Broken Code

Chapter 3

"Let all cats old enough to catch prey join here under HighTree for a clan meeting!!" Flamestar announced before jumping up into a small tree. The rest of Streamclan gathered around the knobby stump of the tree and listened, their ears pricked.

Ashkit and Rainkit bounded out of the nursery, quite eager to begin their training. With head held high, Rainkit felt proud to be in front of the whole clan. Today was her apprentice ceremony!! She was going to be a medicine cat!! She could go visit all of the other cats!! She could go to gatherings! The thought made her purr aloud.

Ashkit gave her a look filled with joy, excitement, and pride. "Ready?" He flicked his grey tipped white tail. Rainkit nodded, bouncing a bit on her little paws.

"Hey Ashkit? You know what I never knew? Why are you called Ashkit if you're all white?" She tilted her head to the side.

Ashkit twitched his whiskers and flicked his tail. "My tail has grey on it."

"So you're named after that tiny speck of grey?"

"Yup."

"That's dumb."

"You're dumb."

"Whatever." Rainkit rolled her eyes.

"Rainkit!! Ashkit!! Come forward!!" Flamestar meowed proudly, his fire colored pelt catching the sunlight at just the right angles to make him seem like his pelt could actually be on fire.

Ashkit and Rainkit bounded up and sat below the branch on which Flamestar was sitting. Rainkit could feel her heart pounding in her tiny chest. She closed her eyes to calm herself down and found herself lost in memories.

Icestar purred. "I can't wait until you two become apprentices. I know just who your mentors would be!"

"Ooh ooh who's mine Dad? Who's mine?" Ashkit bounced on his tiny paws.

"Yeah I wanna know!!" Rainkit jumped.

Icestar twitched his whiskers. "Not yet, once you turn 6 moons you will know."

"But that's 4 whole moons from now!! That's ages away!" Ashkit whined, his white tail drooping.

"Yeah just tell us now!" Rainkit pleaded with her father.

"Well you two-" Icestar started before he was interrupted by a fire pelted cat running up to him.

"Icestar...Grassclan border...battle... no time..." He panted before running back through the camp entrance.

"Goodness Starclan!! Flamepelt come back!!" Icestar called out but the flame cat did not return. Icestar sighed. "Jayscratch, Riverwhisker, Brokenpaw, come with me!" Icestar licked each of his kits on their heads before bounding off through the forest and towards the river and Grassclan border.

Ashkit frowned. "Where's he going?"

"Didn't you listen to Flamepelt silly? There's a battle!!" Rainkit meowed sharply. "I wish I could be there!" She pounced on an imaginary warrior. "Rawr!!"

Ashkit rolled his eyes. "Silly Rainkit, those warriors would eat you in a heartbeat!"

Rainkit frowned. "I hope Icestar is going to be ok..."

Then her scene changed and was at the battle field.

"Icestar!!" Silverdream yowled as she ran to her mate. "Icestar!!"

A once white Icestar was now drenched in blood. His eyes were glossy and his pelt had been shredded.

Flamepelt, being the good deputy he was, stood next to Silverdream as they guarded their dead leader. Silverdream hissed at Grassclan cats and Flamepelt shouted above the yowling and screeching cats. "STREAMCLAN RETREAT!!"