Prologue
The scent of blood was strong. The sticky, red liquid lapped at a cat's paws, engulfing her in oozing red stuff. Invisible claws raked her flank, turning her soft fur sticky and red. "Destruction comes when flames meet the sky, ending with a storm!" Screeched a voice. The cat, Frostfeather, gasped as tides of blood flooded over her, engulfing her, drowning her in red, sticky liquid. "Help!" She gasped but was choked by the blood. She woke with a start. Tiny claws pierced her back. She swiveled her head around to see Owlkit, Pinekit and Sunkit. "Hello, kits!" She purred. Pinekit squeaked and they fled from the den. She stretched her legs and padde outside. Her apprentice, Honeypaw, was playing with eight kits: Owlkit, Pinekit, Sunkit, Leopardkit, Stonekit, Cloudkit, Flamekit and Skykit.
Chapter 1
Skykit hissed as her paw was sliced by a bramble. Tiny beads of blood trickled out, and she limped to Frostfeather's den. A sharp scent met her small nose as she stepped in. "Frostfeather? I'm bleeding on my paw!" She called. The white she-cat padded out from the shadows and examined her small paw. "I've got just the thing!" She exclaimed! She rummaged through sharp scented herbs until she found a heap of velvety looking leaves. She chewed them up and spat them on her paw. She wrapped it with cobwebs and surveyed her work proudly. "All fixed up! Just go easy on that paw for a couple days." .She mewed. "Thanks! It feels better already!" Right when she was about to leave, she glanced behind her back, and the look Frostfeather gave her was mixed with pure terror and worry.
Chapter 2
Skykit padded out of the den, putting little pressure on her injured paw. "What happened?" Called a fellow kit. Flamekit raced up and looked at her paw. "You're hurt!" He cried sympathetically. He sniffed her paw and winced. "What happened?" He mewed. "A bramble caught my paw and it was bleeding." She mewed. He licked her ear and led her to the nursery.
The next day Skykit's paw felt better. She bounced up and down with little pain. "How's your paw?" Flamekit asked. Skykit purred. "All better! Let's play!" Flamekit and Skykit squeezed outside right when Flamestar yowled "Let all cats old enough to catch a bird join me beneath the Talloak for a Clan meeting!" The other six kits tumbled out of the nursery, squealing and having fun. "Hush, kits!" Her mother, Amberspots, scolded. "Flamestar is speaking!" Sunfeather, Flamekit's mother, added disapprovingly with a stern glare at her other three kits, Stonekit, Leopardkit an Cloudkit. Flamestar surveyed his healthy clan and announced, "I have very good news! Fernstream is moving to the nursery." Cheers met his news and Oakbranch licked her ear with joy. When all was silent, he continued. "Two of our queens will be moving out. Sunkit, Pinekit, Owlkit, Stonekit, Cloudkit, Leopardkit, Flamekit and Skykit are moving out too as apprentices!" Skykit gasped. She smoothed her ruffled fur quickly, making it slick and shiny. "Sunkit, Pinekit, Owlkit, Leopardkit, Stonekit, Cloudkit, Flamekit and Skykit step forth." She walked a couple steps and looked up at her leader. "From this moment on you will be known as Owlpaw. Crowfur will mentor you. Pinepaw, your mentor will be Fallowfern. Sunpaw, Lightstream will be your mentor. Leopardpaw, you will be mentored by Tigerstripe. Stonepaw, Sparrowflight will teach you. Cloudpaw will be mentored by Birdflight. Flamepaw, your mentor is Hawkclaw, and Skypaw, your mentor is Lightningstrike." Wow, Lightningstrike! She thought. The black she-cat with jagged cream and white stripes eyed her with piercing green eyes. She bounded over and touched her nose. Everyone cheered her name. Flamepaw sat close beside her and whispered "We're apprentices!" Hawkclaw's sleek tabby pelt and amber eyes gleamed as he looked at his apprentice. Crowfur was black all over with yellow eyes. Birdflight was a pale tabby, Tigerstripe was a dark broad shouldered tabby with green eyes, Sparrowflight was a light tabby and Lighstream and Fallowfern were identical silver tabbies.
Chapter 3
Skypaw trotted alongside Flamepaw and her mentor. It had been two moons since she left the nursery and she was already a skilled hunter and fighter. Her two sisters, Pinepaw and Owlpaw, were amazing at hunting in pairs. They had caught two squirrels and a fat magpie that had clearly impressed the elders a lot. Skypaw and Flamepaw were very good friends, and she kept reminding herself about the gathering that night. She carried two magpies and a mouse. Frostfeather was still a little timid with her and Flamepaw, which intrigued her very much. They emerged into camp, when her father, Starlingclaw, who happened to be the deputy, marched up to the trio and mewed,"You three are going to the Gathering tonight, so eat something and get rest." And bounded off. "The gathering!" She mused with satisfaction. Flamepaw dumped his prey into the fully stocked prey pile and chose a fat thrush. He beckoned her with his tail and they shared it in their favorite place to eat: a grassy spot under a small willow tree with soft grass and leaves. Brambles protected the entrance and the rocks that made the walls were thick with moss. She bit in the wing and flavor seeped into her mouth. "I'm tired!" She mewed suddenly. She curled up in the grass and fell asleep with Flamepaw curled next to her.
