Chapter One

It was a beautiful, sunny day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and it seemed like the entire forest had taken the day off from their Warrior duties to enjoy the sunny day. Nothing could have ruined this peaceful day...

Other than two ThunderClan cats that is.

"You're just a mousebrain!" the small, white apprentice yelled as she stalked through the forest. Her amber eyes were dark and her fluffy tail was lashing back and forth.

"I'm not the one who nearly got hit by a monster!" the gray warrior retorted.

"Excuse me but did you not see the rabbit I was chasing? It could have fed all three of Fernclouds kits with more to spare!" the apprentice scoffed, "I'm just thinking of my Clanmates here, Ashfur."

Ashfur whirled around, looking angry. "This is the third time in the past two moons, Bouncepaw!" he roared. The patrol of cats behind them sniggered at how riled up they made each other but knew from experience to stay out of it. "Here's a tip: stop chasing prey you can't catch!"

Bouncepaw grumbled under her breath as she lashed her tail. "I could have caught it."

Ashfur snorted. "How? Half the time, you can't even catch a mouse."

"At least I try!" Bouncepaw snapped, "You don't even attempt to catch anything bigger than a mouse! Explain how you're going to feed the Clan with that?" she motioned to his empty jaws.

Ashfurs face contorted in confusion as he looked around for what she was nodding at. "With what?"

"Exactly."

Ashfur let out an angry growl as he fell in line with his amused Clanmates. "I never understand anything she says." he muttered.

Bouncepaw, feeling victorious, trotted up to her brother and sister. They both held prey in their mouths and whenever they tried talking, it came out muffled.

"You guys agree with me, right?" she asked. Whitepaw, her sister, nodded eagerly while her brother, Swiftpaw, simply scoffed. Bouncepaw narrowed her eyes at the brown and white tom. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, just as the reached camp.

Swiftpaw dropped the sparrow on the food pile and turned to his sister. "That rabbit wouldn't have fed as many as you claimed it would have. It was skinny and there would only be enough for Ferncloud and maybe two of her kits. It's not worth dying over."

Bouncepaws ears drooped, "I didn't realize I was chasing it onto the Thunderpath."

Whitepaw cocked her head, thoughtfully. "Brackenfur says that as a Warrior, you must be aware of your surroundings."

Bouncepaw sighed as she plopped down on the ground, next to her littermates. She hadn't been an apprentice for very long, but already she had ran onto the Thunderpath, got caught by a WindClan patrol for being on her territory and fallen into the river at RiverClan while trying to leap for a robin. Her mentor, Ashfur, had saved her from every situation and he was getting sick of it.

"Brackenfur would have my tail if I said half the things you do." Whitepaw added and Bouncepaw looked up. "The sun hasn't even set and you've already called him a mousebrain, bad hunter, lazy..."

"This morning she called him a fat, old elder." Shrewpaw added as he came to join them. "I don't understand why you two don't just get along. I mean, he is your mentor."

"Look at him!" Bouncepaw motioned to Ashfur as he talked casually with Thornclaw. "How can you not hate him?"

"Easily." All three cats said in unison. Ashfur was a nice cat, he was loyal and friendly but Bouncepaw always seemed to bring out the worst in him. It wasn't like she was malicious, either. The two were simply not a good match and no one knew what Firestar was thinking when he made the two apprentice and mentor.

But then again, the two barely even knew each other back when she was getting apprenticed. They didn't know how much havoc they would bring to each others lives.

"Let all cats, old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath Highrock for a Clan meeting." Firestars voice rang out. Bouncepaw looked up curiously as she followed her friends to Highrock. "As you all know, tonight is the Gathering. There has been recent ...tension with WindClan involving some of our apprentices journeying onto their territory."

Bouncepaw turned away as a few of her Clanmates shot her glares. Firestar continued, "Because of this, I expect every apprentice to stay close to their mentor and under no circumstance should anyone try to pick a fight. This is a time for peace."

