Club Bored; A Club For Bored People!

warriors book#4 the rising storm.

are you a boared club member? do you like warriors? having trouble finding the 4th book (the rising storm)? here it is!

                                                     prologue

an agonided groan echoed across the moon-bleached floor of a forest clearing. two cats crouched in the shadows under one of the bushes at the edge. one of them writhed in pain, lashing his long tail. the other cat raised himself to his paws and bowed his head. he had been a medicine cat for many long moons, and yet he could only watch helplessly as the leader of his clan was over powered by the sickness that had already claimed so many lives. he knew of no herb that would ease the cramps and feaver this sickness brought, and his patchy gray fur bristled in frustration as the leader convulsed again and then fell exhausted into the moss lined nest. fearfully, the med icine cat leaned forward and sniffed. there was still breath in the leaders body, but it was foul and shalow, and the toms thin flanks heaved with every gasp.

        a screech ripped through the woods. not a cat this time, but an owl. the medicine cat stiffened. owls brought deth to the forest,stealing prey and even kits that stray to far from there mother. the medicine cat raised beseeching eyes into the sky, praying to the spirits of his warrior ancestors that the owl's call was not an ill omen. he stared through the branches that formed the roof of the den, searching the dark sky for silver pelt. but the swathe of stars were star clan lived was hidden by clouds, and the medicine cat shivered with fear. had there warrior ancestors abandoned them to the sickness that ravenged the camp?

            then the wind stirred the trees, rattling the brittle leaves. high above, the clouds shifted and a single star sent a frail beam of  light through the roof of the den. in the shadows, the leader drew in a long, steady breath. hope leaped like a fish in the medicine cats heart. star clan was swith them after all. weak with relief, the medicine cat lifted his chin, giving silent thanks to his warrior ancestors for sparing the life of his leader. as he narowed his eyes against the shaft of starlight, he heard spirit voices murmering deep inside his head. they whispered of glorious battles to come, of new territorys, and of a greater clan rising from the ashes of the old. the medicine cat felt joy in his chest and pulsate through his paws. this star carried much more than a messege of survival. 

         suddenly, without warning, a wide gray wing swept across theray of starlight, plunging the den into darkness. the medicine cat shrank back and pressed his belly to the floor as the owl screeched down and raked the roof of the den with its talons. it must of smelled the sick- ness that weakend the leader, and swooped in search of easy prey. but the branches were to thick for an owl to break through. the medicine cat listened to the slow beating of wings as the owl flew away into the forest, then sat up, heart hammaring, and serched the night sky once more. like the owl, the star was gone. in its place was only blackness. dread crawled into the medicine cat's pelt and cluched at his heart. "did you hear that?" a tom called from the entrence of the den, his voice high piched with alarm. the medicine cat sqeezed quickly out into the clering, knowing the clan would be waiting for an interpretation of the omen. warriors, qeens, and elders-those well enough to move from there nests-hudled in the shadows on the far side of the clearing. the medicine cat paused for a moment, listening to the clan murmuring anxiously to one another. "whats an owl doing here?" hissed a molted warrior, his eye glinting in the darkness. "they never come so close to camp," wailed an elder. "did it take any kits?"demanded another warrior, turning his broad head to the cat beside him. "not this time." replied a silver queen. she had lost three of her kits to the sickness, and her voice was dull with pain. 'but it might come back. it must smell our weakness." you'd think the stench of deth would keep it away." a tabby warrior limped out of the clearing. his paws were clotted with mud and his fur ruffled. he had been burying a clan mate. there were more graves to be dug, but he was to weak to go on that night. "hows our leader?" he asked, his voice tight with fear. "we dont know." replied the moltted tom. "wheres the medicine cat?" whined the queen. the cats peered around the clering and the medicine cat saw there frightend eyes gleaming in the dark. he could here the rising panic in there voices and knew they needed to be soothed, assured that star clan had not abanded them completely. taking a deep breath, the cat forced himself to let the fur lie flat on his shoulders and padded across the clearing. "we dont need a medicine cat to tell us that an owl's screech spoke of deth," wimpered an elder, his eyes brimming with fear. "how do you know?" spat the moltted warrior. "yes," agreed the queen glancing at the elder. "star clan dosent speak to you!" she turned as the medicine cat reached them. "was that owl an omen?" she mewed anxiosly. shifting his paws uncomfortably the medicine cat avoided direct reply. "star clan has spoken to me tonight," he anounced. "did you see that star shine between the clouds?" the queen nodded and around her the other cats eye's flickered with desprate hope. "what did it mean?" asked the elder.

