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Description
Firepaw flew at his mentor, senses alert, but claws sheathed. His paws were outstretched, one of them aiming for her head.
Snakesteps spun around at the last second, ducking so that Firepaw's paw grazed the tip of her ear harmlessly. The next thing he knew, he was laying sprawled out on the dirt.
"Are you okay?" asked his black and white mentor, hovering over him. She was smiling, but her golden eyes were concerned. Firepaw got up, shaking the dust out of his long orange fur.
"Yeah," he said, and his mentor sighed in relief.
"Let's call it quits for today," she meowed. "You've got a lot of strength in your hind legs. That will help eventually, but for now we want to make sure that you don't strain your growing muscles."
Firepaw nodded, but he didn't want to stop. Every moment he spent training, he knew, was a moment of practice for when he became a warrior. He got an idea.
"Snakesteps, could I stay here and practice my hunting? I want to do it alone because I won't do so well if any cat is watching."
Snakesteps sighed, obviously deep in thought. "Fine," she purred at last, "But stay right here, and be back before the sun's moved a mouselength."
Firepaw nodded eagerly and purred affectionately at his mentor as she bounced away. As soon as she was gone, he dropped into a perfect hunting crouch and eyed his prey, a rabbit. Rabbits were usually too fast for cats, he knew, but that meant he would be thought of as a great warrior when he returned with his catch.
He stepped forward, each paw falling into perfect position. He was only a tail length away from his prey when he stepped on a twig, snapping it. The rabbit leapt up, streaking away, and Firepaw gave chase.
He sped over undergrowth, swerved around trees and boulders, and leapt over puddles to keep up with the rabbit. Gradually, though, he found he was gaining on the small creature. At the last second the rabbit swerved to the left, but Firepaw was too slow to make the turn. He kept going straight, only to hit a rock and sail into the river.
Firepaw felt water rush over his head, and felt himself being dragged down. Panicked, he thrust his legs downward just as Snakesteps had instructed him to do that day during training. To his extreme joy he was able to stand, and he pulled himself out of the river. On the bank licking his fur dry, he was aware he wasn't alone.
A lithe black she-cat stood before him, but it wasn't Snakesteps. She had no white on her pelt at all, but her ear and tip of her tail were gray. Her eyes were ice blue. She was small for an adult cat, but still larger than Firepaw, who had only just begun his training.
"This land belongs to Rainclan," he hissed, his fur bristling even though it was soaked to the skin. "Get off!"
The black she-cat recoiled, looking hurt. Then she spoke, "My pack has been here longer than your Rainclan has, so it is I who should be chasing you away. But look at me! I am letting you hunt in peace." She sighed. "I wonder if you could help me, small warrior."
Firepaw narrowed his eyes, but sat down, grooming himself again. This cat was not going to hurt him, but something else was on his mind. "You think I'm a warrior, but I'm only an apprentice," he meowed. "My name is Firepaw, though I'd like to be called Firetail or Firepelt. How can I help you?"
The black she-cat got closer. "You're kinder than any clan cat I've ever seen, Firetail, and I'm desperate. I'm the leader of my pack, but how can I lead when we are all so sick and hungry? I am expecting kits as well, and am not willing to bring them into a dying world. I must choose between my kits and my pack. If I choose my kits, I'll have to give up my leadership, but if I choose my pack, then my kits shall die. What I need you to do is bring food and healing herbs to us- nothing more."
Firepaw thought hard, tilting his head to clear the water out of his ear. "What is your name?" he asked at last.
"Neglect," replied the she-cat, and Firepaw nearly jumped at the harshness of her name, but he nodded, won over by her support in him.
"I'll do it," he meowed.
-
"Frozenfire! Have you seen Firepaw?" The clan deputy turned her head to see her best friend, Snakesteps, bounding toward her. "I let him go hunting, and now he's not where I left him!"
Frozenfire's heart pounded. A missing apprentice was a very big problem. "Have you followed his scent?" she asked her friend.
