Forgotten Memories

## Prologue

Gotcha! With a swipe of her paws, the mouse now lay lifeless on the dry grass below her. Excited, she quickly buried her caught prey in the ground and eagerly looked for more. Finally, the day had come. Cloudpaw was busy taking on her warrior assessment, and with each step she took, she felt confidence flow through her.

As a squirrel scurried through the forest in front of Cloudpaw, she lunged toward it. Alarm shook her as she fell onto the ground with a loud thump!. Embarrassed, she quickly climbed back up, only to fall back down again. No, no, no! she thought anxiously. She tried again, this time with caution, and finally got back on her paws. Knowing that her mentor, Ashenwhisper, was closely watching right behind her, she quickly continued on with her hunting.

Cloudpaw soon heard a rustling of her leaves, and with a jerk of her head, she saw what might have been the same squirrel that had escaped earlier. She watched it mysteriously scurry up a tree nearby.

When it reached the top, she suddenly reminded herself, What are you doing? This is your warrior’s assessment. Go up and kill that squirrel! followed up with But it’s so high up! How do I catch it now? She knew there was no time to waste. Following her instincts, she mightily leaped up as high as she could and sunk her claws into the squirrel, bringing the prey down with her as she landed softly on her four paws. Wow, I didn’t know I could do that. Ashenwhisper must be proud!

When the assessment was over, the apprentice worriedly padded back to camp. Did I do it? Am I going to be a Lichenclan warrior after so long of hard training even though I slipped up during my assessment?

After what seemed like forever, she saw the LIchenclan leader, Pebblestar, climb onto the Highrock. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!” he exclaimed.

At this, Cloudpaw excitedly walked forward, looking up at the Clan leader. She turned around to see her mother, her eyes matching Cloudpaw’s, beaming at her. “I’m so proud of you,” she murmured in the soon-to-be warrior’s ear. Cloudpaw let out a faint squeal and turned back towards Pebblestar.

“Cloudpaw, please step forward,” Pebblestar said. She did so. “I, Pebblestar, leader of Lichenclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.” He then looked down at Cloudpaw. “Cloudpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

Cloudpaw keenly opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, she was cut off. Her Clanmates abruptly disappeared from her sight and the camp completely switched to somewhere else. Somewhere so oddly familiar, yet so vague, now surrounded the apprentice.

Trees filled the area, and rocks were scattered around everywhere. Cats were leaping into the air and playing around with their fellow littermates. Cloudpaw recognized the peculiar scent of the area, but it was beyond her knowledge to know how. Why do I feel like I’ve been here before? I’ve been nowhere but Lichenclan my entire life!

Forgetting about the warrior ceremony entirely, she placed a paw forward, ready to explore the familiar place.

“Cloudpaw!” a voice shouted. Startled, she shook her head from side to side fiercely, only to find herself back in Lichenclan camp, in front of many, many confused warriors.

Oh, no...I completely forgot! Ashamed, she quickly backed up and apologetically glanced up at Pebblestar, who looked as puzzled as ever. She sighed and let herself calm down before continuing on.

“Yes,” Cloudpaw quickly said. “Yes, I do.”
## Chapter One

“Cloudbreeze! Pinestorm! Ambersight! Hunting patrol! Now!” Cedartail ordered. Cloudbreeze was barely up when she was called for the morning hunting patrol, but she did her best to look like she had already been awake for a while.

“Coming!” Cloudbreeze responded, followed by a loud yawn. She padded over to where Pinestorm and Ambersight already stood, waiting for her.

“Hey, Cloudbreeze! Tired, huh?” Ambersight chuckled. Cloudbreeze nodded agreeingly.

“Yeah, I am too,” Pinestorm mewed. “So, I was thinking we go over here to hunt.” He pointed his tail towards a group of trees. “I heard that’s where all the prey are.”

“Sure!” Cloudbreeze exclaimed, Ambersight echoing her agreement. With that, the patrol headed off towards the forest.

“Cloudbreeze?” Pinestorm murmured after catching a mouse that was hiding in a bush nearby.

“Yeah?” Cloudbreeze looked at him, wondering what he was thinking.

