As Precious as Gold

Warriors

Moon Set

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter One

 

Goldenstorm felt his fur prickle. He stared at Moonpaw. Moonpaw bared his teeth in a snarl.

“Moonpaw, come with me.” Goldenstorm mewed, trying to keep himself calm.

“No!” Moonpaw rasped taking a step back. “You’re just going to run off to Blackstar and plead to him that I ate before feeding the rest of the Clan!”

Goldenstorm took a deap breath. The leader of the TreeClan would do nothing more than make Moonpaw take care of the elders. “And you were speaking with a cat of another Clan. You broke the warrior code in two ways. What else am I soposed to do? Let you and get away with it? Let you continue with you disloyalty?”

Moonpaw froze. “I never set foot on any other Clan’s border.” Moonpaw hissed. “And for that matter talk to a cat of another Clan! That would be braking the warrior code big time!” The light gray cat shuttered.

“Then I have every right of StarClan to send you to Blackstar!” Goldenstorm snarled. “Don’t deny it! I saw you talking to Berrypaw!” Goldenstorm shuttered, knowing that his apprentice was friends with Berrypaw, the traitor who had tried to kill Sevenstripe and had been exiled from the Clan because of his hideous actions. “That traitor tried to kill my best friend. He has taken a dark path and is now no longer of TreeClan. He is of StoneClan and if you say a word to him, every cat in the Clan will think you two are plotting. Don’t let it happen again or I will have a word with Blackstar about it.”

“Yes, Goldenstorm. It won’t happen again.” Moonpaw meowed, dipping his head.

“Good. Now get that rabbit you barried over by Brown Pool.” Goldenstorm mewed. “I want you to have some evedence that you hunted.”

Moonpaw glared at him, but said nothing and stalked away.

Goldenstorm ignored his hostility and slinked back to camp. When he arrived there, Sevenstripe was waiting for him at the entrance of the warriors’ den.

“So, how was the hunt?” Sevenstripe asked.

“Unsuccessful of course.” Goldenstorm growled. “Thanks to Moonpaw.”

“He’ll eventually learn the ways of Clan life. He’ll toughen up.” Sevenstripe purred. “Trust me.”

“Oh! If only he were as obedient and well-tempered as Skypaw!” Goldenstorm yowled.

Sevenstripe purred proudly as he listened to Goldenstorm aplaud his apprentice.

Over hearing his praise, Skypaw trotted up. “I can get through to him, Goldenstorm.” She purred.

“Who? Moonpaw? Could you?” Goldenstorm mewed.

Skypaw stared at him strangely. “Yes.”

Goldenstorm cleared his throat, realizing he was acting like an apprentice himself. “Thanks.”

“I’ll talk to him today. He just misses Berrypaw.” Skypaw meowed, sitting down next to her mentor.

Goldenstorm shuttered at the thought of the crude cat. “I’m sure you’re right.” Goldenstorm wished he could truly believe her, but deep down, he new he couldn’t. “But he needs to learn that it is against the warrior code to visit Berrypaw now. He is of StoneClan now. Moonpaw will need much more than time to understand that. He needs not only time, but disaplin.”

“He’s right you know.” Sevenstripe meowed to his apprentice. “Moonpaw was a follower of…” His words trailed off and he stared at his paws.

“Moonpaw was a follower of Berrypaw. He isn’t anymore and Berrypaw is gone.” Skypaw assured them.

“Well, he can’t get away with everything. He broke the warrior code and when I was young…” Goldenstorm paused, thinking of the trouble he and Sevenstripe got into. “when I was young when you broke the warrior code you were to either take care of the elders for some time or not be able to eat for that day. Me and Sevenstripe know every possible punishment and trust me, he won’t get himself into any serious trouble.” He paused. “At least I hope.”

“You guys! Stop!” Skypaw yowled. “He’s a trustworthy member of this Clan!”

Says you Goldenstorm grumbled under his breath. But I think he’s up to something…

“I don’t care what you two say! I…” Skypaw narrowed her eyes and whipped around, stalking away.

“She seems so gentle at first…but when she gets mad…she gets mad.” Sevenstripe meowed.

Goldenstorm stood up and trotted toward the frash kill pile. He picked out a plump water vole and settled down next to his brother, Whitefoot, who had already been gobling down a small mouse.

“Hello, Goldenstorm.” Whitefoot meowed.

“You seem extided about something. Has something happened? Are you going on that big hunting partol that is going into the moorlands to hunt?” Goldenstorm meowed anxiously.

“There’s good news and bad news.” Whitefoot meowed. “The bad news is no, I’m no going on the hunting patrol. The good news is Sparrowpaw is going to be made a warrior tonight!”

“That’s great!” Goldenstorm meowed. “I wish Moonpaw could be in the same situation.”

“I’ll help you train him. We have untill moonhigh. Moonpaw might be better of training with Sparrowpaw. They might compete with each other to see who’s better at certain tequneces.”

