Warriors: Stripeblaze's Path

Chapter one

Stripekit snuggled into Stormfeather's grey fur.
"Come on Stripekit," she crooned. "It's time for you to explore the camp! Aren't you excited?"
Stripekit shook his head and buried himself further into his mother's fur, the scent of milk filling his nostrils. He felt jaws clamp down on his fluffy scruff and pull him up. He let out a squeal of protest.
"No! It's scary outside! Don't want to go!" He cried, flailing his paws around. Stormfeather scoffed and padded out of the nursery with him dangling from her jaws.
As they left the dark nursery, sunlight flooded over Stripekit, making him squint his eyes and squirm even more. "It's too bright!" He mewed in protest when Stormfeather placed him on the ground.
"Too bad," she said, amused. She grabbed a twig in her mouth and dropped it at Stripekit's paws. "Look! It's a twig! Want to play?" She meowed and lowered herself to the ground, swishing her tail from side to side. Stripekit brightened up and pounced at the twig, batting at it with his light grey paws. He had started to nibble on it when a cat-shaped shadow loomed over him. He turned around and looked up to see a handsome white tom with amber eyes staring at him.
"Hello, Stripekit!" The tom meowed. "I'm Whiteshade, you're father."
Stormfeather purred and nuzzled her mate. "Stripekit is nearly three moons old, and I've finally convinced him to come explore the camp," she meowed.
"You dragged me out here!" Stripekit cried. Stormfeather flicked his ear and went back to talking to Whiteshade. I guess I'll explore on my own, he thought to himself, still pouting. He padded into the clearing in the centre of camp and sat among a group of cats all clustered at the bottom of a ledge sticking out of the cliff face. A grey tom with a black patch on his back and amber eyes was standing on the ledge, looking down at a sandy ginger tabby she-cat.
"Alright, Buzzardwish, Hazelpaw, and Mistpetal, you can go on the border patrol. I will take Berrypaw and Cedarfoot with me for a hunting patrol. The rest of of you are dismissed," the ginger tabby meowed.
Stripekit wondered what was happening and padded over to the ginger tabby.
"Hello! I'm Stripekit!" He mewed, remembering what Stormfeather had told him about being confident. The tabby she-cat turned around and smiled at him.
"Well hello Stripekit! I remember when you were born, you little kit," she mewed affectionately. Stripekit looked at her, bewildered. The tabby laughed. "I'm a good friend of your mother's, and I was a queen when she had you, but Berrypaw and Branchpaw are apprentices now. I'm Flamestripe, the deputy, by the way." She flicked his ear with her tail and padded out of the camp with two other cats following her, presumably Berrypaw and Cedarfoot. He watched them as they made their way to the thorn tunnel, and a moment before they left, he raced after them.
"Flamestripe! Can I come with you?" he pleaded, widening his eyes. Flamestripe smiled at him and lowered herself to his height.
"Oh little one, when you're an apprentice yes, but you're too young and little. Don't worry, everyone gets to explore the territory at some time." She flicked her ears and led her patrol out of the camp. Stripekit sighed and trotted back towards the nursery. Stormfeather and Whiteshade were now sitting together, sharing a rabbit. He climbed on top of Stormfeather and and reared onto his hind paws and placed his forepaws on top of her head.
"When can I have fun?" he mewed and placed his chin on his mother's head. A purr rumbled in Stormfeather's throat and she swished her tail from side to side.
"You can have plenty of fun when you're an apprentice darling one," she told him and took another bite of the rabbit. Stripekit rolled off his mother's back and placed himself right at her paws.
"What about playmates? Will I ever have any? Did I ever have any?" He looked seriously into her brown eyes and waited for an answer. Stormfeather exchanged a sad glance with her mate and looked back at Stripekit with emotion welling in her eyes.
"You did actually. Two other kits; a white one and a brown tabby. The tabby was a beautiful she-kit and the white one was a tom, the spitting image of his father." Her voice cracked with emotion, but she gulped and continued. "We named the tabby Fernkit and the white one was Mousekit. Fernkit wasn't breathing when she was born, her lips were already blue, and Mousekit died during the night; he was the runt and was too weak. We knew he wouldn't make it. Willownose and Whiteshade buried the two of them in the morning after we sat a short vigil." Stormfeather's tail quivered and her cheeks were damp, her eyes still filled with tears. Stripekit looked down at his paws.
"I'm sorry," he mewed with guilt.
"For what?" Stormfeather cried. "We're so thankful that you survived, you have no reason to be sorry."
Stripekit nodded and put his chin on his paws. "Couldn't Mosssting do anything?" he asked, looking back at his mother. She shook her head.
"He may be medicine cat, but he's not a miracle worker."
"If I were medicine cat, I wouldn't let that happen!" he squeaked with anger. Whiteshade laid his tail on his kit's shoulder.
