Applefrost's Hate | Based on Warrior Cats

[Shadow2204]

Applefrost's Hate
By: Shadow2204

Note:
Hello! This story is also on my Quotev as long as a few others! I apologize for any grammar or spelling errors. My writing isn't very good yet, so writing these stories are helping me improve. A lot of the earlier chapters were written by me around a year ago. The more later chapters are written sort of recently so if some details don't match up, it's probably because I forgot how I wanted something to flow or just forgot a few details in general.
I will be posting a few chapters on here and if you want to read the rest, visit my Quotev :)
Please do not reproduce this story in any way.

Summary:
Applefrost was a proud Shadeclan warrior. He loved his family and worked hard to earn his warrior title. Everything went well for Applefrost but his life spiraled down when his beloved mother died. In grief, he was outraged when his father, deputy, took on a new mate. When his father became leader, Applefrost knew Shadeclan will collapse under his poor leadership. A rogue appears as well, wanting to take over Shadeclan. He knows of Applefrost's rebellious nature against his father and asks him to join him. Will he stay loyal to Shadeclan? Or will he join the rogue leader and take over his father's leadership?

[Shadow2204]

Mrrow!

A tortoiseshell and white she-cat lands squarely on her brother’s back, smashing him to the floor with her weight.

“Ow!” The brown and white tom cried out as he laid splayed on the floor.

The tortoiseshell purred in delight. “Gotcha!”

“I’ll get you for that one, Maplekit!” growled the tom playfully.

“You’re too slow you big old lump of fur!” growled Maplekit.

With a threatening mock snarl, the brown and white tom slithered out from underneath Maplekit, tackling her to the floor. The two littermates wrested with each other, spraying dust and dirt everywhere around the nursery.

“Applekit! Maplekit! What are you doing?!” meowed an angry she-cat.

Immediately, the two littermates stopped and got up, shaking their fur. A lithe grey she-cat with white paws padded over with an angry scowl on her snout. Applekit and Maplekit cower under the strict gaze. The she-cat’s gaze softened and began licking and grooming their fur.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to rough play around the Nursery! The dust and dirt will fly into the den and it’s not good for the other kits or queens to sniff up the dirt!” She scolded.

Applekit scrunched up his muzzled and dodged another one of his mother’s lick. “She started it!” mumbled Applekit.

The grey she-cat gave him a disapproving look before sighing. “You should know better,” she glanced at Maplekit, who shrank under her blue gaze. “Both of you.” She flicked her tail. “You both know that you’re having your apprentice ceremony today. Stop acting like kits unless you want me to tell Mossstar that you’re not ready for apprenticeship?”

“No, Dewfrost. We’re sorry,” apologized Maplekit. Applekit murmured his apology, ashamed at himself.

A brown tom with green eyes arrived by the nursery, dropping a few mice onto the floor. He nuzzled Dewfrost affectionately before turning to the kits. “What have you kits done to make Dewfrost upset again?” he chuckled.

“Pinewhisker!” The kits greeted.

Dewfrost sighed. “I told them- Starclan knows how many times!- to not wrestle near the Nursery! Good thing there’s no new kits in their yet!” She exclaimed. “I don’t know whether I should be happy or worried to be going back to the warriors den and not keeping watch of those two.”

“They’ll be apprentices and get their mentors soon enough.” Pinewhisker chuckled. “I brought a snack for you, eat it before the ceremony.”

“Thank you!” mewed Applekit, eyes shining. “Maplekit, let’s share!”

He bit into the soft, juicy flesh of the mouse. He loves mice more than any other prey. He
looked up when he heard a bunch of pawsteps heading towards him and Maplekit. Seems like Hazelfur’s litter wants to play.

“Applekit! Maplekit!” mewed the three small kits.

Applekit sat up. “Hello, kits, sorry, we can’t play right now, Dewfrost told us not to,” he meowed apologetically.

“We’re becoming apprentices today!” Boasted Maplekit. The three kit’s eyes widens with amazement.

“Wow!” exclaimed Harekit. “I bet you’ll be the best warriors!” The brown tabby kit was always humble and optimistic. Applekit thinks he would make a great warrior.

Snowkit padded up to Applekit. “You’ll teach us apprentice stuff, right?” asked the small white tabby she-kit.

“I’ll teach you and your littermates when Maplekit and I start training,” promises Applekit. Snowkit nodded in agreement.

Hazelfur poked her head out of the nursery. “Kits! Hurry and finish your food!” The light brown tabby queen recently made her kits start eating prey. They were starting to grow out of their kitten teeth.

“Coming Hazelfur!” cried Harekit. “Bye Maplekit, Applekit!”

The three kits hared off to the nursery, and the last thing he saw was Sorrelkit’s tortoiseshell tail disappearing into the cozy den. He would surely miss the nursery, the warm, milky scent and the warmth of his mother and sister.

“Applekit! Let’s go tell Shrewpaw and Cloudpaw about us becoming apprentices! I bet they’ll be so jealous that we’re becoming apprentices before they’re becoming warriors!” Meowed Maplekit before she ran off towards the apprentice’s den.

“Wait up!” yowled Applekit before racing across the clearing to catch up with his sister. The brown and white tom entered after his sister into the apprentices den. Already, Maplekit was talking to Shrewpaw and Cloudpaw.

“We’re going to become apprentices!” Maplekit told the two apprentices.

“And we’re becoming warriors!” Cloudpaw exclaimed, his blue and green eyes both shining happily and proudly.

“Weren’t you two supposed to be warriors a few moons ago?” questioned Applekit, tilting his head. The two apprentices were quite large for being an apprentice.

Shrewpaw huffed. “We would, if you two would have grown faster,” the dark tabby she-cat rolled her eyes and sighed. “If we were to become warriors, there would be no apprentices in the clan so our warrior ceremony got delayed until you two became apprentices.”

Applekit lashed his tail annoyingly at Shrewpaw. Why does she always have to be so snarky and thinking everyone is a waste of her time?

Cloudpaw turned to him with a bright face. “Don’t worry about her, Applekit! She’s just trying to act like a warrior already!”

“Am not!” Shrewpaw hissed.

The blue and green eyed white apprentice chuckled. “Look at her fur, see how it’s all
slick and clean? She has been grooming herself all day today!” Whispered Cloudpaw. Applekit snorted in amusement.

“I wonder what your warrior names will be!” exclaimed Maplekit, her black and orange tail waving excitedly.

“Cloudstar, hopefully,” Cloudpaw joked, making Shrewpaw lashing out an sheathed paw at him, though, the white tom quickly dodged it.

“Like that would ever happen, mouse brain.” Snorted the dark tabby she-cat.

