A Warrior's Heart

==Alliences==
===StormClan===
Leader: Rainstar- Dark gray tom with green eyes.
Deputy: Moonbeam- Black-and-white tom with blue eyes.
Medicine Cat: Robinbeak- Light ginger she-cat with dark orange splotches and amber eyes.
Warriors
Wolfclaw- Light gray tom with green eyes.
Ambereye- Ginger she-cat with a brown splotch around one of her green eyes.
Flintshard- Light gray tom with green eyes.
Darkmoon- Dark gray tom with amber eyes.
Daisystream- Brown she-cat with blue eyes.
Yellowstrike- tortoiseshell she-cat with dark yellow eyes.
Queens
Creamclaw- Fluffy, dark gray she-cat with green eyes.
Sparrowflight- Black she-cat with amber eyes.
Elders
Fallingfrost- Light gray she-cat with white specks and blue eyes.
===CliffClan===
Leader: Hawkstar- Light brown tom with darker colored flecks and a grayling muzzle.
Deputy: Redstreak- Dark ginger tom with amber eyes.
Medicine Cat: Silvermoon- Silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes.
Warriors
 Lizardtail- Light ginger sandy tom with blue eyes.
Apprentices
Shadepaw- Black tom with blue eyes.
Queens
Unknown
Elders
Unknown
===PineClan===
Leader: Crowstar- Black tom with amber eyes.
Deputy: Darkshadow- Night-black tom with dark green eyes.
Medicine Cat: Sunbeam- Light ginger she-cat with yellow eyes.
Warriors
Stormtail- Light grey tom with white paws and green eyes.
Apprentices
None
Queens
Vinestrike- Light gray tabby she-cat with green eyes. 
===LeafClan===
Leader: Lilystar- Small cream-colored she-cat.
Deputy: Brownclaw- Light brown tom with green eyes.
Medicine Cat: Mintleaf- Brown she-cat with light green eyes.
Warriors
Dustfleck- Brown tabby she-cat.
Apprentices
None
Queens
None
Elders
Clearmorning- white she-cat with ginger tabby splotches and gray whiskers.
==Prologue==
A she-cat curled around her kits, thinking about the future. A noise from outside the bush she was in distracted her. "Back so soon?" she called. A dark tom entered the makeshift den.
"I found a bed of mice," he replied. He dropped a few scrawny pieces of fur in a pile next to her. "We need to leave," the black she cat said. "Our kits will die. This weather is too cold and my Twolegs might look for us and take them." Memories swept through her mind of her sister's kits snatched away from her and never seeing them again.
"Where would we go?" the tom said coldly. The she-cat thought for a moment.
"My mother told me legends as a kit about many cats who lived in a Clan. They're fierce but it's worth a shot." The problem is it may not be true. "Take a kit. My mother told me it was a marshy place far from the Twoleg nests and we've traveled two days straight. We have to find this place." She picked up a tiny black she-kit with a white stripe from back to tail, and as soon as they left cold air hit them and the snow was up to their legs. It seemed like moons before they scented cats and ice covered the ground. They both stared in astonishment: the legends were true! Suddenly voices drifted across the snow.
"Ambereye, no cat would travel in this weather."
"Wolfclaw, just trust me." A gray tom and a ginger she-cat with a brown patch around her eye emerged from behind a thick line of trees.
"What are you doing here?" Wolfclaw growled, showing his teeth and unsheathing his claws. Ambereye stepped between him and the two cats.
"Are you crazy? They have kits!" She paused for a moment. "Would you like to join StormClan?"
==Chapter 1==
Lightningkit woke up. Her mother's fur brushed against her own as she tried to wake her sister. "What are you up so early for?" Dawn light was just beginning to filter through a patch in the nursery wall. Lightningkit tried to avoid her mothers tongue and block out her soothing purr.
"I was just going to wake up Nightkit. I want us to get our apprentice names first!" Lightningkit puffed out her chest: today she and the other kits got one step closer to becoming warriors! Creamclaw, her mother, nudged her closer to her dark gray fluffy fur.
"Sleep my little warrior. You don't want to fall asleep on your first assessment." Lightningkit fought to stay awake, but soon her eyes shut and warmth surrounded her.
"Lightningkit, Lightningkit." Her eyes snapped open. Another queen woke her up and her mother had dissapered. "If you want to get your new name first, you better wake up." Lightningkit looked over at Sparrowflight, who was just now waking up her kits.
Whisperkit flicked her ears at the sound of her mothers voice and woke up while Owlkit and Dreamkit were still sound asleep.
