an ear-splitting yowl. “Back off!” he demanded. Despite Wavewhisker’s attempts to hurt him, Ghostpaw couldn’t help but realize he was intentionally harming a Clanmate.
Wavewhisker’s chest heaved and a trickle of blood was slowly making its way down his shoulder and onto the ground. The look deterred Ghostpaw a bit, but he didn’t let that show. He yowled again. Maybe if he did it loud enough a patrol would hear them and come to his rescue.
After a third yowl, Wavewhisker’s appearance became passive. Calmly, he turned and bounded into the forest. Ghostpaw was confused for a moment. Wavewhisker was just trying to drive him out of the Clan, or even worse, kill him. What could’ve been so much more important than to finish the job?
Then, Ghostpaw realized he had set off in the direction of camp — he was going to get back to camp and change the story of what happened!
Ghostpaw shot off after him. His chest was heaving, and with adrenaline, coming down his flank burned and ached where Wavewhisker had hit him. It made it significantly harder to move, and by the time Ghostpaw made it to camp he could already smell Wavewhisker’s scent wafting from the entrance.
When Ghostpaw slipped into camp, he saw Wavewhisker surrounded by cats who were yet to go on patrol. “I tried to defend Ghostpaw to the best of my abilities, but you know, a kittypet can only do so much against a fox,” Wavewhisker was meowing. He turned once Ghostpaw showed face. “Oh, there you are, Ghostpaw! I thought you were following me more closely.”
Before Ghostpaw could speak, his Clanmates started to bombard him with questions:
“How big was the fox?”
“Did you see where it ran off to?”
“Those are small claw marks for a fox. Was it a kit?”
“No, listen!” Ghostpaw shouted. “It wasn’t a fox who attacked me. It was-”
Wavewhisker shoved him harshly towards the medicine den, nearly knocking the younger cat off his paws. “I think the blood loss is messing with your memories, Ghostpaw. Let's go see the healers.”
Ghostpaw felt rage bubbling under his pelt. He’d be a fool to refuse Wavewhisker’s suggestion of seeing the healers for treatment, so as calmly as he could, he limped over to the boulder and crawled into the burrow with Wavewhisker following close behind.
The den inside was damp with the previous rainfall, and Sweetsun was milling around with a dry moss ball to soak up the extra dew. Once she noticed the two cats sitting there, she set down the moss and padded towards them. “Oh! What happened?”
“A fox attacked us. I fought it off, but it got a good swipe on Ghostpaw’s side,” Wavewhisker said.
Ghostpaw suppressed a hiss of annoyance at the blatant lie. “Right. Ghostpaw, you can see Tigerfoot in their den, and I’ll treat you out here, Wavewhisker.” Sweetsun nodded to a corner with a swath of ferns protecting it. Ghostpaw could tell there was a large enough space just behind the plants.
He slinked away from the pair and ducked into the other den. Tigerfoot was sitting in a nest, grooming their pelt, but perked up once Ghostpaw entered. Smelling the blood coming off of his pelt, the healer bounded towards their friend. “Ghostpaw! What happened?”
“Wavewhisker attacked me, but Wavewhisker claims I’m going crazy and that it was a fox instead,” Ghostpaw meowed indignantly. 
Tigerfoot looked unsure. “Why would he attack you?”
“Because he hates me! Ever since I joined the Clan, he’s been set on driving me away, or making me admit Clan life isn’t for me, but it is, and he’ll have to see that some day.” Ghostpaw ended the small rant with a spit.
Tigerfoot poked around Ghostpaw’s wounds a bit more before backing away towards their nest to gather the necessary herbs. “Well, your story checks out. Your wounds are from cat-sized claws, not a fox’s.”
“So you believe me?”
“I’d be mouse-brained not to. You leave with Wavewhisker for battle training and return with cat claw marks.” Tigerfoot walked to the farside of the den and took a bundle of leaves in their mouth. “I can’t say the rest of the Clan will, though. During the colder seasons, Wavewhisker would spend all day hunting and defending borders, even if he was starving or badly injured. Our Clanmates have a lot of trust in him.”
Tigerfoot mashed up an assortment of herbs in their mouth and applied the poultice to Ghostpaw’s flank. “Duststar won’t want to hear about it either. He’s a good leader, but like I said, everyone has a lot of trust in Wavewhisker, including Duststar.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Er, well, nothing I can think of.” Tigerfoot added cobwebs and leaves as a bandage. “Well, you're all fixed up. I suggest you hold off on training for a few days.”
Ghostpaw when sat up, Tigerfoot pressed their nose to their shoulder to comfort him. “Don’t worry about Wavewhisker. You’re a strong cat, and he won’t stand a chance now that you're into him.”
Ghostpaw felt warm by Tigerfoot’s encouraging words and dreaded when they pulled away to clean up the herb scraps. He lingered in the den a little longer, then left to the clearing.
The sun hung higher in the blue sky now and Ghostpaw noticed Rainshadow had returned with Stonepaw and Primrosebush. The silver tom walked towards Stonepaw and told him about the events that happened just a moment ago.
“Wow,” was all Stonepaw could muster out through a mouthful of prey. “What are you going to do?”
“Tigerfoot says there’s nothing I can do.”
“So are you meant to just ignore Wavewhisker?”
Ghostpaw shrugged. He looked up as Duststar emerged from his den, glancing around before leaping on top of the tallest boulder of his den. He yowled to summon the Clan, and Ghostpaw felt his paws prick with excitement. He had never seen a proper Clan meeting before. What could this one be about?
Wavewhisker, who was seated on the lowest boulder, made eye contact with Ghostpaw from the crowd. His ear was bandaged and so was his shoulder. Ghostpaw felt a glow of pride. He was able to best the deputy of EbonyClan as only an apprentice.
“Cats of EbonyClan,” Duststar began. “Acornspring and Skywatcher’s litter of kits are six moons old, and are ready to become apprentices. Bluekit, Whisperingkit, Coalkit, Tadpolekit, and Wrenkit, step forward.”
Ghostpaw watched the younger cats bounce forward. He hadn’t seen them much of their kithood due to Skywatcher’s overbearing instinct.
“Bluekit,” Duststar continued; A deep blue tom looked up. “You will be mentored by Wavewhisker. Whisperingkit—” a gray cat, “—you will be mentored by Fallflame. Coalkit, you will be mentored by Flystripe.”
Ghostpaw watched as perhaps the blackest cat he'd ever seen stepped forward. The way the sunlight glared off of her ebony fur only added to the amazement.
Duststar took a breath then continued. “Tadpolekit, you will be apprenticed to Molethroat, and Wrenkit, you will be apprenticed to Primrosebush.”
The remaining kits, a muted she and a chocolate colored mottled tom, padded forward to join their siblings. Ghostpaw could almost feel their excitement radiating off of them, but he only felt the bitter feeling of not having a proper apprentice ceremony. These kits were being honored by Duststar and were surrounded by cats who had witnessed their upbringing. Only then did Ghostpaw feel the disconnect he had to EbonyClan.
“From this day forward, until the five of you become warriors,” Duststar’s voice broke Ghostpaw away from his thoughts. “You will be known as Bluepaw, Whisperingpaw, Coalpaw, Tadpolepaw, and Wrenpaw.”
The gathered cats crowded and welcomed the new apprentices with cheers and “good-lucks.” Ghostpaw decided to not let his envy bully him out of celebrating as well, so he padded alongside Stonepaw to greet his new denmates.
“Good luck on your apprenticeship, Coalpaw,” Ghostpaw purred warmly. The young she-cat beamed up at him. “Thanks, Ghostpaw! I hope I can be a great apprentice like you one day.”
Ghostpaw felt flustered from the compliment. “Oh, well, I don’t think that’ll be much of a challenge for you.”
Coalpaw had been called away by Flystripe for her first task as an apprentice and Ghostpaw figured the Clan would be busy the rest of the day. He hadn’t realized it during the ceremony, but nearly the entire Clan had apprentices now.
“Apprenticeship will definitely get harder now,” Stonepaw said from beside Ghostpaw. “Now we’re the older apprentices, and Rainshadow will be up our tails about setting examples.”
“Stonepaw!” Rainshadow yowled from the entrance. He, Fallflame, and Whisperingpaw were expecting him, with Whisperingpaw looking very nervous for their first outing.
“So it begins,” Stonepaw murmured with a tinge of annoyance in his voice. “I guess you can’t come with then?”
“Naw. Tigerfoot says I shouldn’t train for a bit.”
“Well, I’ll bring you back a fat mouse if you take care of my apprentice duties for me.”
Ghostpaw purred. “Deal.”
Stonepaw shoved Ghostpaw playfully before bounding off to join the patrol of cats. Ghostpaw stretched and yawned. The next few days were likely to be boring, but the silver tomcat was more worried about Wavewhisker. Ghostpaw guessed the deputy would be up his tail with keeping the camp tidy and the elders happy.
As if on cue, Wavewhisker appeared. “Ghostpaw, before you do anything, Bluepaw and Wrenpaw need help building their nests.”
“I was actually about to feed the elders.”
“That’s Stonepaw’s job, and besides, the elders have legs and can fetch their own food.”
Ghostpaw met Wavewhisker’s gaze challengingly. “Fine,” he spat out eventually. He turned away and found the two apprentices leaving the medicine with their jaws filled with nesting supplies. He noticed them dragging more bundles by their tails and rushed over to help them.
“Thanks, Gousspaw,” Wrenpaw mumbled out as Ghostpaw took his extra burden from him. The apprentices walked silently to the apprentices’ den. Ghostpaw led the way inside and set down his loads. “Wavewhisker told me to help you both with your nests, so decide where you want them to go and we’ll get started.”
“I won’t need help, Ghostpaw. I’ve seen my mother build her nests plenty of times,” meowed Bluepaw. Ghostpaw shrugged. “Alright then. Wrenpaw?”
The brown tom had wandered off and decided for his nest to be a few mouse-lengths away from Stonepaw’s. “Here looks nice.”
Ghostpaw nodded and got to work helping the younger cat build his nest. “What’s it like being an apprentice?” Wrenpaw asked after a while of silence. Ghostpaw shrugged. “Well, you get up every morning before the sun, hunt a bit, train a bit, then go to sleep. Nothing too serious.”
“Have you been in a real battle yet?”
“No, and I’m not looking forward to the day I am in one. I’ve heard stories from the colder seasons and how vicious BugClan is.”
“I thought all EbonyClan cats dreamed of meeting a BugClan cat in battle,” Bluepaw chimed in from behind Ghostpaw.
“Maybe. I’m not too fond of getting hurt, though.”
“Well, what happened there?” Wrenpaw nudged the skin below Ghostpaw’s wound. The silvery cat thought it’d better than to tell them the truth, or at least tell Bluepaw the truth. “A fox attack like Wavewhisker’s been saying. He got a good hit on me, but I’m sure I sent it back to its mother, wailing.”
Wrenpaw and Bluepaw purred at Ghostpaw’s joke, and he found himself getting along quite well with his new denmates. With Stonepaw only two moons away from his final assessment, Ghostpaw was grateful he’d at least have mature peers.
Before he knew it, the nests were made and Bluepaw and Wrenpaw were being called out to train. Following them outside of the den, Ghostpaw saw the sun was still high in the sky. He scuffed the ground with his paw, watching as the siblings excitedly scampered out of camp.
He figured now would be the time to complete Stonepaw’s own apprentice task and he padded to the prey pile to pick out food for the elders.
== Chapter Six ==
Ghostpaw crouched low to the ground, slithering across the lush undergrowth like an adder. He had his gaze set on a crow and was determined to catch it. He hadn’t seen one on a hunting patrol yet and the sight of the black bird gave him a wave of nostalgia.
With careful pawsteps, he stepped forward, and tensed his muscles. The bird was too busy hopping around the forest feeding on bugs to notice the bright cream fur just behind it.
Before Ghostpaw could leap, black paws slammed down a mouse-length before the crow. As expected, it let out a warning call and fluttered upward. Ghostpaw watched it leave as fury pierced his pelt. “Coalpaw! That was my catch!” He hissed.
Coalpaw coward away. “Sorry, Ghostpaw,” she mumbled. Ghostpaw spat at the younger she and stormed away. About half a moon had passed since Coalpaw’s ceremony, and she was proving to be a thorn in Ghostpaw’s side. During hunting patrols, she followed Ghostpaw around as if he were a pheasant, and she’d throw no less than a fit if she wasn’t assigned to be Ghostpaw’s partner during battle trainings. Ghostpaw was flattered at first, but how was he supposed to become a warrior if he had a glorified kit stuck to him like a burr?
As usual, Coalpaw followed after Ghostpaw as he searched for more prey. There wouldn’t be anymore in this area thanks to the crow’s alarm, so he was following the scent of Fallflame who had joined the patrol.
“Did you catch anything else?” Coalpaw asked.
“Only a vole and shrew. That crow would’ve been nice.” Ghostpaw added on bitterly.
“I said I was sorry, okay? Flystripe says it’s okay to make mistakes.”
Ghostpaw felt a little sorry for Coalpaw. Admittedly, he was being unfair, and he wasn’t nearly as good as a hunter when he was Coalpaw’s age. Nonetheless Ghostpaw was far too bothered with Coalpaw to give her any outward pity.
The pair stumbled upon Fallflame whose mouth was stuffed with two squirrels. He dropped the catches to speak to Ghostpaw. “Did you two catch anything?”
“A vole and a shrew.”
“I could only manage a mouse.”
Fallflame shook his head. “I expected more from you, Ghostpaw. You’re nearly nine moons old; you’ll be taking your first assessment soon.”
Ghostpaw looked away. “I know.” He murmured, then brightened up again. Stonepaw was ten moons which was the standard age for taking a warrior assessment. If Stonepaw had passed, he would be a warrior before the next gathering. “Do you know if Stonepaw did well in his assessment?”
Fallflame had a look of pride in his eyes at Stonepaw’s name. Though his mate and Stonepaw’s mother, Sablestorm, was due to have kits any day now, Fallflame had been focused heavily on Stonepaw’s training. “I haven’t heard much about it, but I smelt Rainshadow’s scent a while back and it smelled fresh, so I guess they’re still out.”
Fallflame dropped his squirrels and covered them with leaf litter to come back to them later, then turned to find more prey. Ghostpaw followed after him. “It’ll be nice having a warrior friend. The only older cats in the Clan that really like me are Flystripe, Duststar, and Tigerfoot.”
Fallflame purred in amusement. “Cats like you, Ghostpaw. It’s just… It’s still a bit strange to everyone still. But trust me, you’re earning your place in EbonyClan.”
Warmed by Fallflame’s reassurance, Ghostpaw excused himself to find more prey, now more confident in his role as an EbonyClan apprentice. Ofcourse, Coalpaw trailed after.
The two wandered a bit farther than preferred from the designated hunting area. Now, Ghostpaw was stalking a vole by the WhistleClan border with Coalpaw watching, thankfully, silently from the base of a tree. Ghostpaw would admit that it was distasteful to hunt so close to a Clan border, but the sun was beginning to sink, and the Clan needed enough prey to hopefully celebrate Stonepaw’s successful assessment. “It was a custom to celebrate new warriors with a feast,” Stonepaw said just moments before he left with Rainshadow into the forest.
Skillfully, Ghostpaw killed the vole. Before he could stash the catch, he was caught off guard by the hisses and spits of cats, accompanied by WhistleClan scent.
Ghostpaw swiveled around and saw a line of four rivals at the border. The only cat Ghostpaw could recognize was Duckwhiskers, the WhistleClan deputy. There was a smaller cat, an apprentice, and two warriors. “Prey thief!” a strange tortoiseshell tom spat, tail lashing. That prey was clearly WhistleClan’s!”
Ghostpaw was taken aback by this. He looked at a claw-marked tree a few tail lengths in front of him. The border was close, but he hadn’t crossed it to catch the vole. Dropping the vole, he meowed, “I didn’t steal anything. This vole was clearly on EbonyClan territory.”
“Lies!” the gray-brown apprentice spoke up. “I was stalking it when it went over the border. That makes it WhistleClan’s!” His Clanmates yowled in support of the apprentice.
Coalpaw joined Ghostpaw at his side. “That doesn’t make sense! You can’t cross the border to catch prey!”
“What do you know, kit? You’re barely old enough to be out of the nursery,” the apprentice spat. Ghostpaw felt a surge of protection for Coalpaw and he stepped to the apprentice. From what he could see, the tom’s ribs poked out of his sides and his eyes seemed to sink into his face. Ghostpaw bared his teeth regardless. He wouldn’t allow an enemy Clan to speak to Coalpaw like that.
“And you’re so desperate for prey you need to accuse other Clans for a single scrawny vole. If you’re that starved, your time is better spent looking for prey elsewhere.”
The apprentice growled, and almost in an instant the two were rolling around the forest floor with Ghostpaw on the bottom. He easily pushed away the malnourished cat and lunged at him, scoring a decently sized claw-wound against his cheek.
The once peaceful border became a battlefield as Ghostpaw and Coalpaw defended themselves from the WhistleClan cats. The tortoiseshell tom was on Ghostpaw in an instant and pinned him to the floor, scouring his flank with a flurry of claws. Ghostpaw yowled and turned onto his back, raking the warrior’s stomach and leaving blood pouring out of a plethora of wounds. He coward away, hissing, but before Ghostpaw could get to his paws the apprentice was on him with his teeth wedged in Ghostpaw’s ear.
Ghostpaw screeched and rose onto his hind legs. He recognized the tearing sensation on his ear but the adrenaline rush gave him no feeling of hurt. He swiped at the apprentice’s face yet again and was knocked down by his mentor. Ghostpaw screeched as he felt parts of his body being mangled by the apprentice-mentor duo, and only then did he think of Coalpaw and how she was fending against these cats.
Just before Ghostpaw gave in, he heard the familiar battle cry of Rainshadow and felt the pressure of two cats lessen to one. Ghostpaw used his hind paws to bundle the older apprentice away from him and scrambled up just in time to see him land into a tree, dazed. Whipping around to meet his rescuer, Ghostpaw saw the familiar face of Stonepaw. His friend was tearing at the tortie tom, and Ghostpaw only then realized how skilled his friend was.
Ghostpaw yowled and bolted to join his friend in the fury, sending the tortoiseshell tom back to the other side of the border in seconds.
The malnourished cats, already weakened and now outnumbered, followed suit, cursing the EbonyClan cats as they went. Rainshadow chased after them up until the border, yowling and hissing threats.
“Stonepaw! My savior!” Ghostpaw gasped, butting heads in a friendly manor.
Stonepaw chuckled. “I couldn’t let those mangy cats give you too bad of wounds.”
“Did you see the look of them? That apprentice looked like he hadn’t had a proper meal in ages.”
Stonepaw shrugged. “That’s none of EbonyClan’s business.”
Rainshadow walked up to the pair with Coalpaw leaning against him. She didn’t look too badly injured, but Ghostpaw could imagine how the gash on her shoulder and multiple claw wounds would feel on such a young cat. “Are you badly hurt, Ghostpaw?” Rainshadow asked.
“No, just a few claw wounds.”
“Good. Why were you two so close to the WhistleClan border, anyway?”
“Er, hunting. We wandered a bit farther away from Fallflame and Flystripe.”
As if on cue, the two warriors appeared with worried expressions. “Coalpaw!” Flystripe cried, bounding to her apprentice’s side. “Are you okay?”
Ghostpaw hadn’t noticed Coalpaw’s bright-eyed expression before, but the she-cat looked more than okay. “I’m great! I can’t believe I fought off real WhistleClan warriors!”
Flystripe took the burden of Coalpaw away from Rainshadow and began licking her wounds. “Let’s get you two to the medicine den, then we can talk, Ghostpaw,” Fallflame meowed.
Ghostpaw nodded and followed after Fallflame with Stonepaw at his side, but not forgetting to pridefully take along his earned vole.
The patrol made it back to camp safely, and Flystripe ordered Bluepaw and Whisperingpaw to fetch the prey the cats weren’t able to. Ghostpaw dropped his prey at the fresh-kill pile and made his way to the medicine den, but not before allowing Coalpaw to lean on him.
Entering the burrow, Ghostpaw was greeted by Moonleap. The older tom was in the process of rubbing some sort of ointment on Tadpolepaw’s paw.
Smelling the scent of blood, Moonleap quickly finished and sent Tadpolepaw on his way. “Hello, you two. Coalpaw, I’ll treat you now.”
Coalpaw left Ghostpaw’s side, who began to lick his wounds clean. Despite the strong smell of blood, Ghostpaw still tried his best to depict Tigerfoot’s scent among the shroud.
The medicine den was eerily quiet while Moonleap worked and Ghostpaw’s wounds began to sting and burn. He was grateful when he smelled Sweetsun and Tigerfoot’s scent and saw the furry peachy head of Sweetsun poke into the medicine den, mouths full of herbs. “Twithe in won moon,” Tigerfoot mumbled over their mouthful.
Sweetsun laughed sweetly and Ghostpaw chuckled dryly, a bit embarrassed by Tigerfoot’s comment. But, he nearly sprinted after them when Tigerfoot beckoned him to follow.
Sweetsun disappeared into a separate den that smelled strongly of herbs. Tigerfoot untied their bundle and took out a dark green leaf and began to expertly strip and chew the pieces. “These herbs are fresh from OwlClan; you’ll heal much faster.”
Ghostpaw mumbled a shy thank you.
Tigerfoot worked a lot faster than Moonleap and Ghostpaw was set to leave before Coalpaw. “You’re going to be bound to camp for a few days again. Come back in three days.”
Ghostpaw nodded, but he wasn’t quite ready to leave Tigerfoot yet. “Er, have you eaten today? I can fetch you something from the fresh-kill pile.”
Tigerfoot smiled warmly. “Sure. If there are any crows I’d like that.”
