Warriors: Toxic Claws From The Trusted

Chapter Two

Cursedstar padded into the nursery to wake the two kits who have recently became 3 moons old. "Kits. It's time." Gorsekit wailed and began mewling nonsense. Moonkit walked out from under his mother calmly. "Hello, Cursedstar." he mewed coolly. Cursedstar looked amused by the way the kit spoke to him and he led the kits to the Highrock. "Clan meeting or whatever." Cursedstar mewed, but when nobody came he hissed the formal greeting so loud, even ShadowClan could hear. Every cat spilled into the clearing. "It has come time for these kits to become apprentices." Cursedstar mewed before eventually mewing the formal ceremony. It was strange;         Moonkit always imagined his apprentice ceremony would be the best day of his life but this? this was scary- horrible, it made him feel as if death would be coming soon. "Moonpaw's mentor shall be Bloodtail- and Gorsepaw's.... is Smokefur." he mewed. "Teach these kits everything you know, your wisdom and all." Cursedstar spoke before leaning in to whisper in Gorsepaw's ear. "Smokefur is from RiverClan... and he would do anything  to prove his loyalty" he hissed before padding off into his den that sat inside the highrock. Gorsepaw's mentor just stared at him and didn't bother to touch noses with him. Gorsepaw looked around the crowd of cats around the rock in horror- the small apprentices with many injuries, the elders who were missing- and all the horrible sickly looking and tired cats. Gorsepaw turned his head to his brother, who was with a fully white tom who had a blood stained tail.

Moonpaw padded along ThunderClan's borders while Bloodtail stood in front of him. Bloodtail turned around abruptly, making Moonpaw trip over, and Bloodtail sat down. "You're lucky you have a mentor willing to stand up to Cursedstar. He named me Bloodtail after I almost lost my tail in the war. That was... wrong. My own name is a horrible reminder of what happened- the same with Wolfburn, who almost died in a fire during the war." Moonpaw was confused why this was brought up during the tour. "I will go easy during your training. We will hunt small mice and things like that until you're six moons... Your brother on the other hand is being trained by Smokefur, the past RiverClan medicine cat who was exiled. He'd do anything  to prove his worth. Even killing Gorsepaw." Moonpaw's eyes widened. "W-What do I do?" he stuttered. "Pray to StarClan." Bloodtail mewed, then he glanced over at a trail of bushes and trees. "What's that?" Moonpaw asked. "The ThunderPath. On it, there is monsters. They are dangerous, and kill. They never leave the path though. I recommend holding your breath when you have  to cross." Moonpaw sniffed the path. "Yuck! Now I know what you mean..." Bloodtail made a smug face and traveled to the sunningrocks with his new apprentice.

Moonpaw walked out the gorse tunnel, and into the clearing head high and his tail even higher. In his jaws was a big mouse. Moonpaw padded into the medicine cat den. "Hey Lilynose! you hungry?" Moonpaw opened his eyes as he mewed. Lilynose, the medicine apprentice had a pink nose that was always running. She was extremely skinny, but strong. Her eyes were big, and innocent. Her pelt was a kind, warm white with a little bit of brown splattered all over. Her eyes were pink and their glow was bright enough to light the whole world. Lilynose looked at the fat mouse  and spoke, so quiet Moonpaw could barely hear, even though he was practically in her face. "Sure. That's a good catch, how about we share?" Moonpaw's eyes glowed with excitement. Lilynose was his best friend  and it would be an honor to eat with the cat who saved him multiple times when he did mouse-brained things. Lilynose unsheathed her claws and cut the mouse into two in one slash. She sat on a moss nest inside the medicine den and pushed one half of the mouse over to Moonpaw, who sat less than a tail length away from her. Moonpaw had to take many bites- probably 7 to eat the whole half of the mouse he caught. Lilynose gulped it up quickly and gave Moonpaw a horrible-smelling bit of soaked moss. "This is an awkward moment to do this but- may you spread this on Blackpaw's fur? you see, this is Mouse Bile and Blackpaw broke his two front paws in an encounter with ShadowClan and he got ticks. Do not lick your paws after using it, wash them in a puddle, or the river." Moonpaw didn't listen much but just stared at the kind she. "Oh- ye-yes, sure!" he mewed as he ran of with the moss.

Inside the apprentice den was a large black tom with scarred front paws wrapped in herbs and cobweb. "What do you want kit? are you moving here now? You'd better not stay up all night mewling for your mother, keeping me up." Moonpaw rolled his eyes. "Lilynose tells me you have ticks. And I actually am moving he tonight- but I promise I wont keep you up." Blackpaw looked angry but let the tiny kit rub Mouse Bile in his fur. "Keep your claws sheathed you Mouse-Brain! You're rubbing this on a living cat, you know." "Oh! Sorry, just thinking about my hunting practice from earlier." After a while Moonpaw sighed and mewed. "Every tick is either dead, or gone." I'll replace all the bedding in here before I move in so I don't get ticks too." Blackpaw limped his way out of the apprentice den and picked up a finch before sitting on the log outside the den and gulping it up. On Moonpaw's way up the gorse tunnel, to go wash his paws and get new bedding he tripped over another cat. "Watch where you're going you Mouse-Brain!" the cat hissed. Moonpaw blinked his eyes open and recognized the cat immediately. It was Mudpaw. "I'm bringing these herbs to Lilynose and Sunheart. Sunheart would kill me if these herbs are durty, so move it." Moonpaw moved out of the angry tom's way and padded out of the tunnel.

Moonpaw heard the sound of rustling in the bushes and got down low, his belly against the grass that was rustling in the wind. The rustling stopped and started again. It sounded from behind a tree and he pounced. Under his paws was a dead fish. "Fish?" Moonpaw looked up at the thing that had dropped it. In the tree he was under was a bird. The bird wasn't mad and it just swooped down, tearing the fish in half as it's talons fastened around it. Moonpaw took the rest of the fish and some of the insides fell out. Moonpaw flicked his tail, showing thanks and padded off to the river. Moonpaw, still hungry after the mouse, gulped it up. Moonpaw licked the outside of his mouth and his whiskers, too. He stuffed his paws into the river to clean off the bile. Moonpaw almost slipped into the river, his whole torso and up submerged. He twisted his way out of the water, but the her legs were under the water, it was cold and the stream was beginning to pull him. Moonpaw noticed a twig, bridged over the river and he tightened his jaws around it.  He pulled himself up and climbed over to land. Right after he got back onto land the twig snapped and the river's current grew stronger and the thing twig was plunged under the water. Moonpaw stared in horror at what could have been and sat down. He licked some water off his back and then looked up and realized. He was on RiverClan's side of the river. He stood up and began to look for a place to cross. "Now look at what we've got here.." mewed a little voice behind him. Terrified, Moonpaw turned around and a large cat stood before him.