"So, you're Houndpaw, eh?"

The choice of words caused the small navy tom to cast his gaze in the direction of a dusty-brown tom, his bright orange eyes looking Houndpaw over. The newly-made apprentice couldn't help but notice his bobtail, though twitched an ear and met the other tom's eyes. "Yes. I am." He kept his words flat and short, not really in a mood to talk. He was exhausted and just wanted to sleep.

"Oh! Well, great, I'm Quakepaw," the pale brown tom mewed, holding his paw to his puffed out chest. Clearly he hadn't taken Houndpaw's words as a hint to be quiet. The navy tom didn't mind, though.

"Nice to meet you, Quakepaw," he murmured.

"Hey! Are you introducing yourself without me?" Another small brown she-cat slid into their conversation, freckles of mint green dotting her body. She blinked her yellow eyes at Houndpaw, dipping her head gracefully, a purr rumbling from her throat. "I'm Firmapaw! Not too sure what it means, my mom said it's something about land? I dunno. But it's so nice to meet you!! We are very excited to have you here!"

The small navy tom smiled with a nod. "Thank you. It's only been a couple of days but I'm very happy to be an apprentice! How old are you two?"

"I'm eleven moons," Quakepaw announced proudly. "But Firmapaw is waaaay younger! She's, like, seven moons or something!" The she-cat gave him a glare, hinting she'd wanted to tell him herself. "We're still best friends though, y'know?"

"Oh. Yeah, I understand." The tom flicked his tail, sliding into a sitting position and blinking at the two. "Have you discovered your powers yet, then?"

Firmapaw snorted, smoothing down her spiky fur with gentle licks, her eyes dancing with amusement. "I'm only seven moons! That's like asking if you've discovered your ability."

Houndpaw furrowed his brows. "Well, I don't really know much about them. Grayblaze used to show me from time to time, but I haven't seen any other cats show their powers and such."

"Well, then you've met the right cat!" Quakepaw exclaimed, jumping to his paws. "Watch this, youngster!"

The blue-eyed tom took a tentative step back, though felt the adrenaline rush through his veins. He'd never seen another cat use their powers since he was a kit, so this was sure to be entertaining. Houndpaw heard a crack and snapped his head toward the ground, watching as the rock underpaw parted and curved near him. The speckled tom jumped back, his heart pumping against his ribcage. Quakepaw began to laugh at his reaction, and Firmapaw pushed her friend over playfully.

"Your reaction was great!" Quakepaw howled, falling to the ground and laughing in sort of wheezes.

"Wh..." Houndpaw felt his ears pin back, his cheeks growing red. "What did you do?"

"He made the ground crack, sort of like a mini earthquake." The familiar but new voice caused the navy tom to look up. The black she-cat made her way inside the den, a rabbit limply hanging from her jaws. Her crimson eyes shone with mirth as she set her catch down, smiling at the group.

"Hey, Bloodpaw!" Firmapaw purred, rubbing her head against the large she-cat. "How are you?"

"I'm good, I'm good. I see Quakepaw's yet again making a fool out of himself?" she questioned, gaze flickering toward the still-laughing tom.

"Yeah, of course. He showed the newbie his powers and little Houndy got freaked out." Bloodpaw looked over at the navy tom, who perked up a little, his lips curving upwards into a small smile.

"And how are you, Houndpaw? I see you're already making friends?" Bloodpaw purred, drawing her head forward to take a bite out of the gray hare.

"U-Uh, yeah, I just met—"

"Out of my way, losers," a hiss sounded from the entrance. Firmapaw rolled her eyes as she nudged Quakepaw, watching the brown tom stagger to his paws with a wide smile.

"OCHREPAW! How are you doing?" he asked, stepping out of the way for the tan she-cat to stride through.

"Fine, until you yelled in my ear," she snapped back, sliding between Bloodpaw and Houndpaw. Quakepaw didn't look surprised at her answer.

"H-Hey, Ochrepaw," the navy tom greeted with the dip of his head.

"Hey, stutter," she retorted. "How's life?"

"Uh, good, aside from being laughed at by Quakepaw," he teased, watching the brown tom give a look of hurt.

"What? I was not... making fun of you! I just liked your reaction!!"

"He's kidding, Quake," Firmapaw whispered in his ear, hiding her laughs behind a quiet chuckle.

"Oh." The pale brown tom smiled once again. "Well good! I didn't want you to not like me or anything..."

"I think everyone likes you, Quakepaw," Bloodpaw purred.

"Well, I dunno... it's not like Brutepaw does," he responded.

"Brutepaw doesn't like anyone," the black she-cat said, stretching her jaws into a yawn. "Isn't he the same age as you or something?"

