A/N: This story contains lots of lemons.

Chapter 1: An Apprentice's Tail

Sirepaw lived with LemonClan. Normally, a gathering was a joyous occasion, they always had entertainment however this gathering was different. He was hungry and quivering with trepidation. Lemonstar was going to announce his assessment. Every cat that he knew of had to pass an assessment to become full members of the clan. He looked forward to partaking in the festivities but slightly less than half even survived.

He starved himself in preparation for the event, his white pelt would've been unkempt and dirty if it wasn't for his mentor Hottail who decided to make a fuss over him. She groomed his pelt and was jealous of Hollowheart who seemed to be popular when these meetings happened.

"Let all cats old enough to obtain their meals gather in the Hollow Heart," Lemonstar declared. The Hollow Heart was an empty house that was free of twolegs. The cats used it as their home when winter came.

The star of every meeting was Hollowheart. Nearly all the male warriors lined up for their turns to play with her only a few showed no interest. Sirepaw watched these events with eager anticipation, he was too young to take part, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. He remembered after every meeting Hollowheart would be crying. Milk covered her normally blue fur after each event which she had the luxury of licking herself clean. Milk was Sirepaw's favorite treat before his twolegs abandoned him. His mentor Hottail explained, "Hollowheart is very lucky. That's why she's happy nearly all the time." He could have sworn that he saw Hollowheart crying when she thought no one was around. Her pelt seemed less and less well groomed with each passing day.

"Sirepaw's assessment will happen tomorrow. Dismissed," Lemonstar said.

The meeting was over, but the festivities continued with Hollowheart being the star attraction. He saw four male warriors taking part. He heard Hollowheart's struggles, she seemed to be in pain and genuinely hating the event. Hottail explained, "If she hated it. She would leave the clan."

Sirepaw himself contemplated running away before it was time for his assessment, but he was too frightened and scared of what may happen if he did. Before Hottail found him, he was barely alive subsisting off twoleg rubbish after his owners abandoned him. He tried approaching other twolegs but they all turned him away. There was nowhere to go except LemonClan, and that's why he stayed.

"Can't you take me somewhere? The assessment is too dangerous," Sirepaw said.

"If I knew anywhere that was safe, I would take you away, the forest is dangerous, no one who entered it ever returned," Hottail said. It was easier to look at Hottail at night, when the sun's rays didn't cause her golden pelt to blind him. She was an extremely attractive she-cat that he never saw with another tom despite all the moons of living together in LemonClan. "You yourself know how hard life in the city could be."

"What if I don't survive?" he asked.

"I believe you will, you're not my first apprentice. My third, none of the others lived, I have to be lucky sometime. I watched them die from the assessment not allowed to help. Not allowed to act." Tears clouded his mentor's piercing blue eyes as she relived the memories.

It wasn't that LemonClan was a bad place to live, cats cared for each other. Lemonstar forged the clan and improved life for cats in the twoleg place. To keep their numbers from growing too much lest they incur the wrath of the twolegs, Lemonstar created a trial based on his kithood dares, he consumed four lemons and lived back then. Not every feline can consume four lemons and survive thus they became LemonClan. A clan of cats that were kind towards each other, but ruthlessly cast off the weak. That's how his mentor explained the customs.

"Cheer up, you'll be allowed to partake in the festivities that happen during the meetings once you become a warrior. You'll be able to have fun with Hollowheart just like every other tom in the clan," Hottail said.

He heard some contempt for Hollowheart as she mentioned her name. "Yes, it's just tomorrow and a week." He would be able to taste milk once more, something he loved before his twolegs cast him out. Tomorrow, and a week if he survived, life would be good. With his mentor's words, he was able to fall asleep. There were twenty apprentices by the end of their training, slightly less than half would survive.

His mentor roused him from his slumber. He barely had any energy to move. He was starving but not looking forward to his assessment or meal. As hungry as he was, eating lemons still didn't seem appealing.

Lemonstar picked four cast to help with his assessment. They were cats with renown within the clan, each had multiple accomplishments to their name that made them unusual or someone to envy. Rapidclaw was a ginger tom with multiple scars. He often saved cats from dogs. He went further than that, he killed whenever he could. He wore a necklace made of dog's teeth. Sirepaw didn't know how Rapidclaw created that repulsive item.

Applebob was the ugliest tomcat in existence. His brown pelt had multiple scars inflicted on by his previous owners instead of from heroic feats. He even kept his original kittypet name. He had multiple feats to his name like savings cats from twolegs but Sirepaw didn't see how it was remotely possible. Applebob was physically weak by his own observations and very much a coward. If there were four of them administering his trial, he might be able to fake his success.

