Brookkit gave into awakening. For a moment she stared into the ginger fur of Foxtail's belly. Today, I'll be made an apprentice! she realized. Stifling a purr, Brookkit rolled onto her back. A claw of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the bramble nursery. Brookkit batted at it idly, glancing to her left. Ashflower was slumbering nearby, her back to Brookkit. She had moved in five moons ago expecting Breezeheart's kits and seemed to be getting grumpier everyday. Foxtail had told her she was just anxious, but Ashflower had always been a pain in the tail according to the elder's gossip.
Brookkit jumped as her sister's, Willowkit, head popped up on Foxtail's other side. Willowkit yawned before focusing her amber eyes on her sister. Her expression said exactly what she was thinking. She was obviously excited about the prospect of becoming an apprentice.
Brookkit sprang to her paws and beckoned her sister with her tail as she headed for the exit. She wanted to go somewhere and talk without the chance of disturbing her mother or an irritated Ashflower.
The air outside was moist with the dawn air. A muggy cloud seemed to have settled in the heart of Stormclan camp. The sky was starting to blush from pink to pale blue as another new-leaf day began.
A couple of bounds of across the clearing was the elders den, woven neatly out of brambles, significantly smaller than the nursery. Brookkit looked right, it was hard to see into the forest over the slope that lead out of the camp. At the top of the small hill was the Tallrock, a large boulder reserved for giving clan meetings. It also partially hid the entrance and a small nest that Eaglestar used for his den. To the left the camp stretched on. The farthest den was the warriors'. Next to it was the apprentices', across from it the medicine den.
"So," Willowkit squeaked. "Today's the day."
Brookkit purred, "We'll be the best warriors the Clans have ever seen!"
"Do you think I'll be Featherstep's apprentice?" Willowkit dug her claws into the soft dirt nervously.
"What's wrong with it?" Brookkit shrugged. Featherstep was a good deputy and probably the most loyal cat in the forest. Most of the time she had ants in her pelt and Brookkit understood her sister not wanting to be her apprentice.
Willowkit's gaze darted over her sister's shoulder toward the warriors' den. Snowstorm was padding into the morning air heading for the freshkill pile. The powerful white tom was their father and a seasoned warrior.
Willowkit raced over to him, "Snowstorm!"
Brookkit followed her sister a second later.
"You two are up already?" Snowstorm beamed at his kits fondly.
"We can't wait until Eaglestar gets up!" Willowkit mewed.
"Patience is something every warrior needs to learn," the white tom licked her ear. "I'm sure you'll be longing for your kit days soon enough with all the hard work."
"We won't," Brookkit fluffed out her fur indignantly.
Two more warriors squeezed out of the den a heartbeat later, a pretty, cream she-cat and a black tom-Swanfeather and Snaketail. Snaketail proceeded to the join them at the freshkill pile while Swanfeather sat down and began to groom herself.
Snaketail's whiskers twitched as he pawed through the freshkill pile. "We'll need a patrol first thing after Featherstep gets up."
"I'm sure Oneclaw will want something fresh anyway," Snowstorm agreed.
Brookkit's ears angled towards the leader's den. She turned and saw Eaglestar trotting down the hill, sending sprinkles of dirt before him.
Snowstorm and Snaketail dipped their heads to the Stormclan leader. Brookkit hastily copied.
The golden tom's green eyes gleamed, "Greetings," he inclined his head to the warriors then looked down at the kits. "I'm sure you two are ready today."
"Yes, Eaglestar!" Willowkit bounced up.
Brookkit tried to reserve her enthusiasm, "Of course."
Eaglestar's whiskers twitched. He opened his jaws to say something but was cut off by an angry yowl.
Breezeheart shot out of the warriors' den. The young tom's fur was raised. Featherstep marched out of the den a heartbeat later, "What's wrong with you, fox dung?" the deputy hissed.
Breezeheart was obviously trying to hold his ground but shrunk in his pelt as the grey she-cat padded towards him.
Snaketail jumped between his mate and the young warrior. "What's going on?"
Brookkit surged to the action, Willowkit on her heels.
"This mouse-brain thought it would be a good idea to step on me for a wake up call," Featherstep snarled.
"I-I didn't," Breezeheart stammered.
"Then what in Starclan's name were you doing?"
"It was an accident!"
Foxtail's head popped out of the nursery entrance. The apprentices, Hawkpaw and Shadowpaw, had come out into the open to watch.
"Okay, that settles it," Snaketail nudged Featherstep. "And you've probably just woken up the whole clan."
Featherstep swung her head away from Breezeheart after giving him one last glare. She shook her pelt and stalked away as if nothing happened. Snaketail gave Breezeheart an apologetic glance then went to greet his son, Shadowpaw.