Ghostpaw silently cursed Coalpaw again for ruining his hunt earlier. He nodded and trotted out of the medicine den and towards the prey pile.
Stonepaw was sitting there with Bluepaw, Wrenpaw, and Whisperingpaw, along with his mother Sablestorm. Drawing nearer, Ghostpaw could tell Stonepaw was talking about his assessment. “I scented loads of things during the smelling part, and I was able to track down two wolf tracks. Rainshadow says I’ll be a warrior real soon.”
Ghostpaw was proud of his friend, but he didn’t have time to sit and listen in. He took a robin from the prey pile and returned to Tigerfoot, who was now sunning themself outside of the medicine den.
Ghostpaw set the robin in front of them and turned to leave. “Would you like to join me?” Tigerfoot offered. Ghostpaw felt himself turn hot underneath his fur. 
“Oh, uh, sure.”
Ghostpaw quickly fetched a shrew from the pile and paced back to Tigerfoot. They sat across from each other while they ate, and Ghostpaw continuously stole glances of Tigerfoot when he was sure they weren’t looking.
“So, how’s your apprenticeship going?” Tigerfoot asked.
Ghostpaw shrugged. “I wasn’t able to catch much prey today, and Fallflame was a bit disappointed.”
Coalpaw padded out of the medicine den and past Tigerfoot and Ghostpaw. She looked like she was ready to speak with Ghostpaw, but she seemed to have second thoughts after noticing Tigerfoot was there as well.
“Well, Coalpaw thinks you’re great,” Tigerfoot meowed. “I was eating with Flystripe at the prey pile one day, and she just wouldn’t stop talking about you. I think she has a bit of a crush.”
Ghostpaw laughed. “I don’t think so. She just looks up to me a ton.”
“Well, you’re a bit blind when it comes to love, Ghostpaw.”
When Ghostpaw looked up, Tigerfoot was staring at him very intently with a soft look in their eyes. Ghostpaw cleared his throat and stood up. “Well, I need to get on with my chores,” he mumbled.
Tigerfoot scraped together the scraps of the shrew and robin. “I’ll clean this up then. Goodbye, Ghostpaw.”
The white tom turned and left quickly, feeling flushed, towards the camp wall that Rainshadow had told him to repair. As he walked, his paws tingled with an unfamiliar feeling and he felt a bit lighter than before. He didn’t even mind when Wavewhisker walked past him and intentionally bumped into him.
Sitting down at the wall, which had various skinny branches scattered at its base and ruts crowded with muck, Ghostpaw got to work, weaving the wood back into the wall.
“Ghostpaw,” Fallflame’s voice called. Ghostpaw turned around and noticed him, Flystripe, and Duststar sitting by the leader’s den. Ghostpaw stopped with the repairs and padded towards the group. “Tell Duststar what happened at the border.”
Ghostpaw relayed everything that led up to the fight, making sure to include the mangy states of the WhistleClan cats.
“Well done for not initiating the fight,” was all Duststar had to say at the end of it. Ghostpaw dipped his head respectfully. “May I go then?”
Duststar dismissed Ghostpaw with a flick of his tail, and Ghostpaw walked back over to the camp wall.
Despite this being his first well-defended border scrap, Ghostpaw didn’t feel very accomplished. At the time, he didn’t care about the malnourished states of the WhistleClan cats, but he couldn’t help himself feel concerned now. Ghostpaw suddenly felt regret over not letting them have the morsel, but what’s done is done, and there was no point in mulling over it any longer.
== Chapter Seven ==
“Stonepaw, you have trained hard for four moons, and EbonyClan is thankful to have such a free-spirited cat like you in our ranks.”
Duststar had called a Clan meeting the day after the border scrap. The sky was milky pink with the oncoming sun, and white wispy clouds decorated the sky occasionally. The Clan had gathered with Stonepaw sitting in the center, staring up at Duststar with a shining pelt and equally as shiny eyes.
“Rainshadow has trained you well, and I welcome you as a warrior named Stonebird, in honor of your care-free life.”
The Clan erupted in cheers, shouting, "Stonebird! Stonebird!" Ghostpaw quickly leaped to his feet, enthusiastically calling out his friend's name. He skillfully maneuvered through the crowd to reach Stonebird, who was being celebrated by his parents. Joining in the chorus of congratulations, Ghostpaw exclaimed, "Well done, Stonebird!" The tabby was basking in the praise, his eyes gleaming with pride, and his purr resonating loudly throughout the clearing, audible to every cat present.
Eventually, the crowd dispersed and only Ghostpaw remained. “What’s the first thing you’re going to do as a warrior?”
“Well, I was thinking you and I could go hunting. Now that I’m a warrior and all, we can leave camp whenever we want.” Stonebird added that last bit with a confident tone.
“Alright!” Ghostpaw purred. He followed Stonebird out of camp and into the forest. It was warm with the promise of a hot day and their orchestra of birds made for a hopeful hunt. 
Ghostpaw was quick to scent a squirrel and spotted the furry brown body at the base of a tree. Creeping forward, he emerged through low hanging fern fronds and leaped at the rodent. It attempted to escape up the trunk, but Ghostpaw quickly catched it under his paws and snapped its neck with a killing bite.
“You’ll be a warrior soon after me if you keep hunting like that,” Stonebird meowed from a few tail-lengths behind Ghostpaw.
Ghostpaw tried to shrug casually, but the excitement of finally becoming a warrior was hard to conceal.
“You know, Ghostpaw, I actually wanted to tell you something.” Stonebird sat down and wrapped his tail neatly over her paws. Unconcerned, Ghostpaw began to scrap forest litter over his kill. “Yeah? What’s up?”
“Remember Littlemouse from the gathering we went to?”
Ghostpaw nodded. The squirrel was safely hidden under a mass of leaves and sticks and Ghostpaw was able to give Stonebird his full attention. Looking at his friend’s face, Ghostpaw noticed it was twisted in such a way that conveyed concern, or even fear. “I remember her. Is everything alright with her?”
“Er, yes. Well, not entirely…”
Ghostpaw mimicked Stonebird’s posture and fixed his tail over his paws, smiling softly. “You can tell me anything, Stonebird. You’re my best friend.”
With reassurance by Ghostpaw, it seemed like Stonebird was more relaxed with giving away his secret. Though, he still seemed hesitant.
Finally after a moment of unsure glances to the ground and trying to find the right words, Stonebird spoke out. “Er, I’ve been seeing her, in a romantic way.”
The words hung heavy in the greenleaf air as Ghostpaw thought about what to say next. He was never outright told this, but he had always assumed being with cats from other Clans was forbidden. Ghostpaw could only wonder if some sort of punishment could be in store for Stonebird if any cat were to find out.
Now, he had this to question: was his loyalty strictly towards EbonyClan, and had he no choice but to report this to Duststar, or was he to sympathize with his friend and keep his relationship a secret?
Ghostpaw pushed his conflicts to the back of his mind and led with what sounded best to him. “Don’t worry, Stonebird. I’ll never tell any cat unless you want me to, and I could never judge you for something like this.”
Despite his words, Ghostpaw couldn’t help but think of Stonebird as an unloyal cat for seeing an enemy cat in such a way. Along with this, he couldn’t help feeling like a terrible friend for having such thoughts.
Stonebird looked relieved, and suddenly the dark atmosphere was lifted when he leaped to his paws, scattering fallen twigs with a daring look in his eyes. “Well, come on then, let’s go meet her.”
He didn’t stop to see if Ghostpaw agreed or not as he trudged through the leafy setting, to which Ghostpaw didn’t. Nevertheless, Ghostpaw followed after him with wide eyes. “Is now the best time? Border patrols are being sent out, and what happens if one catches us?”
“They won’t. If we say we’re fetching some herbs for the healers, they can’t get mad at us.”
Ghostpaw could nearly feel the excitement and confidence radiating off of Stonebird in waves “You want to cross the OwlClan border? Are you insane?”
“Relax, Ghostpaw. Like I said, if we say we’re fetching herbs for the healers, no cat will question us.”
Ghostpaw felt unease steadily growing in his stomach as they neared the OwlClan border. The forest thinned out and revealed the endless cascade of grass and stones. The rustling of prey and singing of birds was significantly lesser here, and Ghostpaw felt the lack of a canopy above to be disturbing.
Meanwhile, Ghostpaw felt like his Clanmates were silently watching him blatantly betray his training. Anxiety pierced his skin sharper than any claws.
“We usually meet there if not at the border.” Stonebird nodded to a large rock in the distance. “She says OwlClan calls it the Huge Rock.” His voice was light with the excitement to meet his mate.
Just as Stonebird was about to take a step over the border, Ghostpaw stopped him. “Wait… Do you smell that?”
The warm breeze carried Wavewhisker’s scent, but it didn’t come with other EbonyClan members and instead bore a BugClan scent. Ghostpaw was able to recognize Twistedstar’s.
“They probably met on a border patrol,” Stonebird meowed, impatience lining his tone of voice.
Ghostpaw’s mouth was now ajar as he tasted the scents in the air, eyes narrowed. “That’s no good,” He concluded. His ears were perked for any sounds of battle. “If Wavewhisker is willing to hurt me during a battle training, imagine how ready he’d be to use his claws against our greatest rival.”
“Ghostpaw, It’s fine.” Stonebird groaned. Ghostpaw could tell he was trying to use his best commanding warrior voice, but Ghostpaw still couldn’t help but see him as his equal still.
But Ghostpaw had already turned away from the border and back into the hot forest. With suspicion rising and his reluctance to cross into OwlClan territory still very much present, Ghostpaw took his opportunity to get away from the border. Stonebird padded behind him, frustrated.
Ghostpaw followed along the OwlClan border stealthy, his silver paws stepping as light as feathers fall, until he reached the mountain ranges of BugClan. The scents of Wavewhisker and Twistedstar were moggy here, but they had surrounded Ghostpaw so strongly and wafted from the inside of BugClan territory that he’d be an idiot to not know his deputy was deep inside of BugClan territory.
“Maybe Wavewhisker is delivering news as a favor for Duststar,” Stonebird offered. He seemed ready to leave and unbothered by the deputy’s scent. 
However, Ghostpaw shook his head. He wouldn’t believe that for a second. “Wavewhisker’s too hot-headed to be trusted with delivering news. Besides, what would concern Duststar so much he’d need to tell Twistedstar of all cats?”
He felt conflicted between finding out what was going on between the two and respecting Clan borders and returning to Duststar with the news. He had just tried to talk Stonebird out of visiting Littlemouse, so who was he to willingly cross into BugClan territory in pursuit of a code-break that might not be happening?
“This could be serious for EbonyClan,” Ghostpaw thought. Maybe, just this once, crossing Clan borders was necessary.
With a quick glance up and down the clearly marked borders, Ghostpaw slithered over the line and followed his nose to Wavewhisker and Twistedstar, thankful for the presence of Stonebird trailing after him.
He stayed low to the ground and calculated his next moves skillfully. He used his nose to determine where next to move, then used his best judgment to decide which hiding spot would hide his bright white pelt the best.
The ground of BugClan was significantly harder to traverse and hide with as sharp stones stabbed into his pads, boulders stood much taller than him, and lack of undergrowth kept Ghostpaw on edge, but this didn’t deter Ghostpaw one bit, not even when a vulture flew over head and let out a deafening song. His mistrust for the deputy drove him onward.
Ghostpaw was thankful when he spotted a cleft just a tail-length in front of him that was safely sheltered by tree roots. Diving into the space, he relaxed and sighed in relief. The journey tired out his muscles, and he was quick to make room for Stonebird.
The scents of Wavewhisker and Twistedstar were overwhelming to the point Ghostpaw would think they were in the same cleft as he and Stonebird. After a moment of rest, Ghostpaw crept towards the edge of the cleft to look for the pair.
Ghostpaw nearly cursed Wavewhisker when he spotted him just beneath the cleft sitting calmly beside Twistedstar. The two seemed to be having a very important, very secretive, conversation.
His eyes narrowed. Ghostpaw’s claws scraped the stone beneath him as he angled his ears to hear the pair better.
He could only hear snippets at first, such as formalities like “How’s prey running?” or, “Has so-and-so become a warrior yet?” Thankful he had caught the cats so early in their conversation, Ghostpaw leaned forward to hear more.
“So you say Duststar isn’t as strong as he was last greenleaf?” Twistedstar sneered.
“Not even close. The sickness and hunger took away nearly all his lives, and the attacks you’ve launched on EbonyClan scared him into a small shell of the cat he used to be. It’s quite pathetic, honestly.”
Ghostpaw’s eyes widened and his fur bristled furiously. Why was Wavewhisker sharing valuable secrets and information with EbonyClan’s biggest enemy? Now Ghostpaw knew Wavewhisker wasn’t just disloyal to Ghostpaw, but he was disloyal to the entirety of his own birth Clan. He felt as if his heart was about to beat out of his chest as he listened more intently now.
Wavewhisker continued. “If you offer me some of your warriors, we can rule over EbonyClan and create a much stronger Clan. Honestly, EbonyClan has always been weak. I think it was a curse to be born into it. But, the cats are loyal, and any leader would be lucky to have them. Maybe you could be that leader.”
“Psh, I don’t know,” Twistedstar meowed. He looked very skeptical and ready to push the conversation elsewhere. “I’m happy with BugClan and our territory.”
“We both know BugClan is having more and more kits, Twistedstar. How long will it be until your territory isn’t enough to feed all of your mouths? Imagine it, Twistedstar. We could create TruthClan: Feared by All.”
Ghostpaw could hear the power-hungry tone in his voice and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit frightened by it.
“Picture it: we’ll take what we want, when we want it, and any cat that tries to stop us will be met with our claws.” Wavewhisker finished. Ghostpaw could see the gleam of excitement in his eyes.
Ghostpaw slithered back into the darkened, musky cleft and was face-to-face with Stonebird. “What’re they saying?” Stonebird whispered. 
“They’re talking about overthrowing Duststar.” Ghostpaw’s eyes were wide with anxiety as his paws shook. His voice was rushed when he spoke.
“Are you sure?”
Ghostpaw took a step forward. “Yes! We need to confront him right now!” He was nearly begging Stonebird to understand and follow through with this.
Stonebird shook his head. “No, we need to get back to camp and tell Duststar.”
“There’s no time, Stonebird!” Ghostpaw hissed. He was determined to end this great deputy masquerade of Wavewhisker and save Duststar. 
Before Stonebird could argue any further, Ghostpaw slid down the side of the cleft and landed just in front of Wavewhisker and Twistedstar.
“Traitor!” Ghostpaw yowled in the shocked faces of Twistedstar and Wavewhisker. “And you call me disloyal! You’re a traitor! No deputy would plan an assaination against their leader!”
Wavewhisker’s face twisted into one of fury and pure spite. “What are you doing here, Ghostpaw?” he said. His voice shook with rage and it was bitter with the knowing feeling of being caught. He took a pace forward towards the apprentice.
Ghostpaw didn’t back down from his stature. He lifted his head confidently as Wavewhisker paced towards him. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is you’re exposing EbonyClan secrets and staging a coup against your own leader!”
Wavewhisker snarled and turned to Twistedstar. “I will speak to you at the next gathering, Twistedstar.”
Twistedstar nodded and with a sharp glance at Ghostpaw, they turned and effortlessly scaled the mountain side.
Wavewhisker glared at Ghostpaw “Let’s go back to camp and see what Duststar has to say about this.”
Ghostpaw padded confidently, now used to the sharp stones, towards the EbonyClan border with his head held high as well as his tail. He left Wavewhisker to trot on after him. Ghostpaw’s stature showed determination to get the truth out and defiance to stay quiet any longer. 
Ghostpaw glanced behind him. He noticed the familiar pelt of Stonebird peering out of the cleft. He was crouched down as if he were hunting and his eyes looked sympathetic towards Ghostpaw and he mouthed a “sorry,” towards him.
Ghostpaw nodded softly in acknowledgement. He understood why Stonebird was so hesitant to back up Ghostpaw. Stonebird has only just become a warrior. Maybe he didn’t want to get on the bad side of the deputy so soon. Though, Ghostpaw couldn’t help but feel his chest ache at the feeling of betrayal exerted by Stonebird. Was his relationship with Littlemouse already getting in the way of his first loyalty to Duststar?
It felt all too soon that Ghostpaw was sitting in Duststar’s den with Wavewhisker present. The den was dark and gloomy, and the floor was lined with soft things such as moss and bird feathers. There was a rise at the end of the den where Duststar sat. His face was expectant and his eyes were curious eyes. Ghostpaw lowered himself and settled deeper into the welcoming moss. The den emitted waves of relaxation and serenity.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Duststar, but Ghostpaw has something very important to tell you. Ghostpaw was surprised when Wavewhisker offered him the chance to speak first; he stammered initially but managed to express his thoughts eventually. 
He specified every detail from when he crossed the BugClan border to when he left. By the time he had closed his mouth for good, Ghostpaw was confident he had successfully brought Wavewhisker’s treachery to light.
Duststar wasn’t as convinced though and his expression was neutral.. “Wavewhisker, what do you have to say about this?”
Wavewhisker opened his mouth and he began to spit out lie after lie. “I have been meeting with Twistedstar in secret to try and ease tensions. I know I shouldn’t have done so without telling you, but I didn’t want you to have any more concerns after the cold seasons.”
Seeing that Duststar was still listening, Wavewhisker continued. “Ghostpaw must’ve heard Twistedstar and I trying to form an alliance; there has been a lack of BugClan patrols at the border, and I’m proud to say that’s my doing.”
Ghostpaw fought back a hiss of frustration and bit his tongue before he spoke out of turn. Duststar seemed to be listening closer with a hint of thoughtfulness and understanding in his gaze.
“I would never want to try to overthrow you, Duststar. You’re a great leader and I can’t wait to see what you plan to do in the future.” Wavewhisker finished his defense with an overwhelming amount of manipulative praise, and Ghostpaw rolled his eyes. And, although he’d never admit it, if he were Duststar he’d believe Wavewhisker web of lies himself.
“Well, Ghostpaw, I believe a punishment is in store for you,” Duststar meowed slowly. Disappointment laced his voice as he turned his head to look at Ghostpaw. Although his leaderly posture and knowledge on how to handle this situation didn’t falter. He knew acting softly on this wouldn’t deter Ghostpaw from jumping to conclusions in the future.
Ghostpaw jumped up and opened his mouth to defend himself, but sat back down with his head hung low once Duststar raised his tail to silence him. “You must understand crossing hostile borders in any circumstance is against what is right. I believed you were better than this, but I guess I was wrong.”
Ghostpaw caught a glance of Wavewhisker’s victorious face. It was smug as his eyes glinted, and it all made his face burn with such festering hatred for the cat and he tried his best to suppress a snarl. He was smart enough to do something so threatening to Duststar’s second.
“You’ll be in charge of teaching the younger apprentices simple chores around camp, such as making nests and feeding the elders,” Duststar continued. “Until they can effectively do them on their own, you’re confined to camp. Am I understood?” His voice was soft but stern.
“Yes, Duststar.”
Duststar nodded and dismissed Ghostpaw with a flick of his ear. The young apprentice was quick to leave the den.
His tail dragged in the dust as he thought of what Duststar could be thinking of him at that moment. Ghostpaw couldn’t help but think about what emotion other than disappointment Duststar was feeling in that moment. His stomach was a pit of worry he caused himself.
It was midday now and the younger apprentices were mulling around camp, either eating or napping. Ghostpaw noticed Bluepaw sloppily repairing a torn camp wall. His pelt pricked with pride for his skills on knowing how to repair camp walls so well. The first time he was confined to camp by Tigerfoot, he felt that was all he was able to do. And now, he was a bit of an expert. He padded over willingly to help.
The wind often shifted the twigs and branches, making them come undone and snap. This resulted in the ruts below being filled with forest litter, rendering them useless for holding the other wooden elements in place.
“You know, Bluepaw, it’s easier to clear out the ruts before weaving the branches and stuff back together,” Ghostpaw meowed.
Bluepaw spat out the twig he was holding. “Don’t you just know everything? I know how to put some wood in place.”
Ghostpaw was taken aback by the apprentice’s rudeness and he stepped back a bit. Despite this, he wasn’t near offended and his face remained neutral. “You know, if you learn how to do this right, you won’t have to keep doing it.”
Bluepaw sighed heavily and stepped away from the torn wall. “Show me how you do it, Ghostpaw.”
Ghostpaw walked closer to the wooden wall and began to dig away the litter in the rut, meowing about the best ways to do so in the process. The snapped, unusable twigs were all neatly stacked in a pile beside him. 
Afterward he was able to successfully shove a branch into place and weave it without sending showers of twigs down onto him. The weathered area looked almost as sturdy as before. “Do you think you can finish the wall like that?”
Bluepaw looked indifferent and shrugged, as if he didn’t want to admit Ghostpaw’s way had been better. “Okay, but only because I want to be done with this already.”
Ghostpaw surveyed him a while longer to be sure he was effectively repairing the wall, but didn’t bother watching the entire time as hunger was getting to him.
Ghostpaw settled down at the large selection of prey and chose a plump, gray mouse. The sun had casted a lovely shadow over the prey pile and Ghostpaw enjoyed the coolness of the shade. He was quick to tear into the mouse and didn’t notice Tigerfoot approaching until they had sat next to him.
“Do you mind if I join?” They asked sweetly.
Ghostpaw shook his head quickly and drew himself up to match Tigerfoot’s height, his paws tingling with joy.
The ginger cat took a crow from the pile and started to pluck away the feathers. “Wavewhisker’s glaring daggers at you,” they whispered discreetly. “What did you do to ruffle his fur now?”
“I caught him in BugClan territory, and he didn’t quite like that I told Duststar.”
“Can’t you tell me what he was doing there?”
Ghostpaw shook his head. “I’d rather not. Not in camp, at least.”
