"Join the clan?" She asked incredulously. She glanced at Dustclaw. "Do we have enough room, or food, for new cats?" She asked. He looked doubtful. "I'm not sure."

"We could fight." Flame offered. "That would prove us as an asset to your clan." She sighed and shook her head.

"Fighting is not all we do. We hunt, not only for ourselves, but also for the others. The sick, weak, old, or those too young or busy to hunt for themselves. We obey the word of Starclan, who are our beloved dead. They watch over us and warn us of danger. Underneath them is the word of the leader, which I am. I am supposed to be there for my clan when they need me and I am supposed to protect it with nine lives. We are a clan. We fight and hunt for each other, and we keep peace and our lives are lived like a cat should live. We are free." She said.

She heard the yowls of GorgeClan's approval. Bluebreak's eyes glowed with pride, Dustclaw stamped at the ground, and Redstorm yowled out, "That's right!"

Flame dipped her head, "Impressive. You truly have a pride for your way of life. A way that we would like to be a part of. " Lurkingstar dipped her head. "A respectable goal. But we need to make sure you will respect our laws. You will live in our camp for a few days, and will each have a temporary mentor to teach you the ways of the Warrior Code. And at the end of those days, you will be given an assessment. Then, and only then, will you become warriors. Now, who would mentor Sun?" She asked the clan.

Spidertail stepped forward. "How old are you, Sun?" He asked. "Seven moons." She replied. "I will mentor her both before and after she joins." He said. She sensed the assurance behind his words.

Littlefox spoke up. "Could I mentor Flame?" He asked. "Yes." She replied. Flame looked old enough to be a young warrior. "Petalshine, will you take Cloud?" She asked, looking hopefully at the medicine cat. "Fine. But I'll have two apprentices." She said.

"OK, and I'll teach Ebony." She said. "You may return to your business." She jumped up to where Ebony sat, and said, "Would you like a tour of GorgeClan?" She asked, hope clear in her voice.

"Sure." He replied, only mild interest in his tone. She sighed. "This way." She said. "This is the warriors den." She said. "You will be sleeping here when you get your warrior name." She told him. He only nodded in response.

"This is the apprentices den." She said. "By the way, are Sun and Cloud your kits?" She asked. They didn't really look all that much like him. "No, they were my sister's. She... She died on a thunderpath, along with another one of her kits, Shade." He replied, grief hanging in his tone.

"What was her name?" She asked kindly. "Red." He replied simply. She could tell he didn't want to talk about it. "Oh. I'm sorry for your loss. The clan has been experiencing a killing spree, and from whom we know not. If you ever hear anything, please tell me. I lost so many cats that were important to me, and I need to know if any cat hears anything." She said.

He only nodded. "I'm so sorry." She repeated. "And I will try my hardest to find you and your kin a place in GorgeClan." She promised. Ebony looked up at her, sadness in his eyes.

"I know."