Smoke and Mirrors }{UF,adventure,romance,violence}

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

Title: Smoke and Mirrors

Chapters: Unknown as of now

Author: Mossflower

Pairing: No Canon pairings- there are however ShadexSleet, as well as other developments

Rating: PG
Spoilers: n/a

Summary: Shadepaw, ThunderClan apprentice, has lived without her sister for three moons. After a sinister and grisly plot from a rival Clan, Shadepaw is thrown into a torrent of murder, romance, and a mysterious prophecy as she battles with her sister, her Clan, and ultimately, with herself.

Warning: There will be gore in this as well as deaths and treachery.

Disclaimer: WARRIORS is copyrighted to Erin Hunter. I do not own any characters, Clans or places she has created.

This Fanfiction is from my Fanfiction.net account and is still mine.

Beta: n/a
Cover: n/a

Author's Notes: Wow, get ready for one wild ride. :3 This is gonna be one Fanfiction I won't let go... for once. xD

Prologue

As you could see in the Allegiances, not all Clans had elders. Do not fear, it was no typo—(cough cough yes it was). The elders usually show little importance to the storyline.

It was night when Shadekit awoke. The familiar bodies of her sister, Violetkit, her mother, and the others were not around her. In the distance she heard faint yowls and snarls. Although Shadekit could not hear them properly, she knew they had an accusing tone to them. Tired but curious, Shadekit scrambled out of her comfortable mossy nest to investigate the strange going-on.

The half-moon was high in the sky-- Shadekit knew Petaldance was gone. Worry slightly filled her. If cats were injured, the medicine cat would not be able to assist them. Shadekit continued uneasily—in the short distance ahead, she could see cats begin to cluster. She nudged Blackbird in her ebony legs. The warrior turned in surprise to see Shadekit.

“Blackbird! What’s happening?” Shadekit inquired, fighting to see what was happening. The cats—most were taller than her right now—blocked her view. The darkness clouded her vision.

The black she-cat turned back, and Shadekit could sense unease. Blackbird said no more, and frustration caused Shadekit to shove even more through the crowd. Her Clanmates hardly parted, but at last Shadekit gripped the hard-packed earth and shoved through. The scenario was horrifying.

Her gorgeous sister, Violetkit, was standing stricken above the body of a young apprentice—by the smell of it, RiverClan. The other she-cat’s fur was still dripping wet from swimming in the lake and made the mud around her damp. The she-cat was dead, blood dappling her dark ginger pelt. Violetkit was arguing with Creekstar, ThunderClan’s leader.

“She was dead when I found her, Creekstar!” her beloved sister protested, tears brimming her sapphire orbs. “I’m honest!”

Creekstar snarled at her to be silent. “You are lying between your teeth, Violetkit. You were the only one near the body when we found you. Tell the truth or risk exile!”

“I’m only three moons!” Violetkit protested in a shrieking tone, her body convulsing with her sobs. “I can’t kill an apprentice! I’m just a kitten!” Shadekit didn’t even need to see Violetkit—she could sense waves of frustration coming from her sister.

“Creekstar, be reasonable.” The deep growl of Maplefur came from behind her. The Clan turned to see the tortoiseshell tom glaring at Creekstar with his mismatched eyes. “She is only a kitten. She does not possess the abilities to defeat a well-trained apprentice.”

Creekstar hardly heard him. His tail lashed to and fro. The whole Clan began to argue now—both sides of the argument crashed down on Shadekit’s ears. She protested that her sister would never do such a crime, but her voice was lost among the noise.

“SILENCE!” Creekstar yowled, and the camp fell silent. In the distance, an owl hooted. “If it is true you did not murder her, Violetkit, than show me your claws.”

Violetkit looked at him in confusion. “What? But—“

“Now, Violetkit!” Creekstar hissed.

Violetkit slowly opened her claws. The camp murmured in disapproval—Shadekit saw ginger fur, stained with blood, between her sister’s claws. Violetkit looked away, and Creekstar closed his eyes.

“Even though you are a kit, I cannot let these things slide. Violetkit, from this day forward, you are banished from ThunderClan. If any Clan member spots you on the territory, they have right to chase you off.”

Shadekit’s mother gasped and began crying—members rushed to comfort her. Violetkit’s mouth hung open in a soundless gasp. Clan members argued, but they were weak arguments. Possessed by a force unknown to her, Shadekit lunged at Creekstar, crying. She latched her fangs onto his tail. ThunderClan gasped.

“No! You can’t let my sister go! You can’t! She’s my sister! You—” Shadekit’s demands were cut short. In a howl of fury, Creekstar unsheathed his claws and slashed at her. Frightened, Shadekit drew away—but not in time. His claws hit her tail as she retreated. A terrible ripping sound was heard, and pain enveloped Shadekit. In her mouth she tasted blood. She cried out in pain.

