Smokestar's Clan

Prologue

The air was still. The forest was silent with the emptiness of leaf-bare, and soft, powdery snow crumbled under Floraclaw's seemingly delicate paws. She sniffed a cluster of brambles, the last surviving plant, which was where she'd first caught the strange scent: cat, but with a hint of wolf. If there were wolves on the territory, she'd fight them. She unsheathed her claws.

'Floraclaw, are you sure you smelt wolf?' Wishwillow, the Clan deputy, checked. 'There's something, but only a cat scent.'

'Yes.' Floraclaw asserted. She pushed past the undergrowth to lead the way to where the scent was stronger. 'What, are you scared?' She teased.

'Don't talk to your deputy like that.' Smokestar sighed. Smokestar was the leader and great in battle, but he was annoyingly strict to the warrior code.

'Why?' Floraclaw dug her claws into the snow. She wasn't scared of a wolf- she knew how to fight foxes and badgers and a wolf couldn't be harder.

Howls echoed through the forest. They were at the border between BerryClan and the abandoned LeafClan territory. Snow crunched although none of the cats were moving.

The howls sounded again. Floraclaw dropped into the hunter's crouch, tense and ready to attack anyone who stepped onto her territory. Wishwillow seemed to realise that Floraclaw was right and nodded at her, her eyes wide. A mouse darted in front of Smokestar and he killed it in one swipe, quickly burying it.

The dead bushes rustled. Floraclaw sprang. She raked her claws down a tom's nose. The tom pushed her to the floor. Floraclaw battered his belly with her hind paws, and the tom released his grip, like he'd seen something. Floraclaw paused. Was the battle won so easily?

'Floraclaw!' Smokestar called. Reluctantly Floraclaw stepped back and joined him and Wishwillow, facing the tom.

'Nightshade!' A voice cried. The tom, Nightshade, turned. His black pelt was stained with blood, but so was Floraclaw's. She would need to see the medicine cat again. How embarrassing!

A terrified dusty tom and a white-and-grey she-cat joined Nightshade.

'Alright, so we're even.' Floraclaw laughed.

'Floraclaw.' Wishwillow warned.

'What are you doing on our territory?' Smokestar demanded.

'What territory?' The scared tom questioned.

'Kansas is correct.' The she-cat declared. 'We don't know of any territory. We found a nice place in the forest-' she gestured with her tail at the old LeafClan territory- 'and we've lived there for a moon. We can leave if it's a problem.'

Floraclaw couldn't believe that they would just leave like that. They were clearly a threat, and threats didn't go away on their own-not without a battle.

Nightshade was thinking the same thing. 'But, Glacier, we can't leave now!'

Glacier silenced him with a glare. 'Yes; we can leave. But it's not a problem, is it?' She looked at Smokestar as though daring him to disagree.

'Not unless you make it one.' Wishwillow admitted.

Glacier nodded. Kansas let out a sigh of relief. Nightshade looked surprised.

'The other lot wouldn't back down so easily. Not until we showed them this.'

'Nightshade? What are you planning?' Glacier demanded, but gently.

'Thought we should show them what we're made of.'

The cats started howling. It wasn't a sound Floraclaw thought a cat could make- it was unnatural- almost...

Two other creatures joined the cats. They were about three times the size of Smokestar; almost four times the size of Floraclaw. Their teeth were so long she was surprised they could fit in their mouths. Their fur was thick, and brown with flecks of grey. They joined the three cats howling like they were the same species.

...Wolflike.

This was a threat.

'No.' Wishwillow muttered. 'This can't be possible.'

'You see it with your eyes, or are you blind?' Nightshade pointed out.

'Touché.' Wishwillow agreed. She paced the ground, avoiding eye contact with the wolves and the cats. The wolves stood beside the cats, sitting neatly with their paws tucked in. The wolves are kittypets to the cats.

'Come on, Floraclaw.' Smokestar said. Wishwillow had already turned away, her silver pelt glowing.

Floraclaw didn't move, but instead dropped into a crouch to mirror the two wolves. As they sprang at her she reared up to face them, but they knocked her onto her back, her soft belly exposed. She couldn't beat the wolves. This was her-

'Call them off.'

Smokestar stepped forward, looking grave. To Floraclaw's surprise the wolf-cats obeyed. They barked in 'wolf' and the wolves stepped back.

'Take me instead.

'Take me, but leave my Clan.'

Smokestar stepped forwards, and lunged towards the wolves. They immediately raised their front paws and clawed at his stomach. Smokestar dipped his head and collapsed.

'Get him to the medicine cat-now!' Floraclaw gasped to Wishwillow as she started towards the cat. Wishwillow automatically stepped forward, blocking her from joining the battle like she so dearly longed to do. 'You'll get yourself killed.' She murmured.

'So will Smoke-' Floraclaw paused.

A leader has nine lives.

Smokestar collapsed. His breathing slowed. He nodded at Wishwillow, a tiny movement, so that if Floraclaw wasn't watching she wouldn't have seen it. His tail twitched and he was still.

A leader has nine lives. A leader has nine lives. Don't fight. A leader has nine lives. He saved us. Don't fight, don't fight, don't...

The wolves howled. Floraclaw hissed at them, mad. She tensed herself, ready to attack.

'Oh, little kitty's an'gy." Nightshade taunted.

'At least I have the guts to fight my own battles.' Floraclaw glared at the wolves.

'Is that a challenge?' Glacier laughed.

'Try me.'

'Kansas, take the wolves home.' She demanded.

Kansas let out a sigh of relief. He barked, and the wolves didn't follow. Instead, they grasped the limp body of Smokestar. Floraclaw started, but the wolves weren't hurting Smokestar, merely holding him. But they followed Kansas's call, taking Smokestar's body. He didn't resist; he was still in StarClan.

Now the battle is fair.

I shouldn't be fighting right now.

Floraclaw realised Wishwillow was staring at her. She looked disappointed in Floraclaw.

Smokestar sacrificed himself. He didn't mean to, but he has. I must not waste it.

'We need to go.' Wishwillow snapped.

'I... know.' Floraclaw agreed, reluctantly.

Wishwillow looked at Glacier. 'Don't cross this border.' She warned, her fur bristling like pine cones in leaf-bare.

The two she-cats bolted through the forest, resting once they were out of sight and scent of the border. Floraclaw looked at Wishwillow, who was trembling. Floraclaw realised that, if Smokestar was lost to the wolf-cats, the Clan would have no leader. Therefore, the deputy would need to take his place...

'I'm not ready.' She worried. 'I can't do it.'

'Nobody expects you to be perfect. Smokestar isn't! But... the Clan will be with you every step of the way.'

Wishwillow smiled slightly. 'We need to tell them the news.'

Floraclaw unsheathed her claws. Now was a time of mourning. But she knew that the wolf-cats would not back down. They had already driven out LeafClan. BerryClan must be ready. They were strong. But only she and Wishstar knew of the power those cats possessed.