PoolPelt and FrostFang are two strong and loyal ShadowClan cats. But they weren't always members of ShadowClan. They born into a different clan, them being the only known Demi-Cats to be born into another clan. But they both had their own story and their own way of leaving the clan they were born into, to be with their family. This is the story of one of the two cats.

(PoolPaw's POV)

Dashing through RiverClan territory with a mission in mind I jump over logs and other bits of debris that was torn up in the recent storm.

The foul smell of the thunderpath hits my nose causing my muzzle to scrunch up. My instincts yelled at me to turn around and stay away from the foul smell and return to the safety of the RiverClan camp.

Pushing past my instincts I push all my muscles to work as hard as they can as I race closer and closer to the border between the two clans.

Ears pricking at the quiet rumbling of a monster I pause my running on a tree stump my ears swivel around to pick up anymore sounds coming from the thunderpath.

My eyes scanning the stretch of grey as a red ute (Similar to a pickup truck to anyone not Aussie) rumbled across the grey path towards the dock that sits on the border between RiverClan and ShadowClan.

My eyes not leaving the red vehicle until it came to a stop at the dock. Once it does I nod my head to myself as I checked off that part of my border related routine.

Jumping down from the decaying tree stump I push my legs to run closer to the thunderpath, as my paws make contact with the warm thunderpath I quickly race across it, my instinctual fear of the vehicle and the twolegs inside fueling my sprint.

Finally reaching the other side of the grey path I slow down slightly. My ears pricked as I sneak around the territory of the enemy clan. My eyes catching on the two different colours moving though the undergrowth of the forest with a purpose.

I quickly duck behind a nearby pine incase the three cats moving towards me weren't the three I was hoping for. My eyes scanning the pelts of the cats once they emerge from the undergrowth into the small clearing I was standing in, just a couple of seconds prior.

The electrifyingly blue eyes on the sandy coloured apprentice scan the clearing around him. One of his black furred companions sniff the ground in a search for his scent while the other seemed to blink before his head flicks towards my hiding place.

"Mitch?" The Sandy furred tom questioned as he follows the slimmer of the two black cats gaze. The fluffier black cat looking up from where he was sniffing the ground to also look over to my hiding place.

Not seeing a use in hiding I bunch the muscles in my sore legs and leap out from behind my hiding place, two of the three cats not prepared for me to come out so quickly jump out of the way of my path, the third, the slimmer black eyed cat, stared at me wide eyed as I crash into him.

"Hi.." I mumble as I shake my head not expecting the tom to not move. "Xylo next time you should probably move out of the way." I chuckle at ShadePaws still surprised expression as he scrambled to get on his paws after our collision.

"Well don't surprise us next time! I thought you were a Rouge or something hostile." The other black furred tom hissed. Rolling my eyes at DarkPaw who had walked over to stand in front of his brother.

Sighing the sandy coloured tom that I know as SparkPaw or Mario stepped into my view and intervened. "Calm down you two. We are here to discuss something important." He grumbled. My ears lowering slightly as we get back on topic.

The three cats all turn their heads at once to look at me, giving me a slightly creeped out feeling. "I've decided that I'm leaving RiverClan." I state calmly my eyes flickering to the ground.

"I'm sure ShadowClan will welcome you." ShadePaw purred as he gave me a slight nudge. Looking up to make eye contact with the older apprentice I see his comforting smile.

"Thanks you three. Really." I mew as I look towards the other two cats that were standing in front of me and ShadePaw. SparkPaw also giving a comforting smile and DarkPaw even nodding in support.

"I may not like the three of you, but I do know how important our birth clans are." The normally argumentative and self centred tom mewed with a slightly comforting tone. Me and the other two demi-cats as we dubbed ourselves share a look with each other. The fluffy black tom had slowly opened up and started acting kinder as he lived apart of the clans, now that he had the job of helping to protect and supply for the weaker members of his second family.

"Thanks Brick... That was kind of sweet." I joke softly as I pretend to wipe a tear from my furry face. The tom in question would have blushed from embarrassment if he was capable of doing so.

"B-back on topic!" He hissed in embarrassment from  being caught acting nicely towards one of Xylo's friends. The three of us snickering at his embarrassment.

As our snickering drew to a stop SparkPaw opened his mouth to speak. "So... How are you going to tell your clan about leaving and ask ours about joining..?" He asked as he looked directly at me.