Tigerfoot nodded. “Maybe you can join me in gathering herbs soon. Sweetsun and Moonleap are having a mini session on remedies, and the loneliness of patrolling by myself is unbearable.”
Ghostpaw looked away, flustered yet again as he shuffled his weight between his paws. “I can't, I'm on punishment.”
He could almost feel the disappointment coming off of Tigerfoot. “Oh, alright then. Maybe some other time.” Their ears drooped and they became a bit quieter than before.
Now finished with the mouse, Ghostpaw glanced around the clearing for other apprentices to help. He noticed Whisperingpaw hauling bundles of nesting material toward the elders’ den. Ghostpaw had seen the apprentice’s nest, and it was scraps of moss scraped together at best. The elders would be brutal to the cat if he made their nests the same.
Gingerly, he touched his nose to Tigerfoot’s cheek shyly. “We can talk later, yeah?”
Tigerfoot brightened at this and they smiled. “Yeah. See you later, Ghostpaw.”
Ghostpaw turned and bounded to help Whisperingpaw, feeling lighter than air. He felt his heart beating so hard he thought it would leap out of his chest. 
“I’ll help you with that, Whisperingpaw,” he meowed cheerfully. Whisperingpaw looked a bit confused by Ghostpaw’s readiness to help, but he didn’t hesitate to pass over a burden.
Ghostpaw took the nesting material in his jaws and followed behind Whisperingpaw to the elders’ den. Maybe this punishment won’t be terrible at all. Not with Tigerfoot to keep him company.
== Chapter Eight ==
Ghostpaw sat in his nest as he awaited Rainshadow’s call for him. The assortments of moss and feathers were soft under him and were welcoming for him to sleep, but the young cat couldn’t contain the excitement the day was bound to bring.
He had reached ten moons and was set to take his final assessment. It would be the same as Stonebird’s, and if Ghostpaw were to pass, he’d be made a warrior soon after. Anticipation crackled like the embers of flames under his white fur. 
Coalpaw lay beside Ghostpaw, grooming her pelt. She was one of the few apprentices who woke up early in the mornings.
She shifted closer to Ghostpaw. “It’ll be different without having you around,” Coalpaw whispered solemnly.
“Yeah, but I’ll still be a part of EbonyClan,” Ghostpaw responded.
Coalpaw shrugged and looked away. “I know, but training with you has been so much fun. I’m not ready for it to end.”
Ghostpaw pressed his nose comfortingly against the younger she-cat’s ear. Although he didn’t feel the same, there was no harm in allowing Coalpaw to express her feelings.
Finally, the awaited call echoed into the dark apprentice den. “Ghostpaw, are you awake?”
Ghostpaw abandoned Coalpaw’s side and trotted out of the den. He met Rainshadow face-to-face. The camp was drowned in morning dew from the rain before and mist clung onto every aspect of the camp. The sky was gray with the promise of more rain.
As Ghostpaw stepped further into the clearing, dewdrops clung onto his white fur as mud stuck onto him and stood out like a crow in winter.
The camp was mostly empty. Except for Stonebird. He was tasked with keeping an eye on his youngest siblings, Honeykit and Lizardkit. Duststar was also in the clearing conversing with Foreststep. When he noticed Ghostpaw had emerged, he gave him a respectful nod.
Rainshadow was peering down at Ghostpaw from a taller branch. “Are you ready for your assessment?”
Ghostpaw nodded eagerly. “Yes, I am.”
“Right then. Follow me.”
Once Rainshadow had led Ghostpaw out of camp and into the dripping forest, he began telling him about his assessment and what he was expected to do. “There’s three parts to the assessment: hunting, tracking, and climbing. We’ll start at the Frothing Canal where you’ll need to catch a mouse, shrew, vole, and squirrel. I’ll be following you and watching the entire time.”
Rainshadow easily cleared a fallen tree and waited for Ghostpaw to follow suit. The white tom did so with ease, splashing in a murky puddle as he landed. Ghostpaw felt a tinge of pride. He had truly become a skilled wild cat.
“As for tracking,” Rainshadow continued. “You’ll need to find a set of wolf tracks. They’re dangerous things, and you’re fortunate to not have run into any during your apprenticeship. And lastly, climbing. You’ll need to scale the Squirrel Tree up and down with ease. After all that, we’ll return to camp.”
“Seems easy enough,” Ghostpaw thought. He was a decent hunter and climber, and his tracking skills proved worthy after being able to detect Wavewhisker in BugClan territory. Overall, Ghostpaw was confident he’d pass this assessment.
The pair arrived at the Frothing Canal. It was overflowing, thanks to the heavy rainfall the previous night, and was lapping at Ghostpaw’s paws. “Well, good luck,” Rainshadow purred encouragingly.
Ghostpaw opened his mouth and tasted the air. The air was still heavy with mist that clouded his senses, but he was still able to detect a squirrel on the wind. With a final meaningful glance at Rainshadow, Ghostpaw padded through the Frothing Canal and began to track the squirrel.
***
Ghostpaw dug his claws into the Squirrel Tree. The bark shredded as he slid down the tree’s trunk. Squirrels weaved and chittered about as they scrambled to run away from the skilled predator.
The forest was significantly less laden with mist. However, the air carried the promise of rain. As Ghostpaw leaped off of a jutting root, Rainshadow appeared from the undergrowth to meet his apprentice. “Well done, Ghostpaw. You completed your assessment.”
Ghostpaw’s tail twitched in delight and his eyes shone with excitement to become a warrior. “When do you think my warrior ceremony will be?”
“Well, I have to tell Duststar how you did first, but I think maybe by sunset.” Rainshadow meowed. Ghostpaw suppressed a leap of joy. Finally, after four long moons, he would be considered a warrior of EbonyClan! He had finally earned his place in the Clan.
He followed Rainshadow back to camp with a slight bounce in his step. His paws tingled with the thrill of being able to join Stonebird on patrols as a full warrior.
The pair slipped into the wet, verdant camp. Rainshadow broke away from Ghostpaw rather quickly and entered Duststar’s den. Ghostpaw scanned the camp for Stonebird. The tom hadn’t moved since Ghostpaw left, but now, he was grooming Honeykit and Lizardkit as they napped.
Gingerly, careful not to wake the young kits, Ghostpaw padded over. “Guess what, Stonebird?”
Stonebird looked up from his grooming. “What?”
“Rainshadow says I passed my warrior ceremony, and he suspects I’ll be a warrior before sunset.” Ghostpaw was bubbling with fervor as his tail tip twitched with pleasure. Stonebird looked equally, if not more pleased for his friend’s advancement, but he wouldn’t dare to wake the young kits beside him.
“That’s great, really! You know, the first thing we should do is hunt at the Dove-Filled Barn. It has this real mean cat named Sparrow who guards the doves, but it only adds to the excitement.”
“Sounds great,” Ghostpaw purred. He noticed Lizardkit began to stir, and quickly excused himself before he woke the kits. There was a second cat he’d like to tell: Tigerfoot.
He ducked beneath the protecting ferns of the gloomy medicine den and was greeted by Sweetsun’s peachy pelt. She was organizing various herbs into neat stacks and piles.
“Hello, Sweetsun,” Ghostpaw greeted sweetly. “Is Tigerfoot here?”
“Yup. They're in our den.”
Ghostpaw meowed a thanks and slinked towards the shared healer’s den. And, as promised, Tigerfoot was working equally as hard preparing herbs.
“Hi, Ghostpaw!” Tigerfoot purred. Ghostpaw touched his nose to their ear in a greeting and sat down beside them.
“I passed my warrior assessment.” Ghostpaw smiled.
Tigerfoot turned to look at him“That’s great! Oh, I can just tell you’re going to be a great warrior.” Their eyes shone with pride for Ghostpaw.
Ghostpaw sat with Tigerfoot a little while longer as they worked, chatting and catching up. Ghostpaw was grateful for these small moments. With Ghostpaw as a warrior apprentice and Tigerfoot as a full healer, the two didn’t get much time to talk.
It was all too soon when Rainshadow called for Ghostpaw. “I’ll see you later then?” Tigerfoot meowed.
“For sure.” Ghostpaw turned tail and exited the medicine den and returned to the main clearing. The sky had finally stopped teasing rain that would never come, and the now broken clouds were ignited in hues of bright red and orange.
“Duststar approved your ceremony,” Rainshadow said joyfully. Ghostpaw was sure his purring could be heard from any point of the territory. His heart felt light and his pelt pricked with elation.
“Normally a cat’s family will help them prepare for the ceremony, but Duststar himself offered to help groom your pelt.”
Ghostpaw nodded, feeling too overwhelmed to speak. “Well, the sooner you’re ready, the sooner the ceremony. It was an honor mentoring you, Ghostpaw.”
Ghostpaw pressed his nose against Rainshadow’s shoulder. He felt a wave of gratitude to the cat. Rainshadow resting his head upon Ghostpaw’s before he left to continue his warrior duties.
Ghostpaw watched him go for a moment before setting off to Duststar’s den. He squeezed into the crevice of the boulders and was greeted by his leader.
“Rainshadow says you passed your assessment easily,” Duststar meowed. “I knew you would be a good addition to EbonyClan.” Ghostpaw shone with delight from the leader’s praise.
Duststar approached Ghostpaw with a soaked moss ball. “It won’t take long to get ready. All we must do is wash your pelt with water and add rosemary to your fur.”
Ghostpaw nodded and allowed Duststar to scrub his pelt thoroughly and add bits of rosemary in his fur. The water had felt uncomfortable against his skin, and he fidgeted as Duststar worked, but once his leader began tucking bits of rosemary in Ghostpaw’s fur he felt a sense of serenity overcome him.
When he had finished, Duststar discarded the moss and sat in front of Ghostpaw. “There is something I wanted to talk to you about, Ghostpaw. That’s partially why I wanted to help you prepare for this ceremony.”
Ghostpaw perked his ears. He was listening very intently now. “Wavewhisker has been leaving camp late at night and returning before dawn with weird scents. If I had to assume, it’s a mix of WhistleClan and BugClan. I understand he may be meeting with Twistedstar, but there’s no reason for him to smell so strongly of two Clans.”
Ghostpaw curled his claws into the moss below and suppressed a spit of fury. He had tried to warn Duststar of Wavewhisker’s disloyalty, and only now he was beginning to suspect him?
“I want you to spy on him. If you were able to do so when you were only eight moons old, I believe you can do so now,” Duststar continued. “You may want to bring along a few friends for protection, maybe Stonebird and Coalpaw.”
Ghostpaw nodded determinedly. Finally, he was given permission to expose Wavewhisker’s treachery. “Should we set out tonight?”
“I’d like it if you did.”
“Alright then. We’ll report to you as soon as possible.”
Duststar smiled, reassured. “Great. Well, I’ll call the meeting for your ceremony now.”
Ghostpaw followed Duststar out of his den and watched as the leader skillfully moved to sit atop the tallest boulder. Duststar gathered the Clan with a yowl.
Ghostpaw took his place at the center of the gathering crowd. The sky still displayed an array of burning colors and the sun casted a golden film on the world below. If Ghostpaw didn’t know better, he’d say the forest itself was celebrating his warrior ceremony.
The sun beat down warm and comfortably on Ghostpaw’s pelt as Duststar began the meeting. “Today we gather under Ghostpaw. He has trained well under Rainshadow, and has proven himself worthy of becoming a full EbonyClan warrior time and time again.”
Duststar turned his focus to Ghostpaw. The young white tom felt a familiar feeling wash over him. It was the same when he had first joined EbonyClan. But, instead of being filled with discomfort, Ghostpaw welcomed the sensation and allowed it to snake his frame. He lifted his head higher. He was a stronger cat than he once was.
“Ghostpaw, we welcome you as a warrior named Ghostfur in honor of your pristine pelt.”
Unexpectedly to Ghostfur, the clearing erupted in cheers and congratulations just as it did for Stonebird. He was crowded by Stonebird and Tigerfoot first, then Coalpaw, then the rest of his Clanmates, all offering praise and advice.
Ghostfur accepted it all with joy. He embraced the sense of belonging and couldn’t help but emit the loudest purr he ever did.
Eventually, the crowd cleared away, and the only cats that remained were Stonebird and Coalpaw. “Well, Ghostfur, do you want to head out to the Dove-Filled barn now?”
Despite the light-hearted atmosphere, Ghostfur still clung onto the secret mission Duststar gave him. “Well, I actually need to talk to you both. Outside of camp.”
Stonebird and Coalpaw’s curiosity was palpable as Ghostfur led them out of camp. He wandered the forest for a bit until he found a swath of ferns that seemed like a good cover for the conversation.
Ghostfur sat down and began to relay all of the information, including the time where Wavewhisker was outrightly betraying Duststar.
“Wow,” Coalpaw gasped. She had crouched low to the ground during the explanation. Her face was pure shock and astonishment. “So Duststar wants us to spy on Wavewhisker? Isn’t that a bit disloyal to our deputy?”
“Everything Wavewhisker has done makes him disloyal,” Ghostfur spat. “You don’t have to come along if you don’t want to, Coalpaw. I know it may be a lot for you to do on top of training.”
Coalpaw leaped to her paws. “No, I’ll help!” she insisted. Ghostfur could tell she only wanted an excuse to hang about Ghostfur more. 
“Well, our first session will be soon.” Ghostfur looked up at the sky. It had turned into a softer version of it’s earlier self as it welcomed the moon as the sun’s replacement.
== Chapter Nine ==
Ghostfur perched on the edge of a well-hidden ridge, peering down into the moist crevice behind a near-frozen waterfall that unveiled the sole view of BugClan’s camp. Beside him lay the slumbering shapes of Stonebird and Coalpaw, now known as Coalflare for several moons.
Eight moons had passed since Duskstar tasked Ghostfur and cats of his choice with spying on Wavewhisker. The leader had hovered on the brink of calling off the secret mission, but every moon Ghostfur unearthed shocking information.
Initially, it was the revelation of Duckriver, BugClan’s latest deputy, attending the meetings. Subsequently, Ghostfur unraveled details about BugClan warriors, battle plans, and finally, Wavewhisker’s surreptitious presence in the BugClan camp.
The clandestine gatherings extended deeper into the daytime, leaving Ghostfur to ponder the audacity of Wavewhisker in forsaking his deputy duties.
Ghostfur’s eyes narrowed to slits, and his paws trembled with fury as he heard Wavewhisker betraying more of EbonyClan’s secrets. With the seasons transitioning into leaf-bare once again, EbonyClan remained as vulnerable as before, and Wavewhisker was swift to relay this information to BugClan.
Suppressing a hiss, Ghostfur acknowledged the futility of stopping Wavewhisker. Duskstar remained skeptical of his seemingly loyal deputy's ill-intentions, and Ghostfur yearned for his leader to witness the betrayal, even if only for one night.
Ducking deeper into the protecting ridge, Ghostfur shivered and leaned against Stonebird for warmth. The cold of the forest paled in comparison to the freezing mountain range. Fortunately, his pale pelt blended nearly perfectly with the sparse snow.
As the sun cast its morning glow over the mountain peaks, Ghostfur slipped back into the ridge's shelter, gently waking his partners. The time to depart approached swiftly, necessitating a collective decision on the most discreet exit strategy.
Within the ridge were Stonebird, Coalflare, and Stonebird’s two siblings, Honeypaw and Lizardpaw. The pair had been apprenticed to Ghostfur and Stonebird respectively for the past three moons and have been joining the group occasionally for the experience. 
Ghostfur wished Honeypaw could’ve had a normal training session to teach her the best ways to stalk and remain undetected, but perhaps this was a better way to teach her instead of forcing her to stalk mouse after mouse.
Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, Ghostfur prodded Stonebird awake. The tom’s gray and brown pelt rippled and he blinked his eyes open slowly. “Did you find out anything useful?”
“No. It’s the same as yesterday: giving out private EbonyClan matters.”
Stonebird spat out of pure spite. “Traitor. I can’t believe Duskstar won’t do anything about it.”
Ghostfur shrugged and turned away to nudge Coalflare awake. “I could try a bit more convincing, but I doubt it’ll work.”
Ghostfur worked quickly to rouse the rest of his Clanmates. Lizardpaw and Stonebird kept watch of the rocky camp while Coalflare groomed her silky pelt. The sun was climbing higher in the pale blue sky. Ghostfur sat with Honeypaw.
“Will I get to join the next spying session?” Honeypaw whispered.
Ghostfur shrugged. “I’d like for you to get a good night’s sleep. Your warrior assessment is coming up, and I want you to be able to train hard so you can do your best with it.”
“I’ll do just fine,” Honeypaw promised. 
Ghostfur nudged her lightly. “I’m sure you will, but Duskstar might not.”
Honeypaw’s shoulders sagged and she sighed. “Fine.”
Ghostfur nudged the deterred apprentice again then snuck forward towards the edge of the frosty ridge and crouched down beside Coalflare. He matched her hidden motions: low ears and flattened body.
He watched patrols pour out of the BugClan camp into the frozen landscape. Ghostfur scanned the cats below for Wavewhisker. Once the deputy decided it was time to go, Ghostfur would gather his cats and lead them back to EbonyClan.
The white tom angled his ears towards the BugClan camp. He could still recognize the wave-like stripes of Wavewhisker’s pelt.
“When will be the best time to attack,” Twistedstar was meowing.
“I’ll say in the dead of leaf-bare on the coldest night,” Wavewhisker answered. “Our Clan is still shaken from the previous Leaf-Bare moon, but they’re beginning to crawl out from their shells. If we do not attack soon we will need to wait another year.”
Ghostfur settled down further. He dared to lean a bit further into the stale air to get a better listen.
“Right then. We will attack after this moon’s gathering. Thank you for telling us, Wavewhisker.”
Ghostfur’s paws tingled and his pelt stood on end with the anticipation to get back to Duskstar with this plan. BugClan would attack in no less than five days. His claws scraped against the stone below.
Finally, Wavewhisker emerged from the cave. In sync, Ghostfur and Coalflare backed into the ridge. “Time to go?” Lizardpaw meowed. Ghostfur nodded silently.
“We need to be quiet now, Lizardpaw,” Stonebird told his brother.
Ghostfur turned to look back at Wavewhisker. He was accompanied by two BugClan warriors and was heading straight for the border.
Searching for a cover to follow them by, Ghostfur discovered a string of stones. He motioned to his Clanmates and crouched down low to the ground. Stonebird took the space beside him and offered a comforting presence while Honeypaw and Lizardpaw slipped in behind their mentors. Coalflare hung on the ridge for a bit longer, then crouched behind the patrol.
Ghostfur checked the skies for birds, then the land for enemy warriors before sneaking to the first stone. Wavewhisker was a long way in front of the five cats, so Ghostfur wasn’t concerned with being caught.
The freezing air easily pierced Ghostfur’s thinner pelt and he was suddenly jealous of Honeypaw’s thicker pelt. His paws were much more durable and the sharp stones didn’t feel nearly as bad as they did during his first spying session.
The cats moved as one silently among the gray landscape with Ghostfur leading them onward. Ghostfur followed the three cats from a safe distance. They passed through a narrow crevice and turned a snow-capped cliff. Ghostfur was thankful for the familiar scenery of EbonyClan territory. Even in the winter with the trees bare it looked more welcoming than the mountain range.
Ghostfur sat crouched with his patrol behind him. As he looked around, he realized he had led the cats through a one-way passage. The BugClan warriors would need to pass through the crevice again to get back to their camp. Ghostfur’s heartbeat quickened. How could he be so reckless?
Wavewhisker was speaking with the BugClan warriors. As soon as they turned to leave, Ghostfur would need to determine the perfect time to continue forward to not get caught.
Finally, the two brawny BugClan warriors doubled back and traced their path back to BugClan. Ghostfur watched them intently. The warriors turned their heads as an eagle flew up into the air.
Ghostfur realized his chance, and also the danger that came with it. If he did not lead the cats behind him fast enough there was a chance of somebody being taken by the bird of prey. His chest filled with anxiety. He wouldn’t forgive himself if any cat entrusted under him was carried off by an eagle.
Ghostfur bunched his muscles together, ready to run. He could almost feel his Clanmates mimic him. The snow crunched beneath him as he crept forward. His tail twitched with a hint of fear.
The BugClan cats turned fully to watch the eagle out of caution. Ghostfur shot out of the cover and dashed for the border. He nimbly rounded boulders and ignored the wind whipping his face.
Casting a glance behind him, he felt his heart feel lighter. His friends were right behind him, their movements and eyes filled with trust for Ghostfur.
Finally, he skidded to a halt a tail-length from the scent line. Spinning around, Ghostfur saw each of his Clanmates crossing the border as well. He looked up to see the BugClan cats had been so focused on the eagle they didn’t notice the EbonyClan cats.
Ghostfur sighed and flopped onto his side. His friends all gathered around him as they picked themselves back together. “That’s a great way to start the day!” Lizardpaw purred. His fur stood on end with pure excitement and his eyes shone. Ghostfur could tell the young cat didn’t see the severity of the scene at all.
Ghostfur always embraced the canopy above after each night, even at its sparsest. But now, with the eagle still hanging about, he was even more thankful.
Once he caught his breath, Ghostfur dragged himself up and stretched. The sun was well in the sky now. Normally, Ghostfur would also have to worry about border and hunting patrols finding them so close to the border, but with Wavewhisker blatantly ignoring his duties as deputy, they wouldn’t be sent out until sun-high.
“Honeypaw, we’ll hunt before we return to camp. Care to join us, Stonebird? Coalflare?” Ghostfur looked at each of his friends as he offered the hunting suggestion.
“I can’t. I promised Sweetsun I’ll help her find herbs and have a chat with her,” Coalflare meowed.
“That’s alright,” Ghostfur purred. Coalflare said her goodbyes and continued deeper into the territory.
“Er, actually, Ghostfur. I have a cat to meet too. Could you train Lizardpaw today?” Stonebird asked.
