(Merry christmas everyone! I wish you the best!)
Chapter 1~
When Owlpaw woke up the aroma of herbs greeted her. She forgot where she was until she reconized the medicine cat's den. Her memory came back. Yesterday her clan, Forestclan, had fought Crescentclan, and lost badly. Owlpaw had a shoulder wound that was healing. Four other cats lay in nests near her. Almost the whole clan had atleast one wound. Birchstar, the leader, had ordered that healthy warriors sleep outside. Like there were any healthy warriors in the 4 clans. Owlpaw stood up, and walked outside. Her shoulder didn't hurt, but there was a scar. The camp was starting to wake up. Birchstar walked over to the fresh-kill. Owlpaw saw what made him look depressed. The harsh Leaf-bare had stripped all clans of most of their prey. Forestclan had only a few mice and a thrush on the fresh-kill pile. Owlpaw walked over and picked up a mouse and walked over to the nursery. There was a queen in there, Morningshine, with her belly full of kits. The clan was wondering how she could have kits in leaf-bare, but they made sure she got good care. The last thing the clan needed was sick kits.
"Hello Morningshine.. Here is your breakfast." Owlpaw smiled, nudging the mouse towards the golden queen.
"Thank you Owlpaw. I hope your shoulder gets OK."
"It's healing. I can't wait until your kits are born."
"They will be the first kits the clan has seen in atleast 2 moons."
"I will go now. Enjoy your breakfast." Owlpaw squeezed out of the nursery, and Thistlefang, the deputy, was organizing patrols. Mostly border patrols, but he fit some hunting patrols in there too. Owlpaw walked over.
"I want to join a patrol." She mewed.
"Ok, Owlpaw. You will join your mentor, Silverclaw, with Redfur and Badgerheart." Owlpaw walked to the patrol, and they left on a hunting patrol. Once they reached a huge clearing with some rocks and a few mushrooms, they split up to cover the whole clearing. Owlpaw spotted a mouse searching the ground for food. Leaping into the air, Owlpaw landed on it's head. She cracked it's neck, thanking Starclan for the prey. She buried it to save it, and went on another hunt. This time she spotted a sparrow, pecking a worm. Owlpaw creeped forward, and pounced. The sparrow fluttered, but Owlpaw ended it quickly. She picked up the sparrow, dug up the mouse and walked to the edge. The other three were waited with small catched. Badgerheart had a small adder, Silverclaw caught a thrush, and Redfur had a vole. They nodded, and ran back to the clan.
Once Birchstar saw the patrol, his eyes lit up. He dashed over. Praising all of them. The four placed the kill on the pile, and Owlpaw picked up a bird, laying down and began to eat it.
Chapter 2~
"Harder Lionpaw! And don't forget the roll!" Shadowfang hissed. Lionpaw was practicing his battle moves with his mentor Shadowfang. Lionpaw lunged, hitting Shadowfang in the side of the face, rolling under him and kicking the air from his mentor. He slid out and rammed into him, knocking him over and pinning him.
"Great job!" Shadowfang purred. Lionpaw got off, and Shadowfang stood up and shook.
"Any mistakes?" Lionpaw asked.
"You hit me in the bridge of my nose. You are supposed to hit on the cheek. Hitting them on the cheek will move their head, allowing the neck area and shoulders. But for now we are practicing kicking the air of the opponents. They can't do anything if they don't have any breath. So, try one more time."
Lionpaw lunged, smacking Shadowfang in the cheek, battering his neck, then slid under him, kicked his chest and rolled out from under him, them rammed him onto his side.
"Any mistakes now?" The golden and black apprentice purred.
"You battered my neck. That was great. If I was a real enemy, I probably would be running. Now we will spar to make sure you didn't forget anything. Claws sheathed and no hard biting."
Shadowfang lunged at Lionpaw, but the apprentice dodged to the side, battering Shadowfang's shoulder. Lionpaw leaped onto him, clutching his shoulder without his claws. Shadowfang then lurched sideways, collapsing onto Lionpaw. Gasping for air, he kicked Shadowfang off, battering his neck, Lionpaw slapped his cheek, doing his latest move. When he pinned Shadowfang the black tom went limp, and stopped breathing. Lionpaw got off, "Are you ok?" He asked the unmoving black tom. But then Shadowfang exploded upward, ramming Lionpaw in the shoulder.
"Ah!" Lionpaw yelped and battered his opponent in the flank.
Shadowfang grabbed Lionpaw's neck and shoulder and flipped him onto his side,
"Give in now, Lionpaw?"
"Yea! NOT!" Lionpaw swiped his paw at Shadowfang's eyes, getting out from under him and ramming his mentor. He leaned on him until he fell,
"Now who is the warrior?"
"Ok, Lionpaw I give in. That was great!" He pushed Lionpaw off and got up,
"Now let's go get something to eat." The two walked out of the training hollow back to camp.
Chapter 3~
"Cheetahpaw are you sure about this?" Foxpaw asked.
"Don't be wimp, Cheetahpaw! If you want to be leader one day you need to have something you did in the past that makes you cool!" The two apprentices were at the edge of a river.
"Yea but Meadowclan isn't known for catching fish!" Foxpaw mewed.
"But it might be. Now fish!" Foxpaw sighed, watching the river. She saw a fish and lashed out into the water, sending the fish flying upward and onto the shore. The russet colored apprentice bit it's head and killed it.
"I did it. Now you do it!" Foxpaw growled to Cheetahpaw. The tan and spotted apprentice waited at the river's edge. Suddenly she flashed her paw into the water. A fish leaped up and she caught it in her mouth. The fish died. Foxpaw nodded,
"Let's go back!" The two apprentices walked back.
"Where did you get those fish?!" Branchstar growled to the two apprentices.
"We caught them in the river." Cheetahpaw answered with a smirk.
"You don't catch fish! Meadowclan catches rabbit!"
"Well sorry." Foxpaw hung her head.
"It's ok. Prey is prey. Meadowclan needs as much prey as possible." Branchstar sighed, "Put it in the fresh kill pile."
Cheetahpaw and Foxpaw dropped off their prey, "Can we eat now?"
"Yea. But something small. You can't eat the big prey."
"Why not?" Foxpaw frowned.
"The clan needs to ration out our prey. The queens need the prey. When you are done go clean the elder's den."
The two apprentices gulped down a vole together, and ran to the elder's den, eager for a story.
"Well hello Foxpaw and Cheetahpaw. Have you come to clean out the den?"
"Yup! And we want a story." Foxpaw meowed.
"Ok." Deadtail mewed, his stumpy tail swished,
"A long time ago, there was 5 clans, not four. It was called Sunclan. The cats were as golden as the sun. They had a huge, healthy clan, and if one died, their spirit would leave the world and join the sun."
"Are they still alive? Their descendants?" Foxpaw asked while she came back with new moss.
"No. There is nothing known that is left. But, some leaders were said to be a Sunclan member."
"How?" Cheetahpaw asked.
"They led their clan to victory. When a leader died, a cat would say they saw their spirit fly towards the sun, and join them.
The leaders shine down on the clan, the warmth of the sun to comfort them, and the fiery heat to protect them."
