Warriors: Water (Warrior Cats Fan Fiction Book Two)

Chapter One

Weatherfall woke up with a start. It took him a moment to remember where he was. As he looked around, he realized he was in the Warrior's den in Waterclan.

I should be in the Warrior's den in Snowclan, he thought, seeing the strange cats sleeping around him. He had just been made a Warrior the day before, it would have been his first night in the Warrior's den there...

He was still getting used to his new name, now he had to get used to a new Clan!

It's my own fault, he thought wretchedly. If I hadn't killed Rockflight, I wouldn't have had to run away...

His mind drifted back to the day before. Everything had happened too fast. The wolves had attacked Waterclan, in the very camp he was in now. Brightpaw had died, and Thornstar had died soon after. Marshpelt had named him a Warrior, then chosen Rockflight as her deputy. In the heat of the moment, Weatherfall had stormed out of the camp, Rockflight following. She had found him by the Rockfall. They had fought, and he had stalked her to the edge of the cliff. She had fallen... and she had died.

Weatherfall had replayed that moment over and over again in his mind the night before, when he was both awake and asleep. Had he stalked her to the edge of the cliff on purpose? Surely she should have known that the cliff face was behind her?

It was an accident, Weatherfall tried to convince himself. I didn't know she would fall...

But he knew that he shouldn't have run away in the first place, that he shouldn't have fought Rockflight. It wasn't her fault that Marshpelt chose her as deputy, in fact, Rockflight deserved to be the deputy! Weatherfall had overreacted in a fit of jealous rage, and now that his anger had subsided, he was left with nothing but hollow guilt.

If I hadn't acted like a kit, Rockflight wouldn't have died, he thought. He had been getting closer to his sister... why did he have to throw it all away?

And now, he could never go back to Snowclan and tell them the truth. They wouldn't know how Rockflight had died, and they'd think that he was dead too. He couldn't bring himself to go back and own up to the truth. How could he even tell them?

That's why he was in Waterclan now. After Rockflight had died, he ran. When he had arrived in Waterclan the day before, Owlstripe had welcomed him, but Froststar had been weary. They didn't ask any questions, but seeing how Weatherfall was exhausted and stressed, they allowed him to stay the night. After all, all the cats were still healing from the battle.

Weatherfall knew that they would interrogate him today... what would he even say? What could he say?

Hey, I just killed my sister, can I crash at your Clan for a while?

No, he wouldn't tell anyone... not Snowclan nor Waterclan. He would take the secret to his grave.

Owlstripe poked her head inside the den and started organizing the dawn patrol. As the cats got up to go out, she walked over to Weatherfall.

"You're coming with me," she said, not unkindly.

"Okay," Weatherfall said, his heart sinking. He got up, shook out his gray pelt, then followed Owlstripe out of the den.

They went into the clearing and over to a small pond in the center of the camp. There was a rock in the middle of the pond, and perched on top of it was Froststar, the leader of Waterclan.

"Weatherfall," Froststar said, narrowing his amber eyes. "What brings you to Waterclan?"

Weatherfall took a moment before answering. He hadn't thought up a lie yet. What could he say that would convince the Waterclan leader to let him join his Clan?