Quakepaw nodded. "Yeah, we're becoming warriors soon! I don't know if he's discovered his power yet, though. Maybe he's just hiding it from everyone?"

"Can we talk about something else?" Ochrepaw asked lazily. "I'm bored. Let's gossip about food! That's always a good subject to stay on."

"HOUNDPAW! My man, how are you?" A screech from the entrance of the den caused all five cats to cast their gaze in that direction, Ochrepaw looking annoyed as her sentence was sort of cut off. The navy tom jumped in surprise at the yowl, spotting a familiar black she-cat running into the den, dust clouding up around her paws. A smile stretched on her jaws, eyes bright as she ran around Houndpaw. "HOUNDPAW! HOUNDPAW! HOUNDPAW! How are you?!"

"Hey there, Moonpaw," Houndpaw greeted with a purr, finding it hard to keep his eyes on her as she swiftly bolted in circles around him. "I'm good, and you?"

"GREAT! I'm so happy to see you!!!" she exclaimed, giving him a lick on the cheek. "AND FIRMAPAW!!!" Moonpaw tackled her mint-spotted friend, not giving her any time to move out of the way.

"Could you be a little louder? I'm about to rip my whiskers off," Ochrepaw complained. Bloodpaw shouldered her friend as if to tell her to be nice.

"Where's Barbpaw?" Quakepaw asked.

"Well now since I'm here, the party can really start!" As if on cue, Barbpaw made her way into the den, the chestnut she-cat's head raised like she was royalty. She swerved around Firmapaw and Moonpaw, grabbing her friend and throwing her off. "Come on, you gotta think of personal space, Moony!"

"Oh, yeah... but she's my friend!" the black she-cat whined, the white swirls on her body seeming to glow in the darkness of the den. Houndpaw directed his attention to the sky, watching the sunset roll below the trees, casting colors all across the territory.

"I'm surprised Sagestar hasn't come in here to shut you all up," Ochrepaw huffed. "Honestly, I got stuck with the worst denmates."

"Come onnnnnn Ochrepaw, we're fun!" Quakepaw countered. "I think you like us but just don't want to admit it."

"Will you think the same when I claw your face off?" she snapped back.

"You can try," the pale brown tom taunted.

Ochrepaw jumped to her paws, curling her lips into a snarl. "You asked for it—"

A sudden hush fell over the den. Houndpaw returned his gaze to his new friends, cocking a brow in confusion. "What...?"

"Shhh," Firmapaw whispered, her bright yellow eyes darting up. The small navy tom followed her gaze, feeling his throat dry and his stomach twist into knots.

A huge reddish-brown tom stood at the entrance of the den, his dark brown eyes flickering around the cats. A grunt left his jaws as he shouldered past the group, his tail whipping behind him and smacking Quakepaw in the face. The smaller brown tom rubbed his cheek, eyes narrowing, but he didn't dare open his jaws. Brutepaw stumbled toward the back of the den, twitching an ear as he eyed everyone one more time. "Shut your maws. I'm going to sleep."

And like that, all of Houndpaw's friends scrambled toward their nests; even Ochrepaw, the defying, sassy she-cat who seemed to dislike everyone, followed the huge red tom's orders.

Houndpaw fixed his gaze on Brutepaw, furrowing his brows. The red tom curled his lip and turned away, claws ticking into their sheaths as he practically fell into his nest. The small navy tom hesitantly padded toward his own nest, following his tail in circles and flopping inside. His legs ached, his whole body was shaking, and Brutepaw more or less made him feel terrified.

However, he couldn't take his thoughts off of the mysterious tom. Everyone seemed to hate him, or fear him. Maybe even both. Houndpaw wasn't sure... he hadn't even known the huge tom for that long.

The speckled tom let his light blue eyes flutter shut, his breaths beginning to come out steadier. Who is Brutepaw, and why is everyone so afraid of him?

࿇ ༻༝ ✿ ༝༺ ࿇

"Houndpaw. Houndpaw, wake up."

A paw jabbing him in the flank quickly caused the small navy tom's eyes to snap open. The world was blurry but he could make out Bloodpaw standing in front of him, a wide smile on her jaws.

"Huh..?" Houndpaw's words were slurred. He just wanted to sleep, and didn't even know what time it was. The tom sort of shrugged her off and turned in his nest, burying his muzzle in his chest fur and letting out a breath, feeling the darkness slowly overtake him.

"Houndpaw, wake up, you lazy lump."

Another paw sharply prodded him in the side. He let out a half wheeze, turning and narrowing his eyes at Bloodpaw. "What?" he growled.

"Come on, Houndpaw, I've been trying to wake you up for hours." He let out a sigh, his eyelids heavy against the darkness of the night.

