A Clear path (book 1)

Chapter 3

         Sunlight shine through the window above her mini bed, Diamond lay in her HouseFolk bed, Her HouseFolk's scent seeming to be in the same room as hers. She opened her eyes tiredly, Sunlight beginning to burn her eyes uncomfortably as she rose to her paws. She'd spent all night thinking about the question the wild cats asked her, *Would you like to join BeamClan, Diamond?* The question had rung in her ears all night, prickling her pelt with the excitement for the day. Diamond began to pad out into the sun, the sky was giving a pale splash of blue and orange rising into the sky. A cool breeze ruffled her blue pelt, Letting her now that snow was on the way.
         Diamond raised her haunches to leap up onto her fence. Opening her mouth in a sharp yawn, she caught the scent of Chess, Her scent was coming from her garden. Diamond looked over into Chess's garden puzzled, usually Chess would be waiting for her on her dense, calling out for Diamond instead of the other way around. Diamond peered over into Chess's garden, She caught the sight of black and white fur, rising and falling as if she was heavily sleeping. Then another pelt caught her attention, A pure white pelt, with a rising and falling chest as well. Diamond carefully moved her paws in a direction to Chess's garden, the strong scent of her HouseFolk made Diamond's nose sting, which is the reason Chess always came to Her garden. Diamond raised her haunches carfully and leapt down into Chess's garden. The unfamiliar scent of the cat snuck its way into Diamond's scents as well, also letting her now that it was a Tom, around the same size as an older kit. The soft grass on the other side soothed her paws, much more than the hard earth of her garden, "Chess!" She hissed out to the black and white She-Cat, trying not to wake up the Tom in the process. Chess was opening her eyes sleepily, a small yawn escaping her mouth. "Diamond?" Chess mewed sleepily, confused. She nodded, her tail sweeping across the ground. "What are you doing here?" Chess asked. Diamond's heart sunk, *wait, What do I tell her? How do I tell her?* Diamond's gaze tracked downwards as she began to fiddle with her paws, *What if she won't let me leave? What if my HouseFolk's find me? WHAT IF—* "Diamond? Did something happen?" Chess had risen to her paws, her yellow eyes calm and steady on Diamond, though she could feel her stare burning her blue pelt. "Chess... I err.. I'm leaving." Diamond mewed at last. Diamond sighed as she fought to reach chess's gaze. She saw surprise and confusion in the She-Cat's eyes, "Where are you going?" She asked. Diamond could fear her tail thudding the ground worriedly. "You wouldn't understand..." She trailed off before lifting her tail to Chess's flank, "But trust me, I'll be safe, and close too." Diamond paused to search for any hatred or betrayal in Chess's eyes, But all she saw was acceptance and trust. Chess lifted her muzzle and pressed it to Diamond's cheek, "I always knew you would leave HouseFolk's place, you've always seemed to want to explore far beyond your garden." Diamond purred in amusement before Chess backed away slowly. "Bye, Diamond." Chess had turned away and stalked back towards the young Tom. Diamond gave one last glance at Chess before turning around to go back into the forest.
Diamond padded through the forest, the earthy scents always seemed to soothe her nose. She raised her nose to the sky, She smelt the familiar scents of the wild cats. Suddenly, she felt weight knock her off her paws. "Hey!" She growled, unsheathing her claws, ready for another battle. Then she caught the familiar patch of Golden fur, "Calm down KittyPet, I won't attack you again." The She-Cat purred. "It seemed more like a kit fight." Diamond murmured, rising back to her paws. Her gaze swept off of HoneyPaw as she realized the familiar pelts of the cats reappearing from the trees. The tabby grey She-Cat, the Tabby Orange She-Cat, And The uniquely spotted brown Tom. "Err, ThornStar, I..IvyWhisker, and FoxFur?" She tried to remember the names they had the last she she'd met them. "You have a strong memory for a KittyPet." HoneyPaw commented. "That's if.." Diamond's pelt prickled with anxiety and excitement, *hear comes the question.* "Diamond, will you keep your KittyPet life, or will you follow the path as a warrior?" The Tom asked, his eyes gleaming wisely at Her. Diamond knew what she wanted to do, she knew the path she wanted to take, and it was clear in front of her. "I wanna join the clans." She meowed at last, keeping her gaze steadily on ThornStar as she answered. ThornStar nodded shortly before flicking his tail in a gesture, "Follow me, I'll show you back to are camp, and assign you a mentor." The Tom meowed as the cats began to follow.
