MoonClan: The Time Of Chaos

She could feel the prey's beating heart, closer and closer it came. Body low against the ground and claws at the ready, she waited. The thrill of the hunt was the thing she loved most, the feeling of being free, a wildcat and not a kittypet cooped up in those huge dens. The mouse stopped and nervously swung it's head around. Bloodpaw stilled her twitching muscles and narrowed her eyes. The mouse was now within reach. One more step, and she'll pounce. She crouched, but a snapping twig broke the silence and the mouse ran off, fearing for it's life. Bloodpaw frowned. Twigs don't just snap on their own. A low growl resounded in the air, and she froze. She darted her eyes, trying to find the source. Scanning everywhere, her eyes found another pair staring back at her, bloodthirsty and menacing. The owner of those eyes stepped out from the brush, exposing the biggest and most evil looking cat the young apprentice had ever seen. It's coat was ragged and dull, but vaguely she could see stripes that once stood out proudly. Claws that seemed deadly and long were on the end of each 'fingertip'. A huge scar ran across it's throat, it looked to have been bitten. Opening it's jaws, it pounced, snarling with rage.1

Bloodpaw woke with a start, eyes wide in terror from something unseen, lips drawn back in a hiss and claws unsheathed. Heart beating furiously, it took a minute for her to remember where she was. Sleeping peacefully next to her were her two friends and fellow apprentices. Icepaw and Treepaw flanked her on each side, laying in their beds. Sighing, she tiredly licked her paws, then got up and stretched. Smiling fondly at her two friends, she ducked her head and walked out of the apprentices den. She looked around at the now familiar environment. MoonClan's camp was in a clearing with strange, glowing prickly plant things growing all around it. At night, the Moon shined down, bathing the camp in moonlight and giving any cat the appearance of an unearthly being. Dawn was breaking, and the cat's were still sleeping. Still a bit shaken by her dream, she padded towards the medicine cat's den. 2

Entering the hollow, she could smell different medicine herbs, all mixed together. Once her eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness, she could see the medicine cat, Lifepelt, her side rising and falling gently. The young cat was dreaming deeply, and didn't even stir. Gazing fondly at the light brown tabby, Bloodpaw smiled before settling down next to her, and attempting to sleep once again.3

As light filtered in through the entrance of the den, Bloodpaw stretched lazily and got to her feet. The sounds of cat's waking up was drifting in, and she hurried outside after giving herself a hasty wash. Today, she was going with her mentor, deputy Sharpclaw, to learn some new combat techniques and mock fight against Icepaw and Treepaw. Padding out towards the fresh-kill pile, she noticed that it was running low. Over the past while, prey had become increasingly scarce. Maybe it was the long, bitter and cold darks that were followed by unbearably hot suns`, no cat knew for sure. Picking up a rabbit from the pile, she crunched into it happily, before she was interrupted by Snarlpaw. In her own words, he was the bane of her existence. He never ceased to make fun of her when she did something wrong, argue over nothing, or just pester her daily. She sighed and pretended to ignore him. That didn't work.4

'Your late! What takes you so long? Honestly, your about as trustworthy as a newborn kit.' He growled. She snorted and glared at him.5

'Since when do you decide if I'm late or not? All you do is pester the warriors and get in the way. I'm not sure why they even apprenticed you.' His fur stood up, and he drew his lips back in a snarl. The reason that he was called Snarlpaw was because when he snarled, it sounded like the monster from your worst nightmares had come to eat you. But Bloodpaw had experience with this, so she held her ground, and her glare. The stood like that, claws digging into the earth and muscles bunched up, ready to strike. 'Enough!' Their leader's voice resounded across the air. Instantly, pelts were flattened and claws were sheathed, but they still shot hostile glares at each other. Duskstar strode up to the two young apprentices, eyes narrowed slightly.6

'What was all that?' she questioned. 'You should know better than to create fights out of nowhere.' The young cats stared uncomfortably at their paws, shuffling on the ground. After a second or so of silence, the leader just sighed. 'Go on then, don't keep your mentors waiting.' She paused 'And don't create anymore scuffs like this, or you'll be cleaning out the elder's dens.' They nodded and bounded away. Each tried to run faster than the other, but in the end they were equal. Arriving at the training hollow, they were panting, puffing, and late. Bloodpaw's mentor, Sharpclaw, looked up from where he was watching Icepaw and Treepaw to beckon them over with his tail. Motioning for them to go into battle stance, he studied them for a second. Each were itching for a fight, and this was the only way they could. Sharpclaw nodded, and they attacked.7

