Thunder and Claws

Mature Content

This page may contain profanity, violence, mild gore, or other forms of mature content.

warriors fanfic! Expect small updates every day or two. This book follows a character named Rosepaw(claw), a completely normal apprentice convinced she is the great hero that will unite the four clans

Also, yes, another rename. I know I had a page on Hollow Tree with the same name... but I like the name, so I’ll do what I want.

## Allegiances and About

### SnowClan

SnowClan live at a higher altitude than the others, hence the name. Their territory is mostly forests and clearings. Their main prey is Snow Rabbits. They often act as peacemakers between the other clans, but can never solve their own border disputes.

**Leader:** Ebonystar

**Deputy:** Pikesong

**Medicine Cat:** Oakfall (apprentice: Ashpaw)

**Senior** **Warriors:**

Waterfur (apprentice: Pinepaw)

Redfoot (apprentice: Rosepaw)

Turtlescar

Rainleap (apprentice: Eaglepaw)

Foxnose (apprentice: Dewypaw)

Lilypool

**Junior Warriors:**

Whitepelt

Skytuft

Wolfwhisker

Leafclaw

**Queens and Kits:**

Frogtail (mother to Thrushkit, Sparrowkit, and Fleetkit)

Newtpelt

**Elders:**

Blazestorm

Sorrelfeather

### CloudClan

CloudClan resides much lower than SnowClan, and get much of their prey from trees. They are generally regarded to have lower moral standards than the other cats, as they don’t really believe in the warrior code.

**Leader**: Brackenstar

**Deputy:** Fishtail

**Medicine Cat:** Blackbriar

### DarkClan

DarkClan is a clan of tunnelers. They don’t often socialize with the other clans, and even at gatherings they are reclusive. They are very dedicted to their own.

**Leader:** Hawkstar

**Deputy:** Willowbreeze

**Medicine Cats:**

 Poppyshine (apprentice: Amberstripe)

### RainClan

RainClan has the biggest variety of prey. They are the only clan able to fish, but they also hunt small mammals. They train their cats to be noble and obey the warrior code, but they also tend to be pretentious and think that they’re the best clan.

**Leader:** Duststar

**Deputy**: Fernleaf (apprentice: Birdpaw)

**Medicine Cats:**

Silverfang

Buzzardspring

## Prologue

Ashpaw looked out into the night sky. The stars were obscured by a thick cloud of smoke. He coughed, his eyes watering. His mentor, Oakleaf, looked back at him.

“Are you alright?” she mewed, her eyes shining with worry. Ashpaw nodded, coughing yet again.

“It’s just the smoke,” he replied, walking after her. Her paws left large dents in the muddy trail that led down the mountain. Stalactite Cavern was located a bit past the edge of RainClan territory, which meant a long walk for the SnowClan medicine cats.

Oakleaf looked back at him curiously, her spotted brown pelt glowing under a sudden beam of moonlight. “What smoke?”

And suddenly, the air was clear. Ashpaw felt a chill as he kept walking.

—-

The opening of the cavern gaped in front of them, darkness the only thing visible. A rush of wind swept over Ashpaw, who shivered.

“Is everycat here?” Poppyshine was an old she-cat, her golden pelt thinning with age. However, there was something formidable about her piercing green gaze. Her apprentice, Amberstripe, hovered nearby warily. Poppyshine was not one to cross, Ashpaw knew.

Silverfang and Buzzardspring both nodded. The toms were about the same age, and almost identical to each other. Ashpaw assumed they were littermates, but never asked. SnowClan was having border tension with RainClan, as they had been many times. Ashpaw was scared of the toms, despite Oakleaf’s reassurances that they wouldn’t hurt him. “We can’t let border disputes define us. As medicine cats, we have to be better than that.” Ashpaw sighed, keeping his head low.

Blackbriar limped up the path, panting and out of breath. Her paw had been mauled when she was young, forcing her to become a medicine cat. The black she-cat hobbled towards the cave entrance.

“Sorry I’m late,” she huffed. Ashpaw forced himself not to stare at her lame paw. Amberstripe smiled at her.

“Where’s Bearclaw?” Oakleaf looked around, trying to find the senior medicine cat.

