The Dawn of RockClan

Chapter one: Little One
Littlepaw felt her back burn with embarrassment. She had found the juiciest, slowest vole in the forest and she hadn't even caught it.

"Ha, just goes to show what a terrible hunter you are!" Mudnpaw snickered. Littlepaw whipped around and hissed, "Shut up, Mud-head." Mudpaw was her brother though it seemed like he was not even mildly part of her kin. Littlepaw then turned to her mentor Cloverflame as he began to speak.vv

"Some days you can be distracted." Mudpaw snorted but Littlepaw felt greatful.

"Mud-head!" She hissed as they padded on.

"Little-brain!"

"Snake-mouth."

"Really?" Mudpaw seemed surprised. Littlepaw didn't answer and padded on. The whole morning went by and Mudpaw caught two voles and her sister, Bouncepaw caught one squirrel and two mice. Her mentor, Cloverflame had caught five fish. Littlepaw trembled, she had caught nothing.

“We still have the aftersunhigh, I'm sure you will catch something,” Cloverflame soothed. Littlepaw looked away.

“We should split up!” Bouncepaw exclaimed, over hearing the conversation. Cloverflame nodded and the patrol spread out. Littlepaw chose the path to the Rock-Ridge. The rock-ridge was a place right at the edge of Windclan territory. It was right near Thunderclan territory.

Littlepaw could hear a mouse scuffling among the little pebbles. She immediately dropped into a hunting crouch. Slowly she inched forward, spotting the mouse. ''It is about as big as a kit paw! This would barley be a meal'', she realized. Before she could stop she was already pouncing on the little mouse.

"And the mighty hunter returns!" Mudpaw tanted. Littlepaw avoided him and quickly went to sit beside her mother, Barkclaw.

"Hm, is hunting not well today?" She asked, Littlepaw nodded. Her mother touched her tail to Littlepaw's shoulder.

"You need to hunt harder, if you want to survive," Her mother meowed harshly, before devoring her thrush. Littlepaw felt so lonley. She wished she had a mother that would care for her, not give her harsh advice.

Chapter Two: Bloody Battle Littlepaw gulped fresh air, before being pulled back under the dark water. She clawed at the cats legs, until he finally let go. Riverclan had attacked her clan! She thrashed around in the water. Windclan cats were not meant for this cold dark river. She soon felt smooth sand on her paws and raced to land, where she could fight better.

A tortoiseshell apprentice leaped at her. She quickly dodged and flattened the apprentice like a leaf. The she-cat let out a squeal. "Stop!" She begged. Littlepaw stepped off of the apprentice and growled. The she-cat raced away, though Littlepaw could have easily caught up to her.

She heard Bouncepaw yowl and she raced over to help her. Littlepaw slashed at the huge tom's muzzle, before taking advantage of her small size. She ducked and sneaked under him and attacked the tom from behind.

Littlepaw suddenly heard a bone crunching crack and saw her sister lying on the ground.

Her eyes were glazed with death and her neck snapped in an odd position. Blood flowed from her mouth and neck. It was like a river coming to engulf Littlepaw. She couldn't stand the sight any longer and raced away from the battle. She wanted to get away, from this place, somewhere peaceful, not here....

Somewhere in this mess of grief Littlepaw managed to fall asleep under a huge oak.

A hush voice woke her. "Get up!"

Littlepaw looked up, expecting the cat to be Bouncepaw who was always speaking softly. It was the same tortioseshell apprentice that Littlepaw let escape.

"C'mon, I want to show you something!" She meowed more urgently. Littlepaw hoist herself up and shook the dust from her pelt. "What do you want?" She hissed.The apprentice looked suprise.

"Well I thought in since you saved me, we were friends." Littlepaw snorted. The apprentice still looked eager. "Just see this, then you can go back!" She meowed before dashing up the steep sandy rocks of Rock-Ridge.

Littlepaw rolled her eyes and thought that nothing could be wrong with seeing what this apprentice had found.

Chapter 3: The Sandy Hollow "Here it is!" The apprentice continued. "I found it when I was hunting." Her pale green eyes flashed with pride. Littlepaw slowly padded forward.The dense pine trees gave away to a huge stone hollow. The walls were steep and moss-covered. Water trickled down in to a little pool in the far end of the hollow and grass grew in clumps on the sandy ground. Littlepaw looked back. Where she had came from was now just a little crack in the stone walls.

"It's very sucure and peaceful." Littlepaw commented. Littlepaw turned to the apprentice who was examaining the pool. "What's your name?" The apprentice looked up. "I was wondering when you were going to ask, I'm Meadowpaw." She replied before dipping her paw in the pool. "Cold!" She exclaimed as she drew her paw from the pool.Littlepaw scurried over to Meadowpaw. Meadowpaw reminded Littlepaw of her dead sister, Bouncepaw.

