TimeClan

Leader:

Badgerstar - Tall Black-and-White Tom

Deputy:

Duskheart - Dusky Brown Tom

Warriors:

Silverlight - Grey She-cat

Fernfur - Brown Tabby She-cat

Flowerpelt - Black-and-White She-cat

Wolfscar - Scarred Dark Grey Tom

Goldenflame - Golden Tom

Med Cat

Hollypetal - Ginger and White She-cat

Med Apprentice

Sparrowpaw - Brown Tabby Tom

Apprentices

Echopaw - Light Grey She-cat

Tawnypaw - Calico She-cat

Darkpaw - Black Tom

Shadepaw - Black She-cat

Queens

Willowberry - White She-cat

Elders

Lostears - White She-cat, Deaf

Mooneyes - White and Ginger She-cat, Blind Retired Med

Smalltalon - Brown Tom

Prolouge

A Mother’s Kits

5 kits, each six moons old, gathered around the limp body of a silver she-cat on the bank of the river dividing EarthClan and LifeClan. “Mother” Murmured one, a dark blue-grey tom by the name of Storm. His one of his sister, a lighter grey-blue she-cat named River nodded. “She saved us” “I’ll flay that badger if I ever see it” Growled another, a tom named Wolf. The other two, she-cats, stayed silent. One, the runt called Echo, curled up next to her mother’s torn body, “We can’t stay here” Decided the other, a grey she-cat called Mouse, “We can’t look after ourselves. I say we join a clan” The other 3 murmured in agreement, while Echo remained silent.

“I’m joining WaterClan” River said. “I’m going to AirClan” Storm decided. “EarthClan” Grunted Wolf. “I’m going to join LifeClan” Mouse added. 4 pairs of eyes fell on the small furry body curled up next to their mother. “Where are you going, Echo?” Asked Storm gently. Echo stood up, raising her head to the stars that were just appearing in the dusk sky. “I’m joining TimeClan. And I’m going to be the best leader yet. For Mother” The expression in her eyes changed from grief to determination. Her littermates exchanged uncertain glances, but didn’t speak out against their sister.“We’ll bury Mother first, then say our goodbyes and head to our clans” Decided Storm. They each touched their noses to their mothers flank one last time before Wolf and Storm dug a hole and buried their mother. Then, touching noses, each kit said good-bye, and bounded away, in the direction of their respective clans. Echo hesitated, watching each of her littermates bound away. Then, just before she turned and bounded out of the forest, she tilted her head to a cluster of stars, each one being a dead cat, and hoped that her mother would be among them tonight.

The cat shimmered into the darkness. "Hello, Hollypetal" It said, "I have a prophecy for you. Darkness will arise. Blood will rule the forest. Echo and Shade will revive the clans. Goodbye, Hollypetal" And with that, it disappeared.

The ginger and white she-cat woke up. Sun streamed into the den. The she-cat got to her paws and padded out. She called out to a black and white tom, who bounded over. "Badgerstar" She said, taking a shallow breath, "I recieved a prophecy" She recited what the cat in her dream had told her. "Clan of Starry Cats has spoken" The black and white tom said gravely, "Shade must be Shadepaw. We must wait for 'Echo' to reveal itself" The ginger and white she-cat dipped her head, and padded back to her den

Chapter One

Entering TimeClan

Echo weaved through the long grass that covered the plains of TimeClan’s territory. Her paws crunched on the dry earth beneath the yellow-green grass. She paused, hearing the pawsteps of two cats approaching. The empty plains provided no shelter from attacks, but also provided no hiding spots from sneak attacks. “I can smell something” Came a voice, sounding young. “That’s right. An intruder” Growled a gruffer voice. The two cats Echo had scented before appeared in front of her. One was a black tom, no older than Echo. The second was a dark grey tom, with scars running the length of his broad face. “Get out of our territory!” Snarled the black tom. “Darkpaw, wait” Ordered the dark grey tom. “It’s a rogue! We have to chase it out!” Argued the black tom, Darkpaw. “You heard me” Growled the dark grey tom. Darkpaw shot Echo a distasteful look but stayed quiet.