“You never know,” Cloudpaw eyes gleamed mischievously. “Anyway, we decided to leave our nests here for you two, since we already made our new nests in the warriors den.”

“Thank you so much!” Maplekit mewed.

“Yeah, thanks,” he mewed.

“Maplekit! Applekit!” A meowed called.

Cloudpaw flicked his ear. “Looks like someone’s looking for you two.”

“Probably Dewfrost,” replied Applekit. He turned to Maplekit. “Let’s go. Bye Cloudpaw, Shrewpaw.”

“Goodbye!” mewed Cloudpaw while Shrewpaw flicked the tip of her tail in acknowledgement.

The two littermates ran out of the apprentice’s dens and found their way back to the nursery. Dewfrost and Pinewhisker was standing near the nursery, glancing around the camp for her kits. She quickly padded towards them when she spot them.

“There you two are! The ceremony is about to start! You two looked so ruffled!” mewed Dewfrost anxiously. She began grooming Applekit as Pinewhisker groomed Maplekit.

“Stop it, mother!” Applekit complained, ducking under his mother’s delicate, swift licks. “I can groom myself!”

Dewfrost stared at him with blue eyes before sighing. “Suit yourself,” she turned to Maplekit and began grooming her instead as Pinewhisker got out of the worried queen’s way.

Pinewhisker looked at him. “Didn’t you say you’ll groom yourself?” mewed Pinewhisker, amusement shining in his green eyes.
He fluffed up his brown and white fur, hiding his embarrassment before starting to groom himself.

A loud and deep call came near the center of the camp. “Let all cats old enough to hunt their own prey gather around the Moss Rock for a clan meeting!”

Applekit swiveled his ears towards the nursery. “Can we attend this meeting too?”
“Are we old enough to hunt prey though?” “I am!” “Shh! Quiet down, we can watch from the nursery.” Applekit flicked his ear in amusement.

“It’s time!” Maplekit mewed excitedly to his face as Pinewhisker and Dewfrost herded their kits towards the Moss Rock.

Applekit looked up. A large black and white tom stood on the great, big mossy rock where the leader calls clan meetings. Mossstar looks so old. He has been serving as Shadeclan’s leader for so long! The clan settles down as Mossstar speak his announcement.

“Today is a special day where two kits will become apprentices,” announced Mossstar, yellow eyes gleaming, seemingly towards Maplekit and Applekit. He started to feel conscious about himself and shifted his paws.

“Applekit and Maplekit, step forward,” commanded Mossstar.

Applekit couldn’t help but feel nervous as eyes glared at him and Maplekit. His sister on the other hand was confident and stepped in front of the Moss Rock with pride. The tip of his tail flicked in envy and he straightened up against his sister so he didn’t look pathetic and scared.

“Applekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you have received your warrior name, you will be known as Applepaw.” Applekit shivered in anticipation. Who would be his mentor?

“Your mentor will be Icetooth,” With his name called, Icetooth flicked his ear. “I hope Icetooth will pass down all that he knows to you.”

Mossstar attention turns to the blue grey tom. “Icetooth, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Oakleaf, and you have shown yourself to be brave and a skilled fighter. You will be the mentor of Applepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Applepaw,” he mews.

“Maplekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you have received your warrior name, you will be known as Maplepaw.” Applepaw wonders if Icetooth’s sister, Dripfeather, will be her mentor.

“Your mentor will be Dripfeather,” Applepaw looks at Dripfeather, proud that he guessed correctly. “I hope Dripfeather will pass down all that she knows to you.”

“Dripfeather, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Cedarbreeze, and you have shown yourself to be loyal and passionate. You will be the mentor of Maplepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Maplepaw,” he finishes.

The long furred blue grey she-cat padded towards Maplepaw and the two new apprentices touch noses with their mentors as the clan cheers their names.

“Applepaw! Maplepaw! Applepaw! Maplepaw!” cheered their clanmates. Applepaw notices that Pinewhisker was sitting with his mate, not his usual spot as deputy at the bottom of the Moss Rock. Proudness came off of both him and Dewfrost and Applepaw fluffs out his chest fur in pride.

Icetooth was a great warrior. He was named after his fighting skills and he was one of the clan’s best fighter. He hopes his skills could be as great as him.

A low, but loud, meow stopped the cheering. Every cat turned to look up at Mossstar. “We are not done just yet. Two apprentice’s has been held back from their warrior ceremony because of the clan’s lack of apprentices,” he mewed. Cloudpaw and Shrewpaw glowed with excitement.

“I, Mossstar, leader of Shadeclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. Both of them has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn.” The black and white leader turned to look at the two apprentices. “Shrewpaw and Cloudpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

“I do,” the two apprentices mewed at the same time.

“Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Shrewpaw, from this moment you will be known as Shrewstep. StarClan honors your cleverness and loyalty. Cloudpaw, from this moment you will be known as Cloudbreeze. Starclan honors your enthusiasm and dedication and we welcome you both as a full warrior of Shadeclan,” finishes Mossstar.

“Shrewstep! Cloudbreeze! Shrewstep! Cloudbreeze!” The clan cheered.

“As tradition, you will sit vigil and guard the camp at night, get some rest before dusk falls,” mewed Mossstar.

With a flick of his tail, the clan scattered and continues to do their duties. Applepaw and Maplepaw padded towards the new warriors.

“Congratulations!” exclaimed Maplepaw. Cloudbreeze smiled back at her and even Shrewstep didn’t seemed foul mooded at all. “I can’t wait to get my warrior name! I wonder what it’ll be! Do you think-” she started.

“Maplepaw, I think they want to go, they’ll have to sit vigil for the whole night! Let them get a good nap before they do,” mew Applepaw. Maplepaw opened her mouth to protest but later just nodded.

“Bye, Cloudbreeze, Shrewstep!” mewed Maplepaw.

A pair of blue grey warriors padded up towards them. “We agreed that it’s getting late so we won’t be exploring the territory today,” explained Dripfeather. Maplepaw tail drooped.

“Aw! I wanted to explore and get out of the camp for once!” Maplepaw mewed. “So what are we going to do then?” His tortoiseshell sister asked.

Dripfeather looks amused but Icetooth didn’t show anything. “You’ll be helping the elders clear away their ticks,” mewed the grey blue tom.

“What?” exclaimed Applepaw in surprised. He scrunched up his nose as he remembers the foul scent of mouse bile. Icetooth gave him a disapproving glare. Applepaw ducks his head and mumbles an apology.

“Apprentices need to learn how to obey their mentors without question and to realize that this is part of their apprentice training,” Icetooth narrowed his eyes. “Go to Lightheart for some mouse buile, afterwards, you can get something from the fresh-kill pile and rest for tomorrow. Get plenty of rest, we’ll be training.”

