Dark Shadows Chapter 3

Gathering
Edited By: Cerise

The moon was high in the starry night sky. The group of DawnClan cats moved silently through the shallow sea waters. My first Gathering as a Warrior, Ivytail thought as she waded along at the back of the patrol. Further on, a small island came into sight. The cats glided towards the shore and clambered onto the sandy beach, shaking the water droplets out of their fur.

Dawnstar led the group towards a small clutter of trees on the mainland of the island. A miniature version of the forest back home. They soon arrived at Moonlight Clearing. It was not very big, just enough to accommodate the four Clans. A strong ray of moonlight flooded through the thin canopy, basking the open area in a silvery glow. The scene was breathtaking. Enchanted, Ivytail hardly felt her paws move forward. She had only been to the Gathering a couple of times and each time she had been shocked by the beauty of the place. It was only when she smelled the reeking scents of the other Clans did she return to reality.

Ivytail narrowed her eyes at the sight of WoodsClan. It had only been five sunrises ago when she and Darkstream had found the finch. When she informed Dawnstar, nearly the entire Clan went forth to investigate. But every cat had been baffled. There was hardly any scent, just a faint trace of one none could recognise surrounding the bird. Any other scents were entirely masked by the smell of DawnClan cats. The Clan was high on alert now - more patrols and every single Warrior on their guard. Dawnstar had came to the conclusion of some fox or badger killed the bird. Most of the cats were now worried about safety. But there were other rumors spreading.

Could it have been a rogue or loner? Or a WoodsClan cat? Ivytail was pretty sure that Dawnstar himself was not fully convinced that the fox-hearted WoodsClan thieves had not hunted on their land.

Ivytail sensed the tension boiling among her Clanmates as they filed into the Clearing and settled down. As if to soothe her, Darkstream whispered in Ivytail's ear, "Remember the truce." She nodded. Darkstream had not been acting very normally. He was constantly jumpy, startled at any small sound. It was as if he expected to be attacked at any moment. Of course though, this was how every Warrior was behaving now. Still, Darkstream was the only cat who went out hunting almost every night. Ivytail had caught him sometimes during her watch and he had given the same lame excuse.

Trying to forget all these ridiculous observations and problems. Ivytail focused on what the leaders have to say. The four Clan leaders were couched on four boulders of equal size in the very centre of the Clearing. Seastar, having seniority, started first.

"SeaClan is thriving well," she announced, "Recently, we have just named two new Warriors-Stormbrook and Lilypetal!" Cheers erupted from the gathered cats, mostly from SeaClan Warriors. "But," Seastar continued after the uproar had died down, "We have noticed something very strange. Five sunrises ago, our patrols noticed a strange scent. A cat scent," she paused, looking directly at Woodstar, "We also noticed the remains of uneaten fresh-kill in our forests."

A murmur spread among the gathered cats. SeaClan has the same problems as us? Ivytail thought, now that's strange! Her thoughts were broken by Woodstar's enraged screech, which drowned out all noises,"Are you accusing WoodsClan of stealing your prey!?!?"

The WoodsClan sprang to their feet, hissing and snarling at the cats of the other Clans. Within moments, the Clearing was filled with spitting and growling cats with their claws unsheathed. No! Ivytail thought, the truce!

"Look!" Suddenly, a yowl came from a SunClan Warrior, "StarClan is angry!" Heads snapped up, including Ivytail, who saw that a few clouds had drifted, half covering the magnificent full moon. Silence swept around the Clearing as cat's exchanged uneasy glances.

At that moment, Dawnstar spoke, "Please listen, Woodstar. Seastar is not accusing any cat. She is just worried for her Clan." He turned to face the gathered cats. "DawnClan has also met with this issue. We found the remains of a bird at Greenrocks. We suspect that this might be the work of the badger, or a fox. Perhaps even a loner or a rogue but we do not believe any Clan cat will do such a thing. No need to get so worked up."

Woodstar nodded slowly, still glaring at Seastar. The tension in the Clearing rolled off and cats relaxed, sitting down once again. "Otherwise," Dawnstar continued, "DawnClan is well. We have one new Warrior - Ivytail!" This time the cheers were half-hearted. Ivytail could not help being a bit disappointed, but at least Dawnstar's attempt to distract the Clans worked.