When Lightningkit walked outside, something hit her and knocked her down and the next thing she knew was that Nightkit was sitting on her stomach and looking down at her smiling. Lightningkit pawed her off and tried to lick the dirt out of her fur. Just you wait: I'm going to be the best warrior ever!
Nightkit was already running away when Lightningkit finished grooming her fur. Lightningkit twitched her whiskers in amusement as she ran right into Darkmoon, her father. He flicked her away with one paw with a joyful light in his eyes.
"I see my daughters are already trying to catch prey bigger than them," he purred.
Nightkit shoke her head and ducked away, embarrassed. Lightningkit suddenly felt a wave of guilt for after that.I hope she's okay. Suddenly a blue-gray tom yowled from above a cave. Lightningkit looked up: dawn was setting in. Rainstar is starting the ceremony! "Let all those old enough to catch prey join for a clan meeting." All the Clan cats gathered around the cave. Moonbeam, the deputy, settled down on a long flat stone with the medicine cat, Robinbeak, and a pitiful group of warriors sat scattered everywhere.
Sparrowflight's kits gathered around and Lightningkit and Nightkit, now looking very excited, joined them. Rainstar spoke again. "These past moons have been hard with no new apprentices, so I welcome these young cats with joy. StarClan has been good to us for the last few moons and I pray that these young cats serve their clan for many moons to come." He looked at the young group of cats "Lightningkit," Finally! "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
Lightningkit held her head high. "I do." Rainstar straightened up
"Until this apprentice earns her warrior name, she will be known as Lightningpaw. Ambereye, you have never had an apprentice. I expect you to pass on your all your wisdom and heart to this young apprentice." Ambereye bowed her head in respect and touched her muzzle to Lighningpaw's.
I'm going to be a warrior! Robinbeak stood up and spoke. "Rainstar, if I may, I would like to announce some good news."
Rainstar hesitated. "Well, I was going to announce it, but okay." Everyone looked puzzled.
"I have grown to an age in which I believe I should have an apprentice." She paused and nodded to Rainstar, so he finished for her.
"Whisperkit you have shown great knowledge in herbs and healing, so from this moment until you are given your medicine cat name you will be known as Whisperpaw." Lightningpaw looked over at her as she touched noses with Robinbeak, joy in her eyes. A medicine cat? Where's the fun in that?
==Chapter 2==
"Okay, the first move you'll learn is going to be a defensive swipe." Ambereye ducked down with lightning speed and swiped out at the piece of rotten wood they were practicing on. "It's okay if you don't get it on your first try, so just do it slowly and then a little faster." Lightningpaw concentrated, then ducked slowly and swiped at the wood. "Good, now a little faster." She tried again. "try to steady yourself but keep your shoulders loose and after this we can go see the territory." Lightningpaw tried it one last time, shoulders loose and tightly crouched. She hit the wood again and sent splinters of wood everywhere. Ambereye purred. "Perfect. We better go get the other apprentices since they'll love to go too." Lightningpaw was lucky. Ambereye was very nice to her, compassionate for others, and patient with her.
As they neared their rocky camp clearing, they met the apprentices and mentors outside the bramble patch. Owlpaw and Dreampaw were play fighting. Whisperpaw shook her glossy brown and white pelt as dew from a leaf landed on her nose and Nightpaw was trying to get an itch out of her pelt. Wolfclaw approached to ask how training went and then there journey began.
As they neared a large stone wall they stopped. Ambereye looked a little on edge. "Why did we stop?" Dreampaw asked, and then she opened her mouth. "And why does it smell weird?" Flintshard, her mentor stepped in front of the patrol.
"Beyond this wall is CliffClan. Their warriors have been stirring up trouble." As he spoke a black apprentice hopped on top top of the rocky cliff. He wasn't alone. A sand-colored tom hopped up next to him with a gray she-cat on his heels.
The apprentice looked pleased. "I've been waiting for my first fight." The sand-colored tom stepped in front of him before he could leap down.
"Shadepaw, pick your battles carefully. They outnumber us and you still need work on your battle moves. Plus it's against the warrior code to attack a medicine cat."
The apprentice pipped up again. "But.." He was cut off by the silver-gray she-cat.
"But nothing. We were suppose to be hunting, not picking fights with new apprentices and their pitiful mentors. You were given an order and I expect you to follow it you stupid weak scrap of fur."
I'm glad Ambereye isn't like that. Shadepaw looked shocked by the harsh words and walked away. The sandy tom spoke. "I'm sorry my apprentice can't shut his muzzle, Robinbeak, as I am still forever in your debt." He gazed at the silver she-cat. "You saved my mate's life. I don't know what I would do without her." He leaped down from the wall and the patrol stood silently until Daisystream glared at Robinbeak and mewed, "What did you do?"
