Cloverfall's Prophecy

-Chapter 1-

Fatigue clogged Cloverpaw's gaze as he streamed from the bramble tunnel of the aprentices' den. A pale dawn light speckled the clearing of the ravine as Cloverpaw trudged over to his mentor, Asterhawk.

"Why do we have to train so early?" Cloverpaw yawned to Asterhawk as he ambled to the fresh-kill pile, removing a sparrow from it by its wing. The brown tabby trotted to the side of his mentor.

"I didn't say this early. You can sleep for a bit longer if you need to," Asterhawk remarked to his apprentice. "It's much too early for warriors to even be up, unless preparing for a battle."

"Well, I'm up now, and I probably won't be able to get more rest until dusk," Cloverpaw added, "so we could train after my sparrow if necessary."

Asterhawk glanced at Cloverpaw for a few heartbeats before his apprentice began to slowly ingest the sparrow. Once Cloverpaw was finished with his meal, Asterhawk straightened himself out. He used a tail flick to signal his apprentice to follow him out to the burnt sycamore. The two cats slipped through the boulder covering the entrance to camp. Asterhawk and Cloverpaw tugged their way through the thorn and bramble tunnels before reaching the peak of the hill. The apprentice fluffed his pelt.

The two weaved through the trees with flicking tails. The sun began to rise higher and higher into the pale sky. Asterhawk and Cloverpaw slipped into a clearing that contained the burnt sycamore.

Asterhawk came to a halt, parting his jaws to taste the air. He snarled. It took Cloverpaw a few moments to understand why his mentor was aggravated. Riverclan scent.

"Cloverpaw, get back to camp and get Frostwhisker to organize a battle patrol," the warrior hissed. Cloverpaw did what he had been told, racing off to camp.

Once he arrived, he peered around the camp, which began to fill in with warriors. His gaze finally locked on a large, blue-eyed gray and black tom. Frostwhisker, the deputy. Cloverpaw rushed over with a lashing tail.

"Frostwhisker, I was told by Asterhawk to get you to assign patrols. We scented Riverclan scent by the burnt sycamore," Cloverpaw reported to the deputy.

Frostwhisker snarled. He trotted in front of the Pinebranch. Warriors and apprentices swarmed around the deputy like enraged bees.

"Flarewatcher. You will lead a patrol to the burnt sycamore with Cloverpaw, Crookedstrike, Silentcry, Featherpaw, and Leafcloud. Meet Asterhawk at your destination. Flintneedle, lead a backup patrol with Little-ear, Thistlepaw, Nettlebelly, and Sweetheart," the deputy ordered.

Cloverpaw and the patrol trekked out through the boulder and the thorn tunnel. The backup patrol followed them with unsheathed claws. The undergrowth was overly thick this Green-Leaf, as Cloverpaw's claws got tangled in it. However, the apprentice continued to march on.

The patrols finally reached where the scent was strong. The two patrols peered around for oily pelts of Riverclan warriors.

"Flintneedle, I'll let out a signaling yowl. When you hear it, your patrol attacks. Try to find some sort of hiding spot in the undergrowth, and try to guide the Riverclan patrol into thick undergrowth," Asterhawk directed.

"Won't it be harder for us to fight in thick undergrowth?" Flintneedle growled.

"It may be hard for us, but harder for them because they don't have the undergrowth in their territory," Flarewatcher muttered.

Flintneedle's patrol nodded to Flarewatcher. They stalked through the undergrowth and away from the larger patrol.

"Cloverpaw, Featherpaw and Crookedstrike, head to where you think the Riverclan scent is the strongest. We won't be far," Flarewatcher demanded. "Me, Silentcry, Asterhawk and Leafcloud will give you a tail flick on when to attack."

The patrol split into two groups. They began to stalk through the undergrowth, their tails hovering just above it. Cloverpaw peered up from the thick growths. He had spotted Riverclan tails hovering high in the air. He nudged Crookedstrike to warn him. The second half of the patrol had been gazing in the same direction. Flarewatcher looked over. He flicked his tail rapidly.

Crookedstrike screeched, leaping at a Riverclan warrior. He tackled the black tom to the ground. Cloverpaw would skid over, flipping onto another's spine. His hind claws seeped through the tan warrior's flanks as he clawed at their shoulders. Flarewatcher and Leafcloud would be attacking a single warrior, Silentcry tumbling down with one more Riverclan warrior.

Cloverpaw would skid along the undergrowth as the tan-and-brown tom would fling him off like a ravaging dog. The warrior stormed over, pinning the apprentice down by the shoulders. Cloverpaw twisted like an adder, raking the tom's belly. The Riverclan warrior yowled. He peered over to see the backup patrol bounding over. Flintneedle had managed to already back kick another tom, who was dark brown, in the eyes.

The cats quit the mini battle as they noticed Lichenstar storming over. Irritation flared in his gaze. The cats would depart into two groups, groups based off their Clan.

"Why is Riverclan in ShadowClan territory anyways?" snarled the Shadowclan leader. The Riverclan warriors did not respond. "Well, you gonna' spill it or not?"

"To claim more territory," the brown tom, Owlsplash, called out.

Lichenstar hissed. "As if. You fish-faces have enough territory already. Take over Thunderclan territory or Windclan. We have the least amount anyways! Now scram before you get bombarded." As soon as the words exited Lichenstar's maw, the Riverclan patrol stalked off, bloody-pelted.

Flintneedle's ear had been left torn in half, and Crookedstrike's whiskers were tattered. As for Cloverpaw, he had wrenched claws, torn flanks and a clawed up eye.

The battle-scarred leader would guide the patrols back to camp. Irritation flared in his gaze. "Those fish-faces have enough territory for two Clans."

Once the cats arrived back to camp, Lichenstar stalked over to Frostwhisker. From what Cloverpaw predicted, the leader was asking the deputy to assign the dawn patrols for the present day.