MoonClan Fiction: Chapter 7

Dawnspirit trotted proudly in the camp. I've worked hard to earn my name, but it feels like it was just yesterday that I was a kit! She padded towards the fresh kill pile and picked out a squirrel. A squirrel! Her memories flowed back to that time with Robinsong, when they had complained about the lack of any other prey in the Shadow Forest.

She carried her squirrel over to a small patch of moss that Leafblaze was sitting in, eating prey of his own. She sat down beside him and started to eat the squirrel.

"How was your first day as a full Warrior?" Leafblaze asked when she had finished her meal. Dawnspirit was planning on saying something like, Oh it was wonderful! But her jaws opened into an enormous yawn first. The Virgel they (Leafblaze, Polentail, Lionscar and Dawnspirit) had sat in the sun yesterday was still taking its toll on her.

"It was great." She meowed simply, Then she bagan to lick Leafblaze and they started sharing tongues.

It was while Dawnspirit and Leafblaze basked in the sun that they heard a screech from the direction of the elders den.

Dawnspirit jumpped up and rushed toward the elders den. Featherbell, Thunderstreak and Flamestripe were already there. She squeezed through the entrance and was horrified by what she saw.

Mudtail and Wood-down were both sprawled out on the ground. Wood-down, Dawnpsirit could still see, was breathing but very shallowly. Mudtail, on the other side of the den, was unnaturally still. Deadly still.

Featherbell, seeing Dawnspirit explained to her. "Wood-down was MoonClans past leader. He had only retired. He's losing a life, though."

Dawnspirit spotted Flamestripe and Thunderstreak sniffing at the ground on the farside of the den. Flamestripes head suddenly struck up. "Theres a trail here! Bloody paws have walked it! This is our murderrer!"

Thunderstreak and Flamestripe dissapeared in the bush, following the trail. Dawnspirit walked toward the trail. There were bloddy pawprints on the ground. What Flamestripe had missed, however, that there were two sets of pawprints. Two killers!

Dawnpsirit, instead of tracking with the two toms, ran out of the den and toward where Foxstar's den. Foxstar had emerged from it but had not wanted to go into the den. She was waiting for Featherbell.

"Foxstar! Foxstar, Thunderstreak and Flamestripe are following a trail! There's a trail with two sets of bloody pawprints! They're following Mudtail and Wood-downs killers!" Dawnspirit was breathless after meowing the news.

Foxstar was suddenly on her paws and she was about to sprint into the elders den in persuit, but Thunderstreaks mew roared through the camp as he and Flamestripe returned through the front entrance. They were lugging two cats, who were hardly struggling, but were cirtainly hissing and growling. The cats in the clearing gasped as they recognised the two cats. The murderers. Dawnspirit gasped too. Pinefrost and Nightstreak!

Dawnspirit watched as Foxstar groweled out to the cats in the clearing. Featherbell emerged from the elders den, supporting Wood-down. They sat in the clearing with the rest of the cats.

Foxstar glared down at her clan, or, more specifically, Pinefrost and Nightstreak. "Pinefrost, Nightstreak! What have you to say for yourselves? Killing an elder!" she hissed and leaned into them, "How could you get so low!And to kill Wood-down too, a respected and great leader? And an apprentice, I'm guessing, that had died at your paws too!" Dawnspirit had never seen Foxstar so mad. Pienfrost looked up at her with cold eyes.

"What proof do you have that we have killed these cats?" He growled.

Foxstar glared at his paws. "Isn't the blodd on your paws proof enough? Well, that, and what Wood-down has to say." She turned to the former leader, "Was it them?" She asked slightly calmer, to him.

Wood-down nodded, unhapily. He was mouning for Mudtail and Bloompaw now. "If only I had died instead of them. Really died." He turned to Pinefrost and Nightstreak, "StarClan are not happy that you have killed good cats. Noble cats." He turned to Foxstar again. "If I were still leader, I would banish them forever."

