Chapter 16
Jadepaw parted her jaws slightly, tasting the air. "Did you smell that?" Hawkpaw meowed quietly. Jadepaw gave him a curt nod to him and glanced at Bristlefur and Twitchheart. "It's ShadowClan," Hawkpaw whispered. He puffed out his chest when Twitchheart looked at him proudly.

Any cat could guess it was WindClan, they smell like rotten rabbits and hostility. Jadepaw crouched on the dry ground, scattered with leaves. Jadepaw felt her paws buzz with energy. They weren't anywhere near the border with WindCan. Dark pelts flashed behind thorn bushes. "Freeze!"

Bristlefur's yowl echoed through the empty air. Slowly, a small patrol emerged from behind the bushes. "What are you doing on our territory?" Twitchheart hissed fiercely. A dark tabby apprentice lowered his head. Another apprentice glanced up at her mentor questioningly.

A dark red she-cat looked at Bristlefur. "Hunting." She meowed calmly. Bristlefur looked like he was about to explode. "Hunting!?!?" He growled. "Yes," The tabby squeaked defiantly. Jadepaw bristled. "Why are you hunting on our territory? Did you scare all of the rabbits off of yours?" She hissed.

A gray tom glared down at Jadepaw. "Answer her." Bristlefur growled threateningly. "Sprintstar ordered us to visit you," The red she-cat growled. "And you're hunting?" Hissed Hawkpaw. "Who are you to talk?" The tabby apprentice asked, hostile. "Well, I am the one on my own territory right now, so I suggest that you shut your-"

Twitchheart gave him a glare that told him that he'd best be quiet unless he wanted to do a moon of dawn patrols. "Why are you hunting when you were supposed to visit our camp?" Jadepaw asked, her tone dripping with hostility. "We- we- were hungry." The white she-cat faltered, her head down. "What kind of dishonorable warriors are you to hunt on another Clan's territory, and try to keep it a secret?" Bristlefur growled.

"We said that we were hunting," The gray she-cat meowed. "How dare you hunt here?" Hawkpaw bristled. "We- we're sorry." The red she-cat dipped her head. "What did you catch?" Bristlefur asked, not letting his guard down. "Just a few of your scrawny squirrels," The tabby apprentice scoffed.

"Those scrawny squirrels may have just happened to be meals for our queen, elder, and medicine cats!" Hissed Twitchheart. "There's plenty of them in the forest," The red she-cat meowed calmly. With a hiss of rage, Bristlefur launched himself at the gray warrior. Jadepaw followed in on the white apprentice which had been casting glares at her when her mentor wasn't looking.

The apprentice hissed and dug her teeth into Jadepaw's shoulder. With a yelp of pain, Jadepaw allowed herself to slump to the ground. Jadepaw shot back up, butting her head against the young apprentices' stomach. Jadepaw felt superior standing above the white she-cat until the gray warrior barreled into her side.

With Jadepaw's disability in her leg, a shooting pain shot through her leg up to her right ear. In the fog of pain, Jadepaw clawed desperately at the warrior's back. Hawkpaw crashed into the warrior, sending him flying off of her. Jadepaw pressed her ear onto the cold ground. She could hear the blood rushing in her ears loudly.

The red she-cat leaned over Jadepaw, her eyes glittering. Jadepaw craned her neck towards the she-cat and bit her ear, tearing off a tuft of fur. The she-cat let out a yelp and followed her Clanmates out of forest territory. Jadepaw sat up and yowled after them "You'd better not come back!"

Hawkpaw scowled after the patrol, then turned to Jadepaw. "Wow! That was awesome!" "We'd better report this to Flipstar," Bristlefur meowed in a low tone. Twitchheart nodded in agreement. Jadepaw felt her shoulder tingle all the way to her back. The bite wasn't deep, but it had hit a nerve. She cringed at the zapping sensation going down her spine.

Jadepaw forced herself to stand up and follow her Clanmates down the winding trail that led to ThunderClan camp. Finally, Jadepaw staggered into the camp entrance next to Twitchheart. Bristlefur and Twitchheart left her side to go and report the news to Flipstar, who looked unusually weary. Jadepaw limped into the medicine cat den.

Adderjaw was reaching his paw into a hollowed out hole that held comfrey when he noticed Jadepaw hobbling through the entrance. "Jadepaw, what-" His eyes narrowed as he gazed at Jadepaw's shoulder. Two fang marks signaled to where she had been bitten, and the cobwebs that had bound a brace onto Jadepaw's leg were unwinding and falling apart.

