Warriors: Rosetail's Promise

C H A P T E R   1

    Cherrystar woke up with a start. As she expected, she was alone. Why would I think that? Cherrystar thought. I’m Clan leader, I get my own den. Must’ve been the dream.
    Frozentail then popped into the den. “Finally awake?” the Clan deputy said in a friendly manner. “I thought you’d sleep to sunhigh.”
    “Certainly feels like I have,” Cherrystar said with a yawn. She didn’t feel like discussing the manner of dreams she’d been having lately. “Have the morning patrols-”
    “Already taken care of,” Frozentail interrupted. “In fact, the border patrol should be coming back soon.” Both cats exited the Clan leader’s den.
Cherrystar squinted in the bright sunlight, reassuring her both that it was almost greenleaf and that she had slept too long last night.
    A group of four cats were walking into the clearing, Scarletfur, Kyupaw, Graywolf, and Rainwhisker. The ‘paw was talking to the near-elder; Cherrystar guessed that Graywolf was telling one of the stories from the dawn of SunClan, but she couldn’t hear it clearly from this far away. Cherrystar met them in the middle of the camp. They were having a conversation, and Cherrystar didn’t feel like interrupting.
    “Whoa. I didn’t know Morningsun was that good as a warrior!” Kyupaw said.
    “Well, there was probably a bit of exaggeration,” Scarletfur said with a swish of her tail.
    “Come on, leave the tale as it is,” Graywolf said. “Aren’t all good fables a little stretched in the facts?”
    “I guess,” Scarletfur said as she nearly walked right into Cherrystar. She jumped back, her tail pointing almost straight up. “Great StarClan! I didn’t see you there!”
    “No problem. It’s good to see Clan members of all ages getting along together,” Cherrystar assured Scarletfur. At this, the warrior relaxed. “I take it things went well?”
    “Yes,” Rainwhisker said. It was probably the first word he had said all day. Rainwhisker was a cat of few words. “We did scent a loner, but they didn’t cross to our side.”
    “Good,” Cherrystar said. For some reason loners loved to use SunClan land, as if there wasn’t a border or other cats living there. It had been a problem since before last leaf-bare. “Maybe they finally get the point.” At that, Rainwhisker and Graywolf walked away.

    “You’d think he would lighten up a bit,” Scarletfur said.
    “Well, I can’t fix the fact he thinks of being a warrior and nothing else,” Cherrystar said.
    “I know,” Scarletfur mewed sadly. “Come on, Kyupaw, we’ve got training to do.”
    “Haven’t we done enough with the morning patrol?” Kyupaw whined.
    “Don’t you want first pick of the fresh-kill pile?” Cherrystar said.
    “Oh, okay!” Kyupaw said. Whether it was because Cherrystar was the leader or because of the reward, didn’t matter. Both cats walked back out of the clearing.
    To think she’s the oldest of SunClan’s apprentices, Cherrystar thought. She sighed.
    “What’s wrong?” someone said. Cherrystar whipped around, only to find Dustclaw. “Whoa, sorry for scaring you,” he added for the Clan leader’s reaction.
    “It’s not a big problem. I was just thinking,” Cherrystar explained.
    “What about?” Dustclaw said. Cherrystar said nothing, just stared into the distance. Dustclaw eventually left, leaving Cherrystar alone.
    She padded up to the top of the hill behind her den. From here, she could see all of SunClan. In the distance she could see three small kits running around the edges of the camp. Mousekit, Dawnkit, and Leafkit. Their mother was walking behind them, probably trying to calm them down. Cherrystar smiled. The Clan was starting to do well, for the first time since its founding.
    “Nice view, isn’t it?” That was Ravenwing, the youngest ever medicine cat. Of no fault of her own; her mentor died prematurely to a loner at the edge of SunClan territory.
    “I like to come up here and see all the territory,” Cherrystar responded. “For some reason, it calms me.”
    “Sounds like you need that,” Ravenwing said. “The dreams again?”
    “Yes.” Ravenwing knew about it because she made Cherrystar tell her about it.
    “You’ve been having them for half a moon, and she still hasn’t shown herself.”
    “I know. It might just be my past nagging at me. But if she is back, all this could disappear.”
    “There’s a word for that. Paranoia.”
    “Is it though? What if StarClan is trying to tell me something and I’m just not listening?”
    “I tried to ask them about it, but I don’t think they know if she’s alive.”
    “That’s reassuring.”
    “That’s sarcasm.”
    “I know.” A moment of silence. Then, Ravenwing turned away.
    “Tell me if the dreams stop.” She walked away.
    If they stop, Cherrystar thought.