In shock she looked at her tail—where the long tail had been was replaced by a shorter tail, only about a third as long as it should have been. Shadekit’s eyes filled with tears, and shock replaced the pain. Creekstar’s eyes widened in surprise, and he tried apologizing. Shadekit did not hear—without a sister and a tail, she raced back into the nursery and would not come out—not for her Clanmates, not for her leader, not for StarClan themselves. Violetkit was lost.

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

Chapter One

Yes, since I cannot have the book in front of me at the moment, I cannot exatly quote the apprentice ceremony. My apologies!

3 moons later…

Shadekit awoke to the dappling dawn light filling the nursery. Next to her, the three other kittens were still asleep. Still tired—but excited at the prospect of finally becoming an apprentice—Shadekit padded out of the mouth of the nursery.

It had rained a few hours ago—gray clouds of all hues filled the skies above her, and puddles caused the hard-packed dirt carpeting to melt into mud. The air was cool to Shadekit’s fur, and there was a pleasant breeze that stirred the broken leaves under her paws. In a couple moons, it would be leaf-fall. Shadekit’s short tail tingled with excitement. It would be hard, she knew, but soon the Clan would depend on her to find prey and she would become respected… or at least she hoped. Ever since Creekstar accidentally mutilated her tail, the Clan softened their blows against her.

Creekstar was already getting out of his den, his eyes narrowed against the sunlight filtering through the clouds. Shadekit’s mother, Moonpelt, was getting out of the nursery, her pale fur rippling in the breeze. Shadekit closed her emerald eyes and took a deep breath—ThunderClan would be watching her taking the first few steps to becoming a warrior. As well as every mistake she made.

“Stop it, Shadekit!” The other half of her scolded, “ThunderClan will support you, as they do all of the other apprentices.” Shadekit sighed and looked at her ebony paws, wondering whom her mentor would be. It could be Lightfoot, but Shadekit thought she could be a bit airy. There was Dogtooth, but he was quite aggressive. Blackbird was too shy; Maplefur was too much of a warrior for her, and well… Creekstar… She was the daughter of a deputy, after all. Shadekit sighed and shook her head. Whichever mentor she received, she guessed she would have to deal with them.

“Worrying again, Shadekit?” The deep and cold voice of Gorgekit sounded behind her. Shadekit turned to see her friend smiling at her, licking a gray paw. “There’s no reason to. If you’re a true warrior then it’ll be easy.”

“Easy for you to say,” Shadekit objected, looking up at Creekstar ascending the Highledge, “you’ll be a medicine cat apprentice. All you need to do is memorize herbs or whatever.” Shadekit bit her tongue after her words. She hated how awfully bratty she could sound sometimes… she probably got it from Violetkit after being near her so often. Gorgekit had wanted to be a medicine cat for a couple of moons after he had seen Petaldance work on Shadekit’s tail.

Gorgekit shrugged, shifting his tail so it lay as limply as a rag doll on the ground. The scattered rain droplets dampened its white and gray tufts. “It’s not like we have it easy. We have to save lives, deliver kits, memorize herbs, find herbs, hunt and fight all in a few short moons.” Gorgekit eyed her rather enviously with his pale amber eyes. “But I can’t fall in love or anything. The warrior code strikes hardest on us.”

“Well, it’s not like any she-cat would want you anyway.” Shadekit snickered playfully, and Gorgekit swiped a sheathed paw over her ear and they both burst out laughing. Gorgekit was probably right, as he always was. Shadekit knew that if she worked hard enough, her training would be essential instead of a chore…and she wanted to dig her claws into a RiverClan cat sooner or later. They had tried to raid the camp and got her sister exiled in the process. She straightened as Creekstar was ready to speak.

Shadekit had not thought of that event for weeks. But she knew that Violetkit could not have killed that apprentice—Violetkit’s scent was too recent in her nest after a short investigation. Violetkit would have also been to weak and tired to kill an apprentice… but it didn’t solve the mystery of how her claws had gotten into her fur. Perhaps Violetkit was trying to fend herself off and another cat had killed the apprentice. But who? It only went in circles and Shadekit got confused.

“Cat got your tongue, Shadekit?” Bile rose in Shadekit’s throat. She whipped around to face Adderheart. Adderheart had received his warrior name only a couple of moons ago, but he acted as if he were a senior warrior. And he hated her! Shadekit knew she had chewed on his tail a couple times, but…

“Go away, Adderheart. This is my apprenticeship, not yours.” Shadekit replied lamely, and turned away. Adderheart snickered but left. The dark ginger tom’s long white tail brushed against her face, and she snarled. If she could only have bitten it, she would.

“All cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting.” Shadekit turned to see that Creekstar was reading to begin the ceremony. Cats gathered around them—Dustkit and Tansykit, two siblings, padded up to join Gorgekit and Shadekit. Flamepaw and Applepaw also gathered under the Highledge.