"Well- Um..." I start while trying to think of a plan. 'We really should have thought this through last time.' "What about the gathering?" ShadePaw cuts my attempt of a sentence off with his idea.

"Thats... actually a good idea." DarkPaw admitted thoughtfully. "I agree. We could have you tell your clan and ask ours at the same time." SparkPaw agreed with a nod.

"I guess that's what we're doing then." I say with a smile. Giving ShadePaw a thankful tail flick I back away from the three ShadowClan apprentices.

"I've got to head back to RiverClan before MistTail and my siblings notice me gone. I'll see you three at the gathering." I mew before turning around and dashing back the way I came.

(Three days later)

It was finally the day of the gathering. My paws itching to break into a sprint as the RiverClan cats I was travelling with walked towards the lake shore. My mind swirling as I think of what I needed to say for the gathering.

As we drew closer to the fallen log bridge. My tail started lashing anxiously as I realised that it was getting closer and closer to me leaving the clan that I grew up in, the clan that I was trained in, my ho- No. My old home. My eyes shift from the ground to look forwards as I jump onto the log my eyes blazing with certainty.

Hopping down from the log I continue following the leader of RiverClan, BadgerStar. Named after his victory over a badger when he was a apprentice, earning him the name BadgerClaw, and eventually BadgerStar.

The leader came to a slow stop his tail flicking signalling to the cats following him to spread out and get comfortable for the gathering once the other three clans arrive. I follow the leader closely as he walks towards the tree where the clan leaders sit, my tail held still as I fought my nervousness, PuddleSwirl and SilverHeart following behind me.

"Are you sure that you can't tell us what the announcement you want to make is?" PuddleSwirl the RiverClan medicine cat questioned me.

"I'm sorry, but it has to wait until the gathering." I respond calmly as she sits down on the medicine cat's side of the roots of the gathering tree. She nods although with a small scowl on her face before her eyes shift to a space behind me.

Turning away from the medicine cat I look towards the entrance of the clearing only to see MapleStar, the believed to be, bad leader of ShadowClan. The rare tortoiseshell tom received many glares from the other RiverClan cats but some of the cat's didn't glare at him. I was one of these cats.

The tough tom sent his clan away with a short but quiet mew before he started to walk towards the gathering tree, me still standing in front of it with PuddleSwirl behind me.

Behind the tortoiseshell tom were two fully grown cats, the ShadowClan Deputy, CloudStep and the Medicine cat, SweetDream. There were also three smaller cats following at a distance to the older cats. He could recognise the fur of his three ShadowClan friends.

"PoolPaw! Oi! Over here..!" ShadePaw whisper yelled not very quietly, gaining amused looks from the other cats, mostly the other apprentices.

"I'm not blind ShadePaw." I purr in amusement as the son of hades licked his paw in a attempt of looking somewhat normal and calm, him failing miserably when he looses focus and tries to favour his left side, his left paw still hovering in the air without any signs of moving, causing him to tumble over onto his side.

"D-did you seriously just forget that your paw was in the air?!" SparkPaw said between his laughter. ShadePaw started digging at the ground.

"What are you doing..?" DarkPaw asked his brother as he continued to dig. "I'm digging a hole for me to bury you three in." The less fluffy tom hissed jokingly.

"Ugh. You three act like kits." DarkPaw growled to the amusement of the other two ShadowClan Demi-Cat's. "DarkPaw, please. You act like a second mother to the kits." SparkPaw said mockingly.

DarkPaw grumbled at the son of Zeus' comment, his tail tip flicking from side to side in annoyance.

I yelp as something lands on my tail, instantly pulling it to my side, I look over my shoulder to see a white ThunderClan apprentice with flame like markings looking at me with guilt in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to step on your tail." She mumbled out her apology, her ears lowering slightly.

"Its fine. You didn't mean to." I mew. The Flame looking Apprentice, FlamePaw if I remember correctly, gave one last nod before walking towards a different group of apprentices from ThunderClan and WindClan. 'I wonder when they got here.'

I turn my head away from the group of apprentices when a Yowl splits through the chattering of the different clans, turning my head to look towards the tree that the leaders were all perched on, all the other cats in the clearing also going quiet.

The cat who had let out the yowl was non other than OwlStar the leader of ThunderClan. He was standing up on his designated branch and waiting for all the chattering to calm before starting to speak. A soft flutter of leaves drifting down from a higher branch in the tree.

