"Come on, come on!" A voice mewed, "Are you going to wake up or laze around all day?"
Duskkit sat up suddenly with a jolt. Arching her back into a yawn, she began to look around. Her silver and dusty brown coat was tinged with a golden hue from the incoming rays of the sun, the warmness engulfing the air. Yellowkit was trying to nudge her awake. Yellowkit was a ginger and yellow kit, Frostflame's only surviving kit since the ... accident. Yellowkit continued to poke Duskkit with her paw, annoyingly.
"Yeah, yeah, okay, I get it, I'm up!" Duskkit barked and pushed away Yellowkit, giggling. "What's the hurry, Yellie?" That was her nickname for her best friend.
"You, me and Mothkit are becoming apprentices today, like how it happens to every kit protagonist on the first chapter in a fanfiction!" Yellowkit explained in a flurry of words, too excited to hold it in, "You can't wake up too late or else Oakstar'll be angry! You know how snappy he is!"
"My StarClan, you're right! I forgot! I can't wait to be apprentices! Me and you will train, and Mothkit too!"
"What is it, I heard my name..." a voice mewed tiredly. Duskkit turned. Her sister, Mothkit, a moody silver kit, had just sat up, having been awakened by the mention of her name. Her eyes drooped as she sat next to Yellowkit, apathetic as always.
Duskkit had been too enthusiastic to answer her sister's question, cutting off Yellowkit, who had been about to answer it, "We're going to be apprentices! And train to fight, and hunt, and go out, and, and-"
"-And search the elders for ticks, and clean out bedding? No thanks." Mothkit indifferently groaned, laying back down as she wrapped her fluffy tail around herself. "I'd rather sleep around all day."
Yellowkit scoffed. "Well then, you'll be missing out, meanie! And you have bad breath!"
"Your insults are so original that StarClan is going to come down personally to give you an award." Mothkit snapped, angrily.
"Yes! I've always been good at debating."
"That was sarcasm. The only thing you're going to get is a slap on the flank and a cup of stale root beer."
Yellowkit's ears drooped as she sat back down, disappointed. "Don't listen to Mothkit," Duskkit comforted her friend, "She's always snappy and moody."
Yellowkit smiled, before rushing over and pinning Duskkit. The two playfought; nipping at each others' ears and batting at each other, before accidentally rolling into another cat in the nursery. Duskkit instantly turns in fear, scared that it may be her moody JayFeather-like sister, before seeing Dawnberry. Dawnberry was a pretty she who recently gave birth to three beautiful kits, her third litter. As the legends say, she was previously the mate of Oakstar and had a litter with him, before having left him for another tom, Iceblaze. Though those are obviously just rumours.
Dawnberry'a shadow lurked over the two best friends. "Why can't you two kits be like Mothkit? At least SHE'S quiet!" The queen wined, "You're far too active and loud, you'll injure my kits! You're far too big to be in here. Go outside and play, before you hurt one of them."
"Yeah, Duskkit!" Shellkit, one of Dawnberry's kits, teased. Her and her two siblings, Marigoldkit and Buzzardkit, had bullied Duskkit. That was before Duskkit told her mother, who promptly put an end to it.
Duskkit growled slightly and turned. The nursery was a small, secluded area beneath two oak trees on a patch of grass. A small trail led it back to the stoney camp centre. She led her friend through the trail back to camp, the path becoming more and more Stoney and pebble-y as they went on, and the nature slowly desecrating. Duskkit saw the nursery's entrance to camp. Turning back to look at Yellowkit, she mewed, "We're here now, Yello- oof!"
She fell back onto the floor after bumping into another cat like the clumsy kit she was. "Ouch! Look where you're going, ma-..." she paused, seeing the cat. Those cold, icy blue eyes... those brown paws... that greying fur...
It was Oakstar. His long, tall shadow lurked over her as he stared down at her.
"Would you mind saying that again?" He asked. It was a known fact he disliked rudeness.
"S-sorry Oakstar!" She mewed. Oakstar was the leader of the clan. He was wise, though old and cranky. Old enough to be an elder. And he was going crazy. It was noted that he had been talking to trees recently. "Were you going to the nursery? To see me and the, the other kits?"
The brown siamese tom scoffed. "Like I'd have a need to do that. Your apprentice ceremony may be soon, but I'm not going to pamper you over it. No, I was going to see the great tree of wisdom. I must yet again ask it my many questions."
