Chapter Text
Amberpaw felt her hackles rise as she looked around the unfamiliar forest. Where am I? She felt small as she looked around the clearing. A breeze carried in what she thought was WillowClan scent, but to the apprentice’s alarm, it was quickly overwhelmed by the smell of blood.
A mewl of protest startled her. Looking to her left, she saw a ginger tabby. The cat’s face was kit-like and she didn’t speak -- only let out soft squeaks and whimpers. Amberpaw realized with a jolt that she too was a kit. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but it was as if a stone was lodged in her throat.
“Two more. Hurry.”
Before Amberpaw could locate the source of the growl, a she-cat came into view. Amberpaw crouched closer to the ground as she recognized Tawnyfeather. Had there been a battle? Is that why the medicine cat was here?
Was this MeadowClan’s camp?
Tawnyfeather picked up the ginger kit by the scruff and Amberpaw watched as they walked away, the she-kit struggling, her eyes round with fear. Tentatively, she stretched her small legs up and stepped forward to follow.
“Wait! Come here, little one.”
Whipping her head around, Amberpaw saw a light brown molly sitting underneath a tree. Her green eyes glittering in the moonlight as she beckoned the apprentice with her tail.
Amberpaw quickly padded over to her. “Who are you? Where am I?”
“Hush, little one. Stay close- don’t look!” The cat’s meow grew panicked when Amberpaw tried to look back in search for Tawnyfeather and the kit.
“Look at this instead.” Amberpaw tilted her head as the stranger batted a glittering rock towards her. Cautiously, Amberpaw stretched her neck out and peered at it.
Amber. She tilted her head once she recognized the stone Echostorm had previously shown her. Cautiously, she stretched out a paw and batted it around. Why had the cat given this to her?
“You’ll be safe soon, little one.”
“Safe from what?” Amberpaw asked, but when she looked up, the cat was gone. She turned back to the amber. Mesmerized by the strange glow, she briefly heard a shriek split the air and the hisses and yowls of battle following it.
“Adderstrike, there’s one left.”
Adderstrike? Amberpaw’s trance was broken and she whipped around, looking for her father. Instead, she saw Ospreystar. The leader looked much younger, her fur soft and scarred far less than Amberpaw remembered. Am I in the past? Is that it?
Before she had the chance to speak, a shape came barreling towards her. She let out a cry of alarm and braced herself, before she realized it was her father. She was taken aback by the sheer agony in his eyes.
What happened to him?
Amberpaw’s eyes shot open and she lifted her head, breathless. Looking around, she realized she was in the apprentice den. She looked down at her paws, relieved to see those of a growing warrior.
“Amberpaw? Are you okay?”
Amberpaw turned and looked at her denmate, Blackpaw. His eyes were round with worry and he stretched out a paw towards her nest.
“You were crying out in your sleep. What were you dreaming about?”
Amberpaw shook her head. “I’m... not sure, to be honest,” she said. “My father and Ospreystar were there. And Tawnyfeather from MeadowClan? But I was a kit, not an apprentice… And there was this other kit and this strange she-cat I had never seen before!”
Blackpaw tilted his head. “You were just at the Gathering,” he meowed slowly. “And didn’t you say you had a weird run-in with Tawnyfeather? Maybe your mind was just playing tricks on you.”
“Maybe,” she murmured. What the tom said made sense, but she still couldn’t shake the dream, or the look in her father’s eyes as he stood over her. She glanced around the den, relieved to see Snowpaw and Mistpaw were still asleep.
Blackpaw yawned. “Try and get some sleep,” he said, curling back up. “I’m sure you’ll have forgotten all about it in the morning.”
---
“Your mother was there too, but she looked a little younger. So did my dad, now that I think about it. It felt like I was in the past!”
“That is very odd,” Stormpaw replied, his voice muffled as he bit through a tansy stem. “But, honestly, I think Blackpaw was right. After all, it involved most of the cats you were around that night.”
Amberpaw flicked her tail crossly. “Dad didn’t go to the Gathering. And what about that kit and the she-cat?”
