St[o]ry time!

"Ooh! Ooh! I do!" Ginger called.

"Can I listen too!" Featherkit mewed.

Willowfeather walked in, looking for Cloudpaw."Oh you are telling the story about snakes right!"Willowfeather mewed.

"Okay I will wait until then!" she mewed.

"Of course you can okay let me get going with the story.Is everybody settled down?"Cloudmist mewed

"There once lived a brave Lionclan warrior called Sunpelt.Sunpelt had heard stories of the giant snake called Mouthclaw,who lived in a dark cave by Snakerocks.She was the only snake in the entire forest.She had killed many great warriors from all the Clans.Her sharp-fanged claws could swallow a living cat whole, and she spat deadly venom.

Cats from all Clans were forbidden to go to Snakerocks.The leaders were afraid to lose anymore warriors to Mouthclaw.But Sunpelt wanted to prove what a great warrior he was.He thought that by killing Mouthclaw he would earn the respect of the forest.


One morning he left the camp before sunup and journeyed to Snakerocks.He stood outside of Mouthclaw's cave and called, "Come out and fight!" Then he angered her further by kicking stones into her cave with his back legs.

Mouthclaw slithered from her cave, tongue flickering like lightning.She was ten fox-lengths long and as thick as a badger with a belly full of cubs.Her eyes were evil red slits, and her scales glittered in the dawn light.

She bared her fangs with pleasure as Lionclan warriors were one of her favorite meals. And then she lunged.But the young warrior was too quick.He leaped from rock to rock, while Mouthclaw spat poison and threw up clouds of dust with her lashing tail.The fight went on all day, but she could never get close enough for the kill.

Finally Mouthclaw could fight no more.
"I have been living in these rocks for a thousand moons,"she hissed "Spare my life and I shall grant you one wish."
The brave warrior thought for a moment. Then he roared, "I wish that you would shrink to the length of a cats tail.If you were that small I would allow you to remain living at Snakerocks."

"And that is all you ask of me?"hissed Mouthclaw with an evil glint in her eyes.

"That is all,"said Sunpelt.He knew a tiny snake would be no danger to the giant cats of the forest.He would be a hero.

Mouthclaw began to writhe and slither , back and forth. A great cloud of dust rose up,when it settled , Sunpelt leaped backward in horror.

A thousand snakes each the length of a cats tail, covered the ground spitting poison.Now instead of one giant snake at Snakerocks, there were many, each deadly and fierce.

Sunpelt could not believe what he had done. Horrified and guilt-stricken, he raced back to camp and confessed all to his leader.

At first Goldenstar was angry."This was a dangerous thing you did,"he growled "You should know better then to bargain with snakes.They are cunning and outwit us every time."
"I know,"Sunpelt admitted
"However," Goldenstar meowed "you have done a great service for the forest.These smaller snakes may be dangerous, but none can be as dangerous as Mouthclaw.Now no warrior has a fear of being swallowed or bitten by her deadly fangs."

"That is true,"Sunpelt meowed his spirit rising.

Goldenstar forgave his brave warrior.After all Sunpelt was not the first cat or the last to be tricked by a snake in the grass. Now wasn't that a good story?"