EchoClan

Leader: Badgerstar.- large black tom with white stripes along his flank. Pale blue eyes.

Deputy: Frozenswipe.- slender light grey she-cat with fierce icy blue eyes.

Medicine Cat: Redstrike.- skinny ginger tom with pale yellow eyes.

Warriors

Eagleshadow.- long-haired, brown furred tom with really long and sharp claws and amber eyes.

Jayclaw.- scarred white she-cat with a grey belly and blue eyes.

Snowflare.- white and ginger tom with long whiskers and green eyes.

Firepath.- small, dark golden she-cat with icy blue eyes. She has a scar on her shoulder.

Smokeshade.- smoky grey she-cat with black spotted markings and blue eyes.

Duststream.- long-haired, black tom with ginger patches, white speckles along his legs and amber eyes.

Nightsong: pale ginger and brown she-cat with cold amber eyes.

Wolfblaze.- long haired, pale brown and white tom with warm brown eyes.

Addercrash: dark grey she-cat with warm yellow eyes and a white-striped tail.

Snowfang.- dark grey tom with black spotted markings, a white chin and bright green eyes.

Spottedwing.- sandy brown she-cat with dusty brown spotted markings on her flanks and green eyes.

Apprentices

Goldenpaw.- long haired, yellow she-cat with green eyes.

Greypaw.- dark grey she-cat with white flecks and deep blue eyes.

Steampaw.- small calico tom with bright amber eyes.

Queens

Snowclaw.- long haired, dark grey she-cat with green eyes. Her legs are skinny.

Elders

Trushcloud.- big brown tabby tom with yellow eyes, shredded ears and yellow teeth.

Hailwhisker.- handsome white tom with bright green eyes.

To avoid confusion:

EchoClan has different traditions and terminology than the rest of the Clans. They actually belief that the success of their Clan and the only way to avoid it from being destroyed or broken apart is to keep the ancient traditions and Code. Some of the traditions are questionable, but they insist on keeping them.

About the Warrior Code and Clan relations: EchoClan has a similar Code than the Original Clans created by Erin Hunter, but some of the rules are altered. The same applies to the interactions inside a Clan.

-There are no Gatherings. Since the start of the War of Kin, EchoClan rejected the possibility of keeping a truce for less than a sun for obvious reasons.

-The medicine cats are respected, but not always. Medicine cats are a figure of authority in the Clans, but their lack of fighting abilities make some warriors see them as if they were in a lower position. This appears to have developed since the start of the war.

-There is a new rule that includes The Vow of Stars. Every medicine cat and medicine cat apprentice must make a vow to StarClan that enlist several things. One of them is that no matter the circumstances, they can't lay a claw on any of their clanmates or rivals.

-The elders are expected to stay in Camp, but not obliged. Elders can go exploring the territory whenever they find the necessity to do it. The guards at the entrance may try to stop them, but they usually allow them through.

-There are no restrictions in a battle. Since the start of War, it's do or die in the battlefield. Even if it's not celebrated upon, killing an opponent is the outcome of almost all the confrontations.

Terminology

Sun: a day.

Co-supervisor: a second cat who watches the assessment of an apprentice along with the mentor. Their report is of greater importance than the mentor's.

Fighting stage: the several different battle techniques and styles that are taught to apprentices to be used on specific terrain. Example.- on the shore, in the caves, in a clearing.

Old fox: term used as insult for the ones who are deaf, blind or have any other disability.

Wanderer: a loner.

Shortflow: a river that has dried up partially.

Highflow: a once calm river that has changed to have a particularly strong current with a danger of flooding.

Emergency patrol: patrols organized to search for herbs or materials to reinforce the structure of the entrance during abnormal weather.

Xxx

"Hey! That's no fair!"

Smokeshade rolled her eyes at the young apprentice's irritated yowls. Of course Greypaw would start complaining about having to fight her mentor -a normal thing for any EchoClan apprentice mind you- or any other cat with more experience than her for the matter. The she-cat's dramatic attitude was what made her infamous in the Clan after all.

