Two Become One

[Moonclaw]

Allegiances: These will be updated every few chapters when I deem it necessary. The newest allegiances will be posted in the chapter where I update them, rather than being updated in this post, so if you're on, say, chapter 1000990305839058, I don't suggest looking at this post for the latest allegiances, because these are only accurate as of the prologue and first two chapters.

ThunderClan:

Leader:

Lionstar: Large, long-furred golden tabby tom with pale green eyes. 50 moons old.
Kin: Brightsun (mother), Sungaze (father), Eagleflight (littermate/brother)
Mate: Leaftail
Apprentice: Cedarpaw

Deputy:

Fishpelt: Average-sized white tom with a few brown tabby patches and blue eyes. 30 moons old.
Kin: Troutblaze (father)
Mate: Featherfur
Apprentice: Haypaw

Medicine cat:

Oakpelt: Large brown tabby tom with pale amber eyes. 52 moons old.
Kin: Unknown
Mate:
Apprentice:

Elders:

Brightsun: Small short-furred pale golden she-cat with green eyes. 70 moons old.
Kin: Dewfern (mother, deceased, had last litter at 60 moons, died at 80), Swiftbreeze (younger sister by 20 moons), Lionstar (son), Eagleflight (son)
Mate: Sungaze

Sungaze: Large golden tabby tom with pale yellow eyes. 65 moons old.
Kin: Lionstar (son), Eagleflight (son)
Mate: Brightsun

Troutblaze: Large gray tabby tom with green eyes. 68 moons old.
Kin: Fishpelt (son)
Mate: Tinystep (deceased)

Queens:

Spottednight: Average-size white she-cat with several black patches and amber eyes. 20 moons old.
Kin: Shadowpelt (mother)
Mate: Brackenstep
Kits are currently unborn.

Warriors:

Swiftbreeze: Small, lithe she-cat with a gray-and-white pelt and pale blue eyes. 50 moons old.
Kin: Dewfern (mother), Brightsun (sister), Lionstar (nephew)
Mate:
Apprentice: Leafpaw

Leaftail: Small brown tabby she-cat with green eyes. 56 moons old.
Kin:
Apprentice:

Shadowpelt: Average-size, lithe she-cat with a pure black pelt and amber eyes. 40 moons old.
Kin: Spottednight (daughter), Black-kit (grandson), Dark-kit (granddaughter), Frogkit (grandson)
Mate:
Apprentice: Redpaw

Tigerstripe: Large brown tabby tom with green eyes. 28 moons old.
Kin:
Mate:
Apprentice: Fernpaw

Featherfur: Small, long-furred pale gray she-cat with green eyes. 27 moons old.
Kin:
Mate: Fishpelt

Brackenstep: Large brown tabby tom with green eyes. 22 moons old.
Kin: Black-kit (son), Dark-kit (daughter), Frogkit (son)
Mate: Spottednight
Apprentice:

Silverfeather: Average-size gray tabby with amber eyes. 15 moons old.
Kin:
Mate:
Apprentice: Mosspaw

Cloudpelt: Average-size long-furred pale gray tom (almost looks white) with pale blue eyes. 13 moons old.
Kin:
Mate:
Apprentice: Dapplepaw

Apprentices:

Leafpaw: Average-size pale brown tabby she-cat with green eyes. 10 moons old.
Kin: Redpaw (sister)
Mentor: Swiftbreeze

Redpaw: Average-size dark ginger she-cat with green eyes. 10 moons old.
Kin: Leafpaw (sister)
Mentor: Shadowpelt

Cedarpaw: Large brown tabby tom with deep amber eyes. 6 moons old.
Kin: Haypaw (brother)
Mentor: Lionstar

Haypaw: Large dark golden tabby tom with amber eyes. 6 moons old.
Kin: Cedarpaw (brother)
Mentor: Fishpelt

Dapplepaw: Average-size, though tall, calico she-cat with bright green eyes. 6 moons old.
Kin: Fernpaw (sister), Mosspaw (sister)
Mentor: Cloudpelt

Fernpaw: Small tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes. 6 moons old.
Kin: Dapplepaw (sister), Mosspaw (sister)
Mentor: Tigerstripe

Mosspaw: Small tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes. 6 moons old.
Kin: Dapplepaw (sister), Fernpaw (sister)
Mentor: Silverfeather

Kits:

None currently.