Stormpaw sighed and set his collection of herbs down in a small pile that had been collecting. “Listen, Amberpaw, not every dream is an omen I can interpret. I really don’t think you need to worry about it. My mom was very wary of Tawnyfeather, it makes sense that your imagination would associate her with something bad. Besides, you’ve been talking about this dream for several days now. I think if anything were to happen, you would have gotten another warning.”
Amberpaw huffed, unsatisfied with her friend’s answer but unable to come up with any other argument. Instead, she walked up and helped him divvy the tansy up into two piles for them to carry back together.
After a moment of silence, Stormpaw glanced at her. “I’m surprised Echostorm let you come out with me,” he meowed. “I would think you’d be training with the others.”
Amberpaw shrugged. “The others are cleaning out nests or hunting. Echostorm said helping a medicine cat is just as important. Besides, we have battle training at sunhigh.”
The medicine cat apprentice nodded. “Silverleaf said I have to give battle training a try just in case, but I really don’t think I-”
“Oh! Herbs! You must be Stormpaw! Hello!”
Amberpaw turned her head, her tail fluffing up defensively. Across the border in MeadowClan territory was a small calico she-cat. Her green eyes were friendly. She smelled the rival Clan, but Amberpaw had never seen her before.
“Who are you?” she growled, glancing around to make sure they weren’t about to be overtaken by enemy warriors.
“I’m Honeypaw! I was just named MeadowClan’s medicine cat apprentice!”
Stormpaw pricked his ears. “Silverleaf told me about you. Tawnyfeather said something the other day, I guess. I’m Stormpaw, nice to meet you.” He nodded at Amberpaw. “This is Amberpaw, my friend.”
Amberpaw nodded curtly, her fur still ruffled. It made her somewhat uncomfortable how familiar Stormpaw got with the other medicine cats. But Honeypaw seemed friendly enough.
“That’s unfortunate you were just now named,” she said, trying to sound friendlier than she had before. “After all, you just barely missed being introduced at the Gathering.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” Honeypaw chirped. “Smokestar likes to wait and name the apprentices when they’re exactly six moons old -- my mother told me he actually counts! Besides, what’s more important is the half-moon. That’s where I’ll see StarClan.”
“I remember my first time,” Stormpaw replied; Amberpaw couldn’t help but snort in amusement as the tom tried to sound much older than he was. “It was amazing. You’ll never forget it.”
“I can’t wait!” Honeypaw looked at the tansy they had been gathering. “Well, I’ll let you both get back to it. It was nice meeting both of you!”
Amberpaw nodded, slightly taken aback when the apprentice’s gaze lingered on her. “Bye,” she mumbled before picking up her portion of the herb and darting back into the woods.
“She seemed friendly,” Stormpaw meowed after he had caught up. “Especially to you.”
Amberpaw glanced at him. “What do you mean by that?”
“Seriously, Amberpaw? She was staring at you like you were StarClan itself the whole time.”
The tabby shrugged, her ears growing hot. “Whatever,” she mumbled. “You two are medicine cats, not me. I’ll keep my friends on this side of the border.”
----
“No, no, no! Blackpaw, how many times do I have to explain this to you?”
Amberpaw winced at Icestorm’s harsh tone as she hopped off of her denmate. The black tom was panting as he got to his paws, shaking the dirt from the training ground out of his fur. As he faced his mentor with a reproachful look, Amberpaw found herself thinking for the countless time that day how thankful she was to be trained by Echostorm.
The warrior tom put his ears back, his discomfort obvious. “It is a difficult move,” he sympathized. “Blackpaw has improved quite a bit since we started-”
Icestorm hissed. “You mentor your apprentice and I’ll mentor mine.”
Amberpaw looked back at Blackpaw. “Sorry,” she whispered.
Blackpaw shook his fur off, his expression cross. “She expects me to be warrior-ready already! It isn’t my fault I’m not as good as you.”
Amberpaw glanced anxiously towards the she-cat, but relaxed when she realized the warrior was still busy arguing with Echostorm. “You don’t have to be perfect at everything. You’re a brilliant hunter. Besides, I’m not perfect at fighting either.”
Just better than you, which is bad enough,
she added silently.
“Not good enough,” the black tom clenched his teeth as he put weight on a wrenched paw.