The first part of the meeting went by like a blur—Flamepaw and Applepaw were made warriors, Flamefoot and Applepelt. The brother and sister took their places in the ranks of their comrades, receiving praise for their efforts to reach their current position.

Then it was time—Shadekit knew it. Next to her, her nursery mates tensed. Creekstar cast a glance at them, and their eyes met. Shadekit felt the same stupefied horror at his gaze—although he apologized, Shadekit was in terror of him for what he did to her tail.

“We have four kits ready to receive their apprentice names under StarClan,” Creekstar announced, “Gorgekit, Shadekit, Dustkit and Tansykit. This morning, they shall become apprentices, and train under the warrior code. Gorgekit, step forward.”

Shadekit could feel him tingle with excitement as her friend stepped forward. His gray and white fur was on end. Petaldance padded forward, eyes filled with pride, but Shadekit knew that she was feeling tortured inside. After all, her last apprentice was killed in an ambush. In the back of her mind, Shadekit wondered if she would meet the same fate. At last she wrenched away those bloody thoughts and focused on Creekstar.

“Gorgekit has chosen to become a medicine cat apprentice. Petaldance, do you accept?”

“I do.” Petaldance purred, her voice of the sweetest honey and the warmest days. Shadekit felt with embarrassment the tomcats of the Clan swoon at her voice. Honestly! She knew Petaldance wanted nothing of the sort.

“Then Gorgekit, you will hereby become Gorgepaw. Tonight you and Petaldance will travel to the Moonpool to receive full apprenticeship.” Gorgepaw nodded and stepped back with his new mentor.

Shadekit bristled, but Creekstar did not call her next. “Dustkit, step forward.” The storm-gray she-kit watched as the other kit stepped forward, nearly tripping over his white paws. His fur, mixed with all shades of brown and tabby stripes, gleaming wet in the moonlight. Shadekit acknowledged he had been well groomed by Rainshadow, his mother.

“Dustkit, from here until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Dustpaw. Flamefoot, although you have only received your warrior name, you have shown excellent use of the warrior code and fast learning. I give Dustpaw as an apprentice to you. I know you shall treat him well and train him under the warrior code.”

Disappointed and scattered mews echoed around the camp. Behind her, Shadekit heard Dogtooth talking to Palestripe.

“Flamefoot’s Creekstar’s son, so it’s no wonder he got an apprentice the day he got his warrior name!”

Palestripe agreed. “It’s like Creekstar to give the most inexperienced warrior an apprentice.”

With shock in his eyes, Flamefoot touched noses with Dustpaw. Shadekit wondered whether or not the new warrior would train Dustpaw well. Palestripe and Dogtooth are right; but what if Dustpaw dies because Flamefoot can’t teach him?

Shadekit shuddered away the thoughts—perhaps Flamefoot was a good learner. After all, he and Applepelt seemed to be fast learners. She realized her shoulders were tensed and she relaxed.

“Tansykit, from here until you receive your own warrior name, you shall be known as Tansypaw. You will be mentored by Lightfoot.” The gorgeous she-kit nodded respectfully and touched noses with her new mentor. An airhead for an airhead, I suppose. Shadekit thought nastily, but stopped and realized she was being bratty again. It was her turn.

“Shadekit, from here on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Shadepaw.” Shadepaw’s eyes widened as Creekstar announced her apprentice name. Now… who would be her mentor? For a heartbeat she scanned the crowd. “Your mentor shall be Adderheart.”

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

Chapter Two

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When Shadepaw awoke, it was very, very dark. She quickly realized she was not awake at all—around her was a thick, gray mist. Around her, disembodied voices whispered that she was not welcome in this place. Shadepaw, frightened, desperately tried to awake herself. But her gray paws continued walking. She realized she was not controlling them at all…

She was seated a few tail-lengths away from a pair of cats—by the way they had continued talking, she guessed she was invisible to them. Shadepaw strained to listen—with a pang of realization, she knew that the first cat was the medicine cat, Petaldance.

“What is it, Graystripe?” Petaldance mewed. Shadepaw was unfamiliar with the name. Palestripe had never mentioned it in any tales, so she guessed that the StarClanner died long ago. Shadepaw turned to see a muscular gray tom standing before Petaldance.

“Petaldance… the shadows may conceal a cat’s intentions, but shadows can save a cat from a wild fox.” Shadepaw didn’t understand what Graystripe meant, and the StarClan cat faded away as if he were… nothing. Just air. Petaldance’s amber eyes widened as she attempted to interpret the prophecy. “Shadows… shadows… ShadowClan!” Petaldance exclaimed. She padded away, and Shadepaw tried to follow her.

Slam! Out of the shadows, a massive force crashed against her ribs. Shadepaw tried to see what was attacking her, but there was nothing but darkness. Again and again… Shadepaw cried out in pain.