“What happened that day?” He simply continued. She returned a puzzled look at him as if to say, *what day?*“You know, your warrior’s ceremony. When you blanked out.”

*Ohhh,* she thought. *That day.* She instantly looked away at her feet, trying to not think of the most embarrassing day for her. She had minded out tons of times, but that time the world she was in was so, so real. So alive. As much as she wanted to keep what had happened to herself, she knew it was rude to ignore him. So she opened her mouth to respond.

But at that very moment, she felt her legs give way, and the world went dark.

~☆~☆~

Cloudbreeze slowly blinked her eyes, but instead of seeing Pinestorm and Ambersight, she saw two blurry cats standing above her.

“You opened your eyes! Finally!” Before she knew it, a tiny kit she didn’t recognize soared over her, bouncing up and down in excitement.

“Who are you? Where am I?” Cloudbreeze sputtered out.

“You’re—” “Cloudbreeze! Cloudbreeze?! Wake up!” A booming voice sounded in her ear.

Cloudbreeze instantly jolted upward, worried cats surrounding her. “You’re awake!” They applauded when she opened her eyes. “We were so worried! What happened?” Elmsong, the ThunderClan medicine cat, exclaimed anxiously, standing in front of her.

“I don’t…” the confused warrior paused, taking in all that happened. “I don’t know.” What was wrong with her lately? First the warrior ceremony, now this? And apparently this time she also passed out along with the peculiar dream? *What was going on?*

“Well, good thing is, you’re alive,” Ambersight stated, her voice full of relief. “We were hunting, chatting, and then all of a sudden you’re unconscious!” she exclaimed. Pinestorm nodded.

“Yep,” Cloudbreeze sighed. If her friends weren’t around, she would’ve already slapped herself in the face for what was happening. Seriously, what was wrong with her lately?

“Cloudbreeze, we’re going to keep you in my den for a little while. Is that ok?” Elmsong asked. Cloudbreeze wanted to object, but she knew that Elmsong wasn’t really asking a question; she was going to have to stay in the medicine cat den no matter what she answered with. So she responded with a tiny nod of her head.

## Chapter 2

*Let this day be normal.*

*Please.*

Cloudbreeze looked up at StarClan first thing at sunhigh, praying that no strange happenings would take place like the days before.

*Please.*

“You good?” Elmsong asked from beside her. She looked at the medicine cat with her dreary eyes and nodded slowly. Elmsong returned the nod, and continued to sort her herbs.

Cloudbreeze burst out in tears as soon as Elmsong turned away, her heart crying out. *I should be out there, hunting with the other warriors and playing with the newborn kits. I shouldn’t be stuck in this medicine den all for a couple stupid, cursed dreams!*

“I’m fine, Elmsong. I’m completely fine,” Cloudbreeze muttered harshly, making sure it was loud enough for her to hear. She turned to Cloudbreeze, her expression shocked at Cloudbreeze’s mean tone.

“Cloudbreeze!” She heard Rainshadow, her mother, yell out her name. “Be nice!”

“I’m not a kit, mom,” she sneered. She watched Rainshadow step back, upset.

And with that, Cloudbreeze sprinted away as fast as she could, out of the medicine cat’s den, and into the woods.

~☆~☆~

Breathing heavily, Cloudbreeze gradually slowed down when she got as far away as she could from Lichenclan camp.*I just need some fresh air, that’s all.* She padded over to a nearby lake and watched her reflection smile back at her.

She continued to walk around the area, making sure to disguise her scent. She’d never been out of Lichenclan territory before, except for Gatherings. She’d been so careful during past times not to pass the border accidentally when she got close to it as well.

The trees looked so much bigger from the ones in Lichenclan camp, and there were a lot more, too. Since she basically just escaped all of the Clans entirely by running the direction opposite of the other Clans, it was a lot more silent than what she was used to. Where she was now, she could rest and listen to the birds chirp and the bugs chitter loudly.

It was a time of peace.

As the day went on, she caught some prey for herself to eat, and after a while she was enjoying being alone. Before, she had never understood why loners wanted to be alone for their entire lives, but now, she was beginning to enjoy it herself.

