Juniper's Revenge/Book

## Book

This book is was written by Ocean as an original book for the wiki. Contact them for details.

This book features Juniperstar as the protagonist.

## Chapter 1

Juniper was lying in a cave. As cold water dripped on her night black head, she let out a sigh. Her mate had left to go hunting, and it was nearly dark already. Sometimes, she wondered whether Blaze really loved her. Every day, it was like this. He would say that he was going hunting, and return at sunset, sometimes even Midnight. The other thing was, he always smelled like wet damp grass, and the scent of another cat. A *she-cat*. Yesterday, Juniper had discovered a long strand of white fur on her mate's pelt. When she asked what it was, he had just replied that it was from a cat he had gotten into a fight with. The most he had ever brought back was a rabbit and a mouse. It was enough for the two of them, but Juniper never really felt like that was enough. Ever since she had started expecting kits, she felt like she could eat both of their shares.

It was midnight. Just as the black she-cat fell asleep, there was a sudden pain in her stomach. The kits were arriving. After a spasm of pain, she leapt up and got a stick. She had never felt this much agony in her whole life! Biting down hard on the stick, she yelled again and again for her mate to come. He didn't come back until there were three kits lying beside her belly. One of them, a ginger she-cat with white paws, was dead. Juniper stared at it in horror. *She will still have a name, and it will be Creek.*The other two were alive and were suckling on her belly. Without a word, Blaze entered the cave, gave her a tiny sparrow, and turned his back on her, curling up to sleep.
"In case you haven't noticed yet, the kits came," she said icily, though there was another stabbing pain in her stomach.

All she got in reply was, "Sure. Clean up the blood with some moss."

Suddenly, she got up and her kits started wailing. "Don't you care? One of them was born *dead*! Are you the kits father or are you some other cat? If you really don't care, I'm leaving as soon as the kits are old enough," Juniper raged in anger and hurt.

Ignoring her so-called *mate*, she turned around with her kits suckling on her stomach, and licked their heads, not letting them get even the tiniest glimpse of their father. *They won't even know who he is.* she promised to herself. A tiny voice inside of her told her that she really didn't want to leave Blaze, but what could she do? Juniper had made this threat once before, and she hadn't done it. No matter how stubborn the tom was, she wanted for him to think that she was trustworthy.

Two days had passed since the kits came. Her mate had left her yesterday, and his last words to her were, "Me and Snowflake are mates now. You can take care of yourself." Snowflake had cast him a loving glance full of affection, and a sudden stab of jealousy went through Juniper. It was as though she could be tossed away like a rotten piece of prey. Juniper glared at Blaze's sleek ginger tabby pelt, which was brushing with Snowflake's pure white one. They had left her alone yesterday in the middle of the night. Right before he had abandoned her and the kits, he had given them names. The one and only thing that he had done nice for her. Fox. And Badger. Fox was a red she-cat with long, dark brown legs, and looked just like a fox. Badger looked like a badger, and already had a scarred eye from a rock that she had bumped in to. Juniper didn't even care what they looked like. To her, her kits were the only hope she had left.

As Juniper awoke the next day, she could hear a scraping sound. She whirled around, hissing and growling. It was a tom.

"What do you want here?" She snapped.
Juniper saw geniune hurt in the tom's eyes. "I could hear wailing, and I thought that maybe there was someone in danger," he explained, "I thought that I should help. I could help you raise your kits if you'd like. I don't have anyone to keep me entertained." *Or you're just looking for a mate. That you won't find here. I'll never be anyone's mate ever again,* she thought.
Juniper looked directly into his eyes, and said, "*Leave*."

During the following nights, she decided to move to the forest in case anything (mostly Blaze and his stupid mate Snowflake) would find her (her former mate and his new mate had left a while ago, and the kits were now old enough to walk, and knew that she was Juniper). Juniper planned to wake up at the crack of dawn and move away. Her kits would not be happy, but it was worth all the trouble of Blaze and Snowflake (who was who she hated the most for stealing Blaze from her).

*That was exhausting!* Juniper thought. She and her kits had came to a forest, Badger on her back and Fox being carried by her scruff. Of course, as soon as they were let on the ground, they begged to be fed.

"Food!" Badger wailed.
Juniper slumped down on the ground, and the two kits began feeding. This was tiring, and after two more seconds of it, Juniper fell asleep.

The next morning, there was something that couldn't escape her mind. Over and over again, she thought it through. Was it a good or bad choice? Juniper needed a new life. One alone. One that didn't include Fox, or Badger. It was heartbreaking, she thought. *But it might be the only solution.*

## Chapter 2

*I've made my decision.* Juniper thought sadly. Did it really matter? Her kits were nothing to her. But no matter how many times she said it to herself, her heart would break just at the thought of leaving. Why, just why, did she feel like she had to stay, but also needed to leave, to start a new life? *No matter what, I'll do it,* she vowed. *I can't wait any longer.*

"Badger! Fox!" Juniper called.
They broke apart from their play-fighting. "What?"

"I-I'm going hunting. Stay here, and do not leave, alright?" Juniper said, and her voice cracked just the tiniest bit.

"When are you going to be back? Can you bring us back a thrush? I like thrush," Badger asked.

*I'll never be back.* To her kits, she acted like she would be back very soon, as soon as she caught lots of prey. "When I catch 3 pieces of prey," she told them.

With one last glance back at her kits tumbling around, she turned her back on them. *I have to be able to get away. Far away. So no one will recognize me.* She rolled around in mud, and purposely got into a fight with someone so that she would have a scar below one ear. She coated herself with thick grass and the scent of pine trees, so she looked like a brown cat in the mud, and her scent was different also. *My name will be Mud for now. I'll become Juniper again once I get away.*

Carefully, she stalked a rabbit. With a strong leap of her hind legs, she bit the rabbit's neck, and it let out a final squeak of terror before it was killed. She ripped a leg off and started chewing it. The taste seemed bland, and not as good as it tasted when she was with her kits. Juniper pushed away the nostalgic feeling and ate.

