Warriors: Rise of the Shadows (Book 1)

Chapter One

Sweetkit looked at her brother's twitching tail, her eyes trained on it as Rainkit had his back turned, unknowing of his sisters' assault. She waited for a moment longer than she should have when Rainkit glanced over at her, his eyes searching hers.

"Hi, Rainkit!" Sweetkit meowed, trying to make herself look as innocent as possible. "Do you want to go see Snowberry for a story?"

Rainkit shifted his paws and looked down. "I wanted to see if Emberstripe needed any help with herb sorting." He meowed awkwardly as his sister gazed at him in shock.

"What?" She gaped at her littermate, her jaw dropping. "Why would you want to see the medicine cat instead of learning about hunting and fighting?"

Rainkit glared at her with fierce eyes and opened his mouth to reply when their father, Sheepcloud, poked his head into the nursery. His eyes were firm and his voice was stern. "Come on outside, kits." He ordered before his son could even retort to his sister. "It's a nice day out here and the sunshine won't kill you three."

Sweetkit, confused that her father said three instead of two, she looked behind her to see Cloverkit gazing at them with amusement. "Come on, fur-brains!" She chirped and ran between Sheepcloud's paws, making him stumble as the other siblings charged after her.

Rainkit, Cloverkit, and Sweetkit piled onto each other while flattening the young grass that tried to grow in a small patch. Cloverkit aimed a soft blow for Rainkit's ear but the young tom ducked just before she struck and pushed her to the ground, all three kits laughing hysterically.

Sweetkit's ears pricked at the sound of the bramble tunnel entrance rustling, Swallowripple, Larchwhisker, and Whitesnow padding into the camp with prey in their jaws. "The hunting patrol is back with fresh-kill!" She squeaked and raced towards the returning patrol that was overloaded with prey.

"Kits!" Goldentail exclaimed as they shoved their muzzles into the newly replenished prey pile. The queen pushed the greedy and eager kits back with her muzzle gently, her eyes dancing in amusement.

"Goldentail!" Rainkit complained as he was pushed away from a mouse he was about to stuff himself with. "The Warrior Code says we can eat before anyone else!"

Cloverkit batted his muzzle with a paw, her eyes sharp. "Elders have to eat too, mouse-brain!" She scolded and dragged her gaze back to the queen. "We'll eat once we give Snowberry the mouse." She meowed and, with Rainkit's help, dragged the mouse by its tail towards the elderly she-cat bathing in the sun.

Sweetkit watched them go and turned her attention to the deputy, Swiftscar, as he shared a squirrel with his mate, Whitesnow. Bounding over to the couple, Sweetkit sat down beside the prey, her eyes huge at the tom's muscles as they rippled beneath his thick fur.

"Can I help you, Sweetkit?" Whitesnow asked kindly, noticing the kit's presence before the deputy's. "Are you looking for Lemonflight or Sheepcloud?"

"Neither!" Sweetkit chirped and watched as Swiftscar lifted his muzzle and chuckled, leaning against his mate. "I want to know what it's like to catch prey for your Clan!"

"Perhaps I could teach you how to perform the hunting crouch," a voice behind her meowed and Sweetkit whirled around to see Poppystar gazing at her warmly.

Sweetkit's eyes widened in surprise but she quickly nodded in excitement at the chance of being taught by the Clan leader. Poppystar chuckled at her eagerness and led her away from the deputy and she-cat and turned to the kit, sitting down. "Crouch down as best you can, Sweetkit." She instructed, her fluffy tail wrapping neatly around her light paws.

Wanting to impress the leader, Sweetkit crouched down, her paws nearly a mouse-length away and her tail stuck straight out. She felt Poppystar's paw inch her paws closer a tiny bit before pressing softly down on the kit's tail.

Poppystar nodded to a feather on the ground a couple fox-lengths away. "Stalk slowly and silently towards that feather and once you're close enough, pounce on it." The leader meowed, her gaze intent as she watched the small cat.

Taking a deep breath, Sweetkit advanced slowly towards the feather, hardly breathing as she got closer and closer. She halted less than a mouse-length away and leaped, paws outstretched to catch the feather. Screwing her eyes shut, Sweetkit felt her paws hit something soft and fluffy and opened her eyes to see the feather flattened beneath her small paws.

"I caught it!" She squealed delightedly, picking up the feather and proudly padding back to where Poppystar waved her tail in congratulations at her catch.

"This time-" Poppystar was cut off by a shriek that made Sweetkit cry out in fear and fluff up her pelt. The leader perked her ears and raced towards the clearing, Sweetkit following in suit.

"Poppystar!" Blizzardfrost, a white tom, ran up to her, breathing hard. "Talonstripe's patrol caught a badger on the territory. Bumblepaw is dead but the others haven't returned."

Eyes blazing, Poppystar opened her jaws and called for four cats. "Swallowripple, Sheepcloud, Swiftscar, and Stonesky to me!" With all the cats assembled, the leader led them out of camp and out of Sweetkit's sight.

What seemed like moons passed before a bloody Talonstripe pushed through the barrier with a limp Bumblepaw on his back. Sheepcloud's white fur was stained red with blood and it made Sweetkit sick at the sight. Poppystar was limping heavily on her left side along with Swallowripple leaning on her right.

Sweetkit noticed Lemonflight among the returning cats and confusion swept through Sweetkit like a wave. Why was her mother on a patrol when she and her siblings were barely 3 moons old?

Goldentail, who was watching nearby, wailed at the sight of her dead son and rushed over to help get him off Talonstripe's shoulders. She sobbed into his fur and Sweetkit felt a pang of sympathy for the greiving queen. No cat should lose their kit, even if they deserved it.

Poppystar left Swallowripple and climbed onto the Tall Tree once Emberstripe rushed out of her den to treat the seriously injured cats. "All cat old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Tall Tree for a Clan meeting!" The powerful call of her leader made Sweetkit shudder as the Clan began to look in the direction of their leader.

"A badger was found on our territory by the Jagged Rocks but was driven out with the support of another patrol." Poppystar began, her eyes full of pain and grief. "Bumblepaw was slain while bravely defending Pouncepaw from the vicious animal." Her head turned to Pouncepaw, who was slumped over from exhaustion and grief for her littermate. "Pouncepaw," Poppystar meowed softly, her eyes becoming gentle. "Come forward, please."

The she-cat got to her paws, her eyes fixed onto the ground as she padded towards Poppystar's voice, eventually looking up at the leader with sad eyes.

"I, Poppystar, leader of FireClan call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard and inured much pain during her apprenticeship but she is ready to recieve her warrior name." Poppystar looked at the surprised she-cat. "Pouncepaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," came the weak, rasping reply of the pained apprentice as she looked up at her leader.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Pouncepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Pounceheart. We welcome you as a full warrior of FireClan." Poppystar leaped down from the tree and rested her muzzle on Pounceheart's head, murmuring words ever so softly.

The new warrior licked her shoulder and nodded, her gaze a little brighter as the Clan celebrated her warrior name. "Pounceheart! Pounceheart! Pounceheart!"