chapter 1

the moon shown bright in the breezy air, there was not a slightest sound, just how i like it snowripple thought with a smile.

"snowripple is that you?" a orange creamy tom asked as he crept into the moon's light, "oh hi pumpkin, what are you doing in moonclan territory? you know if the leader or deputy finds me hanging out with a 'kittypet' i could be banned from going out of the camp for moons- and have to do apprentice duties! ACK, they have to clean the elders." she said licking her chest fur till it was shining in the moon light, "oh- then follow me!" pumpkin whispered excitedly as he bounded away.

"Wait for me!" snowripple yelled quietly and tried to catch up to him. she lost his sent trail and where he was until he pounced on her and rolled her on her back.

"so how was that?" pumpkin asked with a sly grin on his face. snowripple's gaze met his" that was really good, i dont know how you hid your sent trail but i think you would make a great warrior!" she blushed and put her tail over her face to hide it, i dont think im ready to tell him yet... she thought as her smile faded.

pumpkin looked at her with a sad expression "whats wrong snow?" he asked worried

"o-oh nothing!" snowripple exclaimed putting a smile back on her face, "i should probably head back to camp" she said yawning afterwards.

"what are you going to tell them if they see you come in?" pumpkin asked

"i'll hunt on the way back and say i couldnt fall asleep and went to hunt for a bit" snowripple said with another yawn bigger than the last. "i better get going, love you- ack- i-im sorry i didnt mea- "

"love you too snowripple." pumpkin said smiling, snowripple blushed and padded off to the darkness of the open forest, the moon was setting now- it wouldn't be long before sunrise, snowripple thought to herself, in a hunting crouch she listened carefully swiveling her ears- finding a rustling sound in the bushes she crept towards it to see a squirrel trying to stuff a little acorn into its cheeks, aha! time to get this thing and take it back to camp so i can sleep!

stalking the little squirrel she waited for another second then pounced on top of it killing it with a swift bite to the neck, "thank you starclan for this wonderful food" she whispered so no one would hear her, but only the spirits themselves.

she slumped into the camp entrance, "snowripple where were you?!" the familiar voice of minnowface whispered angerly.

snowripple franticly looked down, setting her prey on the dirt floor, "i-i went hunting because i couldnt fall asleep" she said quickly trying to make it sound believable, minnowface started sniffing her pelt, "i smell kittypet fur- why are you conversating with a kittypet?!" he hissed his fur starting to prick.

snowripple backed away baring her teeth- glinting in the moon light, "I wasnt conversating with a kittypet!" she hissed only getting batted in the ear by minnowface. "dont talk to me like that!" he hissed digging his claws into her paw making her shriek with pain, "then what were you doing?!"minnowface asked.

having to get out of this conversation she blurted out "I was going to kill him but i decided to let him off with a swift warning!"

minnowfaces' eyes started to turn red, "WHY DIDNT YOU KILL HIM?!" he yelled baring his teeth and unsheathing his claws- waking the whole camp, "because, im not an ambitious killer like you! He didnt know that it was clan territory!" snowripple hissed

"W-whats going on out here-" sandstar asked slumping out of her den, "its almost sunrise, What are you both fighting about!?"

"s-sandstar?! ah sandstar- thank starclan you came- smell snowripples pelt- she has been playing with a kittypet" minnowface growled flattening his ears.

snowripple flattens down and sandstar sniffs her pelt, "what are you doing with a kittypet snowripple? " she asked calmly.

snowripple stood up glad that sandstar wasnt growling at her, "i found a kittypet in the territory and i let him off with a warning because he didnt know that he was in clan territory"

sandstar looked into snowripples eyes making her feel like she was looking into the depths of her soul, "why were you out so late then, you should have been sleeping"

"i couldnt fall asleep, so i went hunting an ran into the kittypet" snowripple said more confident of her answer.

sandstar looked at minnowface, "i dont want to here anymore fighting out of you two, case is solved, leave snowripple alone or i wont hesitate to claw your ears off" she said showing her teeth, "and as for you" she looks at snowripple, "its sunrise- you look like you died in your own pelt, i want you to rest- there is a patrol at sunhigh, i will have squirrelstorm wake you up when they are ready to go"

"thank you sandstar" the she-cat said hastily, waiting for sandstar to go back to her den, minnowface narrowed his eyes, "if i find that excuse for a kittypet on our territory- or if i smell him- he will die!" he grinned with a smile, ambition filling his orange eyes. UGH talk about a bloodthirsty cat! thinking to herself she trotted to the warriors den and laid down.

"come on mousebrain wake up!" squirrelstorm said nudging snowripple.