Cloudbreeze looked back at the direction of Lichenclan camp, a tear forming in her eye. Half of her heart urged her to go back, to her family, her friends. But the other half ordered her paws to stay put, and soon enough, she turned back around. *I won’t be back for a while. I won’t be back until they find me themselves.*

With this thought in mind, she ran even deeper into the forest.

## Chapter 3

“Cloudbreeze! Come back!” Rainshadow called out, growling. She felt her claws unsheath into the dirt below her in frustration. How could she let Cloudbreeze run away like that?

“Let her,” Elmsong sighed, looking at her angry friend. “It would’ve been impossible to stop her once she’d started. I guess she’s just frustrated, that’s all.” She turned around to start sorting out some herbs she’d collected recently, only to see Irispaw, her apprentice, standing there with a puzzled expression. “It’s nothing,” the medicine cat quickly mewed. “Don’t worry about it.”

Irispaw nodded her head, even though she still looked as confused as she did before. Together, they padded into the medicine cat’s den and began to sort out the herbs. After several minutes had passed, Irispaw suddenly spoke, breaking the silence between the two. “You sure it’s nothing?” she mewed, responding to the previous statement. “Cloudbreeze wouldn’t have run away like that if it was nothing.”

Elmsong shook her head. “Trust me. It’s no big deal,” she lied. “I’m sure she’ll come back before we know it.”

After the herbs were sorted, the medicine cat quickly padded to Pebblestar to report to him about Cloudbreeze. “Pebblestar?” she called when she got to his den. “I need to tell you something urgent.”

Pebblestar nodded his head to signal for the worried medicine cat to go on. Elmsong told him everything she knew, and about how Cloudbreeze mysteriously and suddenly burst out with anger. She then covered up that she had no idea why and where she was at this point in time. Pebblestar gave her a long, hard stare. Finally, he declared, “We will give her until sunhigh to return. If she doesn’t by then, we will send out a search party to get her.”

Elmsong dipped her head to show she understood and walked away anxiously. “So? What did he say?” Rainshadow eagerly said as soon as she spotted the medicine cat coming out of the leader’s den.

“He decided that we’ll wait until sunhigh, and if Cloudbreeze isn’t back by then, we’ll start sending out search parties,” Elmsong responded. “For now, we should probably keep what happened as secret as possible just in case she does come back. We don’t want any unnecessary worrying in Lichenclan.”

Rainshadow nodded. “I hope she does.”

*I do, too*, Elmsong replied in her thoughts.

*I really do.*

## *Chapter 4*

Cloudbreeze eyes drooped down to the ground that was lying beneath her. *Here I am*, she thought, looking around at the scenery. *Alone.*

She turned her head slightly towards the path she had come from and quickly shook her head. *I can’t go back there. Not now.* Even though she had no plans whatsoever to return, she still had a tingling feeling in her that hoped that everyone there will remain okay. That no one would care too much to go out risking their lives looking for her.

Cloudbreeze’s vision drifted over to the setting sun in the distant horizon, a tiny bit of hunger sinking into her. She padded into a set of trees nearby and quickly swiped a paw at a squirrel scurrying around. *This is perfect. You don’t even have to wait to eat.*

Suddenly, the rustle of the leaves filled Cloudbreeze’s ears. Her eyes widened, her head anxiously turning around back and forth. “Who’s there?” she squealed, her paws scrambling away from the bushes nearby.

“Sorry,” a voice rang out. “Didn’t mean to scare ya.” The leaves in front of Cloudbreeze parted to reveal three cats of different colors hiding in the forest.

“Who...who are you?” Cloudbreeze stammered, still skeptical of what was happening. *Could these three be trusted?*

“Oh, I’m Ciara,” the dark gray one greeted. “This is Ciana and Zapper,” she continued, her tail pointing to each of the two as she spoke. The two dipped their heads, their unmoving eyes staring at her, echoing her suspicion.

“Well? What about you? I’ve never seen you around,” Ciana mewed as she stepped towards the warrior. “I was almost certain I knew every cat in the area.”

*Should I tell them?* Cloudbreeze franticly thought. *Should I tell them I’m a Clan cat? They smell of rogue scent, after all. What if they hurt me when they find out?* Her mind spiraled through thought after thought. *No. I can’t tell them. I have no plans to return, anyway.*

“I’m Cloud,” she lied, hoping they would believe her. “I just recently settled around here, so it makes sense that you don’t know me.”

