Storm's Life Before and With the Clans

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The first thing Storm noticed was his surroundings. He was in some kind of a bush, but it seemed more like a den than a bush. The young tom pushed his way out of the nursery and blinked as the sunlight washed over him. It was bright out here, much brighter than in the bush. As Storm sat, taking in the morning, his mother, named Willow, came out of the bush, looking for Storm.

"There you are, Storm," Willow said when she spotted her kit. "Why did you leave the den without telling me?"

"Sorry," Storm said. "I wasn't thinking."

Willow nodded. "Well, think in the future. For right now, you and your brothers, Cobra and Jaguar, can go exploring, but not past the brook. Understand?"

Storm nodded, and Willow called to Cobra and Jaguar. After telling the other two kits what she had told Storm, Willow went back inside of the den.

"C'mon," Jaguar yowled as he raced down the hill towards the brook. "Let's go!"

Storm and Cobra shot off, following their brother down the hill. The three of them stopped at the brook, and stood there, staring at the water.

"Well?" Jaguar demanded.

"Let's go!" Cobra said, and picked up a paw to cross the brook.

"Wait!" Storm hissed. "Willow said not to cross the brook!"

"So?" Jaguar demanded. "She's not here, is she?"

"No, but-" Storm began, but Cobra cut him off.

"Seeing as she's not here, we can continue on our explorations of the other side of the brook. Don't tell me you're afraid of a little water?" Cobra said, sneering.

"No! Let's go!" Storm said, seeing Cobra's point, even though he was still uneasy about the whole thing.

The three of them crossed the brook, and began to wander around the woods on the other side. There was the scent of mice and rabbits in the air, and the three brothers decided to try and catch a bit of prey.

They began by tracking a rabbit, and Cobra was the first to leap at the prey. Jaguar joined him, and Storm bit the rabbit, hissing. The rabbbit got away, wounded.

"Come on!" Cobra hissed. "Let's try again."

Storm shrank in fear, and Jaguar laughed. "Afraid of some rabbit, chicken?" laughed Jaguar.

"No," muttered Storm. "I'm afraid of that."

Jaguar and Cobra turned, and saw a fox, eyes glittering, staring at them from the bushes. After a second, the fox walked into the clearing, growling softly.

"Run!" yowled Cobra, and the three of them raced off, towards the brook. They ran as fast as they could, and saw the sparkle of the brook in the sunlight in the distance. They leapt over the brook, and the fox just stood there, eyes as cold as obsidian.

The kits dashed up the hill, and turned to see the fox melt back into the shadows. They all scurried back into the den, hiding from the terror that the fox had brung upon them.

"So you three crossed the brook?" Willow asked.

"Er..." Corba said akwardly.

Willow shook her head. "You'll learn to listen to me one day," she said. Then the kits went back outside to play before they had to go inside to sleep.

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Many moons passed, and the three brothers became stronger and wiser. They still spent their days together, but they were beginning to drift apart.

One day, in the middle of the hot season, Cobra came up to his two brothers, who were sleeping in the sunlight. He prodded them awake, to their annoyance.

"What d'you want, Cobra?" muttered Jaguar sleepily.

"Remember those foxes?" Cobra asked He didn't wait for an answer, because he didn't need one. "Well, now that we're better at fighting and hunting, we could track down those foxes and kill 'em so we could use the forest for our hunting grounds!"

Jaguar and Storm sat up, intrigued. Without much further discussion, the three siblings were crossing the stream, just as they had when they were kits.

They began to track the fox, and discovered it soon enough. They followed the fox for a bit, then attacked it. The fox fought back as hard as it could, but it was no match for the strong cats, and it fled. They chased the fox, across the forest and into the plains on the other side.

"There!" Jaguar said, as they watched the reddish-brown creature flee. "The forest is ours now."

They proceeded to explore the forest, and found that it was full of prey. They hunted, and brought back as much prey as they could carry to the den on the hill. When they arrived, they told their parents about their fox-hunting trip, and the five of them moved into the forest, because there would be better dens there, and more prey.

The five of them lived happily for a while, but Cobra, Jaguar, and Storm were becoming more and more testy. Finally, Willow called them together.

"Cobra, Jaguar, and Storm," Willow began. "It has come to the point in your life that you must leave the forest and find a new home."

Their father, Night, began to speak. "You can't stay here any longer. Your paws are restless, and your home is here no longer. We wish the best of luck to you, and we are sorry that you must leave. But we assure you that this is the best thing for you. You will find a new home that suits you better in time."

The brothers looked at their parents, and nodded slowly. Then, they stood, and walked away.

Storm headed towards the plains that they had seen on the day that they had gone fox-hunting, and he decided to spend the night near the edge of the forest. He caught as much prey as he could eat, and settled down to sleep. The next morning, he started across the plains.

There were many new scents here, and he was confused by them for a while. He thought to avoid a building, and he was glad that he had made that choice when he saw a being on two legs emerge from one of the buildings. His instinct told him that these beings were dangerous.