You only need the ThunderClan allegiances currently, trust me. ^^

Don't you dare rant to me if I "stole" your character's name. I spent quite a long time thinking of all of this, and I'm 100% positive that at least a few of these names have been used before in the world of Warriors fan stuff.

Prologue

It was about sunhigh. The grass was full and vibrant, there were few clouds in the sky, and the sun was blazing. A perfectly normal day for the young, yet large, pale gray tabby tom. His green eyes were narrowed, sharp, ready to catch sight of any food. It was greenleaf, and though he had plenty of prey, more was always nice. Besides, Storm felt that he was hungry enough for a bit of lunch.

The tom was only 8 moons old, and his parents had just left him on his own. They would've left when he was fully weaned, at 6 moons, but just in case something were to happen to him, they decided to train him in hunting and fighting a bit more before moving on. Storm wondered if the two loners would ever have more kits, but it wasn't his concern either way.
Like his father once was, Storm was a rogue. His mother had always been a loner, and his father became a loner so he could always travel with her, because she did love to travel. Storm preferred to stay where he'd been brought up, and like the Clans that were near him, he marked his territory's scent and challenged all that came through. He was stubborn and wouldn't back down without a fight, even if the cats were much bigger than he. Of course, many were bigger, and Storm often lost fights, but what could be expected? The cat wasn't even fully grown yet!

As Storm prowled forward, he almost purred. It wasn't like him to act like this, but the soft grass underpaw and the heat of the sun against his back just made him feel like laying around and purring the day away. Maybe he'd head down to those rocks. What did the Clans call them? Ah, yes, Sunningrocks! The name was quite appropriate, at least, Storm thought so.

"Alright, now that you've learned a bit, you have to go out and get yourself some prey. ThunderClan normally doesn't tread into those fields because rogues and loners are out there, but I think it might be a good place to start." The sound of an adult tom's voice made Storm stop. He sounded quite young, actually, but there was enough authority in his voice for Storm to realize he must've been a young warrior. Storm honestly knew hardly anything about the Clans, but he'd come over to the ThunderClan border to overhear some conversations in his moons, so he knew a bit... He knew there was a leader and warriors and apprentices. Warriors trained apprentices. There were four Clans. Or were there 5? Maybe it was 6? Well, that was the extent to Storm's knowledge on Clans, anyway.

"Okay, got it, Cloudpelt!" A she-cat's voice came next. It was a light-hearted voice. She must've been the apprentice. She was definitely a new apprentice, by the sounds of it.

Before Storm knew it, the she-cat, who turned out to be a calico she-cat with green eyes like his own, was stalking around his territory. He heard the warrior's voice again, "Tigerstripe and I will be checking the river, okay? Just catch up to us once you've got some prey!" The tom, Cloudpelt, and what Storm assumed to be Tigerstripe, talked as they left, but their voices soon faded.

Storm watched with widening eyes as the calico she-cat came closer. She was about to go right past Storm, but the young tom leaped out at her, his ears flat to his head, his eyes fully dilated, and his claws and teeth were prepared to shred. "Get off my territory!" The large light gray tabby screeched.

[Moonclaw]

Chapter 1

Storm landed on the calico she-cat, knocking her to the ground. Her eyes were wide in fear, and as Storm clawed into her side, she squealed in pain and lashed out at him, batting him on the face with her claws unsheathed. Storm stumbled back, now standing in the grass, and retaliated the blow, scratching the ThunderClanner right back.

"Stop!" She mewed pathetically, crouching in fear. Storm stood in front of her, his pelt fluffed up in rage. He stood tall, clearly intimidating her. "Please stop! I didn't know this was your territory! I promise I didn't know! I really, truly didn't know. I'm sorry." She was trembling at this point, and Storm felt a sharp prickle of guilt, but it only lasted a moment, for the anger was back.