“How old are you?” Asked the dark grey tom. Echo swallowed nervously, “S-Six moons” She stammered. “Shouldn’t you be with your mother?” Asked the dark grey tom. “She was killed by a badger” Replied Echo, the grief rolling over her again. “Don’t expect pity, Rogue!” Snarled Darkpaw. The dark grey tom shot him a warning look, and turned back to Echo.“And what of your littermates?” “They each chose their own paths” Replied Echo, not feeling as threatened by the Clan Cats but still giving guarded answers. “What’s your name?” Asked the dark grey tom. “Echo” The grey tom nodded. “I’m Wolfscar. And this is my apprentice Darkpaw” He nodded to the black tom. “Would you like to join TimeClan?” Echo nodded. “Wait, you’re going to let her join!?” Darkpaw exclaimed, “We should chase her off and be done with it!”Wolfscar shook his head. “The Code of The Clans says that we help any kit, where-ever they come from, that we find on our territory” “She’s not a kit, she’s six moons!” “Keep arguing and you’ll be looking after the elders for the next moon” Darkpaw fell silent, the threat obviously meaning more than Echo realized. “This way” He gestured with his tail for Echo to follow.

“This is our camp” Wolfscar explained as they padded down the slight lip of TimeClan’s camp. The earth beneath their paws was dry, and the grass had worn away after many moons of pawsteps. There were many tunnels, presumably dens, that cats could be seen going in and out of “Darkpaw, you can go” Wolfscar dismissed his apprentice with the flick of a tail. He bounded across the camp and joined with a small group of young cats, presumably apprentices. A tall black and white tom approached Echo and Wolfscar. “Who is this” He asked, looking down on Echo with an icy gaze. “This is Echo, she’s a rogue. Her mother was killed by a badger, and now she wishes to join TimeClan” Answered Wolfscar. The tom’s gaze softened. “Hello, little one” He said to Echo. “How old are you?” “Six moons” Replied Echo tentatively. “I suppose another apprentice will do no harm’ The tom replied, “I shall announce this to the clan” He turned, leaping up onto a huge rock behind him and calling out to his clan “All cats old enough to stalk their prey gather beneath the Tallstone for a clan meeting!”

“That’s Badgerstar. He’s the leader of our clan” Wolfscar muttered as cats from all corners of the camp can rushing to see what their leader had to say. “Wolfscar has found this young cat while out on patrol” He gestured to Echo. She felt many pairs of eyes burn into her pelt, and she shifted her paws shyly. “I have let her join TimeClan. She will become an apprentice and train with the others. Her name, until she becomes a warrior, will be Echopaw” The cats erupted into murmuring, but they knew better than to question their leader’s judgement. “Clan dismissed” Badgerstar leapt off the rock. “The apprentice den is over there. Go make yourself acquainted” He said with a dismissive flick of the tail.

Echopaw made her way across the camp to the apprentice den, where there were 4 apprentices, 3 she didn’t know and Darkpaw. “Here comes the rogue” He sneered. “Watch she doesn’t attack!” Giggled a black she-cat. The other two remained silent.

“We’re going on patrol, so we don’t find any more of you” Darkpaw sneered as he brushed past her, with the she-cat close behind. “Don’t mind Darkpaw” Said a tabby tom when they had left, “He and Shadepaw can be a bit rude sometimes. I’m Sparrowpaw, and this is Tawnypaw” He gestured with his head to the other cat, a calico she-cat, who nodded in greeting. “Nice to meet you” Echopaw greeted them politely.Tawnypaw gave a yawn, “It’s getting late” She observed, moonlight beginning to stream in through the entrance to the den, “We’ll talk more in the morning” Sparrowpaw nodded, “Darkpaw and Shadepaw will be out on patrol, so we won’t have to put up with them. But don’t sleep in their beds, or you’ll have your ears clawed off” He gave an inward shudder, as if that was a mistake he’d made,“This one’s free, and it’s away from Darkpaw and Shadepaw” Echopaw accepted the offer from the tabby tom, and curled up. There, she drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Sun shone in through the entrance to the den. Echopaw woke up to Sparrowpaw nudging her. “Come on, Echopaw. You’ve got training” He muttered in her ear. She rose to her paws, shaking the sleep from her muscles. She padded outside and found Wolfscar, Darkpaw, Tawnypaw and a cat she didn’t recognize waiting outside. “Hey, Echopaw!” Tawnypaw greeted her. “Echopaw, you haven’t been assigned a mentor yet, so Goldenflame and I will both train you” He nodded to the golden tom beside him. “Hello, Echopaw” Goldenflame said. “Come, today we’ll show you, and patrol, the borders” Wolfscar said, flicking his tail, signaling the 3 apprentices to follow.