Ghostfur knew all too well he was going to meet Littlemouse. His friend had skipped out on training sessions often to speak with his mate privately. “I don’t see why not,” Ghostfur said, but he could list about ten reasons why he couldn’t. He still felt conflicted about Stonebird and Littlemouse’s relationship.
Stonebird smiled gratefully at Ghostfur. “I bet you can’t catch a robin,” he said playfully to Lizardpaw.
“Bet I can!” the yellow-brown tom yowled.
“Well, we’ll see.”
Ghostfur watched as the cat’s mentor sauntered away towards the OwlClan border. “I’ll catch ten!” Lizardpaw shouted after him.
“Mouse-brain. Robin’s are barely around during green-leaf. What makes you think they’ll show during leaf-bare?” Honeypaw reasoned.
“I can find one,” Lizardpaw claimed as he turned into the forest. Ghostfur followed after them, listening to them bicker. He remembered when he and Stonebird would talk like that without a care in the world. The only difference was they were aware of an imminent threat.
Ghostfur was well lost in his thoughts until Honeypaw showed in front of him, proudly holding easily the plumpest squirrel he’d ever seen. “Wow! Great catch, Honeypaw!” he praised in his best mentor voice he could muster in the moment.
“Do you think Duskstar would like it?”
“I think he’d love it. I’ll hold it for you so no lucky adder finds it.”
Ghostpaw took the squirrel partially for that reason and so he had an excuse not to speak. He needed to put his thoughts in order silently now.
***
“Duskstar? May I enter?” Ghostfur called softly into Duskstar’s den. He had returned with a good amount of prey for leaf-bare and assigned Honeypaw and Lizardpaw tasks for today. Now, all he was concerned about was warning Duskstar about the five day time limit Wavewhisker had imposed.
“Yes, you may,” Duskstar’s voice came out.
Ghostfur shook his pelt to rid of the snow that had accumulated during the hunt. Slipping inside, he was welcomed by the warmth and comfort the leader’s den offered. The moss was soft, and Ghostfur finally felt relief for his damaged pads. “I have more information,” he meowed lowly.
Duskstar’s eyes were attentive now. “Well?” he encouraged. Ghostfur relayed all the information he had accumulated throughout the night. “I know you are hesitant to do anything, but the gathering is in four days. He says he’ll attack after the gathering. That gives us five to prepare.”
Duskstar stared at the wall. His demeanor didn’t change the entire time Ghostfur was speaking. “I think we should wait and see.”
Ghostfur hesitated calling Duskstar a mouse-brain like Honeypaw. He was sure this time limit would make Duskstar realize Wavewhisker was not to be trusted. “But Duskstar,” Ghostfur pleaded. “Twistedstar will be attacking us, and Wavewhisker has given him advice on when to attack. We must do something.”
Duskstar shook his head. “It may not sound like what you think, Ghostfur.”
Ghostfur felt his pelt burn with frustration. “Be rational, Duskstar!” Ghostfur hissed. “We know exactly when Twistedstar is going to attack, and we’re just going to let him? I feel like I'm wasting not only my time, but Stonebird’s Coalflare, Honeypaw, and Lizardpaw’s! If you don’t plan to do anything with the information I give you, what’s the point of getting it?”
Duskstar was looking at Ghostfur now. His eyes were wide with shock. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. “You have no clue what we had to go through today,” Ghostfur continued. “Unless you want to start doing something about this, I’m not going to be spying for you anymore.”
Fuming, Ghostfur whipped around and squeezed out of the den. He came face-to-face with Wavewhisker. Ghostfur didn’t hesitate to flash his hostile teeth and hiss at the deputy. Pushing past the enemy, he spotted Tigerfoot leaving the medicine den with a bundle of dead herbs hanging from their jaws.
The white tom pushed away all worries and made his way towards them. His steps felt lighter as he crossed to clearing. “Need any help?”
Tigerfoot nodded, smiling through the herbs, and revealed a second bundle being hauled by their tail. Ghostfur took the dead plants in his teeth and followed Tigerfoot out of camp.
As he left the frozen confines of EbonyClan camp, he felt as if he were leaving behind all of his worries. Here padding alongside Tigerfoot, it felt almost criminal to think about anything but them.
== Chapter Ten ==
Ghostfur sat beside Stonebird as EbonyClan cats gathered for the moonly gathering. The sun hung low in the sky and emitted the last rays of the day until the moon took its place. The sky was a pretty auburn, but despite its warm color, the forest below was glistening with frost.
“These younger cats don’t know anything about a real winter,” Whitestrike was meowing to his gang of elders, which included the newly appointed Flystrike.
“And we shouldn’t condemn them for that, Whitestrike. They are just as valuable as we were when we were warriors,” Flystrike purred. Ghostfur had a large sense of respect for the younger elder and it warmed him to hear her defend her Clanmates instead of putting them down like Whitestrike had done.
Despite the sensation, Ghostfur’s stomach was in knots. He looked at the friend beside him and noticed him tearing up the grass under his paws, as well as Coalflare, Honeypaw, and Lizardpaw. Tomorrow, EbonyClan could be under the control of Twistedstar and their treacherous Clanmate Wavewhisker.
At the sound of a leaf being crunched, Ghostfur nearly jumped out of his fur. “Everything alright, Ghostfur?” Tadpoleleaf meowed sweetly. Ghostfur’s eyes softened at the sight of the young warrior. His heart rate slowed and his stomach untied for a moment.
“Fine, Tadpoleleaf. I just didn’t get much sleep last night.” It wasn’t a complete lie. Ghostfur, Stonebird, and Coalflare took it upon themselves to guard the camp at night in case Twistedstar decided to attack at an earlier date.
“That’s not healthy. I’ll take up some of your duties if you want to rest a bit more tomorrow.”
“No, I’ll be just fine.” Ghostfur promised. Tadpoleleaf shrugged and wandered to sit beside her sibling Wrendusk.
Mainly younger warriors were attending the gathering, such as Oddpelt, Fireblaze, Newtshade, and Coalflare’s siblings. Ghostfur was convinced he and Stonebird were only going because they were the mentors of Honeypaw and Lizardpaw, who would also be attending.
Ghostfur looked at Duskstar. He was sitting as calm as ever beside Wavewhisker and the healers. Ghostfur sunk his claws into the earth as if to stop himself from leaping onto the treacherous tom right then and there.
Though, he felt a twinge of satisfaction when Wavewhisker spoke to Tigerfoot, and the healer bared their teeth at him. “At least there’s one important cat who knows the truth,” Ghostfur thought bitterly.
Duskstar’s familiar yowl caught the attention of all the cats below, and they poured out of camp and into the forest veiled by oncoming darkness. Ghostfur spotted Honeypaw and Lizardpaw nearly right beside Wavewhisker. He called the apprentices back towards him. 
Honeypaw’s golden pelt and Lizardpaw’s more earthy one weaved against their Clanmates until they reached Ghostfur. “It’s better to stay away,” Ghostfur nodded towards the deputy discreetly. Lizardpaw nodded and turned towards Honeypaw. “Let’s go ask Oddpelt about gatherings!”
Ghostfur watched them run off back towards the group. “They’re just like us when we were apprentices,” Stonebird purred. Ghostfur smiled gently. He wondered if he had known then what he knows now if he would’ve stayed in EbonyClan.
He followed Stonebird back towards the group. He didn’t want to mull on the idea.
The journey to Star Lake, like always, wasn’t long. Ghostfur moved past his Clanmates as he did once before and crouched at the rim of the sandy clearing.
He could smell OwlClan, WhistleClan, and much to his disappointment, BugClan. EbonyClan would be the last to arrive. 
“What do you think, Ghostfur? Do you think Twistedstar will follow through with it?” Coalflare whispered into Ghostfur’s silver ear. He looked at the black she. For the first time in the history of knowing Coalflare, she looked uncertain. Scared, even.
“I don’t know,” Ghostfur admitted. They didn’t have time to exchange any more words. Duskstar had begun sliding into the gathering place. Ghostfur planted his paws and allowed the sand to carry him down to the clearing.
Honeypaw and Lizardpaw raced in front of Ghostfur, half sliding and half tumbling down the slope.
Ghostfur landed safely at the bottom and waited for Coalflare and Stonebird to catch up. With his companions at his side, he felt much more comfortable walking into the gathering.
There would be a bit of time to converse before the gathering started. Perhaps he could weasel more information about the attack? Ghostfur noticed three young apprentices huddled together. They looked fearful and like they didn’t know proper gathering etiquette. It would be all too easy to get them to spill BugClan secrets.
Ghostfur waved over Honeypaw. “Are you up for one last spying mission?” he meowed.
“Of course. What do I need to do?”
“Do you see those BugClan apprentices over there?”
“Yes.”
“I want you to try and find out as much information about the attack as possible.”
Honeypaw’s fur stood on end and her face was one of fierce determination. “Yes, Ghostfur.”
She quickly recruited Lizardpaw for her mission and disappeared into the crowd. “They’ll make fine warriors one day,” Coalflare commented. “I hope I get an apprentice one day.”
Time passed until all four leaders took their place on the Dead Tree. Ghostfur gathered beneath it alongside the rest of the lesser cats.
Honeypaw and Lizardpaw showed beside him, eyes bright. “We told them we were WhistleClan cats,” Lizardpaw got out breathlessly.
“Yes. They mentioned BugClan and WhistleClan were allies and asked if we were excited for tomorrow,” Honeypaw mewed lowly.
“All we could get out of them was that they’re planning to attack at night,” Lizardpaw finished. He casted a glance behind him. When Ghostfur looked up to see what he was so interested in, he noticed a gray tabby staring at the apprentices with his eyes narrowed.
Ghostfur meowed a quick praise to the apprentices. They shared puzzled, anxious glances with each other before turning their attention to the leaders above.
Now both WhistleClan and BugClan were expected to attack EbonyClan. Ghostfur silently cursed himself. If he hadn’t let Duskstar’s unwillingness frustrate him so badly, maybe he could’ve found this out sooner. Ghostfur felt a surge of protectiveness for his Clanmates. Maybe Duskstar didn’t feel the severity of the situation, but Ghostfur did.
The decision seemed clear. He would sneak into BugClan camp for one last night to find out their exact battle plan.
The gathering was over before Ghostfur knew it. “I’m going to BugClan camp again,” he murmured in Stonebird’s ear. 
The gray cat looked puzzled. “I thought we were done there.”
“I thought so too until Honeypaw and Lizardpaw told me WhistleClan had allied with BugClan. We need to find out exactly what’s going on.”
Stonebird’s eyes stressed the anxiety he was feeling. “I don’t know, Ghostfur. I think we need to get back to our camp and prepare for tomorrow’s night.”
“But if WhistleClan does join the battle, we won’t have a chance no matter how much we prepare!”
Stonebird looked hesitant. “Fine, Ghostfur, but I’m coming with you.”
Ghostfur felt anxiety and anticipation coursing through his body like a river. He did his best to keep his tail tip from flickering as he joined the group of his Clanmates and followed them up the sandy slope. 
He and Stonebird hung towards the back of the group, then broke away towards BugClan territory. Following the rim of the Star Lake Ghostfur could see the Clan leaving the sacred place.
Ghostfur slinked silently through the forest with Stonebird trustingly following his pawsteps. There was a mutual understanding of each other as they darted from cover to cover. They simultaneously ducked at every shouty meow from the group of enemy cats. If even one were to spot and call out Stonebird or Ghostfur, it could cause the invasion to happen sooner and even justify it.
Ghostfur almost changed his mind when he saw the unwelcoming mountains of BugClan. The Clan was climbing the slopes easily and filing into the narrow crevice Ghostfur had once led his cats through. “And you’re sure about this?” Stonebird whispered. Ghostfur wasn’t. He cowered behind a fallen branch and tore at the frosty ground as the air lay thick with Stonebird’s uncertainty.
“We have to,” Ghostfur hissed. “There’s something we’re missing.” As much as he dreaded the stony landscape, Ghostfur pushed onward.
He led Stonebird back to the windy ridge where they had once hid undetected. The tight space was laden with snow. Ghostfur shuffled inside. His teeth chittered and he began to shiver from the cold.
“Let’s wait and see if Wavewhisker actually shows,” Ghostfur meowed to Stonebird as they lay beside each other.
The moon was slowly declining as the night went on. Stonebird had fallen asleep, comforted by the warmth he and Ghostfur shared. As for the white cat, his amber eyes were fixed on the ground below.
His mind was full of doubt about the deputy showing up. Perhaps with the battle so close Wavewhisker didn’t find a need to visit BugClan again. Tired, nearly frozen in place, and full of fear for the oncoming night, Ghostfur prodded Stonebird awake.
“Is he here?” Stonebird mumbled through his sleepily state. Ghostfur looked back at the gray stone.
“No, he’s-” Ghostfur cut himself off. Wavewhisker was padding up the slope. “Yes, he’s just shown up.”
Stonebird was quick to crouch on his paws at Ghostfur’s words. The pair watched Wavewhisker slip into the BugClan camp. “How will we sneak inside?” Stonebird brought up.
Ghostfur scanned the entrance for cover. It was completely bare besides a few spirts of grass here and there. But, one thing did catch his eye: a mound of snow. Ghostfur’s white pelt was undetectable amongst the snow. All he needed was for his stealth skill to be the same.
Ghostfur locked eyes with Stonebird, determination etched in his gaze. 'Stay here, Stonebird, and listen in. I'll sneak into the camp
Stonebird nodded. “Please don’t get caught.”
Ghostfur pressed against the tom comfortingly. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”
Ghostfur left the cover of the ridge, his heart pounding as the gravity of the task sunk in. He looked back at Stonebird. The gray tom nodded reassuringly to Ghostfur. He took a breath, and continued down the slope.
His pelt blended finely with the snow on the ground, and Ghostfur's pawsteps were silent as he maneuvered towards the entrance. Inside the camp, dimly lit, cats gathered around Wavewhisker, hanging on his every word
Ghostfur dashed to lay beside the mound of snow, curling all limbs as close as possible to him. Ducking his head, he angled his ears to listen as well.
“There are no apprentices in training,” Wavewhisker meowed. “But we are doing well with warriors.” His voice dropped lower and Ghostfur went to lean in, though he stopped himself. Even the slightest twitch of his tail could give him away.
“Duskstar is on his last life. This invasion will be perfect to kill him once and for all.”
“What does he mean last life?” Ghostfur was puzzled. Did Duskstar live more than one life?
“And you are all sure WhistleClan will be aiding us in battle?” Wavewhisker spoke slowly. The group murmured their agreement. “Good. We will meet again tomorrow night at EbonyClan.”
Wavewhisker turned to leave the freezing cave and Ghostfur sank deeper into the mound of snow. Just as he was about to round the waterfall that protected the camp, he turned. “And Duskstar’s life will be mine to take tomorrow. I don’t want any cat interfering.”
Wavewhisker left the camp briskly. Ghostfur thought his heart would beat out of his chest. “Well, let’s all go straight to sleep. We have a Clan to take over in the morning.”
Ghostfur waited until the Clan turned and disappeared into their dens before he darted out of the cover of the snow and up the slope. His pelt tingled with the adrenaline rush of sneaking into enemy camp. But, there was another emotion: determination. He wouldn’t allow EbonyClan to fall under treacherous cats.
Stonebird was crouched waiting for him at the ridge. “What did they talk about? All I heard was Wavewhisker say Duskstar was on his last life. What does that mean? And is WhistleClan really going to help invade our camp?” His questions flowed like a river and his tail twitched with anxiety.
“Let’s not talk here.” Ghostfur suggested. Stonebird nodded and followed Ghostfur back down the slope. They were much quicker to leave the cold mountains compared to previous times.
Just as they crossed through the narrow crevice Ghostfur spotted Wavewhisker’s tail tip disappearing into EbonyClan territory. Ghostfur felt his heart sink. His Clanmates would wake up the next morning without any knowledge of a traitor amongst them.
As Ghostfur and Stonebird crossed into their own frigid territory, Ghostfur told Stonebird of everything he heard, careful to leave in every detail. “What will we do?” the gray cat mewed.
Ghostfur looked up at the sky. Past the bare branches was the sky becoming a lovely pink shade as the sun rose. “By the time we get back to camp, it’ll be day, and every cat will be in the clearing. I say we gather Coalflare, Honeypaw, and Lizardpaw, and tell them what Wavewhisker’s been up to.”
“Will they believe us? I mean, every cat in EbonyClan trusts Wavewhisker a lot.”
Ghostfur stopped to think. Wouldn’t three warriors and two apprentices be enough proof for his Clan? Then he remembered Tigerfoot. The medicine cat believed Ghostfur when he spoke of Wavewhisker’s treachery. The Clan would have to listen if a healer told them so.
He continued through the forest with Stonebird at his side, a strong bond forged between them after this ordeal. “Yes. They’ll believe us. They have to.”
== Chapter Eleven ==
Ghostfur and Stonebird entered the leaf-bare camp. Just as Ghostfur suspected, the camp was full of cats awaiting orders for patrol. Ghostfur spotted Honeypaw and Lizardpaw emerging from the apprentices’ den with sleepy eyes and waved them over.
“I’ll find Coalflare.” Stonebird declared.
“And find Tigerfoot, too!” Ghostfur called after his friend.
“Why? What’s happening?” Lizardpaw’s face was one of worry as he and his sister came up to Ghostfur. The silvery cat respected how much the apprentice grew in maturity since the previous moon.
“We’re going to tell the Clan about Wavewhisker.” Ghostfur meowed blankly.
“Will they believe us?” Honeypaw stressed. His nose twitched nervously.
“We can only hope. But, with you two, Coalflare, and Tigerfoot to back us up, I think we have a good chance.”
Stonebird returned with Coalflare and Tigerfoot on his heels. “Stonebird told us everything in detail,” Tigerfoot meowed. “And you’re sure this is what’s going on?”
“Certain. Stonebird, Coalflare, Honeypaw, Lizardpaw, and I have been spying on Wavewhisker ever since Duskstar allowed it. We’d be blind to not know what was truly happening.”
Tigerfoot tore the ground up with their paws. “Okay, Ghostfur. I’ll be sure to support you no matter how you go about this.”
Ghostfur’s tail tip stopped flickering as he felt his nerves soothe and heartbeat slow at Tigerfoot’s kind words.
“Hello, Ghostfur, Stonebird, Coalflare,” Duskstar had walked up to the group. “Honeypaw and Lizardpaw’s warrior assessment is coming up, and I wanted to supervise a training session for them.”
Honeypaw and Lizardpaw didn’t look phased about the mention of their warrior ceremony. They only stared at Duskstar like how a mother would at their misbehaving kit. Ghostfur felt a pang of sorrow for the young cats. The joys of their apprenticeship was taken away essentially by Wavewhisker.
“Actually, Duskstar, we all need to talk to you,” Ghostfur meowed sternly, the air crackling with accusatory tension. He didn’t bother lowering his voice any more for the upcoming words. In fact, he might have even spoken up. “Wavewhisker is planning to kill you tonight. He will be waiting for BugClan and WhistleClan to launch an invasion on EbonyClan, then he’ll target you and end your life.” Ghostfur’s words were stern and blunt.
Duskstar assumed his defensive demeanor. Ghostfur prepared for his leader’s signature deflection, but Molethroat spoke before him. “What? Wavewhisker wouldn’t do anything like that!”
“Accept he would, Molethroat,” Stonebird spoke up. “We’ve been spying on him since the beginning of leaf-bare, and every night he’d been sneaking out to BugClan territory to plot against our Clan with Twistedstar.” His words hung heavy in the morning air. He commanded a large group of listeners now.
“Liars,” Whitestrike scoffed. “You young cats wish you could live up to be a great warrior like Wavewhisker.” Ghostfur was disappointed to hear the agreeing meow of Flystripe.
“Believe it, Whitestrike,” Tigerfoot meowed gently. They took a step towards the elder, and Ghostfur noticed the resembling features of Tigerfoot and Whitestrike. For the first time, he realized Tigerfoot was Whitestrike’s kit. “The day Wavewhisker and Ghostfur came back with wounds, it wasn’t from a fox, it was from Wavewhisker. He attacked Ghostfur during a training session and played it off by saying it was a fox.”
The crowd murmured amongst themselves, looking uncertain. Some tore the ground beneath their claws while others rolled their eyes. “Stonebird? Honeypaw and Lizardpaw? You’re a part of this?” Fallflame murmured timidly. Lizardpaw nodded bravely.
“We are. I want to be loyal to EbonyClan and protect it from dangerous cats like Wavewhisker,” Honeypaw mewed.
“Enough of this,” Duskstar spoke up. His voice was strong and leaderly. He resembled the cat Ghostfur had met in the forest long ago. “Wavewhisker is a loyal deputy and a strong asset to EbonyClan. He wouldn’t conspire against his birth Clan.”
“No, Duskstar.” Ghostfur took a step towards the leader. “You must listen. He’s a strong asset, sure, but disloyal.” Ghostfur began to tell his Clan about all the information he gathered from the first meeting he and Stonebird walked into up until the latest.
“We need to prepare for tonight,” Stonebird chimed in at the end of Ghostfur’s spiel. “WhistleClan, BugClan, and Wavewhisker will be battling against us.”
The Clan was silent with shock. Even the elders stayed to listen. As if on cue, Wavewhisker came through the camp entrance with a vole hanging from his jaws. Ghostfur assumed he went hunting so as to not cause any suspicion on where he’s been.
He dropped the vole at the fresh kill pile and slowly walked towards the group to stand beside Duskstar. Ghostfur remembered when he first joined the Clan how cats parted out of respect for Wavewhisker, but now they scrambled out of the way with fear and skepticism in their eyes. Wavewhisker stood beside Duskstar.
“What’s going on?” he demanded.
“You’ve been caught!” Lizardpaw yowled. “Everyone knows where you’ve been at night!”
