Warrior Cats Fanfiction: The Six Trials Series (Book 1): Black Clouds

Chapter 1 - White Stripe

The sun was setting. White Stripe and his sister Maple Bark were sitting vigil. Just a little while ago, White Paw and Maple Paw had received their warrior names. Now White Stripe was very proud to be called a young warrior. 

His former mentor, Sun Pelt, had looked so proud when White Stripe had gotten his full name. He had been – and still was – like a father to White Stripe and Maple Bark, since their real father, Bramble Thorn, had been lost on the journey to new territory, the territory where they were now. He had lost himself looking for prey in unknown land.

White Stripe recalled what his mother, White Foot, had said before the silence vigil had started. She had told him that this was a time for reflection, so he was remembering the whole of the time since he had been made an apprentice.

The four Clans, SilverClan, GoldClan, MoonClan, and White Stripe's Clan, SunClan, had started out as one very large Clan, DarkClan. The Clan had had an argument about new territory. The one Clan had split, becoming four Clans. Led by their ancestors, LightClan, they went in search of a new place to live.

It was while they had been travelling, that Bramble Thorn had wandered off to find prey, and had not returned. SunClan had searched for him, but never found any trace of him.

White Stripe had heard the senior warriors say that that was because the day after Bramble Thorn went hunting, it rained heavily. Enough rain to flood the area SunClan had been staying in.

That was when SunClan and GoldClan had lost SilverClan and MoonClan. Each Clan had stayed in a separate place. When SunClan had gone to the temporary camps of each Clan, the only Clan they could find was GoldClan. The other camps had been deserted. They had missed each other in the heavy rain.

So they travelled on in two groups, each not knowing where the other one was.

Bramble Thorn had found SilverClan and MoonClan. Not knowing what had happened to his Clan, joined up with SilverClan. Eventually the two groups found each other again, and it looked like Bramble Thorn was regretting his decision. White Stripe had seen the way he'd looked at his former mate – White Stripe's mother – White Foot .

The Clans had journeyed on until they reached their permanent territory – this territory, in fact. That had been just two days ago. SunClan's leader, Yellow Star, had told White Stripe and his sister that they had done such a good job coping with the trip, that they deserved to have their warrior names.

And all that had led to right now.

*     *     *

The first pale claws of dawn were beginning to show, when Maple Bark's former mentor, Grass Heart, came hurrying across the clearing with Sun Pelt and White Foot on her heels.

"Your vigil is done, you two," she meowed, shaking White Stripe out of his thoughts.

He stood up and stretched, looking over at the second warrior den – his den now. White Stripe saw Lavender Berry trotting eagerly across the clearing, while Sorrel Stripe padded sleepily around the edge of their den.

"Good morning," Lavender Berry mewed when she reached them. "Sorrel Stripe and I are on the dawn patrol."

"I wish I wasn't," Sorrel Stripe yawned. "I would have liked some more sleep."

"Sorry," meowed a voice behind them. It was Rose Petal, SunClan's deputy. "If you would like to stay a young warrior, then you had better get used to getting up early," she told her daughter.

"Some cats never did get used to it," Grass Heart purred as her littermate, Cinnamon Tail, emerged from the first warrior den. She stood in the clearing blinking and yawning her head off. "Come on Cinnamon Tail, we're on the dawn patrol," Grass Heart called across to her.

"Would you like to join us?" Lavender Berry asked White Stripe and Maple Bark.

"No thanks!" Maple Bark answered quickly. "I for one would like to catch up on my sleep. White Stripe, you can go if you want."

White Stripe shook his head vehemently and yawned.

White Foot's whiskers twitched in amusement. "I never knew a newly made young warrior who didn't want to sleep after his or her vigil," she mewed.

"Come on, let's get going," Rose Petal called as she headed toward the gorse barrier.

"See you later!" Maple Bark mewed. Lavender Berry waved her tail in response as she ran toward the tunnel.

When the patrol had gone. White Foot turned to her kits. "Go and rest now. When the hunting patrols come back, you can have something to eat." She headed toward the elders den. "I'm going to check on Turkey Feather . He had a bit of a cough last night."

White Stripe trudged tiredly toward his new den. He was exhausted. Maple Bark mewed something to Sun Pelt; then she followed after her brother.

Inside the second warriors den, most of the young warriors were asleep. There were no warriors or senior warriors; they got the larger den.

White Stripe mewed a greeting to the two cats who were awake – Honey Tail and Light Whisker. The two littermates were starting to get up.

"Long vigil, huh?" Light Whisker meowed quietly so as not to wake the others.

"I feel like I could sleep for a moon," Maple Bark mewed, coming in the den behind White Stripe.

"Just be glad you got to do your vigil in new-leaf; Honey Tail and I had to do ours in leaf-bare," Light Whisker remembered.

"It was brutally cold," Honey Tail agreed. "Oh, and your nests are over there." She pointed with her tail to a corner where two fresh nests were.

White Stripe muttered his thanks and flopped down into his nest. His sister echoed him, and circled down into hers.

"Good night, Maple Bark," White Stripe mewed.

"Good day, more like, but the same to you," she murmured drowsily.

White Stripe only half heard her; he was already drifting into a deep sleep.