Robinbeak looked down at her paws. "last newleaf those two cats were near the river. They were hunting and she slipped off the rock they were on." She shivered. "I rushed down to save her out of instinct. I dragged her to shore and started pressing on her stomach so she could throw up the water. I couldn't let her die."
Wolfclaw glared at her. "Traitor," he spat. Robinbeak looked shocked. "You helped a cat from the other Clan."
Robinbeak stared on. "I did the right thing," she mewed. Wolfclaw looked as if she had grown wings.
"What you did was stupid. That could have been less competition."                    
"So I was supposed to stand by and watch another cat die and listen to her mates wails of grief? I thought you had more sense than this: more sense than a cold blooded want to be respected warrior." Robinbeak stalked away and looked behind her. "I guess i was wrong. If anyone wants to join me I'll be near the pond. Come on Whisperpaw." Whisperpaw walked slowly toward her mentor. One by one everyone followed, passing a shocked Wolfclaw with scorn in their gazes: even his own apprentice.
Ambereye stopped and said, "Once you were a mighty warrior, and now look at yourself. Lightningpaw, let's go."
==Chapter 3==
"Come on. The Gathering is tonight. We don't want to be late!" It had been three moons since the incident with CliffClan. Dreampaw's brown creamy fur was flattened by the wind as she ran. Lightningpaw chased her across the clearing. Flintshard stopped them with a amusement in his eyes.
"At this rate you won't have enough strength to go to the Gathering!"
Lightningpaw was way too excited to calm down. I can't believe it my first gathering! Rainstar announced that all the apprentices would be going to this moons Gathering.
Rainstar pushed his way in front of the tangled group of cats and yowled to get their attention. Lightningpaw fell back next to Owlpaw and Nightpaw. Her sister had been very quiet the last few days and Lightningpaw had no idea why. I wish she would talk to me like when we were kits. A strong wave of longing came over her for when they had been inseparable. Now it seemed as if Dreampaw was her littermate.
The cats soon came to a large cave. Rainstar pushed ahead. Inside there was a large hole in the cave roof and underneath it a tall oak tree with twisted roots. Whisperpaw came up beside her. "under those roots is where we share dreams with StarClan." She paused and looked at her awkwardly. "After the Gathering meet me outside the old Owltree and bring Nightpaw too." She padded away, her tail swishing slowly. What's up with her?
Lightningpaw scanned the clearing for Nightpaw and found her sitting outside a group of elders, eagerly waiting for a good story but when she tried to approach her rainstar yowled to start the Gathering. Mousedung! She sat down next to Flintshard and Dreampaw.
A black tom left his spot on the tree and stood on a large flat rock. Curiousity picked at Lightningpaw's claws. Flintshard must have noticed. "That's Crowstar, PineClan's leader."
Crowstar began to speak. "PineClan is happy to announce that Vinestrike has kitted and is now the proud mother to two toms and a she-kit. We have been working on expanding the apprentice den for these three kits. Lilystar, would you like to share?"
A cream-colored, small she-cat left her spot. Flintshard mewed quietly, "that is LeafClan's leader."
"Thank you Crowstar, but I bring devastating news. An elder of ours, Clearmorning, has died from greencough." The cats started to bow their heads in respect for the lost elder. "Rainstar?" Rainstar walked to the rock.
"A few moons ago I told you about StormClan's new apprentices. tonight I brought all of them. Dreampaw, Oakpaw, Whisperpaw, Lightningpaw, and Nightpaw."
The apprentices held their heads high, chests puffed out as murmurs of approval rose. Pride ran through Lightningpaw as they called out their names, and it echoed through the cave into the warm newleaf air.
Rainstar held up his tail for silence. "Hawkstar, would you like to share?" A light brown tom with dark flecks and a grey specked muzzle approached, his eyes cold and teeth bared. Everyone seemed tense, even the CliffClan cats. That must be CliffClan's leader.
Hawkstar hissed as he passed Rainstar, although Lightningpaw could't hear what he said. "You all seem to be forgetting something important. All of you have been trespassing on our territory." Mews of confusion rose.
"Don't act confused. My warriors have seen and scented strange scents crossing into our territory."
"What about rouges?" asked a cat.
"It's impossible unless twolegs brought them," Hawkstar growled
He was right. When the apprentices were shown the territory Ambereye had shown them how they were cut off from a bigger piece of land. If cats were there than they had swam or something brought them.
"until we catch these cats"hawkstar continued,"we will increase all of the border patrols."he cast a long glance down at the other three leaders.
lightningpaw felt her claws slid out and wisps of clouds were covering the moon as other cats were beginning to murmur to each other.
the leaders began to leave the rock.
 
Category:Fanfictions