Foxstar nodded, apparently agreeing with the tom. "I agree, Wodd-down." She turned back to Pinefrost and Nightstreak. " Bloompaw, and Mudtail have died at your paws, and you cirtainly do not feel sorry. There is no reason why I should not Banigh you. So I will. If you are seen in the Shadow Forest after Sunrise, Any cat has my word to kill you." Yowels of agreement rose as Pinefrost and Ngihtstreak were de-Clanned. Dawnspirit spotted Branchfurs head from the nursary, her eyes filled with sorrow and hate. Pinefrost was her brother.

Pinefrost glared at the Clan "Fine, but you have not seen the last of us, MoonClan." He gestured to Nightstreak to follow him out to the entrance. But Nightstreak hesitated slightly, to speak to their son. "Shadowpaw, you have the choice to join us. Come now, and be great. Or stay, and be MoonClan fox-dung."

Dawnspirit watched Shadowpaws expression. His eyes were filled with hate and murder of his own, and she shivered. But he did not step forward to join his mother. "No. I won't come with you. You dishonor me, and I'm sad to have your blood. Leave my clan in peace." He glared.

Ngihtstreak did not lunge at her kit, as Dawnspirit thought she would, but meerly dipped her head, respecting her kits decision. Her eyes sparkled at the kit, though.

"We will meet again, one day, Shadowpaw. Mark my words"

And then Pinefrost and Nightstreak left MoonClan, and the cats hoped to never see them again.

Dawnspirit licked her paw and swiped it over her head. She stepped out of the warriors den and into the Clearing. Another meeting? She thought as Foxstar called out to the clan. But then she spotted the two kits, Branchfurs kits, under the Moon Perch.

There were two cats beside Foxstar. One was Featherbell, and the other was Heatfur. The kits are being apprenticed!

Foxstar did the apprenticship ceremony for Tolonpaw, whos mentor became Heatfur, and Owlpaw, who's mentor became Featherbell. We finally have a medicine cat apprentice! Dawnspirit thought.

Then when the meeting was over, Dawnspirit caught up to Leafblaze.

"Want to go hunting?" she asked. He looked at her with sad eyes. "Not right now. Sorry. I have to go on the Moonhigh patrol."

"Oh... Okay. Later then?" she asked hopefully.
Leafblaze picked up a peiv=ce of fresh kill to eat. "Sure thing." then he trotted away.

Feeling down, Dawnspirit decided to talk to Robinsong, her former mentor.
She found her in the medicine cats den.

"Hi Roibinsong, Featherbell, Owlpaw."

Robinsong was eating some herbs that Featherbell had given her, and Featherbell was explaining their use to the sniffing Owlpaw.

"It's borage. Good for queens who are expecting kits. It helps with their milk."

Dawnspirit stared at Robinsong, who was eating the borage, in astonishment.

"Robinsong, are you expecting?"

Robsinsong stared up at Dawnspirit, a glint in her eyes. "Yes"

Then Dawnspirit left the medicine cats den, Not wanting to be near any couples. Why can't I find a mate? Her thoughts flitting over to Leafblaze.

She padded solemnly to the fresh kill pile, and picked out a starling.

Dawnspirit emerged from the Sunrise patrol the next day, with Silverheart, Shadowpaw, Sparrowpelt and Tolonpaw. It had been a good patrol. There was no trouble on the borders.

Silverheart, having been the leader of the patrol, went over to Foxstars den to report the patrol.

Dawnspirit spotted Flamestripe coming out of Foxstars den, and trotting, tail up, into the nursary. So thats Robinsongs mate? Flamestripe!
She shuffled her paws at the way her thoughts were going. Then she spotted Leafblaze. They hadn't gotten to their hunt last night, but she knew for a fact that he wasn't doing anything now. Even though she was tired, she'd do anything or give up any sleeping time just to hunt with him.

But as she was about to padd over to him, Foxstar jumpped onto the Moon Perch to announce something.

All the cats gathered around, once again, for another meeting.

"Cats of MoonClan! I'm proud to announce that one of our apprentices is ready to become a warrior!"

Every cat knew who she was talking about, but It was hard to beleive she really said that. Stoneclaw, spoke up to her.

"But he was so young when he was mae an apprentice! And now, only a moon later, he's becoming a Warrior! "
Yowels of agreement erupted from the cats below, but Foxstar silenced them.