Yowling, Snarlpaw launched himself at Bloodpaw, but she was quick and dodged, leaving him to hit the dirt. Immediately she rounded on him, jumping onto his back and raking his sides. Hissing in pain, he attempted to shake her off but it didn't work. Rolling over on his back, he managed to push her off and bound back onto his feet. Fur on end, Bloodpaw stiffly circled around him, looking for an opportunity. She looked at one of his paws that was raised, and smirked. He wouldn't expect this. Looking at his face, she waited a second. After he thought something suspicious was about to happen, he stiffened. That was what Bloodpaw had been waiting for. Hissing, she darted forward and ducked through his paws, since one of them was up and out the way. Snarlpaw let out a yowl of alarm and fell over, still stiff from anticipation. It's a lot harder to dodge when your muscles are set. Turning on the spot, she put one paw on his stomach and the other in the air, claws unsheathed, ready to bring down. He braced himself, but was stopped by Bloodpaw's mentor.8

Sharpclaw padded towards them, obviously amused. His apprentice was certainly crafty, he'd give her that. The two other apprentices walked up behind him, they were watching the fight with interest aswell, snickering whenever Snarlpaw got beat. With a flick of his eyes, he motioned for them to stand before him. Silently, they walked to and stood in front him.9

'That was one of the strangest apprentice fights I've ever seen.' He began. 'But that doesn't make it bad.'10

Both apprentices shook out their ruffled fur and looked at him intently. 'Bloodpaw, good job on that trick, even I didn't see it coming.' He praised her. Her eyes lit up and she made a face at Snarlpaw. 'However, you can't rely on wits alone. Make sure to balance out strength and smarts, then you'll make a fine warrior.' She nodded and walked back to her friends. Sharpclaw turned to look at the other apprentice.11

'Snarlpaw, I see that your strength has increased, however, you let your eagerness for a fight get the better of you. Make sure to think things over before you act.' Snarlpaw nodded.12

The apprentices were about to run off when Sharpclaw interrupted them. 'Oh, and split up into two groups and go find a warrior, will you? We need a few hunting patrols. I think Frozenheart and Windcloud were going. Hurry up and catch them before they leave.' They nodded and ran off towards their home.13

Night had fallen, and Silverpelt glittered overhead like a comforting blanket. Wind gently whistled through the cat's fur, they felt quite comfortable stealthily slithering, hunting prey in the forest. Bloodpaw was crouching in the long grasses near the Sunningrocks, tracking down a rabbit. The creature was on it's hind legs, scouting to make sure that the coast was clear. Her muscles tensed, and she readied herself to strike. The prey took one hop closer, and she struck silently, snagging the rabbit with her claws and biting it's neck, ending it's short life. Satisfied that her catch was big enough, she was about to bury it when something caught her eye. She swung her head to look at it, but it was in some kind of wrapping, so she padded cautiously towards it. Dropping the dead rabbit, she pawed at the thing with an outstretched paw. When nothing came to attack her, she sniffed it. Bloodpaw smelled a strange scent, like the herbs that are in Lifepelt's den. She licked it carefully, and started back with surprise when she found it was creamy and sweet, like the vanilla plant. It was also cold and had a tinge of that strange round orange fruit that the cat's climbed into trees sometimes to knock down. Looking at it closely, she could see a stick driving up through its middle. The thing appeared to be dead. She was about to lick it again, but she felt watched, and nervously darted her eyes around, stopping when she saw a figure, standing on a high mound, illuminated by the moonlight.14

Studying the cat's figure, Bloodpaw had a nagging feeling that she saw this cat before. She didn't have to think any longer, for the mysterious cat stepped out into the almost full moon, and that's when she recognized him. Her hackles rose instantly, claws unsheathed, and lips drew back into a snarl. Coat was ragged and striped, with huge claws on the paws. Amber eyes glittered dangerously. A uneven and jagged scar was torn across his throat. Bloodpaw knew it couldn't be possible, yet it was true. Standing before her on this outcrop, was the cat she had heard so much about in her days as a kit. Standing before her, was the legendary cat himself. That cat was none other, than Tigerstar.