Prologue
A large expanse of forest, undisturbed by man, sprawled out as far as the eye could see. The forest only stopped at the edge of a massive lake. The lake was so vast that you couldn't see any land on the other side. A dense fog seems to always cloud the lake. Elder stories claim that a mysterious island is shrouded by the fog and that the only means to access it was to wait til leaf bare for the lake to freeze. The tale is many seasons old and there are no witnesses to the actual truth behind the myth but one day, that all might change...
Chapter 1: Confinement
“Maplebreeze! Maplebreeze!”
Maplebreeze looked out over his clanmates happy faces, chanting his new warrior name. Pride surged through his body as he walked out into the sea of cats. He was bombarded with congratulations as he made his way towards the fresh killpile to grab a mouse. After making his selection, he carried it towards his usual eating spot.
“Congrats on finally making a warrior!”
Maplebreeze turned, mouth full of mouse, towards the she-cat that had addressed him. He quickly swallowed his mouse. “You knew I would get there sooner or later, Sunbeam” he joked.
Sunbeam chuckled “I guess. I was beginning to wonder if they forgot about you”
Maplebreeze glanced around the camp. The camp had seemed to be brimming with cats, young and old, big and small. He wouldn't be surprised if he did seem to just blend in with the others. “It's only been a moon since you got your name” he replied, taking another bite of his mouse. “You want to share?”
“I've already had my daily mouse” Sunbeam mewed. Maplebreeze could tell that she was starving, but Oakstar had just made a new law, limiting everyone to a mouse a day. If there wasn't enough for everyone, usually the younger warriors and apprentices went hungry, while the queens, kits, elders and senior warriors stuffed themselves. He was lucky enough to actually have something, especially with the Clan population seeming to double over night.
Maplebreeze finished and stretched “Are there any patrols we can go on?” he asked.
Sunbeam shook her head. “There are already 10 hunting patrols out.”
Maplebreeze sighed and sat back down. Since the clan consisted of so many cats, Oakstar decided it was a better idea to only send out a maximum of 50 cats at a time. However, he seemed to favor sending out the senior warriors over the younger warriors and apprentices. An apprentice was lucky to become a warrior in 12 moons due to the lack of training.
Maplebreeze glanced around the camp again noticing that he didn't see any senior warriors, just young warriors, apprentices, and kits lounged around the clearing. He growled under his breath and, apparently, Sunbeam heard.
“Something wrong?” she asked, concerned
“I'm just tired of sitting around camp all day.” Maplebreeze meowed “Can't Oakstar see that we aren't doing any good just wasting away in camp? We need as many cats out hunting as possible!”
“We don't have much say on the matter” Sunbeam replied “He is the leader”
Maplebreeze furred up a little but forced his fur to lie flat again “If I was leader, I would change the warrior code back to its former glory”