"Of course!" hissed Snakesteps, rolling her eyes. "The rain has washed his scent away!"
"Okay, okay," meowed Frozenfire, trying to calm herself, then she cried over her shoulder, "Whitepaw! Come here!"
Her pretty white-pelted apprentice dashed forward, fixing her trusting blue eyes on Frozenfire. "Yes, Frozenfire?" she asked.
"Firepaw hasn't yet come back from hunting. He should be by the training hollow. Have a good sniff around and see if you can find his scent. If you can, follow it until sunset. If you can't come straight back."
Whitepaw nodded and set off, and Snakesteps gave Frozenfire an alarmed look. The deputy knew she had to explain her decision.
"She's too shy to do anything but what she's told," Frozenfire explained, "and she's Firepaw's sister. If any cat can find him, she can."
-
"Moss-star? Would you like to begin?" asked Dreamstar from a branch of the gathering tree.
Frozenfire and many of her clanmates as well as cats from other clans were at the gathering, the one peaceful time when all five clans could gather. Whitepaw was with her, rewarded for finding a rather surprised and unhurt Firepaw on his way back from hunting. He was fine, but had run farther from camp than he had realized while chasing a rabbit.
"Yes, I would," meowed the brown tabby Moss-star, the new leader of Darkclan. "We have two new apprentices, and one of our queens has kitted. We have scented rouges on our territory, but have not met them yet." The tabby nodded at Shellstar, the Dewclan leader, and the other cat began to speak.
"An apprentice and two warriors were killed in Beachclan's battle," she meowed, casting a meaningful glance at Dovestar, the new Beachclan leader. "We do not regret coming to thier aid, however. Whenever they need us, we will come."
"We also have scented rouges, and we believe they have stolen a young apprentice from us."
Wails of sympathy rose up, and the new leaderships of Moss-star and Dovestar were forgotten, along with the battle that had divided them. Leaders no longer wanted to talk of prey and territories, but of plans to destroy the rouges that threatened them. It could not be done at a gathering, however, so the cats were dismissed.

Description
Firepaw flew at his mentor, senses alert, but claws sheathed. His paws were outstretched, one of them aiming for her head.
Snakesteps spun around at the last second, ducking so that Firepaw's paw grazed the tip of her ear harmlessly. The next thing he knew, he was laying sprawled out on the dirt.
"Are you okay?" asked his black and white mentor, hovering over him. She was smiling, but her golden eyes were concerned. Firepaw got up, shaking the dust out of his long orange fur.
"Yeah," he said, and his mentor sighed in relief.
"Let's call it quits for today," she meowed. "You've got a lot of strength in your hind legs. That will help eventually, but for now we want to make sure that you don't strain your growing muscles."
Firepaw nodded, but he didn't want to stop. Every moment he spent training, he knew, was a moment of practice for when he became a warrior. He got an idea.
"Snakesteps, could I stay here and practice my hunting? I want to do it alone because I won't do so well if any cat is watching."
Snakesteps sighed, obviously deep in thought. "Fine," she purred at last, "But stay right here, and be back before the sun's moved a mouselength."
Firepaw nodded eagerly and purred affectionately at his mentor as she bounced away. As soon as she was gone, he dropped into a perfect hunting crouch and eyed his prey, a rabbit. Rabbits were usually too fast for cats, he knew, but that meant he would be thought of as a great warrior when he returned with his catch.
He stepped forward, each paw falling into perfect position. He was only a tail length away from his prey when he stepped on a twig, snapping it. The rabbit leapt up, streaking away, and Firepaw gave chase.
He sped over undergrowth, swerved around trees and boulders, and leapt over puddles to keep up with the rabbit. Gradually, though, he found he was gaining on the small creature. At the last second the rabbit swerved to the left, but Firepaw was too slow to make the turn. He kept going straight, only to hit a rock and sail into the river.
Firepaw felt water rush over his head, and felt himself being dragged down. Panicked, he thrust his legs downward just as Snakesteps had instructed him to do that day during training. To his extreme joy he was able to stand, and he pulled himself out of the river. On the bank licking his fur dry, he was aware he wasn't alone.