Brookkit spun around as Eaglestar bounded back to the Tallrock. Foxtail's eyes widened as she realized what was going on. "Willowkit, Brookkit, come here!" she mewed briskly.
Before Brookkit could move, Foxtail was on top of her, covering her in licks.
"Let all cats old enough to hunt, gather here below the Tallrock," Eaglestar's call sounded from the boulder, spreading across the camp.
"For Starclan's sake," Foxtail muttered applying a stroke Brookkit's head before moving on to Willowkit.
The warriors were moving forward already. Shadecloud and Oneclaw emerged from the elders den slowly, Oneclaw grumbling to Shadecloud. Stonefoot was the last to appear, limping out of the medicine den, his front, right paw elevated. It was a famous story how he became crippled. A flood plagued the Clans. Stonefoot-Stonepaw then-had led the Clans to a safe haven, sheltering them on the rooftops of the Twoleg nests. Every cat had been safe, when he had fallen off one of the roofs. Stormclan thought he had died after he didn't show up; even when the storm had ended. But two sunrises later, Stonepaw returned, his paw having been twisted and damaged beyond normal repair. It was Brookkit's favorite story.
Side by side, the littermates traveled to the center of attention. Eaglestar climbed down the rock skillfully, coming to a halt before them.
"I, Eaglestar, leader of Stormclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these two kits, they have chosen to dedicate their lives as warriors an I commend them to be apprentices in their turn. Willowkit, Brookkit, until you receive your warrior names, you shall be know as Willowpaw and Brookpaw."
Brookpaw flattened her ears in embarrassment as her clanmates took up the chant: "Willowpaw! Brookpaw!"
Eaglestar spoke up as the cry died down, "Breezeheart, I think you're ready to take your first apprentice. You will be mentor to Willowpaw. I expect you to ask for advice if you find yourself lacking."
"I will," Breezeheart vowed stepping forward confidently to touch noses with his ginger and white apprentice. Willowpaw stretched her neck up quickly and bumped noses with the brown warrior. The two withdrew to the side.
Brookpaw felt very small suddenly without her sister's pelt brushing hers. She kept her eyes fixed on Eaglestar's green ones.
"Featherstep," Eaglestar called, "I know you are more than equipped to mentor Brookpaw. I ask that you pass on your skill and sense of loyalty to her."
"I will, Eaglestar," the grey she-cat padded forward to stand before Brookpaw. Heart racing, Brookpaw stepped up to touch noses with her new mentor. Featherstep's eyes glinted with approval.
They withdrew to the side to stand beside Breezeheart and Willowpaw.
"Meeting dismissed," Eaglestar announced.
Foxtail and Snowstorm appeared, shifting through the crowd to congratulate their kits.
"Well done, each of you," Foxtail breathed. She gazed at Featherstep and Breezeheart, "Thank you both."
The deputy nodded while Breezeheart said loudly, "You can trust me."
Brookpaw watched her parents leave. I'll make you proud, she promised them silently.
"I need a hunting and border patrol!" Featherstep yowled at the dispersing cats. The warriors and apprentices clustered around her. Brookpaw pressed next to Featherstep.
"Snowstorm, you lead the border patrol along Willowclan border," the deputy commanded. "Make sure those tree-heads aren't doing anything stupid. Take Snaketail and Shadowpaw. Snaketail, you lead the hunting patrol, take Nightfang and Hawkpaw and Swanfeather."
The chosen cats began to organize and head over the slope into the forest. Brookpaw looked longingly after them.
Breezeheart approached Featherstep somewhat nervously, "Should I take Willowpaw out into the forest to-to show her our territory?"
"It's up to you, you're the mentor," Featherstep answered with a flick of her ears.
Breezeheart nodded once, then nudged his apprentice, "Come on Willowpaw."
The two cats trotted up the hill. Brookpaw watched her sister's ginger and white pelt disappear enviously.
She looked up at Featherstep, "What first?"
The grey-furred warrior waved her tail, "If you're going to be a loyal warrior, you have to respect all of your clanmates as much as you respect yourself. I'll show you how to clean out the elders' den and tend to their ticks."
Brookpaw tried not to let her tail droop. She often hear Hawkpaw complaining about how boring it was. Instead she dipped her head.
"Good," Featherstep began to head for the elders' den at a quick pace. Brookpaw tripped after her. She had often been inside begging for tales.
The den was empty, Oneclaw and Shadecloud being outside sharing tongues.
"Now," Featherstep and Brookpaw entered the quarters. "First thing you do is gather the old moss. Use one paw to roll it and the other to collect and add to the pile," her mentor explained.
"Like this?" Brookpaw started gathering the moss using her front paw, rolling her pile around the edge of the den. She lost her ball of moss. Quickly pouncing after it, she started again, completing her task several moments later.
