Warriors AU: Into the Wild

Prologue

A half-moon glowed on smooth granite boulders, turning them silver. The silence was broken only by the ripple of water from the swift black river and the whisper of trees in the forest beyond.

There was a stirring in the shadows, and from all around lithe dark shapes crept stealthily over the rocks. Unsheathed claws glinted in the moonlight. Wary eyes flashed like amber. And then, as if on a silent signal, the creatures leaped at each other, and suddenly the rocks were alive with wrestling, screeching cats.

At the center of the frenzy of fur and claws, a massive pale tabby pinned a blue-colored tom to the ground and drew up his head triumphantly. "Bluefur!" the tabby growled. "How dare you hunt in our territory? The Sunningrocks belong to Thunderclan!"

"After tonight, Goldenflower, this will be just another Riverclan hunting ground!" the blue-colored tom spat back.

A warning yowl came from the shore, shrill and anxious. "Look out! More Riverclan warriors are coming!"

Goldenflower turned to see sleek wet bodies sliding out of the water below the rocks. The drenched Riverclan warriors bounded silently up the shore and hurled themselves into battle without even stopping to shake the water from their fur.

The pale tabby glared down at Bluefur. "You may swim like otters, but you and your warriors do not belong in this forest!" He drew back his lips and showed his teeth as the cat struggled beneath him.

The desperate scream of a Thunderclan tom rose above the clamor. A wiry Riverclan she-cat had pinned the brown warrior flat on his belly. Now she lunged toward his neck with jaws still dripping from her swim across the river.

Goldenflower heard the cry and let go of Bluefur. With a mighty leap, he knocked the enemy warrior away from the tom. "Quick, Mousefur, run!" he ordered, before turning on the Riverclan she-cat who had threatened him. Mousefur scrambled to his paws, wincing from a deep gash on his shoulder, and raced away.

Behind him, Goldenflower spat with rage as the Riverclan she-cat sliced open his nose. Blood blinded him for an instant, but he lunged forward regardless and sank his teeth into the hind leg of his enemy. The Riverclan cat squealed and struggled free.

"Goldenflower!" The yowl came from a warrior with a tail as red as fox fur. "This is useless! There are too many Riverclan warriors!"

"No, Redtail. Thunderclan will never be beaten!" Goldenflower yowled back, leaping to Redtail's side. "This is our territory!" Blood was welling around his broad pale ginger muzzle, and he shook his head impatiently, scattering scarlet drops onto the rocks.

"Thunderclan will honor your courage, Goldenflower, but we cannot afford to lose any more of our warriors," Redtail urged. "Oakstar would never expect her warriors to fight against these impossible odds. We will have another chance to avenge this defeat." She met Goldenflower's yellow-eyed gaze steadily, then reared away and sprang onto a boulder at the edge of the trees.

"Retreat, Thunderclan! Retreat!" she yowled. At once her warriors squirmed and struggled away from their opponents. Spitting and snarling, they backed toward Redtail. For a heartbeat, the Riverclan cats looked confused. Was this battle so easily won? Then Bluefur yowled a jubilant cry. As soon as they heard him, the Riverclan warriors raised their voices and joined their deputy in caterwauling their victory.

Redtail look down at her warriors. With a flick of her tail, she gave the signal and the Thunderclan cats dived down the far side of the Sunningrocks, then disappeared into the trees.

Goldenflower followed last. He hesitated at the edge of the forest and glanced back at the bloodstained battlefield. His face was grim, his eyes furious slits. Then he leaped after his Clan into the silent forest.

In a deserted clearing, an old reddish-brown she-cat sat alone, staring up at the clear night sky. All around her in the shadows, she could hear the breathing and stirrings of sleeping cats.

A small tortoiseshell tom emerged from a dark corner, his pawsteps quick and soundless.

The reddish-brown cat dipped her head in greeting. "How is Mousefur?" she meowed.

"His wounds are deep, Oakstar," answered the tortoiseshell, settling himself on the night-cool grass. "But he is young and strong; he will heal quickly."

"And the others?"

"They will all recover, too"

Oakstar sighed. "We are lucky not to have lost any of our warriors this time. You are a gifted medicine cat, Spottedleaf." She tilted her head again and studied the stars. "I am deeply troubled by tonight's defeat. Thunderclan has not been beaten in it's own territory since I became leader," she murmured. "These are difficult times for our Clan. The season of newleaf is late, and there have been fewer kits. Thunderclan needs more warriors if it is to survive."

"But the year is only just beginning," Spottedleaf pointed out calmly. "There will be more kits when greenleaf comes."

The reddish-brown cat twitched her broad shoulders. "Perhaps. But training our young to become warriors takes time. If Thunderclan is to defend its territory, it must have new warriors as soon as possible."

"Are you asking Starclan for answers?" meowed Spottedleaf gently, following Oakstar's gaze and staring up at the swath of stars glittering in the dark sky.

"It is at times like this we need the words of ancient warriors to help us. Has Starclan spoken to you?" Oakstar asked.

"Not for some moons, Oakstar."

Suddenly a shooting star blazed over the treetops. Spottedleaf's tail twitched and the fur along his spine bristled.

Oakstar's ears pricked but she remained silent as Spottedleaf continued to gaze upward.

After a few moments, Spottedleaf lowered his head and turned to Oakstar. "It was a message from Starclan," he murmured. A distant look came into his eyes. "Only a sand storm can save our Clan."

"A sand storm?" Oakstar echoed. "But we don't even have sand in the forest! How can a storm of it save us?"

Spottedleaf shook his head. "I do not know," he admitted. "But this is the message Starclan has chosen to share with me."

The Thunderclan leader fixed her clear amber eyes on the medicine cat. "You have never been wrong before, Spottedleaf," she meowed. "If Starclan has spoken, then it must be so. Only a sand storm will save our Clan."