Juniper curled up under a juniper bush, ready to go to sleep. As she fell asleep, a dream entered her mind. It was an image of Blaze and Snowflake, purring with a ginger and white kit under their paws. There was no more jealousy in her mind anymore, only hate. The dream evaporated into another one, one where she and Blaze were in that same spot, with Fox, Badger, and Creek sitting at their heels. Juniper was licking Creek's head, and she was without any scars. Creek's voice came into her head. "*You do not need to avenge my death. You do not need to kill Blaze. You only need to scare him into respecting you, but do not harm him. It will not do any good.*"

With a start, Juniper woke up. She blinked her eyes multiple times, trying to understand the vision. She hated him. She had been so selfish, only thinking for herself. What about her kits? He had abandoned them also. Juniper only thought about what happened to *her* when she was abandoned, how *she* would fend for herself when she was alone. Juniper loved Creek, but somehow, her heart didn't tug her toward what Creek had said. There was only one possible solution that crossed her mind. Find Blaze and Snowflake, and kill them.

Somehow, Creek's words didn't have a single effect on her. It only gave her the idea, and the more she thought about it, the more sure she was that this was what her destiny was meant to be. She would set out to find him the next sunrise, in disguise. The only way that she really could arrive where he was in an incognito way was to roll around in mud and change her scent, not that it needed much changing. After spending her days without anyone to talk to in an abandoned badger den, she smelled so foul that she washed like 5 times a day in the stream that was a short walk away from here. *I will avenge Creek's death. I will stop Blaze from doing anything to me ever again.*

## Chapter 3

For the eleventh time Juniper rolled around in a mud puddle. She couldn't get the feeling that Blaze would recognize her this way or that. *When we meet, I'll tell him who I really am. And when he dies, it'll be the best thing that's every happened for moons!* A sudden surge of excitement flew through her heart. This was finally happening. She could be able to sink her claws into his throat. She had never killed another cat before, but had blinded one. Slashed her eyes out. It was when she and her former mate had met. This time, she could snap his neck, and the look on Snowflake's face, a look of pure horror, would be worth giving anything for.

A small voice in the back of her head asked, *Are you becoming evil?*

Juniper shook her head. *No way.*

*Then why are you seeking for vengeance? Didn't Creek tell you not to?*

A tiny feeling of doubt crept into her mind, but she pushed it away. *Of course not.*

Juniper had finally left. She went into the direction she came from. Treading along a meadow with fresh green grass, she noticed that this place had no twolegs, no monsters or Thunderpaths, or anything dangerous. Immediately her mind told her that this would be a great place to settle. *No.* she thought firmly. I *have* to make sure that neither Blaze nor Snowflake lives. Her thoughts were echoed when another cat, hissing, leaped on top of her.

"Who do you think you are?" the strange cat challenged.

"I-I'm..." Juniper thought whether or not to tell this cat what her real name is, and decided that it was safe. "I'm Juniper."

"I'm Bramble," the tom said, sliding off her back, turning from a challenging voice to a curious one. "Why are you here?"

"Am I not allowed to?" she said slyly, thinking that this cat could help her by telling her if he'd seen Blaze.

"I mean, you are, but...well...no one usually comes here."

"I'll leave, if you tell me: have you seen a ginger tabby tom and a white she-cat with blue eyes here lately? They're mates,"
Juniper answered, starting with curiosity and ending in anger, though she hid it well.

"No...why are you asking?" Bramble tilted his head, his eyes sparkling.

"Mind your own business," she snapped.

"Could I help you find them?" Bramble stated in a voice that said meant he *thought* it was a rhetorical question.

After he had finally convinced Juniper to let him come with her, they set out through a dark pine tree forest. Juniper shuddered. It wasn't usual for them to do this. She normally stayed under birch trees and oaks, where the trees let light come through.
"Anything wrong?" Bramble asked, his ears twitching. Just as she was about to reply, he abruptly crouched down into a battle stance.
"Just a squirrel, mouse-heart," she said with a careless flick of her tail-tip toward where a squirrel was rustling the leaves, searching for nuts. Juniper rolled her eyes. Was this cat scared of everything? Or was he just really worried? Either way, she couldn't tell.

When they caught the squirrel and ate it (she discovered that Bramble was a much better hunter than Blaze was), they kept on going. They bumped into a lost kittypet, who asked them for help. She'd lost her housefolk, and couldn't find them anymore. Juniper had sighed, and they found another cat willing to help, and moved on. They bad thing was that they caught a huge rabbit, and the payment for the other rogue to help the dumb kittypet find her way back home was the prey. Bramble told her to give it to him to avoid a fight, which they couldn't afford to lose, because they were *so* tired. The two hadn't gone to sleep until it was nearly sunrise the day after she met Bramble. She also felt that she couldn't lose Bramble either, because he was turning out to be a big help.

For a while, they trotted through the forest in silence. As they leapt over a log, Juniper's leg got caught on a branch, ripping her fur and into her skin. Blood started dripping from it, and when Bramble neatly got over the log, a wave of shame and embarrassment came over her. *I can't believe that just happened!* she thought. Another prick of pain went into her leg like a huge thorn, and she fainted.

When Juniper got up, she realized that her leg was covered in cobwebs. She hissed, leaping back a step. She could barely walk, and her leg was probably twice the size as it had been at first. Bramble must've used lots of cobweb. She limped to where Bramble stood watching in amusement, and irritatedly, she snapped, "It's not funny! Now I can barely even walk!"

Bramble rolled his eyes. "Of *course* you can."

Scowling, she limped ahead until Bramble was nearly out of sight.

They crossed the pine forest, coming upon a hill. Juniper convinced Bramble to let them rest for a while in the sun. It was a while until from behind clouds, a great ball of light, the sun, came. She wasn't used to this much sun, green-leaf must have begun. They rolled around in the grass, let their bellies be grazed by a rough log, and finally, they crossed the hill, only to find a huge Thunderpath ahead of them.

## Chapter 4

The Thunderpath was *huge*. It was about 150 fox lengths, and in between, there were 3 small areas of concrete where monsters couldn't get on. There were red, yellow, and green lights, monsters of every color Juniper had ever seen, and twolegs, poking their heads out of their dens, waving their furless paws and yelling. There were so many lights coming from the monsters, so much that Juniper's eyes hurt. Their round black paws rolled around the Thunderpath, roaring like they owned the world. The twolegs inside them looked happy and content, their paws on a round wheel, and some of them only had one paw on it! After being eaten by the monster, *how* could someone look so calm? There was also the smell. Juniper nearly turned over and retched when a big blue monster zoomed right by them, leaving an artificial scent that lasted for what seemed forever. Tall silver buildings illuminated the scene, with the light touching the window. This was the biggest Thunderpath she had ever seen!

