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Description
Rush was enjoying a scrawny fish- his only meal for the past two days. He felt bad for the Pack of Falling Waters. Food was very hard to come by. During his time here, he had learned of a time when none of the clans existed. The pack controlled all the territories until the clan cats showed up. They were driven out of their homes, forced to live in the series of tunnels on the corner of Rainclan territory.
All in all, Rush was glad he lived here now. Swishfur had been wrong- the pack was not evil, just hungry and hurt.
Suddenly a cat wailed. Rush spun around to see Shard, and older black she-cat, and a young calico. Shard's ear was bleeding heavily, as was his flank. The calico held up a forepaw, claws unsheathed and fur matted with blood. Two of her claws were missing. The black she-cat had pawfulls of fur missing from her pelt.
Abandoning his meal, Rush ran up to them. "Shard! Spider! Piranha! What has happened?"
"Beachclan happened," growled Spider, the black she-cat. "The pack needs food, and we tried hunting downstream."
"We ran right into a patrol," hissed Piranha, the calico licking her paw. "It didn't end well."
Neglect approached then, her blue eyes troubled. "The pack cannot hunt from this corner of territory alone. I feared it would ever come to this, but cats are dying here. We must take back what is ours by driving the clans far enough back to have some proper hunting space."
Rush's heart thumped in his chest. "Surely we won't have to fight, will we?" He didn't know if he could stand fighting against his own parents, his own sisters, or his former mentor.
"If they are willing to listen, it won't come to that," Neglect half purred, half growled. "In case it does, I want your class trained. They're young, but in the event of a fight, we'll need everyone's strength."
Rush's eyes grew wide. Shard's kits as well as Icedrop's would be apprentices by now; they could fight if they had to, but Neglect's own were far too young! If their mother declared battle, they would surely be killed. He nodded, though. What Neglect spoke of was true: if only the adults fought against the clans, the pack would be destroyed.
-
"Keep up, Freeze. You'd never be able to ambush a clan cat at that speed!" The little gray she-cat was scrambling over the rocks of Rainclan territory, barely able to continue on. Her brothers were just ahead of her, but still far behind Fang, Shatter, Strike, and Blaze. Feeling a pain in his heart, Rush picked up the tiny she-cat by the scruff. She didn't struggle at all in the way a healthy kit did, but hung as limp as a dead fish.
Rush ran ahead with her, nudging Scar and Scourge with his paws as he went, all while keeping close watch over the older kits, which were thundering ahead. He found a nice grassy area with boulders all around. The kits could easily practice battle training here without being seen by a Rainclan patrol. He set Freeze down and motioned to Scar and Scourge to take a seat. They did, but it was more out of exhaustion that obedience.
"Stop!" he yowled ahead just loud enough to alert the older kits. They turned so quickly that they made skid marks in the soft newleaf dirt. Soon they were sitting around him. Rush realized how much they had grown; Fang and Shatter weren't much younger than him, and Icedrop's two would have been apprentices by now.
"Let us see how well you can fight. Fang, attack me."
The brown tabby looked directly into Rush's eyes, but barreled into his paws. Rush was caught off-guard, but recovered quickly. He backed up and cuffed Fang around the ear. The tabby growled, recoiled, and leapt squarely onto Rush's back. The older cat went down, the kit's weight shoving him to the ground. He was a good opponent since he was just barely younger than Rush.
Fang let Rush up, and both cats opened their mouths to compliment their opponents when they heard a rustling noise. Rush's head snapped up, as did Fang's and Shatter's, searching for threats. Icedrop's kits had their ears pricked; they noticed something too. That's good. They're learning quickly, but what's out there?
His search had revealed nothing. Now for plan B; to hide the younger cats from any danger. One of the boulders surrounding them had a hollow scooped out underneath, leading down into the earth. It'll have to do...
Rush silently gave Freeze to Fang, Scourge to Shatter, and Scar to Blaze, and motioned toward the hollow, squeezing in. Rush gave thanks to Starclan- each cat was hidden except for himself. He hid behind another rock.
A patrol entered his view. Frozenfire and Berryfur walked side by side, a scrawny black apprentice trailing behind them. Ravenkit! Well, Ravenpaw now. Berryfur encouraged the apprentice to run ahead, and he enthusiastically followed behind. Frozenfire, on the other hand, stopped dead, her paws frozen in her tracks, green eyes alarmed. She raised her head into the sky and inhaled deeply. "Firepaw..." she murmured.
Rush crouched down, making himself smaller. She can smell me! Oh Starclan, no! But Rainclan's deputy was already running in the direction of the cave. Her companions went the other way. Rush knew Frozenfire would find the pack. She'd be killed if she didn't get a chance to expose Neglect and the others first! He could not move. If he did, he'd be found and forced to come back to Rainclan, but if he didn't, either Frozenfire or one of the pack cats were in for a nasty surprise. . .