“Cloud?” Zapper scoffed. “Such an innocent name.” At this, Ciana and Ciara glared at him. “What? I’m a rogue. I can say what I want.” The two she-cats whispered something in his ear, their voices so carefully hidden Cloudbreeze couldn’t make out a single word. “Oh. Well, nice to meet you!” he exclaimed, his voice cracking and his body cringing.

Cloudbreeze stayed silent, still not trusting the three rogues. She slightly waved her paw, and then quickly set it back down. “I’m assuming you’re a loner, correct?” Ciana suddenly spoke. “You don’t seem to be with anyone.”

Cloudbreeze nodded.*I guess I’m officially a loner now?*Then she thoroughly studied the looks on their faces. *Or maybe not. Maybe they’ll—*

“Do you want to join our group?” Ciara offered, breaking Cloudbreeze’s thoughts. *Huh? When did they become suddenly nice?*

*This must be a trap. Moments ago, they acted as if they were going to murder me, maybe not through their words, but at least through their actions, right there and then.*

But y*ou never know.*

*But it has to be a trap. It has to be. Don't give in to them. Don't believe them—*

“Sure.”

## Chapter 5

“Wow,” Ciara muttered with a sneering tone, shaking her head. “You’re so gullible.” Cloud ignored her and lept onto a mouse scampering by. She picked it up, offering it to Ciana and Zapper.

“I’m good, I just ate,” Zapper lied, even though his stomach was craving for food, but he also didn’t want to have anything to do with the new member of the group. Ciana echoed his lie, and dipped her head in thanks.

Seeing this, Ciara immediately walked over to the two cats and whispered something in their ears. “Well, what else do you want me to do?” Ciana shouted in defense. Realizing that she had accidentally said that in front of Cloud, she went into a whisper as well.

Cloud could barely make out the words “idea,” “nice,” and “trust.” She instantly regretted her choice to join. What had she been thinking? Even Ciara thought she was too trusting. It was obvious that they were planning to hurt her somehow with this weakness.

And that’s when it happened. Again.

~☆~☆~

“Mom! Mom! She did it again!” a voice squealed in Cloud’s ears, making her shrink back at the loud noise. She looked up to see a grayish-white she-cat with beautiful, vivid brown eyes that matched hers. The she-cat frowned and looked seriously at Cloud.

“I’m sorry,” Cloud found herself mew. Instantly, she regretted it. *Why did I say that? I don’t even know what’s going on!* She then scanned the area. *No way...is this the gorge I saw during my warrior ceremony? It can’t be!*

An impatient sigh left the tall she-cat’s mouth. ”You know how many times I told you not to listen to strangers, even when they offer something in return for following them. According to your sister, you were in the dangerous risk of getting killed this time! Do you not see how life-threatening this issue is?” she snapped at Cloud.

Cloud felt tears running down her cheeks. *Stop it, Cloud. Agh. Well, this is unusual. Why can’t I control myself except my thoughts?* “I promise I won’t do it again. Even if they give me such delicious and juicy prey!” Her eyes watered even more, but now at the image of a plump pile of prey waiting for her, her stomach craving to take a bite. *Cloud, stop! Stop it! It’s getting annoying. I should be finding a way to get back, not stand here and play along!*

“Cloud! For the last time, get your stupid body up!” a furious scowl rang through her ears, jolting her up. “We don’t have time to take pathetic catnaps like yours! Did you seriously think that life as a rogue is easy and simple? We have work to do!” Cloud looked up to see Ciara and the menacing gaze that was piercing into the shocked white she-cat.

“Sorry,” Cloud immediately apologized. *I wish I could tell her that this is something I can’t control. I really wish I could tell her, but I’ve already revealed enough. Ugh, why can’t I just stop this altogether? It just keeps getting worse and worse. Now I can’t even control*myself*!*

“You’re worthless 'sorry' doesn’t do any good. You think one word solves all of our problems?” Ciara snapped. Ciana stepped forward and gave her sister a knowing look, although Ciara didn’t seem to notice. “This deserves a punishment, a lesson, of some sort. Not because I want to give you one, but because this is something you must remember.”