A lithe black she-cat stood before him, but it wasn't Snakesteps. She had no white on her pelt at all, but her ear and tip of her tail were gray. Her eyes were ice blue. She was small for an adult cat, but still larger than Firepaw, who had only just begun his training.
"This land belongs to Rainclan," he hissed, his fur bristling even though it was soaked to the skin. "Get off!"
The black she-cat recoiled, looking hurt. Then she spoke, "My pack has been here longer than your Rainclan has, so it is I who should be chasing you away. But look at me! I am letting you hunt in peace." She sighed. "I wonder if you could help me, small warrior."
Firepaw narrowed his eyes, but sat down, grooming himself again. This cat was not going to hurt him, but something else was on his mind. "You think I'm a warrior, but I'm only an apprentice," he meowed. "My name is Firepaw, though I'd like to be called Firetail or Firepelt. How can I help you?"
The black she-cat got closer. "You're kinder than any clan cat I've ever seen, Firetail, and I'm desperate. I'm the leader of my pack, but how can I lead when we are all so sick and hungry? I am expecting kits as well, and am not willing to bring them into a dying world. I must choose between my kits and my pack. If I choose my kits, I'll have to give up my leadership, but if I choose my pack, then my kits shall die. What I need you to do is bring food and healing herbs to us- nothing more."
Firepaw thought hard, tilting his head to clear the water out of his ear. "What is your name?" he asked at last.
"Neglect," replied the she-cat, and Firepaw nearly jumped at the harshness of her name, but he nodded, won over by her support in him.
"I'll do it," he meowed.
-
"Frozenfire! Have you seen Firepaw?" The clan deputy turned her head to see her best friend, Snakesteps, bounding toward her. "I let him go hunting, and now he's not where I left him!"
Frozenfire's heart pounded. A missing apprentice was a very big problem. "Have you followed his scent?" she asked her friend.
"Of course!" hissed Snakesteps, rolling her eyes. "The rain has washed his scent away!"
"Okay, okay," meowed Frozenfire, trying to calm herself, then she cried over her shoulder, "Whitepaw! Come here!"
Her pretty white-pelted apprentice dashed forward, fixing her trusting blue eyes on Frozenfire. "Yes, Frozenfire?" she asked.
"Firepaw hasn't yet come back from hunting. He should be by the training hollow. Have a good sniff around and see if you can find his scent. If you can, follow it until sunset. If you can't come straight back."
Whitepaw nodded and set off, and Snakesteps gave Frozenfire an alarmed look. The deputy knew she had to explain her decision.
"She's too shy to do anything but what she's told," Frozenfire explained, "and she's Firepaw's sister. If any cat can find him, she can."
-
"Moss-star? Would you like to begin?" asked Dreamstar from a branch of the gathering tree.
Frozenfire and many of her clanmates as well as cats from other clans were at the gathering, the one peaceful time when all five clans could gather. Whitepaw was with her, rewarded for finding a rather surprised and unhurt Firepaw on his way back from hunting. He was fine, but had run farther from camp than he had realized while chasing a rabbit.
"Yes, I would," meowed the brown tabby Moss-star, the new leader of Darkclan. "We have two new apprentices, and one of our queens has kitted. We have scented rouges on our territory, but have not met them yet." The tabby nodded at Shellstar, the Dewclan leader, and the other cat began to speak.
"An apprentice and two warriors were killed in Beachclan's battle," she meowed, casting a meaningful glance at Dovestar, the new Beachclan leader. "We do not regret coming to thier aid, however. Whenever they need us, we will come."
"We also have scented rouges, and we believe they have stolen a young apprentice from us."
Wails of sympathy rose up, and the new leaderships of Moss-star and Dovestar were forgotten, along with the battle that had divided them. Leaders no longer wanted to talk of prey and territories, but of plans to destroy the rouges that threatened them. It could not be done at a gathering, however, so the cats were dismissed.