The half-moon shone its light on smooth granite boulders, the glow turning them silver. The silence was broken only by the ripple of water from the swift dark river and the whispering breeze through the tree canopy of the forest beyond it.
There was a stirring in the shadows, and from all around lithe dark shapes crept cautiously over the rocks. Unsheathed claws glinted in the moonlight. Wary eyes flashed shades of amber, green and blue. And then, as if a silent signal had been passed among them, the felines leaped at each other, and suddenly the rocks were alive with wrestling, screeching cats.
At the center of the frenzy of fur and claws, a massive dark brown tabby pinned a red-brown tom to the ground and drew up his head triumphantly. “Oakheart!” The tiger-striped tabby growled, his eyes flashing. “How dare you hunt on our territory? Sunningrocks belongs to ThunderClan!”
“After tonight, Tigerclaw, this will just be another RiverClan hunting ground!” Spitting back the response, the thick-furred tom shoved his paws against his opponent.
At the same moment, a warning yowl came from the shore, shrill and anxious. “Look out! More RiverClan warriors are coming!” The call came from a slender pale tortoiseshell molly.
Tigerclaw turned his head to see sleek, wet bodies drawing themselves out of the water below the rocks. The drenched RiverClan warriors bounded silently up the shore and hurled themselves into the battle without stopping to shake off the water from their fur.
The dark tabby glared down at his enemy. “You may swim like otters, but you and RiverClan’s warriors do not belong in the forest!” He drew back his lips and showed his teeth as the deputy struggled beneath him.
“Cricketsong!” The desperate scream of a ThunderClan molly rose above the clamor. A wiry RiverClan tom stood on the edge of the rocks, turning rapidly away from the water’s edge where the tortoiseshell from before was sinking, staining the water red. The cat who had screeched was a red-brown molly with white patches on her pelt, and she was lunging at the enemy warrior, who reared up and swatted her down, pressing his paws against her side to pin her down as she squirmed.
Tigerclaw heard the cry and let go of Oakheart. With a mighty leap, he knocked the enemy warrior away from the molly. “Quick, Cherryleaf, run!” His order came a moment before he turned on the RiverClan tom who had threatened her. The red-brown molly scrambled to her paws, wincing from a freshly-inflicted gash and raced away.
Behind her as she fled, the huge tabby spat with rage as his opponent sliced open his nose. Blood blinded him for an instant, but he lunged forward despite it and sank his teeth into the warrior’s hind leg. The RiverClan cat squealed and struggled free.
“Tigerclaw!” The yowl came from a small cat with a tail as russet as fox fur. “This is of no use! There’s too many RIverClan warriors for us to face!”
“No, Redtail, ThunderClan will never be beaten!” Tigerclaw yowled his response, leaping to the ThunderClan cat’s side. “This is our territory!” Blood was welling from his broad muzzle, and he shook his head impatiently, scattering crimson drops onto the rocks.
“ThunderClan will honor your courage, Tigerclaw, but we cannot afford to lose another warrior.” Redtail urged, his green eyes focused on the river’s edge where the pale tortoiseshell had disappeared. “Bluestar would never expect her warriors to fight against these impossible odds, not with one less cat on our side. We will have another chance to avenge this defeat, and to avenge Cricketsong.” The small tortoiseshell met the much-larger tabby’s pale amber gaze steadily, then backed up and sprang onto one of the taller boulders at the forest’s edge.
“Retreat, ThunderClan! Retreat!” Redtail yowled the order, the sound echoing above the battle. At once the remaining warriors squirmed free of their enemies’ claws. Spitting and snarling, they backed away towards Redtail. For a heartbeat, the RiverClan cats looked confused as the comprehended the scene before them. Then Oakheart raised a jubilant cry, and his warriors echoed it as they heard him declare the victory, a caterwaul from the swimming cats.
Redtail looked down at his warriors. With a flick of his tail, he gave the signal and the ThunderClan cats disappeared from the rocks, back into the shadows of the forest.