Ghostfur was quick to notice the fear that glazed his eyes, but only for a moment. “I go hunting at night,” Wavewhisker growled. “And you as an apprentice are not allowed to leave camp at night. Keep a closer eye on your brother, Stonebird.”
Stonebird curled his lips back in a snarl. Ghostfur stepped in before any other words were said. “Wavewhisker, Stonebird, Coalflare, Honeypaw, Lizardpaw, and I have been watching you leave camp to go to BugClan since the beginning of leaf-bare. We know you’re planning to attack our camp with BugClan and WhistleClan warriors.”
The air was thick and heavy with the tension Wavewhisker created. Ghostfur felt his heart pounding through his body as he awaited Wavewhisker’s next move.
Nothing could prepare Ghostfur for what happened next. Wavewhisker rounded and leaped on Duskstar, scoring his side with devastating wounds. Ghostfur barreled into the gray tom, knocking Wavewhisker off the elderly leader. The crowd cleared as Wavewhisker landed harshly on the ground.
The clearing erupted in yowls, hisses, and spits. “Traitor!” Ghostfur yowled. His friends skidded beside him and backed Ghostfur up with hisses and spits. “Traitor!”
Wavewhisker crouched low to the ground. His tail lashed back and forth and his teeth were bared. “I’ll have my day,” Wavewhisker promised so lowly only Ghostfur could hear it.
Wavewhisker locked eyes with Ghostfur. “I’ll have my day,” he promised again.
Ghostfur bared his teeth. This cat had no more power over him. He rose onto his hind legs and aimed a clean swipe at Wavewhisker’s face. His claws scoured Wavewhisker’s snout smoothly. The gray tabby yowled in pain and turned, fleeing out of camp.
Ghostfur huffed. It was all over.
Tigerfoot turned from Ghostfur’s side and walked towards Duskstar. They allowed the brown tom to lean on their shoulder as Moonleap and Sweetsun helped them both along.
Honeypaw turned to Ghostfur. “Now what?”
“We need to be sure BugClan and WhistleClan stay far from our camp,” Ghostfur meowed slowly.
“What do we need to do, Ghostfur?” Acornspring walked up to the white tom. “I can lead a scouting patrol along the WhistleClan or BugClan border.”
“I’d be thrilled to meet a BugClan border patrol right now,” Sablestorm spat. Her claws curled into the earth with clear hope to sink her claws into BugClan flesh.
The crowd turned to Ghostfur, fully attentive. Ghostfur wasn’t prepared for the Clan to become so dependent on him and his tail flickered nervously from it all. 
“Scouting patrols would be great,” Stonebird meowed for Ghostfur. “What do you say, Ghostfur? Four patrols to cover all parts of the border?”
Ghostfur nodded. “How about, er, Acornspring and Oddpelt. Fireblaze and Newtshade, you four can take the WhistleClan border. Rainshadow and Bluefire and Sablestorm and Molethroat, you four can take the BugClan border.”
Ghostfur felt a wave of confidence as the cats he commanded nodded obediently. They were quick to match with their partners and leave camp.
“And what about prey? The fresh-kill pile and bare, except for that measly vole Wavewhisker brought back.” Leafdawn meowed.
“I can go hunting,” Coalflare offered. “I’ll take Honeypaw and Lizardpaw along too. Tadpoleleaf, are you up to join?”
Tadpoleleaf weaved to the front of the group to stand beside her sister. “I’ll do anything to help EbonyClan right now.”
Coalflare touched noses with her sister and followed her out of camp, Honeypaw and Lizardpaw trailing behind them.
“So now what? Are the rest of us sitting and waiting for the scouts to come back and tell us if we’re being attacked or not?” Whitestrike spoke up.
Ghostfur shrugged. “I guess so. There’s nothing else we can do.”
The remaining cats mumbled to each other uneasily. Tail tips flickered and pelts stood on end as they dispersed. “That went better than I expected,” Stonebird mewed lowly. Ghostfur shrugged again. Seeing his Clanmates look like prey in their own home didn’t sit right with him, but it was better than to let them be massacred later today.
“Come on, Ghostfur,” Stonebird butted Ghostfur’s shoulder. “We can practice some battle moves, or strengthen the camp walls. There are still things we can do.”
Ghostfur sighed. “Alright. Let’s fetch some things to reinforce the walls, then we can host a training session for the younger warriors.”
Stonebird perked up. “Let’s not waste another second.”
***
The sun hung low in the sky and created a breathtaking sunset for the cats below. It reminded Ghostfur much of his warrior ceremony. The air was crisp with the promise of rain, yet it didn’t hide the thick tension that veiled all of EbonyClan.
Ghostfur was currently lying next to Tigerfoot, grooming his pelt. He had repaired and strengthened all of the camp’s walls and held an in-camp training session for Wrendusk, and Whisperingbreeze.
“Do you think they’ll come?” Tigerfoot asked Ghostfur. Ghostfur looked up at the entrance.
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
Almost as if he was cued, Oddpelt entered the clearing. His eyes were wide with an emotion Ghostfur couldn’t read and he glanced around wildly like he was expecting an enemy warrior to jump out at any moment. The white tom jumped up and bounded towards Oddpelt with Tigerfoot right behind him. The Clan was gathered around him in seconds. “What’s wrong, Oddpelt?”
“WhistleClan, they keep hanging around the border,” Oddpelt huffed out. His ruffled pelt and gasping breath suggested he had run all the way here. “And BugClan cats are mixed in with them. Acornspring and Fireblaze and Newtshade confronted a patrol after a cat crossed the border. He sent me back for reinforcements.”
Cats hung onto Oddpelt’s every word. As he spoke, cats looked at each other and tore the ground up with their claws.
Ghostfur’s tail tip flickered anxiously. As a loyal cat, he’d turn to Duskstar, but the beige cat had entered the medicine den and hadn't come out. “Ghostfur, what will we do?” Stonebird looked to Ghostfur for ordered. Ghostfur forced his tail to stop flickering. EbonyClan needed a leader and judging by the expecting stares of his Clanmates, he figured they had appointed him. He couldn’t show how nervous he was.
Despite anxiety nipping at his stomach, Ghostfur spoke as if he was a leader for moons. “We need to keep the WhistleClan and BugClan cats as far from the camp as possible. Er, Rainshadow, Oddpelt, Coalflare, you’ll come with me to the WhistleClan border. Skywatcher, Wrendusk, Whisperingbreeze, and Bluefire, you four will go to the BugClan border.”
“Who will lead us if you aren’t here?” Primrosebush called from the crowd of cats.
Ghostfur looked at Stonebird. This is where his trust for his friend would matter the most. “Stonebird will.” Stonebird gave Ghostfur a soft nod. For a moment, Ghostfur felt everything would turn out fine with the gray tom leading beside him.
The cats Ghostfur rallied made their way to stand beside him. He turned to Tigerfoot and pressed his nose lightly against their cheek. Without a word, he led the cats out of camp and into the forest. He and Skywatcher shared an encouraging look before they broke off and began to sprint to their respective borders.
The anxiety and anticipation was thick in the air as Ghostfur led his cats to the border. The sky was red now and reminded Ghostfur of the blood that could be spilled from his Clanmates tonight. As they neared the border, Ghostfur skidded to a halt at the top of a hill. Below him was Acornspring’s patrol directly countering a WhistleClan and BugClan patrol. The WhistleClan cats were scrawnier than ever, a direct contrast from the larger BugClan warriors.
Ghostfur bounded to the border. “Ghostfur!” Acornspring gasped as the white tom made his way to stand beside the seasoned warrior. “We caught a WhistleClan warrior crossing the border! You were right, they’re planning to attack tonight!”
“Liar!” a BugClan warrior spat out. Ghostfur curled his claws into the ground and lashed his tail. He couldn’t believe these cats would blatantly lie.
“We know both of your Clans are planning to attack EbonyClan tonight. There’s no point in trying to hide it anymore,” Ghostfur hissed out. The WhistleClan cats looked weary. They looked like they would rather this whole ordeal be over. But, the BugClan cat’s eyes burned with the passion for a battle.
Before Ghostfur knew it, he was rolling on the ground grappling with a BugClan warrior. The once tense border was now a battlefield with screeching cats.
Ghostfur hissed and pushed the BugClan cat away. His once pristine white pelt was now ruined with blood trickled down his flank. The wound barely hurt, but the cheap shot fueled his drive to defend his Clan.
He crouched down as the BugClan cat leaped again. Diving under the attack, Ghostfur met the tortoiseshell’s she-cat’s throat with his own claws, knocking her to the floor. Ghostfur used his hind claws to rake the she-cat’s stomach.
The tortoiseshell yowled and aimed a clean swipe at Ghostfur. He stumbled off and crouched again, preparing another attack, but the she-cat had enough and bolted to the other side of the border.
Ghostfur looked around for another enemy to lock with. He noticed Oddpelt fighting bravely with a scrawny calico she-cat. Ghostfur darted over and gave the cat a bite on the shoulder. Oddpelt yowled in triumph as he scored marks across the calico’s face. It wasn’t long until she fled back to her Clan.
“Thanks,” Oddpelt gasped. Ghostfur nodded and looked around. The clearing was emptying as the WhistleClan and BugClan cats realized they were on the losing side of the battle. Rainshadow sent a white tom over the border, and Coalfare chased away a ginger apprentice. The battle had ended.
Ghostfur trotted up to Acornspring. “Did you spot any other patrols?”
“At least three. That was one of them,” the russet tom paused to take a breath. “That was one of them. I believe the others had four cats as well.”
Ghostfur felt weary at the thought of two more border scraps. Looking at Acornspring’s cats, he figured they had enough of this too. Their pelts were ruffled and they had bits of twigs in their pelt supposedly from hiding. “You two can go back to camp. We’ll finish this patrol.”
Acornspring looked thankful. “Alright, Ghostfur.” He, Oddpelt, Fireblaze and Newtshadow were quick to leave the border.
“Now what?” Coalflare mewed.
“We need to walk along the border and make it clear to any enemies that we can defend our territory, even if they don’t cross the border,” Ghostfur decided. “Hopefully those cats go back to their camps. Then their wounds will send enough of a message.”
Ghostfur led Rainshadow and Coalflare along the border. It was all quiet until they came across more BugClan and WhistleClan cats, Nectarstar at the head. He looked just as gaunt as his Clanmates.
Ghostfur didn’t have pity for him this time. He bared his teeth at the leader, tail lashing. Rainshadow and Coalflare followed suit. Their pelts bushed up and they hissed at the enemy cats.
They seemed taken aback by the display of hostility, but didn’t back down. A white tom pushed forward. “What’s your problem? We’re only on a border patrol!”
“We know what your Clans are planning,” Rainshadow spat. He curled his claws into the ground. “You might as well quit now.”
“We don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nectarstar mewed pitifully.
Ghostfur scoffed. These cats wouldn’t give up without receiving wounds. He didn’t hesitate to initiate the battle. Though the cats outnumbered his by one, the stick-like figures of the WhistleClan cats would make for an easy attack.
As he sunk his teeth into Nectarstar’s shoulder, Ghostfur thought ahead. He’d need to chase away the last patrol then get right back to camp in case a fourth patrol snuck through the unguarded border.
He felt weary again. He had a long dusk ahead of him.
***
The sky was dark now and the world was cold. Ghostfur’s pelt was stained blood of his own and of others. Though he couldn’t think of anything better than curling up in his nest and falling asleep, he returned to camp with bright eyes and a fire burning inside of him.
Pushing through the entrance, Ghostfur was greeted with a safe, quiet camp. Relief washed over him. He dismissed Coalflare and Rainshadow to the medicine den as Stonebird came up to him. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes. We fought off the last of the WhistleClan and BugClan cats and patrolled the borders for more.”
“And you found none?”
“Yes, thankfully.”
Tigerfoot’s voice called for him from the medicine den and Ghostfur said his goodbyes to Stonebird. He entered the den and was greeted with all three medicine cats working.
Duskstar was asleep in a nest with thyme laid at his nose. Ghostfur felt pity for the old cat. He sat down as Moonleap came over to help his wounds.
Unlike Sweetsun and Coalflare and Tigerfoot and Rainshadow, there was no conversation between Ghostfur and Moonleap, but Ghostfur felt comforted anyway.
Once Coalflare and Rainshadow left, and Tigerfoot and Sweetsun began to clear away the used herbs and spots of blood, Moonleap began to speak.
“EbonyClan is very lucky to have you, Ghostfur,” he meowed through a strip of leaves. “Otherwise, we would have been wiped out by BugClan.”
Ghostfur shrugged, but he felt proud of his actions. “You know, long ago when I was Moonpaw, I received a message from our warrior ancestors about a white cat. White as snow, a beacon pure. Unveiling secrets, a guide for the unsure, I believe it was.”
Moonleap laid cobwebs over Ghostfur’s wounds then moved to sit in front of him. “I didn’t understand what it meant at the time, but once I saw you walk into camp for the first time, I knew. I believe you’ll do great things for the Clan, and I will be behind you no matter what any other cat says.”
Ghostfur felt his heart swell from the elder’s approval, but he also felt a faint feeling of bewilderment. What did Moonleap mean by our warrior ancestors? As much he’d hate to admit it, Ghostfur had nothing but kittypet blood in him. Moonleap turned away to aid his apprentices in cleaning the den. Ghostfur turned away, glowing with reassurance. “You’re confined to camp until we say!” Moonleap called after him.
Entering the main camp, Ghostfur was greeted by Honeypaw. “Was everything okay?” she meowed.
“Fine. I hope you listened to the warriors and did everything they told you.”
“I did,” Honeypaw purred. “I’m worried, Ghostfur. What if BugClan and WhistleClan have more cats they can send?”
“No Clan is that big, Honeypaw. We attacked every enemy patrol we saw. If they sent cats to our camp, they’d all be wounded and easy to fend off,” Ghostfur soothed. Honeypaw still looked anxious, and Ghostfur figured it would be good to keep her busy. “If you’re not tired, then you can go inspect the Clan walls. Tell me if any wall is weaker than another.”
“On it, Ghostfur!” Honeypaw meowed. She bounded off to the nearest camp wall.
Ghostfur looked at the sky. The moon was well in the sky, but the camp was still buzzing with cats either working on their battle skills or watching the entrance of the camp, waiting for any enemy to crawl through. Ghostfur’s tail flicked out of fury for the rival Clans. They had caused his own Clan to become prey in their own camp. He felt the fire in his chest burn brighter. He would fight all of OwlClan, BugClan, and WhistleClan if it meant his Clanmates would be assured no harm would occur to them.
Just as Ghostfur went to find Stonebird, he heard the medicine den’s entrance shake and smelt the familiar scent of Duskstar waft from it. He turned to watch the leader stride with his head held high across the clearing. He commanded the view of all cats in the camp.
Duskstar made his way to the top of his den and yowled to gather the Clan, though cats were already crowding the stone out of instinct and anticipation of what Duskstar had to say.
“Moonleap told me everything that happened,” The beige tom began. “He told me how all of you worked together to defend the Clan from BugClan and WhistleClan and that the speculation against those Clans were true, but he mentioned one cat in particular: Ghostfur. Please step forward.
Ghostfur left his place at the back of the crowd and made his way to the center of the crowd. Cats cleared out of his way like they once did for Wavewhisker.
“You took charge as leader after I was sent to the medicine den and Wavewhisker was exiled. You led this Clan and possibly is the only reason we are all here now,” Duskstar looked down at Ghostfur. He felt a shiver ripple down his spine. “Ghostfur, will you accept the role of deputy of EbonyClan?”
Ghostfur’s next words were nearly automatic. “I do.”
“Then I pronounce you Ghostfur, deputy of EbonyClan.”
== Chapter Twelve ==
The air was thick with the smell of prey. Dew hung off every leaf and branch and gave the forest a rather mythical look. The sun’s light poured down onto Ghostfur’s pelt, turning it into a lovely shade of gold as it did for the flora of the forest below.
As he traversed the landscape, two mice, a squirrel, and a robin dangled from his jaws. Honeypaw and Fireblaze followed after him. They carried just as much prey.
The forest had finally thawed from the previous leaf-bare and prey was quick to return to the forest. The easy hunting made it easier for EbonyClan to recover from the threats posed by BugClan and WhistleClan. And no cat had scented Wavewhisker since.
Pushing through the renewed camp entrance, Ghostfur set his load down at the prey pile. Honeypaw and Fireblaze did so as well and turned to Ghostfur for their next orders. It had been a moon since Ghostfur was promoted to deputy, yet he still wasn’t used to the expecting stares of his Clanmates. In that past moon, EbonyClan had not attended the gathering.
Glancing at the sky, Ghostfur noticed the sun was beginning to set. “Honeypaw, you can tend to the elders. Fireblaze, you can be done for the day.”
“Yes, Ghostfur,” Honeypaw purred. She and Fireblaze parted ways. Ghostfur watched his apprentice leave. It would be time for her and Lizardpaw to have their warrior assessment soon, but Ghostfur wasn’t sure Duskstar would be open to having new warriors. Wavewhisker’s betrayal had shaken Duskstar to the core and he was now overly skeptical of his own warriors.
“Hey, Ghostfur,” Stonebird came up to Ghostfur and shoved him playfully. “Who’s going on the night patrols?”
Ghostfur shrugged. “I don’t know. Who do you think?”
Stonebird looked around. “Maybe Oddpelt, Newtshade, and Tadpoleleaf for the OwlClan border? They haven’t done much today I believe, and I’ve seen Oddpelt nap at least ten times today.”
Ghostfur purred in amusement. “Coalflare, Bluefire, and Skywatcher can take the WhistleClan border, and you, Wrendusk, and Rainshadow can take the BugClan border.”
Stonebird nodded. “Alright then. I’ll tell everyone they’re set to patrol.”
His friend padded away, and Ghostfur was alone again. He missed being an equal with Stonebird and found ordering him around a bit strange.
Just as Ghostfur was about to choose a piece of prey to eat, Tigerfoot came up to him. “Hello, Ghostfur,” they meowed, touching their nose to Ghostfur’s cheek sweetly.
“Hello,” Ghostfur purred. He sensed the stressed air coming off of the healer and was immediately concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“I received an omen while I was out on patrol, but we shouldn’t discuss it here,” Tigerfoot mewed quietly.
Ghostfur nodded and followed the ginger cat out of camp. Tigerfoot led him to a part of the Frothing Canal. The creek bubbled lively and Ghostfur found himself tempted by the scuttle of prey. He pushed away the urge to hunt and sat down in the lush undergrowth.
Tigerfoot sat across from him and started to explain the omen. “I was collecting herbs in OwlClan territory when I saw it. It was a crow right beside a bush of sorrel, and a fox a few tail-lengths away. It was strange, though. Crows don’t usually end up in OwlClan territory and I’ve never heard of a fox being there. And its markings were strange… They were like Wavewhisker’s, but sharper, if that makes sense.”
Tigerfoot took a breath in continued. “I left to store the herbs so I could collect more but when I looked back the fox had killed the crow. But it was so… bloody,” Tigerfoot shivered as if they were reliving the scene. “I think it’s about you and Wavewhisker. The fox’s markings were much like Wavewhisker’s, and everyone knows how hard you try to catch crows.”
Ghostfur listened intently. If he had seen it happen, he wouldn’t have thought anything of it. But with Tigerfoot so clearly stressed about this situation he considered the fact it could be an omen. “I don’t know, Ghostfur, what do you think?”
Ghostfur thought for a moment. He was reminded of the words Wavewhisker had promised him. “I’ll have my day.” The words seem to echo in his head. “Maybe he’s still lurking around Clan borders,” Ghostfur managed to spit out. “I’ll send out more border patrols.”
Tigerfoot didn’t look relieved. “Alright, Ghostfur. If that’s what you think is best.”
Ghostfur stepped forward and touched his nose against Tigerfoot’s cheek. “It’ll be alright, Tigerfoot,” he promised, but he wasn’t too sure himself. Ghostfur felt Tigerfoot soften beneath him and when he pulled away Tigerfoot’s gaze was soft.
The forest was becoming increasingly darker and the orchestra of birds was being replaced by singing crickets. “Let’s go back to camp,” Ghostfur purred. He and Tigerfoot walked side-by-side back to the clearing.
Moonlight streamed down onto the camp and only a few cats remained in the clearing. Ghostfur intertwined his tail with Tigerfoot for a moment before they walked away.
Ghostfur crossed the clearing to the oak log that was known as the warriors den. As he walked, he couldn’t ignore the feeling of suspicion that traced his pawsteps. Crawling below the log, Ghostfur picked over the few sleeping bodies of his Clanmates to his nest beside Stonebird. The tom was already asleep, curled up into a tight ball of fur. Ghostfur was hoping to tell Stonebird what had happened but he’d have to wait until morning.
Circling his soft nest, Ghostfur plopped down and closed his eyes, letting sleep overtake him.
His dreams that night were vivid. He traversed a darkened landscape. As he continued through the woods, he realized this was not EbonyClan territory. The deciduous trees of oak and birch were replaced with the strong trunks of Sycamores and Maples, and the normally abundant light peaked occasionally through the canopy above.
The chatter of robin and crows were replaced with songs he couldn't recognize. Rodents he’s never seen before ran at his feet as if he were no threat to them. However, Ghostfur felt no urge to hunt them. His belly was comfortably full and his pelt felt like he had just washed.
His paws carried him along an invisible path until he reached a mound that was cleared of any trees and undergrowth. The light shone freely here and spotlighted the mound.
On top of it stood a cat. His pelt was just as white as Ghostfur’s but the stars that mingled throughout and even more so in his eyes nearly blinded Ghostfur. He was small, but Ghostfur felt the air of respect and authority commanded by him.
His heart rate quickened when the cat beckoned him forward. Like an apprentice, Ghostfur obeyed and climbed the slope.
“Hello, Ghostfur,” the cat meowed. His voice was small and soft. Ghostfur had to strain his ears to listen. “You don’t know me, but I know you.”
