I HAVEN'T SPOKEN TO FIREHEART since the dawn patrol. I have been training Brakenpaw and seeing Silverstream for about another half-moon.
I couldn't believe that Fireheart tried to convince us to only meet at Fourtrees. I've seen her over a dozen times, and I didn't want this to end.
But, one day, we had received news from the Sunhigh patrol that they scented rogues. We had to be prepared to fight. Before long, Brokenstar, the former leader of ShadowClan leader, and his band of former ShadowClan members, have raided the camp.
Blackfoot, a white tom with black feet, clawed at my back. I tried to kick him of but he was too strong. Mousefur came to help, and bit at Blackfoot's hind leg. He retracted his claws and I hobbled away.
Clawface was in the fight, too. He murdered Spottedleaf, the former medicine cat before Yellowfang, and Fireheart was fighting him for revenge. Unfortunately, he was losing, and Clawface looked like he was going to kill him. I just couldn't stand by, watching an innocent cat die. So, I joined the fight.
I clawed at Clawface's back, and eventually, he released. I flung him back with unsheathed claws, and the enemy sprawled across the clearing. I leaped down on him, opening my mouth to reveal glistening teeth. There was a look of shock on Clawface's face, before I sunk my teeth into his neck. I felt the ShadowClan rogue's body twitch, and the taste of blood was in my mouth. Clawface's body finally went limp. I killed another cat, and I felt a pang of guilt.
I remembered the first time I killed. It was an accident. Fireheart and I were fighting RiverClan when Tallstar, the WindClan leader, escorted with us to onyesha WindClan returned. His name was Whiteclaw, and he came at me kwa surprise. He came at me, but I pushed him away. Then Whiteclaw skidded down the gorge and fell into the roughest part of the river. I felt terrible, and I feel the guilt again.
"Thanks, Graystripe," Fireheart panted.
I looked away. "I'd do that for any cat." *Don't think anything's changed.*
I went off to fight again. Eventually, all of the rogues left, except Brokenstar. Yellowfang went out of her den.
"Brokenstar is blinded," I saw guilt in her eyes. "He will never fight again."
Bluestar questioned Yellowfang's discovery. "Are wewe saying we should shelter him?"
Yowls of outrage sprang up at Bluestar's question. "Why should we?" "He's a traitor!"
"We cannot let any cat die in vain!" Yellowfang meowed.
Bluestar hesitated. "Are wewe sure he is permanently blind?"
"Yes, he can't see a thing."
Bluestar sighed. "We will shelter Brokenstar in the prisoners' den. He will be known as Brokentail, for he is no longer the leader of ShadowClan."
There were still yowls of outrage.
I couldn't believe that Yellowfangwould want to shelter that...that brute!
"Anyway, Sandpaw and Dustpaw fought well today. I think it's time they became warriors." Everyone's mood lightened at the news. "I, Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the warrior code, and I commend them to wewe as warrior in their turn. Sandpaw, Dustpaw, do wewe promise to uphold the warrior code and to defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do."
"I do," Sandpaw seemed trembling. She was finally going to be a warrior. She was the oldest apprentice, older than me and Fireheart.
Bluestar continued. "Then kwa the powers of StarClan, I give wewe your warrior names. Dustpaw, Sandpaw, from this moment on, wewe will be known as Dustpelt and Standstorm. StarClan honors your speed and agility, and we welcome wewe as a full warrior of Thunderclan."
When she finished, Bluest stepped to the new warriors, who each respectfully licked her shoulder.
"Dustpelt! Sandstorm!"
Then, a yowl of distress rang out from outside the gose tunnel. A WindClan cat ran into the clearing. He had a crooked foot and his back was torn and bloody.
"Deadfoot?" Bluestar sprang up toward the WindClan warrior. "What is it?"
"It's RiverClan and ShadowClan! They are attacking our camp! Help us! We are completely outnumbered!"
*ShadowClan and RiverClan?* Silverstream, are wewe in that battle? I never thought it would come down to this. Today, I was going to fight Silverstream.
We made it to WindClan camp, and I spotted Silverstream instantly. She was clawing at a WindClan warrior. All of my instincts were telling me to fight her and claw at her eyes. But I couldn't do it,
A ShadowClan warrior came at her side, as he helped her fight the WindClan cat. *I need to fight the ShadowClan cat!*
I pushed the ShadowClan cat aside. I nipped at his hind legs while clawing at his back. I suddenly yowled in pain. A set of claws opened the wound Blackfoot made on my back.
"Let go of him!" a voice yowled.
