Roaring Thunder: Rising Flames

Chapter 2

Stormpaw had little prey. She plopped it onto the fresh-kill pile.

"Stormpaw," Stagclaw meowed. "Why don't you take a mouse to the elders." Stormpaw picked up two mice and carried them to Raggedfur and Briarclaw. She gave them a mouse each.

"Thank you," Raggedfur mumbled. Amberfleck nodded.

"This mouse is too scrawny," Briarclaw growled.

Maybe she should have been named Briartounge, Stormpaw thought.

"It's leaf-fall," Raggedfur argued.

"The mouse is still too scrawny," Briarclaw huffed. Stormpaw slowly backed off and out of the elder's den. She joined the rest of the apprentices.

"What did you do Nightpaw?" Buzzardpaw, one of the older apprentices, asked.

"You really want to know what I did?" Nightpaw asked. "I learned how to gather moss. Boring! I wonder what Brooktail was thinking! I think I'm ready for fighting!" Mossyleaf walked by.

"Well," Mossyleaf meowed. "Brooktail was my mentor as well, and she knows what she's doing. She was mentored by Vinestar, back when he was deputy."

"What was his warrior name?" Stormpaw asked.

"Brooktail said that he was Vineleaf," Mossyleaf replied. "He is my father's father."

"Well," Stormpaw cut in. "It's moonrise, and I'm tired. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight. See you all in the morning."

"Goodnight," Jaypaw murmured.

"I'm coming with you," Brindlepaw yawned. "I need a nest." Nightpaw jumped up.

"Well, I'LL get you some moss!" the black she-cat dashed out of camp. Brindlepaw looked at Stormpaw.

"Do all the cats do that?" Brindlepaw asked.

"Do what?" Stormpaw wondered out loud.

"You know," Brindlepaw meowed. "Do everything for each other. I used to be a rogue, as you know. My mother abandoned me and my littermates when we were three moons old. We had to fend for ourselves. My sister was taken into this group called BloodClan and was renamed Swipe. My brother became a kittypet, my other brother was killed by a bader at four moons, and I joined ThunderClan. I can't believe what I've been missing out on!" Stormpaw nodded solemly.

"Here's the moss!" Nightpaw called, making Stormpaw and Brindlepaw jump. Nightpaw plopped the moss by Brindlepaw's feet. Brindlepaw looked at Stormpaw.

"Starpaw!" Moonpaw cried. Starpaw was laying limply by the entrance, blood seeping out of a gash on her neck. She was miraculously still alive. A bundle of cobwebs and marigold were by her paws. Hailcloud hurried out. He silently dressed the wound.

"She was attacked by a ShadowClan warrior," Hailcloud explained. "It was an attempted murder, but it evidently failed." Moonpaw and Nightpaw worridly huddled around their sister.

"We'll take her to the den," Moonpaw volunteered. Nightpaw nodded. The two she-cats carried Starpaw to the Hailcloud's den.

Is ShadowClan rapidly becoming our enemies? Stormpaw wondered.

"Those fox-hearts," Brindlepaw hissed. Stormpaw frowned.

"They are," Jaypaw growled.

What does ShadowClan think they are doing? "Why did they attack her?" Those ShadowClan cats are being evil! "They've never attacked us before!" Why did they attack? Are they trying to provoke war against us?