“Stop whining, Shadepaw.” The sharp voice of Adderheart caused Shadepaw to awake. There wasn’t a great force crushing her ribs, just the ginger tom prodding her in the side. The ginger tom had an annoyed look in his sea-green eyes. Shadepaw stood and shook the moss off her fur. “We’re training today. Remember?”

Shadepaw was filled with annoyance, but she followed her mentor out of the apprentice’s den into the early morning light. Birds chirped occasionally in the distance, calming Shadepaw’s irritation at her mentor. This “training thing” might not be so bad after all. Adderheart walked as he made Shadepaw identify all the scents in the area.

“Fox… stale though, three days old from when Lightfoot and Dogtooth killed it… rabbit, but it left… and… a dead mouse three tail-lengths north.” Shadepaw hurried. Adderheart sniffed the air, but he could not object to anything Shadepaw said.

Once they reached the woods, Adderheart turned to her. His ivory tail lay flat against his black legs as he glared at her. Shadepaw shrunk away under his intense gaze. “Ever hunted a leaf before? Played with a piece of fresh-kill?” He inquired, tilted his head to one side. Shadepaw took a deep breath, rustling through her memories. She did, occasionally, but not seriously. Suddenly Shadepaw smelled a strange scent. It wasn’t really like a Clan-cat smell… but it had the tinge of one. She shrugged it off; Adderheart probably knew what it was.

“Yes. But it’s not the same, is it?” Shadepaw responded. The scent got stronger… but again, she ignored it. Somehow, she felt it wasn’t right. Her ash-gray fur bristled, but Adderheart didn’t move. Did he notice it?

“Right. As a kitten you probably couldn’t really tell what was right and what was wrong. Here’s the proper hunting technique…” Shadepaw watched as Adderheart got close to the ground, reddish-brown belly fur scraping the hard-packed earth. He slid forward like a snake, eyes focused on a dead leaf, claws extended. At the last second after bunching up his muscles, he sprang. He cleanly cut the leaf in two and turned to face Shadepaw. Shadepaw was impressed—he was so silent that the birds above him in the trees did not stop chirping. Adderheart might have guessed her appreciation, because he smirked.

“Now you try.” He meowed. Shadepaw, taking a deep breath, dropped onto the forest floor. The light dappled a space about four tail-lengths in front of her, shining on a patch of leaves that had fallen from the elm above it. Shadepaw crept forward, feeling as if she were sliding like a snake. Instincts and experience moved her body into the right motion. Her short ebony tail bounced lifelessly against her back legs as she moved, but she scarcely felt it. Rocking on her haunches and waiting a moment, Shadepaw sprang onto the piles of leaves. They crunched under her dark paws, and she felt a glimmer of pride.

Adderheart shrugged, and Shadepaw could sense his mix of emotions. “Not perfect, but it’s pretty good for your first time. You’re putting too much weight on your front paws, though.” He looked up, and Shadepaw could see his nostrils flare as he scented the area. “I smell a vole about six or seven fox-lengths that way.” He pointed with his white tail. “Catch it, and we’ll be able to move on. I’ll be watching.”

Shadepaw saw him move through the bracken, and she turned. The pressure of being observed weighed on her shoulders, and her heart beat faster. Adderheart hadn’t explained how to catch real prey, or if she understood—but she guessed it was too late now. Shadepaw looked through the growth with emerald eyes, scanning for any movement that might give away the vole. There—a smaller brown vole was sitting, half-hidden, under a patch of leaves, cleaning its muzzle fur.

Shadepaw took yet another deep breath, and the gray she-cat crouched low to the floor, hoping that her ash-hued fur would blend well enough into the undergrowth. The tall grass mixed with leaves seemed to camouflage her, so she continued. Shadepaw hesitated at the last moment, realizing that the birds had stopped chirping above… she glanced upward and looked down at the vole. It stared into the darkness and scurried away.

Heart beating faster and faster, Shadepaw had only a moment to realize she was in danger before a shape crashed into her. Pain lancing like a wildfire through her body, she felt her body slam into the leaves. Her sharp claws slashed at the attacker, who spat angrily and swiped back. Shadepaw was drawn only by instinct and play fighting with the other kits. But the first tackle had weakened her, and the other cat—a tom, flipped her on her back and pinned her down. Where was Adderheart? Shadepaw gulped as the tom dug his claws into her fur.[/size]

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

Chapter Three

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The tom snarled at her, his razor- sharp claws digging into her fur. He was mouse-lengths away from her jugular-- and Shadepaw knew what would happen then. Panic caused her to act quickly and irrationally-- snarling like a rabid dog, Shadepaw pummeled her attacker fiercly with her back legs, aiming for his stomach. The tom yowled in pain, letting go of her for a brief moment. But that one heartbeat was enough for Shadepaw to slash at his legs, and the cat let go of her.