Petalflower was a beautiful she-cat that managed to win the hearts of twolegs, giving them necessities at times during leaf-bare. If it wasn't for his mentor, she would easily be the most attractive cat in the clan. A black tortoiseshell she-cat, a rarity among their kind.

Easywing was the fourth cat. A brutal she-cat that often stole from twolegs outright. Whenever twoleg kits misplaced their items, she would take it for the clan. That's why they have screens and games to play. She used her black pelt to cling to the shadows. Her red eyes gave off a menacing appearance.

At least, his trial wasn't out of the ordinary. He was just another member of the clan. His assessment was different from others. Hottail was horrified when Rapidclaw said, "We're going to the forest." Sirepaw's heart sank when he heard the announcement. He had to survive a week alone after the trial to become a warrior.

"No, please I don't want to," Sirepaw said. He was already fearful of his assessment, going to the forest was sure to be suicidal. A junkyard filled with metal scraps would be better. He heard tales of the four keeping a guard during their assessment making sure they didn't leave the premises. They killed whoever that tried.

"It's our choice," Easywing said. "Don't tell me you're scared."

His own mentor had no choice in where the assessment took place. The most they could do was accompany them until the apprentice at all the lemons. "I'll tag along," Hottail said. It was normal for mentors to simply leave the assessment to Lemonstar's elite cats.

Rapidclaw, Applebob, Petalflower, Easywing each took a lemon in their mouths. Sirepaw was going to eat four lemons. If he lived or died was another matter entirely. He shivered as he noticed they took the largest lemons they could find from the trash.

Hottail carried Sirepaw since he was too weak to walk. He also had to keep his eyes closed. They took a confusing number of twists and turns hoping that the apprentice gets lost and doesn't come back. He hadn't eaten for a week he expected the assessment to not take someplace so far away. Mouthwatering scents assailed his nose. There was so much prey in the forest. Maybe, the savage tales of the forest were overblown, if he knew the forest was like this, he would have run away.

At last, they reached a remote destination within the forest. The four cats set the lemons on the ground. Hottail gently set her apprentice on the ground. "Eat," Petalflower demanded.

Sirepaw had ten minutes to eat four lemons. He knew if he failed, Lemonstar's favorite cats would kill him and his mentor would be powerless to stop them. He was thankful that he starved himself else he would never be able to force the unappetizing fruit down. He bit into one lemon, it was extremely bitter. Under the gaze of the four watchful cats, he couldn't do anything except swallow.

There was three more to go. He tried to eat the next lemon. He had to control his own gag reflex not to vomit. It didn't taste any better than the first one. He spent two precious minutes retching from the experience. "There's only two more to go. You can do it," Hottail said, all she could do was watch and hope that her apprentice survives.

Sirepaw was thankful that they were still alive given everything he heard about the forest. He only had two more lemons to eat. He tried to force down a third lemon despite his stomach's protests even though he wanted to swallow, his body would not agree. He puked onto the forest floor.

"Pathetic," Applebob said.

"You didn't even do the initiation at all," Hottail said. "You're only here because Lemonstar wants you to be here. Shut up and know your place."

Applebob immediately followed her command cowering under the gaze from her blue eyes. Sirepaw felt comfort that his mentor still cared for him. His mentor's confirmation of his suspicions about Applebob shocked him.

"Even so, he tarnished the forest floor, he must clean it," Rapidclaw said.

Rapidclaw gave that command. Sirepaw had no choice but to follow by licking up bile from the soil. At least, the taste of dirt was a rather welcome addition to his taste buds.

One lemon left and two minutes to go before he's brutally killed. Hottail watched as the time dwindled away as Sirepaw cleaned the forest floor. She decided to take drastic measures. She punched Sirepaw in the stomach. He cried out in pain. As his mouth opened, she jammed a lemon inside. She clamped his mouth shut and placed a paw on his nose. He had only one option, to swallow the lemon.

After an agonizing minute without being able to breathe, he finally swallowed the lemon.

"You can have five minutes to exchange last words with your apprentice," Petalflower said.

"How are you feeling?" Hottail asked. Sirepaw couldn't reply, he was trying not to spew the bile already in his mouth. He simply nodded his head wishing they would leave already. After five minutes, she had to leave. "Promise me, you'll come back alive."

Five cats abandoned Sirepaw to die. His mentor watched the previous cats as they died while she was unable to do anything. She decided to believe in the legend of Schrodinger's cat. A cat can always be alive if you didn't see them die. When his tormentors were out of sight, he promptly vomited across the forest floor. He was alone he thought but he had to live here for a week before they would let him return LemonClan.

He was tired, weak and in pain from eating all those lemons. He lacked the energy to even move. He passed out from exhaustion. He dreamed of being able to taste milk once more and being able to partake in the festivities.

A/N: If there's enough hatred or like for this, I'll write a second chapter but complete for now.