Icestorm looked at him and flicked her tail in annoyance. “Go back to camp,” she said. “Have Silverleaf look at that paw. Make sure you haven’t done anything too severe to it.”
He didn’t do anything wrong!
Amberpaw opened her mouth to protest, but a look from her mentor silenced her.
“Amberpaw, that’s enough fighting for one day. You and I will finish up by hunting.”
“I can come with,” Icestorm cut in.
Echostorm looked at her, his gaze icy. “I would
suggest
returning back to camp. Nightclaw will be none too pleased you let her son limp through the woods all on his own.”
The older warrior’s hackles raised and Amberpaw tensed, expecting her to strike out. Instead, she let out a hiss before bounding away in the same direction Blackpaw had gone. Once the molly was out of sight, Echostorm let out a deep sigh, his shoulders relaxing.
“That wasn’t fair!” Amberpaw blurted out. “Blackpaw didn’t do anything wrong. He’s trying!”
“I know,” Echostorm murmured, “but it’s no use trying to change Icestorm’s mind. She’s never been the most patient or kind cat in the world.”
Amberpaw put her ears back. “Well, I hope Nightclaw shreds her when she hears how she’s been treating Blackpaw.”
“Hey now, you shouldn’t speak of your Clanmate like that.”
“Even if I hate them?”
Echostorm’s tail twitched and Amberpaw was relieved to see he was amused. “Even if you hate them.” He padded off into the wounds and Amberpaw followed close behind. “I know Icestorm -- and Nightclaw, to be honest -- want Blackpaw to be like Owlspark, but it may not happen. And that’s okay.”
“I wish I knew him better,” Amberpaw mewed. Owlspark had been Blackpaw’s father -- and her own father’s brother. She had been told he and Adderstrike had been known across the Clans as two of the most fiercest fighters in history. But just a moon before she was apprenticed, Owlspark had been ambushed by a pack of rogues and left dying on the edge of the border. He and Adderstrike had been close and much of the fire had died from her father’s eyes that day.
“He was always excited to see you and Blackpaw train together,” Echostorm said, scenting the air. He let out a faint huff when no prey was detected.
Amberpaw glanced at him. “Do you think he would have wanted Blackpaw to be like him?”
“From what I know? No. He would have wanted Blackpaw to be Blackpaw.” Echostorm sighed. “But, sometimes I think the dead rule WillowClan more than the living do.”
Amberpaw was about to ask her mentor what he meant, but she saw a flash of gray. Squirrel! Quickly, she crouched down, not daring to make a sound, until the rodent moved closer. Taking a breath, the apprentice shot forward, pinning the creature down with her claws. After one quick nip to the spine, the prey was dead.
“Well done!” Echostorm mewed. “Your technique has improved since we first started.”
Amberpaw purred. “Now, if I could only catch birds.”
“Ah, if you want to perfect that skill, I’ll be honest, you’ll want to ask for a new mentor.”
As Amberpaw buried her prey, the winds brought a new scent to her nose. She stiffened. CreekClan. Where they invading? It was no secret the two groups had been far from friends since the series of battles that led to Riverwhisper’s death. She turned around to say something to Echostorm, but the tom nodded, his tail fluffed out. Carefully, he gestured to her and she following him closer to the source of the scent.
“There they are,” Echostorm whispered. Amberpaw peered over the bush he was staring ahead of and saw a small patrol of warriors, well beyond the borders. She recognized the deputy, Ashleap, from the Gathering, but the remaining cats were unknown.
A large, white tom stretched his neck out, scenting the air. Amberpaw tensed, but it seemed like the rival tom couldn’t realize just how close the WillowClan cats were.
“We better make this quick,” he growled, looking at his deputy.
Nodding, the molly padded forward and began marking a scent line. Amberpaw stiffened with anger. They were moving the border past the stream! This is the only one Flintfoot can walk to! The image of the older tom being forced to climb the hill to reach the pond on the far side of their territory made her claws slide out.
“Easy,” Echostorm hissed, though his hackles were spiked. “I need you to run back as fast as you can. Get Ospreystar.”
“What about you?” Amberpaw whispered.