Blackbriar sighed. “H-he caught a disease from one of our apprentices... he claimed he wasn’t sick. He worked himself to the end.”

“Oh.” The group of medicine cats stayed silent for a moment.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Ashpaw whispered.

“Any other news?” Silverfang asked the collective. They slowly shook their heads one by one.

Ashpaw glared at Silverfang. “Well, we have a new deputy. You would know why.” Oakleaf nudged Ashpaw.

“Sorry about my apprentice,” she said hastily. “Yes, Blossomwish was killed in a border dispute. Pikesong has succeeded her.”

The medicine cats all nodded respectfully, save for Silverfang and Buzzardspring. “Pikesong?” Amberstripe whispered to Blackbriar. “That‘s odd. He‘s so young.”

“We should start,” Poppyshine stated, clearly bored. “The ancestors don’t like to be kept waiting.”

Ashpaw and Oakleaf entered the cave, the wind ruffling through their fur. Ashpaw shivered involuntarily. Up ahead, something was glowing. The Diamond Stone always radiated a faint glow. Last moon, it had been bright blue. This time, it was a faint amber.

“The ancestors aren’t happy,” Oakleaf whispered. Ashpaw tried to quell a nervous feeling in his stomach. Poppyshine lay by the Diamond Stone, as it was custom for the eldest member to go first. Buzzardspring and Silverfang went next, each resting their paw on the stone. Oakleaf nodded at Ashpaw and followed, succeeded by Blackbriar and then Amberstripe.

Ashpaw poked his nose into the amber stone, expecting to feel a rushing warmth like he had on his one previous trip. Instead, a breath of cold air surrounded him as he moved through a dark landscape.

“Ancestors? Hello?” Ashpaw sucked in a breath. “StarClan?” He coughed, his eyes stinging. “StarClan?! Are you here?! Help!”

A flash of light struck through the black. Fire hissed at Ashpaw, causing him to step back suddenly. A wall of flames surrounded him. He touched it cautiously, yelping when it singed his paw.

“What’s going on?!” Ashpaw shrunk back, closing his eyes. “What are you trying to tell me? StarClan?!”

Oakleaf nudged him. “Ashpaw, are you okay?”

Ashpaw opened his eyes. Oakleaf stared at him grumpily.

“You’ve been out for ages. I thought I’d wake you up.”

“What?” Ashpaw asked. He has only been there for a few seconds. And the smoke, the fire...

He stood up. “Did StarClan talk to you?”

“Don’t call them that!” Oakleaf thwacked his ear. *Something has her in a bad mood.* She sighed, probably trying to compose herself. “No, they didn’t. I was hoping to see Blossomwish, that’s all.”

She walked out of the cave. Ashpaw followed. The air was clear. He shivered, thinking of the dream. Were the ancestors trying to tell him something?

And what...?

## Chapter One

Rosepaw stalked through the forest, her tail twitching ever so slightly. The white rabbit stood a few cat-lengths away, sitting contentedly in the sun. Rosepaw pounced, leaping through the air. The rabbit kicked back, but Rosepaw killed it with a nice clean bite. She brought her kill back, not noticing that blood was dripping out of her mouth.

A smaller white apprentice with a ginger patch of fur over his eye looked at her quizzically. “Uh, you’ve got a little something on your...” He was lying in the rays of sun, leaves surrounding him. He closed his eyes, just as clouds began to roll over the sun.

Rosepaw wiped the blood away self-consciously. Her mentor Redfoot returned to the forest clearing, a small bird dangling in his jaws. Dewypaw, the white apprentice, stood up immediately.

“Nice catch.” He nodded at Rosepaw, not even looking at Dewypaw. Redfoot was a dry old Tom who should have retired ages ago. He was a mostly brown Tom who had odd ginger markings, particularly on his legs and feet. He had a nasty temper, and was not to be crossed. He was extremely bitter over not being chosen as deputy, even though it had been a moon since his mate Blossomwish died. Even the smallest bit of praise from him was a remarkable thing at that point.