The last thing Cloud saw that day was Ciara, grabbing a sharp stick nearby with her mouth and stabbing it into her neck as she pinned her down onto the cold ground below until unconsciousness overcame her.

## Chapter 6

“Hey, Cloud,” a whisper came. “Sorry about what happened earlier. Ciara can get a little...cranky, sometimes.”

The white she-cat, awakened by the voice, looked up to see Ciana and simply nodded. “There’s one thing that we haven’t told you yet, and we all agree that we shouldn’t keep it a secret no longer. You’ve only been in this group for a lil’ over a day, but we think that you’re trustworthy enough for us to tell you.”

“The truth is, this isn’t all of us,” Ciana murmured. Then, she pointed her tail tip to the distant hills which Cloud could barely make out, especially with her fuzzled vision from the incident. “There’s a ton more cats in our group over south that way.”

“And the reason why we’re telling you this is—” Zapper began, but was interrupted.

“No, Zapper, don’t tell her! Not yet,” snapped Ciara.

“Why not?” Zapper asked with a mocking whiny tone. “She’s gonna have to know eventually.” He turned to Ciana. “Well, what do you think?”

Ciana stepped forward and simply dipped her head in agreement. “Two against one,” she murmured. Ciara glared at them, as if dismayed at the outcome, but her mouth remained closed.

Ciana sighed, and turned back towards Cloud. “There’s this huge group of cats—well, actually four, but they are commonly thought of as one because of their similarities—that have been our worst enemies for generations upon generations. Rotten mange-pelts, they are. And what makes it even worse, they think we’re all evil and dirty and whatnot.

“It’s time to prove them wrong. It’s time to make them see just how arrogant they are,” she spat. She flicked her tail, beckoning Cloud to follow. “Come. Let us show you the rest of camp.”

Although remaining silent, Cloud was full of jumbled up thoughts in her head. Ciana’s descriptions on their enemies seemed so familiar to her, yet she just couldn’t quite put her paw on it. She urged herself to think, think about what about it that was sparking that feeling.

However, this was interrupted when Ciana continued to introduce more about their plans to her. “These cats call themselves the ‘Clans,’ she said with a sneer. “What a petty name.”

Cloud remained silent, wanting to drop the thought about why the description was so familiar, but the new but small information Ciana added had sent her mind swirling. *I swear I've heard of the “Clans” before…she shook her head. It's just because Ciara knocked me out earlier. I'm sure that after a while the feeling will go away.*

As they reached the camp, Ciara took the lead with confidence. *She must be some kind of leader, Cloud thought to herself. If she isn't, I'd be surprised. She seems like great material for the role.*

She stared as Ciara strode onto a tall stone in the center of the clearing. “May cats of all age join now for a very important group meeting!”

All the surrounding cats walked in unison to the stone. *So she is a leader.* Curious murmurs passed through the crowd. “All-age meetings are very rare,” Zapper explained. “Usually it's just for the middle-aged. They know something serious is up when Ciara calls something like this.”

“Me and my fellow second-in-commands have come to a decision about those horrid Clans,” the leader declared. Loud, bold cheers immediately shot through the forest.

Cloud turned to Ciana and Zapper. “Yeah, we’re both her second-in-commands. She has another one, too, but he stayed behind to take care of the group while we were away,” whispered Ciana.

Ciara raised her voice even higher and continued, “Within the next week, we shall launch a surprise attack on the Clans. The weakest of our chosen cats will charge first, and we will send reinforcements with the stronger after, to ensure that the best do not get worn out at the start of battle.

“More information on the procedures will be given in due time. Now, time for another big announcement. While we were on our patrol, we met and recruited one more member to our team.” Ciara turned to the white she-cat on the edge of the camp, nodding her head. “Introduce yourself.”

Cloud took a deep breath in and began to speak. “My name is Cloud, and I met Ciara, Ciana, and Zapper when I was out hunting. I started out as a loner, but that will end now. I am happy to help you guys, if you will let me.”

## Chapter 7

After a couple days, Ciara was back on the Leader’s Stone, as Cloud learned they called it. “The time has come,” she yowled over the arriving crowd. “The time has come for us to get rid of those horrid Clans!”

