Thrushkit woke up to moaning. His vision foggy, he mumbled, "Whaa's goin' on?"
Snowkit muttered in the same tone of voice, "I think the Clan is gathering…"
Thrushkit sleepily smiled and meowed, "Good, I can get some more sleep. Who was moaning?"
Snowkit was already out.
Thrushkit sat drowsily in his nest for a moment, entirely disinterested in waking up. He snuggled into the warm feathers and other soft objects that made up his nest, occasionally licking his paw.
But he couldn't sleep. The longer he sat curled up in that perfect spot, the more it seemed something was very wrong.
"So much for going back to sleep," he mewed, opening his eyes and getting up.
The ShadowClan nursery was a warm room, with nary an opening besides a smallish hole for the cats to come in and out of. Even through the chilling leaf-bare, the kits and queens were warm.
Several kits lived in the nursery. As Thrushkit noticed immediately, only three were there today; Snowkit, Wrenkit, and himself.
Thrushkit knew to wonder where his two sisters, Lakekit and Shiverkit were. He also noted their mother, Beewing, was gone, although she may just be out on her own, eating a morning meal with another cat, or maybe sharing tongues.
Thrushkit wandered over to the door, a blast of ice-cold air chilling him instantly as he stepped out into the snow-covered camp. He stumbled because he couldn't see where his paws were, landing face first in the snow.
Not many cats were out. He imagined that hunting wouldn't be a big deal today and nobody would have the energy to share tongues. Everyone was on hibernate mode today, and they had good reason. It was cold!
He heard scuffling in the medicine cat den, and, hoping to find his mother, he slowly stumbled his way over.
He made his way in, hearing coughing. Emerald, the medicine cat, who was formerly a rogue, noticed immediately.
"Hello Thrushkit, please don't come in. Amberheart has greencough. Why are you here?" Emerald asked pleasantly to the little kit.
"Beewing and my sisters a-aren't in the n-nursery so I thought I'd f-find them here when I heard noise in here…" stammered Thrushkit.
"I'll go find them. In the meantime, please go back to the nursery. Your mother won't be happy if you freeze to death," she instructed.
"Okay, Emerald." meowed Thrushkit.
Thrushkit and the other kits waited patiently for Beewing to come back to the nursery, making up stories to pass the time.
"Oh, I bet that she brought your sisters to play in the snow, and you weren't up so she didn't bring you, and she's just not back yet," a cheerful Wrenkit mewed.
"I bet she ATE your sisters!" chided a playful Snowkit.
"Why do you have to be so mean to Thrushkit?" scolded Wrenkit.
"Snowkit, stop treating me like I'm tiny, Wrenkit, stop treating me like I'm a poor thing! I'm only four days younger than you, and we'll probably have all our ceremonies on the same days!" meowed an annoyed Thrushkit.
Wrenkit stuck her nose up and mewed profoundly, "Well I want to be a medicine cat, and I practice on you."
"Why not my sisters?" Thrushkit asked curiously.
"They're really good friends."
"Oh, because they're she-cats." meowed Snowkit.
"I prefer she-cats. They aren't as boisterous and crazy and impulsive." Thrushkit replied.
Snowkit rolled his eyes, mewing, "THANKS, FRIEND! I KNEW I COULD COUNT ON YOU TO BE ON MY SIDE!"
(-)
Thrushkit fell asleep that night to a weird dream. Nothing talked at all. In fact the only noise was an ominous howl.
He gazed around at the trees, wondering how they were so big.
He took a breath of the cold air, curious as to the greyish-green of the grass and the reddish wood in the trees.
It was twilight, and the air was crisp and windy. He went the direction of the wind. Not knowing why. As he looked forward, then looked up, a beautiful creature of a sleek gray, not quite a dog, cat or fox, but somewhere in between, and it whispered.
Follow the path of the wind. The ones who you need to know are there. Bring the stars away from the alpine destiny.
(-)
Thrushkit was startled awake. The warm, familiar air of the nursery surrounded him, and he snuggled close to Lakekit.
He went straight through her.
His eyes shot opened, and for a second he panicked, until he remembered his sisters were gone. It had been five days since they dissapeared, and Thrushkit was pretty sure that they were dead.