"Stay away from my territory next time. Your Clan has much more territory than I could ever even think of having. Can't I have my small piece of land without your kind hunting in it?" Storm growled. It was then that the calico she-cat noticed his scars from previous fights. Storm knew this because she was looking at his pelt and flinched a few times.

"How old are you?" She asked.

"What does it matter to you?"

"How old are you?" The ThunderClan apprentice asked again.

Storm sighed, "About 8 moons. You?"

"6 moons." She answered. She stood up a bit, reaching up to Storm so she could scent him. "My name is Dapplepaw. What's your name?"

"Storm." Storm hissed as Dapplepaw scented him, and she backed off. "Why don't you go now? I'm sick of you being here."

Dapplepaw's ears fell back again, and this time it wasn't in fear as much as it was in sadness. Disappointment, possibly. "You don't have to be so rude, you know."

"You're trespassing on my territory! You've probably scared away all the prey! Go before I tear your pelt off!" Storm yowled at her.

"Fine, then. I'll go." Dapplepaw hissed back, her tail lashing. She padded away from Storm, but once she got to the tree line, she cast a quick glance back at him. Storm had been watching her as she walked away, but when she looked back at him, he merely spit and headed off.

Storm stopped by the river that marked ThunderClan and RiverClan's borders with each other, and crouched, lapping up the cool water. The water was quiet and not too fast at this time of year, but there was definitely a current. After he was done drinking, Storm cleaned his pelt. He didn't mind water all that much, and since he was decently covered in blood, both his own and a bit of Dapplepaw's, the tom shrugged and jumped fearlessly into the water. He stood, his paws pressed against the round, worn stones of the riverbed. When he stood in this part of the river, Storm's shoulders were at the surface of the water, so there was no chance of him drowning, really. The tom felt the water flow around him, and he purred. The weather was nice, he got into a fight, and finally, Storm was chilling in the water. Quite the eventful, great day!

[Moonclaw]

Chapter 2

A few moons had gone by since Storm had met Dapplepaw. Three, to be exact. He'd often see her at the edge of the treeline, looking out at his territory. They hadn't spoken since they met, but every time Storm had gone into the open when Dapplepaw was around, she'd instantly turn and run off into her own territory. It was odd, in Storm's opinion. It was as if she was searching for him, but upon finding him, she was too nervous to leave ThunderClan territory again and talk to him. Maybe she was scared of him. It was probably for the better, since Storm definitely didn't need any other cat in his life. If it weren't for Dapplepaw's hanging around at the edge of Storm's territory practically every day, Storm probably would've forgotten all about her, which he would've been fine with.

As it was leaf-fall, the nights had certainly gotten colder. It seemed to Storm that the leaves had fallen off the trees much sooner this year than the year before, and that it had started getting colder much faster. Storm found himself shivering in the cold every night, which he wasn't expecting to happen until leaf-bare.
Storm had been born in raised in a little cave that was in the side of one of the hills on which Storm lived. The only thing that Storm had for bedding, as a result of living in fields, however, was the long grass through which he padded every day, and that grass wasn't comfortable or warm in any way. Storm would've liked to sneak into ThunderClan's territory sometime during greenleaf, but he didn't want to depend on going into others' territories for things he needed, especially after chasing every single cat he met off for so much as putting one paw in his territory. It just wouldn't be right in Storm's green eyes.

One particular night, the cold got really bad, and Storm scented another cat coming near as he tried pathetically to sleep. "Storm? Are you there, Storm?" A voice he'd heard only one day came back to him, and Storm's claws sank into the grass on which he lay.

"Dapplepaw!" The tom growled, "What do you want? Didn't I tell you to go away?"

"Well, yeah, but that was three moons ago, and..."

"I meant forever!" Storm retaliated. He saw Dapplepaw's silhouette against the moonlight, her green eyes shining in the darkness. The moon was full. "Shouldn't you be in your den, anyway? I don't want your Clanmates to come bothering me because you've been here."