The five cats stopped at the border, where the long, yellow-green plains grass turns into short, lush, green forest grass. “This is the border with LifeClan” Explained Goldenflame. Echopaw thought of her sister, Mouse, and began to wonder how she was doing in LifeClan.

“Coming, Rogue? Or are you thinking of leaving TimeClan to go back to your old life?” Hissed a voice by her ear, snapping her out of her thoughts. The voice belonged to Darkpaw. She realised that Wolfscar, Goldenflame and Tawnypaw had already began to head off. She shot Darkpaw an annoyed glance before racing back to the others.

“This is the Meeting Place” Wolfscar explained. They had stopped at a huge rock, at the end of the river that bordered LifeClan and EarthClan, not far from where Echopaw’s mother had died. “All the clans come at the beginning of each season to catch up on news, and make peace for one moonrise” “EarthClan’s over there” Whispered Tawnypaw. “Come. We must patrol the WaterClan border” Goldenflame called to the apprentices.

The sand of WaterClan’s beach territory stuck between Echopaw’s toes. “How does WaterClan live with this?” She muttered to Tawnypaw, who was having the same problem. “Beats me” She murmured back. She glance ahead, seeing Wolfscar and Goldenflame padding casually through the sandy grass. To her left, Darkpaw hopped after them, trying to remove the sand from his pads. “WaterClan is the only clan to be able to swim” Called Goldenflame over the noise of the crashing waves. “Borders clear. Let’s move on to the border with the Upwalker Camp”

The 5 cats arrived on the border of the Upwalker Camp. The smell of dirty fumes drifted from the camp to the cats. “Yeugh” cringed Echopaw. Just in front of them was a strip of hard, black earth. Suddenly, a big creature with big glowing eyes roared past the cats, who were tiny compared with the sheer size of the creature. Echopaw flinched as the creature roared by, kicking up dust in it’s wake.

Tawnypaw gave her friend a gentle nudge, “Scared me the first time too. But as long as we don’t stand on the Dark Path, they won’t hurt us” Echopaw forced herself to relax as a second creature raced by.

Thankfully, the rest of the borders were clear.They arrived back at camp to find Sparrowpaw exiting another den. “Where’ve you been, Sparrowpaw?” Asked Echopaw curiously. “I’m the medicine cat apprentice. I’ve been learning about herbs and stuff” He explained. “Our medicine cat is Hollypetal, by the way” Added Tawnypaw. “Oh yes! You haven’t met her yet!” Sparrowpaw remembered, “Come on, we’ll take you to meet her!” They padded to the medicine den, where they found a ginger and white she-cat busily sorting herbs. “Hello, Hollypetal” Sparrowpaw greeted, “This is Echopaw” He gestured to the light grey she-cat next to him.

“Hello, Echopaw” She said, turning away from the herbs. “I’m Hollypetal, the medicine cat” Echopaw nodded a greeting. “I have to keep sorting these herbs, so I’ll see you later. Oh, Sparrowpaw? Could you get me some borage? Willowberry’s very close to kitting” Sparrowpaw looked a little disappointed, but nodded. “We’ll come, won’t we, Echopaw?” Tawnypaw offered. “Thanks!” Hollypetal said as they rushed out of the den.

Chapter Two

The kits are coming

Echopaw, Tawnypaw and Sparrowpaw left the camp. “Where do we look?” Echopaw asked. “The edge of the forest. No patrols should bother us if we’re just looking for herbs” Sparrow reassured his she-cat companions. They bounded in the direction of the Meeting Place.

