Sandstrike's Curse

- 2 -

"Let all cats old enough to lurk in the shadows join here beneath the highbranch for a meeting!"

Sandstrike hears Owlstar yowl for a Clan meeting as he pads out of the warriors' den, having just woke up. He is thankful he didn't have to go on the dawn patrol so he could sleep in a little bit longer. He gazes over and spots his uncle sitting on the highbranch, waiting for the Clan to gather around. Sandstrike spots Tulipblossom and hurries over towards her, wanting to sit with his mate.

"Good morning, dormouse," Tulipblossom teases playfully once she notices him, having just finished talking to Sweetberry, a good friend of hers.

"I'm not a dormouse," he grumbles in response, sitting down beside her as he looks up at Owlstar, waiting for what the Clan leader has to say.

"Today, two young kits have reached the age of six moons, and are ready to become apprentices," Owlstar announces.

Already? Sandstrike thinks as he turns his attention to Plumnose, with Hollykit and Sleekkit by her side. Their fur is well-groomed and tidy as the sit with their mother obediently.

"Longwhisker would be so proud of them," Tulipblossom whispers to Sandstrike. "It's a shame he was killed before he got the chance to meet them."

"Longwhisker was a traitor, Tulu, and so was our lame excuse of a deputy," Sandstrike whispers back in a low growl. "He had his death coming."

"Sandstrike!" Tulipblossom responds in a whisper, scolding her mate. "Don't be disrespectful! Longwhisker was a good cat and so is Plumnose!"

"Plumnose made her decision. She left ShadowClan when we needed her. I don't care if she was my mentor. Fawnbriar should've remained deputy, it's the way the Clan works," Sandstrike whispers back.

"Shh!" Sandstrike then hears. He turns his head to spot Hailcloud glaring at them, his brows furrowed and eyes narrowed. Sandstrike nods respectfully and turns his attention back to the Clan meeting.

"Hollykit, please step forward," Owlstar meows as the black she-cat steps forward in the clearing as told.

"You have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Hollypaw. Your mentor will be Tulipblossom. I hope Tulipblossom will pass down all she knows on to you," Owlstar says, his yellow gaze looking down at the black-furred apprentice, but then it shifts over to the direction of Tulipblossom. "Tulipblossom, you are ready to take on your first apprentice. You have received excellent training from Frostpath, and you have shown yourself to be a reasonable and kind-hearted warrior. You will be the mentor of Hollypaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Sandstrike can't help but feel pride for his mate as the newly appointed apprentice pads over towards her and watches as the two cats touch noses. He purrs a little.

I'm a Clan hero! When am I going to get my first apprentice?! Sandstrike can't help but think, realizing that his sister and mate haven gotten an apprentice, but not him.

The clan cheers. "Hollypaw! Hollypaw!"

Then, Owlstar's gaze shifts right over to Sleekkit. The dark gray tom-kit watches in awe at the Clan leader.

He's a spitting image of Plumnose. Sandstrike thinks as he observes the kit.

"Sleekkit, you have also reached the age of six moons, and it is also time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Sleekpaw. Your mentor will be Sandstrike. I hope Sandstrike will pass down all he knows on to you," Owlstar says, his gaze shifting right in Sandstrike's direction.

Called it! Sandstrike thinks.

"Sandstrike, you are ready to take on your first apprentice. You have received excellent training from Plumnose and you have shown yourself to be a strong and brave warrior and a hero for ShadowClan in our war with SkyClan. You will be the mentor of Sleekpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."

Sandstrike can't help but purr as the newly appointed apprentice runs over in his direction excitedly, touching noses with him.

"Sleekpaw! Sleekpaw!" The clan cheers.

"The clan meeting is now dismissed," Owlstar meows, leaping down from the high branch. Sandstrike looks down at Sleekpaw, glad to finally have an apprentice.

Even though this young cat is the son of two traitors, he can't help what his parents have done. I will be training him like I will train any other apprentice and may he learn from his parents' and older siblings' mistakes. Sandstrike thinks.

"Are you really a Clan hero?!" Sleekpaw meows first thing, his green eyes wide in awe. Sandstrike is shocked by the sudden question, not what he was expecting, but he goes along with it.

"Yes," Tulipblossom answers for him before he can answer himself. "If it wasn't for him, who knows what ShadowClan would be like." Sweetberry then jumps into the conversation.

"He caused the turning point that led to ShadowClan victory in the Battle of Unforeseen Victory," Sweetberry explains further. "If he hadn't took one of Badgerstar's lives, ShadowClan would've lost hope and even more cats would've died than those who already did," he meows, looking over at Sandstrike admiringly. Tulipblossom gives Sweetberry a quick glare with narrowed eyes, then gazes back at Sandstrike lovingly.

"Woah, that's so cool!" Sleekpaw meows, looking up at Sandstrike admiringly. "I want to be a hero too!"

"Hey!" Hollypaw then meows, her brows furrowed as she stared Sleekpaw down. "How come he gets the hero as a mentor?"

"Don't be like that, Hollypaw," Sandstrike then meows, looking at the apprentice. "Tulipblossom is a hero in her own way. Every cat who fought in those battles was a hero."

"I was a queen for most of the war," Tulipblossom admits. "But when we attacked SkyClan camp when Falconflight was an apprentice, I fought hard alongside my Clanmates. That makes me a hero too."

"Isn't what when our fath–" Sleekpaw begins to say, until Sandstrike quickly cuts them off.

"Well, let's show you two around ShadowClan territory, shall we?" Sandstrike interrupts, not wanting to discuss the topic of their father's death, who was killed by Daisystar's own claws.

"Oh, okay!" Sleekpaw meows, his pupils widening excitedly.

"Yay!" Hollypaw cheers as they begin to follow their mentors out into the rest of ShadowClan's territory.