Dawnstar backed away as Sunstar stepped forward. "SunClan is well-fed and we have new cats. Tortoisefur had her first litter and we have a new apprentice- Beachpaw. He is not present currently." Sunstar nodded and gave way to Woodstar. "WoodsClan's prey is plentiful so we have no reason to steal." A couple of SeaClan cats hissed. "We have two new apprentices- Blackpaw and Violetpaw. That is all," Woodstar finished.

The Gathering was over quickly. Ivytail watched as the cats departed. "Don't we usually share tongues?" she asked Darkstream. "No in a time like this," the tom replied briskly and strode away after Dawnstar. Sighing, Ivytail followed after him.

Her disastrous first Gathering as a Warrior.

Dark Shadows Chapter 2

Prey
Edited By: Cerise

Ivytail woke up to the dazzling sunlight. It was almost sunhigh. She quickly scrambled out from her new nest in the Warriors' Den and headed out into the clearing. The sand was lush and warm beneath her pads as she made her way towards Skybreeze, who was sorting out the sunhigh patrols.

"Can I join?" She asked Porpoiseshell leading a hunting patrol. "Sure," the tom meowed and gestured for her to fall in line. Ivytail spotted Moonpaw and stepped next to her. "So, how was the vigil?" Moonpaw teased. Ivytail grimaced at the thought of her embarrassing mistake. "Not to bad," she told Moonpaw and quickly fell silent as Skybreeze assigned locations." Head over to Greenrocks," the deputy decided, "It's shaded so more prey would come out as compared to other spots."

The patrol exited the Fern Entrance and into the shady forest, which was almost cooling after experiencing the blistering heat out on the beach. "Hey! Wait for me!" Abruptly, a yowl sounded from behind them. Ivytail spun around and saw Darkstream padding rapidly towards them. Great, she groaned inwardly, What's he doing here? Trying not to feel annoyed, Ivytail stormed on forward.