Brookpaw stopped before her mentor, searching her face for some sign of disapproval or approval.
Featherstep blinked at her apprentice, "Good, Brookpaw, now bring it out here."
Brookpaw contained a sigh of relief. She rolled her moss out of the den, batting it ahead of her. She realized they were heading into the forest. The ground steadily slanting upward, Brookpaw found it hard to keep the moss in front of her. Sure enough, her pile tumbled down the hill. Hissing, Brookpaw scrambled after it. She captured it between her jaws and bounded up the ravine, her muscles burning from the climb.
She spat out her moss, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Featherstep."
"Use your head before you act, if you'd carried it up the first time, there wouldn't have been any need for apologies."
Brookpaw dipped her head.
"Come on," Featherstep continued briskly veering to the left. A path had been beaten from the many paws that traveled this way. They only traveled for a few moments before they came to a halt.
"Burry your moss," Featherstep commanded.
Brookpaw stepped past her and started digging a hole in the soft dirt. After her forelegs could fit in the pit she had dug, Brookpaw deposited her moss and scraped the earth back over the hole.
"Good. I'll show you where to get moss and how to clean it out. After that we'll tend to the elders. If the hunting patrol's back by then you can eat," Featherstep turned and trotted off.
I wish I was Willowpaw right now, Brookpaw complained inwardly.
Brookpaw collapsed in her nest. Foxtail had made her and Willowpaw new ones. Brookpaw chose the one nearest to the exit. She curled her tail over her nose. Featherstep wasn't a bad mentor. Brookpaw imagined she would learn a lot from the experienced warrior.
"Brookpaw?"
The silver apprentice stuck her head up as Willowpaw burst into the den. Excitement was rolling off her in waves, Brookpaw could taste it.
"What?"
"I saw our whole territory!" her littermate gushed.
"That's great," Brookpaw watched as Willowpaw settled in the nest across from her. "How was Breezeheart?"
"Breezeheart's okay," Willowpaw purred. "He seems like he knows what he's doing. What about Featherstep?" she asked in an undertone.
"She's a good mentor," Brookpaw answered immediately.
"What did you do?" Willowpaw's whiskers twitched. "Clean out the elders' den?"
Brookpaw flicked her ears, "Yeah. But it wasn't that bad really."
"Breezeheart's taking me out for my first hunting session tomorrow," Willowpaw sighed, tucking her head under her tail. "My paws are worn out."
Brookpaw couldn't help wondering if Featherstep would even take her out for another moon. Probably be a warrior and not know how to hunt.
Brookpaw lowered her head between her paws and closed her eyes. She felt sleep heavy on her pelt, tugging her into darkness...
Brookpaw opened her eyes in a different surrounding. She could barely see. Tossing her head back, she saw sun sulking through the musky brown clouds. Stumbling forward, trying to pick her way through the dense forest. Her paws became tangled in brambles. Growling in frustration, Brookpaw yanked herself out of them, causing her forelegs to scrape against the tiny thorns.
"Brookpaw, follow me."
The apprentice's heart jerked. Two tail-lengths ahead of her a snow white she-cat was standing. She could make out small shimmering objects that seemed to float in her fur. A Starclan cat!
The she-cat bounded away. Brookpaw chased her, her paws skimming the ground before she pushed off again. The forest became denser. Brookpaw had trouble maneuvering, but she never took her eyes off the white pelt flashing ahead, moving with grace and speed.
The she-cat began to slow, Brookpaw caught up to her, sides heaving form the run.
"Here," the Starclan cat stopped completely. "Down there."
A pawstep away, the ground dipped into a pit big enough for at least two Clans to live in. Strange smelling cats mingled restlessly below.
"Who are they?" Brookpaw gasped.
"Cats seeking opportunity. An opportunity they must never get."
"Why not?"
"Because of the Prophecy. Yours, Brookpaw."
Brookpaw's head swung around to the Starclan cat, "I have a prophecy?"
The white she-cat nodded gravely, "Four of the Four will unite bringing darkness and blood. Only Water can cleanse the Clans."
Brookpaw blinked, "What does it mean?"
"I cannot tell you, dear Brookpaw. But when you do unravel it, fear not, Starclan is always here."
Everything stared fading. Brookpaw looked down into the pit. The cats below snarled and hissed. They were glaring at her, clawing at the sides of the hole, some trying to climb out, but failing. Brookpaw scrambled away from the pit, fear flooding her senses-
Her head shot up. She was in the apprentice den. Brookpaw glanced at Willowpaw, fast asleep.
The eerie words echoed in her head, Four of the Four shall unite bringing darkness and blood. Only Water can cleanse the Clans...