Broken Bonds

*Collab between Storm, and Lemon*

## Blurb:

The clans have been living in peace from moons, and Cloudkit is eager to spend their days training as a warrior. But when each of the deputies in every clan are murdered, it is a big blow for them all. Then the leaders ask for a volunteer to find the murderer. Cloudpaw surprises even herself by offering to solve the mystery. But she only has a moon. Will she be able to find the murderer, or will the clans be nothing but a memory?

## Prologue: (Storm)

Pebbles scattered under the cats paws and he slung after the others into the camp. Once they got inside, they met their leader.

"We are now here. Find the deputy of all these mouse-brained clans, kill them, and tun while you still can. With that, the tom left the others and bolted out of the camp. The cats cast uneasy looks at each other. Then the mottled tabby spoke up, then pointing her muzzle to a den at the far side of the clearing.

"Thats the warriors den.... i think" Taking off a full speed, she dashed off towards it, the others behind her. She slowed down when she got to the den opening. She stretched her neck and looked inside. She let out a quiet purr of relief when she saw no one was awake.

"Right". She muttered to the group of cats.

"Everything is quiet, so lets find the deputy". Without another word, she slunk into the den and sniffed at the cats in the nests, the others doing the same. She then spotted a tabby tom. Walking to his nest, she bent her head down and sniffed his fur. She remembered her mother telling her that deputy smelled strong of cats like no other, in which this cat did.

"Hey!" She snapped at the cats, who all whipped around at the sound of her voice.

"I think i found the deputy". She whispered. She backed away as two tom seized the tabby and dragged the tom out of his nest and dragged him into the clearing. She followed slowly, coming out of the den, just in time to see one of the toms pin the tabby tom the ground, while the other fixed its jaws around his neck. She then had no choice to wince at the snap of bone. *She hated to admit, after all the clans have done to rogues, but couldn't help but feel sorry for them. After all, they are cats like us.* She thought as she followed the group out of camp. She glanced sadly at the tabby's limp form before he disappeared from view.

## Chapter 1: (Lemon)

*Three moons ago...*

Cloudkit watched as a leaf gently fluttered down from the nursery's walls. *That's going to need patching up for leafbare.* Stormkit stumbled out of the den, sleepiness visible in every hair of his pelt. Cloudkit glanced wistfully at the gorse tunnel. She wished that she was a warrior, hunting and patrolling the borders of her clan. She wanted to be the best warrior that ThunderClan had ever seen! But Cloudkit knew, that there were still two moons of kithood left, *and* apprenticeship.

"And Thunderstar lashed out, angered by the death of his loyal deputy, Lightningtail. His fury gave him strength, and he defeated the dogs, saving his clan from prey theft." Cloudkit listened as Leafstem told the kits the story of Thunderstar and the dogs. She hoped that one day, she would be Cloud*star*, leading her clan through hardships. *Stop dreaming!* Cloudkit ordered herself, *Stop thinking about the future, and focus on the present!* Shaking out her pelt, she mewed, "I'll go fetch you some fresh kill." Leafstem nodded appreciatively. She was the only elder left in ThunderClan, due to the bout of greencough that had killed Willownose and Brightwhisker. Cloudkit and Stormkit headed out together. The real reason why she had offered to go retrieve a piece of fresh kill was so that she could see how Smokekit and Hazekit were. They had been born less than a moon ago, and were awesome new denmates. But what Cloudkit saw when she padded outside the elders den, was not what she had expected.

Maplewhisker's limp body lay sprawled by the fresh kill pile, her neck broken. But despite the dead body, no cat stopped to see what had happened to their deputy. Cloudkit shook her head, confused. Just as Cloudkit blinked, the body disappeared. Instead of lying limply in the clearing, Maplewhisker was organising patrols by Highrock. *What was that about?* Cloudkit could feel a cat's gaze resting on her, weighing down on her pelt. She turned to see the clan's medicine cat, Echosplash, beckoning her with a single message. *Come.*

## Chapter 2: (Storm)

Smokekit poked her head out of the brambles and looked around for any signs of life. *Nothing!*. She thought with satisfaction. Scrambling out into the clearing, she charged for the thorn barrier leading out of camp.

"Oh, no you don't!" Echosplash's scream split the air, and she felt teeth at her scruff. Smokekit squealed in protest, but then Flamestar cut her off.

"No kits out of camp, Smokekit!" The ginger tom snapped.

"Especially now. Even if you are an apprentice, you shouldn't go out alone. You never know what could be lurking." Smokekit remembered three moons ago when they found Maplewhisker's body in camp. Flamestar has order that every cat should at least take two other cats with them when they left camp.

"Sorry" She muttered as Echosplash dropped her on the sandy ground. Looking around, she saw Cloudkit watching her with pained disappointment. Smokekit looked away quickly before dashing after Echosplash, how already was slipped into the shadows of the medicine cat den. Only Echosplash's tail stuck out. With a playful hiss, she pounced. Echosplash jumped and jerked her tail away, hissing.

"Smokekit!" Echosplash yowled.

"Why do you do that everytime?"

"What, i can't help it!" Smokekit squealed.