The sunlight filtered down on the heavy rock boulders, the light tinted green from the canopy of leaves, thus earning the boulders the name of Greenrocks. "Let's split up," Porpoiseshell stopped and meowed, "It would be more effective that way. Shadowscar and Gullpaw, take the left boulders. Ivytail and Darkstream take the right. Moonpaw and I'll skirt around the edges." Ivytail sighed; guess she could not get rid of Darkstream once and for all. Besides, she though, even though I'm a Warrior, I still have a lot to learn.

~~~~~~~~

Ivytail crouched down, gaze intent on the squirrel on the thick root of the tree. She moved forward silently, her paws gliding on the forest ground. She stopped, one mouse-length from her prey and sprang. The squirrel did not even know what hit it. It was dead the second it came in contact with Ivytail. "Nice catch." Ivytail whipped around and saw Darkstream carrying a mouse in his jaws. "Right," she mumbled and dug out a hole in the ground, dropping the two fresh-kill inside. "Let's go look for more," Ivytail bounded away. She leapt upon one of the great boulders and scented the air. The smell of a finch greeted her nose and Ivytail trailed the scent to the very base of a boulder. Something was wrong...there was no bird in sight.

"Ivytail?" Ivytail unsheathed her claws, hackles rising in alarm. "Ugh!" she growled, "You got to stop keep scaring me like that!" Darkstream twitched his whiskers in amusment, "Sorry!"

"What are you looking at anyway?" he asked. Ivytail frowned and turned her attention back to the base of the rock. "There's something-" she broke off and pushed the thick grass aside. She gasped. Lying there was the remains of a finch, half-eaten . Thee first thought that flashed across her mind was that the warrior code had been broken.

How could a DawnClan cat have been so selfish to eat before feeding the elders and queens? And how could they have wasted the fresh-kill too? But if it hadn't been a DawnClan cat, then some cat must have trespassed into our Clan!

Ivytail's head was swirling with confusion. She turned to Darkstream, hoping for guidance, and saw that his face was frozen solid with horror. Ivytail was surprised; why was Darkstream looking so frightened? She wondered whether Darkstream's shock came from the thought of Clan cat breaking two rules of the Warrior code. Or maybe he was worried about trespassers? It didn't seem likely. Darkstream was a loyal cat but he was pretty loose on the code himself, sometimes. He was too, courageous, braver than most Warriors, with excellent fighting skills, so a rogue or loner was nothing he could not handle. And the look on his face suggested more than just shock.

Darkstream shook his head, as if trying to clear his mind from the horror and snapped back into action. "We got to report this to Dawnstar," he meowed in a strained voice. Ivytail nodded. "Go," Darkstream ordered her, "I'll tell the others where you've gone."

Ivytail complied; it was the first time she followed Darkstream's orders without objection. If this trespasser could cause the bravest Warrior in DawnClan this much fear, it was something Dawnstar better know about, at once.

Dark Shadows Chapter 1

Warrior

"StarClan honors you for your courage and fighting skills. I name you Ivytail," Dawnstar meowed as he touched noses with Ivypaw, now Ivytail.

Cheers erupted from the Clan, "Ivytail!" Ivytail!" Ivytail turned around, pleasure rippling through her. She gazed down proudly at her Clanmates, focusing especially on Darkstream, her former mentor. She had to thank him for the fact that she had received her Warrior name today, and not one moon later, along with her sister, Moonpaw. The Warrior had talked to Dawnstar to convince him to allow Ivytail to becom a Warrior earlier. Ivytail did not have the patience to wait that long, 11 moons of training were enough, rather much to long. Darkstream, too, had been a really good mentor to her; kind and patiently enduring her own impatient nature. Purring, Ivytail bounded off the Outcrop, Dawnstar's usual spot for announcements. More congratulations were exchanged between her and the other apprentices, and some even from the Warriors. Darkstream padded up to her and laid his tail tip on her shoulder. "Good job," he commended. Ivytail meowed at the young but somewhat experienced warrior, "All thanks to you!"
~~~~~~
The night was dark and chilly. Ivytail groaned as she shifted her weight. She stood up and padded around the fern entrance, the border where the forest made way for the beach, trying to relax her sore muscles. These was the only part of being a Warrior Ivytail hated. The vigil. She tried to focus on guarding the Clan for the night instead of her uncomfortableness. Suddenly, there was the sound of pawsteps, coming towards her. Alarmed, Ivytail unsheathed her claws and crouched down, ready to attack whoever was coming along that was not her Clanamte.

A dark shape shot through the entrance ferns and Ivytail pounced with a loud screech. She felt her claws tear through the cat's pelt. "Ivytail!" the cat yowled, "It's me! Darkstream! Don't attack!" Only then did Ivytail recognise the scent. Highly embarrased, she scrambled to her paws, ready to face whatever chidings her old mentor was going to give her. Why didn't she check the scent first?

But Darkstream did not reprimand her. Instead, he shook out his pelt and licked at the few scratches; making Ivytail feel even more embarrassed. "Sorry," she decided to apologized. "That's alright," Darkstream gazed up at her, "Any cat could have made that mistake." Any mouse-brained cat, Ivytail thought, but did not voice her opinion. "What were you doing out there? I thought all the cats were asleep, so I didn't bother to check the scent," Ivytail asked him curiously, wondering if she was prying. "Some hunting," Darkstream responded but could not meet her gaze. "Anyway," he continued, "This is supposed to be a silent vigil, remember? At this rate, you'll wake the whole Clan up. I guess I better not disturb you anymore. Good night!"

Ivytail watched Darkstream pad away. She was not fully convinced by his excuse.

DawnClan's story

Dark Shadows

Summary:
Ivytail, a newly named Warrior of DawnClan notices strange happenings among the Clans. Remains of prey left, disappearing cats... The Clans believe that the bloodthirsty WoodsClan might be behind these mysteries but Ivytail knows better. Her former mentor, Darkstream was behaving very queerly recently. Knowing that Darkstream has something to do with this events, Ivytail gets close to him to find out; only to uncover dark secrets that are better left hidden...

