Эрин Хантер - Secrets Оf Тhe Clans

Fireheart sent me back to camp to warn Bluestar and Tigerclaw. I knew they were coming for Brokentail, so I planted myself outside his den and fought as hard as I could. It was strange fighting to defend such an evil cat. But I knew Bluestar wanted us to defend him. That’s what loyalty to the Clan is all about.

After we drove off the invaders, Bluestar made me a warrior. The whole Clan called out my warrior name, Brackenfur. I felt their support and love, and I was so proud of my actions and my choices.

That’s what I thought about during my silent vigil. After the ceremony, I wasn’t allowed to speak to any cat until dawn. I guarded the camp alone, though I was tired from the battle. I looked up at the twinkling lights of Silverpelt and felt StarClan watching me. It was comforting to know that even when my Clanmates left this life, they’d watch over me, until the day I joined StarClan as well.

When Firestar gave me Whitepaw to mentor, he talked about how I’d learned about strength and friendship from Graystripe and how he hoped I’d pass on that loyalty and determination to her.

Whitepaw is eager to learn and excited. I take her on boundary patrol whenever I can, renewing the scent markings and checking for signs of trespassers. We hunt for food for the elders and the queens, and I’m teaching her to climb trees and jump as high as she can to catch flying birds.

Soon, she will become a warrior. I can’t wait to see her eyes shine as Firestar says her warrior name and to share in her happiness with the rest of the Clan.

One of the most important skills a mentor must teach an apprentice is how to fight. Warriors are often called upon to defend the borders or protect the Clan from attack, whether by enemy Clans or predators like badgers and foxes. Even medicine cats must learn enough fighting technique to be useful in battle.

Back kickExplosive surprise move to catch opponent from behind. Judge opponent’s distance from you carefully; then lash out with your back legs, taking your weight on your front paws.

Belly rakeA fight-stopper. Slice with unsheathed claws across soft flesh of opponent’s belly. If you’re pinned down, the belly rake quickly puts you back in control.

Front paw blowFrontal attack. Bring your front paw down hard on your opponent’s head. Claws sheathed.

Front paw strikeFrontal attack. Slice downward with your front paw at the body or face of your opponent. Claws unsheathed.

Killing biteA death blow to the back of the neck. Quick and silent and sometimes considered dishonorable. Used only as a last resort.

Leap-and-holdIdeal for a small cat facing a large opponent. Spring onto opponent’s back and grip with unsheathed claws. Now you are beyond the range of your opponent’s paws and in position to inflict severe body wounds. A group of apprentices can defeat a large and dangerous warrior in this way. It was deployed to great effect against BloodClan’s deputy, Bone. Watch for the drop-and-roll countermove, and try to jump free before you get squashed.

Partner fightingWarriors who have trained and fought together will often instinctively fall into a paired defensive position, each protecting the other’s back while fending off an opponent on either side. Slashing, clawing, and leaping together, battle pairs can be a whirlwind of danger for attackers.

Play deadEffective in a tight situation, such as when you are pinned. Stop struggling and go limp. When your opponent relaxes his grip, thinking you are defeated, push yourself up explosively. This will throw off an unwary opponent and put you in an attacking position.

Scruff shakeSecure a strong teeth grip in the scruff of your opponent’s neck; then shake violently until he or she is too rattled to fight back. Most effective against rats, which are small enough to throw. A strong throw will stun or kill them.

Teeth gripTarget your opponent’s extremities—the legs, tail, scruff, or ears—and sink in your teeth and hold. This move is similar to the leap-and-hold except your claws remain free to fight.

Upright lockFinal, crushing move on already weakened opponent. Rear up on back legs and bring full weight down on opponent. If opponent does same, wrestle and flip him under you. This move makes you vulnerable to the belly rake, so requires great strength and speed.

“Goldenflower, is it your wish to give up the name of warrior and go to join the elders?”

“It is.”

“Your Clan honors you and all the service you have given us. I call upon StarClan to give you many seasons of rest.”

The life of a warrior is difficult and dangerous, and many die young—in battle, of disease, or from a natural disaster. Those cats lucky enough to live a long life may eventually retire from their warrior duties to become elders. These elderly cats are viewed with the deepest respect by the rest of the Clan. Many moons of experience make them an invaluable source of advice for the Clan leader, and they keep alive Clan history by passing down the old stories.

As a young apprentice, I dreamed of being a warrior, and I wondered what it would be like to have kits. But I never thought about becoming an elder. Now I know I am lucky to have made it this far.

All the cats treat elders with respect. Even apprentices listen to me; I can’t say they always did when I was a warrior. We elders spend our days peacefully, for the most part—discussing the goings-on in the forest, telling stories about the old days, or just snoozing in the sun.

Don’t get me wrong. I still have plenty of fight left. I’d be ready to hunt or defend the camp in an instant. When I was a queen nursing Swiftkit, an elder named Rosetail died defending us from a ShadowClan attack. I would do the same for our nursery kits today.

There is one sad duty we elders perform. When a cat dies, all Clan cats gather for a final vigil. We share tongues and groom our Clanmate one last time. That night certain cats lie beside the body in mourning—its family, mentor, apprentice, and littermates. At dawn, we elders are the ones who take the body out of the camp for burial.

So it has always been. I’ve served my Clan for a long time, and it’s nice to finally have some peace and quiet. I hope I get to stick around and enjoy it for many moons to come.

I didn’t mean to break the warrior code. I just didn’t understand it.

Parts of it seemed stupid to me, so I figured I should just follow the smart parts. And Fireheart never stopped to explain why I had to follow these rules. He was too busy pointing out the things I did wrong instead of the things I did right. I was faster than Brightpaw, stronger than Thornpaw, and smarter than Swiftpaw and Ashpaw put together.

I was determined to show the Clan that I could be a great warrior, even though I was born a kittypet.

One day, I caught a pigeon just before it took off. Instead of praising my skill, Fireheart scolded me like a wayward kit. He said I didn’t respect my prey.

I was fed up with Fireheart’s lectures, so I ran off. He could have chased me, but he didn’t. I ran until I smelled the Thunderpath, and I knew I had reached Twolegplace. I thought about visiting my mother, but I was too worked up, so I decided to explore.