The three young cats traipsed carefully through the forest, in search of the borage. “Wait a second” Tawnypaw whispered. The three cats stopped, listening. There were pawsteps approaching, and fast. Echopaw frantically looked for a place to hide, feeling cornered, but it was too late. Three cats burst out of the bushes. “TimeClan” Snarled one, a large, orange tabby tom. “What do you think you’re doing on LifeClan’s territory?” Echopaw glanced panicked at Sparrowpaw.

“We’re looking for herbs” Sparrowpaw said, a nervous edge to his voice, “One of our queens is close to kitting” The orange tabby relaxed slightly. Echopaw looked at his companions, and realised she recognized one of them. “Mouse?” She asked. The grey she-cat next to the orange tom’s blue eyes lit up. “Echo!” The sisters greeted eachother with a friendly purr. “Echopaw, now” She purred. “Wow! I’m Mousepaw!” The moment between the littermates was broken by the orange tabby’s low growl. “Mousepaw, you shouldn’t be getting friendly with other clan cats. Especially ones who dare to invade our territory” Mousepaw took a step back from Echopaw. “Sorry, Fireclaw” She muttered, “See you at the next Meeting, Echopaw!” And the three cats disappeared into the bushes.

“Let's get on with this, then” Muttered Sparrowpaw, shaken by the encounter with the LifeClan patrol. They dashed quietly through the forest until Sparrowpaw’s gaze fell on the purple flowers they had been seeking.

He gently picked them up in his jaws and carried them back to camp, flanked by Tawnypaw and Echopaw. “Oh good, you found it!” Hollypetal exclaimed, bounding toward the apprentices. “Quick! Willowberry’s kitting!” She took the borage from Sparrowpaw and bounded back to her den. “I’d better help Hollypetal. Catch you guys later!” He bounded after his mentor and disappeared.

Exhausted after their encounter with LifeClan, Echopaw and Tawnypaw made their way to the apprentice den, where they found Darkpaw and Shadepaw. “Hello, Roguepaw. I see you’ve made a friend” Darkpaw sneered, noticing Echopaw and Tawnypaw entering the den. “I’m sure you’ve been very busy since training” “We went on a solo mission!” shot back Tawnypaw, unable to hide her anger. “Oh? And where might that’ve been to?” Shadepaw said silkily.

“Just inside LifeClan’s territory. We were getting borage for Willowberry” Echopaw said, backing up her friend. Darkpaw’s eyes widened. “Did you get caught?” He asked, sounding genuinely interested. Echopaw told them the story, indulging in the first time Darkpaw had been interesting in anything about her. At the end, she gave a yawn. “I need sleep” She murmured, curling up with her tail over her nose.

Echopaw awoke to the sound of Sparrowpaw entering the den. She could tell she hadn’t been asleep for long, for the sun, though fading, still streamed in. She opened one eye. “How’s Willowberry?” She heard Tawnypaw ask. “She’s a bit tired, but all of her three kits are strong and healthy” Came the reply.“Can we go see them?” Echopaw heard Tawnypaw ask. “Yeah sure” Came a new voice. It was Goldenflame, the proud father of Willowberry’s kits. Echopaw opened her other eye and lifted her head. “Can I come?” She asked Goldenflame. He hesitated for a moment. “She helped get the borage for Willowberry” Added Sparrowpaw.

Goldenflame nodded. Echopaw got to her paws and followed Goldenflame out of the den.

“You can go in now, Echopaw” Said a dusky brown tom, the deputy, Duskheart. Echopaw noticed a flicker of distrust in his eye as she passed him. Echopaw padded softly into the den to find a pretty white she-cat with three tiny furry bodies snuggled up beside her. The queen gave Echopaw a distrusting look and said, “You’re Echopaw, aren’t you?” Echopaw nodded. “And you were a rogue?” Willowberry asked nervously. Echopaw nodded hesitantly. Willowberry flicked her tail. The sign was obvious to Echopaw, Willowberry did not want a rogue of any kind near her kits. Echopaw backed out of the den, her head hung low.