Bramble echoed her thoughts. "We...have to cross that?"

Juniper frowned. "I don't remember crossing any Thunderpaths except for one, which wasn't used."

Alarmed, Bramble swivelled his head toward her. "You don't mean that we went the wrong way?"

"No, I mean that I went that way," she pointed her tail to where the Thunderpath turned around, leaving another meadow.
"Buuuuuuuuuuuut, that would take a lot of time. Should we cross this, or take the walk all the way there?" she continued, shuddering at the thought of crossing.

Unhappily, Bramble agreed with her that they should take the risk. "We should try to get past by sunset."

"When I say go, RUN. Run all the way to where the first stop is. It's risky, but what can I say? We don't risk it?" Juniper flashed a grin combined with a grimace at Bramble. "Run like there's a whole pack of foxes behind you. Ready..." She tensed, muscles rippling under her black fur. "RUN!"

They sped across the Thunderpath. Just as they were about to reach the first stopping point, Bramble tripped over. He stumbled onto the ground, but a second later got back up again. But he couldn't move. His hind leg was wrenched, and he tried anyways. Juniper, who had already made it there, let out a yowl.

The monsters on the Thunderpath seemed to notice that there was a cat on the Thunderpath, and they stopped. "Quick!" she hissed through gritted teeth. "I won us some time, so use it!" Nodding, Bramble limped on until they reached the twoleg town. "Follow me. Don't do anything else. Go as fast as you can. No, your leg will be fine!" she added when he opened his mouth to protest. They ran until they reached the meadow Juniper noticed earlier. Exhausted, they both fell asleep on the grass.

The next morning, Juniper got up before her friend did. She thought for a moment. *How do I fix Bramble's leg? I've seen cats that moved them back into place.* She winced. *I'll do it. Before he wakes up, so he'll only feel the pain for a moment.* She placed a paw on his haunch, her other one just in front of his injured left leg. She pulled it. The only thing she heard for the next moment was Bramble howling in agony, and just under the noise, she made out a tiny clicking noise. Juniper held her breath. Did she just make it worse or better? She couldn't tell. Bramble had stopped wailing.
"What did you do?" he whirled around and hissed. Even though he was angry, she was relieved to see that his leg was better.

"It's better! Your leg," she walked behind him and sniffed it.

"I guess," he said grudgingly. "But it hurt!" Noticing the protest in his voice, she asked,

"But it's better," Juniper replied, saying it as a statement and not a question.

"I'll catch us some breakfast," Juniper purred once Bramble had stopped *whining* and *complaining*. She ran off. *A sparrow!* She quietly stalked it, and just as it noticed her, she used her strong hind legs and fell on top of it as she landed. She looked at the catch in her paws. It was moving, so she took a claw and stabbed its throat. It fell dead to the ground. As she returned to where Bramble was now grooming himself, she dropped it at their paws and took a bite. "I'll catch something else for us also, just eat the rest, and I'll eat...that mouse over there."

It wasn't hard, pouncing on the mouse and crushing its spine, then delivering the killing bite to the neck. She ate it, and walked to a nearby puddle (that didn't exactly look clean, but oh well) to wash down the prey. Bramble strolled over to where she was, and declared, "So. I've been thinking, we should start a Clan. One that we can lead together. We'll help each other catch prey, and do things like we're doing now."
"Hmmm...a Clan? How about after I get my vengeance? We'll be called DarkClan. We can get revenge on the cats that have harmed us," Juniper meowed.

"...Is...Blaze your mate?" Bramble flinched as she cast him an angry look.

"Was," she corrected, "and I hate him. I don't want anything ever to do with him every again. I don't want a mate. I don't want one for the rest of my life."

"You can lead DarkClan. You have *too* many cats you want revenge on," he flashed her a grin, then continued, "I have a one cat I want revenge on. A kittypet that stole prey from me. I caught a mouse."

"Seems like you don't have many problems, do you," she teased, "You're biggest problem ever was missing out on dinner!" He huffed and turned away.

After agreeing to keep on going, they made their way through the moor. Long, yellow, grasses brushed against her legs. It was really prickly, but the sun evened it out, making the weather perfect. In a few days, it would start becoming very hot. Bramble signaled for her to hold on, leaped into a bush, and came back with a mouse dangling from his mouth by the tail. He bit of part of its body, spit out the bones, and pushed it to Juniper, now lying on the grass, who did the same thing. Both of them weren't hungry anymore, and continued with the journey to kill Blaze.

## Chapter 5

They'd journeyed for days, one paw on high ground one paw on low, and 4 days after they'd crossed the giant Thunderpath, Juniper recognized the forest. The forest she had left her kits in. She was proud that she had done it. It showed that she wasn't as soft as she thought she was. Snowflake and Blaze probably thought that she was too soft also. *They won't think that when I kill them,* she thought, promising to herself that Blaze's death wouldn't be a quick one. She would torture him for days until he was the same amount of hurt that he had caused her.

"Excuse me, have you seen a ginger tabby and a white cat around here lately?" Juniper asked a passing cat politely.

"I have," she replied. "They had a kit with them, but they're across this forest, in a cave, I think."

*A cave? The same one that I kitted in?" She shook the thought away. She did not have kits. She never had a mate.* This *was her* new *life. It couldn't be new if she felt nostalgic over old memories.*

"Thanks," Bramble thanked her, and added, "We're looking for her mate."

Juniper looked at him coldly and with fury, hissing, "*I do not have a mate.*"

"Uh...right. Right. Right. I knew that."

"Thanks anyways," Juniper said. The she-cat nodded, and walked away.

*This is it. The final moment.* Juniper's mind whirled. She looked at Bramble. "I'll give you a signal, and you attack from the left and go for Snowflake. I'll attack from the other side and slash Blaze's throat out." He nodded. Juniper nearly flicked her tail as the signal, but suddenly, the cave in front of her was transformed into a vision. Creek was sitting in front of her.

