Stones to Ashes - Warriors Fanfiction

Chapter One

Swiftpaw ran through the MoorClan territory. Swiftly dodging the boulders as he chased a rabbit. He pounced and lunged upward, then bit the rabbit's neck as it squealed its last breath and collapsed onto the snow.

Swiftpaw picked up the rabbit and noticed snow was sparkling on his pelt. Then he ran towards the High Boulder. He saw his mentor, Runningwinter, at the foot of the boulder.

"Ah! I see you caught a rabbit!" His mentor noticed the rabbit dangling from his jaws, "Well that is splendid, a very well catch you caught!"

"Let's go back to camp, then, you can feed it to the elders!" Runningwinter got up and quickly went back to MoorClan camp, while Swiftpaw stayed quiet from behind, hoping this was enough for Applegaze or else the tom will glare at him with the sudden cold glare that made everyone's tail quiver and their body shiver.

Once they got there, Quickpaw gave a harsh spat at him, "Ha! What a useless rabbit! Hopefully you'll give me a piece!" The apprentice nipped his teeth at the rabbit, luckily Swiftpaw grunted through the rabbit and dodged the nips. "Dish is forh Mapplegash!"

"What? Couldn't hear you, Swifty!" Teased Quickpaw and headed for the gorse entrance, guessing to wait to train with his mentor, Stormtooth.

He looked up at Runningwinter, which said, "Don't let that chav get to you, lad." He sounded serious, "You have to stand up for yourself."

"Imh trwing!" Swiftpaw cried, but the rabbit he was carrying sounded like he was the biggest idiot ever.

"Say to him that you're not afraid and challenge him anytime you want." Runningwinter continued, "Blimey!" His mentor smiled and gazed down at him while they were approaching the elder's den, "Let's get that rabbit to Applegaze!"

"Now, I'll leave you to it, Swiftpaw." Runningwinter trailed off towards the warrior's den. While Swiftpaw sighed and watched Runningwinter went inside of the den, then he turned back to look at the huge fallen tree with moss dangling down the entrance of the elder's den.

He went inside and saw Applegaze lying down with his head on his paws. Then for a few heartbeats, the elder opened his eyes slowly then rasped, "Hello Swiftpaw? Did you bring that rabbit for me?" The elder noticed the rabbit he was carrying. Swiftpaw looked at the rabbit then back at Applegaze and set it down in front of the elder's paws. "Ah. Thank you very much. StarClan would be very happy that you caught this, even the whole Clan." Applegaze then began to eat the rabbit.

Swiftpaw watched the elder eat. It was so warm with the fallen tree protecting it from the snow and the stacked moss that surrounded the tree, but it was so lonely without any cats to comfort you.

Swiftpaw smiled slightly then left, now thinking about prey. Once he got at the fresh-kill pile, he heard Nightthorn growl to Stormtooth, "I'm warning you, Stormtooth!" Swiftpaw glared silently at the two warriors, "If you go back there, I will tell Crowstar." Nightthorn pressed his paw on Stormtooth's chest as the warrior snarled, "Don't worry, Nightthorn! I won't go back there."

Swiftpaw didn't want to see any more, if he kept watching, Nightthorn would catch him and tell Crowstar, like the one time when Swiftpaw was a kit and was playing with the senior's tail. But it didn't go well when Nightthorn told Crowstar about it and the leader sent a punishment to the kit and let him take ticks out of the elders for a week.

Swiftpaw quickly grabbed a vole without hesitation and went off to a quiet spot in-between the apprentice's den and the leader's den. He crouched down underneath a wide birch tree and began to eat the vole.

Once he finished, he lied down for a minute then saw Skullheart and Sunsetberry approaching him. "Hey, Swiftpaw, can you come to our patrol? We need an apprentice to join us." Sunsetberry meowed and Skullheart nodded quietly after the warrior's meow.

"Sure. I was bored anyway." Swiftpaw got up and stretched his limbs then followed the warriors to the gorse entrance, "We have to wait for Nightthorn to come, though." Sunsetberry continued once they all sat down at the entrance.

Oh StarClan no! Thought Swiftpaw, He'll kill me if I do something wrong!

Then nodded carefully after thinking, Calm down, Swiftpaw. He won't do anything if another senior is here.

Just then he realized Nightthorn was approaching them. "Good afternoon, warriors."

He noticed Skullheart nodded and slightly smiled while Sunsetberry sat still for a moment then meows, "Good afternoon to you too, Nightthorn." Then paused for a heartbeat, "Let's start this patrol, shall we?"

The four went out of the gorse tunnel and left on the west side of the territory, since the other patrol had already gone to the east side of the territory.

The snow had already nearly melted and the hills were almost white, yet some clumps of grass peeked out of the snow. A few trees had caught snow on their branches.

Swiftpaw saw Skullheart sniff, the warrior's nostrils were flaring, then, the warrior went north in the direction, meowing, "I've caught something!"

Swiftpaw, Sunsetberry, and Nightthorn didn't have the time to say anything before the warrior sped off towards the undergrowth, so the three followed in silence.

Swiftpaw noticed a small black dot getting bigger as they approached Skullheart. He was crouching then pounced a heartbeat later. The three halted and came to a stop in some tall ferns.

"Caught it!" Skullheart purred and turned towards the three of them and in his jaws with a vole.

Just then, a silhouette approached the warrior. Sunsetberry yowled, "Skullheart, watch out!"