“Who are you?” Ghostfur meowed softly. He felt as if he knew this cat since his birth, but he didn’t know anything about him.
“My kind doesn’t find a need for names,” the white cat meowed. “We are only remembered by what we do best or look like. When the stars called upon me, my friends and family called me the Silent Moon’s Shadow. I suppose that could be a name.”
This cat wasn’t a Clancat Ghostfur figured. “We have been watching you,” Silent Moon’s Shadow continued. “They call you Fierce Crow’s Caw, but I choose to use your real name, Ghostfur… I must ask you, where do you think you come from?”
Ghostfur shivered and sat down. Tigerfoot’s omen popped into his mind. He pushed away the thoughts and responded to Silent Moon’s Shadow. “My mother, I guess. I don’t remember much about her, but I know our housefolk called her Princess.”
Silent Moon’s Shadow shook his head. “No, Ghostfur. Your mother was once a Clancat like you, except she lived under BugClan.” The tom hesitated for a moment. “What I am about to tell you may change your view of yourself without hope for reconciliation. Are you sure you want to hear it?”
Ghostfur opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. This cat held wisdom Ghostfur couldn’t even imagine. If he had the power to change Ghostfur’s own view of himself with only a few words, they must be powerful.
Ultimately Ghostfur shook his head. “No. I don’t want to know.”
Silent Moon’s Shadow smiled softly. “Even the most intelligent of cats lack internal knowledge of themselves. I’m happy you’re not one of them.”
He suddenly stood, tail swaying. “Our time is up. I will visit you again some other day.”
Ghostfur mumbled out a farewell. The cat turned and left the mount. His brilliant white pelt was engulfed by the darkness of the forest but didn’t shine any less.
Once the tail tip of Silent Moon’s Shadow disappeared, Ghostfur jerked awake. Stonebird was washing beside him and noticed the sudden way he woke up. “Are you alright, Ghostfur?”
Ghostfur picked himself up from his nest. “Fine,” he murmured, twisting his head to groom his pelt. The warrior den was empty and Ghostfur assumed every cat was in the clearing waiting for orders.
“I can lead a hunting patrol if you’d like,” Stonebird offered. Ghostfur remembered his and Tigerfoot’s conversation from last night. He promised to up the border patrols, but perhaps Tigerfoot would feel safer if Ghostfur himself checked out the edges of EbonyClan.
“I want you to patrol the BugClan border with me. Coalflare can come along with us, and so can Rainshadow.” Ghostfur decided. “We can send Honeypaw and Lizardpaw to collect herbs with the healers.”
Stonebird nodded. “Sounds good.”
He and Ghostfur left the warm warriors den and entered the clearing. The air was humid and warm, and the sky was turning into a lovely light blue. Ghostfur weaved around his Clanmates with Stonebird right behind him, handing out patrols.
By the time he had finished only a few cats remained in the clearing. Stonebird, Coalflare, and Rainshadow sat at the camp’s exit, ready to leave. Ghostfur trotted up to them. “Let’s go.”
They left the camp and confidently padded towards the BugClan border. Ghostfur felt comforted by EbonyClan’s forest, especially after such a dream. He took this time to think over it. The dream was strange, but he didn’t feel frightened by it. The more and more he reimagined it the more it felt like he was expecting that cat since he stepped foot into the forest. Ghostfur began to wonder about what Silent Moon’s Shadow was planning to tell him. The thought of it made his paws tingle.
The BugClan border came into sight and Ghostfur swerved to walk along it, stopping every so often to add a marking. Coalflare and Stonebird were tail-deep in a conversation about how to best hunt a robin. Ghostfur stopped to add claw marks in a previously marked tree and Rainshadow came up next to him.
“Is there a reason you wanted to patrol the border? I know you prefer to hunt,” Rainshadow meowed.
Ghostfur looked at his former mentor. Tigerfoot’s revelation was private but Ghostfur knew he could trust Rainshadow. “Tigerfoot believes Wavewhisker is still living along the border. I wanted to make sure he wasn’t.”
Rainshadow and Ghostfur continued along the border. “Well, I don’t know any other places he’d go,” he meowed. “I remember when Wavewhisker was a kit and an apprentice. He was always so loyal to the territories instead of EbonyClan. I can’t count how many times we had to pull him out of border skirmishes that weren’t our own. I believe it’d hurt him too much to leave the Clans forever.”
“So you think he still lives among us?”
Rainshadow nodded. “There’s a stretch of territory behind our camp. Loners and rogues usually go there, but they don’t stay for long because a farm there owns a dog. Maybe Wavewhisker is taking the risk and hiding out there.”
Rainshadow’s theory was believable. Ghostfur was thankful for his insight. Glancing back at the muted gray tom, Ghostfur realized how much he aged. His face was tinged with a silvery gray and his movements were slower and less precise. However, his eyes were bright with the passion of being a warrior. Ghostfur felt a wave of respect for the senior warrior.
Ghostfur looked away at the sound of desperate yowling. He paused and gathered his cats around him. Straining his ears, he was able to pick out the screams of Honeypaw. Without thinking, Ghostfur tore across the strip of bare land. His heart pounded in his chest at the thought of what he may find.
He felt Stonebird racing beside him. Their pelts brushed, offering minimal comfort to one another.
Ghostfur skidded to a halt at a ridge where the land sloped downward. His eyes widened at the sight below him. Herbs laid skewed well in EbonyClan territory brushed with splatters of scarlet blood.
Honeypaw and Lizardpaw bravely took on a patrol of five BugClan warriors. Their pelts flashed from underneath the mosaic of enemy colors. At Ghostfur’s yowl, his patrol descended the slope and launched into battle.
Ghostfur joined the fray. He pulled off a patched tabby tom and dragged him to the floor. He pinned him to the floor and raked his flank with his hind claws, snarling in fury. He didn’t need to see the battle start to know the cats had attacked an herb patrol, one of the many things Ghostfur knew was considered wrong by all Clans.
The patched tom rolled onto his back and knocked away Ghostfur, who landed on his side. Ghostfur’s tail lashed and he crouched down as he awaited the cat’s next move.
The tom’s flank was shredded and blood poured down onto the floor beside him, but he wasn’t fazed. He snarled and prepared to leap, but paused at the sound of his name. “Don’t be an idiot, Oakleaf! Return to camp!”
Oakleaf gave one last hiss to Ghostfur and fled on the other side of the border. Ghostfur looked up to see who commanded Oakleaf so perfectly. He froze with shock and felt his heart drop at the sight of Wavewhisker’s gray pelt.
Ghostfur felt rage bubble beneath his fur. Wavewhisker dared to return to EbonyClan territory and attack his ex-Clanmates? And an herb patrol at that. Wavewhisker yowled encouragement to his now terribly outnumbered and launched himself at Ghostfur.
They tumbled around, a flurry of fur and claws. Wavewhisker slashed the side of Ghostfur’s face. The white tom yowled in pain and broke away from Wavewhisker. The former deputy leaped onto Ghostfur’s back, raking it with thorn-sharp claws. Ghostfur struggled beneath him and blindly pierced him with claws.
He felt the way of Wavewhisker pull of him and looked to see Honeypaw hanging onto the tom with her teeth embedded in his shoulder. Her once beautiful pelt was an array of gashes and claw-wounds. Though her attack meant well, her weakened state was no match for Wavewhisker. The tom easily ripped her away.
Ghostfur scrambled up and barreled into the tom, knocking him onto the ground belly up. Ghostfur leaned down and sunk his teeth into Wavewhisker’s neck.
The bite was enough to instill the fear of death into Wavewhisker and he screeched his defeat.
Ghostfur was vengeful, but he was no murderer. He stepped off of the gray tabby and yowled in triumph as he fled across the border. With their leader gone, the remaining three BugClan warriors followed Wavewhisker, hissing and spitting threats as they left.
Ghostfur didn’t bother to congratulate his warriors. He turned and bounded towards Honeypaw. She laid on the ground, groaning. Ghostfur nudged her gently. “Don’t worry. Honeypaw, we’ll get you back to camp.”
Ghostfur grabbed her scruff and helped the golden she-cat onto her paws. She swayed a bit and ultimately leaned on Ghostfur for support.
Glancing around the battlefield, Ghostfur noticed Lizardpaw was in similar shape. He wasted no time in rounding up his Clanmates and leading them back to camp, half-dragging Honeypaw along the way.
Upon their entry to camp they were met with yowls of shock and surprise. Ghostfur was thankful Sablestorm and Fallflame hadn’t returned from their patrols. He would never want the cats to see their kits in such a state. Looking at the medicine den, Ghostfur saw the tip of Sweetsun’s tail just disappear into the den. He thought the healers must’ve been awaiting their arrival.
Ghostfur ignored the steadily growing group of cats and allowed Rainshadow and Coalflare to answer questions as he and Stonebird carried their apprentices to the healer’s den.
Inside were all three healers ready with herb bundles at their paws. Ghostfur was correct in thinking they had been waiting for his patrol to return. 
Moonleap and Sweetsun immediately took Lizardpaw and Honeypaw from Ghostfur and Stonebird. Stonebird’s expression was of pure concern for his siblings.
Tigerfoot walked up to Ghostfur with a bundle of herbs in their jaws. Ghostfur shook his head. “Treat Stonebird first. I’ll be fine.” He figured Stonebird’s nerves would be soothed if he were being treated at the same time as his brother and sister.
Tigerfoot briefly touched their nose to Ghostfur’s cheek and moved to tend to Stonebird’s wounds.
Ghostfur could hear the commotion of the Clan from inside the medicine den and prepared himself for the state of the Clan.
Every cat in the clearing was surrounded Coalflare and Rainshadow, shooting off questions and concerns.
“Why weren’t Honeypaw and Lizardpaw with their mentors?”
“Won’t BugClan give up on attacking us?”
“BugClan’s evil, but I don’t think they’d attack a herb patrol well in our territory…”
Ghostfur weaved around the group and stood at Rainshadow’s side. As he took his place next to the tom, he saw Duststar leave the safety of his den. The older tom walked through the crowd as cats parted to let him through. Gradually, the Clan quieted to hear what their leader had to say. “Ghostfur, what happened?”
Ghostfur began to relay the events in detail, beginning from the first signs of battle and ending when the cats return home. “That’s all? I would say it sounds like a regular border skirmish, but if the herb patrol was well in our territory, there was no reason to attack,” Duststar meowed. His gaze urged Ghostfur to say more about the scrap.
“Well, there was a certain cat leading the patrol,” Ghostfur murmured out. His claws tore anxiously at the ground as the Clan leaned in to hear him more clearly. “It’s Wavewhisker. I believe he’s taken refuge in BugClan.”
The camp erupted into yowls of shock and disbelief. “That fox-heart” Molethroat hissed. “He tortures this Clan then joins another? I regret ever knowing him!”
“It makes sense he’d join the very Clan he was plotting to destroy us with,” Acornspring added in.
“Who cares if he attacked the herb patrol,” Bluefire spat. “This gives us a perfect reason to invade BugClan. Once Honeypaw and Lizardpaw become warriors, I suggest we drive out that reteched Clan!”
Duststar quieted the cats with a single raise of his tail. “Everyone will continue their duties as usual,” he stated, looking around the gathered cats. “We cannot show our fear to BugClan. We will keep the borders well marked and hold our heads high when we pass their border patrols.” Duststar returned his gaze to Ghostfur and abruptly gestured for him to follow.
Ghostfur left the group of murmuring cats and entered Duststar’s dim den. Duststar moved to sit in his nest. Even here he commanded an air of quiet calmness that Ghostfur found irritating at times.
“What do you think?” the leader meowed slowly. “Do you think Wavewhisker will keep attacking our cats?”
“I’m not sure,” Ghostfur replied. His tail tip flickered anxiously. “There is something I should tell you about.” He argued with himself on which was more important: the strange dream he had, or Tigerfoots omen. Ghostfur figured he should keep the dream a secret until he knew more about Silent Moon’s Shadow and the point of meeting him.
He briefed Duststar on Tigerfoot’s omen, adding in his own and Rainshadow’s thoughts. By the end of it Duststar hadn’t changed his expression. “It sounds clear to me,” he hissed. “Wavewhisker won’t stop until either you or EbonyClan are gone. He’d strive for both.”
“What will we do? We can’t keep living in fear.”
“I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do. We must continue towards the future and see what it holds for EbonyClan.”
== Chapter Thirteen ==
Ghostfur watched the last of the dusk patrols to leave. The sky was a soft orange glow, a direct contrast with how Ghostfur felt on the inside. He was full of anticipation for tonight. He wanted Silent Moon’s Shadow to visit him again. Maybe he had more information about Wavewhisker and his plans with BugClan.
Turning around, Ghostfur bounded towards the warriors den. It was steadily filling with EbonyClan warriors. Ghostfur mewed soft goodnights to a few cats. Curling his body around himself, Ghostfur let sleep overtake him
He awoke yet again in the dim forest. Ghostfur continued faster along the path until he came up to the mound. As he hoped, Silent Moon’s Shadow was sitting atop of the grass, awaiting Ghostfur.
Ghostfur walked up and dipped his head respectfully. He sat beside the ancient cat and listened for his words.
“Welcome back, Ghostfur.” Silent Moon’s Shadow greeted softly. “I witnessed the battle today. Wavewhisker won’t wait for the future. He’ll attack when he’s ready which is never long.”
Ghostfur leaned in. His paws prickled with anxiety “Can’t you tell me when?”
Silent Moon’s Shadow shook his head. “No. He’s unpredictable. Not even our oldest of Seers can tell what he’s thinking. What I can say though is you must convince your cats to invade BugClan first. You must prove that EbonyClan won’t become prey in their own home.”
“Duststar would never launch an attack. I hate to admit it, but he’s terrified of BugClan.”
“Yes, but there is only so much a leader can take before they push to the extremes.” Silent Moon’s Shadow turned to face Ghostfur. “Lead a border patrol at dusk with Duststar, Rainshadow, Stonebird, and Coalflare. Everything you will need to convince Duststar will be there.”
Ghostfur nodded quickly. The intensity of Silent Moon’s Shadow gripped him and he felt his heartbeat quicken.
The dead tom turned away and wrapped his tail over his paws. “I sense that’s not all you’ve been hoping to speak with me about.”4
Ghostfur’s tail tip twitched. “Well… I’ve been wondering about Tigerfoot’s omen. I know they got part of it right, but there’s something telling me that there’s more to it.”
“With the fox and crow? Yes, my friend Blizzard’s Harsh Wind sent it. He’s a more skilled Seer. He didn’t say much, but he says the omen is for both the present and future. There will be a time where the great Crow and sneaky Fox meet. Crow, like the greatest sycamore, will fall, and evil will unfold.”
Ghostfur felt his blood chill. “Am I the crow?” he sputtered out. Silent Moon’s Shadow looked at him.
“Blizzard’s Harsh Wind won’t say.”
Ghostfur tore the ground up with his claws. His tail flickered viciously. “Won’t you ask him? I need to know how to prevent this.”
“You cannot prevent destiny, Ghostfur.” Silent Moon’s Wind’s tone was harsh and stern. “If the world sees it fit, you will die. And besides, death is not the end. It only gives a new frontier to act on.”
As abruptly as last time, Silent Moon’s Wind stood. “Our time is over.” He meowed curtly. Ghostfur watched, stunned, as he disappeared back into the forest. With one last blink, he was in the warrior’s den beside Stonebird’s sleeping body.
Ghostfur got to his paws and weaved around his stirring Clanmates. He looked up at the sky. It was dim with clouds, and a soft breeze stirred his pelt.
The white tom crossed the clearing to the fresh-kill pile. He pawed a squirrel towards him and began to eat it. As he enjoyed the slow, early morning, he started to put his thoughts together.
He could still hear the words of Silent Moon’s Shadow echo through his mind. If he were the Crow Blizzard’s Harsh Wind spoke of, how long would it be until he was killed? There was still so much he hadn’t done that he wanted to.
Thinking of his death made his heart swell with grief. He pushed it all away. When Ghostfur died, it would be in a glorious, honorable battle that ended with his Clan safe for moons to come.
The squirrel was torn scraps now and the camp was steadily growing. Ghostfur looked up at Duststar’s scent and saw the tom walking towards him. “Hello, Ghostfur,” he meowed warmly.
Ghostfur dipped his head respectfully. Duststar sat beside him and picked out a robin from the pile of prey. “I want to patrol the BugClan border with you today,” he meowed just before taking a bite of the bird.
Ghostfur was a bit shocked. Duststar barely ever patrolled the borders anymore. His time was mainly spent either hunting or organizing training sessions for the younger warriors.
Duststar swallowed his robin and looked at his deputy. His eyes were glazed over as if he had seen tragedy in the future. Ghostfur nodded quickly. “Yeah, sure. I’ll take a few other cats along with us.”
Duststar smiled approvingly at Ghostfur before returning to his meal. Ghostfur sat in silence. Could Silent Moon’s Shadow be visiting Duststar as well, and had he delivered the same orders? Ghostfur was a step closer to finding things out about Wavewhisker and BugClan, and Duststar had initiated it. Curiosity clung to his pelt like burrs.
Ghostfur meowed his goodbyes to Duststar and headed towards the warrior’s den. He called softly into the space below the log. “Stonebird, Coalflare, Rainshadow.”
Slowly, the three cats exited the den, blinking the sleep from their eyes. “We need to patrol the BugClan border. Duststar’s coming with us.”
Coalflare’s tail curled in delight. “Great! I’ve been meaning to show off my battle skills.”
“Don’t jump at any cat across the border,” Rainshadow told her. “We don’t want to make them any more hostile.”
Ghostfur shared a look with Stonebird. Neither of them was sure that could happen. “You three can go wait by the entrance. I need to organize more patrols.”
The three warriors padded towards the entrance and Ghostfur went from cat to cat assigning them to patrols. The clearing was empty by the time he was finished.
He returned to his patrol at the camp’s exit. Without a word, Duststar led the cats to the BugClan border. Ghostfur fell into step with his leader. The tom was awfully quiet and his demeanor didn’t change. Behind him, Ghostfur could hear the meows of his friends.
“I just think we should let BugClan come to us,” Coalflare meowed.
“Why would we intentionally hold a battle in our own camp? That’s mouse-brained, Coalflare,” Stonebird spat. “Especially with our only apprentices injured so badly.”
“I believe we should try to talk it out with Twistedstar,” Rainshadow put in. “I remember when they first became leader. He was fiercely loyal and wanted the best for his Clan. He sort of reminded me of Ghostfur…”
Ghostfur casted a glance behind him. He scoffed. If he was one thing, it wasn’t like Twistedstar. He’d never take in an exiled cat from a rival Clan, or try so hard to wipe out an entire group of cats.
The border came into sight and the cats swerved to walk along the border. It wasn’t long until the familiar scent of BugClan drifted across Ghostfur’s nose. His pelt tingled. The scent was well in the border yet again. His Clanmates scented it too and Duststar brought them to a halt.
“Is this why Silent Moon’s Shadow told me to lead a patrol here?” Ghostfur thought. Duststar signaled for the cats to be silent and crouch low. Ghostfur’s heart beat hard. His fur brushed the flora below him and he held his tail still as if he were stalking prey.
Ears flat, Ghostfur followed Duststar. Stonebird came up beside him and so did Coalflare and Rainshadow bunched close to Duststar. The cats moved as one quietly yet swiftly through the undergrowth.
Duststar stopped and so did the following cats. He summoned Ghostfur to his side. Ghostfur snuck forward and peered above a mossy log. Crouched low was a gray tabby apprentice. His eyes were fixed on a shrew. He leaped and caught the rodent in his mouth. Ghostfur silently cursed the apprentice and he curled his claws into the earth.
Out appeared a pinkish she-cat. “Well done, Rockpaw. Raindropbush is just about ready to deliver this prey to WhistleClan. Go find him and give him the shrew.”
Rockpaw nodded and bounded away from his apprentice. A moment passed with the pink-cream she-cat scenting the air before Duststar leaped out. In the same instance Ghostfur revealed himself, as well as the rest of the patrol.
“Prey-thief!” Duststar shouted. “You dare to steal EbonyClan prey to feed WhistleClan? Does BugClan not have enough prey of their own to feed them?”
The pink she-cat’s fur ruffled and her tail lashed violently. “It’s BugClan’s business who we feed!” she hissed. “Besides, EbonyClan has the most territory available to them. What does it matter if we take a few shrews?”
Duststar growled and assumed a battle-stance with his patrol following suit. Ghostfur’s tail lashed and he bared his teeth. Maybe this was what Silent Moon’s Shadow was referencing.
Before Duststar could order the next move, Rockpaw and three other cats appeared. Ghostfur was relieved to not see Wavewhisker among them. But instead was BugClan’s Deputy: Duckriver.
“Duststar, every cat knows EbonyClan isn’t strong enough to defend itself from invasions,” the flame-colored she-cat meowed. “Just yesterday my cats said your apprentices were badly wounded. Do not make this more dramatic than it has to be.”
Duststar didn’t back down. Ghostfur wondered where this newfound drive came from. He threw himself at the BugClan deputy and a battle ensued.
Ghostfur locked with a lily-white cat. He scored his claws along their pristine pelt. Splatters of scarlet blood landed about as the cat tumbled to the ground. Before Ghostfur could launch another attack, he felt a weight accompanied by claws on his back.
Rockpaw raked his back and allowed his front paws to pierce into Ghostfur’s shoulder. Still wounded from the previous battle, Ghostfur felt weakened already.
He reared onto his hind paws and allowed himself to fall onto his back, crushing the young cat. He scrambled to his paws and dug his claws into the cat’s sides before Rockpaw could escape.
His teeth sunk into the base of his tail as his claws left painful, jagged marks in the apprentice’s skin. He yowled in pain and Ghostfur almost felt sorry for him.
