Warriors - A Fanfic

Chapter One

   The sun beat down on Thunderclan camp. It was newleaf, and most cats were out enjoying the new heat. Except for Leafpaw. She had been made an apprentice the day before, and right before that she had received a prophetic dream. Now she was trying to figure out what the prophecy meant. As she pondered by the fresh-kill pile, She noticed that Ravenpaw was padding towards her.

   "Hey Leafpaw! What's up?" Ravenpaw meowed cheerfully.

   "Nothing much..." Leafpaw couldn't tell Her sister about the prophecy yet. Not when she didn't know what it meant. Neither could she tell her brother, Firepaw. Leafpaw sniffed, then noticed a sour smell. She nosed her way into the fresh-kill pile, searching through the voles and mouses. She picked out a squirrel and set it down.

   "What are you doing?" Firepaw asked, confused as he padded into the clearing. Leafpaw turned over the squirrel and saw that its stomach was writhing with maggots. Ravenpaw gasped.

   "Wow! How did you know about that?" Ravenpaw marveled, giving the squirrel a sniff.

   "Millie and Graystripe would be so mad if they got a stomachache from that!" Firepaw meowed.

   "Indeed. Well done, Leafpaw." Leafpaw saw Jayfeather padding up to her. Jayfeather had always treated her like she needed to know every single herb there is, just because she was missing a paw, and was his kin. She didn't remember what happened, but her father, Lionblaze, had told her she had been mauled by a dog when she was a kit, because of Tigerstar, the evil dead cat who almost destroyed the clans because of his greed, the same dog that had almost killed Brightheart. Just the thought of it gave her nightmares. Leafpaw shuddered. She noticed that Firepaw and Ravenpaw had gone silent. She guessed that they were staring at her, confused. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice that the other cats were still there.

   "Oh! Y-yes! Thank you, Jayfeather!" Leafpaw stuttered. She nodded her head and headed towards the medicine den. As she entered, she noticed a stale smell. "Jayfeather? When was the last time we cleared out the herbs?" Leafpaw asked, sniffing at the herb supply.

   "Oh, of course! I almost forgot! Could you please sort out the herbs that have lost their scent or are stale?" Jayfeather stuck his head inside the den and nodded at her. Leafpaw nodded back and limped farther into the herb store, tossing some stale dock leaves into a pile. As she worked, she heard someone padding towards her. She lifted her, tasting the air. Firepaw was nosing his way into the den.

   "Leafpaw" Firepaw meowed seriously. "I need to talk to you." Leafpaw stepped out of the herb store and faced Firepaw.

   "Okay, what do you want to talk about?" Leafpaw answered.  Firepaw tiptoed closer. Then she felt his breath hot on her ear.

   "Not here. Somewhere else. Ravenpaw is waiting for us. Come on." Firepaw laid his tail on Leafpaw's shoulder, guiding her towards a space behind the warriors den. "This is the place Lionblaze told me he and Jayfeather and Hollyleaf used go to whenever they needed to talk in private!" When they squeezed into the space, Ravenpaw was resting in the far end of the space. She stirred as they sat down. 

   "Jeez, you took forever!" Ravenpaw mewed quietly, stretching her back in a yawn. Leafpaw rolled her eyes. Ravenpaw never seemed to let go of the fact that when you have one less paw then everybody, you need help getting around. When they had settled, Firepaw lowered his voice to barely a whisper.

   "You may think I'm mouse-brained, but I've noticed something strange. Leafpaw, doesn't it seem weird that you can tell what other cats thoughts and feelings are? I've noticed that you have always known if or when a cat is sad, mad, or even happy, or what's going on inside their mind." Leafpaw sensed his anxiety spreading like flames. She always thought that knowing what other cats were thinking was normal. She thought about it for a moment.

   "I think you may have a point. Any other suspicions?" Leafpaw asked, digging in the ground softly with her paw. 

   "I think... I think Tigerstar may be alive"