Rage surged through me. I knocked the cat backward and I clawed deeply at the cat's shoulder and quickly swiped at its back. It yowled in pain and staggered backward. I was about to claw at this cat's belly when...Oh no! Fear shot through me, and the blood pounded in my ears.
*Silverstream!* She stared wildly at me. *I had hurt Silverstream!*
Panic surged through me. *What have I done?*
Silverstream winced. "Graystripe, how could you?"
She ran away, leaving me struck with pain.
Some of the warriors were running away, when I heard a yowl from Fireheart. Silverstream was about to claw at his back! *I can't let this happen to my best friend!*
I yowled across the clearing, "Silverstream, no!"
Silverstream stopped dead. She lookedat me, and down at Fireheart. She guilily put her paws down. Then, Fireheart pounced on Silverstream.
"I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill him!" I quietly hissed, "If he hurts her, he'll regret it!"
But as Fireheart looked like he was about to strike, he sighed. He quietly mewed something to Silverstream and let her go. She ran out of the gorse entrance.
I ran after her, all the way across to the ThunderClan border. Silverstream had rage in her eyes. She then clawed at my back and started nipping at my legs. Silverstream started to scratch the feeling out of my shoulders.
I knocked Silverstream off me, and I bit the foreleg with the shoulder wound. She then scratched at my thigh. I sprang at her, as we periodically fought. I grabbed her kwa her limbs and threw her aside, leaving her weak and me to strike.
"STOP!" Silverstream's voice stopped, as I grabbed herby the neck. "Stop it, Graystripe!"
I let her go, and I looked at Silverstream. She was all scratched and bitten, but her face remained untouched. Although, her body was torn and bloody, and there was a trickle of blood from her neck, She staggered back and started to weep.
"What's wrong with you, Graystripe? I have never seen wewe so fierce in battle! wewe fought like Tigerclaw!"
Tigerclaw! He is the most brutal warrior in all of ThunderClan!
"What have I done?" I screamed.
"What in StarClan's name is wrong with you?"
"It's Clawface!" I blurted out. "I killed Clawface in a battle fought today. I didn't know that I would use such murderous techniques!" I discovered the hard truth. *I tried to kill you!*
Silverstream staggered backward. Her wounds were deep, and they needed to be cleaned right away!
"I'll get the cobwebs, and the herbs."
I set out to find the right medicine. I cleaned Silverstream's wounds, and she sobbed, "I cant' do this anymore!"...
Chapter 8 coming soon!!!
I couldn't believe that Fireheart tried to convince us to only meet at Fourtrees. I've seen her over a dozen times, and I didn't want this to end.
But, one day, we had received news from the Sunhigh patrol that they scented rogues. We had to be prepared to fight. Before long, Brokenstar, the former leader of ShadowClan leader, and his band of former ShadowClan members, have raided the camp.
Blackfoot, a white tom with black feet, clawed at my back. I tried to kick him of but he was too strong. Mousefur came to help, and bit at Blackfoot's hind leg. He retracted his claws and I hobbled away.
Clawface was in the fight, too. He murdered Spottedleaf, the former medicine cat before Yellowfang, and Fireheart was fighting him for revenge. Unfortunately, he was losing, and Clawface looked like he was going to kill him. I just couldn't stand by, watching an innocent cat die. So, I joined the fight.
I clawed at Clawface's back, and eventually, he released. I flung him back with unsheathed claws, and the enemy sprawled across the clearing. I leaped down on him, opening my mouth to reveal glistening teeth. There was a look of shock on Clawface's face, before I sunk my teeth into his neck. I felt the ShadowClan rogue's body twitch, and the taste of blood was in my mouth. Clawface's body finally went limp. I killed another cat, and I felt a pang of guilt.
I remembered the first time I killed. It was an accident. Fireheart and I were fighting RiverClan when Tallstar, the WindClan leader, escorted with us to onyesha WindClan returned. His name was Whiteclaw, and he came at me kwa surprise. He came at me, but I pushed him away. Then Whiteclaw skidded down the gorge and fell into the roughest part of the river. I felt terrible, and I feel the guilt again.
"Thanks, Graystripe," Fireheart panted.
I looked away. "I'd do that for any cat." *Don't think anything's changed.*
I went off to fight again. Eventually, all of the rogues left, except Brokenstar. Yellowfang went out of her den.
"Brokenstar is blinded," I saw guilt in her eyes. "He will never fight again."
Bluestar questioned Yellowfang's discovery. "Are wewe saying we should shelter him?"
Yowls of outrage sprang up at Bluestar's question. "Why should we?" "He's a traitor!"
"We cannot let any cat die in vain!" Yellowfang meowed.