Rockpaw squirmed until Ghostfur was forced to let go, though the apprentice’s tail was terribly mangled. Ghostfur bared his teeth as the apprentice whipped around. He seemed to reconsider fighting such a formidable cat, and fled towards his part of the border.
Ghostfur glanced around for his next attacker. He spotted Coalflare battling with the lily-white cat from before. Yowling encouragement to her, he joined the fight, pushing the cat to the ground and pinning her as Coalflare tore at her side.
The lily-white cat screeched and Ghostfur stepped off of them. They were quick to follow Rockpaw back to their own Clan. Coalflare flashed Ghostfur a grateful smile before sprinting to assist Rainshadow.
Ghostfur glanced around the battlefield. Stonebird was engaged in a brawl with the pink-cream cat from before, and Rainshadow and Coalflare dodge in and out of the range of a tortoiseshell cat.
Ghostfur couldn’t locate Duststar for a moment, and for a second he thought the older tom had fled. But then, from the corner of his eye, he saw a beige shape hanging limp from Duckriver’s mouth.
His heart dropped when he recognized Duststar. His jaw hung open, decorated with blood, and his pelt was torn and battered.
Ghostfur watched in shock as Duckriver dropped the fallen cat. She yowled encouragement to her Clanmates and made eye contact with Ghostfur. He felt nothing but despair overtake him.
Ghostfur looked behind the ginger she-cat at Duststar’s body. He squinted for a better look. It looked as if the cat was slowly coming back to life. His body jerked like he was having a bad dream and ethereal white wisps accumulated and sunk into Duststar’s pelt.
Before Ghostfur could even comprehend what was happening, Duststar was on his paws again, eyes bright and teeth bared. He leaped onto the back of Duckriver and sunk his teeth into the deputy’s throat.
Ghostfur raced to help him. He pinned the she-cat down and slashed at her belly. Warm blood poured from her wounds and she screeched her surrender, but Duststar wasn’t finished. With one last bite, he clamped down onto the cat’s throat. Duckriver let out one last deafening wail, then her convulsing stopped. She laid lifeless on the forest floor.
It wasn’t long until the remaining BugClan warriors realized their deputy had been killed. They stared in disbelief and shock and slowly broke away from their attackers. “Murderers!” The tortoiseshell cat managed to shout out. Coalflare snarled and aimed a clean swipe at the she-cat’s face. She half-wailed half-yowled and fled. Her pinkish Clanmate followed suit.
Ghostfur looked at Duststar. HIs pelt was covered in blood, but his wounds looked like they had been healed for moons. “Is anyone badly injured?” He meowed. His voice was strong and leaderly. He resembled the cat Ghostfur met in the forest yet again.
“That white she-cat really messed up my leg, but other than that I’m fine,” Coalflare mewed. Duststar nodded and turned to Duckriver’s dead body. Slowly, the remaining cats gathered around her, all except Duststar and Ghostfur.
“Let us not pay our respects to this cat. She tried to break the most important Clan law when she thought she had killed me. She’s no better than fox droppings.”
At the word of their leader, the cats broke away. “What will we do with her body?” Rainshadow asked.
“I’ll send the healers with an escort to return her to her Clan eventually.”
“So we’ll just let her rot here?” Stonebird gasped.
Duststar shrugged. “It’s one last BugClan cat we need to worry about.”
He rounded up his cats with a swish of his tail and set the pace back to camp. Stonebird caught the eye of Ghostfur. The white tom felt no remorse for the dead deputy. His entire world seemed to crumble at Duststar’s limp body. Any cat who has the means to make others feel like that is better off dead.
Shrugging at his friend, Ghostfur trotted to walk beside Duststar. He felt a rush of sudden relief. His leader was alive again and was now acting invested in protecting his Clan.
The walk back to camp was silent, but once the patrol walked through the camp they were met with yowls of shock.
“Another attack? Won’t BugClan give us a year of peace?” Bluefire spat.
“Was Wavewhisker with them? Did you give him a few good wounds to remember us by?” Skywatcher asked Coalflare.
There weren’t many cats in the clearing, yet a crowd had still formed. Duststar held up his tail for silence. “I will answer all questions eventually, but right now I must speak with Ghostfur.”
Duststar left to his den and Ghostfur dismissed Rainshadow, Stonebird, and Coalflare to the medicine den. As quickly as he could, Ghostfur limped to the boulders that made Duststar’s den.
As he entered the serene space he noticed Duststar was already crouched in his nest. His eyes stared at Ghostfur as he watched his deputy sit in the center of his moss-covered floor. “I believe you know what I wanted to talk about.”
Ghostfur nodded slowly. Whether it was about BugClan’s recent invasions or how Duststar miraculously came back to life, he was prepared with what to say.
“BugClan. They can’t keep pushing around EbonyClan like this. It’s time we strike back.”
Ghostfur let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Of course. We can discuss battle plans right away.”
Duststar nodded. “Perfect. I’m grateful to have you as my deputy, Ghostfur. You’re a loyal cat, no matter your origins, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you.”
There was a tone in Duststar’s voice Ghostfur couldn’t quite place. He decided now wasn’t the time to think it over. He dipped his head respectfully and allowed himself to bask in the praise. “Thank you, Duststar.”
Duststar dismissed Ghostfur with a hum. “Once you’re treated, send in Moonleap.”
Ghostfur nodded and left the den. His mind was buzzing with all sorts of questions and ideas. As he made his way to the medicine den, he planned to share them all with Silent Moon’s Shadow tonight.
== Chapter Fourteen ==
“The battle was fierce. You fought well,” Silent Moon’s Shadow praised Ghostfur. “I can tell you have a lot to say. There won’t be time to answer it all.”
Ghostfur nodded. Out of all things he was concerned about, the inevitable battle between EbonyClan and BugClan seemed the most important. “The battle Duststar and I are planning. What’s the best way to go about it?”
Silent Moon’s Shadow was quiet for a moment. “There’s another force you fought against before aiding BugClan. It’s obvious who, but if I were either of you, I would recruit more help.”
Ghostfur thought of OwlClan. The Clan had been very friendly to EbonyClan. “Will OwlClan say yes?”
“I didn’t gaze into the future today. I do not know. But it’s easy to believe they’d say yes.”
“And is there anything else I can prepare for?”
Silent Moon’s Shadow shrugged. “Sometimes you cannot prepare for fate. Whatever happens happens, and you must use your wits to make the best of it.”
Ghostfur nodded. Though he knew his nerves should be spiked right now, the wisdom and serenity of the forest calmed him.
Another question popped into his mind. “Who are you really? Why are you visiting me in my dreams?”
Silent Moon’s Shadow shifted under the weight of the questions. Ghostfur’s fur prickled with anticipation.
“I come from a long-gone group of cats named the Mountain Dwellers. We were wiped out by the current Clans forming in our territory. I was one of the last Seers for my group to live in the mountains..” Silent Moon’s Shadow admitted.
Ghostfur dipped his head solemnly. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. Before my death there were plans to move away and find a more suitable environment. My spirit and many others have been bound to these territories for reasons we don’t know, so I never found out if my family made it or not.” Silent Moon’s Shadow looked at Ghostfur. “I visit you because you have the skills necessary to save all four Clans. We believed your mother was the cat to do so, but she fled to become a kittypet. The prophecy calls for a white cat like her. You two are kin, so it makes sense that all signs point to you now.”
Ghostfur nodded. The gravity of Silent Moon’s Shadow’s words gripped him like talons. What did he mean he was meant to save all four Clans? Ghostfur wasn’t ready for whatever awaited him, and he was sure he never would be.
“Our time is over,” Silent Moon’s Shadow announced. He bid farewell to Ghostfur and left the mound.
Ghostfur waited until sunlight forced him to blink his eyes open. The warrior’s den was well lit and empty. The white tom picked himself up and began to groom his fur flat.
He had a new task: recruit OwlClan to help with their attack on BugClan. He wasted no time assigning patrols today. Jumping out of his nest and trotting into the clearing, he weaved around the awake bodies, sending out patrols.
He spotted Duststar speaking with Flystripe. As Ghostfur neared his leader, Duststar noticed him and meowed his goodbyes to his friend. “Ghostfur,” he greeted with a nod.
“Hello, Duststar.” Ghostfur meowed. He wasted no time talking about his plan. “I was thinking we should recruit OwlClan for help with attacking BugClan. I suspect that BugClan may ask for help from WhistleClan when we attack.”
Duststar looked thoughtful. “Yes, that makes sense. I’m sure Sparrowstar will say yes…”
Ghostfur smiled. “Me and you can travel to OwlClan together, then.”
Duststar nodded. “Great idea, Ghostfur. We will further discuss plans with Sparrowstar and Seedmist.”
Duststar dismissed Ghostfur and the deputy walked away with a small skip in his step. The battle was drawing nearer and Ghostfur felt confident in EbonyClan’s ability to defeat BugClan once and for all.
Ghostfur sat at the prey pile and quickly ate a vole. He had only sent out a few patrols, so the clearing was still buzzing with activity.
After Ghostfur had eaten the vole, he glanced around for Stonebird. He hadn’t seen his friend at all today, but he did spot Lizardpaw and Honeypaw lying together. Ghostfur figured he left camp by himself to visit Littlemouse.
“Ghostfur,” Duststar called from the camp’s exit. Ghostfur popped up and followed his leader into the forest. They headed straight for OwlClan’s border.
“I hope we don’t see Stonebird,” Ghostfur mewed to himself.
The travel to their ally’s border was silent. They walked carefully so as to not disturb the plethora of prey. The trees fell away and gave into the wide, rolling hills of OwlClan’s territory. Duststar and Ghostfur checked the skies for birds, then crossed the border.
“If I remember correctly, their camp is at the base of that mountain.” Duststar nodded to a smaller wooded mountain.
Ghostfur was becoming increasingly comfortable with the open skies OwlClan offered. In fact, he found it freeing in a way. He would always enjoy the canopy of EbonyClan’s forest, though.
Just as Duststar said, there were protecting boulders and thickets at the base of the mountain. “We’ll wait for a warrior escort to let us in,” Duststar told Ghostfur.
They sat atop a hill and watched as an apprentice’s fuzzy pale cream head popped out of the Clan’s entrance. He disappeared for a moment, then exited the camp with his shaded-white mentor.
“Duststar,” the white tom greeted.
“Hello, Creekpath. We must speak with Sparrowstar and Seedmist.”
Creekpath looked between Duststar and Ghostfur, then nodded. “Mintpaw, run ahead and tell Sparrowstar and Seedmist they have visitors.”
The apprentice nodded obediently and bounded back to camp. Creekpath led the cats more slowly into the camp. As Ghostfur ducked and crawled into the camp he was met with friendly, yet curious, stares. The camp was dim, with the only light coming from the entrance. The roof was made of stone and well-crafted thickets, and the floor was padded with moss, feathers, and rabbit fur.
Ghostfur and Duststar were brought to a cavern at the back of the camp. It was guarded with thorns and stones. Creekpath stepped aside and allowed the visitors to step inside.
Ghostfur followed after Duststar. His ears flickered anxiously with being inside another Clan’s camp, and even more so entering their leader's sacred den.
The den was much like Duststar’s with moss-padded flooring. Sparrowstar sat in his nest with Seedmist seated loyally to his right. “Duststar, Ghostfur,” Sparrowstar greeted. “What brings you to OwlClan?”
Ghostfur remained silent as Duststar told Sparrowstar of everything that’s happened in EbonyClan. He didn’t go deep into detail, but did tell Sparrowstar of Wavewhisker’s treachery and Ghostfur’s doing in exposing him.
“So,” Duststar continued after the briefing. “We ask OwlClan for aid in helping EbonyClan prove our strength to BugClan. Ghostfur and I suspect they may recruit the help of WhistleClan, but you must understand I cannot sit back and allow these two Clans to destroy my cats.”
Sparrowstar nodded slowly. “I do understand, Duststar. If they were threatening OwlClan, I would do the same.”
“So you will help us with the invasion?”
“I’d be cruel not to.” Sparrowstar purred. “Do you have any further plans to attack?”
Duststar shook his head. “I wanted to be sure we had OwlClan’s support.”
Sparrowstar nodded. “Well, let’s get to planning.”
Ghostfur sat back as the two leaders bounced ideas off of eachother. Ultimately, the leaders decided that they would attack just before dusk. “I will send a cat to tell you when EbonyClan is ready to attack.” Duststar told Sparrowstar.
The brindled cat dipped his head. “We look forward to it. I’ll announce it now.”
As the cats followed Sparrowstar out of his den, Ghostfur couldn’t stop his tail from flickering. Excitement pulsed through him, as well as anxiety and hope for this to finally be the end of BugClan’s torment on EbonyClan.
Duststar and Ghostfur hung back as Sparrowstar gathered his Clan for the announcement. “Let’s get back to our camp. We have to deliver news too.”
Ghostfur and Duststar waved their tails in farewell to the Clan and made their journey back to EbonyClan. Glancing at the sky, Ghostfur could see the sun was already close to its highest. The battle will be happening sooner than he thought, and the fate of EbonyClan will be it’s outcome.
***
Ghostfur sat beside Stonebird, their pelts brushing. It was sun high and Duststar had sent Acornspring, Silverdance, and Rainshadow to fetch OwlClan. All EbonyClan cats were aware of the upcoming battle, and all were expected to participate, except for Honeypaw and Lizardpaw.
“We can fight, Ghostfur!” Lizardpaw pleaded. “We feel fine! Right, Honeypaw?” His sister nodded in quick agreement.
“The healers said it’s best if you stay in camp until they say. It’s only been three days, you two aren’t ready to fight again,” Stonebird meowed.
Lizardpaw curled his claws into the ground. “So we’re just going to stay here and do nothing?”
“The healers are coming along to heal the badly wounded. Maybe they’ll let you help them,” Ghostfur compromised.
“Let’s go ask Sweetsun. She has to say yes,” Honeypaw told her brother. The siblings limped off to the medicine den.
“I feel terrible for them. I don’t know what I would do if I was bound to camp for so long,” Stonebird mumbled.
Ghostfur pressed against Stonebird comfortingly. “The healers would never say no to extra help. They’ll be out of the camp helping, just not with their claws.”
Ghostfur looked up at the camp’s exit as it shook. Silverdance entered and headed straight to Duststar’s den. “I guess they’re here,” Ghostfur meowed.
He stretched the anxiety out of his stomach. He shared a look with Stonebird. “We’ll come out on top,” Ghostfur’s mew was filled with certainty. His eyes gleamed with the hunger for revenge. “And if not, we’ll give BugClan good reason to leave us alone.”
Stonebird smiled and shoved Ghostfur playfully. “I’m going to see how my mother and father are doing.”
He separated from Ghostfur just as Duststar left his den. He yowled for the waiting warriors to follow. Ghostfur bounded up and walked stride-for-stride with his leader.
Exiting the safety of EbonyClan camp, he was greeted by almost all of OwlClan. Their pelts blended seamlessly with the flora of EbonyClan, and if Ghostfur didn’t know better he’d think this was all one giant Clan.
Duststar beckoned Ghostfur to follow as he leaped on top of a log Sparrowstar and Seedmist were already seated on. As the leaders conversed, Ghostfur surveyed both Clans. Coalflare was sitting among her siblings, yowling about what they were planning to do to BugClan.
“Tadpoleleaf and I have been practicing double battle moves,” Coalflare meowed. “Those mange-pelts won’t know what to think.”
Ghostfur spotted Honeypaw next. She followed Tigerfoot as they weaved around the cats, inspecting them, checking for any signs that they weren’t fit for battle. Lizardpaw was a while away chatting with a fellow OwlClan apprentice.
Stonebird sat beside Sablestorm and Fallflame. They all talked joyfully. Ghostfur felt his heart warm from the kinship of his Clan. These were certainly cats worth fighting for.
“We will call this Clan HopeClan,” Duststar was meowing. “In honor of our hope for a brighter, safer future for both EbonyClan and OwlClan.”
“Perfect,” Sparrowstar purred. He yowled for the attention of HopeClan. Ghostfur curled his paws over his paws and listened closely to Sparrowstar’s words.
“Today, come together to bring peace to these lands with a righteous invasion. BugClan’s reign over EbonyClan will not stand for any longer,” Sparrowstar announced. “As we fight, do not think of EbonyClan warriors in a different light or as OwlClan warriors as a separate faction. We are all joined together as HopeClan, and we fight as one.”
Cats yowled their support of the newly formed Clan. Ghostfur raised his voice as well. His pelt burned with the need to prove HopeClan’s might.
Duststar and Sparrowstar shared a look before Duststar yowled for cats to follow. Ghostfur padded side-by-side with Duststar as HopeClan made their way to BugClan’s border. As he walked, he was grateful for the presence of Stonebird behind him. His friend had been with him all this time, and he couldn’t ask for a better companion.
The thunderous pawsteps were accompanied by cats meowing encouragement to each other. Sparrowstar’s speech had truly fused EbonyClan and OwlClan into one.
Abruptly, Duststar’s tail raised for them to halt. Ghostfur did so and Stonebird crashed into him. “What? We aren’t close to the border at all. Why have we stopped?” he sputtered out.
“Do you four smell that?” Duststar meowed so low only the leading cats could hear. Ghostfur raised his head in the air and drank in the scents. His heart seemed to stop beating. As clear as the sun burned was BugClan’s prominent scent accompanied by WhistleClan.
HopeClan turned into yowls of confusion and wariness. “Where are they? Their scents are everywhere…” Seedmist mewed.
Ghostfur jumped at the sound of a stick cracking. He peered into the forest and jumped when he saw blazing eyes staring back at him. Before he could yowl an alarm, he noticed other mixes of furs and eyes moving alongside HopeClan. Realization hit him like a gust of wind. “They’re surrounding us! BugClan and WhistleClan. They’re surrounding us!”
As he yowled, the eyes jumped out from the dark. Ghostfur grappled with the snowy white tom.
From what Ghostfur detected from around him, he had successfully warned his Clanmates in time. Cats darted to the undergrowth and pulled out screeching cats. 
The snowy tom dragged his claws against Ghostfur’s side. Ghostfur yowled and twisted beneath the cat onto his back. He bundled the warrior over his head and flipped onto his paws in the same instance. His attacker landed harshly against a tree and laid there, dazed. In any other battle, Ghostfur would have sent the cat over the border with one last hit, but this invasion meant life or death.
He bounded to the injured tom and pinned him to the floor. Ghostfur sunk his teeth into the white tom’s throat and shook it violently. The warrior screeched in pain and scrabbled at Ghostfur’s chest and sides. Ghostfur ignored the stinging pains and crunched down on the cat. His body went limp and Ghostfur dropped the fallen warrior.
He whipped around and yowled encouragement to his cats. The killing of the cat left him unfazed. The rush of the first kill pushed him further.
== Chapter Fifteen ==
Glancing around for Duststar, Ghostfur spotted the leader in a frenzy with a frail WhistleClan warrior. Ghostfur figured Duststar could handle that much and charged towards a pale brown she-cat.
Ghostfur darted low to the ground and sunk his teeth into the warrior’s stomach. She yowled and broke away, crouching low to the ground and hissing as she awaited Ghostfur’s next attack.
Ghostfur bared his teeth and rushed the she-cat. He stopped a mouse-length away just before the warrior drew her claws out and batted at Ghostfur, leaving her neck exposed.
Ghostfur leaped forward and forced the cat to her back. He pummeled her stomach as he leaned down. The harsh convulsing and screeches for help had already died down by the time Ghostfur bit into the life-taking area, but he didn’t want to be too careless with such.
The fire in his pelt was already dying down as he looked around the clearing. Dead bodies laid strewn about, and Ghostfur was relieved to not see any of HopeClan. BugClan and WhistleClan were gradually being pushed back.
Ghostfur felt rejuvenated at the sound of Seedmist’s yowl of encouragement. “Keep fighting! They can’t hold on for much longer!”
Ghostfur locked eyes with a small grayish-brown time. His pelt was soaked in blood and his eyes were wide with fear. He looked ready for this whole ordeal to be over. Ghostfur had a moment of clarity. He bounded up to the apprentice and shoved him towards the BugClan border. “If you go now, no cat will blame you,” he yowled above the sounds of war.
“But Wavewhisker and Twistedstar say to fight to the death,” the apprentice protested.
Ghostfur’s tail lashed at the thought of such a young apprentice being murder because of the greed of his leaders. “By the end of this battle, you won’t have to worry about what they have to say anymore.”
The apprentice lingered for a while longer until his eyes flashed with gratitude for Ghostfur. He darted towards his side of the border.
Ghostfur’s looked around for another match. He heard the soft calls of Honeypaw and turned to find her peeking out from below a bush. Ghostfur bounded towards her and crawled into the space.
The healers had created a temporary den where cats lay injured. Ghostfur noticed Rainshadow at the far back of the den with a mangled leg, along with Fireblaze, Whisperingbreeze, and Sablestorm with gashed in various places.
Ghostfur ached for his wounded Clanmates, but preferred them in this state over lying dead on the battle’s floor being trampled by cats. He wondered why he was called into the den until Tigerfoot came up to him with a bundle of herbs in their jaw. They dropped them at Ghostfur’s paws. “That’ll give you the strength to finish the battle.”
Ghostfur looked at Tigerfoot gratefully before he leaned down to eat the leaves. “Honeypaw, I need help making poultices. Fetch Lizardpaw, too,” another healer ordered.
“Yes, Stripetail.” Honeypaw looked back at Ghostfur. “Give a BugClan cat a good scar for me.”
Ghostfur watched his apprentice go. With the herbs already renewing his strength for battle and Honeypaw’s request still hanging in the air, he felt he could take the whole of BugClan without gaining a scratch. Ghostfur stood and looked at Tigerfoot. “Stay safe out there, Ghostfur,” the healer mewed. They touched their nose to Ghostfur’s cheek then backed away. Her eyes were filled with anxiety. “Go out that way. We can’t let BugClan or WhistleClan discover us here.”