Goldenstorm smiled, remembering the contests Whitefoot, Sevenstripe, and himself used to put on. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll fetch Moonpaw.” The apprentice had returned a while ago, and was sharing toungs with Skypaw. “Moonpaw, come see. Skypaw, you too. We are all going out to train. Sparrowpaw is coming with us.”

Moonpaw and Skypaw looked ar each other.”Okay.” They echoed.

“Great!” Goldenstorm meowed. “Then let’s head out.”

 

 

Sparrowpaw circled around Skypaw. The two stared each other in the face, both smiling in saticfaction. They seemed to be ready to meet in a tumble of fighting and scrambling. They leapt at each other, scrambling about and paws batting at faces, with sheathed claws, and tumbled around. Moonpaw leapt into the scene, using his own paw to bat Sparrowpaw away from Skypaw. Sparrowpaw laughed as Skypaw leapt at Moonpaw.

Moonpaw laughed himself and stood up, shaking himself. “I’m a loner!” He hissed playfuly.

“I’m a StoneClan warrior! Wait, no…I’m the leader of StoneClan!” Sparrowpaw laughed.

Skypaw hesitated. “I’m…I’m Blackstar!”

Everyone pounced at each other. A loud sound of scrambling and mewing sounded as the tussled and fought.

“Well, at least they’re learning something.” Goldenstorm laughed as the three apprentices scuffled about.

Sevenstripe laughed. “I think this is the most realistic apprentice fight I’ve ever seen!”

Goldenstorm and Sevenstripe sat, with Whitefoot assisting the apprentices, watching the three tussle. A loud yowl sounded from behind. Goldenstorm and Sevenstripe whirled around. Whitefoot looked at Goldenstorm in worry, and called Sparrowpaw to his side.

“What was that?” Moonpaw asked, walking over to stand by Goldenstorm.

“I don’t know.” Goldenstorm glanced at Whitefoot. “You take them back home. Me and Sevenstripe will check it out.”

Moonpaw waited for Skypaw to catch up with him to follow Whitefoot. “You’ll let us know what it was when you return, won’t you?” Moonpaw asked Goldenstorm.

Goldenstrom nodded. “And I’ll let you report it to Blackstar.”

Goldenstorm smiled as he saw Moonpaw’s face brighten. “Really? Thanks!” He darted after Sparrowpaw and Skypaw and reported his news.

Goldenstorm smiled and then turned to Sevenstripe. “Come on!”

The two darted down the slope and into a patch of bushes. They crouched there and peered around. Goldenstorm felt his heart stop when he saw Berrypaw-along with two other cats he didn’t recognize-pinning Redfeather to the ground. He suddenly remembered that Blackstar had sent out a hunting patrol after he and Moonpaw had returned. “Oh no…” He muttered. Where were the others?

Sevenstripe hissed under his breath. “We can’t just stand here!”

Goldenstorm nodded his agreement and leapt out of the bushes.

“Well! Look who decided to show up!” Berrypaw hissed.

Sevenstripe hissed and took a step forward.

“No…” Goldenstorm muttered into Sevenstripe’s ear. “Leave her alone, Berrypaw!”

Berrypaw laughed. “That’s Berrypelt now!”

Goldenstorm’s eyes widened. StoneClan had made Berrypaw a warrior!

Moonpaw leapt into the scene, knocking Berrypelt off Redfeather.

“Moonpaw! What are you doing?” Berrypelt hissed.

“Being a true TreeClan warrior! I’m tired off obaying all of your orders! If you thought I was really going to gather up a bunch of followers and kill Sevenstripe and my own mentor, you were wrong!”

Berrypelt hissed and used his hind legs to kick Moonpaw off him. “Well then, there leaves me no choice!” Berrypelt held Moonpaw’s head back to where his neck was exposed.

“No!” Goldenstorm ran at Berrypelt and ripped him off Moonpaw.

Berrypelt hissed and stood up. “You don’t think I set this up alone, do you? Goldenstorm, Sevenstripe, I was not alone in this plot. There was someone else. Don’t think you’re safe hiding away in your camp. You have a traitor among you. As so you call it.” Berrypelt smirked. “And remember, I was not alone.” He repeated, and darted into the bushes toward RockClan territory.

Goldenstorm nodded at Sevenstripe as he opened his mouth to speak. They followed Berrypelt and his followers to where they were going, to make sure they were out of TreeClan territory. Goldenstorm glanced at Sevenstripe as Berrypelt lead the two other cats into a tunnel that looked as if it was dug by paw.

Goldenstorm and Sevenstripe stalked forward towards the tunnel. Goldenstorm sniffed the inside. “Berrypelt dug this. But those other cats helped.”

Sevenstripe nodded in agreement, sniffing the tunnel himself.

“And did you smell those other cats? Their sent was definitely not RockClan. Do you think there’s another?”

Sevenstripe looked at him, puzzled. “Another what?”

“Another Clan.”

Sevenstripe shrugged. “For all we forest cats know, there could be another StarClan.”

Goldenstorm laughed. “Well, it’s a possibility. But my beliefs are in the paws of StarClan for now.”

Sevenstripe nodded. “As well as mine.” He looked down the tunnel. “Should we go

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