He continued for many days, often sleeping with an empty stomach and in uncomfortable places. But Storm continued on, wondering when he would find the right place. He spent all of his time looking for a place to stay.

After almost three moons, a forest much like his old home appeared on the horizon. Storm began to move faster, and when he arrived at the forest, he began to explore it. There was plenty of prey, and places where he could sleep. Storm settled in there, and began his life in this new forest.

Storm was happy there. The forest was full of prey, but there was nobody but him to take from the forest. He spent a long time there, enjoying this new life. But once again, Storm began to feel restless, and he knew that the forest was not the right home for him. Soon after, he left the wood, and began his travels again.

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Many, many days passed. Storm had traveled so far, in search of somewhere to live. Discouraged and tired, Storm kept on walking, plodding along with his head bowed. As the sun began to set, a large Twoleg building appeared on the horizon. Storm noticed it, and began to move faster and faster until he was running. He pelted along, towards the building. After a short while of running, he had reached the structure. Storm slid through an opening cautiously, and found a deserted place filling with soft hay, and the scent of mice hanging in the air. Storm raised his head, and looked around. He had found his new home.

Storm settled down in the hay, and slept. As he drifted into sleep, he felt a peacefulness enter him, and he knew that this place, unlike the forest, would be his permanent home. When he awoke, Storm hunted, and found that there were many plump mice to hunt in the hay. It was a haven, and it was his. After a few days, Storm decided to go exploring. He emerged from the barn, and headed towards a wood nearby. He decided to start his explorations there.

Storm entered the forest, and a cool shade was tp be found under the branches of the trees. He wandered around the forest, and eventually halted in a clearing. He sat, and began to wash his paws while he thought about everything that had happened since he had left.

Suddenly, a she-cat attacked him from behind. Storm whirled around, and blocked the blow, knocking the she-cat over. She stood, and hissed.

"Who are you?" demanded the she-cat.
"My name is Storm," Storm answered. "Who are you, if I may ask?"
"Well, I'm Brightpaw, but you shouldn't be here. This is TreeClan territory," Brightpaw, the she-cat said.
"I see. I am sorry to have intruded," Storm said, and turned to walk away.
"Wait! I can show you the border so you don't make the same mistake again," Brightpaw said.

When Storm crossed the border into loner territory, he looked back and nodded to Brightpaw. As Storm walked away, he suddenly realized that Brightpaw could become his friend. He looked back, just a quick glance, and saw that Brightpaw was still standing at the edge of the border, watching him. Storm began to run back to the safety of his barn, because he wanted to think over the events of the day... and escape that green gaze.

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A few days later, Storm headed back towards TreeClan territory. He didn't cross the border, however cool the shade under the trees looked, but ambled along the border, keeping one eye on the forest.

No one came. Storm gazed into the trees, trying to see if there were any cats nearby. Seeing none, Storm entered the woods, and plunged into the undergrowth. He caught a mouse, and ate it while he looked around him. He was uneasy, but as he explored more of the territory, he became more relaxed.

After he had explored the woods to his liking, he entered the territory on the other side. He didn't stay long though, as a patrol of cats was approaching. He crossed through TreeClan and raced back to the barn.

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A moon passed. Storm was ambling along the border, enjoying the shade that extended into his territory, when Brightpaw appeared.

"Hello," he said, turning towards the white she-cat.

"Hi, Storm," she said.

Storm began walking again, Brightpaw walking next to him. They began to talk, and after a while, went their separate ways.

Days passed. Storm and Brightpaw saw each other every couple of days, mostly by accident. After another moon had passed, Storm left his new home to explore further beyond the territories. He returned after a few days, reluctant to cross the mountains a day or so's journey away. He told Brightpaw about them, and she told him about the latest Gathering. It was a good time.

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After another moon or so had passed, Storm was just drifting off to sleep in the shade of the trees by the border with TreeClan, when a white paw poked him in the shoulder. Storm's eyes flew open, and he got up, turning to see who it was. It was Brightpaw.

"Oh, hi, Brightpaw," he said, yawning.

"I'm not Brightpaw anymore," she said, excitment gleaming in her eyes. "I'm Brightsong now."

"Why'd you change your name?" Storm asked, perplexed.

"I didn't change it," Brightsong said. "My leader changed it, and now I'm Brightsong!"

"Well, your leader must be pretty strange, going around and changing cat's names. How do you remember them all?"

Brightsong sighed. "When I was an apprentice, I was called Brightpaw, the 'paw' part symbolizing how my paws were guided by my mentor. Now that I'm a warrior, my name is Brightsong, because that's the name my leader chose for me to have as a warrior," she said."

Storm blinked. "Why would you do that?" he asked, obviously still puzzled.

"Because it's part of the warrior code," Brightsong said, and sensing Storm's next question, she continued. "The warrior code is the code that we follow, laid down many, many moons ago by StarClan, our warrior ancestors."

"Okay," Storm said, still puzzled, but getting the gist of it. "Well, congratulations."

"Thanks," Brightsong said, purring.