Tigerclaw followed last. He hesitated at the edge of the trees, glancing back at the bloodstained battlefield. His face was set in a grim expression with his eyes slitted in fury. Then he turned and leaped after his Clanmates into the silent forest.
In a deserted clearing, an old blue-gray cat sat alone, staring up at the clear night sky. All around her, in the shadows, she could hear the breathing and stirring of sleeping cats.
A slender tortoiseshell-and-white molly emerged from a small tunnel, her pawsteps quick and soundless.
In spite of her silent approach, the gray cat turned and bowed her head in greeting. “How are Cherryleaf and Mousefur?” The question was one intoned with an edge of worry.
“Mousefur’s wounds are deep, Bluestar,” replied the tortoiseshell, settling herself on the cool grass. “But she is young and strong; she will heal quickly. It is Cherryleaf that I worry for. Her injuries are slight, but the loss of her friend stings far greater.”
There was a pause of silence before Bluestar spoke again, her blue eyes troubled. “A ThunderClan warrior has not drowned since before I was even born. It was a mere nursery tale of a warrior and his apprentice going in one fell swoop.” Shaking her head, she thought to ask of the rest of the injured. “What of the others?”
“They will all recover, too,” the dappled cat answered, closing her eyes momentarily, only to re-open them as she heard a sigh from the older cat.
“I want to say that we are lucky, but we have lost another cat. It is only by your gift and your skill that no more have gone on to Silverpelt.” The gray molly rested her tail tip on the other cat’s shoulder. “Featherwhisker would be proud of you, Spottedleaf.” She tilted her head upwards again to study the stars above. “ThunderClan has not been defeated in its own territory since I became leader,” she murmured. “These are difficult times for our Clan. The season of newleaf is late, and so many cats passed away in leaf-bare, including kits. ThunderClan needs more warriors if it is to survive.”
“The year is only just beginning,” Spottedleaf pointed out, her tone calm as it always was. “There will be more kits when greenleaf comes.”
The blue-gray cat twitched her shoulders. “Perhaps. But training our young to become warriors takes time. If ThunderClan is to defend its territory, it must have new warriors as soon as possible.”
“Are you looking to StarClan for answers?” Spottedleaf’s question was gentle as she followed Bluestar’s gaze to the swath of stars glittering in the dark sky.
“It is at times like this that we need the words of ancient warriors to help us. Has StarClan spoken to you?” Her ice-blue gaze turned to the healer, filled with seriousness.
“Not for a few moons, Bluestar.” But before either cat could speak again, a shooting star blazed over the treetops. Spottedleaf’s tail twitched and the fur along her spine bristled. Bluestar’s ears pricked, but she remained silent as Spottedleaf’s vacant stare fixed on the distant stars.
After a few moments, the dappled tortoiseshell lowered her head and turned to the other cat. “It was a message from StarClan,” she murmured. Though her eyes were refocusing, her expression was still distant. “I thought it was fire, at first, because of the way that the star burned its way across the sky, but the stars told me this… The returning cold is the only thing that will save our Clan.”
“The cold?” Bluestar echoed. “Leaf-bare is what has robbed us of so many cats in the past! How can it save us?”
Spottedleaf shook her head. “I do not know,” she admitted, her amber eyes darkening at the thought of the lost cats from the freezing season. “But this is the message that StarClan has chosen to share with me.”
The ThunderClan leader fixed her clear blue eyes on the medicine cat. “You have never been wrong before, Spottedleaf,” she meowed solemnly. Turning her head to the stars again, she spoke with certainty. “If StarClan has spoken, then it must be so. The returning cold will save our Clan.”