Bluestar hesitated. "Are wewe sure he is permanently blind?"
"Yes, he can't see a thing."
Bluestar sighed. "We will shelter Brokenstar in the prisoners' den. He will be known as Brokentail, for he is no longer the leader of ShadowClan."
There were still yowls of outrage.
I couldn't believe that Yellowfangwould want to shelter that...that brute!
"Anyway, Sandpaw and Dustpaw fought well today. I think it's time they became warriors." Everyone's mood lightened at the news. "I, Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the warrior code, and I commend them to wewe as warrior in their turn. Sandpaw, Dustpaw, do wewe promise to uphold the warrior code and to defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do."
"I do," Sandpaw seemed trembling. She was finally going to be a warrior. She was the oldest apprentice, older than me and Fireheart.
Bluestar continued. "Then kwa the powers of StarClan, I give wewe your warrior names. Dustpaw, Sandpaw, from this moment on, wewe will be known as Dustpelt and Standstorm. StarClan honors your speed and agility, and we welcome wewe as a full warrior of Thunderclan."
When she finished, Bluest stepped to the new warriors, who each respectfully licked her shoulder.
"Dustpelt! Sandstorm!"
Then, a yowl of distress rang out from outside the gose tunnel. A WindClan cat ran into the clearing. He had a crooked foot and his back was torn and bloody.
"Deadfoot?" Bluestar sprang up toward the WindClan warrior. "What is it?"
"It's RiverClan and ShadowClan! They are attacking our camp! Help us! We are completely outnumbered!"
*ShadowClan and RiverClan?* Silverstream, are wewe in that battle? I never thought it would come down to this. Today, I was going to fight Silverstream.
We made it to WindClan camp, and I spotted Silverstream instantly. She was clawing at a WindClan warrior. All of my instincts were telling me to fight her and claw at her eyes. But I couldn't do it,
A ShadowClan warrior came at her side, as he helped her fight the WindClan cat. *I need to fight the ShadowClan cat!*
I pushed the ShadowClan cat aside. I nipped at his hind legs while clawing at his back. I suddenly yowled in pain. A set of claws opened the wound Blackfoot made on my back.
"Let go of him!" a voice yowled.
Rage surged through me. I knocked the cat backward and I clawed deeply at the cat's shoulder and quickly swiped at its back. It yowled in pain and staggered backward. I was about to claw at this cat's belly when...Oh no! Fear shot through me, and the blood pounded in my ears.
*Silverstream!* She stared wildly at me. *I had hurt Silverstream!*
Panic surged through me. *What have I done?*
Silverstream winced. "Graystripe, how could you?"
She ran away, leaving me struck with pain.
Some of the warriors were running away, when I heard a yowl from Fireheart. Silverstream was about to claw at his back! *I can't let this happen to my best friend!*
I yowled across the clearing, "Silverstream, no!"
Silverstream stopped dead. She lookedat me, and down at Fireheart. She guilily put her paws down. Then, Fireheart pounced on Silverstream.
"I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill him!" I quietly hissed, "If he hurts her, he'll regret it!"
But as Fireheart looked like he was about to strike, he sighed. He quietly mewed something to Silverstream and let her go. She ran out of the gorse entrance.
I ran after her, all the way across to the ThunderClan border. Silverstream had rage in her eyes. She then clawed at my back and started nipping at my legs. Silverstream started to scratch the feeling out of my shoulders.
I knocked Silverstream off me, and I bit the foreleg with the shoulder wound. She then scratched at my thigh. I sprang at her, as we periodically fought. I grabbed her kwa her limbs and threw her aside, leaving her weak and me to strike.
"STOP!" Silverstream's voice stopped, as I grabbed herby the neck. "Stop it, Graystripe!"
I let her go, and I looked at Silverstream. She was all scratched and bitten, but her face remained untouched. Although, her body was torn and bloody, and there was a trickle of blood from her neck, She staggered back and started to weep.
"What's wrong with you, Graystripe? I have never seen wewe so fierce in battle! wewe fought like Tigerclaw!"
Tigerclaw! He is the most brutal warrior in all of ThunderClan!
"What have I done?" I screamed.
"What in StarClan's name is wrong with you?"
"It's Clawface!" I blurted out. "I killed Clawface in a battle fought today. I didn't know that I would use such murderous techniques!" I discovered the hard truth. *I tried to kill you!*
Silverstream staggered backward. Her wounds were deep, and they needed to be cleaned right away!
"I'll get the cobwebs, and the herbs."
I set out to find the right medicine. I cleaned Silverstream's wounds, and she sobbed, "I cant' do this anymore!"...
Chapter 8 coming soon!!!