Bouncepaw knew that the message was mainly meant for her, Ashfur, Swiftpaw and her father, Cloudtail. Her and her family tended to get a little snappy whenever they were offended and her brother often used his claws to solve his problems. As for Ashfur, it would just be plain embarrassing if the other Clans saw mentor and apprentice arguing.

"Thornclaw, Brightheart, Brackenfur, Ashfur, Rainwhisker, Sootfur, Whitepaw, Bouncepaw, and Shrewpaw, you will be attending the Gathering." Firestar finished before leaping off Highrock. Bouncepaw turned to her sister excitedly.

"That's not fair." Swiftpaw grumbled, unsheathing his long claws and digging them into the dirt. He turned to Bouncepaw, "Why are you going but I'm not?"

"Because I haven't gone to a Gathering yet." Bouncepaw snapped, narrowing her amber eyes, "I was ill last moon when I should have gone."

"It doesn't mean you should be able to go to a Gathering when you've been causing trouble all moon!"Swiftpaw lashed his tail. "If I were leader, only those worthy would be able to go!"

Bouncepaw stared at him in shock, "You're supposed to be happy for me. There will be other Gatherings." But Swiftpaw had already turned away and stormed towards the two other apprentices who weren't attending either.

"Don't worry about him. He's been acting kind of weird lately." Whitepaw shrugged. "I think he thinks he could run ThunderClan better than Firestar can."

Bouncepaw purred, knowing that was true. Swiftpaw was always saying how if he were leader, things would be different. Some of his ideas were a little morbid too and if he ever actually managed to become leader, ThunderClan would turn into a bloodthirsty Clan full of only the strongest as Warriors and the weak as slaves.

Bouncepaw was sure it was just a phase. Swiftpaw wasn't dangerous and never would be.

"Did you hear about what he said about no picking fights, Bouncepaw?" The white apprentice turned around to see it was her favorite cat in the entire Clan!

"Yeah, I'm so glad he brought that up, Ashfur. It would be so embarrassing if you started a fight with WindClan. Cats would start to doubt your mentoring skills." Bouncepaw mewed.

"You're hilarious." Ashfur spat bitterly. "But I'm serious. If so much as one sarcastic remark comes out of your mouth, you're cleaning the elders for ticks for a moon."

Bouncepaw shuddered at the thought. Nothing against the elders, but it kind of smelled a little...strange in there.

"Now go get some sleep. We can't have you falling asleep at the Gathering." Ashfur added just before he padded away. Bouncepaw opened her mouth to argue when she realized that (for once) he was right. She was already exhausted from hunting patrol and Bouncepaw wasn't exactly known as 'friendly' when she was tired.

Sighing, Bouncepaw made her way to the apprentice den.

Cats filled the clearing, all happily chatting as they waited for the Gathering to begin. Bouncepaw had never been to Fourtrees before but it was more than she expected. The moon was just above the trees, sending light down to the cats gathering around.

"Wow." Bouncepaw whispered. she followed Ashfur as he led her to a group of ShadowClan and RiverClan cats. WindClan hadn't arrived yet.

"Greetings Ashfur," a small brown tom nodded his head. A dark gray apprentice was standing by his side with an easy grin on his face.

"Hello Oakfur, Smokepaw." Ashfur nodded his head to the two ShadowClan toms.

"Is this Bouncepaw?" the pretty silver RiverClan cat asked. She looked really familiar but Bouncepaw couldn't quite tell where she knew her from. Maybe she passed her on border patrol?

"Yes, this is my...lovely apprentice." Ashfur snorted and Bouncepaw shot him a glare. Wasn't he the one to say no sarcasm? Hypocrite.

"I'm Bouncepaw." she purred thickly, "Ashfur is just the most understanding and compassionate mentor I could ask for. Really, we never disagree about anything."

