(Author's Note: Welcome to my story everyone! If you've somehow managed to find this story, comments and questions would be much appreciated. Anyway, this is a fanfiction for "Warriors," a series by Erin Hunter (who, actually, is three people). I came up with this idea practically overnight, and I've been working on it for about a month now. This is the prologue, where a few of the main characters are introduced, including two of the protagonists. I won't say who they are, simply because I want you all to read the story. But they will be appearing later in the book.
I will admit that I would like to edit this a bit more. In my mind, part of it is too dramatic... but, then again, would you expect anything different from an actual Warriors book? Hm... Nonetheless, please enjoy!
Disclaimer: "Warriors" is copyrighted to Erin Hunter. I claim nothing of the original idea, though I do claim the characters and storyline.)
“Very good, Eaglepaw.” The brown tom praised, smiling. “One more catch like this and we can head back to camp.”
Eaglepaw dipped his brown-and-white head, amber eyes glowing in the ever-dimming light of the forest. In front of him lay a plump blackbird, one that he had caught himself. “Thank you Pinewhisker. I bet this is big enough to feed both of Nightsong’s kits!”
Pinewhisker purred. “We’ll see. Now, off you go. Bring back anything you catch to this clearing. I’ll head toward the SunClan border.”
The young tabby apprentice nodded, speeding off through the trees once more. His ears were perked, and alert to every sound. His jaws were parted to pick up scents. Suddenly, he skidded to a stop. His fur bristled. Fox! Pinewhisker! I have to get back to him! The fox’s scent was distant, but it was coming from the same direction his mentor had just gone.
Tail streaming out behind him, Eaglepaw raced back the way he had come, pausing only when he came to the clearing. Pinewhisker was nowhere in sight. His scent was still fresh, though. Eaglepaw, now panicking- for he knew how dangerous foxes were-, frantically searched the ferns around the edge of the meeting place, hoping that the warrior had scented the creature before he had gone. But there was no sign of this.
Once again, he was moving through the forest as fast as he could. Pinewhisker couldn’t have gotten that far! Suddenly, the piercing cry of a cat in pain reached his ears. Pinewhisker! He picked up his pace, forcing his paws to hit the ground harder and harder. His pads stung now, and he was sure that they were bleeding. But that didn’t stop him.
Finally, he could see the fox’s red pelt through the trees. Letting out a battle cry, he burst out into the grassy clearing, clawing at the creature’s muzzle. The fox let out a yelp of pain, batting him aside with its paw like a limp mouse. Eaglepaw skidded to stop, then lunged for his opponent’s ears. The fox, prepared for this, dodged swiftly, flattening him to the ground with one huge paw. Snarling, it dug its teeth into his shoulder, making Eaglepaw yowl in pain.
Knocking his head up, he felt it hit the fox on the snout. The red creature let out a surprised noise, releasing him. Eaglepaw, now leaning heavily on his shoulder, scrambled up, pelting away about two fox-lengths, ready for another attack. But the fox seemed to be giving up. With one last snarl, it turned, disappearing into the shadowy undergrowth.
Panting heavily, the tabby apprentice collapsed as his legs buckled under him. He lay on his side, his injured shoulder bleeding, the crimson liquid blending into his fur. He lay there, stunned for a moment. Then, his eyes widened as he caught sight of a mass of brown fur not too far away from the edge of the clearing. No! Great StarClan, no! He can’t be… His vision dulled, and became blurry, and soon, the forest was gone, replaced by darkness.
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“Eaglepaw?” A voice echoed slightly in his ears. “Eaglepaw, can you hear me? You need to wake up, little one.”
Letting out a moan, Eaglepaw opened his eyes. For a moment, he was confused as to where he was. This wasn’t the same clearing where he had fought the fox. Then, the memory came to him. This small cave in the edge of a short cliff was the medicine cat den. Above him stood a calico she-cat. It was Dawnspots, the medicine cat.
“What happened?” He asked softly, his memory fuzzy. He could barely remember what had caused the pain in his shoulder, which was now stiff with herb poultices and cobwebs. His eyes flew open. “Pinewhisker! Where’s Pinewhisker?”
Eaglepaw scrambled up into a sitting position, instantly sliding back down into his moss nest as a sharp pain traveled down his spine. Dawnspots brushed his flank gently with her tail.
“Shh… rest, Eaglepaw.” She murmured. “You’ve been through a lot. You’ve been unconscious for two sunrises now. The dawn patrol happened to be near the SunClan border when you and Pinewhisker were attacked. Moontail and Hawkflight made sure the fox had gone, while Jaystripe, Falconpaw, and Starpaw brought you here.”
“And… Pinewhisker?” Eaglepaw asked. He was finding it rather hard to speak now.
Dawnspots eyes glazed over. “He’s gone. There was nothing I could do to save him. His wounds were too deep, and-“
“You couldn’t do anything for him?” Eaglepaw sounded shocked. He lifted his head, glaring up at the medicine cat. “I thought… medicine cats could… heal any… wound!”
