Rogue's Legacy

Prologue
My name's Blazepaw... and I've got a secret.

My mother is a rouge, not a proud warrior. Not Creekshine.

My father is a loner. He gave me to the warriors and ran for his life.

I fear that some cats suspect I'm not a Clan cat. After all, I don't look like Creekshine. I'm not a stunning, sleek silver tabby with blue eyes. I'm flame-coloured, and my eyes are a deep, emerald green. Creekshine has a real daughter, Nightpaw. She's supposed to be my sister...

But I know deep in my heart that she isn't.

In truth, I'm Clanless.

Chapter 1
"Blazepaw! Wake up, you lazy old scrap of fur!"

Blazepaw's eyes fluttered open to see Nightpaw prodding her with one black paw. The she-cat's amber eyes were alight with excitement.

"It's our final assessment today! We will be warriors soon!"

Blazepaw shot out of her nest, scratching herself on a bramble thorn. She bit back a hiss of pain as she and her sister padded into the main clearing. The other apprentices were already up and were sharing tongues at the large stump in one corner of the camp. Lightpaw's tongue rasped over Frogpaw's head. Aspenpaw licked her chest thoroughly, spitting out clumps of dark grey fur.

"Yuck, I'm shedding!" she exclaimed.

Aspenpaw's brother, Bearpaw, let out a mrrow of laughter and licked his own chest. "I don't shed," he teased, showing her his tongue.

"Sure you don't! There is no other apprentices in the Clans that have your shaggy, dark brown fur!"

Bearpaw rolled his eyes and turned his gaze to Nightpaw.

"Hi Nightpaw," he mewed. "We saved you some prey."

Nightpaw gave Blazepaw a look of apology. Blazepaw shook her head dismissively.

"Have something to eat," she told the black apprentice. "I broke the warrior code; I don't blame Bearpaw for not leaving me some."

Two sunrises ago, Blazepaw had travelled to the Moonpool with her mentor, Quickstar. Blazepaw had woken up early, but went to ForestClan's territory to catch prey. Quickstar had seen her eat the prey, so she had forbidden Blazepaw from eating again until three sunrises passed.

"Feel my wrath, ShadeClan crowfood-eater!"

"Never!"

Blazepaw turned her head to see two kits tumbling in the dust beside her. One was pretending to be a ShadeClan warrior, and the other was pretending to be fighting it. They crashed into Nightpaw, knocking the mouse she was eating out of her mouth. Bearpaw leapt onto the stump, hissing and spitting, just as the kits rolled past him. Nightpaw twitched her whiskers in amusement and went to break up the troublesome playfight. The kits were rolling towards a hole in the camp's rock hollow shelter where long grasses spread out into the shorter grass of the moor. It was just big enough for a large apprentice, and the perfect size for two kits. Nightpaw pulled the two kits apart.

"Unfair!" mewled the smallest kit, a tortoiseshell she-cat. "I was just about to chase him out of camp!"

"I would have won!" protested the larger kit, trying to puff out his white chest to make him look bigger.

The two kits padded back to the nursery, arguing.

"Those are Sweetwind's kits, aren't they?" remarked Aspenpaw

Suddenly, Bearpaw yowled a warning to Nightpaw. He leapt a fox-length to shove Nightpaw away from the hole, crashing down on top of her just as a snake slid out of the long grass. It struck at the dark brown tabby but he scrambled out of the way. He drew himself up to his full height and hissed at it. It slunk away into the long grass resentfully.

"Thank you, Bearpaw! You saved my life!"

Nightpaw's eyes were aglow with admiration and had a moony look in them. Blazepaw knew her sister was in love with Bearpaw, but did she have to act like a trapped rabbit around him? The Nightpaw she knew was brave and kind.

He'd better not hurt her, otherwise I'll claw his fur off, she thought.