"h-huh?" she started opening her eyes and realized that it was sunhigh, "OH! I-im getting up!" snowripple said getting on her paws, stumbling out of then den there was no sun- the clouds were blocking the suns light, making it easier for her eyes to adjust, "Ok im awake!" looking around the whole sunhigh patrol held four cats squirrelstorm, snowripple, minnowface, and redpatch, all four of them charged out of the camp entrance leaving a trail of dust and paw prints.

i hope pumpkin doesnt come through here while on the patrol- minnowface will kill him, but then again- "quit daydreaming and stay with us snowripple!" the voice of redpatch yelled, thats when snowripple realized that she had stopped while thinking, "s-sorry!" she yelled back, they were only a couple of fox lengths away, "wait!" snowripple started sniffing the ground, "i smell cloverclan cats! they crossed the border, but- for what?" as soon as the patrol heard her they looked for the sent trail and followed it to an old fox den, "what would they want to do in an old foxden?" squirrelstorm asked still sniffing the rim of the hole, "probably stealing prey!" minnowface growled with anticipation, jeez i guess he want to kill a cat after all, i mean look at all of that murderous ambition! snowripple thought, "i will investigate the inside- only way to know what they were doing- minnowface go report this to sandstar."

"who are you to tell me what to do?!" minnowface growled

"I dont care if your deputy- its your job to go report things to the leader, NOW GO!!!" snowripple yelled, getting sick of minnowfaces' rebellious mouth. "ugh fine!" minnowface rolled his eyes and sped away, redpatch spoke up "you really shouldnt tal-" "I for one dont care that he is the deputy! he should keep his jaws shut once in a while, he wont get his pelt sheaded!" snowripple hissed interupting what redpatch had to say, slithering down the fox den entrance, she finds herself in a big opening, "guys- you should come see this!"

as the 2 other cats slide down the hole they look at the wide space, "this wasnt made by a fox, this was made by the cloverclan cats!!" squirrelstorm Shockley exclaimed, "we need to report this to sandstar right now!" snowripple hissed.

they dashed quickly out of the hole and into moonclan camp, frightening some warriors and an apperentice, "Sandstar we have very important news!" redpatch yelled skidding to a halt, "whats wrong?! and where is minnowface?!" sandstar asked franticly, crowds of cats started to crowd around the four cats, "Minnowface isnt here?! I specifically told him to go strait to you!" snowripple said baring her teeth.

sandstar started to get a worried expression on her face, "but i didnt see him..." sandstar leaped up ontop of the highledge, "all warriors please gather around highledge for clan meeting!" sunstar yowled. as warriors started to crowd the base of the rock, the mothers of the apprentices and kits from scampering up to the meeting, though some apprentices tried to listen swiveling there ears, trying to pick up the conversation.

"listen! minnowface is missing, without him we dont have a deputy! We need a patrol, uhh... ok so i want the warriors on the patrol to go over by the med den" she said pointing her tail in the direction of the den, "so the warriors on the patrol are, Bramblepatch, squirrelstorm, Mistyclaw, Snowripple, and redpatch!!!" sandstar yowled, and the cats started to walk over to the den one by one.

sandstar leaped off of the ledge and walked to the patrol to tell them what they will do, "we will be spliting up in groups max of two in each group, so i will be taking snowripple, bramblepatch will take redpatch, squirrelstorm you will take mistyclaw. bramblepatch you take that way" she said pointing her tail towards the deathberry bushes, "mistyclaw you take that way" pointing her tail towards the patch of daisies "and snowripple will take me to the place were she sent him to come and report to me."

the three groups of cats went there ways and snowripple took sunstar to the place where she had sent minnowface off to. what if he went looking for pumpkin?! OH NO- i need to warn pumpkin tonight, ill take the dirtplace to get out- there was a hole there! snowripple shook her head to clear the thoughts away, then sandstar broke in, "what are you thinking about snowripple?" she asked curiosity filling her gaze. "oh i- uh, n-nothing! i- i mean i am thinking but you wouldnt be happy about it..." snowripple said thinking about what sandstar might think of her if she knew that she had fallen in love with a kittypet.

"hey i am your sister- your leader, i cant think bad of you! now whats on your mind?" sandstar asked thoughtfully.

"i know because you are leader you wont approve but, the kittypet- h-his name is pumpkin, i think i fell for him... thats why i didnt kill him, I love him! b-but now- w-what if minnowface went looking for him?! HE'S GUNNA KILL HIM!!!" snowripple started crying, wishing she hadent said anything.

"your right, because im leader i dont approve of this, and being your sister im glad you found a cat but- i cant let you be in the clan when you have feelings for a kittypet, im sorry but you cant be in the clan unless you find a mate in this clan..." sandstar said looking at the ground trying to not cry, then suddently she stepped into a foxtrap, it wrapped around her neck.

snowripples eyes opened wide, "SANDSTAR!!!"

wreathing in pain, "this is my last life- if you ever find minnowface t-tell him that i made you leader, i- i know he is ambitious, bloodthirst killer, he cant be leader-" sandstar took her last breath then died.