A low growl hiding barely contained anger snapped Smokeshade of her thoughts. The blue eyed she-cat returned her attention to the two sparring cats a few fox-lengths away with certain morbid amusement. The dark grey pelt of Greypaw was matted in wet mud, the substance slowly marching down her paws and back to the ground. In sharp contrast, the imposing form of Duststream observed his apprentice's reaction with almost no trace of mud clinging to his body. Smokeshade had to admit it: the tom was the best when teaching mischievous apprentices how to respect the Code.

"I can't fight like this! The mud makes my movements slow and forced! I can barely manage the speed to avoid your attacks", Greypaw hissed in evident frustration. To demonstrate her point she stomped the ground with her front legs until they were half stuck in the substance. "See?!"

Duststream growled and grabbed the apprentice by the scruff -much to Smokeshade's delight- and dropped her on a different part of the Great Shore. "Look, I know you hate getting your pelt viscous but until you join another Clan or turn into a fox you will follow my orders. Every single one of your clanmates already approved this fighting stage! Why can't you even try?" Either Greypaw flinched at the way the last words were spat at her or she simply tried to shake off the rest of the mud from her muzzle, Smokeshade would never know. What she did know was that from that moment, the dramatic apprentice cooperated with her mentor and finished the shore-fighting in record time.

Once Greypaw had marched off to met with her fellow apprentices did Smokeshade got up from her spot and addressed Duststream. "Charming she-cat you were given to train", the smoky warrior purred. Duststream growled in mock annoyance and shock off the mud on his hind legs. Knowing that the black tom wouldn't answer so easily, Smokeshade continued ranting. "Personally, I don't think she is ready to become a warrior. I mean, she whines about every single fighting stage that she must complete. What is she going to do if RaggedClan invades again? Complain until they are too annoyed to battle? Now that would be worth watching! A whole Clan retreating because the whines got too irritating"

"You just love to bother me, right Smokeshade?", Duststream said with a sigh. The she-cat nudged him with a paw, "But of course! If I didn't then you wouldn't be my friend!"

The tom glanced one last time at the shortflow river with a frown and motioned Smokeshade to follow him back to Camp. "If it was my decision then Greypaw wouldn't put a paw inside the warrior's den for many moons. She isn't even ready to live the life of a warrior. That she-cat will get herself killed during a border battle. But..."

"But what?", Smokeshade studied him in surprise. "You are not seriously going to tell Frozenswipe that she's ready, are you?" At being greeted by silence, Smokeshade growled in outrage. "You are going to tell her that! You are going to allow Badgerstar to make her a warrior soon! Forget it Duststream! I'm the one who was co-supervising her final assessment and my report will be full of reasons to stuck her as apprentice for several other moons."

Smokeshade expected Duststream to argue. She expected him to snap back at her with all the valid arguments to allow Greypaw to become a warrior. What she wasn't expecting was the sudden pressure of a ginger patched tail blocking her jaws. The tom glared at her with cold amber eyes. "I'm not bursting with happiness either! I would follow your opinion and present a negative assessment of my apprentice when confronting the deputy because I know all of that is true. Even if we have the facts you need to understand! The Clan has too few warriors right now! RaggedClan has even more members than ever in our history! Frozenswipe called all of the mentors two suns ago to tell us to present a positive report of our apprentices' progress so Badgerstar can make them all warriors at once! I know Greypaw will be more of a liability in battle but I don't want to face Frozenswipe's wrath when she realizes that I neglected her orders."

Ah, so that was the reason! The smoky grey warrior had seen the tension practically leaking from the other mentors when they encountered their apprentices and the co-supervisors at the Camp's entrance. And she had not failed to see Frozenswipe's predatory gaze focusing on the mentors from the Moss Stone either. The deputy was just being too demanding and unfair; those poor apprentices were under the illusion that they were becoming warriors because of their advanced abilities, not because EchoClan needed some extra sets of claws in battle.

"Don't blame Frozenswipe for this, Smokeshade. All of us are living during difficult times, she is just doing what she thinks is right."

The smoky she-cat snarled at her friend like a wounded fox as her eyes became cold. "I know she thinks that's right but that's just no enough excuse! The difficulties of the path can't even justify this violations of the Code! What's next, forcing a senior she-cat warrior to become a queen in order to increase our numbers? Ripping away the medicine cat from his position and force him to train as warrior? Sending the elders out to battle? This is insane! I will give a positive assessment of Greypaw just because you're my friend but don't expect me to do that again for anyone!"

