Hawkstar's Clan

Chapter 2

"Remember: Upwind, light pawsteps. Any noise will alert your prey."

Hawkpaw resisted wiggling his hindquarters as he locked eyes with a mouse. The small creature was totally oblivious to Hawkpaw and Twistedwish's presence. He kept calm for he knew the mouse would be able to hear his excited heartbeat and make a run for it.

Once he was within paw's length of the mouse, he lunged. His claws dug into the flesh of the creature. It let out a shriek before Hawkpaw cut it off with a bite to the throat.

"Thank you StarClan for this prey," he said, lifting his head up. He then turned around to meet his brother. "I did it! I did it!"

"Indeed you did, Hawkpaw! I'm proud of you," Twistedwish praised. "You're getting better by the day. If I was truly your mentor, I would approve your for your warrior assessment."

"Really!? Can you do that!"

The silver tabby laughed. "I can't. It's gonna be up to Eaglesight."

Hawkpaw's tail drooped. "Aww. Well! I'm done with hunting!" He bounded up to Twistedwish. "I wanna learn some new battle moves! Come on! You be the enemy!"

Twistedwish gently batted his brother's head. "We can't do battle training outside camp. Right now, let's refresh the border scents. Along the way I'll tell you also how to defend our Clan in case of intruders. Then afterwards we'll try finding more prey for the fresh kill pile before heading back. Sound good?"

"Okay!"

Twistedwish lead Hawkpaw almost further and further from ThistleClan, the soft grass welcoming his paw pads. The trees above him looked huge, and Hawkpaw stared at them in awe. He stared back down at his own legs. He wondered if he was capable of climbing.

"We're reaching the border towards WinterClan," Twistedwish spoke after minutes of silence.

Whiplash struck Hawkpaw. This was the Clan where their father, Icefog, lived. Ferretsea told stories of him when he was a kit. He never got to see him much. He only saw his father during Gatherings when he first became an apprentice and oh how he was happy to see him. He told him how proud he was of his kits. Hawkpaw admired his father, but Twistedwish seemed to have different opinions. His teeth would bare whenever Icefog was around, his whiskers twitch, and his muscles would ripple through his skin, tensing up. Hawkpaw never understood why Twistedwish was so hostile towards him; he just assumed he hated that their father was in a different Clan.

A cold wind breezed through his fur. The brown tabby puffed out his fur to keep him warm. He felt his legs quiver. "It's cold here!" Hawkpaw commented.

"Yeah. I don't know how any cat can stand this cold weather," Twistedwish said.

"I heard WinterClan cats have freakishly long hair that keeps them warm! I wonder if it's true!"

"And you would be correct."

The two tabby toms looked at each other with wide eyes.

That wasn't from Twistedwish.

Neck fur bristling, the two cats turned to see a white tom with striking blue eyes surrounded by three other cats. His large tail swayed gently.

"What are you rascals doing here?" the white tom purred.

"Icefog!"

Hawkpaw itched to run up to their father but was stopped with Twistedwish's paw on his chest. He looked at him in confusion; the silver tabby tom showed no signs of happiness and kept a serious expression. His whiskers twitched.

"I was just showing Hawkpaw the borders of the other Clans," he responded. "What are you doing here? Trying to pick a fight?"

"StarClan, no!" Icefog said. "I was only leading the patrol for today just to refresh our borders."

"The real question should be exactly what are you two doing here?" a blue spotted tabby tom spoke up.

"Did you not hear what I had just said to your cotton ball of a deputy, Drizzlewing? Or do you have so much snow stuffed in your ears?"

Drizzlewing flattened his ears and hissed. "Who are you calling a cotton ball?"

"So you did hear me."

"There goes ThistleClan," a black tom with a white face grumbled. "Trying to threaten us for no reason as they always do. Being the initiator."

"As they always do," a mostly white, black and red spotted calico she-cat added.

"Your Clanmate was the one initiating the fight, Rimeface, Hollywhisper," Twistedwish snarled at the two cats, addressing them respectively.

"Drizzlewing was the initiator?" Rimeface spat. "You're the one who threw insults at us and threatened us just cause we want to know why you're on our territory. We've known you for some time, Twistedwish. You've always been the aggressor. No wonder your parents didn't want you."

Hawkpaw perked up his ears.

What did the WinterClan warrior mean by that? 

Twistedwish snarled, unsheathing his claws. Rimeface responded by unsheathing as well, arching his back. Hollywhisper joined alongside him, ready to defend her Clanmate.

Hawkpaw widened his eyes. Was his brother going to attack them?

The WinterClan deputy shoved himself between the two hissing cats. "Alright now, enough," he commanded. "Sheathe your claws, all of you!" Icefog looked to his oldest son. "We're at a time of peace, Twistedwish. If we were looking for a fight, don't you think Badgerstar would have known about it? We're not looking to cause any trouble." His eyes softened. "I am not looking to cause any trouble. Especially with my kits."

Hawkpaw beamed at Icefog.

Twistedwish let out a grunt. "Yeah. Whatever you say." He backed away and nudged Hawkpaw. "Come on, Hawkpaw. Let's keep going."

Hawkpaw froze. He looked at the WinterClan patrol who were staring at them with malice in their faces. Icefog was the only one who wasn't angry; he appeared as if he had his heart torn out by a dog. Hawkpaw never understood why Twistedwish had such a fiery hatred for their father. He seemed really nice, it wasn't their fault he was from another Clan.

"HAWKPAW!"