"I told you to take it easy! You weren't supposed to join a border patrol for another moon or two!" Jadepaw felt a pang of guilt for the aging medicine cat for putting him through so much trouble. "I didn't go on a border patrol!" She mewed. "WindClan attacked! We taught those stupid furballs to stay off of ThunderClan territory!"

Adderjaw shook his head doubtfully as he dug through the herb stores. "You aren't doing yourself any favors by continuing to injure yourself," The brown tabby meowed, winding a fresh layer of cobwebs around her leg. "You're only delaying your warrior ceremony." He added distantly.

Jadepaw remembered scornfully how Goldenstrike had chased a fox off of ThunderClan territory along with Cloudwhisker, and they were both immediatley appointed as 'official warriors of ThunderClan'. Jadepaw had still been injured badly back then, so she hadn't been allowed to leave the den for the ceremony.

Jadepaw allowed her shoulders to sag as she watched Cloudwhisker and Goldenstrike pad past the medicine cat den, a pep in their step. Jadepaw couldn't pinpoint when exactly of how exactly Cloudwhisker had fallen for her, but they were mates now, even though Jadepaw couldn't stand that stuck up furball.

Jadepaw was jerked from her thoughts with a zap of pain. "Sorry," it was Moonrise's voice, and Jadepaw noticed that she was dabbing Jadepaw's shoulder wound with something. "It's just to prevent an infection." She meowed. "Who knows what could've got into that wound?" Jadepaw shrugged a single shoulder at her.
. . .
Jadepaw's wounds had finally healed, and she had passed her final assessment. She awaited eagerly beside Cleartail for her warrior name; all of their littermates had already received their warrior names. "Jadepaw, you have trained hard to understand the way of StarClan's noble code. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your Clan, even at the cost of you life?"

Jadepaw's voice rang through camp clear and confident. "I do." "Then by the powers of StarClan, we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan. You will now be known as Jadeheart." "Jadeheart! Jadeheart! Jadeheart!" Jadeheart's chest swelled with pride. I'm a warrior now! She thought excitedly.

"Congratulations!" Drizzlespot pressed his nose to her pelt. "You, too!" Jadeheart meowed. Jadeheart felt energy surge through her. So, what do I do first as a warrior? The sun was sinking behind the forest of trees, and the sky was stained red.

Jadeheart watched from afar as Drizzlespot talked smoothly to Sparkpelt. She still wasn't talking to Jadeheart, and it made Jadeheart feel lonely. Sparkpelt had been Jadeheart's best friend for a one amount of time. "Sparkpelt, Jadeheart, Cleartail, Drizzlespot, and Hawkpool, please gather near the camp entrance for your vigil."

Jadeheart felt her stomach soar into her throat. Wow, I get to guard all of the cats in ThunderClan! Flipstar trusts me with all of his Clanmates lives! Jadeheart sucked in a big breath and puffed out her chest. She approached the entrance proudly beside Drizzlespot. "You must guard the camp with your lives, and, unless there is trouble, which in that case, you must alert the camp."

Jadeheart nodded as if she were listening to what he was saying, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Dewstorm's visit and Flipstar's warning to the Clan were ringing loudly in her ears, and she struggled to block them out. Remember who the villain is.....if you see anything suspicious, report it immediately.

The whole Clan had been unusually wary of each other, unless they were close friends. Jadeheart watched Creamcall herd her kits into the nursery, shooting an approving glance towards Jadeheart. She wondered who would get which one of Creamcall's kits- Jadeheart was fond of Dewkit for obvious reasons.

The rest of the cats withdrew into their dens, only leaving Fireclaw dragging a squirrel into the elders den. Fireclaw and Yellowfang had chosen the life of an elder together; they were getting old and frail. Jadeheart silently vowed to protect them- she would die over and over again for her Clanmates.
. . .
"Just like ShadowClan, always late." The Sprintstar grumbled. Jadeheart felt nervous to be meeting Cherrypaw, Foldpaw, and Streampaw again. "Jadepaw!" Jadeheart whipped around to face Foldpaw, his yellow eyes glinting in the moonlight. "Actually, it's Jadeheart."

Foldpaw nodded and smiled. "I'm Foldear." He meowed. "Cool." Jadepaw dipped her head to him. "So...where's Streampaw and Cherrypaw?" "I don't know where Cherrypaw is," He meowed. "Streampaw..Streampaw...he died." Foldear's voice faltered.