"What's so important?" he finally asked, forcing himself to stand to his aching paws. He found himself nearly stepping right on Ochrepaw—thank LightClan, wouldn't that have been bad?

"I want to show you something," she purred, crimson eyes glittering with excitement in the darkness.

"What is it?" he questioned, twitching an ear, hearing the loud snoring of Quakepaw from somewhere across the den.

"Come with me and I'll show you." The she-cat winked and turned, brushing his chin with her bushy tail and running out of the den. Houndpaw let out a huff and propelled himself forward with his back legs, feeling the cold biting at his fur as he spiraled into camp, Bloodpaw not too far ahead. His breaths were clouded as they left his jaws, his paws crunching the grass below his feet. He narrowed his blue eyes and shot a glance at the sleeping guard, who seemed to be Fallowleaf. Ignoring the roan tom, Houndpaw forced the drowsiness to the back of his mind as he caught up with his black-pelted friend.

"Are we... almost... there?" be wheezed, his chest burning from the running he was currently doing. Bloodpaw, however, seemed content with her pace, her black fur whipping in the wind. She closed her crimson eyes for a few idle moments then opened them again, turning her gaze on Houndpaw.

"Yes, we're close," she responded shortly, moving her muzzle back to the area in front of her. The two novices leapt over logs and ferns, brushing through foliage as the stems hit their faces. Houndpaw ducked under a large tree that sloped above them, branches intertwining as the leaves rustled in the breeze—he realized this was as far as he had traveled with Dawndapple.

The navy tom suddenly stopped, kicking dust up in the air. Bloodpaw heard and skidded on the ground with her paws, casting a curious glance back to him. "What's wrong?"

"Is this still EarthClan's territory..?" he asked uncertainty, looking around the trees as if they were foreign. He didn't feel safe anymore, especially since Dawndapple wasn't here. How would he and Bloodpaw fight off any enemies if they were to show up? And what about rival Clans? They were just novices, after all.

"Yes." The black she-cat tipped her head to the side, backpedaling toward the tom and resting her tail on his shoulders. "Don't worry, Houndpaw. Nothing will happen to you."

The navy tom nodded unsurely, but tried to convince himself that his new friend meant well. Bloodpaw purred, interrupting his ongoing thoughts. "Like I said, we're almost here, just a couple more tree-lengths. Let's go."

Without waiting for a response, Bloodpaw reeled forward and ducked through the underbrush. Houndpaw huffed and quickly followed, feeling the adrenaline pump his legs forward, his blue eyes shining in the darkness of the night. The moon was hanging high in the sky, part of it cut off, resembling that of a cat's claw. Moonhigh. I wonder why Bloodpaw woke me up so late.

Houndpaw blindly staggered through more weeds before he ran right into his friend, causing the two to tumble over. The navy tom scrambled to his paws, lowering his head in an apology. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"It's fine, Houndpaw," she murmured. Her gaze flickered in front of her, raising to what seemed to be the sky. "We're here."

He cocked a brow and turned to see what she was staring at. "What do you..." His words trailed off, his eyes widening as he stared at the sight before him. An ancient-looking tree stood tall, towering high above the others, branches twisting out and connecting with other trees. Locust buzzes emitted from the leaves, a huge owl flapping out of sight as it left what seemed to be its nest. Houndpaw's jaw dropped in shock and amazement, his eyes sparkling. "Woah..."

"This is the Elder Tree," Bloodpaw explained simply, padding toward the huge, wide trunk. "The largest tree in all of the territories." Houndpaw followed more slowly, still taking in everything he was seeing. "Most novices aren't supposed to come out here until they get older, but... eh, I break the rules a lot. Echocall doesn't want to bring me here yet. She doesn't think I'm experienced enough."

"What is this tree for?" Houndpaw questioned, circling the trunk with awe.

"It's for climbing lessons," she responded, twitching her ear. "It's hard to climb, and really tall, but it's so worth it when you get to the top. Come on!"

Houndpaw stared at Bloodpaw, dumbfounded, as she gripped on the trunk and began to make her way up. Her hind legs helped her move forward, her claws digging into the bark as she climbed.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, leaping forward to try and grab her tail. "Come back down! That's dangerous! Didn't you just say it yourself?"

"I said it's hard to climb, and really tall, but the view is amazing. You can see everything from up here. Now come on! Stop being a wimp!" The she-cat made it onto one of the lower branches, staring expectantly at her friend.

Sighing heavily, Houndpaw flattened his ears and slowly inserted his claws into the trunk. He used his back paws to jump higher, feeling the fear propel him forward. He scrambled up on the same branch as Bloodpaw, not daring to look down as he gripped on the bark.