Rosepaw beamed, sitting up straight. “Thanks,” she mewed. Dewypaw sighed, a mix of jealousy and pity in his gaze. He was one of those cats, the ones that never wanted to work a day in their lives. His mentor Foxnose was actually quite similar, which was why Redfoot was watching both apprentices. Redfoot nodded, and started walking back towards camp.

A couple patches of snow were still visible on the warm trail. Dewypaw leapt into one, yelping when a stick poked his foot. Rosepaw snorted. The volatile weather in SnowClan was practically legendary. It was getting warmer so quickly, or at least compared to the previous year where they were covered in snow for moons.

“We’re gonna have to change our name to SunClan at this rate,” Rosepaw whispered to Dewypaw. Dewypaw snorted.

”I like that,” he replied. “The whole Clan is going through an identity crisis... the gathering will be embarrassing. I’m glad I wasn‘t invited... as usual.”

Redfoot looked back grumpilty as to say, *shut your mouths this instant!* Rosepaw and Dewypaw fell silent, both walking quickly and quietly. Rosepaw suppressed a chuckle. *If only life was always this easy.*

## Chapter Two

They arrived at the SnowClan camp, a large area surrounded by overgrowth and bushes. It was made up of three parts. First was the stones, where the kits would play and where the nursery was located. It was a rocky area that was several cat-lengths above the rest of the camp. The second area was the cliff. The leader and deputy slept up there. Ebonystar gave her announcement from one of the shorter areas. The last area, the den area was where most of the dens were located. It was a lower area that was currently extremely muddy from the sudden temperature change. Dens were made of twigs, bracken, ferns, and often branches too.

The junior warrior den was the biggest, but was severely underpopulated thanks to border disputes. The junior warriors had the highest fatality rates, despite being at an age where they were almost immune to most sicknesses. Skirmishes over border issues had killed 3 cats in the last moon alone. Rosepaw and the other young apprentices were often kept in the dark about such issues, but the tense atmosphere circling the camp suggested they feared an attack. The emergency gathering called by Brackenstar could hopefully set things right, but Rosepaw was still wary. A meeting under a waning moon seemed like a bad omen, but Ebonystar was so concerned for peace Rosepaw felt she would do anything. She glanced over at Dewypaw, who was chatting noisily with Skytuft. *He’s lucky he doesn’t spend his time worrying about this,* she thought to herself glumly. *It’s almost not fair he gets to be so immature and carefree, whereas I am cursed with maturity.* She sighed, looking around.

Redfoot had found a piece of squirrel to eat, and was sitting in isolation from the rest of the clan. Rosepaw sighed, almost embarrassed by her mentor’s anti-social attitude. Pikesong sat on the cliff, looking anxiously over the camp. The deputy was a nervous ginger tom who was still a junior warrior when he was promoted. He was Ebonystar’s son, despite bearing no resemblance to the black she-cat. Ebonystar had presumably promoted him because she needed someone she could trust... it was clear to Rosepaw that she was losing her originally sharp mind. Ashpaw had told her that she was on her last life. Rosepaw shuddered at the thought of the inexperienced Pikesong taking control. With the clan already suffering heavy losses from their border disputes, who knew what could happen if this inexperienced cat became leader?

Eaglepaw and Pinepaw were sharing a shrew, looking at each other closely. Rosepaw sat right in between them, dropping a bird from the fresh-kill pile on the ground of the rocks.

“Hey, Rosepaw,” Eaglepaw mewed distractedly, not looking away from Pinepaw. Eaglepaw was Dewypaw’s littermate, and they were almost indistinguishable from each other. Eaglepaw was taller, and had more common splashes of orange dotting her pelt, but they were otherwise identical, right down to their pale green eyes. Pinepaw, meanwhile, was the eldest apprentice, and an annoying cat with bees for brains. He was all about “enjoying beauty“ and “being handsome” and blah blah blah.

“Rosepaw, haven’t seen you in a while!” He grinned, his dark brown eyes flickering over to her. *And I was hoping it would stay that way.* He was a striped brown tom with cream paws, and fur that could almost be described as curly. He had this permanent dashing look about him, right down to his deep eyes and overconfident grin. Rosepaw gagged internally. Still, he was handsome. No wonder Eaglepaw and Dewypaw both fell for him.