Diamond paws beat against the ground heavily, Her breaths caught in hicks, *it feels like we've been padding for moons!* her thoughts were interrupted by the growl in her belly, reminding her that she hadn't ate. she opened her mouth to taste the air, A sweet scent of something she never scented before tasted in her mouth. She closed her mouth before releasing a sigh, The sun had came up, and was now burning into her pelt as she padded repeatedly. "ThornStar?" She asked in a hiss. "Will their be prey at camp?" "Of course." The Tom replied, "But, you'll have to hunt before eating, Your supposed to always feed the elders, queens, and kits first." Diamond shrugged, *that doesn't seem bad, or hard.* She raised her nose, different scents of cats began to surround her nose, giving off many, many scents. "Diamond, do you recognize these scents?" ThornStar murmured, his gaze shifting towards her as they continued padding. "No, but I smell cats." She replied, her tail sweeping the ground excitedly as her lips curled into a smile, *I'm going to the clans! I'm going to the clans! I'm Going!—* "Soon you'll know these cats by name Diamond." ThornStar slowed his pace along with HoneyPaw, FoxFur, and IvyWhisker. "We're here." FoxFur murmured while IvyWhisker padded though some bushes that barely parted to show a entrance into a camp. Different scents of cats began to sting her nose once more. One by one, the cats slipped through the bushes, into the strong smelling clearing. "Go on," IvyWhisker mewed beside her, urging her on into the clearing. *here I go.* Diamond pushed her way into the clearing, the thorns in the bushes tugging at her fur for a moment before slipping out. Her eyes widened at all the different shades pelts and all their sizes. Their were cats her size, bigger, smaller, shorter and taller. "Who is that?" She heard an unfamiliar voice hiss to her direction, she turned her head to see who had hissed at her. A long haired black Tom was baring fangs at her in a snarl, Along with a lot of other cats. "Do not attack!" IvyWhisker yowled suddenly, The clearing went silent, despite the unsure and hostile murmurs within the crowd. Diamond's heart began to beat against her chest repeatedly as she began to shuffle with her paws, "err.." *she hadn't thought about how the clan would think about a former KittyPet joining the clan.* "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the High rock for a clan meeting." Diamond didn't dare move as cats began to pad towards a tall, smooth rock that lifted off of the ground. Diamond looked as each cat took a spot under ThornStar, "Stupid KittyPet." She widened her eyes, she'd heard a young Tom sounding voice hiss in her ear as they passed. She turned her head each way to see who had hissed at her, but she couldn't tell, every cat was sitting under the High rock. "I have come to inform you that, Diamond." ThornStar flicked his tail towards her, every cat following the Tom's gaze, making her nervous as she focused her gaze on the ground. "Will be joining BeamClan as an apprentice." Diamond felt eyes burn into her pelt like flames, "No way your actually letting a KittyPet join BeamClan." Diamond's heart bumped against her chest angrily. Shifting around angrily, Diamond turned to face the cat who challenged her, it was a A short dark brown Tom who seemed to be a warrior. "No way you became a warrior!" She snapped back, her tail lashing behind her as her eyes flared at the brown Tom. Gasps erupted from the crowd as the Tom stared challengingly at her. "There's no way your gonna become a warrior," the Tom rose to his paws, lashing his tail behind him, "Every clan cat knows KittyPets don't become warriors. And with that string of respect around your neck, you'll scare prey and enemy's will here you form tail-lengths away." Diamond unsheathed her claws, digging them into the grass less clearing, her eyes narrowing. "How about I show you a true warrior!—" Diamond growled, glaring at the Tom with hatred. "I'd like to see you try, KittyPet." The Tom spat. Diamond's gaze shifted towards ThornStar, wondering if he'd warn them not to fight, but the Tom was sitting straight up on the High rock, glaring intensely at the both of them. "Prove your strength." Diamond opened her mouth to protest butt she but back the words, it was too late, she was going to prove her strength now. Murmurs rose from the crowd as blood began to pump in her ears. In a split second, the Tom launched for her, claws unsheathed. She let out a shriek as she tumbled off of her paws and claws raked into her side. Dirt began to sting her eyes as she waved her claws in the air, trying to find the Tom. "Ahh!" The Tom yowled, springing away from her. Diamond rolled onto her side, not knowing what happened. Her eyes searched across the clearing for the Tom. The dark brown Tom was  crouching against the clearing, blood streaming down their eye, dark blood gushing out heavily. *I did that!?* Diamond rose shakily to her paws as the Tom began to open his eyes, blood still streaming down. Before Diamond could think anymore, The Tom had launched back at her. She prepared herself for claws to take any side or even her eyes, but she Surprisingly, she felt nothing. Then she felt a strong force, a tug at her neck. Panic began to sink through her pelt, *The tom's pulling my collar!" Diamond tired to slash at the tom's eye again, but she was pinned under. She fought to catch her breath, but her neck was tightening up and she couldn't breathe. Diamond's paws began to slow down, her vision was fading, *this can't be the end.* her ears flattened against her head as she shut her eyes tightly, trying to fight her way to stay alive. "ThornEar stop, she's had enough!—" Diamond heard the stern voice of IvyWhisker before the She-cat was cut off by a muffle over her voice. Diamond suddenly fell back, the tug at her chest lightening. "Gah!" She gasped for air as she tumbled to her side. "That rope of obedience around her neck is gone!" An unfamiliar voice yowled in astonishment and amazement. Murmurs of interest and amazement rose from the crowd as they began to pad closer. They were right, Diamond's collar has snapped from ThornEar pulling it, and the Tom rolled back along with it.