"will our leader live?" called the tabby warrior

the medicine cat hesitated.

"he cannot die now!" cried the queen. what about his nine lives? star clan granted them only six moons ago!" "there is only so much strength star clan can give," anwered the medicine cat. "but our ancestors have not forgotten us," he went on, trying to pushaside the image of the owl's dark wing as it blotted out the thin ray of light.                                                            "the star brought a messege of hope." 

        a high-piched moan sounded from a dim corner of the camp, and a tortoiseshell queen sprang up and hurried toward the sound. the others cuntinued to stare at the medicinecat with eyes that begged for comfort. "did star clan speak of rain?" asked a young warrior. "its been so long since its rained, and it might cleanse the camp of the sickness."

the medicine cat shook his head. "not of rain, but of a great new dawn tha awaits our clan. in that ray of light, our warrior ancestors showed me the future, and it will be glorious!" "then well survive?" mewed the silver queen.

"well do more than survive," the medicine cat promised.

"we shall rule the whole forest!"

murmurs of relief flickered through the cats, the first purrs heard in the camp for nearly a moon. but the medicine cat turned away to hide his trembling wiskers. he prayed that the clan would not ask again about the owl. he dared not tell them of the dreadful warning star clan had added when the bird's wing had obscured the star -that the clan would pay the highest possable price for there great new dawn.

                                                      chapter 1

warm shafts of sunshine sreamed through the canopy of leaves and flickered over firehearts pelt. he crouched lower, aware that his coat would be glowing amber among the lush green under growth.

paw by paw he crept beneath a fern. he could smell a pigon. he moved slowly toward the mouth watering sent until he could see the plump bird pecking among the ferns. fireheart flexed his claws, his paws itching with anticipation. he was hungry after leading the dawn potrol and hunting all morning. this was the high season for prey, a time for the clan to grow fat on forest's bounty. and although there had been a bit of rain since the new leaf floods, the woods were rich with food. after stoking the fresh kill pile back at camp, it was time for fireheart to hunt for himself. he tensed his muscles, ready to leap.

         suddenly a second sent wafted toward him on the dry breeze. fireheart opened his mouth, tiping his head to one side. the pigon must of smelled it too, for its head shot up and it began to unfold its wings, but it was to late. a rush of white fur shot out from under some brambles. fireheart stared in suprise as the cat puonced on the startled bird, pinning it to the ground with his front paws before finishing it of with a swift bite to the neck.

the delicious smell of fresh kill filled firehearts nostrils. he stood up and padded out of the undergrowth toward the fluffy white tom. "well caught, cloudpaw" he meowed. "i didint see you coming until it was to late."

         "nor did this stupid bird," crowed cloudpaw, flicking his tail smugly.

fireheart felt his shoulders tense. cloudpaw was his apprentice as well as his sisters son. it was fireheart's responsibility to teach him the skills of a clan warrior and how to respect the warrior code. the young tom was undeniaby a good hunter, but fireheart couldent help wishing that he would learn a little humility. deep down, somtimes he woundered if cloudpaw would ever understand the importance of the warrior code, the moons old traditions of loyalty and ritual that had been pased down through generations of cats in the forest.

but cloudpaw had been born in a twoleg place to firehearts kittypet sister, princess, and broght to thunder clan by fireheart as a tiny kit. fireheart knew from his own bitter experience that clan cats have no respect for kittypets. fireheart had spent his first six moons living with twolegs, and there were cats in his clan that would never let him forget the fact that he was not forest-born. he twiched his ears impatienly. he knew he did every thing he could to prove his loyalty to the clan, but his stubborn apprentice was a different matter. if cloudpaw was going to win any sympathy from his clan mates, he was going to have to lose some of his arrogonce. "its just as well your so quick," fireheart pointed out. "you were upwind. i could smell you even if i couldn't see you. and so could the bird."

             cloudpaw's long snowy fur bristled and he snapped back, "i know i was upwind!but i could tell this dumb dove wasn't going to be  hard to catch wether it smelled me or not." the young cat stared defiantly into fireheart's eyes, and fireheart felt his annoyance turn to anger. "its a pigon not a dove!" fireheart spat. "and a true warrior shows more respect for the prey that feeds the clan." 