Dapplepaw's ears fell back once again and her tail drooped. "My Clanmates won't find out, trust me. I just wanted to bring you this." The calico apprentice picked up a bunch of moss that was near her and placed it by Storm. "No cat in ThunderClan has said anything about scenting intruders around, and I wondered what you used for bedding, since I knew that no intruders meant you hadn't gone into ThunderClan territory to find some moss. With that, I decided to bring you some, since this year is so cold."

Storm was taken aback. Here he was thinking that Dapplepaw came to annoy him, but instead, she brought with her a present of sorts. He was grateful, but like he'd show that! "Take it back." Storm said.

"No." Dapplepaw mewed.

"Take it back and go to your camp or whatever. They're going to find out you're gone." Storm said.

"No they won't. The Clans are at the gathering right now. Don't you know anything about Clans? The full moon means a gathering! I was supposed to stay in camp, but since the others that stayed back are all sleeping, I snuck out." She sat down and began casually washing a paw.

"For the last time, Dapplepaw," Storm began to snarl and stood up, "Go away!"

"Storm." Dapplepaw whispered forlornly, looking at him.

Something about the tone of her voice when she said it, or maybe it was the upset look she gave him, made Storm give in. He sighed, "Look, Dapplepaw, thank you for the moss. Really. I do appreciate it. Please, though, for your own sake, leave my territory. I don't want you to get in trouble." He padded over to her and ran his tail along her flank. Storm couldn't believe himself, but somehow, he felt that it was the right thing to do. He'd never been guilt tripped in his entire life before now.

This definitely seemed to satisfy Dapplepaw quite a bit. "I'm glad you at least are happy with the moss." She purred, "But, please, Storm, let me come back! At least sometimes!"

"No." Storm meowed sternly. Dapplepaw purred, flicked an ear, and batted his face playfully at this.

"You'd better make plans to see me around again!" She mewed before running back to her territory. Storm sighed again. She was so persistent!

[Moonclaw]

Chapter 3

[Storm's age as of this chapter: 12 moons old. Dapplepaw's age as of this chapter: 10 moons old.]

Another moon had passed. Dapplepaw had managed to sneak away from her Clan daily. Storm honestly didn't know how she did it. They often hunted together, or one would bring prey to the other. Storm was getting very used to having Dapplepaw around, and though he'd never admit it, he was beginning to think of her as a friend. She was the only cat he talked to, and really the only cat he needed to talk to, considering Dapplepaw talked so much!

"If only you were at the gathering! It was so great! Since it's leaf-bare now, everyone's on edge, and it looks like RiverClan's going to attack us! If they do, it'll be my first battle! I'm so excited!" Dapplepaw mewed, walking very closely to Storm. "ShadowClan and WindClan are at each others' throats, too."

"Well, if you have a battle, be careful, alright?" Storm blurted out. He regretted it a moment later. He hated showing any emotion that wasn't anger.

Dapplepaw's fur bristled slightly, and Storm guessed she was surprised, but her sudden purr told him that she was quite pleased with what he had said. "What? Worried about me?" The calico teased.

"Never." Storm growled in reply.

"Sure, Storm." She glanced at him with her green eyes, which were quite a bit brighter than his. Storm had a deeper, darker green color for his eyes. "Anyway, mind if I practice my battle moves on you?"

"Not at all." Storm said. He blinked at Dapplepaw, happy that he'd be able to use his claws on something other than rock for once. There hadn't been any trespassers to his territory lately, so Storm had been itching for a fight that never came.
The tom crouched, prepared to retaliate whatever move Dapplepaw had planned for him.

Dapplepaw took a deep breath and lunged at Storm, her claws sheathed. Her jaw gaped open, and she gently bit his throat. Storm unsheathed his claws and raked them across her belly. Dapplepaw leaped back and squealed, "Hey! You're supposed to keep your claws sheathed!"

"Who said?"

"Every warrior I've ever met!"