"Oh, StarClan. I'm so sorry. I didn't-" "It's okay. He drowned." Foldear's shoulders sagged. "We were playing near a river after battle training. The river was rushing extra hard, and I rolled into the river. Streampaw dived in to save me...we're both real good swimmers. I clambered onto the stones near the bank.

"Streampaw....well, he couldn't get out of the river before it led into deeper territory....we all suspected he drowned, then Ridgespot found him lifeless farther down on our territory." Foldear's whiskers quavered. "We decided to name him Streamwhisp. He...was...my best friend."

Jadeheart lifted her head to the Silverpelt. You were too young to die, She thought somberly. "Great StarClan, there's ShadowClan." Peppernose muttered. "About time," Another murmured. Shadestar climbed onto Fourtrees hurriedly. "I apologize for our late arrival. There was a little trouble in ShadowClan, but nothing we can't handle."

Shadestar's voice rang through the full clearing. "ShadowClan has been well, though our medicine cats have been treating several cases of Whitecough." Murmurs rose from the crowd. "Did you have it?" Cats drew away from each other. "Are there any remaining cats with Whitecough?" Flipstar asked.

"No, all is well." Shadestar replied. "I see that we have a new leader of ThunderClan," Specklestar observed. Flipstar acknowledged the RiverClan leader with a somber expression. "Yes, Ravenstar died of infection. Now, I am leader and Starlight is our deputy."

The Clans were silent for a moment before breaking out in cheer. "Flipstar! Starlight! Flipstar! Starlight! Flipstar....!" Jadeheart yowled, proud that her dad was the Clan deputy. "ThunderClan is very well, and we have some new warriors in the Clan. Goldenstrike and Cloudwhisker chased a fox off of our territory-"

"I hope it wasn't on ours," The old WindClan leader growled. "No, Sprintstar, off of Clan territory. That beast is the twoleg's problem now," Flipstar reported proudly. Looks of approval came from the the other leaders and warriors. Jadeheart wondered if Flipstar would mention the suspicions of murder in her Clan.

"ThunderClan is proud to announce that Twitchheart was expecting kits," Flipstar began, only to be interrupted by yowls of approval from his Clanmates. "Oh, that's great, Twitchheart, I didn't know!" Twitchheart shrank into her light tabby pelt with embarrassment. "Yeah," She meowed, her tone at a nervous pitch.

"That's all I have to report for ThunderClan." Flipstar announced. "Great," Sprintstar meowed impatiently. "WindClan is as strong as ever, and our population is growing. Hunting is well, and I am not worried about this coming Leaf-Bare. We have three new apprentices, Harepaw, Crookpaw, and Flickpaw. We, also have a new deputy. Peachpelt, please stand."

As the Clans let out yowls of approval for the well-respected warrior, Jadeheart thought suspiciously. Sprintstar speaks too confidently. There's something not right. "Cottontail, my mate, recently went to StarClan. He died a peaceful death, the most an old cat like me could ask for. I'm resigning as Clan leader."
                                                                                .  .  .
It had been two moons since the Gathering, and Creamcall's kits were finally six moons old. "Beechkit could go far," Cleartail meowed, scooping a scrawny mouse from the fresh-kill pile. "He's very intelligent and has a great memory," Jadeheart agreed quietly.

"Between you and me, I hope for Dewkit." Jadeheart meowed. Cleartail heaved a great sigh. "Of course you do," "No, really. She's far more stronger than the rest of her littermates." Jadeheart watched Creamcall drag Dewkit off of an old tree stump in camp. Dewkit had her claws dug into it, and Creamcall was clearly straining to pull her off.

"Dewkit, let go! You're going to ruffle your fur!" "Tell Rufflekit that! Look at her!" Dewkit squealed. "She was born like that, stop making excuses." Creamcall argued through gritted teeth. "All cats gather beneath Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Flipstar called.

"Now, let me groom your-" Dewkit scrambled away from her. "Mom! I'm an apprentice now, stop embarrassing me!" Creamcall ignored the young she-cat, licking Dewkit roughly with her tongue. Jadeheart fell behind Sparrowflight and Scatfur beneath Highrock. "Beechkit, you are at the age of six moons and are ready to be apprenticed. Please step forward." With trembling whiskers, Beechkit inched towards him.