Dewypaw watched nonchalantly from the other side of camp. He and Ashpaw were talking softly, but it was clear he wasn’t really paying attention. Rosepaw rolled her eyes, digging into the bird.

They sat awkwardly, in almost complete silence. Eaglepaw and Pinepaw finished eating the small animal and continued to look at each other.

Dewypaw padded towards the group, breaking the silence. “Pikesong is calling a meeting. Apprentices and mentors only.”

*What could he want?* Rosepaw walked over to the cliff, where Pikesong was sitting grumpily. He was clearly unhappy about something. Redfoot, Foxnose, and the other mentors were already sitting up there, looking just as angry.

“Can we proceed to the den?“

”What did you do this time?” Rosepaw whispered to Dewypaw. He shook his head.

”Nothing,” he whispered. “It must have been Eaglepaw. You know she’d do anything to impre—“

”Shh!” Eaglepaw glared at them. “The deputy is trying to talk! Be quiet, you two!”

Rosepaw sighed. Pikesong and the others looked at each other uneasily.

“There‘s been some... changes.” Pikesong sighed. “We just lost another cat due to a border skirmish; Leafclaw was brave, right to the end.” *Leafclaw. Pikesong’s sister.* “In light of recent events, we need the cats of our clan to... step up, you know? *Leader’s orders.*“ He grimaced. “We need all the able-bodied cats that we can. Remember, this is only if you want it to. Eaglepaw, Pinepaw, your mentors have deemed you as ready. If you want to become warriors, the choice is yours.” Pikesong let his words sink it.

Eaglepaw and Pinepaw looked at each other.

”No assessment?” Pinepaw asked.

”No assessment needed. Rosepaw, Dewypaw, keep up the good work. We need—"

”Yes!” Eaglepaw interrupted. “Yes, we want to become warriors!”

”Are you sure? As you know, it does go against SnowClan’s code...”

Pinepaw smiled. “We’re ready. Trust us!”

Rosepaw looked at them jealously.

”What about Rose?” Dewypaw asked. He had lost his cheerful attitude and looked almost... melancholic.

“Rosepaw, we’d like you to stay afterwards.”

Dewypaw smiled, and walked out, followed by two ecstatic apprentices. The other warriors left too, save for Redfoot. Pikesong let out a deep sigh.

”Rosepaw, we need you to do a favour for us.“

Ashpaw skittered into the den, followed by his mentor Oakfall. Rosepaw and her brother exchanged a glance.

”Ashpaw, do you want to explain?”

Ashpaw shook his head. Oakfall sighed, and began to explain.

”Ashpaw has been having... uh, dreams.”

Ashpaw nodded. “Last night, I had a dream that the forest was on fire. Everything was burnt, black, and dead. But in the aftermath, one thing remained. A rose was still alive, and light seemed to surround it.”

Ashpaw was Rosepaw’s littermate, and a skinny brown tom who was almost identical to her. Unlike her, he had one blue eye and one yellow eye, an unusual trait that set him apart from the rest of the clan. He was nervous, easily stepped on, and essentially nothing like his littermate. They got along fine, but hardly ever talked.

Rosepaw felt a jolt of happiness, but buried it down. “How do you know it’s something important? You’re only an apprentice, after all, and hardy qualified to receive a prophetic vision. It’s probably just one of those weird things happening in that head of yours.” Ashpaw’s fur rose along his spine, yet quickly flattened down again.

Oakfall sighed and began to speak again. ”If it was one dream, I would be inclined to think that too, yes. But Ashpaw has been having these dreams for over half a moon.”

”And there’s more,” Redfoot added. “Ashpaw, do you want to say what happened a quarter moon ago?”

Ashpaw sighed. “I first told Oakfall when I had an... unusual variation of the dream. As usual, I dreamt that the forest was on fire. But soon, the fire faded away. A cat approached me, a she-cat I didn’t recognize. Interwoven into her pelt were what looked like small constellations, intricate and colourful. She told me that though SnowClan was already going through a rough patch, far worse things could come. She told me that one cat could affect the outcome of these events.”