The two apprentices could only nod. The scurried to the medicine cat’s den. “Wow, I can’t believe this is our first task,” grunted Applepaw.

“It’s okay! At least we get to listen to some stories from the elders, Shadowfern especially tells good stories!” mewed Maplepaw.

“But I don’t want to lick the mouse bile off of my fur, it’ll taste so gross!” complained Applepaw.

“You can leave it until tomorrow, we’re going to explore the territory anyway, there’s supposed to be a stream in Shadeclan territory!”

They reached the medicine cat’s den, the two apprentices poked their heads in. “Lightheart?” Maplepaw mewed into the den.

A few heartbeats later, a sandy colored she-cat with white chest fur appeared. “Hello, young ones!” She looked at the dismay on their faces and chuckled. “Is your first task as an apprentice to rid the ticks off of the elders?” She turned around and grabbed a couple wads of moss soaked in mouse bile.

“Here it is, just dab it onto the tick and it’ll fall straight off,” she explained. “Oh! Also, you could line some comfrey roots into Ratpelt’s nest? He’s been complaining he’s aching again.” The medicine cat took a bunch of roots and wrapped into a large leaf. “Thank you, you two!”

Applepaw looked up to the darkening sky. He wonders what will happen tomorrow. He can’t wait for the sun to rise again.

[Shadow2204]

Applepaw opened his jaws slightly, getting in the sweet scent of a mouse. He flicked his ears as he spotted the mouse a few tail lengths away, chewing on some grass. He stalks closer to it, trembling in excitement. The mouse suddenly looked up from a soft noise, Applepaw quickly following its gaze.

Bright sunlight shined onto his green eyes. Immediately, the brown and white tome closed his eyes and winced in pain.

“Wake up, Applepaw!” meowed Maplepaw loudly.

Blinking a few times, he grudgingly stood up and shook off the moss and grass off his fur. He flicked his tail in annoyance, glaring into his sister’s own green eyes.

“Dripfeather and Icetooth is already waiting for us by the Moss Rock!” exclaimed Maplepaw as Applepaw stretched as he yawned. “Come on!”

The tortoiseshell she-cat ran off, Applepaw quickly following. The two blue-grey mentors were sitting near the Tall Rock, a few tail lengths away from Pinewhisker, who was assigning patrols to the other warriors. Applepaw suddenly feel hot with shame that he had woken up so late, compared to the others. He’ll definitely not sleep in when he’s a warrior.

“Greetings, Applepaw, Maplepaw,” Icetooth greeted quietly as Dripfeather flicks her ear in acknowledgement.

“You two ready for a tour of the territory?” asked Dripfeather as she stood up.

“Of course!” exclaimed Maplepaw excitedly. “Let’s go!” She raced off towards the camp’s entrance. Applepaw flicked his tail in irritation. Why couldn’t she just wait? We’re only apprentices, we should always listen to our mentors and not dash off doing our own thing.

“Wait up! Don’t go out yet!” Dripfeather called after her. The long-furred she-cat shook her head, sighing before looking up with amusement twinkling in her eyes. “I wonder where she gets all that energy from. It’ll be a good asset as a warrior, to be enthusiastic and willing to do anything,” she commented.

“She’s a bit head-first,” Icetooth mewed, narrowing his eyes. “I hope she can learn to back off a bit at the right time. Going head first into battle isn’t exactly smart.”

Applepaw said nothing as they reached the camp entrance, where Maplepaw was already waiting. And from a nod from Icetooth, the two pairs began to tour the territory. Maplepaw and Applepaw stuck near their mentor’s sides as they lead the tour.

The pine forest had a different scent than their camp. It was minty in a way and it smelled like pine sap. He stared at the ground as he walked. The ground was soft and uneven, unlike than the smooth, flat floor of the camp. Applepaw liked the feeling of the cool dirt underneath his paws. He looked up to see the pine forest thinning out and the ground sloping upwards. He wonders where they are now. Maplepaw, seeing the forest thinning out and the sun shining bright on the other side, got excited and rushed towards it.

“Wait! Maplepaw! There’s a cliff at the edge!” yowled Dripfeather as she trotted to catch up to the tortoiseshell apprentice.

A strike of fear ran through his spine, causing his fur to spike. A cliff? There are cliffs in Shadeclan territory? What if Maplepaw couldn’t see it and fell off?

“Maplepaw!” called out Applepaw as he chased after her without thinking. He heard a distant - and annoyed - yowl from Icetooth but he didn’t care. He wanted to see if his sister was safe. The bright sunlight blinded his vision and he ended up crashing into something soft and large. He blinked his eyes a few times before looking up at a worried Dripfeather.

“Are you okay, Applepaw?” She asks, looking him all over. He fluffed up in indignantly and embarrassed, he didn’t need a warrior acting like a worried queen for him. He was an apprentice, not a kit!

“Look at it! It’s so beautiful!” mewed Maplepaw. Her voice shook him back to reality. He felt relieved that his sister was alright and that she didn’t fall off the cliff, something she would do with her excitement.

Applepaw padded over to where Maplepaw was, a couple of tail lengths away from the edge. It was beautiful. At the bottom, he could see a thin river as well as an oak forest. In the distance, he saw tall, green mountains. It did look wonderful. Suddenly, he felt a sharp, but soft, hit at his flanks. He turned to see Icetooth looking annoyed.

“Next time, don’t run off. You have mentors for a reason” growled Icetooth as he flicked his tail. Applepaw mumbled an apology.

“Anyway,” he mewed as he glared at the two apprentices. Applepaw flattened his ears in shame. “Shadeclan is known for being brave and hunting birds that nests on the side of these cliffs,” Icetooth puffed out his chest proudly. “I have actually gotten quite a few birds from hunting on the cliffs.”

Applepaw tilts his head. Wasn’t it dangerous to hunt on cliffs? A squawk sounded in the air and Applepaw’s ears perked up as he walked over to the edge, peering over. He sees a couple of birds flying around and a nest, chirping with baby birds, just a few tail lengths below. The nest was nested in a jutted rock. The apprentice notices some paw hold areas where he could climb down and grab the chicks. He licks his lips.

“It’s forbidden for apprentices to hunt on the cliffs,” mews Dripfreather, breaking him away from his thought. “A gust of wind can easily knock you off.” Applepaw took one more look at the nest of birds but returned back to the patrol.

“We’ll be going to the Emberclan border soon. Make sure you take in their scent and observe their territory to know how to identify their land so you don’t accidentally cross it as well as so in case they invade us, you’ll know how they smell like.”