Dawnspots bristled. “Medicine cats are cats, just like warriors, kits, queens, apprentices… he had already lost too much blood.” She shuddered, and Eaglepaw guessed that she was remembering the scene of the fight. “I can’t save everyone. Now, enough of this. Rest, lay your head down. I’ll have Buzzardpaw bring you some water.”
With that, the she-cat stood, and turned to leave, padding out through the mouth of the cave, her long tail twitching back and forth. Eaglepaw watched her go, feeling nothing but the hollowness of loss. His head hit the moss again, and he stared blankly at the wall of the den. Why, StarClan, why did you have to take Pinewhisker today? He said that we would go on a border patrol together tomorrow…
“Eaglepaw?” A voice made his ears perk, and he looked up to see the tiny black body of Starpaw. The she-cat apprentice- apprenticed only the moon before-, padded inside, sitting down next to his nest. “Are you alright?”
“No.” Eaglepaw muttered, turning away. Of course he wasn’t okay! He’d just lost his mentor, his friend! Pinewhisker had been like a father to him! Eaglepaw’s own father had died several moons before he was born.
Starpaw’s ears flattened. “I know. I understand what it’s like to lose someone close to you.”
Eaglepaw’s whiskers twitched as he remembered the tragic storm only two moons ago, when a fallen tree had killed Starpaw’s mother. Starpaw, then Starkit, had stayed in the nursery until she became an apprentice, mourning the loss of the dead queen.
“You are very lucky, you know?” Starpaw continued, changing the subject. “Falconpaw was the first to scent you. He was just about to lunge for a huge rabbit when the grass rustled behind him. Of course, the rabbit ran off. But he had no interest in it anymore. Then, we saw a fox’s pelt in the trees. Jaystripe automatically knew that something was wrong, it seemed. She ordered every cat to follow the path it had come. And that’s when we found you two.” She paused, lowering her head. “I thought you were dead as well, when you didn’t wake up as soon as we got back to camp.”
Eaglepaw’s ears perked. “Why would you… think that?”
“You didn’t even try to struggle as we carried you back.” Starpaw’s paws shuffled. “And you were so limp, like a newborn kit…”
“Well, as… you can see… I’m… fine.” Eaglepaw made an effort to turn his head to look at her, eyes narrowed into a serious expression. Another sharp pain ran down his neck, and he winced.
“What are you doing in here?” A demanding tom’s voice, that Eaglepaw recognized as Buzzardpaw’s, though it was muffled by moss, made Starpaw spin around.
“O-oh, it’s only you.” Starpaw let her fur lie flat. “I was just making sure he was okay.” She explained, flicking her white-tipped tail in the injured apprentice’s direction.
Buzzardpaw’s whiskers twitched, and the small ginger tom padded in further, laying the soaked moss next to Eaglepaw. “The last thing he needs right now is a visitor. Now, if you don’t mind, I have work to do.”
Starpaw rolled her eyes, mouthing a quick ‘good-bye’ to Eaglepaw before trotting out of the cave den.
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“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highstone for a Clan meeting!” Snowstar’s yowl echoed in the hollow, waking nearly every cat from slumber. It was early morning, three quarter-moons from Pinewhisker’s death. Eaglepaw now sat at the base of the tall, pointed stone, his shoulder as healed as it was going to get. He could hear the annoyed grumbling of his Clanmates, and the shuffling of paws. Before long, every cat in GorseClan had gathered there, waiting for what the leader had to say.
“As you all know, more than a half-moon ago, a loyal warrior, Pinewhisker, died fighting a fox near the SunClan border.” Snowstar mewed. His white fur glowed in the pale sunlight, and his blue eyes sparkled. “When he did, he left his apprentice, Eaglepaw, behind, and without a mentor. Dapplespots has informed me that he has recovered enough to return to his training.
“Mousestorm, you shall continue Eaglepaw’s training. You are a young warrior, but you have much to teach.” Snowstar paused, letting Eaglepaw touch noses with his new mentor. “Meeting dismissed. Moontail, please see me in my den.”
Eaglepaw, glancing over Mousestorm’s shoulder, managed to see the GorseClan deputy nod, and pad towards the large crack in the Highstone that was Snowstar’s den. Shaking his head, he turned back to his new mentor. The young, light gray tabby tom was smiling brightly, and it was almost hard not to smile back… almost.
“I wish the circumstances had been better,” Mousestorm mewed, closing one eye, and lifting his head slightly. “But I promise that I will mentor you as best I can. Though I know I can’t replace Pinewhisker, of course.”
Eaglepaw didn’t reply. He still hadn’t gotten over the loss of his former mentor, even though it had been some time since the fox attack.
“Come on,” Mousestorm nudged him. “We’re going to the Training Clearing so you can show me what you’ve already learned.”
“That sounds fine.” Eaglepaw mumbled unenthusiastically, padding towards the gorse barrier at the camp entrance, his mentor following.
As the two left, a cat poked its head out of the warriors’ den. The dark tabby tom watched the new mentor and his apprentice leave with narrowed eyes, before disappearing back inside. “I’ll have to do something about that young one…” He mewed to himself.
(So? What does everyone think? )
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