"sandstar? S-sandstar?! SANDSTAR!!!" snowripple yowled with pain- she started to dig up the stick that was holding the wire then it let go of the leaders throat, WHAT WHAT DIDNT I THINK OF THAT BEFORE SHE DIED?! now that im leader i will teach all cats to do that...

dragging the leaders body back to camp she hauled the leader through the camp entrance and set her in the middle of the camp.

"let all cats old enough to catch prey gather here for clan meeting!" snowripple yowled.

as cats started to come out of the dens they dashed towards the dead body of sandstar.

"ugh what happened this time?! im too old for this!" maplefur grumbled and grunted carrying herself out of the den and seen sandstar lying dead on the ground "oh no..." she whistered dashing to her best friend.

"all cats we gather here today to the death of our leader." snowripple grasped for words trying to keep her tears down and act like a real leader. "she died due to a foxtrap! i got her out and fuigered out how to stay away from these- These killing traps! i will teach everyone on how to stay away from them!!!" the she-cat wrapped her tail around her paws.

murmurs of everycat arose then silverclaw yowled above it all "if we havent found minnowface who will be leader?!"

"i am the new leader- i will try my best to be the best leader i can be!! she appointed me as leader before she died! and i will be appointing a new deputy!" snowripple yowled across the camp.

"but then what will happen to minnowface?" a she-cat asked "he will have to prove his leadership to the clans! he is a ambitious- bloodthirsty killer! if he can prove his loyalty then he will stay- if not then he will be banned from this clan permanently!!!" snowripple yowled across the camp when the patrol to find minnowface crashed through the camp entrance dragging minnowface behind them- "let go of me fleabrain!!!" minnowface yowled digging his claws into the ground, then the patrol dropped him when they seen the dead leader and dashed over there, minnowface got confused then seen the dead leader and smiled, finally i can be leader! he thought to himself and got up and tried to put a sad face on.

"what happened to sandstar?!" minnowface gasped trying his best to fake it. "sandstar got killed by a foxtrap." snowripple said.

"oh no-" minnowface yelped. "after grieving for her when do we go to the moonrock so i can be leader?" he asked trying to make it believable.

"Actually minnowface - before sand star died she made me leader of the clan because of your ambitionious acts! And I will let you stay in the clan if you can prove your loyalty." Snow ripple said feeling happy that she didn't have to bite back remarks that he wouldn't like

Minnowface growled being unhappy that his plans backfired, "then who will be your deputy!?"

"I will have him appointed tonight- minnowface you are now a warrior uo have no right to kill my deputy when I appoint him!!!" Snowripple hissed knowing that he would kill him if he had the chance. Redpatch and bramblepatch you will burry sandstar- i will drag her to the Barial grounds and say my last goodbyes there- everyone else may continue with there duties or sit in the clearing and grieve for her!" Snowripple said trying to hold back tears until she was at the Barial grounds then she let it out saying her last goodbyes red patch comforted her while putting dirt over the dead leaders body.

"I'm going to get my new deputy." Snowripple meowed sighing.

Running through the woods trying to find the kitty pet she found his sent trail and found him sitting by a tree thinking to himself. "P-pumpkin? Hey I need you to come with me to the clan- I will explain later ok?" Snowripple asked hopefully. "but what about your leader and deputy? you said he would rip my face off!"

thats what you think snowripple thought grinning, once they made it to the camp everyone was bustling around, not noticing the kittypet. snowripple went up to highledge and called out for clan meeting, "i have brought our soon to be new deputy! his name is pumpkin, and i will have him assigned as a apprentice until he knows what to do as a warrior! I will be training him!" snowripple yowled as murmurs rose above the chirping of the birds. "He will be known as emberpaw! treat him with respect or i will punish you with apprentice duties! he is a part of us now! you are all dismissed." the cats seperated and the murmurs of cats started to fade.

"i- thank you snow- i didnt think this would happen so fast!" emberpaw said happily. "but what about your leader? where is she?" he asked tilting his head, "doesnt she do this?".

"yes she does, but... she died, she appointed me as leader, i know minnowface wont like it but he is a warrior now, you need to train hard and well and i can give you your warrior name an apprentice and you can be deputy!" snowripple was extremely happy that he agreed to join the clan. "you and sunpaw can come with me- though i need to bring a warrior to uhh, oh!" looking at bubblepelt she asked her to come over, "you emberpaw and sunpaw will be coming with me to the moonrock so i can get my nine lives" snowripple said trying not to leap in the air.

it was just about time to go to the moonrock, "dont think i wont kill that kittypet of yours!" minnowface chukled glinting his claws in the small amount of sunlight, "he is an apprentice, shut that muzzle of yours if you dont want it to get clawed off!" snowripple growled. minnowface muttered "once a kittypet always a kittypet" then slumped of somewhere by the warrior den.