Gingerpelt

PROLOGUE

She glared at him.

"What are you doing on our side of the river?" She hissed at him.

"What are you doing being a medicine cat? Last time I saw you, you were a fierce warrior. Anything happen? Did you go crazy like your friend?"

"HE WAS NEVER CRAZY!" Anger shot through her as she launched herself at him causing him to lose his balance and flop into the river.

"HELP! I'M DROWING!" He screamed in terror.

"Stop being a kit and stand up!" She snapped.

Confused he stood up and the river hardly lapped at his paws.

"Thanks." He said, awkwardly.

"Thanks? I wasn't trying to help you! I just didn't want to see a poor kit drown! You're just mouse-brained like the rest of your clanmates!"

"Well at least I have a whole forest to hunt in fish-breath!"

"Fish-breath? What do you want anyways?"

"My clan's medicine cat told to come here and talk to the first cat I meet. Something about some message from StarClan." He mumbled.

"Message from StarClan... Oh. Sorry."

"Better be!"

She looked straight into his eyes.

"The river is close!" She hissed.

He blinked.

"That's it?" He demanded.

"Yes, now go back to your own territory before someone else comes!"

He walked away confused while the she-cat stood there wondering if she did the right thing. She looked up at Silverpelt.

"Oh StarClan! Did I do alright? I didn't really want to tell him everything! That's for him to find out! But, I'll tell her absolutely everything I know!"

Chapter 1

"Mom?" I said, opening my eyes for the first time to see tall trees all around me. Wow! Is this the camp?

"It's alright little one!" I just realized something... Where are the smells of the nursery? This isn't the clan camp I heard of! Where am I?

Panicked I ran towards my mother's soft dark gray pelt.

"It's fine my little Gingerkit!" Is that fear I heard in her voice? I turned away from her to see a sparkling river I went towards it and dipped the tip of my nose in. It was freezing cold! Suddenly thirsty I turned back to where my mother was standing for milk. I watched in horror as I saw her bushy tail disappear behind the thick bushes.

"Mom? Where are you? Aren't you coming back?" I heard her crying as she ran away. She's leaving me all alone when she doesn't even want to? I'm confused!

Dizzy, I made my way to the river. Thirstily, I started lapping at the water. YUCK! I want milk! Still dizzy and weak, I tripped over a rock and tumbled into the ice cold water. It pulled me down and as I gasped for air my lungs started to burn. I can't breath! Horrified, I struggled upwards to the surface but my puny little legs weren't strong enough. I continued to drown. My eyes closed and I knew it was over. Even though I wasn't even a moon old, I was going to die.

As I felt life slipping farther and farther away, I got wrenched up and out of the water. This must be StarClan's way of taking me away to go up to join them.

But it wasn't! It was a warrior! He saved me! I opened my mouth to squeak out a thanks but all that came out was water. Exhausted, I let the warrior take me back to the clan. My mother will be there! Ready to give me milk!

As the warrior raced into the clearing he screamed out "HELP! I'VE FOUND A DROWNING KIT!" The tall muscular warrior went to the nursery. It smelled different. Nothing like the nursery I remember.

Hunger gnawed at my sides as the warrior walked in and turned to a she-cat with sleek golden fur.

"Can you give this poor kit some milk? She was drowning in the river and looks starving! She's probably not even older than a moon!"

Without hesitating, the golden queen nudged me to her where I happily started suckling.

Once I was done I sat back down and looked at the queen.

"Where's my mother?" I asked her.

She looked me up and down then looked at the other queen in the nursery.

"Is she your kit?" She asked.

"No." Replied the light brown she-cat.

I felt my heart sink with disappointment. Then I realized that the golden queen had a question for me to.

"Can you remember anything that happened earlier?" She asked me.

"I remember being in the nursery then falling asleep and waking up in the forest while my mom ran away. I went to the river for a drink when I fell in." I squeaked back.

"The forest?" She asked.

"The forest." I replied firmly.

The golden queen sniffed me then stared in alarm at her friend.

"Mothwing!" The light brown queen said, scared.

"I know, Birdnose! The poor kit got abandoned by it's own clan!" Said the golden queen, Mothwing, on the verge of tears.

The light brown queen, Birdnose, went to whisper something in Mothwing's ear.

When she backed away, Mothwing nodded.

"It's fine young one. You're safe here." Mothwing said reassuringly.

"My name's Birdnose." Said the brown queen, trying to be polite. I just realized the odd shape of her nose that probably gave her that name.

"And I'm Mothwing. What's your name?" Mothwing asked.

"Gingerkit." I replied, still wondering what was going on.

•••

I've wanted to make a Warriors story for a while! Sorry if any of the names don't make sense. I'm not done reading all the books yet. They might all be from completely different parts in the actual books. I might have changed their personalities or they might be made up.

Please vote/follow!

- Ginger