-
"Beestripes," began Heartsong. "I've called you here because I am in need of your help. I cannot leave this cat tonight, though it is the half moon- the night in which all medicine cats share tongues with Starclan at the Moonfalls. Her injury is healed well enough, but the stress of it could cause her to kit early. If I leave, there could be issues. I want you to go with Nettlepaw tonight."
Beestripes's heart raced. She was to go to the Moonfalls? She didn't think she ever would! Only medicine cats and leaders went! She nodded, so excited. My first warrior mission!
"Not that I oppose her coming along, Heartsong," meowed Nettlepaw while sorting some leaves into piles, "But I've been there before. I know the way."
Heartsong nodded. "I understand that, but frankly, it's safer in pairs." Nettlepaw nodded. Beestripes's gaze rested on the gray tabby she-cat. She was awake now, nibbling on a mouse.
"You say she's healed?"
"Yes."
"Hi there," purred Beestripes at the cat as friendly as possible. "What's your name?"
"W-w-waffle," she meowed, making herself smaller. "I feel better now, th-thanks for your concern."
"She's a bit nervous," Heartsong mewed, "But recovered, as I said. You two had better get moving."
-
Beestripes had imagined the Moonfalls before, but never had she dreamt up anything as beautiful as this. She and Nettlepaw approached the place where the other medicine cats already sat. The grass was soft underpaw, and it funneled downward into a pool. On one side of the funnel was a cliff. The water that tumbled down it and into the pool was of a brighter blue than the sky. It glowed unnaturally, and the fish swimming in it were bright gold.
"Welcome, Nettlepaw," purred a copper colored she-cat, standing up to touch noses with the apprentice.
"Hi, Redfawn. Is all well in Beachclan?"
"It is, thanks."
A brown tabby tom, golden tabby she-cat, and a blue-gray tom approached as well. "Where, may I ask, is your mentor?" asked the blue tom, just as the golden tabby she-cat interrupted, "Not dead, is she?"
"No, Lightpool." purred Nettlepaw in amusement, though his eyes shone with respect. "She's got an unexpected patient to take care of, but that is all."
The brown tabby tom nodded. "Good, but we're wasting moonlight."
"I agree, but first you must meet my friend, Beestripes. Heartsong thought it would be wise to have her come along." Beestripes purred as the medicine cats welcomed her.

Description
Rush was enjoying a scrawny fish- his only meal for the past two days. He felt bad for the Pack of Falling Waters. Food was very hard to come by. During his time here, he had learned of a time when none of the clans existed. The pack controlled all the territories until the clan cats showed up. They were driven out of their homes, forced to live in the series of tunnels on the corner of Rainclan territory.
All in all, Rush was glad he lived here now. Swishfur had been wrong- the pack was not evil, just hungry and hurt.
Suddenly a cat wailed. Rush spun around to see Shard, and older black she-cat, and a young calico. Shard's ear was bleeding heavily, as was his flank. The calico held up a forepaw, claws unsheathed and fur matted with blood. Two of her claws were missing. The black she-cat had pawfulls of fur missing from her pelt.
Abandoning his meal, Rush ran up to them. "Shard! Spider! Piranha! What has happened?"
"Beachclan happened," growled Spider, the black she-cat. "The pack needs food, and we tried hunting downstream."
"We ran right into a patrol," hissed Piranha, the calico licking her paw. "It didn't end well."
Neglect approached then, her blue eyes troubled. "The pack cannot hunt from this corner of territory alone. I feared it would ever come to this, but cats are dying here. We must take back what is ours by driving the clans far enough back to have some proper hunting space."
Rush's heart thumped in his chest. "Surely we won't have to fight, will we?" He didn't know if he could stand fighting against his own parents, his own sisters, or his former mentor.
"If they are willing to listen, it won't come to that," Neglect half purred, half growled. "In case it does, I want your class trained. They're young, but in the event of a fight, we'll need everyone's strength."
Rush's eyes grew wide. Shard's kits as well as Icedrop's would be apprentices by now; they could fight if they had to, but Neglect's own were far too young! If their mother declared battle, they would surely be killed. He nodded, though. What Neglect spoke of was true: if only the adults fought against the clans, the pack would be destroyed.
-
"Keep up, Freeze. You'd never be able to ambush a clan cat at that speed!" The little gray she-cat was scrambling over the rocks of Rainclan territory, barely able to continue on. Her brothers were just ahead of her, but still far behind Fang, Shatter, Strike, and Blaze. Feeling a pain in his heart, Rush picked up the tiny she-cat by the scruff. She didn't struggle at all in the way a healthy kit did, but hung as limp as a dead fish.