       Diamond began to rise to her paws once more, her gaze traveling across the crowd of cats, many pelts, long and short, cats big and small were staring at her and murmuring with Amazement. "Diamond!" Her ears twitched at the familiar sound of HoneyPaw. She turned her head and saw the Golden pelted She-cat racing toward her from a crowd. Diamond felt the nose of HoneyPaw against her cheek, warmth seeping through her pelt before HoneyPaw backed away. "You fought greatly!" The She-cat meowed proudly. "I didn't know a kitty pet could do such thing—" HoneyPaw but her tongue to keep from talking, she was looking over Diamond. She flicked her tail, the whole crowd as stopped talking and were looking at some cat behind her. She swung her head around to see why the cats had stopped murmuring in groups. "ThornStar." She gasped lowly, looking up at the Spotted Tom. "You fought bravely." ThornStar meowed. Diamond's pelt prickled, she could see proudness in the Tom's eyes as Sunlight gleamed Over every cats pelts, making every pelt look like it's glowing with light. Diamond sunk off her paws, pain beginning to prick her flank again from the previous scratch. ThornStar's gaze was rested on Her, but he seemed to be thinking. Diamond's head titled to one side before ThornStar began speaking once more. "Your fur is a very bright blue in the sunlight Diamond." ThornStar commented. Diamond's gaze tracked to her paws, her fur was pretty blue in the sunlight, almost like glowing. ThornStar dipped his head then began
to pad towards the high rock. Diamond's gaze focused on the leader as he sat comfortably on the High rock, tail tucked over his paws. "You have fought bravely, Diamond." ThornStar meowed proudly. Diamond let out a purr of thanks as the crowd nodded and murmured in agreement. "But now I see that you have left your Kitty pet life behind." He flicked his tail towards the collar that lay in the center of the crowd of cats, no cat dared go near it. "ThrushTail, IceNose, go bury that thing far away from camp." ThornStar offered sternly. Diamond watched a pure white She-cat and a Brown Tom hold the Collar carefully and bound out of the clearing, their paw-steps fading into an echo. "And now." Diamond's gaze tracked back towards ThornStar, her heart pounding with confusion and excitement. ThornStar's gaze revealed towards a cat in the crowd, but it wasn't diamond. "FoxFur." She heard the familiar name of the long haired, dark ginger She-cat. Diamond descend the clearing for FoxFur, The She-cat looked intently up at ThornStar. Diamond even noticed the hairs on the She-cat rising. "With too many young warriors, not ready to take on apprentices." ThornStar grunted, the tip of his tail flicking towards a cat diamond couldn't see beyond the crowd, *maybe ThornStar's mean's ThornEar.* "I believe you can take on a second apprentice. But with any problems, we can always let another warrior take on Diamond." FoxFur seemed hesitant about it, making Diamond's pelt prickle with anxiety, *what if she says no..?* "I gladly will ThornStar." FoxFur dipped her head. "BeamClan honors your strength FoxFur..." ThornStar trailed off, his gaze slipping back to Diamond once more, "Diamond, you have proved your strength, and now you will join BeamClan as an apprentice, and also, taking on the apprentice name." Diamond's heart began to beat, this was it, she'd become a true apprentice now. "Your pelt shines a powerful blue in the light. So, From this day on, you'll be known as... BluePaw. BluePaw of BeamClan." The crowd erupted in yowls of agreement, Chanting her name heavily. "BluePaw! BluePaw! BluePaw!" The crowd meowed. "Diamond!— BluePaw! BluePaw you did it, you can train with me now." HoneyPaw came scuffling out of the clearing, a purr erupted her BluePaw's throat as she felt HoneyPaw's muzzle against hers once more. BluePaw let her eyes close calmly, but suddenly, pain shot through her again. opening her eyes, she saw blood trickling down her wound again, getting tangled with her fur. She let out a hiss, "Oh yeah! Your wound hasn't been treated. You should go to FernLeaf." BluePaw narrowed her eyes in confusion, "FernLeaf..?" She mewed. HoneyPaw widened her eyes, seeming to be confused in Her confusion before she seemed to get it. "Ohh, Yeah. FernLeaf's BeamClan's medicine cat, she treats out wounds and if we get sick." HoneyPaw pointed out with her tail towards a well sized den with plentiful moss covering the den. "Follow me."