She frowned. The tom was clearly losing his mind. "You're clearly losing your mind. Perhaps you're unfit to be leader?"
The tom growled, flexing his claws in the stone floor. "I'm not old, and I'm not losing my mind! The trees can talk! They speak to me. They speak to all, but only some can hear!" The tom padded through the trail and turned to a tall oak tree, sitting down and beginning to talk to it. Duskkit gulped and looked at Yellowkit.
"He's absolutely bonkers." She gasped. "I'm pretty sure he needs to retire soon."
"Mhm, but he's too prideful to realise he's too old. He is a good leader, though. This clan has been prosperous under him," she pointed out, "Want to play now?"
"Apprentices have no time for playing." Iceblaze, the deputy, had pointed out. He had been listening to the conversation.
"Oh..." Yellowkit mewed, before getting an idea. "Hey, you know how you're mates with Dawnberry? Is it true she was mates with Oakstar beforehand?"
"Yes." Iceblaze mewed. "Oakstar is too old to be leader. He needs to retire soon, anyway. I want to be leader, and that shriveled old pancake is hogging the spot!" He snapped and padded away.
Duskkit shrugged and from there, she and Yellowkit began play fighting again. Recently, they had begun to enjoy 'training' together, as they were about to be apprentices and it would help them get a fresh start. Before they knew it, the sun was about to go down and Oakstar had returned. The old tom, with some difficulty, leapt up onto the leader's branch of the Great Sakura Tree, with rigid movements. He turned to face the main clearing.
"All cats old enough to chase cherry blossom leaves, gather around Great Sakura for a clan meeting!"
The warriors, queens and apprentices gathered beneath the tree; proud that a meeting was about her, Duskkit sat up eagerly. Mothkit padded over and sat next to her, much to her surprise. The deputy, Iceblaze, sat at the bottom of the tree, next to the freshkill pile.
Oakstar cleared his throat. "Mothkit, Duskkit, and Yellowkit - you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Mothpaw, Duskpaw and Yellowpaw. Duskpaw, your mentor shall be Sunflurry. Mothpaw, your mentor shall be... Iceblaze... and Yellowpaw, your mentor shall be Bluerose. Berrysplash, you are the mother of Mothpaw and Duskpaw, and you will now be a warrior. The same goes for you too, Frostflame," the elder tom had croaked out.
Yellowpaw and Duskpaw dipped their heads in respect as the clan calls out the three apprentices' new names. The clan began to disappear and the large group was disbanded, except for a few.
"Hey, would you guys like us to show you your new dens?" Sheeppaw mewed as he bounced over. As well as being bubbly and small, he was a fluffy white and black tom resembling a sheep.
"Yes please!" Yellowpaw mewed, padded forward. Sheeppaw lead the three to the apprentices' dens, leading the way beside Yellowpaw as the two promptly began chatting away. Mothpaw was slightly in front of Duskpaw and was striding along silently, her eyes peeked up as she listened to the conversation. Meanwhile, Duskpaw was pulling along at the back. The camp was on a mountain, with the Apprentices' den being on a higher ledge along a small trail west of camp. Duskpaw slowed down, taking a chance to admire the nature and the new trail.
"We're here!" Yellowpaw mewed. Duskpaw padded forward. On a high ledge, a few apprentices slept, too tired to be bothered to do anything. Pine trees grew and created a large barrier around the den, also causing a large patch of shade to engulf it. Duskpaw had too much excitement to be able to hold it in, and she began bouncing slightly.
"Would you like to sleep next to me, Yellowpaw?" Sheeppaw mewed. When the she happily nodded, he led her to a slightly lower and smaller ledge, where they leapt up and slept next to each other.
"Would you like to sleep next to me, Mothpaw?" Duskpaw enthusiastically asked.
"And hear YOUR snores all night? Heh, no thanks," Mothpaw snapped. She turned, hitting Duskpaw in the face with her tail as she did so, and laid down on the ground just below to the two ledges.
All alone, Duskpaw leapt up next to the couple apprentices on the high ledge. Immediately, she noticed Crowpaw, Dovepaw, Eelpaw and another one whose name she had forgotten. Carefully she padded over them, cautious not to wake them up, and slept at the back part.