Warriors: The Changed Clan #2: Danger Rising

Chapter Eleven

"I decided you can have your first apprentice," Tigerstar announced to Brambleclaw, who looked excited and as though he was going to hop about the whole camp like a rabbit and a happy kit.

"Great!" Brambleclaw was eager to know who his apprentice would be. "Who is it?"

"Squirrelpaw."

Brambleclaw's excitement died away immediately at the mention of the dark ginger cat's name. "No, not Squirrelpaw! She hates me and I hate her. She's more annoying than. . . whatever the most annoying thing is. Can't I have another apprentice? I thought she was yours."

"Dark tabbies like me have better things to be doing than losing their patience over an apprentice--especially one that's feisty," Tigerstar replied. "Now you accept your new apprentice or else I will send you to the elder's den."

Brambleclaw sighed, nodding. "Okay, I'll mentor Squirrelpaw."

"You might want to know that Squirrelpaw really likes the water. If she annoys you, shove her into a river and she'll be happy."

"TigerClan cats can't-"

"Rabbits!" Ratscar was running down the gorse tunnel and let out a yowl as he tripped over his paws, landing on the ground. "Mouse-dung, I meant badgers! Badgers!"

"Badgers?" Tigerstar frowned.

"A whole lot of them!" Ratscar added, running up to Tigerstar, out of breath. "They're heading to the camp quickly. . . They had WindClan and RiverClan scents on them. . ."

"I want all warriors fighting! The apprentices can stay with the elders and queens," Tigerstar ordered.

"Shouldn't some warriors be defending the 'paws, elders and queens?" Longtail asked. "We can't leave them without any warrior to help. If we lose kits and apprentices, we'll barely have any new warriors."

"Fine. I want you to organise patrols for fighting and defending. No cat should be without another to defend them. Badgers are horrible. Why else would we know Halftail got his tail bitten off?"

"Halftail's dead so I don't think he'll worry about badgers stealing his tail in StarClan," Longtail meowed before running off into the panicking crowds.

"Brightheart!" Tigerstar saw the ginger-and-white she-cat with Swiftshadow and Thornclaw. "I want you three to defend the weaker cats."

"I actually want to fight against badgers, not stand by a bunch of weak cats who can't fend for theirselves," Swiftshadow growled, crouched low on the ground. "You always said the strongest survive. Are you going back on your words?"

"Do you want us to be low on future warriors because our queens are dead?"

"We only have one queen," Swiftshadow answered back. "There's no difference if her and her stupid unborn kits die. It'll serve her right for being too weak to fight. What do you think I am, a kittypet? I'm a TigerClan warrior!"

"You'll be like Brokenstar if Tallpoppy does die. It'll be all your fault if we can't get anymore kits because a certain cat is too selfish to help his Clanmates. Do you want to see kits die?" Tigerstar questioned, narrowing his eyes into cold slits.

"I don't see what the fuss about them is. All they do is annoy the warriors and run about the camp as if they can do what they like. Now all I want to do is fight for myself, not anything else."

Taking a quick glance at Brightheart, who was silent throughout the conversation, the ginger-patched warrior looked shocked at how cold Swiftshadow was about kits. "I'll be happy to defend the weak," she mewed. "It's my duty as a warrior to you and the Clan."