“I won’t engage until I have back up, but I need to keep watch in case there’s more.” When the apprentice hesitated, Echostorm nudged her with his head. “Go, now!”
Taking a breath, she shot away towards the camp, trying to keep her paws as quiet as possible. Glancing back, she saw Echostorm slowly slide underneath the bush. StarClan keep him safe. CreekClan warriors were known for their particular brand of violence. Adderstrike had told her once they had abolished the code forbidding warriors from killing other Clan cats.
Amberpaw gasped as she burst through the forest into camp. “Ospreystar!” Her urgency turned her voice into a shriek.
Immediately, Ospreystar bounded over, several warriors behind her. “Amberpaw? What’s wrong? Where is Echostorm?”
“CreekClan is moving the border beyond the stream. They’re stealing our water!” Amberpaw heard several of the older cats snarl and Ospreystar’s eyes turned cold. “Echostorm is keeping an eye on them, but we must hurry.”
“How many are there?” the leader growled.
Amberpaw glanced at her paws, her mind racing. “Five,” she breathed. “Three warriors, two apprentices. Ashleap is there.”
“Miraclepool!” Ospreystar whipped around to face her deputy, who was padding over. “Gather up a patrol. Bring enough drive them out, but I need cats here in case this is a diversion.”
The tortoiseshell nodded. “Of course. Adderstrike, Scorchfang, and...Mistpaw, your claws are sharp. Amberpaw, you will come with to show us the way. You said Echostorm stayed behind?”
The molly’s voice was even, but Amberpaw saw a flash of fear for her son in her eyes. “He’s hiding in a bramble bush, waiting for us,” Amberpaw replied.
“Then let’s go.”
Amberpaw watched as Adderstrike pushed through the crowd. Her father quickly pressed his nose against hers. “I’ll be right beside you,” he murmured. She nodded, still breathless.
Oh, StarClan, this is my first battle.
Her mind was a whirlwind as the patrol took off, Miraclepool keeping in step with her as she raced back to where she left her mentor.
“We’re almost there!” she called out. As the place she had last seen the patrol came into view, an ear-splitting shriek cut through the air.
“Echostorm!” Miraclepool burst through the bushes, letting out an enraged caterwaul. Without question, the rest of the patrol followed suit.
Amberpaw’s eyes stretched wide as she burst through the brambles. Blood had already been scattered on the grass as yowls and shrieks split the air. Miraclepool was grappling with Ashleap, both mollies refusing to let go of the other. Beyond them, Echostorm struggled to his paws, a long gash in his side.
Amberpaw readied herself to run over to him, but was stopped as Adderstrike and the white tom from before rolled into her way. Her father looked fearsome, his green eyes blazing and his blows relentless. The two warriors were evenly matched in size, but the tabby tom was beating his enemy back easily.
Suddenly, pain shot through Amberpaw and she whipped around to see a warrior pulling her back by her tail. Ignoring the pain, Amberpaw whipped around, striking the black tom in the face. Her satisfaction was short lived as he bared his teeth in a snarl, bowling her over.
Amberpaw felt a flash of panic as all of her carefully-practiced fighting moves flew out of her head. She lashed out in desperation, trying to keep the tom away from her belly and throat. She glanced around, hoping Adderstrike or Echostorm would come to her aid, but both were tangled with other enemy cats, unable to see or reach out to her.
“Little warrior’s first battle?” the tom taunted, scoring his claws across her face. Amberpaw gasped, but was able to collect herself enough to bite down on his paw as hard as she could. The warrior howled in pain and in the moment, Amberpaw darted out from under him. Blind with panic, she ran into the stream.
She stopped once the water was touching her belly and heaved for breath. She turned to face the battle, but as she did, the tom pounced on her, pushing them both into deeper water. Amberpaw tried to rise up, but the warrior placed a paw squarely on her back.
“Cheeky kit!” he snarled as he shoved her head underwater.
Amberpaw’s heart raced as she opened her mouth, her scream carried away silently in the current. She lashed back and forth as her chest began to burn, but her struggles took more air from her lungs.
As her world began to fade to black, she numbly wondered if her father had won.