If Smokechase had looked back during her determined march to Camp she would have seen the hurt and remorse flashing in Duststream's amber eyes.

Xxx

"I, Badgerstar, leader of EchoClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentices. They have shown exceptional abilities during their training and assessments and I'm proud of the positive revisions of the mentors and co-supervisors", the powerful baritone voice of Badgerstar reached Smokeshade's ears. She was currently curled up in her nest, having refused to attend the ceremony, but she couldn't block the sounds from outside. Of course she had given the promised positive revision of Greypaw -StarClan rip that smile from Frozenswipe's face- and personally congratulated the apprentice as the tradition demanded but her own morals stopped her from joining her clanmates by the Moss Stone.

"Goldenpaw, Greypaw, Steampaw, will you give your life for the Clan and promise to follow our Code even when the starry pelts of our ancestors greet you when your time comes?"

"I do", three voices with barely contained enthusiasm replied at unison.

"The by the might of our ancestors I give you your warrior names. Goldenpaw, you shall now be known as Goldenwing! Greypaw, you shall now be known as Greyfrost! Steampaw, you shall now be known as Steamcloud! This young cats shall now be allowed to participate in battle, to visit the hunting grounds of our territory unsupervised and to move to the warrior's den. This apprentices are no more! Lets welcome the new warriors of EchoClan!"

"Goldenwing! Greyfrost! Steamcloud!", the Clan's cheering was irritatingly joyous. Yes, they were three now warriors to launch themselves at the RaggedClan rivals. Of course they symbolized new hope for the future of EchoClan. Yes, they appeared to be ready to defend the Clan but Smokeshade knew better than that. Did all of her clanmates really thought that those childish, arrogant and unexperienced cats could face the strong and battle-hardened warriors of RaggedClan? To those who season upon season would snatch a piece of EchoClan's territory?

"StarClan help my Clan", Smokeshade murmured as she drifted off in sleep.

Xxx

"I hate rain."

A simple statement. A true one at that. Those simple three words that were answered with groans or murmurs of approval. Smokeshade found herself nodding much to her annoyance. Who knew that a prolonged rain would cause her to actually agree with Greyp-Greyfrost for once?

"When is this horrible rain going to stop? We have been in here for suns!"

"Shut up Nightsong! Your yowls keep won't let me sleep!"

"I'm not yowling, you dog-breath! I'm simply sharing my thoughts about this terrible weather."

"Same thing", murmured someone by the back of the den.

Smokeshade rolled her eyes. Nightsong could be even worst than Greyfrost when it came to complaining. The egomaniac she-cat had been whining about the rain from the very start of it and she gave no sign of stopping.

"Perhaps now RaggedClan will be less likely to attack us", a tom by the name of Snowfang muttered when Nightsong stopped to catch her breath. Smokeshade cringed unconsciously at the reality behind the tom's words. True, RaggedClan was the enemy but not even them should suffer from such weather. The she-cat vaguely remembered a Camp in the middle of two enormous canyon walls from a long forgotten battle. She could still remember the caves at ground level full with moss nests from where screeching warriors emerged to defend their Camp. They would be full of water and wet bodies by now. Of course, if they had chosen a Camp like EchoClan had then they wouldn't need to worry about those problems. The dens were caves too, but they were completely protected from the harsh weather and also far from the ground. Even better, silent direct attacks during the night were impossible, as the entrances were covered by a tunnel of brambles that made it difficult to enter if you weren't an instructed EchoClan cat.

"I guess we shall wait", Snowfang sighed tiredly. The tom's fur was wet and his nest was damped as well by now. It appeared that he was on one of the emergency patrols that Badgerstar appointed. Well, they really would need those herbs by the end of the storm. StarClan knows how many cats would be infected with Greencought.

Smokeshade curled up tighter on her nest to block away the still complaining screechy voice of Nightsong and the annoyed growls of most of the den's occupants.