"I'm no Clan cat. I don't follow Clan rules. How was I supposed to know that you keep your claws sheathed in training?"

"Well, you are." Dapplepaw said, her ears flat to her head.

"Why is that?" Storm questioned. "After all, if you keep your claws unsheathed, the training is more real, and will give you a better taste of what a real battle is like. I could see apprentices getting scared and shocked during their first battle when they feel a lot of pain from other cats' claws."

Dapplepaw's eyes narrowed and her tail lashed, "Apprentices aren't stupid! We know we're going to feel pain when we get into a real battle! If we trained with our claws unsheathed, then we'd be getting many more wounds and wouldn't be as strong for battle. Not only that, but our medicine cats would waste herbs on us just for training when they could be using them when the herbs are actually needed."

Storm shrugged, "Your answer's good enough. I'll keep my claws sheathed." He let his claws slide back into their sheathes and waited.

Dapplepaw nodded then ran at Storm again, but this time, she swerved to his right flank and batted at it. This took Storm by surprise, but he was much bigger than Dapplepaw, so she didn't knock him down or even unbalance him. He stood on his hind legs and grabbed hold of Dapplepaw with his forepaws. The gray tabby threw her to the side and landed on all four paws. He headed over to her and stepped on her with his forepaws when she was done, causing her to be unable to get back up. Storm heard the calico she-cat hiss and backed off. "Maybe you should stick to hunting." The rogue tom mewed, licking a paw.

"I can't! Every cat in a Clan fights and hunts, except for the medicine cat and their apprentice!" Dapplepaw mewed. "It doesn't matter if I'm bad or not. As long as I serve my Clan loyally and put my Clan above myself, then I'm fine."

Storm glanced at the ThunderClanner. "Loyally, huh? Well, if you were loyal to your Clan, then you'd stay in your own territory, now wouldn't you? What's the point in marking your land if you're not going to stay within those markings? Putting your Clan above yourself sounds pretty stupid, too. We all try our best to survive, don't we? Why would you put a bunch of other cats, some that you may not even have any care for, above yourself? It's not right. Live your own life, Dapplepaw. Care about yourself above all others."

Dapplepaw stared at Storm with dilated eyes. As she sat up, her shoulders drooped. "Shut up, Storm. You don't know what it's like to be in a Clan." She meowed weakly. "So you still don't want me around, do you? I thought you'd gotten over it. Fine, then. I'll go. Forever. Goodbye, Storm." With that, Dapplepaw padded off, her head and tail drooping.

Storm, once again, watched as she left. This time, however, she didn't look back.

[Moonclaw]

Sorry I don't keep this story updated here on VWW. It's actually completely finished and all posted throughout other places. xD

Chapter 4

[No age difference this chapter.]

Only a few days had passed since Storm got rid of Dapplepaw for good. He was hunting along the edge of his territory, right next to ThunderClan's territory.

"So do you even know if you're her mentor anymore?" A she-cat's voice sounded in Storm's ears, and he pressed himself as flat to the ground as he could, listening in on the ThunderClanners' conversation.

"Lionstar hasn't told me yet, actually, Silverfeather." It was the same tom as before! What was his name? Cloudpelt! Dapplepaw had talked about her mentor a few times, anyway, which was probably how Storm remembered.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he assigned you Black-kit, Dark-kit, or Frogkit as a new apprentice, because who knows if she's even going to survive?" Silverfeather said.

"I know. I just can't help but feel bad. Dapplepaw's so sweet and has so much energy. It would be a waste if she didn't make it to warriorhood." Cloudpelt replied.

Something was wrong with Dapplepaw. Suddenly, Storm felt a stab of guilt. He had been so horrible to her, and now she was sick or something, and might die. The tom shuddered, and as he did, Silverfeather growled, "There's someone there!"

"Come out!" Cloudpelt snarled.

Storm took a deep breath, cursing himself in his mind for making any movement. The large, pale gray tabby stood up and padded forward. He didn't cross the scent line, but he was standing a whisker length from it.