I smile slightly as my eyes briefly catch a glimpse at a red-brown cat perching herself up higher in the tree, out of sight to those not searching for her. 'Of course Rock(et) would come here to watch the gathering.' I thought happily as I stared at the rouge.

"I can proudly say that prey has been well in ThunderClan. We have two new apprentices, BlackPaw and SweetPaw, SnowDrift's apprentice." The ThunderClan leader said proudly as a cat from the group of apprentices that FlamePaw was apart of and a apprentice beside SnowDrift, the ThunderClan medicine cat, straightened up as they got a few mew's of congratulation.

The ThunderClan leader sat down once he had finished speaking, RunningStar, The WindClan leader was next to stand and give his clan report. "Prey is also well in WindClan. We have no other news." The leader finished his report quickly, also sitting down to wait for the next clan to give it's report.

MapleStar was next to stand. "ShadowClan is doing well. Our warriors have trained strong apprentices worthy of LionClan." The ShadowClan reports, It is a well known fact that ShadowClan has a extreme amount of apprentice for one time, with both DuskFur and RedFoot kitting within a week from each other, making ShadePaw and DarkPaw older than SparkPaw by a week.

Finally the moment comes and BadgerStar stands for the RiverClan report. "RiverClan is doing well. One of our apprentices, PoolPaw has something he wants to announce." My heart starts to race as I hear my name, the other Demi-cats noticing my panic, ShadePaw gives me a slight nudge towards the tree, my paws instinctively continue walking as I think of what I'm about to say.

Jumping onto the branch with a small bit of a struggle I stand beside my leader for the last time. "I- I..." I stutter out, my fear starting to get to me. "You can do it PoolPaw!" I hear a supportive mew from SparkPaw.

Taking a deep breath in and then releasing it I continue. "I'm leaving RiverClan." I state, the RiverClan cats eyes wide with surprise. "What!?" I hear the surprised gasp from BadgerStar. "I'm leaving RiverClan. It isn't the place for me. But I feel another clan might be." I repeat my original words with more confidence before continuing.

The other clans look at me in surprise, waiting for me to say which clan I am leaving RiverClan for.

Turning my head from the sea of cats below me to MapleStar, I continue. "MapleStar, may I please join ShadowClan?" I say knowing there is no going back now. The cat in question looks slightly surprised but also impressed. "Yes. You may. It takes a lot of courage to do something like this, let alone at a gathering." He replies with a nod.

Hisses of "Traitor" rang around the clearing, from three different clans, ShadowClan staying quiet while three out of the six ShadowClan apprentices stare at me in awe, the Demi-cats being the other three.

I go to hop back onto the roots below only to be stopped as SilverHeart hissed and clawed at me, causing me to scramble back up the tree and onto the branch with BadgerStar who was growling at me. I look around frantically for somewhere safe to jump to, seeing the space on the branch beside MapleStar I send the cat a frantic look.

I jump onto the branch and take a few seconds to balance on the branch before sitting beside my leader, my gaze drifts off towards my friends who were hissing at WhiteHeart after he tried to attack me.

"Stop! StarClan is getting upset!" SnowDrift yowls over the hissing and growling of the clans. I look up to see the moonlight get blocked out by the clouds. All the cats freeze as the clouds cover the moon.

"WindClan! We're leaving!" RunningStar mewed as he jumped down from his branch. The WindClan cats quickly following behind him as he raced towards the log bridge, in hopes of keeping his clan out of the drama between RiverClan and ShadowClan.

"ShadowClan, follow!" MapleStar also leapt from his branch, I follow close behind as I land beside him. The ShadowClan apprentices forming a protective circle around me to keep the hissing RiverClan cats away.

As I walk with my fellow ShadowClan members I smile. My fur brushing against SparkPaw and ShadePaw's, I know I made the right choice. I know I was meant to be a ShadowClan cat with my friends.

(I know I said that I wouldn't upload for a while, but I ended up finding some inspiration yesterday and started it. I finished it a total of 2694 words, including the AN which is three and a half times the size of my previous one-shot. There is a little cameo for one of the characters. I hope you liked reading about how PoolPelt joined ShadowClan, and a bit of info on the clans before the other Demi-cats arrived. I might not ever write FrostFang's part though.)