Shadepaw scrambled up, but she was not safe yet. The tom was angered now, his pale yellow eyes narrowed to slits. Her attacker snarled and leaned down, gray and white fur bristling. Shadepaw matched his threat, tail whipping back and forth. "Not so tough without your mentor, eh, Clanner?" the tom growled, staring her right in the eyes with a pinning, hawklike glare.

"I'm not the one attacking an apprentice for kicks!" she snarled back, emerald eyes narrowed so far she could barely see. Then she realized that the tom was barely older than she-- he was probably only in his seventh moon. Not only that, she realized he was panting now. As was she-- pain and fatigue racked her body, and she felt like collapsing. But she couldn't give up, not when the tom could attack the other apprentices.

The tom averted his gaze, shoulders sagging and he looked a bit awkward. "Sorry," he admitted, "I got carried away." He looked her with his serious golden eyes. "Is your name... Shadekit?" He glanced at her short black tail. Shadepaw flinched slightly. "It's Shadepaw now." She answered, feeling relieved he was no longer hostile.

Something flickered in the tom's eyes, but what it was Shadepaw could not tell. "My name's Sleet." He said, and stood up, glancing over his shoulder. "I think your mentor's coming. See you around, I guess." And with that, Sleet padded away quickly through the undergrowth.

"I hope not." Shadepaw muttered quietly. Besides the fact he could attack Dustpaw or Tansypaw-- or any other cat for that matter-- this was forbidden territory. She turned to see Adderheart padding quickly through the long grass. Late as always, especially when I'm getting attacked! Shadepaw thought angrily, glaring at her mentor.

"Who was that cat?" Adderheart demanded, as if Shadepaw knew. He glared at her, as if it were her fault she got attacked. But for the first time in a while, Shadepaw saw a flicker of worry in her mentor's pale eyes.

"I don't know." Shadepaw said. It was half-true, anyway. "But I chased him off." She curled her black tail in anger behind her legs. Wasn't he the least bit worried about her health? He seemed to be, for he said, "Then let's get you to Petaldance's den to fix those scratches up." The reddish-brown tom flicked his ivory tail and padded off. Shadepaw glanced back into the bracken and padded off to follow him.[/size]

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

Everyone can look here-- www.fanfiction.net/s/3630853/1/ -- to find the alligiences.

Chapter Four

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Shadepaw lay in the apprentice den, the attack from yesterday clear in the scratch marks along her sides. Petaldance predicted there would be no scars, but Shadepaw felt upmost pain where ever she would move. Adderheart had let her rest for half the day, but Creekstar was going to send her and the rest of the apprentices to the Gathering later that day. Shadepaw padded out into the late-afternoon sunlight, the sky colored gorgeous shades of pink and gold. Normally Shadepaw loved the colors of the sky at sunset, but today she had her mind on something else-- the rogue, Sleet, had seemed strange when she mentioned her name. Why, though? Shadepaw felt confused as she always did when she was not told the answers. It felt as if you were doing the crossword puzzle, and the answer is at the tip of your tongue-- but you still cannot find it.

The sun was setting rapidly before Shadepaw's emerald eyes. Her gray fur was in dire need of getting washed, so she leaned down and began washing. It felt comforting, but the movements were somewhat painful. Since Dustpaw and Tansypaw were in the apprentice den, and Gorgepaw was out with Petaldance, Shadepaw had no one to share tongues with. Feeling sneaky at the moment, Shadepaw listened in to a conversation between Rainshadow and Blackbird. The two she-cats sometimes glanced up at her, as if they suspected she was listening, but Shadepaw attempted to act casual.

"So, anyway," Rainshadow muttered under her breath, "the attack on Shadepaw got me thinking. Webtail had just received word from ShadowClan that there were rogues on the territory. They smelled different, though-- Eaglestar said that they had hints of all Clans, and one had prominantly ThunderClan scent. Shadepaw told Creekstar that the rogue had a strange scent. So-- what if that rogue that attacked her was from that gang?"

Blackbird's eyes widened and she muttered back, "But what if he was a Clanner? RiverClan's been eyeing our share of the lake forever." The sleek ebony she-cat shifted position and glared at Shadepaw. Shadepaw managed to shift her eyes in time. Mouse-dung, now she was looking at Applepelt sniffing her rear end. The gray she-cat winced, looking at the ground.

Now concious, Blackbird and Rainshadow switched subjects. "So... er... how's Deerkit?" Blackbird inquired. Rainshadow's gray and black pelt bristled warningly, but her light blue eyes remained friendly. "Doing quite fine. But I don't think she's up to the roughhousing of Marshkit and Barkkit."

Knowing that they wouldn't talk about it when she was around, Shadepaw padded off to the nursery to visit the kits. As Rainshadow had stated, Blossomfur's two tomkits were already wrestling and play-fighting, tumbling on the floor. Deerkit half-heartedly joined in, but squeaked when Marshkit would occasionally pounce on her. "C'mon Deerkit! You never fight back!" The gray and brown tabby tom complained, swiping her ears with sheathed paws. Deerkit squealed, but could not wriggle free. Barkkit bounced over, his longhaired black pelt making him seem like a moving shadow.