*Do not do it, Creek mewed. The scene in front of her turned into another vision. One where Creek, Fox, and Badger were playing happily with Blaze and herself. I'll go get us some food, Blaze told them. Stay here. He left the cave purring. She blinked her eyes contentedly at him. Suddenly Creek was sitting in front of her again, tail neatly wrapped around her paws. See? That is a future that will never happen. You and Bramble can go and create DarkClan. This is not necessary.*

Juniper blinked. "Bramble!" she whispered. "I-I...had a vision."

His ears pricked. "When?"

"Just now."

"And it was about..." his voice trailed off.

"My third kit. Creek. Sh-she came to me. We can't do this! We can't kill them!" Juniper wailed the last part.

His eyes were full of understanding. "That's ok. We'll start DarkClan. We can skip this part."

She nodded. "Yes." *I am Juniper, the leader of DarkClan!* She'd never thought of herself as a leader before.

*First, we'll need to find territory. Second, we'll have to recruit new cats. Me and Bramble practice our powers and make rules.*

Then, DarkClan can begin! *Then Juniper heard something. A* footstep*.*

"Uhhhhhh...Bramble? Are you still awake?" she asked quietly.

"Mhhhmm," Bramble lifted his head sleepily.

"I think,"she whispered, "that we might be getting attacked."

## Chapter 6

"Show yourself!" a voice hissed.

Juniper whirled around, baring her teeth. It was nearly dawn. Their opponent clearly had not chosen a good time for attack. The cat came in view. "Snowflake!" she gasped. Juniper sprang on Snowflake shoulders and pinned her to the ground. Snowflake glared at her, and snarled, "Let me up!"

"No. Tell me why you're here," Bramble's voice was calm and cold.

"You. You two killed Blaze!" she choked as Juniper's claws tightened around her neck.

Juniper loosened her grip a little. "We did not!"

"He heard you! He smelled your scent, Juniper, and came out. You and that cat killed him! His body was outside, blood pouring from his throat. His neck was snapped. You did this!" Snowflake tried biting Juniper's paws, trying to get it off.

"We didn't," Juniper breathed. "We didn't. Stop struggling. I could snap your neck with these vines if I wanted to. I'm showing *mercy*. It's *me* that's giving you the chance to go. I *want* to kill you, of course." Without another word, Snowflake turned her body and ran out of the cave.

Juniper sneezed, blinking open her eyes. Bramble was standing on top of her, paws placed on her chest. "I hope I at least managed to scare her," Juniper replied, voice filled with anger. Bramble made a face showing agreement, then asked if she would like to go hunting with him.

"Blaze!" she let out a yell of fury and excitement. Fury, because Snowflake was a liar, and excitement, because at first she realized that this could be the moment for him to die. The excitement faded in her mind. She thought of Creek, her warning only just popping into her head. *I won't hurt him much,* she vowed to Creek silently, and with a strong push of her hind legs, Juniper aimed for Blaze's shoulders. He let out a yelp of unexpected shock, and staggered backwards. She bared her teeth, and they plunged into his shoulder, biting, although it was not that hard of a bite. She still felt like she had to avenge Fox and Badger and Creek. She lunged at him again, and slashed his shoulder, making blood pour from the new wound.

"Do you give up? Do you think you made a mistake abandoning Fox and Badger? And what about Creek?" she stepped aside, and he shook his pelt, letting out a low snarling sound. "Me? *I* was the one to abandon the kits? Isn't that what *you* did?"

"Only because you left," Juniper snapped. "Do you surrender?"

"I do," Blaze croaked, and she let out a yowl of triumph, leaving him there.Juniper never really got all of the revenge that she had wanted, but at least that shoulder wound was giving him a real hard time. She'd seen Snowflake standing next to him, with her flank pressed against his. If Blaze's new mate wasn't there, he would definitely collapse. DarkClan was starting, and Juniper renamed herself Juniperstar, with her deputy as Brambleshadow. Also, Brambleshadow and Juniperstar had found a two new members for the Clan-Raven (renamed Ravensky), a night black she-cat, and Python (renamed Pythontail), who was Juniperstar's littermate. Pythontail had changed, and she kept on playing tricks on her, being SO ANNOYING and she NEVER LISTENED. Ravensky seemed to be enjoying being a member of DarkClan. Right now, the four cats were just wandering around without a proper territory, but they were getting along pretty well. Pythontail had suggested that they find a new territory soon, and Brambleshadow agreed. Ravensky and Juniperstar herself had voted against it, thinking that they could invade Snowflake and Brambleshadow and taking over the cave.

*I didn't expect for Snowflake and Blaze to leave the cave that easily!* Juniperstar wondered why they did it as she and the other DarkClan cats, including their newest member Mothwhisker slept in the cave. It was a big cave, but it was only one of the dens. The warriors den, where the warriors and Brambleshadow, who was deputy, slept. The leaders den was under a fallen tree. Brambleshadow thickets surrounded the camp, and the gorse prickles kept out intruders. When Juniperstar wanted to call a meeting for the Clan, she would stand on top of the cave. The fallen tree that she slept under was tall, and if she jumped at the top of it, she would land on top of the stone cave. Today, Juniperstar slept in the warriors den because the leader's den was invaded by (who else) Snowflake herself. DarkClan drove her away in not a long time. Currently being rebuilt, Juniperstar could only sleep with the other members.

"This is Waterflea," Mothwhisker explained with a gray cat standing by his side, looking a little bit scared. "She's my mate."

Brambleshadow tilted his head at the newcomer. "Does...she want to join DarkClan? If yes, then she will be named...let's see...Waterstream."

Mothwhisker gently laid his tail on Waterstream's back. "Yes." Brambleshadow looked Juniperstar, willing for her to take over.

"So. Waterstream, prove your hunting skills," Juniperstar directed. Mothwhisker looked outraged. "*I* didn't have to do that! Why should she?" Waterstream gave him a meaningful look, and said, "I'll pass. My hunting skills aren't terrible."

Waterstream's light silver paws quietly stepped on the grass. The moonlight made pelt look sleek and clean. All of a sudden, Waterstream pounced, her long front legs reached the higher part of a beech tree. With a paw, her unsheathed claws knocked a squirrel over, and it squeaked in terror, slipping off the tree. Waterstream then got back on the ground and bit it's neck. Juniperstar was impressed. "That's not a hunting tactic *I've* ever seen."
Waterstream glanced at her paws shyly. "I kind of figured that since my legs are so long, they need to come in use for something. So I tried leaping on trees."
"You pass. Come back to camp, and you eat the squirrel that you caught."