The four cats returned to their original path and they finally arrived at the Emberclan
border. Large oak tree surrounds the border. In the distance, he could hear faint bird song within the large forest.

“Wow! They sure have a nice forest!” commented Maplepaw, who was looking around with wide green eyes.

Applepaw snorted. “Our pine forests are way better than their oak ones.” He sniffed the air. “And our forest smells nicer too.”

Just when the small team of mentors and apprentices were about to leave, a low call was heard from the other side of the border. The four Shadeclan cats stood still as the a patrol stopped just beyond the border, nodding in greeting.

In the front was a red tabby tom with striking amber eyes. The tom looked at him and Applepaw flattens his ears. He felt a tail tip on his shoulder. Icetooth looked at him and Applepaw was reassured that they were safe. He caught the eye of another apprentice. The black she-cat blinked at him with her amber eyes. Applepaw tilts his head, eyes shining with curiosity, wondering what her name was. He hasn’t meet cats outside of the clan yet.

“Greetings, Icetooth, Dripfeather,” the red tabby greeted in a low meow.

“Robinflame,” mews Dripfeather. Icetooth only nodded. Robinflame looked at him and Maplepaw. Applepaw felt the need to stand in front of his sister, shielding her from the tom. From his action, the Emberclan cat chuckled.

“We’re not here to hurt anyone, apprentice,” Robinflame gently pushed the Emberclan apprentice forward. “This is my apprentice, Berrypaw.” Berrypaw nodded at him and Maplepaw shyly. Robinflame lifted his head back towards their mentors. “Taking your apprentices out?”

Icetooth nodded. “They’re our new apprentices, just apprenticed the other sun-rise,” he mewed stiffly. Applepaw wonders why he’s being so...weird.

“I’m Maplepaw and that’s my littermate Applepaw! Nice to meet you!” bursted out his sister at Berrypaw who blinked in surprise.

“Hi,” Berrypaw mumbled.

A black and white tom stepped forward. “We should finish this patrol up soon, Robinflame. I don’t think Tanglestar would like for us to be out long,” he mewed apologetically.

Robinflame nodded. “You’re right, Snowsplash. We’ll go soon.” The ambered eye tabby whispered something into Snowsplash’s ear as he eyed them. “We’ll meet again soon, Icetooth, Dripfeather.” He looks down at him and Maplepaw again. “And i’m sure Berrypaw would like to meet you two during the gathering.” With that, the Emberclan patrol moved on.

“Emberclan cats are weird,” mumbled Applepaw. Maplepaw was jumping up and down.

“Wow! When’s the gathering? I want to meet the other clan’s apprentices!”

Dripfeather flicked her tail and the patrol began to move again. “The next gathering will be in another half-moon or so.” The long-furred she-cat looks at Applepaw. “Something wrong?”

The brown and white apprentice blinked a few times, shaking his head. “It seemed like there was a lot of tension in the air, mostly from our side,” mews Applepaw. Icetooth and Dripfeather seemed so tense while the Emberclan patrol didn’t seem to care too much; but there were still tension on their side.

“We’re always wary of other clans,” mews Icetooth as they continued on with the
territory tour. “Nothing’s wrong with being safe than sorry,” growls Icetooth. “Especially when Emberclan has stolen prey a season ago.”

“Emberclan has always been lax, it’s like Tanglestar haven’t gotten any control with her clan,” mews Dripfeather, shaking her head. “But then again, Emberclan has always been carefree- as well as careless. Their behavior irritates me.”

The small patrol said nothing, even Maplepaw had quieted down. It was now sun-high, luckily for the Shadeclan cats, the trees of the territory protected them from the bright sunlight, something Shadeclan cats don’t enjoy too much. They rather stay in the cool shadows of the forest, hunting and patrolling in silence and stealth.

They arrived at a large clearing with a huge grey rock in the center, closer to Shadeclan and Emberclan’s border. Above the rock was the clear sky and bright sun, shining onto the gigantic rock. Applepaw lifted his snout into the air, tasting in the strange smells. It had the familiar Shadeclan scent as well as Emberclan’s scent. Among the two scents, he also detected a smell of salt and water as well as grass and lavender.

“This,” Dripfeather started. Maplepaw was bouncing up and down between her mentor’s paws. “Is the Moon Rock, where gatherings are held.” She smiled down at her apprentice as his calico sister exclaimed excitedly how amazing the Moon Rock was.

“During the full moon, the moonlight shines down onto the Moon Rock, where the leaders stand to make their announcements,” Icetooth explained. “When the light shines, it means Starclan is listening. If a dispute were to happen, breaking the Warrior Code, then clouds will cover the moon and the Moon Rock will be dark. It means Starclan is done listening to the clans.”

“It’s so beautiful! So much meaning to it!” Exclaims Maplepaw. “I can’t wait for my first gathering!” Applepaw secretly wonders what’s so beautiful about a rock. It’s just a rock. There are many boulders and big rocks in Shadeclan’s territory, he never heard Maplepaw babble on about those.

“Opposite from us, you can see a small pine forest. That will lead us to Galeclan’s territory. They have large plains filled with...grass and some lavender patches,” Icetooth points his tail towards the opposite end of Emberclan’s territory. “And over there would be Tideclan’s territory, they have streams and river covering the borders of the territory and they live on an island surrounded with reeds.”

The mentor and apprentice patrol walked passed a small stream and arrives at the Galeclan border. Applepaw raises his head high to observe the clan’s territory. Like Icetooth said, it was a bunch of hills filled with grass and some lavender patches. Suddenly, Icetooth growled and Applepaw flinched slightly from the threatening sound.

“Prey stealers,” snarls Icetooth.

Dripfeather and the two apprentices stalked towards the prey blood Icetooth was observing that was on their side. Applepaw opened his jaw and the scent of Galeclan immediately triggered his scent gland. It was definitely Galeclan scent on their side of the border. Applepaw growled while Maplepaw seemed mortified,

“We have to tell Mossstar about this!” mews Applepaw, alarmed. Icetooth nodded in agreement.

“Let’s go before it gets dark,” Icetooth looks at the soon darkening sky, whisker twitching. With Dripfeather making the first run towards the camp, the rest of the patrol followed with quick and nimble pawsteps.

Along the way, they met an Shadeclan border patrol. Oakleaf, a brown tabby who is one of Shadeclan’s senior warriors, was in the lead, followed by Speckledberry, Ashfeather, and Foxtail.

“What’s going on?” Demanded Oakleaf. “Is there an invasion?” Speckledberry and Ashfeather seemed concerned while Foxtail lashed his reddish-brown tail, a snarl beginning to form on his snout.