Sparrowpaw and Tawnypaw were waiting outside. He looked like he was about to say something, then he stopped. "What happened?" He asked, observing the look on Echopaw's face. "Willowberry didn't want me near her kits" She said sadly.

Tawnypaw looked puzzled for a second. "I was a rogue before I joined" Echopaw explained, "She doesn't trust me" "I bet Darkpaw's been spreading rumors" Sparrowpaw agreed. Echopaw looked into Sparrowpaw's green eyes, and then to Tawnypaw's blue. "Do you two trust me?" She asked. Tawnypaw nodded vigorously. "You've given us no reason not to" Sparrowpaw reasoned. "If only Willowberry thought that way" Said Echopaw sulkily. She padded to her den, curling up on her bed of moss. She lay, watching the cats come in and out of the nursery, dispersing into small groups to discuss the new kits, and remembering the look in Duskheart's eye as she entered the nursery. Tawnypaw and Sparrowpaw must be the only two cats who trust me, Echopaw thought sadly to herself, just before her eyelids fell shut, and she drifted off to sleep.

"Echopaw! Training!" Hissed a voice in her ear. She sleepily opened her eyes to find Tawnypaw standing over her. "Goldenflame and Wolfscar are waiting" She told her, and bounded out of the den. Echopaw scrambled to her paws and bounded after Tawnypaw. "Good morning, Echopaw. Today, we'll be practicing our stalking techniques. This way" Wolfscar said coolly, before turning away from them and padding out of the camp. Tawnypaw and Echopaw trotted after him, followed by Darkpaw and Goldenflame.

"Right. You're stalking a mouse" Wolfscar said. They were in a clearing, surrounded by long grass rustling in the wind. "Show me your crouch" All three of the apprentices crouched. Echopaw remembered watching her mother stalk a mouse. "Keep low. Keep your weight on your haunches" She had said. Echopaw crouched low, slowly drawing herself forward. "Good crouch, Echopaw" She heard Wolfscar praise. "Your's too, Tawnypaw" Goldenflame added approvingly. "Keep your back down, Darkpaw. And keep your weight on your haunches"

Darkpaw shot Echopaw a look of jealousy and hatred, and attempted to correct his position. "Perhaps you would do better if you were hunting for real?" Goldenflame suggested. "Or worse" Wolfscar muttered, "Catch what you can, and come back at sun high" He ordered. The three apprentices bounded eagerly off.

Echopaw slowly drew herself toward the mouse she was stalking. The wind was blowing toward her. It was unable to sense her. She was in range. She rocked silently on her haunches the way her mother did, holding her breath. Then, she leapt on the tiny creature, nipping its neck. It fell limp. Echopaw kicked what dirt she could over it, and carried on.

Echopaw's ears swiveled toward the scuffling sound nearby. She crouched, drawing herself slowly forward toward the sound. She scanned the gaps between the slender blades of grass, catching a glimpse of white fur. She crawled silently onwards.

The sun was beginning to set. This would be the last prey she would catch today. She could see her prey clearly now. It was large, with tall, slender ears. She held her breath, knowing it would hear her did she make too much noise. It was a rabbit. She did not know the stalking technique for rabbits, but her determination drew her on. She prepared herself, not rocking in case it heard her. Her blood pounded in her ears. Then, she leapt from the cover of the long grass, her strong hind legs propelling her forward. The rabbit was fast, but not fast enough. Echopaw grabbed in by the scruff and half-carried-half-dragged her catch back to where Wolfscar, Goldenflame, Tawnypaw and Darkpaw were waiting. "What took you s-" Darkpaw was about to sneer, when he saw her catch. "Wow!" Tawnypaw gasped. "Congratulations, Echopaw" Wolfscar said approvingly, "You've got the biggest catch" Echopaw dropped the rabbit in front of her mentors, "I buried the rest of my prey" She told them. "Take your rabbit to the elders, then come back and add the rest onto the prey pile" Goldenflame told her, "And same for you two"