A Switch of Lives
Dustpaw shook his pelt free of water, would he ever get used to the ways of the clans. SunClan had accepted him only three moons ago as an apprentice of Dapplefeather. This had to be the worst day of his life. He'd missed that squirrel by tail lengths and now he'd fallen into the river hunting for fish. He looked up at his mentor. Her soft tortoiseshell pelt gave way to clear blue eyes, cold with hostility. "You'll never be a warrior at this rate," she hissed. Dustpaw felt his claws extend and scrape against the bare rock with annoyance. Dapplefeather caught him, "Mouse-brain, you're never going to be able to fight me."
The tan apprentice with dark brown stripes shook himself, trying to shake off the insult, "Just because I wasn't born a clan cat doesn't mean I'm not one at heart." His mentor shrugged. As she walked away Dustpaw sighed, even if he did get the hang of this he would never be accepted by Dapplefeather as a real clan cat.
He glanced up at silverpelt, bright blue and cloudless. Was StarClan real or was it just a myth. He caught sight of a bird and watched as it effortlessly lifted itself of the ground. "Those are good eating, if you like feathers," Dapplefeather scolded, "Even if you don't you could have caught it for the clan." She flicked her tail for him to follow, muttering about how selfish rogues were.
Dustpaw trotted along, spotting more birds in the trees, "Dapplefeather, do you ever wonder what it would be like to fly?" Dapplefeather snorted indignantly but didn't answer. "I mean, do you think you'd be any closer to StarClan if you could fly?"
Dapplefeather turned with teeth bared, "How about you stop asking stupid questions?" Dustpaw lowered his head and her fur lay flat again. "I'm not sure why we even let you in. You disrespect StarClan, you can't hunt, and StarClan knows if you can fight."
"I can fight," the apprentice muttered, "I had to fight WillowClan warriors because they didn't trust me. I had to take on every warrior they brought at me without flinching." Dustpaw remembered his fight with that clan in his quest to join them and shuttered.
Dapplefeather snorted, "It's a good thing they didn't or they would've had to train you. I'd consider them lucky."
The walk went on for a few minutes with no conversation. The bushes grew thicker until they altogether tangled into a cat constructed wall. There was only room enough for two cats to squeeze through the doorway at once. Dapplefeather shoved him aside and pushed through the door, not allowing him to even try to brush up against her. As soon as her tail disappeared the cat snuck in, his pelt snagging on the brush. When he got through he spotted all of the cats gathering under the Great Oak. Phoenixstar leaped onto the lowest branch, her lean muscles rippling under a golden soaked pelt. Her stripes glared red in the setting sun. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey meet under the Great Oak," she called. "I've called this meeting because tonight a young cat earns her warrior name." Dustpaw turned to see Heatherpaw shivering with excitement. She sat straight with her tail wrapped neatly over her paws. "In the fiery glow of the setting sun we call on our warrior ancestors to accept Heatherpaw as a fully fledged warrior of SunClan." The clan cats cheered, "Heatherpaw, you will now be called Heatherstream for your courage and quick thinking." Heatherstream bowed her head and let Phoenixstar brush her red tipped tail over her shoulder. The cats erupted in cheers, all except Dustpaw who knew he could never be accepted fully here.