Fireface's Diary

2nd Moon of New-Leaf; 1st Quarter Moon; 3rd Day

Dawn

I have been counting the days till my apprentice ceremony. It has finally arrived. I've always just spent my days in the nursery or playing in the elder's den. Now I will be able to explore the territory and learn how to better serve my Clan. My sister, Applekit, and I are exactly 189 days old. I think we have been apprenticed a quarter moon late.

I prod my sister awake with a cream-colored paw. Her ginger pelt stirs at my touch. She opens her blue eyes and purrs.

"We're going to be apprentices." I remind her.

"Really?" Applekit sits up. "I had almost forgotten!"

"Come on," I giggled. "Let's get some fresh-kill for Redflower."

Redflower is our mother. She's awful sweet and treats us kindly. Her fur is a deep red ginger like mine, but her eyes are a beautiful blue. I'd give up my red pelt for eyes like hers. I've always been a trifle jealous of my sister. She's got the same eyes. My eyes are just yellow.

Our father is a warrior and he is too busy with patrols, hunting, and his own apprentice to visit us in the nursery. He's handsome for a tom I suppose. He's got a creamy pelt with brown points and sharp, muscular edges and he can kill a bird with his sky blue eyes. At least, that's how our mother describes him. I think she's in love with him. But, he doesn't talk to us so I don't think the love is returned. His name is Hazelclaw.

Applekit and I pad over to the prey pile. A few of the warriors were already choosing a piece of prey for their morning meal. A silver-gray she-cat saw us and gave us a whole rabbit.

"Thank you, Willowtail." I said to her politely.

Applekit and I couldn't believe it! We were just going to pick out a few mice. We would never dare take a rabbit!

"How are we gonna get this back to the nursery?" I whispered in my sister's ear.

"Aw, buck up." She replied.

Redflower was so happy when we finally got the prey into the nursery. We ate our fill and their was still plenty of meat left. We gave it to Snowdapple, a white queen who was swollen with kits.

Sunhigh

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting." The ThunderClan leader, Barkstar, announced.

Redflower groomed my fur making it pretty for the ceremony. She took careful licking to my face. I had a cream-colored blaze that ran from my belly to between my eyes. The blaze always spikes out, so she was trying to get it to slick down.

I glanced at my sister. Wow, is she pretty! She's got a nice smooth light gingery pelt and her eyes sparkle in the warm sun. I am awfully jealous. She has chiseled featured like Hazelclaw, but I am very round and fuzzy like Redflower and that is something to be jealous of.

But I love my sister, and I believe I am envious in a good way. I saw that many cats of ThunderClan were gathering beneath the gaze of Barkstar. The brown tabby tom waited patiently for us to be ready.

Redflower herded us to the Highrock. With a small nod exchanged by the leader and our mother, the first ceremony began.

"Applekit," Barkstar summoned for her to sit on the first stone beneath the High rock. My sister happily leapt up to the low stone. "From this moment on, you will be known as Applepaw."

I could see her blue eyes scanning the Clan for her mentor. She looked very excited and nervous too."Longfur, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You will be the mentor to Applepaw."

Applepaw seemed more or less pleased. Longfur is a black tom with a very long pelt. He's a decent warrior from what I've seen when he is in camp.

Barkstar waited until Longfur had joined her on the flat rock. He looked very happy to get an apprentice. "Longfur, you have shown yourself to be a brave, intelligent warrior. Do all that you can to pass on what you know down to Applepaw."

"Of course." Longfur promised. Applepaw reached up and they touched noses.

They came down from the small stepping stone and blended into the crowd. Applepaw shot me a quick glance. Barkstar was waiting for me to come up. I felt suddenly a little nervous. I wished with all my heart that I would get a warrior that I knew well.

When I leapt up onto the stone beneath the Highrock. I was dizzied by the faces that stared at me. It was most of the Clan! I know that some of the elders and the other queens and even some warriors were not there, but it sure was a lot of cats staring at me.

I felt my body go stiff. Barkstar started my ceremony and I wasn't even listening. Suddenly, I felt a nose touch my nose. Willowtail was my mentor! I couldn't have wished for a better warrior. When we stepped off the stone. Willowtail and I went over to sit with Redflower as the Clan turned came over to congratulate us.

"Applepaw! Firepaw! Applepaw! Firepaw!" They cheered. I hadn't even realized that I'm not Firekit anymore. I'm an apprentice now.

The warriors and our other Clanmates came over to us. They said things like, "you've got some warriors in the making, Redflower," and "you two are fine apprentices already," and "I hope your training goes well, Longfur, Willowtail."

Applepaw and I enjoyed the attention. I felt real grown up. I'm sure in another 189 days we'll be warriors I reckon. ThunderClan'll be the best, most strongest, bravest Clan in the forest with us as their loyal warriors!

Redflower decided to stay a queen and she took off to the nursery. I was a little upset that she didn't choose to become a warrior again. It would have been fun to patrol and hunt with her.

"You two go and meet the other apprentices. Meet us by the entrance when you're done." Willowtail said, her green eyes shimmering kindly.

Applepaw and I ran off to the apprentices' den. The den was a small stunted tree with its branches hanging down. It was all dried and crackled. It was deader than a dormouse. But if I was a tree in a Clan camp full of thorny bracken, I would be dead too.

We ducked under the entrance and padded in. It was about as big as the nursery. It could hold plenty of cats from what I could tell. There were eight nests made, and two of them looked new. I guess they were made for us.

The other apprentices were sitting together, waiting for us. We knew some of them pretty well already. There was the brown tom, Volepaw. He looked like a vole. He was round and sturdy and had short legs. His sisters were Mousepaw and Shrewpaw, both tabby tortoiseshells.

Then there was Silverpaw. Silverpaw was hardly two moons older than Applepaw and myself. She had the palest -but not white- fur and leafy green eyes. I think her littermates died after the kitting. I don't really remember what Redflower told me, but Silverpaw has no siblings.

The oldest apprentices were Berrypaw, a handsome yellow tom, and Cedarpaw, a white tom with brown splashes. They all welcomed us politely and explained the nesting situation.

"Us older apprentices sleep in the middle around the trunk of the tree where it is warmest." Berrypaw explained, as if he were the leader of them all. "Since you're the newest, you sleep farther away. As us older cats become warriors and move out, you get to sleep closer." He led them to their nests at the edge of the den. "Mousepaw and Shrewpaw made these."

"Thank you." Applepaw and I turned around and dipped our heads to the two tabbies.

"You two ought to get to your mentors." Volepaw meowed, budging between his sisters. "You finally get to explore the territory."

"Oh, right!" I mewed, surprised I had forgotten so soon. "Let's go Applepaw."

"Right behind you, Firepaw." My ginger littermate said.

We padded over to our mentors. I couldn't wait to explore ThunderClan's territory.

Well, that's what we did today. I wonder what will happen tomorrow!