At the last moment, Deerkit pushed up so that Marshkit was flung off and crashed into Barkkit, who immediately began pummeling Marshkit with strong black legs. Marshkit giggled and thrust a paw into his brother's face, who spat and gave up. Shadepaw smiled. "That was a pretty good move, Deerkit." She appraised. Deerkit nodded quickly, amber eyes wide. Marshkit and Barkkit scrambled up.

"It's the short-tail!" Barkkit exclaimed. Blossomfur swiped ears with her calico-hued tail, hushing him to be quiet. Annoyance filled Shadepaw, and she glared at Barkkit until he shrank like a flea. "I DO have a short tail, Barkkit. I got it while you were still in Blossomfur's belly. It hurt-- a lot-- so I guess you wouldn't want it, either!"

Barkkit let out a squeal of understanding, and Deerkit and Marshkit's whiskers twitched with laughter. Blossomfur smiled at Shadepaw, and said to her kits, "Come now, the cats are almost ready to leave for the Gathering."

Shadepaw knew she was right-- the moon was steadily rising in the sky. She padded outside, waiting for Creekstar to call for the Clan. The gray tabby tom padded up the Highledge, calling out-- "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting. There is indeed a Gathering tonight, and the following cats will go. Dustpaw, Tansypaw, Dogtooth, Petaldance, Thrushwing, Shadepaw, Lightfoot, Webtail and Adderheart." He leapt from the height and landed gracefully to the ground. Shadepaw excitedly caught up with Dustpaw and Tansypaw-- her first Gathering! She turned to look and Gorgepaw, and he nodded, his characteristic half-grin on his face. Shadepaw felt curiousity on why her friend didn't want to go.

Creekstar yowled, and the Clan cats padded through the camp entrance, bodies close to the ground, pelts moving like shadows. A deep and strange emotion filled Shadepaw on this monumental night for her. She looked up at the moon and Silverpelt, emerald eyes glinting, and smiled. Cats' bodies were becoming clear as she saw them pad across the fallen tree and onto the island. Soon it would be her own turn.[/size]

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

Chapter Five

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Shadepaw followed behind Dustpaw on the large tree that acted as a bridge to the island. Although it had not rained for several hours, the bark was still quite slippery, deadly close to the black waters below her. Shadepaw felt herself looking down at her reflection with a sick feeling, claws clinging fiercly onto the damp bark. Dustpaw looked back, flicking her gently in the face with his ash-brown tail.

"C'mon, Shadepaw! Don't be a kitten, it's easy." Dustpaw mewed as he walked freely on the bark, claws sheathed. His pelt, marked with many brown hues (but not tortoiseshell), gleamed in the moonlight. Shadepaw glared at him, inching along the bark. She didn't care at the moment who she was holding up.

"Says you," Shadepaw grumbled, "the cat who got scared by an eagle's call!" Her mew was grumpy but not unfriendly. Dustpaw grinned, and turned impressively around on the tree trunk and began walking backwards, eyeing her. "See? And by the way.. that was only once!"

Feeling a bit braver from her friend's courage, Shadepaw stood on shaky gray legs and moved forward at a quicker pace. Instinct allowed her paws to move with ease, even though her pads were dampened. The island loomed up above her.

Shadepaw was glad to get off the tree, although she knew she would have to make a return trip later. WindClan had not arrived yet; Dustpaw broke off to join a brown ShadowClan she-cat, and Tansypaw padded off the flirt with a ginger apprentice from RiverClan. They both seemed keen to leave the rather homely Shadepaw by her short-tailless self.

Shadepaw glanced up to look at the leaders. Creekstar joined them on the four stones, mewing to them in a friendly manner. She noted that both Petaldance and Creekstar seemed eager to make conversation with Eaglestar and her medicine cat, Darkfur. Shadepaw looked through the leaders-- there was Eaglestar, of course. Although many Clans were under the influence that ShadowClan was a pack of villains, Eaglestar had a wise and loyal look in her intense green eyes. Shadepaw narrowed her eyes at the next leader-- Shellstar, a small femme, white, with brown flecks that gave the she-cat her name. The RiverClan leader had tried to invade ThunderClan-- and got her sister exiled!

Shadepaw heard a yowl, and many cats turned to see the arriving WindClan cats. Several padded up, instantly mingling with the other cats. Shadepaw wondered where the WindClan leader was-- she had never heard of him or her.

Her jaw dropped as she looked up. A massive brown tom-- easily thrice as big as she-- with black paws and ears padded up to join the leaders. His amber eyes seemed to have a neverending glare to them. He looked positively fierced-- Shadepaw glanced away to see several other newer apprentices staring at the tom as well.