“We found Galeclan scent on our territory, with prey blood as well,” growled Icetooth. “We’re running back to alert Mossstar, be careful when you’re there.”

Oakleaf nodded. Foxtail narrowed his eyes. “I’ll shred any Galeclan cat’s fur off!” snarled the black striped red tom. Ashfeather and Speckledberry nodded in agreement. The border patrol headed on, anger burning in their gaze.

They finally arrived at camp, exhausted. Applepaw pants, dizzy from the run. The territory went by as a blur. He swayed a bit on his sore paws, eyes blinking trying to stay awake. Maplepaw seemed like she ready to fall into seasons worth of sleep.

Mossstar leaped onto the Moss Rock and yowled a meeting. As soon as the cats gathered, the black and white tom spoke.

“One of our patrols have reported of scenting Galeclan on our side of our territory as well as prey blood stained on our land,” announces Mossstar, who narrowed his green eyes. Yowls of anger and fear filled the Shadeclan camp. “We will double the border patrol with our shared border of Galeclan.” Mossstar looks at his and Maplepaw’s father, Pinewhisker, who nodded fiercely. “We will not let this be forgotten,” growls the black and white tom. “If we find more Galeclan scent on our land, we will attack.”

[Shadow2204]

Applepaw tucked his paws underneath him, doing his best impressions of the hunter’s crouch. His whiskers twitches as his mentor circled him, as if inspecting every single fur on his body.

“Lower your tail,” demanded Icetooth. Applepaw corrected himself. “Now it’s too low, your tail will drag and make noise when you stalk your prey.” He sat up as Icetooth explained and demonstrated the hunter’s crouch once more.

Applepaw sighed. Why was he so terrible with hunting? He took a quick glance at Maplepaw, who was getting complimented by her mentor. He lashed his tail with frustration. Why couldn’t he be like her?

“Applepaw, are you even listening?” Icetooth calls out. Applepaw flattens his ears.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Maybe if you would listen, you would have gotten it by now,” Icetooth mews, whisker twitching. Applepaw could tell he didn’t like the look of his apprentice’s progress as well. Applepaw lowers his gaze. He’s a disappointment. Dripfeather pads over to the mentor-apprentice pair.

“Don’t be so harsh on him,” scolds Dripfeather. Icetooth snorts in return. “He’s only an apprentice,” Icetooth’s sister points out.

“He’s been an apprentice for a half moon already! He should have gotten the hunter’s crouch by now! In fact, his crouch should have been perfect a quarter moon ago!” Icetooth snarls.

Applepaw flattens his ears, he tried his best. He felt frustration a while ago which now turned to anger. The brown and white apprentice wanted to claw Icetooth’s ears off. He glared at Icetooth who returned his icy gaze. The tooth sticking out from the top of his fangs made him look more menacing and Applepaw lowered his gaze, not wanting to provoke his mentor than he already has.

“I’m sorry,” gritted out Applepaw. “Sorry i’m not the best hunter in the clan and that I don’t fit your fur-brained standards.” Applepaw looked at Icetooth’s shocked face and he shuffled his paws. He didn’t mean to sound so scornful and hateful.

The brown and white apprentice immediately ran from the training grounds and straight back to the apprentice’s den. It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t be as perfect as Maplepaw. It wasn’t fair. He ended up grooming himself until Icetooth, Dripfeather, and Maplepaw returned. Icetooth didn’t even look at him. Applepaw huffs. He’s not going up to him and apologizing. It’s Icetooth’s fault for being so impatient with him.

His stomach growls and it reminded him that he had not eaten for the day. The small apprentice padded towards the impressive fresh-kill pile. New-leaf was doing Shadeclan well. He remembered the harsh Leaf-bare, only a few moons he was born. Even as a kit, he was skin and bones. Shadeclan lost a few warriors in those few moons. He picked a mouse for himself.

He carried the mouse to a shady area near the apprentice’s den. Applepaw glanced around the camp as he chew on the soft, tender meat of the mouse. Maplepaw was sharing prey with Cloudbreeze near the warrior’s den, Shrewstep not far away, grooming herself. Lightheart, their medicine cat, was stretching near her own den. He sees his father and mother, Pinewhisker and Dewfrost, sharing tongues near the Nursery. He sighs. Shadeclan was the perfect home. If only a certain cat would have more patience and tolerance.

Applepaw yanked his brown tail towards his paws sharply when claws dug into his tail’s fur. Looking behind him, he finds three kits, glaring up at him with bright, large eyes.

“Hi, Applepaw!” Harekit greeted, running up to his face. He loved Harekit and his frivolous personality.

“Hello, Harekit,” Applepaw returned his greeting. He turned towards his two littermates. “And hello, Snowkit and Sorrelkit.”

“You looked lonely,” Sorrelkit mewed quietly. Applepaw tiled his head and the small tortoiseshell shrank a bit. “We thought you could use some company.” Applepaw purred in delight. The kits were so thoughtful of others.

“Can you show us the hunter’s crouch?” Snowkit asks, eyes shining in curiosity.

“Yeah! Can you show us? Please? I want to be the best hunter!” Harekit mews loudly. Sorrelkit nodded fiercely with determination.

Applepaw hesistated. He wasn’t the best hunter and he didn’t want to teach the kits the wrong way of the hunter’s crouch. “I don’t know, kits…” murmured the apprentice.

“Please? You promised,” Snowkit looked up at him. Applepaw nodded, he’s sure that they would do better when they do become apprentices.

“So first, you tuck in your paws like this,” Applepaw tucked in his front paws and lowered his body close to the ground. “Then, you have to tuck in your hind paws so you could get a good leap at your prey.” He watches as the kits copy him. Harekit’s striped tail was waving excitedly in the air and Applepaw remembered what Icetooth said. “Lower your tail, Harekit, enough so it’s- there you go! Good job!” Compliments Applepaw. He looked at all three kits. Their hunter’s crouch wasn’t terrible, a bit wobbly but it was expected for kits. “You all are doing great, you’ll be good hunters one day.”

***

Applepaw licks a paw and drags it over his head. Cloudbreeze had probably taken his sister out for a hunt and Icetooth and Dripfeather was resting in the warrior’s den. He stretched lazily and laid his head onto his brown paws. It was unfortunate that he could not leave camp without an warrior unless he was making dirt or something.

Off in the distance, he could see his father, the clan deputy, asking Pigeonstripe to lead a patrol. His eyes looked upwards to see the sun still high. It was probably a Galeclan border patrol, since patrols only usually go out during sunrise and sunset. The pale grey warrior with a striped tail padded towards Icetooth, speaking to him. Applepaw’s tail twitched. He wonders if Icetooth would take him with him to patrol, even if he ran off during the training session.