Leader: Stormstar - large thick-furred pale brown tabby tom with a twisted jaw and green eyes
Deputy: Oakheart - large thick-furred red-brown tom with green eyes
Medicine Cats: Mudfur - stocky pale brown tabby tom with a paler belly and amber eyes
Medicine Apprentice: None
Warriors: Frogleap – gray tom with a striped tail and blue eyes
Sunfish – pale brown molly with amber eyes
Blackclaw – black tom with amber eyes (Apprentice, Heavypaw)
Skyheart – pale brown tabby molly with blue eyes
Loudbelly – dark brown tom with amber eyes (Apprentice, Silverpaw)
Reedtail – pale gray tabby tom with a long darker tail and green eyes
Sedgecreek – stocky brown tabby molly with green eyes (Apprentice, Greenpaw)
Leopardfur – large, tall dappled golden-brown tabby molly with darker spots and amber eyes (Apprentice, Whitepaw)
Dawnbright – ginger-and-white tabby molly with amber eyes
Mallowtail – tortoiseshell-and-white cat with green eyes (Apprentice, Mosspaw)
Swanstreak – pale gray cat with a darker stripe on her back, white paws and green eyes
Mistyfoot – large, thick-furred blue-gray molly with blue eyes
Stonefur – large, thick-furred blue-gray tom with green eyes (Apprentice, Shadepaw)
Silverstream – tall, thick-furred silver tabby molly with black stripes and green eyes
Grasswhisker – brown tabby tom with green eyes
Vixenclaw – black molly with amber eyes
Apprentices: Greenpaw – plump brown tabby molly with a white splash under her chin, one white hind paw and green eyes (Daughter of Whitefang and Petaldust)
Mosspaw – tortoiseshell-and-white molly with green eyes (Daughter of Whitefang and Petaldust)
Whitepaw – black tom with one white paw and amber eyes (Son of Whitefang and Petaldust)
Heavypaw – stocky gray-brown tabby tom with amber eyes (Son of unknown parents)
Shadepaw – very dark gray molly with amber eyes (Daughter of unknown parents)
Silverpaw – pale gray tom with amber eyes (Son of unknown parents)
Queens: None
Kits: None
Elders: Lakeshine – mottled gray-and-white molly with blue eyes
Piketooth – thin dark brown tabby tom with protruding canine teeth and yellow eyes
Shimmerpelt – black molly with blue eyes
Softwing – small, slender white molly with brown tabby patches and amber eyes
Petaldust – thick-furred tortoiseshell molly with green eyes
Graypool – thin dark gray molly with patchy fur and pale yellow eyes
Leader: Brokenstar - large, stocky dark gray-brown tabby tom with a broad flat face, thick and easily tangled fur, a bent tail, numerous scars and orange eyes
Deputy: Blackfoot - large white tom with black paws, one paw with six toes and amber eyes (apprentice, Tallpaw)
Medicine Cats: Runningnose - small, thin gray-and-white tom with a perpetual sniffle and green eyes
Medicine Apprentice: None
Warriors: Brackenfoot - tall pale ginger tom with dark ginger legs and green eyes
Blizzardwing - large white tom with blue eyes
Ashheart - pale gray molly with blue eyes
Frogtail - dark gray tom with blue eyes
Newtspeck - small mottled black-and-ginger tabby molly with blue eyes
Scorchwind - large ginger tabby tom with amber eyes (Apprentice, Swamppaw)
Nutwhisker - stocky brown tom with orange eyes (Apprentice, Oakpaw)
Rowanberry - stocky brown-and-cream molly with orange eyes
Boulder - large, thin gray tom with amber eyes (Apprentice, Wetpaw)
Russetfur - dark ginger tabby molly with green eyes (Apprentice, Blossompaw)
Wolfstep - thick-furred gray-and-white tom with white legs and blue eyes
Clawface - brown tom with numerous scars and amber eyes (Apprentice, Littlepaw)
Fernshade - large tortoiseshell molly with amber eyes
Flintfang - large gray tom with thick-furred paws and amber eyes (Apprentice, Badgerpaw)
Deerfoot - gray-brown tabby tom with yellow eyes
Tangleburr - gray-and-brown molly with green eyes (Apprentice, Brownpaw)
Darkflower - black molly with green eyes
Dawncloud - small pale ginger tabby molly with blue eyes
Cinderfur - thin gray tom with orange eyes (Apprentice, Whitepaw)
Stumpytail - brown tabby tom with a short tail and orange eyes
Apprentices: Tallpaw - tall pale brown tabby molly with green eyes (Daughter of unknown parents)
Blossompaw - white kitten with blue eyes (Daughter of Stumpytail and Dawncloud)
Oakpaw - small pale brown kitten with orange eyes (Son of Stumpytail and Dawncloud)
