Warriors: Snow (Warrior Cats Fan Fiction Book One)

Chapter One

Weatherpaw climbed up the slope of the Snow Hill, trudging until he had made it halfway up. He was already panting with the effort of the climb. It's so steep! He thought, taking another step.

As Weatherpaw put his paw down, he slipped in a puddle of mud and fell, landing flat on his face and covering his gray fur with the brown sludge.

"Mouse-dung!" He exclaimed, getting to his paws, but he slipped again.

As he got up a second time, highly embarrassed, two she-cats ran past, giggling.

"Nice coat, Weatherpaw!" Lightpaw shrieked. "It matches your eyes!" She batted her own dark brown eyes, completely canceling out the point of her insult.

"Screw you!" Weatherpaw snapped at the yellow she-cat, as she and her sister ran past, still laughing. The sisters, Lightpaw and Brightpaw, always poked fun at him, and Weatherpaw had just about had enough!

"Don't mind them," another cat meowed as she fell into step beside him. Weatherpaw looked at the cat and groaned when he saw her black pelt. Not Stormsplash!

"I didn't ask for your pity!" He spat aggressively. Stormsplash is the second most annoying cat in the whole clan! He thought. Almost as annoying as...

"Be nice to my best friend," another cat hissed, appearing next to Stormsplash.

Not Rockflight! Weatherpaw rolled his brown eyes, and then ran away before she could say something else. His sister was so annoying, and he didn't want to talk to her right now, especially when she was with Stormsplash. He downright despised them both... what with Rockflight's rudeness and Stormsplash's sickly sweet kindness...

Weatherpaw blindly ran up the hill, but not looking where he was going he bumped into a cat whose pelt was the same color as the mud. And speaking of which, the leftover mud from his face splattered all over the cat's flank. Weatherpaw stumbled backward, hissing.

"Watch where you're..!" Weatherpaw started, but quickly stopped short, deciding not to finish his proclamation as he realized that the cat he had bumped into was his Clan Deputy, Marshpelt!

"My apologies, Weatherpaw," Marshpelt turned around and dipped her head, her blue eyes sparkling with semi-amusement. The orange she-cat next to her, however, glared at Weatherpaw with the same bright blue eyes.

"Show some respect to your clan Deputy," the orange cat snapped.

"Now now Firenose, it was an accident," Marshpelt laughed.

"Be that as it may..."

Weatherpaw snuck away as the two cats continued to bicker, and raced ahead once again. The top of the big hill was in sight. He was almost there!

He reached the top and looked down into the valley below. It was a grand sight. A lot of cats were down there mingling about, chatting and laughing with each other. In the center of the great valley was a giant boulder, and in front of it were four smaller rocks. Weatherpaw took in the sight of the ancient gathering place where all four Clans met every full moon. And sure enough, the round white moon blazed overhead in the night sky, signifying that it was indeed time for a meeting.

"It never gets old," a cat meowed beside Weatherpaw. Weatherpaw whipped around, his neck fur bristling, expecting it to be Rockflight or Stormsplash or the sisters... but it was just his mentor, Darkstorm, Stormsplash's father. Weatherpaw let his fur lie flat again. Darkstorm was a wise cat and a great mentor, and nothing like his annoying daughter.

"I agree," Weatherpaw told the older cat, looking back out at the scene below him once more. "It's amazing to see so many cats here..."

"It is," Darkstorm meowed, memories flickering in his blue eyes. "Cats from all four Clans, coming together in harmony, as if borders don't matter..." He smiled and nudged Weatherpaw. "This could be your last gathering as an apprentice, you know."