”Rosepaw, although the ancestors are cryptic, I think it’s clear what they meant.“ Pikesong smiled. “We need a hero, and, according to StarC— the ancestors, it’s you.”

*What?* Rosepaw stared at them dumbly. *Had they planned out that speech? How could they be sure?* She felt as though her world were spinning. *What if I can’t be the hero the clan needs? What if the ancestors are wrong? What if that isn’t what they meant at all?* But of all the thoughts swirling through her head, one prevailed above all others.

*You’re special, Rosepaw. And this is your chance for everyone to know it.*

Rosepaw smiled. “What do you want me to do? Should we tell the clan?”

”Not yet,” Pikesong answered. “But if morale ever gets really low, I guess we can use it as a boost.”

Rosepaw sighed, glaring at Pikesong.

”For now, we just want you to be you. Do your best, Rosepaw. We’re counting on you.“ Redfoot smiled, and began to walk away. Oakfall and Pikesong followed, until Ashpaw and Rosepaw were the only ones left in the cave.

For a few moments, they looked at each other awkwardly.

”I gotta go treat Fleetkit, I think he has an infection. Uh... nice talking to you?”

Rosepaw stared at her awkward brother. “See you later.”

They silently padded out of the cave. Rosepaw felt almost ecstatic.

*This is it! It’s your time to shine!*

”Wait. Does Ebonystar know?”

Ashpaw turned around. “Pikesong said not to tell her. I think they’ve been fighting.”

Rosepaw sighed. “Do you... I don’t know, trust him? It seems like there’s something fishy happening, but I can’t put my paw on it.”

”Of course I do.” Ashpaw rolled his eyes. “I think he’s just... I don’t know, tired?” he mewed half-heartedly. Something felt wrong about his explanation, but again, Rosepaw wasn’t sure what.

Rosepaw shrugged, climbing down the cliff. Conflicting emotions circled through her head.

*You’re finally special. And nothing can change that now.*

She smiled.

## Chapter Three

“Hold still,” Ashpaw commanded sternly. Fleetkit glared at him, but complied begrudgingly. *See! You can make them listen, Ashpaw.* Meanwhile, Thrushkit was staring anxiously as Ashpaw gently yet messily pressed cobwebs over the wound on Fleetkit’s shoulder. The ebony kit was, at four moons, nearly as large as Ashpaw. A strong warrior in the making, or so Ashpaw assumed. He finished applying the webs and started sorting through the stores to find poppy seeds. Elsewhere in the medicine den, Newtpelt was complaining about belly aches. Ashpaw sighed, realizing that their poppy seed stock was gone.

“Can I go now?” Fleetkit hissed, poking at the haphazardly made bandage. Ashpaw rolled his eyes, looking for a poppy seed substitute.

“Just, just give me a moment.” Ashpaw sighed, padding over to where Newtpelt was sitting. The speckled brown she-cat looked at him anxiously.

”Sorry,“ Ashpaw mewed apologetically. “You should ask Oakleaf when she gets back.”

”It’s alright. I wish Rosepaw could be as helpful as you are.”

Newtpelt nodded, her blue eyes striking as ever. Ashpaw often wondered how he was related to such a pretty she-cat. She was slim and graceful, although her belly was round with kits. Ashpaw was awkward, clumsy, and tiny. He was the ‘runt of the litter’, and was too weak to leave the nursery for several moons. Rosepaw, however, was the perfect kit. Strong, agile, smart. Ashpaw hoped he had gotten his physical flaws from his father; jealous as he was of his mother’s new kits, he didn’t want any cat to have to share his experience. He rolled his eyes, forcing himself to stop wallowing in pity. *You get to be a medicine cat. You get to help cats. You get to communicate with StarClan... the ancestors. You’re lucky, Ashpaw. You’re special.*

But as he ran around the medicine den fetching herbs, he certainly didn’t feel it.

Oakleaf dashed back into the medicine den, carrying an assortment of herbs with her. ”Sort these,” she meowed, her face a mask of discontent.

”What’s wrong?” Ashpaw questioned softly. Oakleaf picked up some cobwebs and a few other herbs he didn’t recognize.