The brown tabby tom flinched. "I'll see you next Gathering?"

Icefog smiled. "May StarClan light your paws, Hawkpaw."

Hawkpaw ran after Twistedwish before the silver tabby can shout at him again, leaving behind the WinterClan patrol. Even though he could feel their eyes burning his pelt, he felt extremely cold.

"First lesson from the code, Hawkpaw: Your loyalty is to the Clan," Twistedwish said in a reprimanding way. "Icefog may be our father, but he is still an enemy at the end of the day."

Hawkpaw tilted his head. "But... We can still have friends.. Right?"

The silver tabby tom puffed. "Yes. But friends or not, they still are a danger."

The brown tabby tom lowered his head, remaining quiet for the rest of the tour. It didn't make sense; all Three Clans were at peace with one another, specifically ThistleClan and WinterClan. He heard tales from the elders of the two Clan's weird history with one another. Emberpelt, a former WinterClan warrior, claims that the rivalry began with the founders, Winterstar and Thistlestar.

Legend has it that Winterstar had the most beautiful daughter in all the land. Snow white just like her mother, with piercing blue eyes that could hypnotize. She was the most skilled warrior in WinterClan, so skilled she was soon to be deputy of the newly formed WinterClan. Thistlestar, jealous of Winterstar bearing such a beautiful kit when she herself couldn't, kidnapped Winterstar's daughter out of spite and revenge and held her hostage in ThistleClan. Winterstar pleaded and begged with Thistlestar but the jealous silver tabby she-cat refused to hand back the white she-cat's daughter. Lilacstar tried to reason with her sister, but Thistlestar lashed out at her with such aggression that caused Lilacstar to shut her Clan off from the rest, which explains why LilacClan never involve themselves in any conflict.

Thistlestar kept Winterstar's daughter for moons until one day, during another bargaining conflict, it is said that Thistlestar killed Winterstar's daughter in anger. This began the first ThistleClan-WinterClan war, which resulted in many deaths. Though it didn't become part of the Code, a rule passed that no family was to have any more importance than a common cat in order to lessen tension and jealousy.

"We've now reached the border of LilacClan."

Hawkpaw snapped from his daydream and looked ahead in surprise. Flowers of all kind donned the territory, and it gave off a serene feeling. He took a deep breath, inhaling all the scents of the flowers. They were sweet. At the border, a cream spotted she-cat stood under a string full of white flowers. Beside her, a small lilac and cream she-cat, her apprentice, watched.

"Do you know what these flowers are?" the cream spotted asked her, pointing up to them.

"They're...bright-eyes!"

"Correct and what do you-- Oh." The cream spotted she-cat sensed the brothers and turned her head to them. Her apprentice's back fur rose, and she hid behind her mentor. "Hello Twistedwish. Hawkpaw."

Twistedwish bowed his head at the cream spotted she-cat. "Afternoon Poppyberry." He nodded to her apprentice behind her. "Lilypaw."

The lilac and cream she-cat, Lilypaw, peeked out, her fur flattening. "Oh- Twistedwish. Nice to see you." She looked at Hawkpaw. "And you as well Hawkpaw."

"Learning about herbs I assume?" Hawkpaw asked curiously.

"Yes!" Her tail spiked. "It's all so amazing! You wouldn't believe it! There's so many! Like these flowers!" Her paw reached up to pluck one out but Poppyberry gently batted her apprentice's paw away.

"We don't pick herbs that we don't need right now," she reprimanded softly. "We have to save our supplies for when we need them most, remember?"

Lilypaw lowered her head in embarrassment. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry, Poppyberry."

Poppyberry nudged her forehead on Lilypaw's. "It's all good." She looked back to the tabby brothers. "I assume you're showing Hawkpaw around the borders and territories."

"That and also refreshing our mark."

Poppyberry rolled her eyes playfully. "Yes. How you warriors are so adamant on keeping territory. I'll never understand."

"And I'll never understand the joys of healing cats," Twistedwish remarked.

"You think you could do the job, Hawkpaw?" Lilypaw asked the brown tabby while Twistedwish and Poppyberry conversed.

Hawkpaw shook his head. "I can't see myself doing so. Taking care of someone's life? It's very...tedious. And hard work."

"Well being a warrior is also hard work too. I can't see myself taking someone's life."

"At least we can both agree warrior or medicine cat, we apprentices don't get to have our fun," Hawkpaw said.

Lilypaw laughed.

"It's about time we start heading back." Twistedwish called out to his brother. "Come on, Hawkpaw. Let's go home."

"It was very nice seeing you Hawkpaw!" Lilypaw said, pressing her nose to his shoulder. "Good luck with your training. May StarClan light your path."

"As well as yours, Lilypaw."

Hawkpaw also said his goodbyes to the LilacClan medicine cat and he went off after Twistedwish, bounding excitedly. Along the way home, the brothers caught some more prey to take for the fresh-kill pile.

"You are improving well," Twistedwish commented, dropping his mice in the pile. "Minus the hiccup with the WinterClan patrol, I say you're just close to having your warrior assessment."

"Really!?"

"When Eaglesight recovers, I'll let him know."

Hawkpaw wanted to leap into the sky in excitement but he kept his calm, his toes twitching. "Thank you so much, Twistedwish."

"Why don't you run off and take some of the prey to the queens and elders? They'll appreciate it."

Hawkpaw nodded excitedly, grabbed a couple of mice in his jaws that he could fit, and bounded off first to the nursery.

Today had been a good day.