Wrenkit immediately mewed when he got up, "Go to the medicine den. You won't regret it."
Thrushkit exited the nursery, hopeful for the fifth day in a row, Wrenkit following him close behind.
He entered the medicine den, surprised to see that Shiverkit was there, and she was obviously sick.
"Shiverkit, what happened!?" meowed an alarmed Thrushkit, immediately bursting in to share tongues.
"Oh StarClan I missed you," he added.
"And you are…" meowed a confused Shiverkit.
"Please be just teasing me," prayed Thrushkit.
"You are probably the seventeenth cat to say that all day. Once again, who are you?" Shiverkit meowed believably.
"Thrushkit, your brother and best friend…" mewed Thrushkit, desperate for a connection.
"I know. I've been teasing. I wasn't lying when I mewed you were the seventeenth cat to say that though. It's been my ongoing joke of the day."
"Har har. Seriously, you gave me CHILLS when you meowed you didn't remember."
"Proves you're just as gullible as before."
"Where's Lakekit and Beewing?"
"I don't know. We went into the woods and I got separated after two days. Barely survived getting back, but luckily I didn't starve. I came back to camp. I'm lucky I remembered where it was. It was so cold!"
"Looks like you have Whitecough."
"Yeah, though Emerald says it's nearly gone and very curable. Just waiting for the catmint to kick in!"
"It'll be good to have you back! Guess what Wrenkit told me!? She mewed that she wanted to be a medicine cat!"
"Well I believe in her. She's a good cat."
"To you! She treats me like I was born five days ago, and yet our apprentice ceremonies will be shared! And we're both five moons old anyways!"
Then, Emerald came in, with Robinstar close behind, asking, "Okay, Shiverkit, you are well enough to tell us what you thought happened. So what happened?"
"So I woke up late a few nights ago, my mother urging me and Lakekit to get out quick. I moaned, hoping to wake up Thrushkit, but he and Snowkit had a brief eye-closed half asleep conversation then they both fell asleep again. We tried to wake up Thrushkit again but it was no use. Then Beewing told us there was no time, we had to RUN! She mentioned some sort of Alpine Destiny thing. We panicked and spent more time getting out than on conversation, and we kind of fell asleep while walking. Next thing I remember I was asking Beewing questions, but she nervously looked around and mewed 'not now.' I lost them that night when I DID fall asleep and they didn't realise."
"Did you say alpine destiny!?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, er, I had a dream where this weird creature told us to embrace the alpine destiny or something. I thought I had just made it up in my head, but I've had it every night since you three vanished- and it's scaring me."
"When we left Mom meowed it would be more likely to destroy one of us than you and you would most likely be safe here. Whatever she meowed-"
"Is probably twisted, weird, StarClan connected, and all-in-all, just, scary. I think you should probably start training a few days early to defend yourselves," Robinstar mewed worriedly.
"You mean, now!?" both kits exclaimed.
"Er, no, because that'd mean breaking StarClan's rule too much. But say, on Wrenkit and Snowkit's six-moon day instead of yours." Robinstar mewed, curling up a little.
"So, in six days!" The kits mewed in unison.
"But that's the day that I go to the moonstone…" Emerald meowed nervously.
"A small Clan knows how to make due. And four new apprentices-"
"Will mean having seven apprentices. And we aren't even a small Clan!"
"That's not what I meant…"
"It's true that at that point 1/7 of our cats WILL be apprentices then. That's crazy!"
(-)
The four kits eagerly pranced around camp, ticking off all of the warriors.
"STOP BOUNCING ON US!" Willowwing cried.
"Sorry, but we're going to be warriors tonight! We'll be more special!" cried Snowkit, the rowdy one of the bunch.
"You're ready to be Warriors already!?" the startled warrior asked.
"Apparently so," meowed his mate Hollystep.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the hightree." called Robinstar across the camp.
Everyone walked to the center of the Clan, excited to know what was happening. Not often was a Clan meeting called when the medicine cat was gone.
"Today we gather to bring forth a symbol of new life in the Clan. Gather forth as we name thee apprentices."
(-)
"Shiverkit, will you come up?" Shiverkit heard. She went first. Exciting!
"Yes…" she mewed, trailing off because she felt there was more to be mewed.