## Chapter 7

Juniperstar lay on her back, the sun shining on her belly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brambleshadow Waveheart his tail as a signal for her to come. She pushed herself to her legs, and padded over to where Brambleshadow sat in front of the warriors den. Ravensky was there also. "We saw a cat today when we went hunt-" Brambleshadow was interrupted by Ravensky, who said, "*I* saw the cat. *You* were too busy talking to Pythontail to notice." Brambleshadow gave her a look that made her shut up immediately.
"As I was saying, *Ravensky* saw a cat on patrol today. He was a tom, a white one. There were also two cats with him. One was orange with brown legs and the other was a she-cat that was black and silver," Brambleshadow introduced them. Juniperstar was horrified, although she didn't show it. *Could...could those two cats be...Fox? And Badger?*

Juniperstar couldn't sleep. She really couldn't. She was back in her warm mossy den under the fallen tree, but as soon as she nearly fell asleep, her head would spin with the memory of her kits. *It can't be Fox and Badger. They must be dead. When I left, they didn't know how to hunt.* But this didn't make her feel the least bit more reassured. She groaned, and shut her eyes. *Think about something else. Think about something else. Think about something else. Fox. Badger. THINK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE!* Juniperstar finally got up, and told Pythontail, who was guarding the camp, that she was going to do a night patrol and maybe catch some prey too. Sighing, she walked out of camp, only to find herself face to face with her the very two cats that Brambleshadow had described.

Juniperstar blinked. *Don't let them know who you are. This is your secret. Nobody will know.*
"Who are you?" she challenged, although inside her heart was breaking, knowing that she would either have to fight them or reveal her secret by being too soft on them.

"I'm Badger, and this is Fox," Badger retorted. "Who said we couldn't be here?" Juniperstar's heart sank all the way to her paws. These were the two cats that she dreaded were coming. Her kits. She surveyed them. They had certainly grown a lot. Badger seemed to have gotten in lots of fights. She had a scar over one eye, two scars by her ears, and there was also a nick in her neck fur. Another two were on her nose. Fox's legs were extremely long, and it made her think that if she joined the Clan, she and Waterstream would be able to catch a lot of prey in the trees.

"Do...you want to join DarkClan?" Juniperstar questioned. There was a tiny ball of hope in her heart.

"DarkClan," Fox looked thoughtful, making the ball of hope in her heart grow a little bigger. Fox gazed at Badger, and she gave a tiny nod that was so small, Juniperstar thought she must've imagined it.

"We'll come. If we don't like it, we'll leave, though," Badgertooth replied. The ball of hope in her heart took flight, spreading an unusual feeling of warmth around her body.

"Come with me," Juniperstar replied, "you'll need to be tested."

Badgertooth and Foxclaw were excellent hunters. Just as Juniperstar suspected, Foxclaw could do the same trick as Waterstream once Waterstream taught her how to do it. And Badgertooth, she was fast. Without even needing to stalk an unsuspecting mouse, she ran over to it, and blocked it's escape route. Then, she killed it. But there was a problem. Pythontail might've started to suspect them of being her kits. Whenever Juniperstar had the chance, she offered to go on patrol with her kits, hunting with them, and for the past few days, she hadn't eaten a single meal that wasn't shared with by at least one of them. There was also Gray, who had come into the camp the morning after Juniperstar discovered her kits lurking around in the forest. He was excellent at plants, and was treated like a medicine cat. Brambleshadow's paw had been caught by a thorn earlier, and he healed it very quickly. This was one of the only reasons he was accepted. He was also fast, but his hunting and fighting skills weren't very sharp.

Juniperstar watched as Gray pounced on a shrew, killed it, and dragged it over to where she was. She gave Gray a nod of approval, and pointed her tail to where the camp was, signaling for him to return to the camp. She had heard more noises, and was desperate to know who or what they came from. As soon as gray was back in camp, she stepped lightly on the ground, trying to avoid making noise. Juniperstar clawed her way up a tree, and from above noticed 3 cats. One was a light brown tabby, one was pale gray, and the other one was white with black stripes. The brown tabby suddenly whirled around, sniffing at the air. *I accidently moved a leaf!* Juniperstar thought, ducking down beneath the green leaves, now becoming orange. The brown tabby sat down distrustfully, but continued talking to her friends. If Juniperstar listened hard enough she could barely make out what they were saying.

"No, I'm absolutely *sure* that there's a cat up there," the tabby insisted.

Another cat hissed in exasperation, and meowed, "Rainbreeze, it was just a squirrel. THERE'S NO NEED TO START GETTING ANGRY!"

*I should be able to fight them off. There are three of them, but my strangler vines are very powerful,* she thought. *But then, I'm heavily outnumbered three to one.* Without another word, Juniperstar let out a screech and leaped on the black and white tabby cat and bit his front paw. The cat called Rainbreeze leaped back, and sensing that Juniperstar was about to attack, she bared her teeth. The pale gray cat leaped on her back, and the tabby bit her paw while the white one slashed at her back.

"Juniperstar!" Graywater gasped in astonishment, looking at her deep wounds.

"Just treat to them, won't you? And stop asking questions," Juniperstar responded grumpily. She *hated* losing fights to other cats. It was *weakness*, and *weakness* wouldn't help them at *all*. But Gray only sighed and dug around an old log for cobwebs. He wrapped the cobweb around her front paw, and with a wince Juniperstar stepped on the ground, testing it out. It didn't hurt as much as before, but she probably wouldn't be allowed to hunt or fight for a while.

"How did you get hurt?" Graywater asked, sounding like a kit begging for a story to hear. Juniperstar sighed. This cat wouldn't let her get a moment of peace before asking again!

"I got into a fight with a badger, I already told you!" she lied.

"You did not. Badgertooth bites look different from these you have," Graywater contradicted. "*These* claw marks were made by a *cat*!"

"All right, I fought a cat. Happy now?" Juniperstar grumbled, and stalked back to her den before Graywater could continue questioning her and collapsed on her nest.