Ghostfur left through a torn-away hole from a swath of fern and returned to the battle. He spotted Stonebird a while away wrestling with a familiar cat: Twistedstar. Ghostfur’s friend was putting up a good fight, but there was only so much one cat could match up against a fighter like Twistedstar.
He yowled quick encouragement for cats around him and darted to his friend’s aid.
Ghostfur drew his claws across Twistedstar’s back just as he bested Stonebird and ended up on top of him. Twistedstar whipped around, giving Stonebird the room to lift his head and clamp onto Twistedstar’s cheek.
The leader yowled and tried to shake off the gray tom, but Stonebird moved like a dead weight. Ghostfur reared onto his hind legs and slashed the side of Twistedstar’s face, dodging just in time as Twistedstar’s paw lashed out at him.
Stonebird and Ghostfur shared a look. The bond between them seemed to strengthen and tell eachother what the other was planning. Stonebird released Twistedstar and took his permanent spot next to Ghostfur. The two stood there, teeth bared and tails lashing as they opposed Twistedstar as one.
The leader, battered and partially dazed, leaped at the pair. Ghostfur dove low while Stonebird leaped a moment later to meet their attacker’s neck. Twistedstar was forced to the floor by the weight of them both and squirmed beneath Ghostfur once he pinned the white cat to the floor.
Claws created a sickening squelching noise as Ghostfur ripped open Twistedstar’s stomach. Stonebird bared his teeth down at Twistedstar before he took the cat’s neck in his jaws. Twistedstar screeched his defeat, but Stonebird pulled and tugged until the gruesome crunch of bones breaking filled the air.
Ghostfur stepped away. His ghostly white pelt was stained with dust and blood and he breathed heavily. Stonebird joined Ghostfur in staring down at the lifeless body of their oppressor. He was in no better state than Ghostfur.
Twistedstar’s eyes were glossed over, yet they were still full of hatred. Ghostfur scoffed. How could such a hateful cat be allowed to exist?
Ghostfur and Stonebird looked at each other. A silent agreement passed through them and Stonebird darted off to attack yet another cat.
Ghostfur glanced around. BugClan and WhistleClan cats were slowly retreating. He sought after Duststar. HopeClan had now outnumbered BugClan and WhistleClan, spotting him should have been easy…
Ghostfur looked around wildly. Fear filled his body like water did to puddles. Eventually, he did find the sandy-beige fur of Duststar. The tom was grappling with Wavewhisker. He was pinned to the floor and trying his best to defeat his previous deputy, but the youthful strength of Wavewhisker could never be outmatched by Duststar.
Ghostfur wasted no time darting towards his deputy. He barreled past fighting duos and weaved around cats looking for another challenge until he was close enough to see what was happening more clearly. 
Wavewhisker had his claws pressed to Duststar’s neck. The elderly leader scrabbled weakly at Wavewhisker. The tom was unfazed.
“You ruined the Clan I was born in. You forced me to do this,” Wavewhisker spat. His face was one of pure fury and spite. “But once I merge our Clans, EbonyClan will know its true power once again.”
Ghostfur watched in shock as Wavewhisker curled his claws into Duststar’s neck. The beige tom screeched for help. Snapping out of his shocked trance, Ghostfur rushed to his leader. He barreled into Wavewhisker and knocked him off. The gray tabby hit his head on the trunk of a tree and laid there, dazed.
Ghostfur turned to Duststar. “Duststar! Don’t worry, I’ll get you to the healers!”
Duststar’s limbs convulsed softly. Despite his state, his eyes were clear with an emotion Ghostfur couldn’t read. “No, Ghostfur. My time as leader has come to an end. I can hear my kin calling for me.”
Ghostfur felt tears sting at his eyes. His movements were slow as he laid beside his leader, grooming his pelt and enjoying his warmth for the last time.
“I always knew you’d be the one to save our Clan. From the moment you first came to me with news of Wavewhisker, I knew how this would play out,” Duststar confessed.
“Why didn’t you try to stop it? I don’t understand…”
“You cannot prevent destiny, Ghostfur.” Duststar’s words quoted Silent Moon’s Shadow directly. Ghostfur felt chills run down from his ears to his tail tip.
He laid his head beside Duststar. “I’m not ready to become a leader. I still need you. There’s still so much I don’t know.”
“No cat is ever ready for such a responsibility,” Duststar’s voice became strained. “You must learn how to lead, on your own, but you will never be alone with the burden of doing so.”
Duststar used the rest of his strength to press his nose against Ghostfur’s head. “I will see you again very soon, Ghostfur. Death will not be the end of me.”
Duststar’s words were punctuated with his head falling down at Ghostfur’s paws. Ghostfur groomed the top of Duststar’s head like a mother would a kit, but in this moment he felt as helpless as a newborn.
“Ghostfur,” Wavewhisker’s horrid voice came from behind Ghostfur. The deputy slowly pulled himself to his paws. The grief of losing his beloved leader was replaced with nothing but pure contempt. It bubbled below his pelt, festering into something larger Ghostfur couldn’t place.
“I can’t see how you could’ve ever looked to Duststar as a leader. He sat and let BugClan and WhistleClan bully EbonyClan for so long.” Wavewhisker took a step forward. “The forest will be better off with me as leader of BugClan with EbonyClan under my command.”
“You could never be even half the leader Duststar was,” Ghostfur snarled. His voice was dripping with venom.
Wavewhisker bared his teeth, then yowled an ear-splitting battle cry.
The cats were locked in a fury of teeth and claws. Ghostfur gave Wavewhisker a devastating bite on the shoulder while the gray tabby scored his hind claws against Ghostfur’s flank.
Ghostfur allowed himself to fall onto his back, throwing away Wavewhisker before he could steady himself on top of Ghostfur. Rage fueled Ghostfur beyond what he thought capable of himself.
Wavewhisker flung himself at Ghostfur, only for the white tom to dodge out the way in time and catch Wavewhisker by his tail. He crunched down on the extension of Wavewhisker’s body until he felt the satisfying crunch of bones. It felt like hunting prey to Ghostfur.
Wavewhisker lashed a clawed paw out to Ghostfur, but the tom was quicker. He was already a while away from Wavewhisker and awaiting his next attack.
Wavewhisker turned slowly, panting and tail lashing. He screeched and barreled towards Ghostfur, leaping at him at the last moment.
Time seemed to slow as Ghostfur darted below Wavewhisker. He lifted his paw and sliced cleanly down Wavewhisker’s throat to the base of his tail.
Wavewhisker landed on his side. Blood poured like a river out of his body-length wound. He seemed to deny it, attempting to get back on his paws only to fail as spasm racked his body.
“No!” he shouted. “I won’t die!”
Ghostfur watched as Wavewhisker half-screeched half-wailed. He continuously screamed and cursed Ghostfur. “You wretched kittypet!” he got out. “I won’t die!”
Ghostfur bared his teeth at Wavewhisker. “May death treat you as you treated your own birth Clan.”
The spasm came to an end and Wavewhisker laid dead. Ghostfur felt his mind clear and adrenaline die down. His bones felt weary and his paws felt heavy from what he had lost.
Looking around the battling cats, it seemed they had all stopped at the sound of Wavewhisker’s fit.
“Wavewhisker is dead!” Ghostfur yowled triumphantly. “So is Twistedstar! There’s no reason to keep fighting.”
Slowly, HopeClan cats broke away from their own battles. They joined Ghostfur in celebration, yowling and baring their teeth at the last of their enemies. 
BugClan and WhistleClan looked at each other, unsure of what to do, until Nectarstar’s yowl filled the scene. “TruthClan, retreat!”
The supposed TruthClan cats moved like a river towards the BugClan border. They took the scruff of their fallen Clanmates along with them.
Slowly, Ghostfur made his way to Duststar’s body. He laid there peacefully, eyes closed and fur flat. It looked like he was only sleeping. HopeClan cats joined him in a circle. Their heads were dipped as they honored the leader.
Stonebird sat beside Ghsotfur and pressed against him, followed by Tigerfoot, Coalflare, Honeypaw, and Lizardpaw. They all shared the grieving silently.
Ghostfur reminisced about the first meeting he had with Duststar. When he was first called Pluto and lived happily but unfulfilled with his twoleg caretaker. It was so close to him, yet it happened so long ago.
Then, his new burden of overtaking Duststar’s role of leader washed over him. It didn’t seem as so much of a feat anymore now that his friends all sat with him. They shared his overwhelming grief now, but one day they’ll share his joys, as well as his fears, excitements, and much more.
Sparrowstar appeared with Seedmist as his side. “Ghostfur,” he meowed. A newfound respect laced his voice.
“Sparrowstar,” Ghostfur sighed. “EbonyClan no longer needs your Clan’s assistance. We are forever grateful, but we need to mourn alone.”
Sparrowstar nodded. “Of course. HopeClan is no more.” He turned to the crowd of warriors. “OwlClan, we are leaving!” he yowled. As quickly as TruthClan left, OwlClan did so as well.
Ghostfur sat among his sadness and friends for only a moment longer before he stood slowly and took Duststar’s scruff gently in his jaws. He turned and his friends followed after him. Cats parted for the entourage. Ghostfur felt strange under their new revered stares at him.
As he took his place at the head of EbonyClan and continued to their camp, the thunder of paws sounded in his wake. The Clan was silent with remorse. Ghostfur could almost feel the uncertainty of his Clanmates in the air.
He pushed away reality and retreated to his mind. For the first time as an EbonyClan cat, Ghostfur had no clue what the next step he needed to take. He certainly didn’t feel along with his friends and Tigerfoot at his side, but that didn’t make him feel anymore found.
== Chapter Sixteen ==
The sky burned bright with an array of colors. Streaks of blue, pink, red, and yellow bathed the camp’s clearing in interesting lights. Ghostfur sat atop the leader’s den where Duststar made his final announcements prior to the Great Battle. He was the first to be tended to by the healers. Below the Ghostfur was Duststar’s body, decorated in rosemary and surrounded by EbonyClan.
Ghostfur had an idea of what to do next. He’d need to choose a deputy before long.
After a while, Ghostfur yowled to gather the Clan. Cats slowly peeled away from their leader and moved to surround the boulders. The view of his Clanmates looking towards Ghostfur made him queasy.
“Cats of EbonyClan,” Ghostfur began. “Duststar was a great loss that we will not forget in a hurry. Even though he has left us, let us not forget the great things he’s done for EbonyClan.”
The cats below dipped their heads in respect for their leader. Ghostfur curled his tail over his paws. He couldn’t let these feelings engulf his Clan. Pushing away all thoughts of Duststar, he continued with a stronger voice.
“It’s my duty as EbonyClan’s new leader to appoint a deputy.” The choice was clear, and every cat below expected it. They parted for Stonebird before his name was even announced. “Stonebird, step forward.”
Stonebird’s gray and brown pelt shone brightly in the late sun. Ghostfur felt his heart often as he sat in the center of the gathered cats. “Stonebird, you are my best friend and the only cat who stayed with me when I first joined the Clan. Your loyalty to both EbonyClan and I is unmatched, and I will be honored to lead this Clan with you beside me. Do you accept the role of deputy?”
“I do.”
Ghostfur repeated the words Duststar once did when he was appointed as deputy. “Then I pronounce you Stonebird, deputy of EbonyClan.”
The clearing was filled with soft congratulations and meows of approval. Stonebird accepted it and waited for Ghostfur to beckon him onto the stone beside him.
He bounded up to the den and skillfully leaped onto the second boulder. Ghostfur felt normal with Stonebird beside him again. He was just about to end the meeting when he caught the eye of Honeypaw.
The mottled she-cat was gazing at him with admiring eyes. Ghostfur decided that both she and Lizardpaw were deserving to become warriors, whether they took their assessment or not. “Honeypaw, Lizardpaw, step forward.”
The siblings shared excited glances with each other then bounced to the center of the gathered cats. 
“Despite not taking a warrior assessment, you two have proved your loyalty and skillset. EbonyClan is grateful for your help as healers during the Great battle, and even more so your help to expose Wavewhisker’s treachery.” Ghostfur took a breath before he continued. “You both have trained hard for four moons, and EbonyClan is thankful to have such empathetic and bold cats in our ranks. Stonebird and I have trained you both well, and I welcome you as warriors named Honeyflower and Lizardfang.”
Cats cheered for the newly appointed warriors just as they did for Stonebird. Ghostfur noticed Sablestorm and Fall flame's eyes shining with pride for their kits.
Ghostfur dismissed the meeting and joined Stonebird on the lower stone. They two didn’t share any words as they watched cats return to Duststar. Out of the crowd, though, came Moonleap. “Ghostfur, may I speak to you in your den?”
Ghostfur felt a twinge of sadness. He forgot the leader’s den was now his. “Alright,” he meowed. He led Moonleap into the den and padded towards Duststar’s old nest. Passing the center of the moss-covered floor, Ghostfur was racked with memories of sitting there with Duststar in front of him.
He sat down in the nest and waited for Moonleap to speak. “It is time for you to leave camp and receive your nine lives and new name,” the healer told him.
Ghostfur tilted his head slightly. “What do you mean?”
“It’s a custom for every new leader to journey to the Star Lake and drink from it,” Moonleap explained. “They fall asleep and are greeted by passed on cats who give them nine lives and the name ‘star.’ It’s not common knowledge for any warrior, so it’s not your fault you didn’t know.”
Ghostfur nodded slowly. “When should we leave?”
“We must get there before moon high, otherwise it will not work. So we should be leaving shortly.”
Ghostfur nodded again. “Okay. Wait by the entrance, I’ll be there in a moment.”
Moonleap dipped his head respectfully and left the den. Ghostfur exited after him and saw Stonebird sitting at the base of the smaller boulder. “Moonleap and I have to-”
“Get your new name and lives. I heard him. I’ll make sure every cat gets something to eat and goes to bed at a decent time.” Stonebird promised.
Ghostfur smiled. His friend was already proving to be a decent deputy. “Thanks, Stonebird.”
Ghostfur headed towards the camp’s exit. “Ghostfur!” Tigerfoot called from the healer’s den. Ghostfur paused before trotting towards the ginger tabby.
Tigerfoot reached up from the medicine den’s entrance and touched their nose to Ghostfur’s. “I just wanted to say thank you,” they meowed when they pulled away. “I’d be devastated if BugClan got their way with EbonyClan. I truly have never met a cat like you.”
Ghostfur felt lighter at Tigerfoot’s words. He smiled down at them. “Yeah, of course,” he purred quietly.
“Ghostfur!” Moonleap called for him at the camp’s exit. Ghostfur reluctantly pulled away and joined the older healer.
They walked step-for-step towards the Star Lake. By the time they got there, the sky’s canvas of colors was gone and was replaced by the deep blue of night. The moon hung low in the sky.
Ghostfur slid down the slope of the Star Lake and waited for Moonleap. Together, they approached the body of water. Ghostfur looked at his reflection. He wasn’t sure if it was his eyes or the lake, but he oddly resembled Silent Moon’s Shadow.
“I’ll be here when you awake,” Moonleap promised. He laid down and tucked his paws beneath him. “Drink from the lake, and you’ll fall asleep.” He repeated.
Ghostfur lowered his head and lapped from the water. Instantly, he was overcome with a drowsiness he had never felt before. His vision blurred as he stepped away from the lake’s bank and flopped onto the sand. He was asleep before he knew it.
== Chapter Seventeen ==
Ghostfur’s vision was nothing but black for a few moments until he felt himself blink. His eyes opened and the inky abyss had transformed into the Star Lake once again, but now the lake’s starry reflection seemed to transcend into this world. Star-lit dew hung off every plant and soaked the sand below Ghostfur. It wasn’t long until the stars clung to his paws and tail tip.
Turning around, Ghostfur saw Moonleap was replaced by a crowd of cats who stood before him. He felt bewildered by the starry eyes staring back at him. His mind was plagued with all sorts of questions he’d be sure to ask Silent Moon’s Shadow later on.
One of the cats stepped forward. She was tall and elegant like a swan. Her pelt was just as white as Ghostfur’s and her eyes burned amber. As she neared Ghostfur, her scent wafted over him. “Mother?” he mewed out like a kit.
“Yes, Ghostfur,” she purred. She lowered her head and rasped her tongue over Ghostfur’s forehead. “You’ve grown into such an amazing cat. I couldn’t be prouder.”
Ghostfur bathed in the warmth his mother provided. He felt his heartache with familiar love for her. For a moment, Ghostfur felt like he was a small kit again.
His mother stepped away and looked down at her son. “With this life, I give you the love of a mother. Use it to protect your Clan as fiercely as a mother would her kits.”
Beside Ghostfur appeared a light blue wisp. It resembled the wisps that forced themselves back into Duststar the day Duckriver killed him.
She stepped back into the crowd. Ghostfur willed himself to follow her, but his paws wouldn’t move.
Afterward, four kits bounced out of the crowd. They were tiny, too tiny. “Hello, Ghostfur,” one of them squeaked out. They bore the same pelt and fur color of Ghostfur and his mother.
“We’re your siblings,” another told him. “We passed when we were born. You won’t remember. You were too young too.”
One of the four stepped forward. Her eyes were gold like a sunrise. “Our mother named me Marigold,” she purred. “With this life, I give you kindness. Use it to treat cats fairly no matter where they come from.”
“I’m Juniper,” a soft spoken kit mewed. “With this life, I give you understanding. Use it to understand both sides before deciding what’s best.”
“I’m Song Lark,” a more grayer she-kit said. “With this life, I give you resilience. Use it to protect your Clan from those who oppose you.”
And finally, a silvery tom stepped forward. “I’m Snowcap,” he meowed. “With this life, I give you purpose. Use it to always find a way to help, even if it’s not wanted.
Four more wisps appeared beside Ghostfur as the kits returned to their crowd.
A gray-brown tom came forward next. Ghostfur’s heart softened at the sight of the young tom he had spared. “Hello, Ghostfur. I’m Squirrelpaw. You tried to save me.”
Ghostfur nodded. Confusion mixed with sadness clouded him. “I died from my wounds when I returned to my camp,” Squirrelpaw told him. “Don’t be upset. I’m happier here than I could’ve been in either BugClan or WhistleClan.”
Squirrelpaw continued. “With this life, I give you the need for justice. Use it to guide your Clan to what is right.”
Squirrelpaw returned to the crowd as another wisp appeared. As the crowd of starry cats engulfed the apprentice, Silent Moon’s Shadow appeared. Ghostfur felt relieved at the sight of his friend.
“With this life,” he meowed. “I give you wits. Use it to know when to keep fighting, and when to fall back.”
Another wisp appeared, but before Silent Moon’s Shadow returned to his group of cats, he leaned forward and whispered words into Ghostfur’s ear. “Brown as earth, foundations to shake, A profound shift, a Clan’s perception at stake.”
Ghostfur stared at Silent Moon’s Shadow as he quickly trotted back to the crowd. His mind was already racing with questions, and now the only cat he had thought of for answers gave him more to think about.
As the last cat stepped out, Ghostfur was overjoyed to see Duststar. The tom looked young again, and the claw marks that marked his death looked like a long-healed scar. His movements were full of life and purposeful as he moved towards Ghostfur.
“Hello again,” Duststar purred. Ghostfur felt too overwhelmed to say anything. “I told you I would see you again soon.”
Duststar walked forward and touched his nose against Ghostfur’s forehead. “With this life, I give you the star-given ability to lead EbonyClan.” In a lower voice, Duststar whispered: “Take care of my cats, Ghostfur.”
As Duststar stepped away he felt the wisps pierce his body sharper than thorns ever could. He grit his teeth and curled his claws in the ground to stop himself from falling over. It hadn’t lasted long, but Ghostfur still felt exhausted afterward.
“We hail you by your new name,” the cats spoke in unison as Ghostfur lifted his head slowly. “Ghoststar, leader of EbonyClan.”
They softly chanted his name as Ghoststar’s vision blurred again. Everything went black, then he awoke back in his own world with Moonleap watching him intently.
“Welcome back, Ghoststar.”
== Epilogue ==
Ghoststar moved silently. He was crouched down and his amber eyes were fixed on the black shape in front of him. The world was warm and the sky turned the world into an ethereal reddish color as the sun said it’s goodbyes to the Clans below.
Ghoststar’s gaze was intense. The crow in front of him will not escape his grasp this time.
With one last step towards the avion prey, Ghoststar leaped. He kicked up leaf litter as he went. His paws landed squarely on the crow and Ghoststar nipped its neck. It hung limp in his jaws. His tail curled in delight and he returned to his friends, who were lounging on a tree-less mound.
Coalflare and Stonebird were having a playful debate over which prey was the best while Honeyflower and Lizardfang basked in the late sunlight, both of them using Honeyflower’s tail as a cushion.
Ghoststar padded to sit beside Tigerfoot who entwined their tail lovingly with Ghoststar’s. He gazed up at the sky. The breathtaking cascade of red seemed to welcome him with open arms.
Ghoststar dipped his head and tore into the bird, but not before sending a silent thanks to his ancestors who he knew were with him.
“Thank you, Duststar, for trusting I could catch a crow.”
== Author Notes ==
Hello! I'm AerisPoyp, and this my first warrior cats inspired book in an arc of six. (maybe five?? I'm planning for six though.)
I'm fairly new to writing and I believe I've gotten better at it throughout the book so there may be some dry boring bits. So sorry if you're planning on reading all of this lol.
The characters have also changed drastically during the book so there may also be inconsistencies! That'll all be fixed in the second book though.
Well there aren't too many notes I have for readers. If you enjoy it thanks and stay tuned for the second book! :D (and also the link for the character's wikis on the OC wiki)
Link to the google docs this was written one: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IN7UClJuAG0v2-ZAgdgj_iHS-KzJ8JICN2jU0N6FGoA/edit?usp=sharing