"I see you've seen our leader." A soft, quiet voice sounded behind Shadepaw. She turned to see a thin brown and white she-cat padding up behind her, a friendly look in her deep amber eyes. "He's Bullstar. Looks to be quite the brute, huh?" Shadepaw nodded quickly, giving another sidelong glance at the tough-looking tom. "Don't worry. He's really wise and loyal. Strong, too." The she-cat meowed, and her eyes warmed.

"My name's Flightpaw. Pleased to meet you." the she-cat meowed, nodding gently.

"My name's Shadepaw. Same." Shadepaw meowed, and she felt a weight come off her shoulders-- at least she met a potential friend from another Clan. Flightpaw glanced up at Creekstar.

"Is that your leader? I've never seen him before."

"Yeah, that's Creekstar," Shadepaw mewed, and flicked her tail so that it wrapped around her front paws. Flightpaw's jaw dropped at bit, but she quickly recovered. "he did this to my tail... by accident, though." Shadepaw looked away, feeling ashamed that there didn't seem to be a cat that looked at her tail without a shocked glance. There were other shorter-tailed cats in the Gathering. What made her so special? "Are you recently apprenticed?"

Flightpaw nodded quickly. "Just a couple of days ago. My sister Rosepaw and I were with my friend, Ghostpaw." She nodded to a pale tom, with silver and white patches. Shadepaw acknowledged how obvious the name seemed-- he looked like a phantom among the cats, even those who were white or silver.

"Hey, Flightpaw!" A tom's mew sounded from behind the pair. Shadepaw and Flightpaw turned simultaneously to see a black tom pad up, with strange light blue eyes. The smell of firs and marsh layered on his pelt-- ShadowClan. Flightpaw smiled.

"This is Fishpaw. Fishpaw, meet Shadepaw." Flightpaw meowed, nodding to Shadepaw. Shadepaw dipped her head in greeting, Fishpaw mirroring her movements. He glanced at her tail, but Shadepaw was surprised to see him not react in a negative fashion. "He's Eaglestar's apprentice! We met a couple of days ago near the border."

Shadepaw noticed Tansypaw slink out of the Gathering, ears flattened against her head. Strange-- Tansypaw was the essence of a social gathering. Why did she look so bothered? Shadepaw turned to the pair, noticing Fishpaw glance at Flightpaw with eyes similar to that of a cat with a crush, although Flightpaw didn't seem to notice.

"Nice to meet you, Fishpaw," Shadepaw meowed, standing up, "I've got to go meet up with some ThunderClan apprentices. See you around!"

Fishpaw looked as if he were about to speak to Flightpaw, but Ghostpaw padded up betweent them, a scowl on his face. "Hey, Flightpaw," he growled slightly, eyeing Fishpaw suspiciously, "I think Nightstripe wants you."

Shadepaw saw the dark gray warrior busy talking to Moonpelt, but Flightpaw stood anyway. Ghostpaw and Fishpaw glared intensely at each other, tension crackling like lightning between them. Flightpaw gave Ghostpaw a mischievous look, and leaned her head to swipe her tongue over Fishpaw's ears. Ghostpaw and Fishpaw's eyes widened; Flightpaw padded away. Grinning to herself, Shadepaw padded out to follow Tansypaw. She just hit the beach when massive fear-scent-- Tansypaw's-- flooded over her. Whatever was happening, it was bad.[/size]

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

Chapter Six

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A wall of loner-scent hit Shadepaw as soon as she padded out of the island, onto the beach. Her legs felt as if they'd frozen, a chill creeping up into her heart. What were loners doing so far onto Clancat territory? The forest trees, nothing more than black outlines in the night, blurred in her vision as she swung her head from left to right.

There! On the far right, Tansypaw stood, hackles raised and tail puffed out. In front of her stood three cats, all bigger and probably older than her. Shadepaw couldn't make out faces from the distance, but they definately were hostile. Tansypaw, mouse-brain! Can't you tell you're outnumbered? Shadepaw thought frantically, half-worried for the young apprentice. Some loners meant to kill ever since the Clancats moved into the territory uncountable seasons before. Did the hate travel on? Feeling suspicious, Shadepaw hung to the side, her pelt hidden in the shadows.

Shadepaw sprinted across the loose, golden sand toward her Clanmate. Faint words carried in the wind toward Shadepaw. "...the territory! Loners don't even belong on the territory. Catch a mouse somewhere else." The brown and white she-cat hissed, fur fluffing up in fury. Shadepaw faintly snarled-- that wasn't how you talked to loners twice your size! Wait a minute... as Shadepaw approached, two of the loners looked the size of her and Tansypaw. And one of them was Sleet, the tom who attacked her the other day.

"Stupid Clanner. We have every right to stake our claim in the territory." The she-cat in the middle-- probably the leader-- hissed. Her pelt was hidden in the shadows, her tail lashing back and forth. Tansypaw blinked but held her ground. It was obvious she was getting intimidated. Shadepaw held to the side, in the shadows of the large rocks, hesitant.