"Cloudwhisker, you have been trained well and have proved to be a good warrior. I hope you can pass down all of your knowledge down to Beechpaw." Beaming, Cloudwhisker touched noses with the young tom and took his place beside Sparkpelt and Mudfur. "Dewkit, you are at the age of six moons." Flipstar paused, looking down at Dewkit's bouncing paws.

"And you are clearly excited to have a mentor!" The whole Clan let out a chuckle. "Young cats," Fireclaw commented jokingly. "Jadeheart has gone through several training methods with her mentors, and I'm sure she will be glad to have an apprentice with your enthusiasm!" The Clan chuckled again when Jadeheart stepped towards the bounding Dewpaw.

Dewpaw was almost jumping out of her pelt after the ceremony. "So, are we going to explore the territory? Goldenstrike and Rufflepaw already left!" She complained. "Okay, we're going." Jadeheart gestured towards a rabbit burrow in the ground. "It's important to know where things are located on your territory. You don't want to sprain your ankle by not watching where you're going."

Dewpaw nodded, but Jadeheart knew that this information was going right over her head. "Look over here," Jadeheart meowed, angling her ears towards a wide expanse of trees, stretching from oaks to pines. "That means that we're nearing the ShadowClan border. Dewpaw perked her ears.

"Do we get to meet a patrol? If they take a pawstep near the border, I'll...I'll...claw their ears off!" Jadeheart rested her tail tip on Dewpaw's shoulder. "Slow your roll. They can get as close to the border as they want to, as long as they stay on their side of it."

Dewpaw flicked her tail dismissively. "And what if they do pass it." "We warn them not to." "What if they don't listen?" Jadeheart let out a sigh and told her what Dewpaw wanted to hear. "Than we give then a fight that'll teach them to stay on their own side of the border," she snarled mockingly.

Dewpaw jumped into the air. "Yes! Yes! I knew it! Don't worry, I'll give them a scar to remember me by," She spat as she attempted to hiss. Jadeheart gave Dewpaw a nod of approval. "But try to never start a fight. Always try to attempt to resolve a conflict with words instead of aggressive actions."

Dewpaw dipped her head respectively. "Of course," She meowed. Suddenly, the fur on her neck stood up. "Woah, what's that?" She was gesturing towards an old twoleg den with her tail. "Oh, that's an abandoned twoleg den." "Oh, I didn't think those were real," "Yeah, they're real all right." Jadeheart assured her. "But they don't bother her too much." Dewpaw's shoulders sagged, disappointed.

Jadeheart desperately sought the right words to perk her up. "But, don't worry, little one, there will be plenty battles for you to fight." Dewpaw craned her neck, seeking something in the distance. "I...I can't see the training grounds." She mewed, embarrassed. Jadeheart snorted quietly. "That's because it's on the other side of the territory." She meowed patiently.

"Oh." Dewpaw ducked her head. "No, it's okay. It's your first time." Jadeheart gently steered Dewpaw towards a route she knew that led towards a small stream. Dewpaw let out a squeal of delight as the spotted the stream, rapidly lapping up the water until Jadeheart thought the river would run dry.

Dewpaw shrank back when she noticed Jadeheart's impatient stare. "Oh, sorry, my throat's really dry." She meowed. "It's okay, again, it's your first day." Jadepaw reassured her. "Now, let's go see the WindClan border." "Wow! We get to see the borders today?" Dewpaw exclaimed. "What better time to see them?"

Dewpaw ran up to the WindClan border with Jadeheart at her tail. "Woah-" Dewpaw gave a huge sniff. "It smells really crisp and...and...rabbit-like." "Yeah, too much like WindClan..." Jadeheart trailed off. "It's a WindClan patrol!" Dewpaw exclaimed.

"Yeah, you've got a problem with it?" Fangpool growled. Dewpaw shrank back from the large warrior. "N-no..." She stuttered. "Look," Bloomtail scoffed. "It's a little warrior." Dewpaw blinked the hurt from her eyes. "I don't see you with an apprentice!" Bloomtail glared at her. "What are you doing near the border?" "Uh, showing my apprentice around the territory, you annoying ball of fur!"

"Oooohhh...." Dewpaw murmured. Jadeheart shifted uncomfortably under Echoclaw's piercing gaze. "Let's go, Dewpaw." Jadeheart steered Dewpaw away from the WindClan warriors. "Jadeheart....." Dewpaw whined. "Let's take a look at the training grounds." As Dewpaw nodded, Jadeheart realized how much she enjoyed mentoring.