1Chapter seven

Spiderpaw stretched and yawned, glancing around the Moon-pool area. Today he would go home with Sootkit. Spiderpaw twisted around to lick his glossy, black coat. It had darkened from grey, to black in the short moon at the moon-pool, it was now, thick, black, and glossy, but he still had the white chest, belly, and paws. He licked Sootkit, who woke and looked at him with a fixating blue gaze. Spiderpaw stood and nudged the scrawny, undersized tom to his feet. They were both rather scrawny. Thin and compact bodies, lots of muscle stored inside. They didn't exactly eat like kings at the moon-pool. Prey was scarce, and very thin and stringy. Spiderpaw looked at the pitiful tom, he was hungry and cold. Spiderpaw picked him up and raced towards RiverClan territory....

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Spiderpaw breathed deep. He had just crossed the ShadowClan border, and was about to collapse from exhaustion, but sheer excitement kept him going. He gasped in shock as something barreled into him, heaving him to the ground. He snarled and twisted away, slamming a paw into the cats shoulder, but it didn't even flinch. All of a sudden th cat drew back with a hiss.

"Spiderpaw?!" came a shocked voice. Spiderpaw looked up and saw a familiar Pale grey cat, ginger splotches along her back.

"Sparkpaw?" he whispered. She glared at him again.

"Sparkpebble, now!" She snapped. He flinched and her eyes softened. All of a sudden a soft mewl caught his attention.

"SOOTKIT!" he gasped, racing over to where the kit was struggling in the marsh. Spiderpaw pulled out the tiny kit and licked his fur clean. Then he turned to Sparkpepple.

"So, did Foxpaw get made a warrior to?" he asked, naming her brother.

"Yes. He is now Foxfang. And Talonpaw and Flarepaw are now Flarewing and Talonshade," she replied. Spiderpaw nodded and stood weakly, sootkit in his jaws. Sparkpebble grabbed Sootkit and flicked her grey tail for Spidershadow to follow him.

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Spiderpaw felt surprisingly uncomfortable in his own camp. Cats were giving him hostile glares and harsh whispers spread through camp. He flattened his ears self-consciously, but Sparkpebble flicked her tail at him.

"They probably don't recognize you...you look a lot different," she muttered to him. All of a sudden, a recognizable call sounded,

"Spiderpaw?!" he looked up to see Thundercloud standing on the sky-pine, eyes wide with disbelief. All of a sudden, welcoming yowls echoed around him.

"He's back! He's really back!"

"Littlestar was right!"

"He looks scrawny..."

"So does the kit!"

"KITS! Move!" snapped a shocked voice. Flickerpaw shoved her way through, her pale ginger fur fluffed up. He purred weakly.

"Flickerpaw!" he greeted his friend

"Flickermoon!" she corrected, then gaped at his and Sootkit's condition.

"You need to be checked on...now." she commanded, shoving her way through the throng of cats around him. He followed slowly, Sootkit clamped in his jaws. But what he saw in the den made his jaw drop, making Sootkit fall with a squeak.