Oakleaf grimaced. “Skytuft fell into a bush. She‘s making a horrible deal about it,” she called as she ran out of the den. Ashpaw stared at the pawsteps she left behind.

Newtpelt flicked her tail back and forth, a habit her kits had picked up. “She‘s in a good mood,” Newtpelt said sarcastically. “I pity you. Rosepaw is always complaining about her boring mentor, but compared to you she has it great.” *Rosepaw. Sitting there all alone in her tree, looking down on everyone and everything.*

Ashpaw shrugged. “You can go,” he told Fleetkit. Fleetkit smiled and ran out the entrance without thanking him. Thrushpaw had the good grace to smile as he quietly followed his brother.

Ashpaw and his mother shared a glance. Ashpaw looked away, distractedly rifling his paw through the newly brought in herbs. Newtpelt sighed.

”Something‘s wrong, isn’t it?” Newtpelt took a step towards Ashpaw. ”Don’t try to deny it. I’m your mother, I can tell when something’s up. I haven’t seen you smile in weeks.“

”Nothing‘s wrong,” Ashpaw mumbled, flicking his tail irritably. *Well, dear mother, that’s not entirely true.* He sighed. Newtpelt looked at him suspiciously, then walked back to her nest. *Believe me, I’d love to tell you.* Ashpaw looked down at his paws. *But I can’t.*

## Chapter Four

The RainClan warrior snarled, her teeth bared. “Come on out, SnowClan *scum*. We’ll find you sooner or later, yet sooner may be less painful.”

Rosethorn and Dewypelt were pressed against each other, hiding behind a rock. Dewypelt looked at her, terror in his eyes.

”What do we do if she finds us?” Dewypelt hissed dramatically. Rosethorn shivered.

”We’ll just have to...” she started, pausing for effect. “Fight back!” she said louder, running out from one of the rocks. The apprentice tackled Sprucekit, who lay down defeated.

”Another victory for SnowClan!” Dewypaw smirked. “I couldn’t have done it without your help.”

Rosepaw glared at him. “What do you mean? You did nothing!”

The white Tom mewed haughtily, “Well, I completely nailed the line!“

”The line was easy! I had to tackle a kit-“ Sprucekit glared at her. “Extremely strong kit, sorry.”

”Well, you got to have a cool name,” Dewypaw snapped back. “Rosethorn? Amazing. Dewypelt? Ugh, what does that even mean?”

”Well, did you prefer Dewyflight?”

”Uh, no.” Dewypaw sighed.

”Hey, apprentices.” Pinefeather walked past, looking haughty and disconnected as usual. Pinefeather was named after a late elder, Sorrelfeather. “Is the camp getting boring yet?”

“We were going to ask Redfoot and Foxnose to take us out, actually. Once we finished playing with Sprucekit.“ Rosepaw dipped her head in the direction of the mostly-black she-cat. Sprucekit smiled at the mention of her name.

”Why isn’t my sister with you?“ Dewypaw looked at Pinefeather with feigned annoyance. It was no secret how Dewypaw actually felt. In fact, everyone seemed to know but Eaglesong and Pinefeather himself. They were so ignorant and self-absorbed, sitting up there alone in their little tree, looking down in disdain at everyone else. “I thought you two were inseparable... in fact, I’d always assumed that you were stuck to each other.”

”She and Waterfur are going hunting.” Dewypaw’s fur bristled. Pinefeather looked at him cautiously.

”I-I should go now,” he said quickly. “Have fun playing with Sprucekit!”

Rosepaw and Dewypaw shared a glance. “It’s probably not what you think,” she said. Dewypaw shook his head.

”How can she be spending time with him?! After what he did to our mother, I can’t believe they didn’t exile him.”

”Hey, Dewypaw, we don’t know for sure that he was involved.” Rosepaw sighed. They had had this conversation many times before.

“Of course he was. They just couldn’t find any more solid proof.“

“Dewy, this is crazy.” Rosepaw rolled her eyes.

”What did Waterfur do?” Sprucekit asked quietly.

Dewypaw opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by Rosepaw quickly blurting, “nothing!”

Dewypaw glared at her. “We should go hunting,” he hissed. Rosepaw nodded.