Bouncepaw and Ashfur shared a moment where they both glared at each other with so much hate it could burn down the whole forest.

"Ookay..." Smokepaw muttered, snapping them out of their glaring contest, "Now that we've past awkward."

"I'm Feathertail, by the way." the silver she-cat added sweetly.

Oh.

Now Bouncepaw knew where she knew her from. Feathertail was Graystripes daughter who had chosen to live in RiverClan, her mothers Clan. FeatherClan looked a lot like her father. Even though her fur was lighter and her eyes were blue while Graystripes were amber, they both had the same air of confidence around each other and facial features.

"It's nice to meet you." Bouncepaw replied.

"Let the Gathering begin." The WindClan leader, Tallstar, announced. Bouncepaw was told that he was old but he looked ready to drop dead at any moment. He was big, with a long tail and ragged black and white fur that seemed to hang off of his frail frame.

"All is well in ShadowClan." Blackstar began. He was a handsome, white tom with black paws and ears. Bouncepaw was ogling him like he was a piece of prey.

Smokepaw must have noticed because he leaned over and whispered in her ear, "You know, the Warrior Code says something about those kind of relationships. So should your morals."

Bouncepaw looked away in embarrassment as Smokepaw sniggered. He had definitely caught her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't." he lightly nudged her.

"Oh hush." Bouncepaw couldn't help but purr as she turned back to the leaders. Blackstar had just finished, telling about how prey was well in ShadowClan and Tallpoppy had recently moved to the nursery. He also mentioned something about the Thunderpath becoming increasingly busy with Greenleaf.

Tallstar stepped forward, wrapping his long tail around his paws. "Prey was been well in WindClan and we have just welcomed Crowpaw and Eaglepaw into the apprentice den." The Clans cheered at the two toms. The slim, black one puffed his chest out and raised his head with an air of cockiness around him while his brother ducked his head a little, trying to hide behind his brother.

When the cheers died down, Tallstar continued. "We had a minor problem with ThunderClan apprentices and knowing the borders but I think it's fair to say that no harm was meant and the problem was solved." Tallstar didn't look overly upset about it and more amused than anything. And to think Firestar was worried about there being tension.

Firestar chuckled as he stepped forward, "ThunderClan has just recovered from a touch of Greencough that affected a few of our apprentices. But everyone recovered and are back to their duties."

"Did you catch it?" Smokepaw asked and Bouncepaw nodded. Her, Shrewpaw and Spiderpaw had all caught it and spent their time in the medicine cat den. Spiderpaw recovered in time for the last Gathering, though.

"Prey is well and Ferncloud just had a litter of three." Firestar finished and the RiverClan leader stood up. Bouncepaw didn't know her name, unlike the other leaders.

"What's her name?" Bouncepaw whispered.

"Leopardstar. And that's her deputy," Smokepaw nodded to the bluish gray she-cat sitting underneath Great Rock. "Mistyfoot. I heard that she's part ThunderClan too."

Bouncepaw growled under her breath, "Is everyone part ThunderClan?"

"I'm not." Smokepaw added smugly and Bouncepaw scoffed.

"Good to know."

Leopardstar talked about how the heat was starting to dry up the river but never the less, prey was still plentiful. She didn't have much else to say other than that and RiverClan was as strong as ever. She really seemed like the type to rub it in everyone's face that her Clan was best.

The Gathering ended as the leaders hopped off of Great Rock. Smokepaw turned to Bouncepaw. "So how was your first Gathering?"

Bouncepaw shrugged. "Eh, it was okay. I had this really annoying tom bothering me the entire time."

Smokepaw pretended to look offended. "I thought I was keeping you company!"

"Bouncepaw." The fluffy, white she-cat turned to Ashfurs voice. He was standing beside Shrewpaw and Thornclaw. "It's time to go."

Bouncepaw turned to Smokepaw, she gave a quick nod before trotting after her Clanmates. Shrewpaw looked smug about something while Ashfur just looked annoyed. But that was usual when he was around his apprentice.