"But if you don't mind, I'm going to go back to my barn and sleep," Storm said, with another yawn. Brightsong nodded, and watched him trek across the grassy lands between TreeClan territory and the old barn that Storm lived in.

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Storm returned to the barn, thinking over the things that Brightp- er, Brightsong had told him. He wondered about the warrior code. What was it? What did it say? How did it affect the lives of the Clan cats? Another question came to mind, one that he had had lurking in his mind since Brightsong told him about the latest Gathering: Why did the Clan cats only meet in peace at the full moon? Maybe it had to do with the warrior code. He puzzled over that for a bit, but when he reached the barn, he put it out of his mind, and hunted for some mice. After Storm had caught his dinner, he returned his thoughts to his previous questions. He thought about the warrior code some more before thinking about the other things that Brightsong had told him.

How did cats live after death? Storm was perplexed by the notion of it. Didn't cats' spirits just vanish when they died? According to Brightsong, they went to join StarClan. What was StarClan? How did it even exist? How did living cats know it existed? Storm lay in the sweet-smelling hay, thinking. After a while, he drifted to sleep, but his dreams were filled with questions and stars.

The next day, Storm headed for TreeClan territory as soon as he had eaten breakfast. Brightsong wasn't there, so Storm wandered around the border, and waited for her to come. She did, eventually, chasing a plump mouse.

"Brightp-song!" Storm called. He still wasn't used to her new name.

"Oh, hey Storm," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"I had some questions," he said, though some didn't even begin to cover it.

"Okay, then," Brightsong said, and sat down, wrapping her tail around her paws. "What are they?"

Brightsong spent a long time answering Storm's river of questions. He asked something, then asked something about the answer. He was getting ready to ask yet another question, when the white she-cat said, "I've got to go."

"Why?" Storm asked.

"I've got to finish hunting. I've spent too long here anyways," she said, and vanished into the trees.

Storm stood, and took his time getting home, stopping by Berry Lake for a drink. He spent the time mulling over what Brightsong had told him. The warrior code was apparently a code that warriors had to follow. It said a lot of different things, about everyday life, and about events that only happened every once in a while, like naming a new deputy. The Clan cats had to defend their own territories, so only met in peace during the full moon. They couldn't just join, apparantly, because StarClan had decreed that there should be four Clans in the forest.

And about StarClan: it seemed that the spirits of the cats existed after death; they didn't live after death. StarClan was the Clan where dead cats' spirits lived. The stars were actually spirits, watching over the Clans. The Clans knew that they existed because they visited the Clan medicine cats and gave the leaders nine lives. Nine lives! Storm couldn't believe it. With thoughts and new questions whirling around his head, he returned to the barn and caught his dinner. But when he went to go to sleep, it was a long time before he slept. His dreams were full of questions once again.

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A few days later, Storm once again ran into Brightsong. He didn't ask her many questions this time, but they still chatted a bit.

"So..." Brightsong began. "Where'd you come from?"

"Well," Storm said. "I was born a long way away from here. My mother's name was Willow, and my father's name was called Night. I had two brothers, Cobra and Jaguar. We lived in a forest, kind of like TreeClan territory, for a while, then my brothers and I all went our seperate ways." Storm paused, his eyes becoming thoughtful. "I don't know where my brothers are," he said softly. Then, he continued. "I stayed in a different forest a ways away from my original home, but it didn't feel like home, so I came here instead. This place, it feels like home. And that's all of my story."

Brightsong was quiet for a few minutes after that. Finally, she said, "I never knew you came from so far away."

Storm shrugged. "As I said, this feels like home. It's my home now."

They didn't talk for much longer. Brightsong seemed distracted, but Storm ignored it. The she-cat vanished into the trees after a few more minutes of talking. Storm went home, wondering what had distracted her.

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The two friends ran into each other every other day or so, and moons began to slip by without Storm really noticing that much. One day, Storm was hunting along the border when Brightsong appeared.

"Hi," Storm called when he noticed the she-cat.

"Hi!" Brightsong replied excitedly. "Storm, I'm deputy now!"

Storm paused, trying to remember what a deputy was. It didn't take him long to figure it out. "That's great!" he said in congratulation.

Brightsong bounced around, and even though they chatted for a little longer, Brightsong was too hyper to really talk. Storm finally gave up and told her to go and channel her energy into something productive. The she-cat nodded and dashed off.

Storm returned to his barn, and wondered what would happen now. According to Brightsong, being a deputy was an important duty. They probably wouldn't get to talk very much any more. Tail drooping, Storm went to sleep, but it was a long time before he finally got his rest.

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Many days passed, and yet Storm didn't see Brightsong. It kind of saddened him, that he didn't see his friend too often any more. The tomcat decided one day to go to Berry Lake, to explore further in that direction. Storm set out after eating a plump mouse. He reached Berry Lake before sunhigh, and stopped to drink some of the cool, clear water there before continuing onwards with his explorations. After a day or so of exploring, Storm returned home to his barn. He saw Brightsong a day later, and she told him the latest Clan news. Everything was moving rather slowly for Storm.