"Shadow, from know on, you are a full cave guard of The Tribe of Metal Ores."

Cheering erupted from the crowd of cats as Stoneteller finished her sentence. Shadow purred and turned to look at Spark, who had just become an official prey stalker.

She had been held back from her ceremony due to her neck wound and now she and Spark were able to have a ceremony together, just like they had wanted.

"Wanna Go hunting?" Spark asked cheerfully. "Our first hunt as full pery-stalkers!"

Shadow purred.
"I'm a cave-guard, mouse brain! But I'll come and guard you."

The two cats slipped out of camp, their fur rippling slightly due to the warm greenleaf breeze. They reached a clearing under a large oak tree and Shadow climbed to the top of the tree, while Spark began stalking a mouse.

The blue-grey she-cat watched as he leaped onto the mouse, killing it with a single nip on the neck. She purred.
"Hey, bet you can't climb this tree!" She yowled down to him.

Spark grinned.
"I bet I can"

He dug his claws into the trees trunk and pulled himself up, scampering over the bark like squirrel.

Shadow rolled her eyes.
"Okay, bet you can't climb as high as me."

Spark laughed. He scampered further up the trunk until he reached the topmost branches.
"Beat that!"

Blinking in astonishment, Shadow wiggled her haunches and leaped onto the branch above her, doing the same thing over and over again until she reached Spark's branch.

However, she was heavier than him and the branch snapped under her weight, sending them both hurtling to the ground and landing with a loud
"OOF!" On the ground.

A familar dark grey paw planted itself right in front of Shadow as she heaved her self to her feet.

Heavy stood snarling, his blue eyes locked with Shadow's amber ones.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"We're having fun. You?" Shadow mewed calmly, not looking away from Heavy's cold stare.

"I'm making sure that you young cats aren't getting up to mischief. You should no better."

Spark rested his tail on Shadow's shoulders.

"Come on, let's go." He led her away from Heavy and Shadow obliged, padding back to camp and not looking back.

                                ***

The tribe gathered around the power stone as Stoneteller began to speak.

"The time has come for me to take on an apprentice!" She yowled. "I am growing old and I need somebody to succeed me when I die."

Anxious murmers echoed through the crowd. No cat wanted Stoneteller to die.

"Sap of new tree, do you accept the role of Stoneteller's apprentice?"

A ginger tabby tom stepped up to the rock.
"Stoneteller, I would be honoured!" He breathed.

"Then from now on, Sap will be my apprentice!"

The cat's began to chant Sap's name and Spark nuzzled him.
"Father!"

Shadiw purred and joined in with the chanting.

Stoneteller flicked her tail to silence the cats and the noise died down.

"Tonight is the full moon and therefore the gathering! A new clan, Tideclan, has joined our community and I expect you to welcome them to the gathering like you would for Mistyclan or Mapleclan."

Murmers rippled through the crowd and cats began to debate wether they should trust the new clan or not.

"Coming to the gathering are.... Sap, Leaf, Storm, Pine, Heavy, Cloud, Glow, Spark and Shadow" Stoneteller announced.

The cats who were going started meowing with excitement and Stoneteller leaped down from the power stone.

                              ***

Shadow weaved sat with the appentices from the clans, purring as they talked of their adventures.

Foampaw, a Tideclan apprentice, was telling them all about how he'd saved one of the kits, Sunkit, from a crab.

"The crab reached out for him with it's big pincers and nearly got him before I picked him up and moved him away!" Foampaw exclaimed, puffing out his chest proudly.

Just then, a black tom with a splash of white on his chest and dark blue eyes padded over.

"Fernpaw" he mewed, looking at the grey tabby Mapleclan apprentice, who was sitting next to Fernpaw.

"Yes Shadowflight?" The she-cat mewed.

"Have you told them about the squirrels you caught? I'm sure they'd love to hear!"

"Okay!" Fernpaw took a deep breath and started to talk.

"Yesterday, I went hunting and caught 3 squirrels!"

"Yeah, it was amazing!" Her brother Flarepaw exclaimed.

"Ha! I bet you couldn't catch a fish" Splashpaw, a Mistyclan apprentice, snapped.

Fernpaw frowned at Splashpaw.

Just then, Stoneteller's cheerful mew echoed around the clearing.

"Welcome, cats! Let's start!"

All of the cats turned to face Stoneteller, falling silent.

"The Tribe of Metal Ores have been thriving! Despite the death of one of pur tribemates, Pebble, we have pushed onwards. We recently gained one new cave-guard and one new Prey-stalker. Shadow of branch over water and Spark of young flame!"

Shadow purred as the cats cheered her name.

"Tidestar, you may speak." Stoneteller nodded to the Tideclan leader, a silver tom.

"Tideclan have settled into our mew home with pleasure. There is plenty of prey in the ocean and two of our apprentices, Pearlpaw and Splashpaw, will be taking their warrior assessments soon." The silver tom mewed.

He nodded to Sneezestar and the black and white tom stepped forward.

"Mapleclan are doing well. We have plenty of prey and I am proud to announce that my dear mother, Applefrost, has given birth to a litter of 6 kits."

Shadow joined the other cats as they cheered. Everybody loved kits.

Hailstar pushed past Sneezestar, shoving him backwards. She bared her teeth, silencing the cats.

"Mistycpan have smelt Tribe scent in our territory!" She hissed lashing her tail from side to side.

Everybody gasped, even the Mistyclan cats. Hadn't they known?

"If the tribe does not admit to it know, I will declare war upon them."

Stoneteller looked shocked.

"Hailstar, no tribe cat has crossed your border." The black she-cat mewed.

"That's it! Be prepared for our attack Stoneteller." Hailstar snapped.

There wasn't a sound as the cats padded out of the clearing and towards their territories.

How dare Hailstar accuse them like that?! What had she ever had against Mistyclan?

Shadow sighed and followed her tribemates back to camp. The answers would come in time, for now, she just had to wait.

DUN DUN DUN. Alot of you have probably heard of Applefrost- of you've been following me for a while. She's my main OC. Those kits are called Swankit, Magpiekit, Sweetkit, Pouncekit, Tumblekit and
Puddlekit.