"You two looked cozy." Shrewpaw mentioned casually as they started walking back to camp. Bouncepaw looked at the tom in disgust.

"You're crazy! He's ShadowClan, if you haven't noticed." Bouncepaw retorted. She had absolutely no romantic feelings towards Smokepaw. He was a nice cat, but wasn't really her type.

"Exactly." Ashfur snapped. "It's against the warrior code to have relationships with cats from other Clans."

"Why won't you listen to me?" Bouncepaw growled, "I told you nothing happened!"

"Bouncepaw, nobody is accusing you of anything." Thornclaw reassured. "We trust you when you say nothing is going to happen."

Bouncepaw let her fur lie flat. Thornclaw was a respectable warrior and he always managed to keep his calm. It's no wonder he had so much respect from everyone in the Clan. Ashfur needed to take some tips from him.

Bouncepaw fell in line with Shrewpaw while Ashfur and Thornclaw talked up ahead. "Thanks for that." Bouncepaw muttered sarcastically and Shrewpaw nudged her playfully.

"The pleasure was all mine." he purred. He had a mischievous gleam in his eyes as he led Bouncepaw farther away from the Clan. Bouncepaw looked at him curiously but didn't say anything until they were completely out of earshot of the other cats. "I went on patrol today."

Bouncepaw blinked, "Is that all you wanted to say?"

"I scented badger." That's when Bouncepaw reacted. Her amber eyes widened and she took a step back in shock. She had heard countless stories about badgers attacking and killing cats. When Sorreltail was an apprentice, she told them about how her own mother died while fighting a badger.

"What? Does Firestar know?" Bouncepaw gasped and her friend shook his head.

"No, I told Thornclaw but he said the scent was old. I told him that it was fresh enough but he just kept on saying that it was nothing to worry about." Shrewpaw explained and Bouncepaw let out a sigh of relief. "Let's go check it out."

"What? But I thought you said the scent was old?"

"In that spot. That doesn't mean anything about the rest of the territory." Shrewpaw mewed. "Think about it. Firestar will love us if we save the Clan from a badger."

"I usually agree with most of your ideas but this one is just plain mouse-brained. We're going to get slaughtered!"

"We don't have to fight it! We just have to follow the scent and sees if it leads anywhere. If it doesn't, we won't even have to tell anyone about it." Bouncepaw paused thoughtfully at Shrewpaws words. He had a valid point. Plus, this could also mean Shrewpaw and Spiderpaw getting their warrior names.

"Okay, I'm in."

The brown and white she-cat sat in her bed, five kits curled around her stomach. It was a bitter-sweet moment for the young mother. She knew that once her kits were old enough, her housefolk would give them away to live their own lives and she would probably never see her young sons and daughters.

"If only..." she whispered as she wrapped her tail around the smallest of the litter; a fluffy white she-cat. Two of the five kits had the same white fur and fluffy tail. The others looked more like their mother with brown fur and white chests. All but one that is, who had flaming red fur.

"You'll never know how much I love you." she purred, licking the head of the ginger one. His pelt burned like a fire raging through the forest. He looked so much like him.

One of the white kits, a tom, mewed pitifully as he struggled to get closer to his mother. The others had pushed him away as they suckled at their mothers belly. Already they showed so much promise; they showed the strength of a true warrior.

"One day, my darlings, you will grow big and strong. You will make your family proud, just as he has."

New story! I hope you all enjoy and drop a review!

If you were reading Close Your Eyes before this, I'm sorry but it's been deleted. I would have loved to continue but there was a problem with the beta reader and by the time that was sorted out, I had lost all motivation and ideas I had for the story.

Also, if you couldn't tell, this takes place in the old forest. It's AU, so if the forest didn't get destroyed, this is what would have happened. Except it includes my OC's, Swiftpaw and Bouncepaw.