To his surprise, Icetooth padded towards him, expression normal- not angry or hateful. It made Applepaw lash his tail in irritation at himself for being so agitated about the training session when it meant nothing to Icetooth. All it did was show the blue-grey warrior that his apprentice was a coward.

“You’re going on a border patrol with me,” announces Icetooth. “The rest of the patrol is waiting at the entrance.” With that, his mentor strided towards the thick underbrush entrance. Applepaw quickly followed, excited for his first border patrol.

At the corner of his vision, he could see Maplepaw sharing tongues with Cloudbreeze. He puffed out his chest in pride. He was able to go on a border patrol before she did and she was stuck in camp doing nothing. Like him, every since they were apprentices, all they did was go on hunting patrols with their mentors- which always ended with him being empty pawed and Maplepaw with prey.

Pigeonstripe was the closest to the thick entrance. A black furred warrior, Ravenclaw, was right behind him and next to him was Shrewstep.

“What took you so long? You’re such a slow paw,” Shrewstep mewed with mock irritation. Though, he could tell she was trying to be friendly. Applepaw huffed with amusement and greeted her. With a tail signal from Pigeonstripe, they head off to the Galeclan border.

When they arrived, Pigeonstripe, Ravenclaw, and Shrewstep was sniffing around the border. Icetooth was suddenly next to him.

“Observe the warriors, this is how you do a border patrol,” mews the blue-grey warrior. They were checking for scents on their side and Shrewstep renewed the marking of the border. “You try now,” instructed Icetooth.

Applepaw stepped cautiously to the border, trying to not step on the other side. He sniffed around to find only Shadeclan scent and no prey blood. Their territory seems free of Galeclan cats.

“Galeclan hasn’t been on our territory for a while,” mumbles Ravenclaw. The quiet tom hasn’t spoken since now.

Icetooth growls. “Good for them, if I ever find their scent on our territory, I’ll shred every single strand of fur off their mangy pelts.” Shrewstep growled in agreement.

Pigeonstripe nodded. “We should be heading on, I think Pinewhisker would like us to be back at camp before sundown.”

The patrol returned to camp and every muscle in Applepaw felt stiff and sore. He stretched and he felt instant relief. Maplepaw bounded up to him, green eyes shining.

“Wow! Did you go on a border patrol?”

Applepaw puffed out his chest. “Yeah, I went on the Galeclan border patrol.”

“Did they cross the border?”

“Nope. And if they did, i’d rip their pelts off!” Applepaw mocked growled.

Maplepaw purred in amusement. “We didn’t learn how to fight yet,” Maplepaw’s eyes lit up even more. “Dripfeather said that she and Icetooth will start battle training soon! You’re so lucky to have Icetooth! I heard he’s a great fighter.” Applepaw purred in happiness.

[Shadow2204]

It was now a moon since their apprentice ceremony, and that meant a gathering was today. He woke up with excitement and a hungry belly. Now, he stood in front of the fresh-kill pile, unsure on what prey he should get. The prey pile was a considerably good amount, it wasn’t too much since New Leaf only had just begun.

He decided on an average sized pigeon and carried it off to find his mother, Dewfrost. Dewfrost was sharing tongues with Pinewhisker, her mate and his father. At the sight of Applepaw, Dewfrost lits up with happiness and purrs with delight. He dropped the pigeon in between him and his parents.

“Do you want to share prey with me?” Applepaw asked, settling down onto his belly.

“Of course!” exclaims Dewfrost. “Did you catch this yourself?”

Applepaw looked at the ground. “I haven’t caught anything since my apprentice ceremony…”

His mother looked at him with sympathetic eyes. Then, she snorted with laughter. Both Pinewhisker and Applepaw looked at her, confused.

“It’s okay, Pinewhisker was a terrible hunter when he was an apprentice,” Dewfrost mews. Applepaw tilts his head with curiosity He was glad he wasn’t the only one in his kin that wasn’t good at hunting.

“I was not, I was one of the best! ” Pinewhisker protested, genuinely looking scared. Applepaw began to chuckle. What happen to him that was so embarrassing that he didn’t want his own son to know about?

“Oh, be quiet, Pinewhisker,” Dewfrost rolled her eyes. “Pinewhisker was a confident one, thinking he was the best at everything,” started Dewfrost, His father took a bite from the pigeon, chewing like he wanted a distraction. “He tried hunting a squirrel one day and it climbed up a tree. He wanted to climb it and hunt it down but instead, the squirrel jumped on top of him! You should have seen his face!” Dewfrost purred. “Pinewhisker, or should I say, Pinepaw, was terrified. He didn’t want to go on the next few hunting patrols!”

Applepaw couldn’t help but purr in laughter, Pinewhisker, still chewing on the pigeon, embarrassed. “The hunter became the hunted.”
The sun was starting to set. He laid on his back, in one of the few sunny spots of camp. Sometimes the sun felt so good on his fur. A familiar yowl was heard and he rolled over and sat up. Mossstar was on the Moss Rock as cats gathered around.

“There is a gathering tonight,” started Mossstar. The cats started murmuring in excitement. “Those who will be attending tonight’s gathering are Oakleaf, Creamfeather, Speckledberry, Icetooth, Dripfeather, Dewfrost, Shrewstep, Cloudbreeze, Mothwhisker, Shadowfern, Maplepaw, and Applepaw,” he finished. “Be ready soon, we will start to leave at sun down.”

*****

The clan was walking close to the Emberclan border to go to the Moon Rock. They walked in silence as the moon began to rise. A noisy shuffling could be heard on the Emberclan border. A group of cats appeared. A long-furred white she-cat with blue eyes was at the head of the group.

“Greetings, Mossstar,” the she-cat mews.

“Greetings, Tanglestar,” Mossstar replies back. “Shall we walk to the gathering together?” Tanglestar only nodded before taking the lead. Shadeclan behind Emberclan.

He walked by Maplepaw who was walking at Dewfrost’s flanks. Next to him, was a familiar Emberclan cat. It was the same apprentice he had met during the border patrol.

“Berrypaw?” Applepaw wonders.

“Oh, Applepaw,” mews Berrypaw in surprise. “And Maplepaw. This is Dovepaw, she’s Emberclan’s medicine cat apprentice.”

A pretty grey she-cat with a white underbelly was walking by Berrypaw’s side. “Hello!” She mews in a soft, friendly tone.

“H-hello,” Applepaw stammered. Dovepaw mumbled something into Berrypaw’s ears before striding forward to a large brown speckled tom. Applepaw couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

“She wanted to talk to Thrushheart, our medicine cat and her mentor,” Berrypaw mewed, almost apologetic. “Is this your first gathering? It’s my first gathering as an apprentice.”

