Chapter One
Tiny claws scittered against the gray, worn surface of the stone, kicking up a dusky brown feather as the paws battered it into the air. Warm, golden eyes gazed up at the feather as it was thrown into the air, and white paws battered it back-and-forth. The snow-white pelt of the she-kit rippled as she tumbled out of the nursery, scattering snow everywhere.
A chuckle sounded from in the nursery, and a lithe, white she-cat with silver tabby patches dappling her pelt padded out. Her green eyes glowed with affection as she gazed down at her kin warmly. "Careful now, Swankit. I don't want your pelt getting ruffled before tomorrow. Remember, your warrior ceremony is tomorrow," she purred, licking her kitten gently on the forehead.
Swankit glanced up at her mother, a glint of defiance in her golden eyes. "I want to be a medicine cat apprentice, though! I've seen cats come back from the war, and-I feel the need to help them. I would be useless out on the battlefield. Besides, I love helping Frozenwater, even though she can sometimes be hard of hearing," responded the kit, looking down at the snow-covered ground guiltily.
The she-cat cuffed her daughter across the ear, meaning for it to be slightly scolding. Swankit had always had dreams about being a medicine cat, but it was not a job for the daughter of two of the finest warriors in the Clan. "Why can't you be more like your brother, Hollowkit? He plans to become leader one day. His ambition is surely taken from his parents, is it not? Swankit, I know it is hard for you to realize, but you must become a warrior's apprentice. That's final."
Swankit hissed a low note, but it sounded more like a squeak to a fine warrior like her mother, Silvermist. "Frozenwater has already agreed to apprentice me, though! Besides, I was not born to follow in my parents' pawsteps. Wouldn't you want your daughter to become the medicine cat? I could heal the injured and sick cats, and Hollowkit could lead them. I don't want to be a part in this war. I just simply want to heal my clanmates," the white she-kit retorted tartly.
Silvermist's tail lashed back and forth, but she did not say anything to rebuke her daughter. In fact, she turned her gaze upon another kit, who was now tumbling out of the nursery, his amber eyes glistening with the fire of a fine warrior. "Hollowkit, go teach Swankit how to hunt and fight like a warrior," Silvermist hissed coldly, turning to retreat to the queens' den.
Swankit kept her jaws clamped as her mother padded back into the nursery, though her golden eyes blazed with fury and indignation. "If you're here to play fight with me, then you better think of something else to do!" she spat at Hollowkit, a silver tabby with amber eyes. Swankit bounded away, glancing over her shoulder to yowl one more thing at Hollowkit. "I'm going to the medicine cat's den!"
The pure white she-cat left her silver tabby brother sitting out in the cold, frigid camp. She padded into the medicine cat's den, taking in the sweet scents of the herbs. She glanced up at the white she-cat sitting in the den, perched beside a pile of herbs. The she-cat had one green eye and one blue eye. Swankit had thought Frozenwater was just completely blocking her out at first, but she had then learned that Frozenwater was deaf in her right ear.
Swankit leaped over beside Frozenwater, her eyes glistening and her tail twitching with jubilance. "Do you need help sorting the herbs?" she mewed, hoping that the medicine cat would respond with a positive answer. Swankit thought back to Silvermist's words, and her fur bristled at the very thought of becoming a warrior. Why was it so hard to become a medicine cat?
Frozenwater lifted her head, placing her paws over the herbs to sort them into a carefully neat pile. "Depends what you mean by sorting," she purred in amusement. "Are you going to ravage them like all of the other kittens do? Honestly, I sometimes wonder if anyone respects medicine cats nowadays. AuroraClan has not sent me a message in days, and I am beginning to grow worried."
Swankit narrowed her golden eyes, not understanding the true faith in AuroraClan yet. She had always heard the tales of the lights that danced in the sky, but she had never seen them herself. "Has AuroraClan abandoned us?" Swankit blurted out, and she instantly regretted asking the question. Now she would never become a medicine cat apprentice!
Frozenwater dipped her head tragically, her green-and-blue eyes overflowing with grief. "That is what most of the leaders have concluded," she responded, trying to hide the sorrow from her voice. "However, I am determined to find an answer to the end of this on-going war between the four Clans. Surely AuroraClan would not abandon us now." The medicine cat's words were hopeful, but her voice displayed that she was only trying to convince herself.
Swankit sat there thoughtfully, but she could not come up with faithful words. Instead, she turned to the pile of herbs and sniffed at them. She knew that sorting herbs would be her strength, not hunting. "I can help you sort the herbs!" she suggested, flicking her tail across the white-furred medicine cat's paw.
Frozenwater glanced down at the kit, smiling slightly. "Thank you, Swankit," she purred, "but I think you should go see your parents." A grimace appeared on the medicine cat's face. "They are looking over here. Swankit, I would love to have you as my apprentice, but I don't think there's a choice. You should become a warrior, following in your parents' pawsteps. It's what they want."