"It's not his fault," he whispered to the kit. Stripekit's tail quivered and he raced over to the medicine den. He burst through the entrance and stopped for a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the dim light. The grey medicine cat turned around, confusion sparkling in his deep green eyes.
"Ugh, hello Stripe-"
He was cut off as Stripekit charged at him and started pummelling him with his soft hind paws.
"What in the name of StarClan?" he meowed as Stormfeather and Whiteshade entered the den. Stormfeather dipped her head apologetically and grabbed Stripekit by the scruff.
"That's for Fernkit and Mousekit!" he cried in a mixture of sorrow and anger. Anger flared in Mosssting's green eyes.
"How dare you!"
Stripekit squeaked in fright and brought his paws up to his face and covered his eyes.
"I should've retired to the elder's den moons ago, so I'm not as young and spritely as I used to be and there was nothin' I could've done for those kits!" His tail was swinging from side to side in frustration as he growled at the kit. Whiteshade stepped forward and placed his tail on Mosssting's shoulder.
"I'm so sorry about Stripekit, we knew he wouldn't take the news too well but this," he turned and looked at his kit, "was unacceptable."
The grey tabby hung his head in shame. "Sorry," he mumbled. Mosssting shook his head.
"Make sure this doesn't happen again," he grumbled and went back to sorting herbs. Stormfeather nodded and wrapped her fluffy tail around Whiteshade, then pricked her ears and placed Stripekit down on the ground.
"I know how he can make it up to you," she mewed, starting to get excited.
"You do?" Mosssting, Whiteshade and Stripekit all said in unison.
Stormfeather nodded. "He can help you sort your herbs! You look like you have a bit of work to do and I can assure you he'll behave." She shot a glare at her kit and he smiled innocently.
Mosssting was sceptical about the idea, and thought about for a few moments before responding. "Alright, I could use the help, and you two have warrior duties to take care of. Come on Stripekit." He flicked his tail and Stripekit reluctantly padded closer to him. Stormfeather and Whiteshade both dipped their heads and padded out of the den.
For a while, the grey medicine cat was silent as he pushed herbs around into small piles.
"You know, you seem like a pawful for your parents," he meowed at last, breaking the silence. Stripekit looked up and glared at him. "I don't have to be here, I'm not a medicine cat and I never will be, I'm going to be a warrior!" He wanted to leave, but he sat still, knowing he would get in trouble. Mosssting rolled his eyes and turned to the kit.
"Too bad, you're here now and you're helping me whether you like it or not," he rasped. Stripekit rolled his eyes. I'd rather take the or not.
He padded over to the medicine cat. "Fine, lets get this over with," he meowed and looked at the herbs scattered on the floor. Mosssting crouched down and placed two types of leaves at Stripekit's paws.
"This one," he pointed with his paw to a small, prickly leaf, "is a blackberry leaf. We use it to stop the swelling of infections, especially bee stings, which we get a fair few of in Newleaf. And this one," he pointed to the fluffy, green leaf, "is borage. It's for nursing queens to give them more milk and is good for fevers."
Stripekit sighed with boredom. "Save the lecture please and tell me what to do," he mewed impatiently. Mosssting huffed in exasperation.
"Find these two types of leaves and sort them into piles." Stripekit grumbled but started to do as he was told. He picked up as many borage leaves as he could fit in his mouth and put them in a small, neat pile and went back for more. The fluffy leaves tickled his nose and he let out a small sneeze. He finally finished gathering all of the borage leaves and started on the blackberry leaves. He sniffed around the den for them and when he came across one, he picked it up in his jaws.
"Ow!" He recoiled and dropped the leaf as it stung his lip.
"I told you they're prickly," Mosssting meowed in amusement. Stripekit glared at him and rubbed his lower lip with his paw. Mosssting flicked the kit's ear with his tail and went on sorting his own herbs. Stripekit sat pouting for a moment, then went on finding blackberry leaves. He was careful to keep his lips away from them and only used his small teeth.
After spending all day in the medicine den, Stripekit was exhausted. He admitted he didn't mind it too much and loved the scent of herbs. He just wanted to roll around in them all day. Through all of their scents, he didn't notice Stormfeather's sweet scent enter the den.
"Hello," she meowed. Stripekit whipped around in surprise.
"Stormfeather, you startled me!" he squeaked.
"Oh I'm sorry little one," she mewed kindly and swished her tail around him. "I trust he wasn't too much trouble?" She looked at Mosssting expectantly. He shook his head.
"He was a delight to have, and very helpful and talented. You shouldn't waste that talent on being a warrior," he meowed as Stormfeather padded out of the den with Stripekit trailing behind. 'No way!' he thought. 'I'm going to be an amazing warrior.'