Instead of cheers like the last announcement, growls of hate soon filled the air. Chants insulting the Clan cats rose, the group ready for war. Ready for their rivals to be banished from existence. Ciara lashed her tail for silence, and sound was instantly canceled out. She carefully went over every detailed step to their plan and made sure everyone understood fully before she leaped down the Leader’s Stone.

“When the shadows fall short,” (this, Cloud has learned, was how they referred to sunhigh, or noon) “The following cats will make their way to the Clan known as Lichenclan, disguising their scent first.” She then listed the names of every single cat to participate in the battle. Many of those not chosen were rather disappointed they didn’t get to be apart of the attack.

Although, as if Ciara could read their minds, she assured them, “Don’t be saddened if you were not listed—you will be here, guarding the camp in case we are defeated or if the Clan cats find their way here anyway. Onyx will stay here with said cats to guide you if this is needed.” Onyx was the third second-in-command Ciana and Zapper talked about earlier.

“Now, those at ThunderClan will hide behind the bushes. When I yell, ‘Go!’, the first wave of cats will launch the ambush on the Lichenclan cats present. Is that clear?” Approving and understanding murmurs swept through the crowd of cats. “If reinforcements are needed, meaning that the first wave has failed or too many have been injured, then the second wave will begin. That will be signaled when I say ‘go’ the second time. You must remember to always be alert for my signals, for some may come without being planned. The same goes for the rest of the waves. Any questions?”

Only silence responded to Ciara. “Alright. Seeing as it’s getting brighter and our shadows cannot be seen no longer, it must be the right time. Follow me at once.”

She leaped down the Leader’s Stone, gave a subtle nod to her sister, Zapper, and Onyx, and walked confidently into the forest. The big group of ambitious rogues trailed behind her as she marched.

~☆~☆~

“Go!” the blood-curdling shriek entered loudly into Cloud’s ears. She stared in a fearful hope that they would succeed as the first wave of cats (which included Ciana because she was a second-in-command and had to go with them no matter her level of fighting skills) jumped into the clearing. So far everything had been going well—the Clan cats hadn’t even noticed they were in hiding. No wonder why the rogues wanted to get rid of their stupidity.

To see which wave Cloud would fit best in, the sisters first had her attack them, just with sheathed claws. They decided that her fighting techniques were actually better than they expected, and some were even so advanced that the weaker half of their cats didn’t even know about the move. Therefore, she was put in the third wave.

The thing is, Cloud had no idea where she had gotten these powerful abilities from. Why and how would a *loner*know such complex moves? She didn’t remember learning them, and when she had been tested, most of how she reacted had just been instinct—there was no memory to be found of ever using those techniques before, and yet they had turned out so *good*.

Her confused thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the first wave of cats was immediately defeated, since they were the weakest ones out of the group. As the second wave charged out of the bushes, a dark silhouette of another third wave cat walked up to Cloud.

“It’s Cloud, right?” the stranger said with a relaxed but piercing voice. Startled, Cloud jumped slightly in the direction opposite of him and managed a little nod. The tom cringed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” *That’s exactly what Ciara said to me when we first met. I guess I* am *pretty jumpy,* Cloud speculated. He hesitated before continuing with a much smoother voice than before, “Name’s Alpha. Er...I see you’ve joined our group.”

Awkward silence trailed right behind. Cloud sure wasn’t used to communicating like this, and she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the rest of the group members yet. She understood quite clearly that some rogues were nastier than others. Maybe even as bad as what they described the Clan cats as. So far, this association of rogues seemed to contain none of those types of cats, but it was better safe than sorry in this world.

Unmistakably embarrassed, Alpha dipped his head and padded away without saying another word. Still a bit frozen, Cloud anxiously reflected over what had just happened. *I should’ve said somethi—“WAVE. THREE.”*Ciara’s loud command came crashing over her. “CAN YOU NOT HEAR ME?!” A sudden pang of realization hit her as she returned to reality. *Ciara’s talking to you, you idiot! You missed the signal for wave three! Talk about making a good first impression.*

But she couldn’t think about that now. What she did need to think about was the fact that she needed to get out there and fight. To be a warrior for—little did she know—the second time.