Rush ran ahead with her, nudging Scar and Scourge with his paws as he went, all while keeping close watch over the older kits, which were thundering ahead. He found a nice grassy area with boulders all around. The kits could easily practice battle training here without being seen by a Rainclan patrol. He set Freeze down and motioned to Scar and Scourge to take a seat. They did, but it was more out of exhaustion that obedience.
"Stop!" he yowled ahead just loud enough to alert the older kits. They turned so quickly that they made skid marks in the soft newleaf dirt. Soon they were sitting around him. Rush realized how much they had grown; Fang and Shatter weren't much younger than him, and Icedrop's two would have been apprentices by now.
"Let us see how well you can fight. Fang, attack me."
The brown tabby looked directly into Rush's eyes, but barreled into his paws. Rush was caught off-guard, but recovered quickly. He backed up and cuffed Fang around the ear. The tabby growled, recoiled, and leapt squarely onto Rush's back. The older cat went down, the kit's weight shoving him to the ground. He was a good opponent since he was just barely younger than Rush.
Fang let Rush up, and both cats opened their mouths to compliment their opponents when they heard a rustling noise. Rush's head snapped up, as did Fang's and Shatter's, searching for threats. Icedrop's kits had their ears pricked; they noticed something too. That's good. They're learning quickly, but what's out there?
His search had revealed nothing. Now for plan B; to hide the younger cats from any danger. One of the boulders surrounding them had a hollow scooped out underneath, leading down into the earth. It'll have to do...
Rush silently gave Freeze to Fang, Scourge to Shatter, and Scar to Blaze, and motioned toward the hollow, squeezing in. Rush gave thanks to Starclan- each cat was hidden except for himself. He hid behind another rock.
A patrol entered his view. Frozenfire and Berryfur walked side by side, a scrawny black apprentice trailing behind them. Ravenkit! Well, Ravenpaw now. Berryfur encouraged the apprentice to run ahead, and he enthusiastically followed behind. Frozenfire, on the other hand, stopped dead, her paws frozen in her tracks, green eyes alarmed. She raised her head into the sky and inhaled deeply. "Firepaw..." she murmured.
Rush crouched down, making himself smaller. She can smell me! Oh Starclan, no! But Rainclan's deputy was already running in the direction of the cave. Her companions went the other way. Rush knew Frozenfire would find the pack. She'd be killed if she didn't get a chance to expose Neglect and the others first! He could not move. If he did, he'd be found and forced to come back to Rainclan, but if he didn't, either Frozenfire or one of the pack cats were in for a nasty surprise. . .
-
"Beestripes," began Heartsong. "I've called you here because I am in need of your help. I cannot leave this cat tonight, though it is the half moon- the night in which all medicine cats share tongues with Starclan at the Moonfalls. Her injury is healed well enough, but the stress of it could cause her to kit early. If I leave, there could be issues. I want you to go with Nettlepaw tonight."
Beestripes's heart raced. She was to go to the Moonfalls? She didn't think she ever would! Only medicine cats and leaders went! She nodded, so excited. My first warrior mission!
"Not that I oppose her coming along, Heartsong," meowed Nettlepaw while sorting some leaves into piles, "But I've been there before. I know the way."
Heartsong nodded. "I understand that, but frankly, it's safer in pairs." Nettlepaw nodded. Beestripes's gaze rested on the gray tabby she-cat. She was awake now, nibbling on a mouse.
"You say she's healed?"
"Yes."
"Hi there," purred Beestripes at the cat as friendly as possible. "What's your name?"
"W-w-waffle," she meowed, making herself smaller. "I feel better now, th-thanks for your concern."
"She's a bit nervous," Heartsong mewed, "But recovered, as I said. You two had better get moving."
-
Beestripes had imagined the Moonfalls before, but never had she dreamt up anything as beautiful as this. She and Nettlepaw approached the place where the other medicine cats already sat. The grass was soft underpaw, and it funneled downward into a pool. On one side of the funnel was a cliff. The water that tumbled down it and into the pool was of a brighter blue than the sky. It glowed unnaturally, and the fish swimming in it were bright gold.
"Welcome, Nettlepaw," purred a copper colored she-cat, standing up to touch noses with the apprentice.
"Hi, Redfawn. Is all well in Beachclan?"
"It is, thanks."
A brown tabby tom, golden tabby she-cat, and a blue-gray tom approached as well. "Where, may I ask, is your mentor?" asked the blue tom, just as the golden tabby she-cat interrupted, "Not dead, is she?"
"No, Lightpool." purred Nettlepaw in amusement, though his eyes shone with respect. "She's got an unexpected patient to take care of, but that is all."
The brown tabby tom nodded. "Good, but we're wasting moonlight."
"I agree, but first you must meet my friend, Beestripes. Heartsong thought it would be wise to have her come along." Beestripes purred as the medicine cats welcomed her.