Juniperstar was dreaming. She was a whisker length away from catching a mouse when a rustle of the leaves beside her woke her up. Slowly, she blinked her eyes, about to walk out her den and call out whichever DarkClan cat was doing something wrong, unless it was Badgertooth who was guarding the camp. Instead, as she peeked out through the grass, she noticed a dark gray tom along with the pale brown tabby that she'd seen earlier, behind a gorse bush just nearly outside the camp. Juniperstar let out a quiet hiss. She caught Badgertooth's eye, and realized that Badgertooth was going to attack them by surprise. Badgertooth aimed for the tabby while Juniperstar herself leaped on the gray cat's shoulders. He staggered back, and Juniperstar snarled. "What are you doing here?"

## Chapter 8

"My name is Waveheart. This is Rainbreeze," he croaked, his body tied together by vines. The other she-cat was also tied up, and she surveyed the camp with an angry glare. Juniperstar pressed a claw against her throat, she glared but stopped struggling out of the vines.

"Badgertooth. Wake the others," she commanded, and Badgertooth nodded and trotted over to the warriors den.

Juniperstar glanced back at Waveheart, who didn't seem to be struggling or a threat in general. The brown tabby certainly seemed like she wanted to get out. There wasn't really a hope, since they were heavily outnumbered.

"Why are you here?" Juniperstar said, her voice demanding and furious.

"You attacked Snakethorn!" Rainbreeze cried furiously, tail lashing even through the vines. *Not that I probably managed to hurt him*, Juniperstar thought bitterly, circling the two cats watchfully.

As the other DarkClan cats came, Juniperstar removed the vines.

"We are from SpyClan," the cat called Waveheart said, while Rainbreeze only glared at the DarkClan cats, scowling.

"Waveheart, they don't need to know *everything*!" Rainbreeze turned her gaze to Waveheart, and she growled. "SpyClan was made just a while ago, and now every cat in the forest knows about it. I thought we were supposed to be *stealthy*!"

Waveheart shrugged, and turned his head so his eyes met Juniperstar's. "Just let us out, please can you?"

Just after he finished his sentence, Rainbreeze snarled. "Now you're begging! Are you not loyal to SpyClan? We should be making threats to fight them, not begging for their mercy!"

Juniperstar ignored them, and her voice charming and sly, she asked, "Now what is SpyClan?"

"Nothing!" Rainbreeze blurted, just as Waveheart opened his mouth to answer. Juniperstar made a vine wrap around Rainbreeze's mouth. Waveheart looked at her helplessly, and he told them what SpyClan was. Brambleshadow demanded more details, and soon DarkClan knew everything about SpyClan.

"Foxclaw! Throw these cats into blackberry bush beside the warriors den!" Juniperstar ordered, knowing perfectly well that blackberry bushes were filled with prickly thorns. *That's what makes it good. The new prisoner's den has to be uncomfortable. We don't want them to feel at home here!* Foxclaw obeyed, and dragged Rainbreeze into the bush. Ravensky put Waveheart in there with her, and stood guard over the den. Juniperstar gave the black she-cat a nod of approval, and told all the rest of the cats to go to sleep.

The sun lifted over the valley of soft green grass as Juniperstar woke. She stretched her jaws open in a yawn, showing small and sharp teeth. She walked across the clearing, and excused Ravensky from her duties. Ravensky stalked back to the den and collapsed, eyes closing the minute he head hit the mossy nest. Brambleshadow then strolled to the fallen tree where Juniperstar slept, and climbed up on top of the cave.

"Wake up, everyone! Except for those of you who just got back from night patrol, or happened to be guarding the prisoners, we'll question them about this *SpyClan* later. First, Badgertooth will lead a patrol with Foxclaw and Mothwhisker coming with her, and Waterstream, you go hunting alone," Brambleshadow yowled on the Tallrock. Most cats sat down in front of the warriors den. *Brambleshadow seems to have gotten this straight. I'm going to check on the prisoners,* Juniperstar thought, and wandered to the blackberry bush.

"You can come out now," she said, and dragged Rainbreeze out. She did the same to Waveheart. Brambleshadow sprang off the Tallrock to where Juniperstar was.

"Shall we interrogate them for questions now?" he questioned.

"Of course. Rainbreeze, where is your camp?" Juniperstar replied.

Rainbreeze glared at her, and Waveheart seemed to be infuriated too, and burst out, "We can't tell you that! Why don't you just let us go? Our Clanmates will be wondering where we are. The Clan doesn't have many member's right now, you know? Only 14 of them!"

Rainbreeze slapped her tail over his mouth with shock, clear on her face. "Waveheart! Stop talking right now, or soon they'll know!"

Juniperstar was deeply interested now. "Know what?"

"Nothing! Now let us go!" Waveheart glared at her. She turned around to say something to Brambleshadow, but as she did this, both cats leaped through the entrance of the camp. This only made Juniperstar happier. They could follow these two cats all the way back to their camp! Juniperstar's paws hit the ground as she ran through the forest. The SpyClan cats were only right in front of them. Suddenly, Waveheart surged one way while Rainbreeze went the other.

"Come one, Brambleshadow! You chase the other one!" Juniperstar shouted, and searched for Rainbreeze quickly in the forest she saw her burst into. Her gray eyes met everything in sight, and her nose was doing just fine, and when she thought she smelled a hint of the she-cat's scent, she stalked it only to find a strand of her fur. But after a while, Juniperstar had to admit defeat. Brambleshadow came from behind her, and shoulders sagging, said, "I couldn't find him. He rolled around in something, and eventually I lost his scent."

"Let's head back to camp. It is already sunhigh, and I'm getting hungry," Juniperstar told Brambleshadow, and they both ran back to camp, disappointment heavy in both their paws.

## Chapter 9

Juniperstar scanned the camp. Just moments before, she'd heard a screeching noise, sounding like it came from Ravensky. Locust settled down beside her, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Locust was one of the 4 new cats that had joined the Clan. There was also Nightshade, Duskblaze, and Rhododendron. " I think I can hear someone..." Juniperstar replied, voice fading as she heard the sound again. She bound to her paws. "Foxclaw! Nightshade, Duskblaze, Graywater, come with me."