Allegiances of DawnClan

Leader

Dawnstar- Reddish-brown tom with amber eyes

Deputy

Skybreeze: Pure white tom with ice blue eyes

Medicine Cat

Starrywhisker- Brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes. Has very long whiskers
Apprentice: Gulfdapple

Warriors

Porpoiseshell: Dark brown tom with blue eyes

Ivytail: Tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

Reedfur: Red tom with a white chest and paws, has hazel eyes

Darkstream: Sleek black tom with white chest and paws, has blue eyes

Shadowscar: Ginger she-cat with a black stripe on her back that looks like a scar, has blue eyes

Mossleaf: Light gray she-cat with soft green eyes

Moonfur: Silever tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Nightwind: Dark brown tom with amber eyes

Morningbreeze: Tortiseshell she-cat with grey eyes

Gingerblaze: Ginger tabby tom with a flame-coloured pelt, has brown eyes

Leafclaw: Dark gray tabby tom with amber eyes

Longriver: Gray tabby with green eyes

Graywhisker: Black she-cat with blue eyes, has gray whiskers even though she is not old

Silverlight: Sleek silver she-cat with blue eyes

Queens

Poppyflower: Tortiseshell tabby with green eyes

Swiftbreeze: Dark red she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentices

Gulfdapple: Black she-cat dappled with gray, has green eyes

Elders

Quailfeather: Once beautiful white she-cat with brown patches, has green eyes

The Four Clans

DawnClan

Territory: A strip of beach and forest, about one quarter of the size of the entire beach.
Prey: Small fish, crabs, mouse, squirrels, small seabirds
Leader: Dawnstar
Characteristics: DawnClan is a very generous Clan, willing to help out another Clan in need. At the same time, the cats are very courageous and good at fighting out on the open beach while also in the undergrowth of the forest, making them hard to beat. They prefer the land between the beach and forest, making them half-beach and half-forest cats.

SunClan
Territory: Half of the beach side
Prey: Small fishes, crabs, shrimps, small seabirds, baby sea turtles or sea turtle eggs
Leader: Sunstar
Characteristics: SunClan is very close allies with DawnClan, resulting in many cats of the two Clans being half-clan. The SeaClan cats are completely beach cats, preferring the scorching heat of the sun on their backs. Being generally peaceful, the SunClan cats do not like fights, resulting WoodsClan and SeaClan's discrimination of them being cowards. SunClan is the only Clan to eat baby sea turtles and sea turtle eggs.

WoodsClan
Territory: Half of the forest territory
Prey: Mouse, squirrels, voles, birds and shrews
Leader: Woodstar
Characteristics: WoodClan is power-hungry and enjoys bloodthirsty battles. They, unlike the other Clans, do not like living by the beachside. They prefer the serene darkness of the shaded forest. They often invade SunClan's territory, in hope that they might drive the cats away and claim the land for theirs. But they rarely win as DawnClan always helps SunClan out in battles. This caused a fierce rivalry between the cats of the three Clans

SeaClan
Territory: Part of the forest that is sloping into the seaside
Prey: Fish (big/small), seabirds, mouse, voles and shrews
Leader: Seastar
Characteristics: SeaClan cats are good swimmers due too their living close to the sea. SeaClan cats can even dive under the surface sea for a short period of time to obtain the bigger fish for prey. SeaClan has no rivalry or alliance with any other Clan but have to defend their territories sometimes from WoodsClan. The cats are strong fighters and have good battle tactics.

Introduction

This story would be focusing about and introducing four new Warriors Clan. They will be called, DawnClan, SunClan, WoodsClan and SeaClan. These Clans are living by a small beach that very few humans, a.k.a Twolegs go to. The beach is lies on the outskirts of a forest.
Stories about the happenings within each of these Clans would be accounted. Each Clan would have have a story of their cats.

Pls follow me to get to know more about these Clans!

New Blog

HI! I will be creating a new blog. This blog would be about a new version of the Warrior Cats series by Erin Hunter. There would be new cats, new Clans, new stories, new everything! Of course I will be keeping some of the things similar; like the warrior code and Star Clan.
The copyright of these similar things does not belong to me though. I give Erin Hunter all the credit for the ideas. This is just a fan site on which I will be creating new stories for new cats and clans.