"Hey, you never told me your name!" Meadowpaw exclaimed. Littlepaw raced up the ridge on the hollow wall, her claws scratching the hard bare stone."Oh, sorry, Littlepaw." She murmured staring into the horizon.

"You can see so much from up here," She added, feeling the late morning sun's rays hit her face. Meadowpaw quickly dashed up the hollow wall."There is a nice little path way here." Meadowpaw commented as she scrambled up the steep slope.

Suddenly Meadowpaw froze as she peered through the tree line.

"Cats!" She hissed her face drawn back in a little snarl. Littlepaw hurried down and ran to the bushes.

"It should be around here! Mother told us so!" Came a shrill meow, then in reply can another meow. "Mother isn't here now, Bird! Come on I'm sure we will be able to find a place to sleep."

Meadowpaw was already dashing forward after the converstation finished.

"Stop!" Littlepaw hissed but Meadowpaw shook her head.

"They need help, furball!" She replied briskly and bound towards the tree line.Littlepaw rolled her eyes. She thought Meadowpaw was a decent cat but was too willing. ''Maybe thats a quality I should learn from her. It makes her more....Friendly. ''Littlepaw thought as she watched Meadowpaw disapear.

Littlepaw heard Meadowpaw speak to the cats. By the sounds of it, it seemed they wouldn't hurt Meadowpaw.

Soon Meadowpaw returned followed by two weather beaten, half-starved loners. The seemed grateful that Meadowpaw had helped them.

"This is Bird-" Meadowpaw introducted a grey and white she-cat with pale blue eyes. "-and this is Raven." Meadowpaw pointed the tip of her tail in the direction of a black tom with a white muzzle and tail.

"I see," Littlepaw meowed not sure what to make out of it. "Come, into our hollow, it is sheltered from the wind," She added. Meadowpaw padded up to her.

"So, we are going to let these cats stay in our place?" She asked quietly. Littlepaw scowled and replied it in Meadowpaw's ear, "This is what you wanted!"

Grey and Raven seemed content when Littlepaw and Meadowpaw showed them a cozy little den under a bramble bush, that the two apprentices had found by luck.

"Lemme just clear this out, but it'll be as good as new in no time!" Meadowpaw meowed cheerfully. Still Littlepaw had not heard either one of the loners speak, even to each other. They would only glance at each other once and a while.

Grey helped Meadowpaw, pull out the wet soggy leafs and dead twigs from underneather the bramble bush. Littlepaw decided it was best to find alittle moss or atleast soft leaves to make Grey and Raven's stay more comfortable.

"Could I hunt?" A voice suprised her. Littlepaw whipped around. It was Raven.

"Oh-oh sure. Do what you want, just come back. It's nice to have company."

Littlepaw's voice suprised her as well.

Chapter four: Home Coming
"You asked them to stay?!" Meadowpaw exclaimed.

Littlepaw nodded. "And I told them that we are a clan," She muttered, feeling foolish.

Meadowpaw skipped around the trees. "Now we can't go back to the clans, you know. We neeed to take care of them!"

Littlepaw sat down. That meant she would never get to see her family or friends again. ''Like I have any friends! ''Littlepaw wanted to make sure her mother was okay, after Bouncepaw's death she was sure Barkclaw would be shaken.

"We tell them we need to see to problems and spend our evening ad night with the clan. I'm sure they can survive a night!" Littlepaw meowed. Meadowpaw turned. "I guess I would like to go back..." she trailed off.

"Can we come in?" Littlepaw called out. A muffled reply came and Littlepaw pushed through the brambles.

"We, um, need to go for the night. You can manage the night, right?" She asked. Grey nodded and Raven looked up.

"We ain't helpless kits!"

Littlepaw gave Meadowpaw a nod and both she-cats ran back to there homes.

Littlepaw passed the battle ground. Blood scent still hung in the air like a heavy fog. The ground was still wet with scarlet droplets of blood. Littlepaw washed her paws in the stream, hoping she wouldn't have to carry the blood back to camp. As she padded away she tripped over a clump of fur. It was Bouncepaw's by the scent of it.

The image Bouncepaw's crippled body appeared in her mind and she was lost in a storm of happy memories with Bouncepaw.

A yowl interupted her. "Littlepaw? Oh, Starclan, it's Littlepaw!"

Littlepaw looked up and saw Cloverflame, Silverstem and Barkclaw across the field. Littlepaw raced full speed towards them. Barkclaw wrapped her thin golden tail around Littlepaw.

"Oh, I thought you died too. I-I thought-" Barkclaw broke off and closed her eyes. Waves of grief rocked Littlepaw and Littlepaw was happy she had came back. She couldn't imagine her mother living without ever knowing what happened to one of her daughters.