”Nice playing with you!” she called to Sprucekit as the two apprentices padded away.

”What was that?” Dewypaw hissed.

Rosepaw stopped walking. “Dewypaw, you’re being irrational. Let’s just... change the subject.”

”Alright.” They glared at each other.

—-

Foxnose and Wolfwhisker looked at each other awkwardly. Dewypaw and Rosepaw had barely said anything over the course of the patrol. They were almost at the RainClan border, and the tension was so thick you could feel it. Silence is contagious, and so, save for the song of a bird, they walked in it.

”Be on alert,” Wolfwhisker said quietly. Rosepaw surveyed her surroundings. The sickly stench of RainClan seemed to surround them. Fresh scent markers lay at their feet. Several fox-length‘s away were older ones, ones that hadn’t been marked in over a day. Foxnose’s fur bristled.

”Those cowardly fox-faced pieces of—“ Foxnose didn’t get to finish her sentence. Pawsteps sounded from nearby. A RainClan patrol of two walked towards the border. Brown fur striped with cream, amber eyes glaring in the sunlight. An ebony pelt covered in streaks and splotches of white.

Fernleaf, the deputy of RainClan, stared at the patrol, her face devoid of emotion. Her apprentice Birdpaw grinned, practically glowing with unrepressed joy.

“You cowards,” Wolfwhisker hissed under her breath. Birdpaw made a face as if to say, *whatcha gonna do about it?*

Fernleaf’s fur bristled, but it was quickly smoothed back down. She smiled almost awkwardly.

”I apologize,” she said smoothly. “Really. We should have checked before reverting the borders back to their rightful positions. But, well, you know Duststar. So impulsive, as usual.”

”Rightful positions?!” Foxnose flexed her claws angrily.

Wolfwhisker nudged her softly. ”*Borders?* That means— oh no,” she realized. “Fernleaf, how many borders have been changed?”

“I’m bored,” Birdpaw cut in. “Fern, I want to go home.”

”Sorry, Birdpaw. Just give me a second, okay?” Fernleaf turned back to Wolfwhisker. “I‘m sorry for this unexpected loss, but we only took what we needed, and what was rightfully ours. We have mouths to feed too, and I’m afraid this is the only way.“

”If you had just asked Ebonystar, I’m sure she could have lent you land. We aren’t monsters, you know. And anyways, what’s with this “rightfully ours” mouse-dung?“ Wolfwhisker sighed. “The borders have been this way for generations. Why change it now?”

”Why not change it?” Fernleaf‘s tail drifted back and forth. “Face it, SnowClan. We can’t get stuck in the old ways. We have kittens to feed, we have borders to patrol.“ She looked down. “We need food,” she stated, her voice wavering slightly. “If the times are changing, then we should too. Come on, Birdpaw.”

Birdpaw smiled at his mentor as they walked off. Wolfwhisker and Foxnose stared at each other, too shocked to speak.

Dewypaw muttered something unfriendly under his breath. Rosepaw scowled at the disappearing figures.

## Main Characters (and their personalities)

* Rosepaw; an overachiever, thinks she has to be perfect. I‘ve always wanted to write a character completely lacking sympathy. She‘s young, and she just doesn’t get that other people have brains as intricate as hers. She has... a few sociopathic traits. Honestly though, she’s trying the best she can. She‘s almost a little tragic, as she ends up being the villain in her own story.
* Pikesong; inexperienced, wary, can make the wrong decision. He’s suspicious, and Rosepaw believes he is some sort of antagonist.
* Dewypaw; Dewy has lots of room for development. He seems immature, cheerful, and energetic, but is actually quite cynical and depressed. (Love interest... possibly, cough.)
* Redfoot; doesn’t appear much but affects the plot a lot. He seems standoffish but actually cares about his clanmates, and defends them to the bitter end.
* Ashpaw; scared, wary child with strange abilities.
* Thrushkit/paw; and the abilities get stranger.
* Fernleaf; Rosepaw absolutely hates this cat and believes that she and Pikesong are adversaries she must defeat. Fernleaf is an overall good cat who just wants to do what’s best.
* Pinepaw; he’d totally be a poet irl