The Lost Warriors- Moonsong

Chapter One

Moonkit gave a little wriggle of delight as Fallenstar gave Rockkit his apprentice name. It will be my turn soon, she thought.

Rockkit…no Rockpaw now, went to it by his mentor- Foxstep.

“Jaykit, step forward.” Fallenstar continued. “From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Jaypaw.  Cloudfur, you will be Jaypaw’s mentor. StarClan honors your strength and loyalty, and may you pass down all you know to your apprentice.”  Jaypaw touched noses with Cloudfur, and they went and sat down.

“Moonkit, step forward.” Moonkit pushed down her excitement and stepped calmly forward. “From this day on, you will be known as Moonpaw. Tornstripe, you will be Moonpaw’s mentor. StarClan honors you strength and patience, and may you pass down all you know to your apprentice.

Moonpaw touched Tornstripe’s nose, and then went to join Jaypaw and Cloudfur.

“What are we doing first?” Moonpaw bounced with excitement.

“I think we will show you TreeClan’s territory.” Tornstripe looked down at her, eyes glinting with amusement as he watched the excited kit.

Moonpaw and Jaypaw raced each other to the entrance, and then waited impatiently for their mentors to catch up.

Tornstripe led them to the RockClan border first.

“I’ve smelled that before…” Jaypaw sucked in a long breath, and then looked up at his mentor.

“Yes. That is RockClan’s scent.  Once, when you two were tiny kits, the RockClan Medicine Cat came to our camp in need of some Catmint.” Cloudfur looked down at his apprentice. “You have a keen nose.”

Jaypaw meowed with pleasure at his mentor’ praise.

Suddenly, Moonpaw’s head jerked up. “Are those RockClan cats?!”

Long bodied, lithe cats raced across the rocky ground to the hills in the distance.

“Yes,” Tornstripe nodded his head. “They have the toughest pads I’ve ever seen, and they are fast and mean. As cold-hearted as the stones they run across. Their camp is in those hills over there.”

“You met them up close?” Jaypaw gasped.

Cloudfur mrrowed with laughter. “Yes, at the gatherings. Your first gathering will be soon, I’m sure.”

Moonpaw poked her head into the apprentice den. It was a large boulder wedged under another rock, and a large hole had been dug underneath for the apprentices. The cold dirt floor was covered with inviting moss nests.

Muscles aching, Moonpaw found the plumpest nest and plopped down. With a huge yawn, she laid her head on her forepaws, prepared for sleep.

Just then, Marshpaw and Barkpaw came in, chattering like two little birds. When they spotted her, they were silent.

“Hi,” she meowed shyly.

Barkpaw snorted. “New apprentices; always so stuck up!”

Marshpaw meowed her agreement.

Moonpaw was taken back, but she decided to let it slide. She hadn’t learned very many fighting techniques yet. But when she did, they would be sorry…

Moonpaw’s nose twitched as she caught the scent of something strange. It smelled like dust, hay, and almost like a bird. Curious, she slunk forward through the brambles, and found the source of the strange smell.

A bird; a HUGE bird. It had well groomed tail feathers, a big red lob on the top of its head, and the flashiest colors she had ever seen.

She heard a mouse screech in the distance; Rockpaw must be hunting. But the big bird just kept pecking at the ground, scratching the dirt away with its huge claws. The scent of warm meat had become tantalizing, and Moonpaw was determined to hunt down this bird.