The largest of the three, a muscular reddish-brown tom, thrust his head forward, yellowed teeth in a snarl. Yellow eyes flashed in the darkness. "Look, RAT, we ain't going no where. And neither are you, for that matter. Step aside, we're going to that Gathering and claiming our power." The tom snarled, then practically roared at Tansypaw. Suddenly the apprentice looked slightly less confident.

Anger roared through Shadepaw. How DARE they try to intimidate HER Clanmate! A sudden, alien anger rushed through her. She steppe dout of the shadows, emerald eyes flashing with fury. "Hey! Leave her alone!" Shadepaw growled, her ash-gray fur bristling. Sleet stared at her, smelling embarressed, eyes wide. The tom who was growling at Tansypaw (who shrank back in the sand) looked up in shock. And the middle cat's eyes widened to moons, her jaws wide. "SHADEKIT?" she meowed, stepping into the patch of moonlight.

Shadepaw's heart dropped.

"Violetkit?"[/size]

[Foxclaw]

y did u stop?

[Flyingshard]

I agree! That was good! But please keep writing!!

[ghostfeather]

KEEP GOING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
plzz write more!

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

I wrote more! :3

[ghostfeather]

*gasp*
lol i didn't c that coming...

Also
dun dun DUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it makes it more dramatic if i do that....lol ;D

continue!

[Flyingshard]

ok..........
well, keep writing anyways!

[Mossflower (freakishly busy)]

Chapter Seven

[/center]

Chaa. :3 It's nice to have fans! Thanks guys, your muse kind of propelled me to write more!

Shadekit didn't know what to say, to do. She hadn't seen her sister in three moons. She was a bit bigger than Shadepaw had remembered, bigger than herself, but it was obvious since the time span was wide. She was as gorgeous as ever, golden fur flecked with brown to make a stunning contrast with her dark blue eyes. "Violetkit?..." Shadepaw repeated quietly, eyes blank. Thousands of thoughts ran through her head-- Violetkit was alive, but she had become more aggressive... and who were these strange loners she was hanging out with? "It's- It's Shadepaw now." She looked at the ground. Tansypaw looked at Violetkit with surprise, as if seeing a ghost.

"It's Violet now. I'm not a Clanner anymore." Violet mewed, ducking her head down a bit. Sleet and the tom looked at her in surprise-- it was obvious that Violet had made a strong leader to them. Violet looked quickly from side to side. "Um, Shadepaw, this is my friend Sleet," she nodded to Sleet, who Shadepaw already knew from the mishap before. She nodded calmly, as if he were a stranger. "And this is Dragon." Violet tipped her head, puzzled. "We don't know what a dragon is. His old owners--"

Dragon growled, cutting her off, and looked away. Shadepaw knew that he was embarressed of his kittypet heritage. Violet snorted lightly, and glared. All of the love she had shown her sister before had vanished like mist after sunlight. Her dark eyes were bitter. "I've come to take revenge on ThunderClan for abandoning me, and the rest of the Clans for treating loners like dung. And I'll start with you!" Violet lunged for Shade, Sleet and Dragon in pursuit. Tansypaw let out a caterwaul, slashing at Sleet's face. A rip nicked his ear, cauisng him to yowl in pain. Dragon lunged for her as well, but Tansypaw was light and dancing like a feather. At one point she even stepped lightly onto Dragon's back, flaying between his shoulderblades and kicking Sleet in the face with her back paws as he neared.

Shadepaw was unprepared for Violet's attack. Her sister slashed at her with strong claws backed by muslces that could rip open a moose-- even though they were the same age, it was clear Violet had more fighting ability than she. However, her fighting moves mirrored Sleet's to an incredible amount-- Shadepaw predicted every swing of the paw. Her claws easily marked Violet's ears and sides of the heads. However, Violet was quick as well, and managed to dig her claws into Shadepaw's fur on more than one occasion. The loose sand was disabling them both, and made them clumsy.

Their fighting was interuppted with a shriek-- Shadepaw and Violet turned to see Dragon, wide-eyed, stumbling on the ground, amber eyes glazed. Tansypaw had ripped her claws through his fur, and he simply bled to deaht. He convulsed, tissue, blood and innards spilling on the beach, washing into the lake. Sleet stopped fighting, eyes wide, and let out a yowl of pain and anger. Violet stopped fighting-- Shadepaw took it as an advantage and pinned her down, claws digging into her sister's fur. Violet didn't react. Sleet's screech stopped.

"What's happening?" The mew was masculine, all too familiar. Shadepaw and Violet whipped their heads to see the stranger, and gasped.[/size]

[ghostfeather]

I wonder who the stranger is.......

I can't believe Violet would attack her sister. Shadepaw got part of her tail ripped off for her. anyway....great chapter!!!

continue!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D