“Yep! It’s our first gathering too!” responded Maplepaw before he could say anything. “I heard that-”

Applepaw walked off to Icetooth’s side, away from the two she-cat apprentices’ chattering. Icetooth was with Mothwhisker, deep into conversation. The tan she-cat was permanently made a queen, caring for the clan’s kits. Though, she does help with warrior duties when times are hard and the clan is short on warriors. Applepaw had heard that she had multiple litters of kits, although all had gone to Starclan at a young age, she has dedicated the rest of her seasons in caring for the clan’s kit so such grief does not happen to other queens.

“Rosepetal is getting large, isn’t she?” asks Mothwhisker, innocently.

“What are you getting at, Mothwhisker?” Icetooth lashed his tail. Applepaw perked his ears. Rosepetal was Icetooth’s mate? He wasn’t even aware Icetooth had a mate. He knew eavesdropping wasn’t good but he continued to listen.

“Rosepetal mentioned you when we were talking about her kits.”

Icetooth snorted. “So? I’m not her mate, so why does that matter? I’m her friend, her clanmate, nothing more.” Icetooth then walked faster in order to get ahead and away from Mothwhisker.

Applepaw was shocked and confused. Icetooth wasn’t her mate? Who was the father of Rosepetal’s kits? It was the mother of the kits choice to reveal the father or not. He wonders if Rosepetal was carrying Icetooth kit’s even though they aren’t mates.

“I see you have been listening, Applepaw.”

The brown and white apprentice jumped, fur spiking, embarrassed. “Er, maybe..”

Mothwhisker chuckled. “It’s fine, Icetooth can’t get angry with me forever. Besides, Rosepetal has already revealed the father of her unborn kits to me; it’s Icetooth.” Applepaw widens his eyes in surprise. “However, they aren’t mates. Though, I have no doubts Icetooth would love them and help Rosepetal care for them.”

The finally arrived at the Moon Rock and Applepaw seemed to found his way back to Maplepaw.

“I can tell you like her,” giggles Maplepaw.

Applepaw’s fur heated up. “Wh-what are you talking about?”

“Dovepaw.”

“What?”

“Applepaw! Maplepaw! Come here!” called Dewfrost.

The two littermates forgotten their conversation and heed their mother’s call. She was sitting with a tortoiseshell and white she-cat with white speckles.

“This is Dappledleaf of Tideclan,” mews Dewfrost. She then turns to Dappledleaf. “These are my kits, Maplepaw and Applepaw.”

“My own kits became warriors half a moon ago,” boasted Dappledleaf. A black tom came up to the pair of queens and nuzzled Dappledleaf. Applepaw assumed that was her mate.

Dewfrost lowers her head to her kit’s ears. “Go find the apprentices. Don’t reveal clan secrets.”

The nodded and headed off to a group apprentices. They seem to be showing off their hunting and fighting skills to each other. The joined them and everyone looked at them.

“Hey, new apprentices,” a tortoiseshell she-cat looked towards them. The other apprentices’ gazes quickly followed.

Maplepaw jumped up and down. “Hi! I’m Maplepaw! This is my littermate, Applepaw!” Applepaw nodded.

“I’m Mottledpaw, this is my sister, Larkpaw,” mewed the tortoiseshell. A grey and brown tortoiseshell padded up towards Mottledpaw and mewed her greetings. “We’re from Tideclan. Where you from? Shadeclan?”

Applepaw and Maplepaw nodded. Maplepaw glanced towards another three apprentices. They smelled like they were from Galeclan. A black tabby tom introduced himself as Darkpaw. A light sandy colored tabby was his brother, Dunepaw, and a silver tabby was his sister, Heatherpaw. Of course, they have already met Berrypaw of Emberclan.

“I have helped bring down a rabbit the other day,” boasted Dunepaw.
“Galeclan’s hunting has been great this New-leaf,” Heatherpaw added. “Our prey pile was never empty.”

Berrypaw, despite having an quiet personality, spoken up to his surprised. “I have caught a squirrel while climbing a tree,” she mewed with pride. “Robinflame said it was no easy feat.” She turns towards Applepaw, her head tilting. “Have you caught anything yet?”

Applepaw hesitated. He hasn’t caught anything on his own yet nor did he help his clanmates catch anything. In fact, he was the one who scared all the prey away. He was one of the worst hunters, in fact, maybe he is the worst hunter of Shadeclan. Before he could say anything, the Tideclan apprentices bragged on about how they caught the largest trout together.

Maplepaw looked like she wanted to join in with the bragging session, a loud meow quieted down the clans. A pale grey she-cat with white paws and tail tip stepped forward.

The three Galeclan apprentices, Darkpaw, Dunepaw, and Heatherpaw straightened up. Dunepaw, upon seeing Applepaw’s confused look, whispered, “That’s our leader, Willowstar!”

“We have three new apprentices. Darkpaw, Dunepaw, and Heatherpaw had begun their training just recently. Their mentors being Speckledflower, Grasswhisker, and Rabbitleap”

“Darkpaw! Dunepaw! Heatherpaw! Darkpaw! Dunepaw! Heatherpaw!” The clans cheered, with Galeclan being the loudest.

He noticed a brown speckled she-cat next to Darkpaw looking proud and a brown tabby tom next to Dunepaw looking proud. He assumes that they are their mentors, Speckledflower and Grasswhisker. He looks around to see who Rabbitleap was.

When the cheering died down, Applepaw turned to Heatherpaw. “Who’s your mentor?” He asks.

Heatherpaw puffed out her chest. “Rabbitleap, he’s Galeclan’s deputy,” she stated matter-of-factly.

Applepaw looked at the base of the Moon Rock, below where Willowstar stands. A long limbed white tom sat with his fluffy tail curled around his paws, gazing at the clans with pride.

“Galeclan’s prey pile has never been empty. Hunting has been going well for Galeclan,” Willowstar finishes off.

Mossstar emits a threatening growl, silence and shock ran through the clans. Applepaw has an idea what it was about. He looked up at the sky to see if the Starclan would cover the moon.

“Galeclan has good hunting because they stole from Shadeclan!”

[Shadow2204]

The gathering erupted with yowls and snarls. Most noise, if not all, were from Shadeclan and Galeclan cats. Even the Galeclan apprentices, Darkpaw, Dunepaw, and Heatherpaw, turned on Maplepaw and himself. They were snarling at him as Maplepaw looked worried. Applepaw glared at them, still sitting down, lashing his tail. They won’t dare to fight during a gathering, best to keep his calm. Willowstar let out a yowl, which quieted down the clans.