       "yeah right!" retorted cloudpaw. "i dident see thornpaw show much respect for that squirrle he draged back yesterday. he said it was so dopy a kit could of caught it." thornpaw is just an apprentice," fireheart growled. "like you, hes still got a lot to learn."

"well i caght it didint i?" grumbled cloudpaw, proding the pigon with a sullen paw.

"theres more to being a warrior than just catching pigons!" " im faster than brightpaw and sronger than thorn paw," cloudpaw spat back. "what more do you want?" "your den mates would know that a warrior never attacks with the wind behind him!" fireheart knew he shouldent let himself  be drawn into an argument, but his apprentices stubbornness infurated him like a tick on his ear.

       "big deal. you may have been down wind like a good warrior, but i got the pigon first!"  cloudpaw raised his voice in an angry yowl. "be quiet," fireheart hissed suddenly distracted. he lifted his head and sniffed the air. the forest seemed srangly silent, and cloud paws loud meows were echoing too loudly through the trees

"whats the matter?" cloudpaw glanced around. i cant smell anything

"neither can i," fireheart admitted.

"so what are you so worried about?"

        "tigerclaw," the warrior anwered bluntly. the dark warrior had been prowling through his dreams since bluestar had banished him from the clan a quarter moon ago. tigerclaw had tryed to kill the leader, but fireheart had stopped him and exposed his long hidden treachery to the whole clan. there had been no sighn of tigerclaw since, but fireheart felt icy claws of fear prickling at his heart now as he listened to the stillness of the forest. it seamed to be listening too, holding its breath, and tigerclaws parting words echoed in firehearts mind: keep your eyes open, fireheart. keep your ears pricked. keep looking behind you. because one day ill find you and then you'll be crow food. 

         "cloudpaw's mew broke the silence. what would tigerclaw be doing around here?" he scoffed. "bluestar exiled him!" "i know," fireheart agreed."and only starclan knows were he went but tigerclaw made it clear that we'd not seen the last of him!"

        " im not scared of that traitor."

        "well you should be!" hissed fireheart. tigerclaw knows these woods as well as any thunder clan cat. hed tear you to shreads if he got a chance."

cloudpaw snorted and circled his catch impatiently. "you've been no fun since bluestar made you deputy. im not hanging around if your just going to waste the morning trying to scare me with nursury tales. im ment to be hunting for the elders." and he dased away into the brambles, leaving the lifless pigen lying on the earth.

"cloudpaw come back!" fireheart yowled furiously. then shook his head. "let tigerclaw have the young mouse brained idiot!" he muttered to himself.

lashing his tail, he snached up the pigeon and woundered wether to carry it back to camp for cloudpaw. "a warrior is responsible for his own fresh kill," he concluded, and tossed the pigeon into a thick clump of grass. he padded after it and flatend down the green stalks to cover the fat bird, wishing he could be sure that cloudpaw would return and take it back with the rest of his catch to the hungry elders. "if he doesent bring it hom with him, he can go hungry till he does," fireheart decided. his apprentice has to learn that even in greenleaf, prey should never be wasted.

the sun rose higher, scorching the earth and sucking mosture from the leaves on the trees. fireheart pricked his ears. the forest was still eerily quite, as if creatures were hiding untill the evening shade brought relife from another day of glaring heat. the stillness unnerved him, and a flicker of doubt tugged at his belly. pherhaps he should go and find cloudpaw after all.

         "you tried to warn him about tigerclaw," fireheart could almost hear the voice of his best freind, graysripe, echoing in his head, and he winced as his bitter sweet memories flooded through him. it was exactly the sort of thing  the  former thunder clan warrior would say to him right now. they had trained together as apprentices and fought beside echother until love and tragedy had torn them apart. graysripe had fallen in love with a she-cat from another clan, but if silverstream had not died in her kitting, pherhaps he would of stayed in thunder clan. once more he remembered graysripe carrying his two kit into riverclan territory, taking them to join there dead mothers clan. firehearts shoulders sagged. he missed the conpanionship of graystripe and still silently shared words with him almost every day. he new his old freind so well, it was always easy to imagine what graysripe would say in reply.