Warrior cat fanfic!! :)

Chapter 1

Harsh wind clawed at Rainstalk's muzzle as he powered in the direction of his home. He tasted the air and his ears shot up in alert at the stench of fox. He sprinted off in another direction, cutting across a gorse bush patch.

"You're on Gaia territory!" Purred a smooth voice. Rainstalk turned in time to see a scarlet she-cat with one torn ear jump out of a bush and cuff him around the neck.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Demanded Rainstalk, stepping back.

"Claret." Purred Claret, raising a paw and washing it. She paused and looked up again. "And you are?"

"Ra-Rainstalk." He stammered, looking down at his large paws. Claret nodded elegantly and wove around Rainstalk.

"Well, Rainstalk," she purred, "I hope to see you soon." And with that she swished her tail and headed off.

Rainstalk stared at Claret, before tearing his gaze back to the path. Never before had he met such an elegant, sweet cat. He shook the thought out of his head and streaked forwards.

Just then, a mangy cat with a red pelt leapt out of another gorse bush onto Rainstalk, kicking him backwards. "Intruder!" He meowed, jumping back to face Rainstalk. Then he puffed his chest out and meowed, "I'm Cardinal, from Gaia Clan." Then he narrowed his eyes to slits, hissing. With the wind blowing against him, his fur clung to his brittle frame and Rainstalk realised how weak and scrawny he looked, as if he had been starved for at least a moon. "Don't make me use my claws." He murmured, unsheathing a set of razor sharp claws.

Rainstalk snorted. "Only cowardly fools are afraid to extend their claws in combat."

Cardinal hissed and slashed Rainstalk's muzzle. Rainstalk doubled back in shock. Recovering quickly, he leapt onto Cardinal's back and raked his claws along his opponent's spine. Cardinal screeched in pain and fell over, belly up. Rainstalk raised his claws to strike, but Cardinal's piteous yowl stopped him. "Don't kill me, please! I've only just started training as a medicine cat! I can't self-heal yet!" He whimpered as Rainstalk sighed and stepped back.

"Go, run." he sighed, turning to pad off.

The rest of the trip went smoothly and soon he was greeted by the warm comfort of his safe den. His littermate, a slightly older tom named Curtstar padded over, his hazel pelt bristling as he noticed the blood on Rainstalk's muzzle. "Rainstalk, what sort of trouble have you been up to?" He sighed, before murmuring, "I care about you, but I can't spend all my time checking on you. I have..." he glanced at his mate, Willowsea. "Other things to take care of."

Rainstalk's ears perked up. "Speaking of you and Willowsea, what's the latest news?"

Curtstar's eyes shone with excitement as he meowed, "I'm going to be a father soon!"

Rainstalk nodded, "I'm happy for you! Have you announced it yet?" Curtstar shook his head and then bounded onto a large rock, calling for all cats' attention.

"I have news, as Clan Leader, I must step down." He called loudly, earning gasps from the other cats. "The reason for this is that," he paused and his gaze flicked towards Willowsea. "Willowsea is expecting my kits, and I must devote all my time to them and my mate." He purred at the thought, before turning to Cinnamonrain, the general of WarClan. "Cinnamonrain will take over." He concluded, before leaping down to nuzzle Willowsea.

Rainstalk suddenly noticed the pang of envy he felt every time Willowsea gazed at Curtstar, now Curtclaw, with such love that he had to tear his gaze away from them. Curtclaw was only slightly older, yet he already had a mate. Rainstalk suddenly thought of Claret, and how her soft green eyes seemed to shine like stars, and how she always purred after she spoke.

A sigh slipped out of him and he padded away from the celebration, feeling empty.

He quickened his pace as he strolled through the woods, vaguely aware of the wind pushing him backwards. His heart leapt as he spotted a flash of red fur darting through two trees. He raced after it. Claret, being a rogue, was not as well fed as the clan cats, and her slender frame gave the impression that she was always hungry.

As Rainstalk weaved around Claret, she batted him away. Angrily, she turned on him. "You scared off the rabbit I was stalking!" She hissed, her soft green eyes glittering with an unreadable expression. Rainstalk folded his paws neatly together and asked, "Claret, will you join our clan?"

"What do you think, mouse brain?" Hissed Claret, swiping at Rainstalk's muzzle, "I don't want to be anywhere around your clan! Not after Curtclaw, your brother, killed mine in a battle!" Suddenly noticing the look of hurt on Rainstalk's face, she purred, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lash out at you..." she looked away, and Rainstalk nodded in understanding.

Claret wove around Rainstalk, purring. "I appreciate the offer, though." She flicked her tail and padded away. Rainstalk shook his silver pelt of fallen leaves and began heading back to camp. His thoughts were interrupted by the sharp wail of Claret's voice.

Rainstalk's head spun as he sprinted towards the sound, his surroundings a blur. When he arrived, Claret was being held hostage by a brown tom. His eyes glittered with ferocity as he looked up to face Rainstalk.

Hissing, he left Claret's side and leaped for Rainstalk. Rainstalk ducked and grabbed the tom's tail, yanking him down. "Get away from my future mate!" He yowled, raking his claws down Rainstalk's pelt. Red rimming his eyes, Rainstalk tackled the tom back and tore clumps of fur out, hissing angrily.

"Stop!" Claret dove into the fight before Rainstalk could sink his fangs into the tom's neck. "Mudshell!" She berated the tom, "How many times must I tell you, I'm not your future mate!" She fluffed up her neck fur indignantly. "I'll make my own decisions, thank you!"

The tom named Mudshell got up and purred in Claret's ear. "You know as much as I do that your father wants us together." He traced a paw along his own muzzle, which was bloodied from the fight. "You also know I secretly love Snoweye, but your father wants us together instead."

Claret wriggled away from Mudshell and padded over to Rainstalk, brushing her tail against his. "Then why fight over me, Mudshell? You know I don't have any interest in scraggly flea-infested mangy cats like you." She snorted, moving closer to Rainstalk. "This cat has some actual intelligence!" Mudshell huffed and padded away quickly.