“Galeclan did not steal any prey,” Willowstar mewed strongly. She stared at Mossstar with hard, green eyes. It looked convincing that she was telling the truth, but Applepaw was there when they scented Galeclan on their territory.

Mossstar did not lower his gaze, instead, he narrowed his eyes. “Half a moon ago,” he started, eyes moving to glare at the Galeclan cats. “We found Galeclan scent and prey blood on our territory,” his leader growled.

“It could have been a fox a fox from our territory and killed prey on your territory,” the Galeclan leader reasoned. “We scent a fox on our territory half a moon ago, but our warriors have chased it away.”

“Oh, I see...” Mossstar growls with sarcasm. Then he turned back to Willowstar. “Your clanmates are foxes!”

The two clans, Shadeclan and Galeclan yowls with anger and hostility once again. Though, they won’t attack unless the leaders signals them. Applepaw looks up to the sky, surprised that Starclan has not covered the clouds.

“Enough!” a large white spotted tabby tom yowled. The clans quieted down. Emberclan’s leader was Tanglestar and Galeclan’s leader is Willowstar. He must be Tideclan’s leader. He turned to Mottledpaw and Larkpaw, who was neutral between the Galeclan and Shadeclan scandal. He tilted his head in question.

The two Tideclan apprentices smirked slightly in amusement. “That’s Blizzardstar, he’s a great leader!” Mottledpaw mewed.

Blizzardstar rises up onto his four paws. “I am surprised that Starclan has not covered the sky yet. They have been patient enough already, Shadeclan and Galeclan can argue on their own time,” the Tideclan leader finished. The clans seemed to murmur with approval. Mossstar turned away, sitting back on his haunches, lashing his tail in silent agreement. Willowstar only nodded and took her place next to Tanglestar once more.

“Three warriors arises in Tideclan,” Blizzardstar’s ice blue eyes shine with pride. “Flowertail, Leopardpelt, and Ebonyclaw are Tideclan’s new warriors.”

“Flowertail! Leopardpelt! Ebonyclaw! Flowertail! Leopardpelt! Ebonyclaw!” The clans cheered, but not as enthusiastic as before.

“Tideclan receives good hunting from New Leaf, the water has returned and so has the fish,” Blizzardstar concluded. It was now Mossstar’s turn to make his announcement. Mossstar stepped forward, still eyeing Willowstar with narrowed eyes as he made his announcement.

“Shadeclan has new apprentices as well as new warriors,” Mosssstar started out with a strong voice. “Applekit and Maplekit has become Applepaw and Maplepaw.” The clans cheered. “Shrewpaw and Cloudpaw became Shrewstep and Cloudbreeze.” And the clan cheered again. “Shadeclan is growing strong, especially when the prey is returning to the forests. And we are able to take down any threat,” Mosstar’s eye moves to look at Willowstar as he finishes.

Willowstar has the beginning of a snarl but Tanglestar, Emberclan’s leader, stops her with her tail, glaring at her. Willowstar only huffs before Tanglestar makes her announcements.

“Emberclan has three new kits! Fawnleap has a tom and two she-kits. Leafpaw and Twigpaw has became warriors and earned their warrior names Leafpelt and Twigclaw.”

“Leafpelt! Twigclaw! Leafpelt! Twigclaw!”

All the leaders except Mossstar leaped down the Moss Rock. Being the oldest leader of the clan, he climbed down the large rock, heading to his clan. The gathering was over and it was time to leave. Applepaw could feel a yawn forming and the moon seems like it was about to set.

Before Applepaw and his sister could leave, the three Galeclan apprentices had their ears pinned back, lips curled. Applepaw flattened his ears and stood in front of his sister who stared at the ground. He wasn’t sure what she was feeling. They were still under the gathering truce so they couldn’t fight each other. Thank Starclan for that, he hasn’t had any battle training yet.

“Galeclan never stole any prey,” snarled Darkpaw before the three littermates leave. Heatherpaw staying a few heartbeats behind to spit at them.

Maplepaw sighed behind him, he turns to face her. “You know, we could have made some new friends.”

“Friends outside of the clans are a dangerous thing,” Applepaw shrugs. He doesn’t care too much about the other clans. He has friends in his own clan.

Berrypaw and Dovepaw padded up towards them. Applepaw looked at Dovepaw shyly and she gave him a quick friendly smile.

“Did Galeclan actually steal from Shadeclan?” Berrypaw tilted her head. “Or does Mossstar have bees in his brain?”

Applepaw knew she didn’t mean to be insulting. Clans were always enemies anyways. Though, he felt offended when she called his leader stupid. He couldn’t help but lash his tail. His sister was quiet, even though she knew that Galeclan had been on their territory. Applepaw rolls his eyes. Sometimes, Maplepaw needed to show more loyalty to her clan. Though, he hopes Dovepaw doesn’t think too bad of him…

He took a breath and sighed. “Yes, Galeclan was on our territory, I was there to find it. If anything, it would be Willowstar who has bees in her brain, lying to all four clans,” he growled.

Dovepaw titled her head, expression looking wary. Applepaw’s heart dropped. Perhaps she doesn’t like him because she thinks his clan were liars. Maybe if Mossstar hasn’t lashed out at Willowstar and accuse them even if they had no solid proof, then Dovepaw wouldn’t have thought bad of him and his clan. A call for return from Mossstar caught his and Maplepaw’s attention. It was time to leave. They said their farewell to the Emberclan cats and left.

“Not even Dovepaw?” Maplepaw mewed.

“What?”

“You don’t care if you’re not friends with Berrypaw? Not even Dovepaw?”

Applepaw sighed. She was a medicine cat, of another clan as well. “Not even Dovepaw,” he mumbles.

Once they returned to camp, Mossstar immediately called for a clan meeting. His clanmates that have not gone to the meeting sat, waiting, curious on what happened at the gathering. Those clanmates who did go to the gathering seemed agitated.

Harekit padded up to him, mewing a greeting. “How was the gathering?” The brown tabby cocked his head with curiosity.

“You’ll know soon,” Applepaw murmurs. Mossstar seemed angry on the Moss Rock. He glared at his clan with narrowed eyes and a lashing tail.

“Cats of Shadeclan, Galeclan has denied that they have stole our prey,” he snarled out. The clan yowled in protest.

“They did steal our prey!”

“Liars!”

“Prey thieves!”

Mossstar continued once the clan quieted down. “If Galeclan ever sets another paw on our territory again, be prepared to attack.” He climbed down the Moss Rock and retreated to his den on the side of the rock.

Icetooth padded towards him. “Stupid rabbit chasers, I can’t wait to get my claws on their pelts,” he growled. The blue grey warrior turned to him. “We’ll be starting battle training soon. Be prepared.”