Swamppaw - white kitten with a brown tail and orange eyes (Son of Stumpytail and Dawncloud)
Brownpaw - brown kitten with amber eyes (Son of Boulder and Newtspeck)
Littlepaw - small brown tabby kitten with blue eyes (Son of Boulder and Newtspeck)
Wetpaw - gray tabby kitten with blue eyes (Son of Boulder and Newtspeck)
Badgerpaw - small thick-furred black-and-white kitten with amber eyes (Son of Wolfstep and Fernshade)
Whitepaw - small black kitten with a white chest, white paws and green eyes (Son of Blackfoot and Darkflower)
Queens: Brightflower - stocky ginger tabby molly with a broad flat face and orange eyes
Kits: None
Elders: Crowtail - small very dark gray tabby molly with amber eyes
Archeye - gray tabby tom with black stripes, a black marking over one eye, patchy fur and yellow eyes
Deerleap - gray tabby molly with white legs and green eyes
Poolcloud - small pale gray-and-white molly with amber eyes
Featherstorm - tall dark brown tabby molly with amber eyes
Hollyflower - large dark gray-and-white molly with amber eyes
hi friends! if you enjoy my writing (or even if you don’t), please consider buying me a coffee! i’m a broke college student going to school in middle-of-nowhere without a car, so I can’t work much during school and I still need to fix my computer screen.
+ if you want, feel free to leave a question/topic in the comment of your coffee about this story’s plot/worldbuilding/characters/etc and I’ll write you a post about it! if I can get my computer fixed then I can do little drawings as thanks for coffees too!
I need more Warrior Cats artists/blogs to follow! Please like/reblog if you post fanart/OC art/fanfics/analysis/general anything about Warriors please!
I’ll be following you from @imsquirrelflight as my wc blog is a sideblog
Hey all! I know there’s a lot of warriors rewriters/au writers out there, so I wanted to make a discord for us all to connect and share!
This is intended to be a space for help, advice, and critique, as well as just to have fun! If you want to get help filling up your allegiances, developing lore, or working out a plot hole, OR if you’re just someone who doesn’t write and just enjoys warriors stories and wants to talk about aus with writers, you can join right here!
hi friends! if you enjoy my writing (or even if you don’t), please consider buying me a coffee! i’m a broke college student going to school in middle-of-nowhere without a car, so I can’t work much during school and I still need to fix my computer screen.
+ if you want, feel free to leave a question/topic in the comment of your coffee about this story’s plot/worldbuilding/characters/etc and I’ll write you a post about it! if I can get my computer fixed then I can do little drawings as thanks for coffees too!
On the night that Bluefur takes her kits to the border to meet Oakheart, Mosskit collapses on the way. Bluefur meows desperately, nosing her, and spots Snowfur out of the corner of her eye, making the queen fear the worst. However, before anything can happen, Bluefur hears a twoleg stomping towards them. In desperation, hating herself for leaving her freezing kit, she scoops up Mistykit and pushes Stonekit ahead of her, fleeing. The guilt haunts her, imagining all of the things that a twoleg could have done to an apparently dead kit.
Moons later, the kittypet named Winter hears from Smudge that the young cat Rusty went into the woods and has gone missing. Angered, the quite formidably-large molly ventures into the forest, determined to give the wild cats a “pick on someone your own size” moment. When a patrol finds her, it shocks every cat in ThunderClan to see the return of a kit who’d supposedly been taken by a fox. But it doesn’t escape Winter’s notice that Rusty isn’t in their camp at all and allegedly none of them had seen him.
Winter doesn’t remember what happened on the night of her disappearance because she was too young, so she believes the story that was told to every cat. She joins ThunderClan reluctantly, wanting to get to know her mother and cousin, but is uncertain at first that she wants to do this. It seems that StarClan foretold her return, however...
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