"Who are you?" Cloudpelt asked. He was an average sized tom. Couldn't have been older than 16 moons, by the look of him.

"My name is Storm. This is my territory. I have never entered yours." Storm meowed, lashing his tail a single time to show the other two cats the vast fields that belonged to him.

"Loner or rogue?" Silverfeather questioned. She was short-furred, unlike Cloudpelt, and had a medium-shade gray tabby pelt with deep amber eyes.

Storm shrugged, "I stay in this one territory. I've claimed it as my parents had. I attack all those who enter it, but I don't look for trouble. I guess you could call me a rogue, if you want."

"Make sure you stay off ThunderClan territory." Silverfeather growled.

"Didn't you hear me? I've never entered your territory."

"What are you doing by the border, then?" Cloudpelt challenged. He had fur that was almost white, but it had a gray tint to it for the most part. His eyes were pale blue.

"Well, I was hunting, but I stopped when I heard you talking." Storm answered calmly.

"So you eavesdropped?" Silverfeather mewed. Her tail was lashing fiercely, and Storm could see her claws unsheathe then sheathe repeatedly.

"Yeah, but I have a reason for it." Storm said.

"Look, we have things to do. You're obviously bored." Cloudpelt said. "What are your reasons? Be straightforward so we can get on with our lives."

Storm's eyes narrowed. Could he trust Cloudpelt and Silverfeather? He didn't know them. "You plan on reporting me to your leader?"

Cloudpelt and Silverfeather exchanged a glance. "That depends. Are your reasons bad?" Silverfeather asked.

"Not for me, but for one of your Clanmates." Storm replied.

"Well," Cloudpelt began, "I guess not. What do you say, Silverfeather?"

"Alright, we'll keep quiet." Silverfeather nodded.

"I heard you talking about Dapplepaw. A few moons ago, Dapplepaw and I got into a fight, and after that, she would come to the edge of your territory and stare out into my territory. When I'd see her, she would run off back into your forest. She brought moss to me once during leaf-fall, and for the next moon, visited me every day. We hung out, hunted, and all of that, but I never felt like she should've been hanging around. I prefer to be on my own, and I had a feeling she'd get in trouble. I finally got her to stop coming around a few days ago. The last time I saw her, we got into another fight after I scratched her. She wanted to train in case there was a battle or whatever, and I didn't know that Clan cats train with claws sheathed..." Storm explained. At the end, he got a bit sheepish, and looked down at his paws.

"I see," Cloudpelt said, "That explains why she's been so unfocused in training these last few moons. I suppose we have something to explain, too. RiverClan attacked ThunderClan and Dapplepaw was hurt very badly. She's resting in the medicine den now, and our medicine cat, Oakpelt, is treating her. He's a good, experienced medicine cat, and though he isn't always nice, he knows what he's doing. However, Dapplepaw had the worst of the battle in all of ThunderClan, and no cat knows for sure if she'll survive or not."

Storm flicked an ear, his head bowed in shame. "Tell her that Storm wishes her well." He began to walk off, but Silverfeather called out to him.

"Wait, Storm!" Silverfeather stood now, and Storm looked back, perking his ears. He'd only walked about a tail-length. "You know, if you join ThunderClan, you can be there for Dapplepaw. You wouldn't have to give us a message and make us have to look weird because we're whispering messages to Dapplepaw. Besides, ThunderClan is short on warriors and bountiful with kits. You look about warrior age, so if you were to join, you wouldn't have to train long before Lionstar makes you a warrior, probably." Silverfeather stared into Storm's eyes. "What do you say? Will you come with us and be given the chance to join?"

Storm blinked and looked away. "I'm afraid not. I don't like the idea of living with others." With that, the tom stalked off, not listening to anything else the two ThunderClan warriors had to say.

[Moonclaw]

Chapter 5

[No age difference this chapter.]

