Warriors NEW MOON

Red Moon

"From this day forward, you will be known as Lionheart!" said Ashstar. Lionheart licked the FireClan leader's shoulder. "FireClan honors you for your great strength and honesty!" Ashstar mewed when it was over, just before the chanting. "Lionheart! Lionheart! Lionheart, Lionheart!" The Clan cheered. Lionheart had become spectacularly popular with the apprentices and the elders, who were cheering the loudest. "You have vigil, Lionheart, to do- still..." Reminded Fox, purring in a husky, foxy way. "Yeah, I know!" Exclaimed the new warrior. "Congratulations, Lionheart!" Barkkit, Leafkit, Icekit and Rockkit bounced in front of their father. "Thank you, but shouldn't you be in the Nursery right now? I think

Dewshine is looking for you, anyway, you can't go out of the nursery until you are six moons old, you know..." Chided Lionheart, gently stroking each kit, in its turn with his golden, fluffy tail-tip.

"But we're almost six moons old!"

"We just have to wait three days!"

"I think that counts..."

"It's not fun in the nursery!"

"It's too boring!"

"I get so overheated, Dad!"

"It's so unfair!"

"The Nursery is too small!"

"I don't-"

"Kits! You stop complaining to your father! You are going back to the Nursery right this instant! Go on!" Screeched a furious-looking Dewshine, who had just shot out of the nursery to the four naughty kits. Turning to Lionheart, she mewed, "I'm so sorry." And then raced back to them.

In the morning, Lionheart's eyes were sore, and his muscles ached from the cold night. Even if it was extremely hot in the day, that night, in particular was freezing- soon it'd be leaf-fall, a good hunting season. For all the little mice and voles and shrews were collecting berries and grasses for their leaf-bare nests and for food supplies. Many twolegs were around though, with long, shiny sticks, that shot out hard metal things, that could kill a cat in a second. "Hey, Lionheart, how was your vigil? Cold?" Purred an amused Honeyfall, nuzzling the new warrior's left shoulder affectionately. The two cats had been getting friendlier towards the end of his apprenticeship. Honeyfall was actually made a warrior right before he had arrived. The were about the same age too. Honeyfall was around 2 1/4 years old, Lionheart about 2 3/4 years old. Thats probably around 14-25 in cat years. (I DO NOT ACTUALLY, TRULY KNOW, SORRY!) "Yep, freezin' cold!" Answered Lionblaze, his voice a tiny bit raspy and gruff.  "Tonight it's the Gathering," Mewed Honeyfall. Lionheart nodded. "What's it like?" He said. "I never was chosen to go as an apprentice- but I was only an apprentice for what... Two and half moons?" He went on. Then he nodded to her twice, signaling for her to speak, that he was done. "Well, Ashstar will announce you becoming a warrior, you will come this time, you'll meet a ton of other cats, you have to be quiet while news is being shared, and... Oh! I think you really should..." Honeyfall Nattered. Lionheart sighed. "Okay! Okay, okay, okay!" He finally yelped. "I think I understand the concept of a gathering! You can stop now!" He instructed, firmly, butting her ribs with his huge, golden head. "You know," She said, that doen't hurt, you know, because you have such a fluffy, poofy mane! I think you are a direct descendant of the lions from LionClan!" Honeyfall informed him. They tussled with eachother until Lionheart was called onto a hunting patrol with Hazelpelt, Maplerush and Blackfire.

TIME PASSES (THIS IS AT THE GATHERING)

"May I please go first?" Requested Dewstar, glancing at the other three leaders, hopefully. "Yes, you may." Replied Ashtar, steadily. Riverstar nodded and said curtly, "I give my consent." Sandstar simply dipped his head to Dewstar: "Fine by me, too!" "MistClan is doing very well, we have a fair amount of fish in our streams.... And I am very pleased to announce, we have six new kits in RiverClan! Marshkit,  Reedkit, Grasskit, Leafkitkit, Pebblekit, and Streamkit!" A murmer of happiness and excitement buzzed around the cats, Lionheart heard many a: "That's great, how's their mother doing?"s' and "Congratulations!"s' and lastly, "Sharpleaf must be proud, even if he's hardly ever impressed by anything, he's got to be shocked at that huge number of kits he's got- he does deserve it though!"s' Next, Riverstar began. "Our Clan is doing fairly well, though many twolegs have already come through our part of the forest, scaring the prey in the ground. But, we have three new kits Silverkit and Moonkit and Frogkit!" The RainClan leader finished. Ashstar dipped his head to the new leader, Sandstar, signaling that he should go before himself, because he was younger. (Ashstar was the oldest Clan leader.) "StoneClan is well, we have had no twoleg problems yet, and I hope we will not ever this season- though I doubt it myself." He mewed shakily. One cat from MistClan screeched, "Tell us interesting stuff- not your fish-brained ideas!" Another from FireClan howled "Yeah, get a move on!" They both earned hard cuffs on the ears from their deputies and stern looks from every other cat. "And sadly, one of our elders have died of greencough, Darkstorm." He mewed, sadly, his father was Darkstorm. A ripple of grief passed through the Clans."FireClan has not, like StoneClan had twoleg problems, we have tons of prey, and have welcome two visitors, one has been training in the Medicine den, her name is Fox, and her friend has already become a strong, loyal warrior: Lionheart!" He ended up yowling. "Lionheart, Lionheart!" Yowled back the cats joyfully, almost every she-cat staring, in admiration at the warrior's strong shoulders and broad back. But then, a cat hissed loudly, "How come 'Fox' isn't a 'paw then? I think it's a real fox!" Ashstar started to explain, but one cat leaped on Lionheart, snarling, "Fox-dung!" Lionheart swatted him away with one, humungous paw, easily. In that way a battle began. The medicine cats cowered beneath or above the trees with their apprentices, leaders took their elders to safe places to hide, or some, back to their Clan's camp. The moon shone red. "Red moon!" Screeched one of the medicine cats' apprentices, Leafpaw. Shellheart sighed as he looked up at the glowing red moon. "Yes." He said. Raising his voice over the crowd of furious battling cats, Shellheart yowled: "Look at the moon! It is red, and half covered in clouds! Who knows what StarClan shall do to us now! You must stop fighting, all of you!" Suddenly, they all stood still, shocked. "RainClan, go home!" Ordered Riverstar angrily. None of the leaders had fought. "FireClan, you too, how dare you fight at a Gathering! Lionheart, you didn't know, and you have different instincts, since you've lived alone for some seasons before." He added. Lionheart shook his head shamefully, dragging his tail. As the Clans departed, the clouds disappeared, though the glow was still like blood.