They all ran through the forest, trying to locate Ravensky. Ravensky was a great addition to the Clan. Yesterday, she had fought of two rogues alone, and also caught lots of prey for the Clan. As Juniper's thoughts about the she-cat continued, the sound got louder, until they found Ravensky lying beneath a birch tree, spasms rippling her belly. Juniper was shocked. *Is she kitting? Why is she doing this, and how did we not notice? How long has she been keeping this secret from us, and did she even know it was going to happen?* Juniper's lip curled in disgust. She really didn't like the thought of kits scrambling around in the Clan, ruining dens and trampling over the fresh-kill pile. *But I guess that's the only way to keep DarkClan going.* She took a paw and pushed at Ravensky's belly, really not knowing what to do.

Graywater pushed in front of her, and Juniper glared at him. "I'm the medicine cat," he shrugged, and ordered Locust to go and find a stick. She nodded, and took off. Graywater really wasn't the medicine cat, but if he wanted to be called that, then sure. Fine. *The Clan won't have medicine cats, though.*

Locust returned moments later with a hard, thick, stick.

"Bite on it," Graywater ordered Ravensky. She did, and a kit popped out after Juniper gave a harsh push on her belly. It was a she-cat. Ravensky breathed hard, and Foxclaw was ordered to get some moss soaked in water so that Ravensky could drink. Juniper was really annoyed. *Graywater isn't the leader. I am. So stop giving orders or the other cats will turn to you when there are problems!* She shot him a mean glance, and started licking the kit. It had gray fur, although you could barely see it. It's eyes probably were the same color as Ravensky's although no one could see yet, the kit's eyes were not open yet.

"Well?" Juniperstar looked at Ravensky, who had her eyes closed while blood pooled around the flattened grass where she was sitting when she gave birth.

"Her name will be Mistkit," Ravensky rasped, her voice unsteady.

Juniperstar turned her head to where Graywater was, and ordered for him to get some moss, the blood would need to be cleaned. He nodded and bounded away. He was back moments later, and helped Ravensky clean up the blood. Sighing, Juniperstar let Ravensky lean on her flank while Nightshade carried Mistkit back to camp.

It had been three days since Ravensky had given birth. Mistkit's eyes were open, and she was being really annoying, asking Ravensky lots of questions, and scampering around the camp, sometimes trampling the prey. The only time they got peace was when she was feeding, and when she was doing that Ravensky wasn't open for patrols. SpyClan had been spotted again around the border, this time a brown cat with shiny green eyes. She and another cat, who Juniperstar knew was Rainbreeze, were discussing something important. Juniperstar had of course ignored them, but still knew that SpyClan was a threat to them.

"Mistkit, from this moment on, you will be known as Mistpaw, until you are a warrior. Carpslash, you will be her mentor, and I hope that you train her well," Juniper yowled on the roof of the cave. DarkClan had four more new members. Carp, who was renamed Carpslash, Rat (Ratpounce), Earthquake (Earthtail), and there was also Crocodile (Crocodilefeather). Six moons had passed, so now it was time for Mistpaw to become an apprentice. She dismissed them with a wave of her tail, and Bramble took over.

"Carpslash, you and Mistpaw will go with Nightshade to patrol the farther border, near the twolegplace. Ravensky, you and Graywater go together to check SpyClan's border again. Earthtail, you got hunting with Ratpounce, Duskblaze, and Waterstream by the hunting grounds near the border north of the camp. The rest of you, get ready. Me and Juniperstar are planning to take a couple cats to go and spy on SpyClan, we don't think that it will be safe to leave them alone for a while," Brambleshadow commanded, gazing at all of the cats. When he walked along the fallen tree to get off the Highrock, all the cats left for their assigned patrols.

Brambleshadow walked over to the prey pile and took a small starling, settled down by the tree stump, and started gnawing at it. Badgertooth walked by, and started complaining.

"What am I supposed to do? Do I get to fight SpyClan with you guys? I hadn't had a fight in a long time," Badgertooth looked bored.

"You're guarding the camp later," Brambleshadow snapped. "And we aren't fighting. We just want to see what's going on, and the spy patrol will be Foxclaw, Mothwhisker, Pythontail, and Juniperstar. You and I will stay at camp guarding it."

Badgertooth let out a growl of frustration, and turned away, leaving Juniperstar and Brambleshadow to discuss the spy mission.

## Chapter 10

As the cats who were assigned to patrol and hunting came back and the camp filled up again, Juniperstar started organizing more, and telling everyone who would be on the patrol.

"We are leading a patrol to go and spy on SpyClan's camp. The cats coming with me will be Foxclaw, Mothwhisker, and Pythontail. Badgertooth, Brambleshadow, and Nightshade, I want you to guard the camp. Crocodilefeather, you go hunting alone. If anything seems wrong, come back right away. If you are outnumbered and trapped, fight. Shout," Juniper directed, and then looked at Carpslash and Mistpaw. "You have already been on patrol, but if you hear Crocodilefeather yelling, go find her. Crocodilefeather, *only* hunt near the camp. The rest of you, stay in camp. Oh and also, Locust, you are going to take a rest, but later follow our scent trail. We will cover it, but leave a bit of it for you to track. See if we are fighting, and if we are, bring all cats here except for the ones that are guarding the camp. Got it?" Juniper gave a list of what every cat would be doing for the rest of the day.

"Come on, cats, let's go!" Juniperstar flicked her tail, and the cats followed her outside of camp.

"Foxclaw, you scout ahead. Nightshade, you stay at the back of the group and the two of you warn us for danger," Juniper hissed.

They all nodded, and their paws quietly stepped on the ground, not making a noise, except for the occasional leaf crunches made by squirrels and mice. Suddenly, Foxclaw scrambled back quietly, and her paws disturbed a twig. All the cats ignored the noise.

Foxclaw leaned in to them, and whispered, "The SpyClan camp is right ahead. We might want to stop and listen for a bit."

The cats crept forward a little bit more, and soon Juniperstar could hear them talking in a slightly quiet voice. She peered through a bramble thicket, and saw a black she-cat.

"..You know, I think that Wildpaw's training is going on pretty well. Apart from the time he got into a fight with that rogue, I think her name was Hollow Heart? Well, Wildpaw didn't mean to disturb her, but Mossleaf really had to treat that bite on his tail. Thank goodness it's better now."