It was late. The sky was pure black, and hardly any stars gave their light to the land below. The moon was nothing more than a sliver of silver in the dark sky, and fluffy, gray clouds just made everything darker.
Storm twisted and turned. He was unable to sleep with the knowledge that Dapplepaw may be dying. Did Cloudpelt or Silverfeather tell Dapplepaw the message Storm had sent them off with earlier that day? Where did Dapplepaw get hurt? Could this 'Oakpelt' really do his duty as 'medicine cat' well enough to save Dapplepaw's life? The questions went on and on, and it wasn't long before Storm padded out of the entrance to his cave. His fur was ruffled and knotted. He looked mangy. Storm sighed, looking up at the night sky, wishing that he could see the stars. He often heard ThunderClan cats talk about the stars and how they guided the Clans. Could the stars guide Storm? He didn't know, but he did know that they couldn't guide him if they weren't visible. Letting out a low hiss, Storm gave up. He padded farther away from his cave, then turned and walked toward ThunderClan's territory, a determined, stubborn look set in his deep green eyes. I'm going to find ThunderClan's camp and see Dapplepaw for myself. He looked up. The clouds had parted just enough for Storm to see that it was about moonhigh. Storm flicked his tail with relief. Moonhigh gave him plenty of time to search for the camp, sneak in, and talk to Dapplepaw.

Storm glanced around as he stepped up to the border line. He'd only been to Sunningrocks before, which, yes, meant he had lied when he told Cloudpelt and Silverfeather that he had never been in their territory, but that wasn't the point of that whole conversation. Storm would've said anything to get them to explain what had happened to Dapplepaw. Storm took his next few steps low to the ground with his ears perked. He may need to run at any point in time, and he had to be prepared.

Storm neared the camp. He could scent many different scents, and yet, they were much alike. Different, yet alike. Was that what each Clan was like? Every cat in a Clan was a different cat, and yet, together, they were all one Clan.
Storm was snapped out of his thoughts by the closeness of one cat's scent. He could make the shape out in the near distance. It was a huge cat, one that Storm wouldn't want to mess with, and he himself was very big, especially for his age. The tom was standing right outside the camp entrance. That was obvious. Storm almost got caught, probably, because the large cat was very close...

How was Storm supposed to get in with that beast of a cat sitting right by the camp entrance? Storm backed up several paces, hiding behind a bush, and looked around. There were a few trees that looked like they had loose branches, but Storm despised climbing. He wouldn't do it. Not even for Dapplepaw.

And he kind of did. Storm finally decided that he would make a lot of noise to distract the huge tom. Storm bounded a little ways away and reached up to a tree with some low branches. He shook the branches to the point where they fell. Storm paused for a moment, running toward the camp when he heard the large tom lumbering toward the tree.

I'm in! Storm thought, content with his success, as he made it in through the camp's tunnel entrance. He hugged the sides of the camp and padded into a den that smelled of strong leaves.

Storm stalked around the medicine den, almost purring when he saw Dapplepaw. He padded over to the she-cat, who was sleeping, and gently prodded her. She opened her eyes slightly and mumbled a bit before recognizing him, and whispered, "Storm! What are you doing here? My Clanmates will attack you if they see you here!"

"Don't worry about me!" Storm hissed. He rested his chin on Dapplepaw's head for a moment before mewing in an apologetic tone, "Look, I just wanted to visit you. I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for being so horrible to you before. Also, you'd better heal, because I don't know what I'll do if you die." Dapplepaw didn't respond for a few minutes, though her low purr said everything that Storm needed to hear. He purred back.

"You don't know how much that means to me, Storm. Please, Storm, come back when the sun's up and ask Lionstar to join."

"You know I can't." Storm replied. "I wouldn't like Clan life. I really wouldn't."

"You don't know that until you try!" Dapplepaw mewed.

"Dapplepaw, I didn't come here to argue with you. I came here to apologize."

It was silent for another few moments before Dapplepaw sighed, obviously giving in, "Fine. I'll visit you when I'm out of the medicine den."

Storm wasn't about to object, though he knew Dapplepaw would probably get in trouble. He got out of ThunderClan's territory as fast as he could, finally able to sleep when he got back to his own den.