Xxx

Her name being called by the cold voice broke Smokeshade's peaceful resting. She unwillingly rolled to her paws and stretched quickly, ignoring the unpleasant sensation of the damped soil clinging to her pads. Her blue eyes glanced with a bored expression at Frozenswipe as she walked up to the Moss Rock. The deputy regarded her with an emotionless icy blue gaze. "You are to lead a patrol up to the Southern border. Check the river's flow, mark the border and scout for any sign of trespassing. Eagleshadow, Greyfrost and Addercrash are to accompany you."

The mentioned cats looked up from their conversations and walked to the Moss Rock. Smokeshade looked at her patrol and nodded, flicking her tail as a sign to follow her. As they slipped inside the Rock Tunnel that was their entrance, the smoky warrior grunted in discomfort at the cold surface of the passage. Behind her, she could distinguish three other complaining grunts that quickly subsided.

Blinking to adjust to the light, she guided her clanmates through the almost silent forest. Her paws sunk in several mud banks but she dismissed the sensation of the sticky fur to remain alert for any unfamiliar sound.

"Hear that?", Eagleshadow perked his ears and looked around wildly. "What's that sound?"

The whole patrol froze with their ears perked. Greyfrost snarled under her breath and nudged Smokeshade. "It's like a monster's roar."

Smokeshade rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Don't be ridiculous, monsters never come to our territory. That's just far away from one of RaggedClan's borders. No, I know that sound". With another flick of her tail, the smoky warrior walked until they reached the river that marked part of the Southern border. Rising her voice so she would be heard over the thunderous roar of the current, Smokeshade pushed her clanmates far away from what was left of the Great Shore. "The rain caused a highflow! The current is too strong to get near it, a cat would drown in seconds! We need to report to Frozenswipe that there's a risk of flooding from this border!"

"But Frozenswipe told us to check the current!", Greyfrost yelled while glancing at the river. "You are basing your report in a hypothesis, not in a proved fact! We should actually check how strong is the current before returning to Camp!"

Smokeshade shook her head firmly as she walked back into the forest. "It's too dangerous! We still need to mark the Southern border from another spot and scout for intruders -which would be really stupid to try and invade during this rain and with a highflow river- before going back! I'm not risking anyone's life just to check if that current can carry off a cat!"

"But-!'

"I said no Greyfrost! We will not put a paw near that river!", said that, the she-cat turned around and headed for a safer part of the border. She heard the resigned huff of Greyfrost as they reassumed positions to follow her. Checking the highflow river? Did Greyfrost had a death wish or what?

"Come back!"

Before Addercrash even finished her sentence, Smokeshade was already running behind Greyfrost as the young cat raced to the river. So she did had a death wish!

"Don't do it!", Smokeshade screeched in alarm as Greyfrost stopped on the peak of a stone that arched over the river. The grey warrior had a paw almost touching the frenzied waters' surface when she was grabbed by the scruff and pulled back. Greyfrost yelped in surprise, which quickly became an enraged snarl as the blue eyes of Smokeshade locked with her own. "I was about to complete Frozenswipe's orders!"

"No, you were not! You were going to be carried away by the current the moment your paw came in contact with the river! I gave the order of no nearing the shore for a reason!"

Greyfrost arched her back and bared her teeth. "And I was about to make Frozenswipe proud! I'm not a weak kit like you! I'm not scared of taking risks to finish a task!" The outraged she-cat swiped an unsheathed paw to Smokeshade's head. By instinctual reflex, the she-cat dodged the swipe and stepped back to put more space between herself and the attacker.

Time seemed to stay still as her hind legs slipped from the border of the stone arch and the rest of her unbalanced body followed in a flail of paws and fur. Her blue eyes were widened in surprise and raw fear as the grey sky mocked her before she was swallowed by frenzied waters and carried by the current. Dazed, she kicked her legs around, trying desperately to grab hold of something, anything, to prevent her from drowning but her paws were just met by water and more water. Her lungs ached and her throat started to close as she shocked on the water that found its way in her mouth. The current shot her to the surface in the spur of the moment before submerging her again. She vaguely heard what appeared to be a scream before she was greeted again by the crazed torrent. Her eyes looked around wildly underneath the strength of the liquid for the shore but her pelt pulled her down as a persistent creature of the dept. Pain erupted from her neck and she was falling. Falling in the dark abyss of unconsciousness.