"Shadowpaw has proved in many ways that he is ready for this. He is strong, and loyal! His mentor told me herself that he was ready to become a warrior." She turned to Shadowpaw, "Shadowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, die and hunt for your Clan, at the cost of your life?"

Shadowpaw nodded his head. "I do"

Foxstar nodded aswell, thinking more about his name. "Then from this day forward, you will be know as Shadowfang. StarClan honors your strength and loyalty, and we welcome you as a fulll Warrior of MoonClan."

Chants of Shadowfangs new name erupted from the cats below, and Shadowfangs eyes were filled with pride.

Dawnspirit saw his former mentor, Silverheart, padd over to him and congratulate him, then whisper something to him. Their faces suddenly not as happy and friendly as they once were. But Silverheart walked away from him, her tail high in the air.

But Foxstar wasn't done with the meeting yet. She called for silence, and waves with her tail for Splitclaw to step forward.
"Splitclaw, you are one of the Clans oldest warriors, and you have approached me and asked to retire. Do you still want to go through with this?"

Splitclaw nodded his head, and then Foxstar made Splitclaw an elder. Splitclaw padded over to sit beside Wood-down, and , once the meeting was over, the two toms went into the elders den.

* * *

Half a moon later, the kits came. All of them. And Dawnspirit was going to the nursary to see all of the Clans new borns.

Inside the nursary were three queens. Robinsong, Blueclaw and Polentail. So because of all the queens in the nursary at the time, Dawnspirit was surprised when the nursay wasn't as crowded as she would have thought.

When she walked into the nursary, The three queens were talking urgently about something. They looked up as Dawnspirit approached.

"Hello Dawnspirit" Blueclaw said. Dawnspirit was still alittle stunned, but she got around to greeting them.

"So, what are their names?" she asked.

Polentail, warming one grey kit said, "His name is Rainkit"
Blueclaw who was grooming a brown and Orange tabby kit said, "This is Thristlekit. She's a female."

And Robinsong, looking adoringly at her kit, that Dawnspirit found hard to see, said, "And this is Starkit."

Dawnspirit wanted to get a better look at Starkit, so she walked up to Robinsong, curiously. When she got a good look at Starkit, she gasped.

"Such.... markings!" she said, stunned. The kit was a silver tabby. But she had Black paws, and a white muzzle. But he most stunning feature of the kit, was that when she opened her eyes, Dawnspirit could see that they were very rare eyes. One was Golden yellow, and the other was a glowing blue.

Robinsong purred. "She's special. "

Then Blueclaw spoke up "Okay, we still need to figure out who's going to stay in the den"

Dawnspirit was confused, so she asked what they were talking about. The queens where arguing that, because there are only three kits, one queen can take care of all three.

Then Featherbell emerged into the den, slipping into the conversation at once. "Polentail should stay with the kits. She has the most milk." And it was settled with that one statement. So Robinnsong and Blueclaw picked up their kits and set them beside Polentail. Then Featherbell gave Robinsong and Blueclaw a herb to stop their milk.

When Danspirit emerged from the nursary, She heard a caterwaul of horror. She sprinted into a scene of battling cats. Two muddied Warriors were battling with MoonClan warriors. Thunderstreak was taking on the bigger of the two, and Stoneclaw was fighing the smaller one. Foxstar and Flamestripe were escorting the remains of the Clan away form the battling cats, afraid that more would come. Flamestripe was running toward Robinsong now and they ran with the Clan.

Then Dawnspirit saw a grey cat emerge from the trees and run toward her. His pelt was shiny, and Dawnspirit was erged to yowel warning of this cat, but hen she recognised him. Her Father!

"Stonestream!" she saw the stars in his pelt, but she was still shaky. I'm not dreaming!

"Dawnspirit! You must find him! You must find him before they are killed!"

Dawnspirits head was swimming. Who's him? Who's going to be killed!?

"Stonestream! I don't know who your taking about!" but he was sprinting away.

Dawnspirit spun. Maybe he's talking about kits! The kits! She ran toward the nursary. But it was already emptied. Then she ran over to the Warriors den. And she gasped. There, on the ground, was the dead body of Sparrowpelt.

I was too late!