"Great job!" she purred. "We have a little farther to go, but it's easier to get down, especially if you don't look. Trust me."

The two began to clamber up the tree, the trunk looking as if it spread all the way into LightClan. Houndpaw felt scared, but tried not to show it so he wouldn't sound annoying. The anxiety stirring in his stomach was becoming unbearable, tears speaking the sides of his eyes as the wind blew through his fur. He didn't dare speak, or even look down, because he knew he would fall if he did either. He was shaking and flinching from any noises he heard, flicking back his ears as small pieces of bark flew down from Bloodpaw's scrabbling feet.

However, finally, the pair made it to the top. Houndpaw felt relief flood through his body, and was happy to be on flat ground again. He followed Bloodpaw through bushes of leaves, leaping up a few more twisted branches before they made it to the very top. A large leaf nest was strewn in the middle, the bottom padded with white and gray bird feathers. The black she-cat slipped into the nest, moving over to allow Houndpaw more room. The navy tom took a shaky step inside, feeling more comfortable now that he was surrounded by some form of walls.

"Look." Bloodpaw pointed forward with her paw, a smile stretching on her lips. "This is the view I was talking about."

Houndpaw followed where her paw was pointing, his eyes stretching wide. A breath left his jaws as he stared at the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen in his life.

He could see territory rolling for what seemed to be miles and miles on end. He noticed a flat, rocky patch of ground to his right, flooding into a clearing. "Whoa. What's that?" he asked.

"FireClan's territory," she responded.

He moved his gaze to another patch of forest ahead, which lead into another clearing camp, a river circled around. He realized EarthClan and FireClan had a river, too. "And them?"

"WaterClan," she shrugged. "Did Dawndapple not explain this?"

"It's only been a couple of days," Houndpaw replied. "And I haven't really asked her." Bloodpaw didn't respond, twitching an ear as she stared up at the stars in the sky. Houndpaw noticed a large slope in the middle of all three territories, something in the middle, like it was some type of meeting area. The navy tom was sleepy, though, and didn't feel like asking any more questions.

Houndpaw craned his muzzle to the moon, feeling his heart race slow, a calming sensation flooding his senses. He closed his eyes, feeling like he was up in LightClan, the world peaceful around him. However, when he opened his eyes, all of those nice feeling sunk away into dread, causing his insides to churn and his jaw to drop in horror.

Blood rained down from the sky, large storm clouds rolling in from afar. The crimson liquid rose up like waves, crashing onto the tree and causing it to nearly topple over. Houndpaw felt fear but didn't scream, didn't speak, just watched. He could hear soft voices circle around his head, echoing in his ears and causing his blue eyes to widen.

"Help us, Houndpaw."

"Don't let us die, Houndpaw!"

"You can end this destruction, Houndpaw."

"Houndpaw!"

"You are the light in the dark, Houndpaw."

"Houndpaw, come on!"

"Save us, Houndpaw, save us!"

Blood began to seep into the navy tom's body, filling his lungs and causing the liquid to spew out of his jaws. He twitched and fell to the ground, the blood swallowing up the sky and taking him with it. He felt the life fade from him, the world spiraling into darkness.

"Houndpaw! Please, a-are you okay?"

The tom's eyes snapped open and he found himself face-to-face with Bloodpaw, her red eyes sparkling with worry. "You... you zoned out for a long time. It was like you blacked out, but you were awake. Should we go?"

Houndpaw felt his fur spike up, his claws unsheathing as he returned his gaze to the sky. His eyes darkened, his tail flicking. "I saw something."

Bloodpaw held her breath, taking a steady step forward. "...what was it?"

He hesitated, feeling the fear course through his body, that adrenaline rush returning as he closed his eyes. "I saw the destruction of EarthClan."

PUBLISHED
[ 7 / 2 / 17 ]

A/N: Hey guys! I had a bit of a hard time writing this chapter (at least the first part where all of the novices are introduced) but thankfully got past that and eventually finished this chapter! The second part with Bloodpaw was pretty easy to write, and I think I actually did really well!

Anyway, tell me what you guys think! Comments are greatly appreciated, even from all of you ghost readers! Votes mean the world as well, and I'm definitely grateful for anyone that has decided to spend their time making their way through the prologue and first two chapters.

I have some questions below for anyone that would like to answer, just for fun!

- Who's your favorite/least favorite character so far?

- What do you think the omen means?

- What's your favorite Clan?

Thanks for answering if you do, or commenting, voting, whatever it is you would like! I'm so grateful for all of you, and FireClan/WaterClan warrior slots are still open on my second update book near the end.

Love you guys! May LightClan brighten your path.🌟