A silver she-cat stepped into view. "Yeah, I think he'll be ready to become a warrior soon. Paintsplash also seems to be fitting in with the Clan," She gazed at her belly, which was close to touching the ground. "I hope that these kits come soon!"

A purr rumbled in the other cat's throat. "Definitely, Silvershine. The Clan could do with some new cats. Also, did you know that Rainbreeze is also expecting? She's having Nuggetclaw's kits!"

Silvershine's eyes widened. "I didn't hear about that! Flamestar is making me spend too much time in the nursery, I don't even know what's going on in the *Clan*!"

"Well, your kits are going to come soon. You don't want to tire yourself out! Flamestar is really worried about you, you know. What if something goes wrong with the kitting?"

Juniperstar hissed. *It doesn't seem like these cats are planning anything, just chattering. Do they not have to go hunting or patrolling?* As this thought entered her mind, a black and white cat leaped onto a tree with a thick branch and stood on it.

"Okay," he said. "I want Nightwillow and Wildpaw to go and check the DarkClan borders. Someone might be hanging around there. Nuggetclaw, you, Lemonstorm, and Needlefur are going hunting. Try returning by sunset, because I'm sending another night patrol out. Me and Plumleap are going, and if we see you we might accidentally attack without thinking."

Juniperstar pointed her tail away from the camp, and her warriors nodded. They crept back, and Juniperstar scratched behind her ear.

"Well, I don't really think that they're planning an attack," Nightshade began nervously. "They weren't doing anything really...suspicious...interesting. I don't know," Nightshade ducked her head.

Juniperstar agreed, but Foxclaw spoke up. "How do we know that?" she challenged. "Maybe they just weren't revealing anything. Maybe they don't talk about the attack every moment of the day!"

Juniperstar glared at her kit. She finally wasn't being too soft on them, and treated them as warriors of the Clan. "Foxclaw, that doesn't make sense. They would be planning the attack, wouldn't they? We'll leave for now, and hopefully Locust wasn't ambushed by that patrol. Or Crocodilefeather." With no more arguing, they all went back to the DarkClan camp.

## Chapter 11

Juniperstar was keeping a careful eye on Nightshade. Something seemed...off about the cat, ever since they had gotten back from the spy mission. It seemed like she was keeping a secret from the cats, and Graywater and Duskblaze were also nervous, though it seemed like it was mostly Nightshade. Juniperstar had seen Nightshade twitch her whiskers after getting back from patrols, and was always volunteering for them. It was as if the piece of territory by the reeds held a secret. *Duskblaze is Nightshade's mate. They have a connection. But Graywater? He's the 'medicine cat'. I guess he has a connection with every cat, but why has he been feeding Nightshade herbs every day? We can't waste them.*

So Juniperstar decided to ask them. She would question Graywater first, and then Nightshade. Duskblaze had always seemed like a loyal warrior that would die for his Clan, and Juniperstar thought that he contributed a lot, bringing back prey daily and fighting rogues that crossed the border or stole prey. Nightshade was the same, but Juniperstar was starting to grow suspicious of her, and could tell that Brambleshadow might be also.

"Graywater," she greeted coldly. "Is there anything that you aren't telling me?"

He glanced around the herb den, looking like he was planning his escape. A moment later, he sighed, and looked up at Juniperstar's icy gray eyes.

"What?" she snapped.

"Nightshade," he whispered quickly. "She's having kits."

This was *not* the response that Juniperstar had been expecting. *Kits? The Clan is thriving already, and there are lots of cats, rogues that aren't the ones that steal prey that could join the Clan. We have to train kits...*

"What are you going to do about it, Juniperstar?" his voice dropped into a whisper. "I promised her I wouldn't tell, but since you asked my so openly..."

Juniperstar purred, but it didn't have any happiness in it, it was sinister and charming. "Good. You didn't lie to me. If you'd lied to me, there would be worse punishments for both you and Nightshade. Does Duskblaze know?"

"No, I don't think so," he answered truthfully. "He's suspicious of Nightshade but he doesn't know. Her kits haven't come yet, I don't think."

"Very well," Juniperstar agreed, and set off to organize a patrol and go hunting herself.

Juniperstar returned to the camp after a while of hunting with a shrew and a small mouse. She dropped the mouse on the prey pile, and took the shrew to her den. Just as she was about to sink her teeth into it's juicy neck and take a bite, she heard yelling outside.

"Traitor!" Brambleshadow was shrieking at Nightshade. Juniperstar's ears perked, and she ran over to them.

"What happened, what is wrong?"

"This *cat*, had kits, so she broke a DarkClan rule!" he growled, looking at her.

"You did?" Juniperstar whipped her head to where Nightshade was standing, looking extremely anxious and surprised.

"Here are her kits," Brambleshadow used his tail to point to pile of three small kits, looking at her curiously. Juniperstar hissed. *Don't they know that DarkClan isn't interesting? We kill trespassers. These kits don't belong in the Clan!*

Duskblaze appeared behind them, shocked. "Nightshade had kits?"

"Yes, I saw her playing with them when she was on patrol," Brambleshadow said confidently.

"You never told me! Why did you do it!" Duskblaze yelled. *At least he seems like he doesn't know anything,* Juniperstar thought.

Juniperstar couldn't stand it anymore. "Let me deal with her," she said with disbelief and anger. *It was a DarkClan cat that stopped you from death. And you betray us!* "So," she growled. "You have broken a rule, you had kits, you will not be killed, but your punishment is deep wounds and banishment. If we so much *smell* you near DarkClan, your neck will be snapped by me, personally." She unsheathed her claws, and as Nightshade turned, some DarkClan cats turned on her, each trying to kill her. Even through this crisis, Juniperstar couldn't help herself, but her heart swelled with pride. These were her cats.

She listened to Duskblaze face Nightshade. He would stay loyal to the Clan, and so would all of her other cats. The Clan would be made of loyal and strong cats. Any cat who dared to defy the rules would find themselves with deep consequences. *Let DarkClan be the most powerful Clan in the whole forest! We'll fight those SpyClan cats. Our Clan will not have traitors. Nightshade will be banished, and our entire Clan will be of cats that are loyal. Loyal to DarkClan. Loyal to me.*