Swankit had to bite her tongue to keep from hissing at the medicine cat. "I don't want that, though! Why can't I make some choices about my life once and a while? They are always holding me back. They only think about their mousebrained reputations. I'll do anything to become your apprentice, Frozenwater," she replied harshly, though her voice softened once she spoke the last sentence.
The white she-kit turned around, padding out of the medicine cat's den. She noticed the massive, gray tom-cat, his amber eyes drauling and scoffing at her. She would know that gaze from anywhere. Her father, Wolfspirit, was sitting between Silvermist and another recognizable feline. The other cat was a dusky brown-and-white she-cat, her blue eyes collected and calm. It was none other than the leader, Featherstar.
Featherstar stepped forward, gazing down at Swankit. The white she-kit expected her gaze to be scornful, but it was quite the opposite. In fact, a glint of respect for the kit shone in the sapphire depths of her eyes. "I have had a long discussion with Wolfspirit and Silvermist, Swankit. Normally, I would approve of a new medicine cat apprentice, but I cannot defy two revered warriors in my Clan. I must decline your request to become the medicine cat's apprentice." The leader of HorizonClan dipped her head, stalking back swiftly to her lonesome den in the center of the camp.
Swankit's white fur bristled, and her claws scraped across the smooth stone beneath her tiny, fragile paws. She wanted to lash out at her parents, but she held back a sharp comment. She just shot a furious gaze at them, noticing that both of their expressions were disapproving. She bounded passed them, retreating to the queens' den.
Hollowkit sat in their nest, his ears pricked and his whiskers twitching. "I overheard what Featherstar said," meowed her brother, "and I am truly sorry. Our parents do love you, Swankit. However, they can be a little...misunderstanding. I would respect you if you became medicine cat apprentice, Swankit, b-but...I do want to fight by your side some day. You are my sister, and I want to make our moments together count."
Swankit found that she could not find her voice once Hollowkit finished speaking. Her brother seemed as if he was already a senior warrior, speaking with words of honesty and dignity. Swankit imagined how she looked to her parents, and she cringed at the thought of acting stubborn and hot-headed. Perhaps her brother was right. Maybe they could make the best out of their apprenticeships. Still, Swankit could not deny that she still had a longing to become a medicine cat's apprentice that gnawed aggravatingly at her heart.
The white she-kit curled up, but she instantly perked her ears when she heard the hushed voices of her parents. She peered out of the nursery, taking in the surroundings while doing so. The night sky glistened with golden eyes, which blinked down at her as if they were watching her from where she sat. The camp was perched on a flattened part of the mountain, close to the peak. HorizonClan was the only group of felines known to be able to live up in the such a harsh environment, and Swankit felt a slight pang of pride as she thought about how her Clan was known for their mountain tactics.
Swankit still crept closer, longing to hear the voices of Wolfspirit and Silvermist. The two spoke in silenced voices, as if they were daring to keep a secret from their two kittens. Swankit had to lean over slightly to hear them, and she flinched when her father glanced back to check if all of the kits were sleeping. Luckily for the white she-kit, Wolfspirit could not see into the den well enough to notice she was missing.
Wolfspirit lashed his tail, his amber eyes blazing in the eerie darkness of the night. "I only wish for our kits to be destined to lead HorizonClan to the end of this war," he hissed in his low, deep voice. "That will not happen if Swankit becomes a medicine cat. Her destiny does not lie within that repugnant, herb-scented den. She will be fighting by our sides one day, and she will be Hollowkit's deputy."
Silvermist twitched her ears, and she narrowed her eyes coldly. Perhaps she did not agree with Wolfspirit's fiery ambition. "Well, don't forget what the leader said about our kits," she responded in a hushed voice, her green eyes glistening in the silvery, milky light of the moon, which was now nearly full. "If they truly have a destiny within this war, then they must be fighting in it. Featherstar probably agrees with us."
Wolfspirit seemed to be laughing now. "Whether she agrees or not is completely up to AuroraClan," he chuckled softly, "but we will weave their destinies on the right path. After all, what good would the two greatest cats ever born be if they were stuck in that drafty den?" The massive warrior's bushy tail twitched, and his amber eyes glistened malevolently. "They will become great warriors, even Swankit. She has no way of becoming a medicine cat if we enforce her destiny upon her."
Swankit cringed, crawling back to the nest. Hollowkit had looked at her with half-opened eyes, but he had not made a move to get up. Swankit glanced at him, flicking her fluffy tail across his muzzle, indicating that he should keep quiet about it. "I'll tell you about it tomorrow, I promise," she whispered, curling up among the feather-strewn nest.