"You demonstrated courage when you left the Clan on your mother's orders. Your mentor will be Timberwing." How was that courage? We were running in fear!
Timberwing came to the center of the Clan gathering, and touched noses with Shiverkit.
"Do you promise to uphold the warrior code for the sake of the Clan?" mewed the Clan leader.
"Yes." Shiverkit mewed, forgetting her qualms.
"Then by the power of StarClan, I name you Shiverpaw."
(-)
"Snowkit, will you come up?"
The leader called. Snowkit was freaking out. Now people could see him! He was also nervous. Did I remember to clean my fur?
He kept walking toward the leader.
"Yes." Snowkit called, excitement pulsing through his heart.
"You showed friendship when you comforted Thrushkit when his sisters went missing. You're mentor is Squirreljump," Robinstar versed.
Squirreljump walked up to Snowkit, and they touched noses.
Boop!
Snowkit jumped two fox-lengths in the air at the slightest touch. That's how nervous he was!
"Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect the Clan?" asked Robinstar blankly.
"Yes."
"Then I give you your apprentice name, Snowpaw."
(-)
Wrenkit nervously sat through the other ceremonies. She wondered if being last meant she was going to be a medicine cat apprentice.
Thrushpaw's ceremony ended, with Thrushpaw coming over raving about how his mentor was Shiningheart, the do gooder from the depths of the dark forest. He complained something was off about her, but Wrenkit wasn't paying attention.
It was her turn now.
She was a bit freaked out she would be made a warrior. She couldn't remember if she'd asked Robinstar if she could be a medicine cat apprentice. She probably had not.
"Wrenkit, will you come up?"
"Yeah…"
Robinstar was showing the slightest amount of interest, so maybe that was a good sign. She didn't know, so she freaked out!
"Your mentor is… Emerald!"
She sighed with relief then didn't care to pay attention to the rest of the ceremony. She was so happy! And she was also happy that she didn't have to sit vigil. HA HA!
(-)
The other apprentices sat gloomily outside, talking quietly about their mentors.
"Squirreljump is like a full-size kit!"
"Well she is a good hunter."
"And fighter!"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Well I think I'm lucky that I got Timberwing."
"Shiningheart's going to make me be the absolute do-gooder I don't deserve to be.".
Robinstar walked up to the apprentices and meowed "You guys be quiet. It's silent vigil."
"No," they meowed grinning at their leader slyly.
"We'll delay your-"
The new apprentices shut up.
"Ah, good," Robinstar meowed walking away.
"Jerk." Thrushpaw whispered. I hate being quiet.
"Shh." muttered Shiverpaw.
Then, they waited the night.
"Wrenpaw is SO lucky." Snowpaw muttered, "she gets to stay inside!"
(-)
As the nights progressed, the apprentices learned to hunt. They kept doing their job.
Wrenpaw was stressed out by all of the herbs she had to learn. Whilst Emerald was a good medicine cat, Wrenpaw didn't think she was a good teacher. She was strict, not very funny, serious, and went too harsh on a new apprentice. But Wrenpaw loved the herbs anyway. She would survive and adapt.
Snowpaw loved being an apprentice. He was quick to master hunting, and was a good fighter. He was concentrating too hard, though. He wasn't talking to other apprentices or looking at any she-cats, or much of anything. His mind went only to fighting and the other apprentices felt they'd lost a good friend.
Shiverpaw wasn't very good at anything. The prey kept slipping and she was getting mad. But she was improving and would do fine if she didn't go psycho.
And lastly, Thrushpaw. He was ok as an apprentice, but he still felt as though Wrenpaw babied him, and was getting fed up with not really having any good friends besides his sister, and was also being picked on by the three older apprentices (Mousepaw, Jaypaw and Redpaw) and absolutely hated them.
But the one thing that stayed the same with the foursome was that they all missed Lakekit and Beewing. When Wrenpaw and Snowpaw's mother Tanglefoot died, Beewing was mother to all five kits. Now that she was gone, and also Lakekit, they felt incomplete. It was as if there was a shortage in friends.
I hate to be one to have favorites, thought Thrushpaw, but now that I can't have my sister, she's my favorite. We would be the two who led the rat pack, because when Lakekit was around, nobody thought I was the small one. We were leader and deputy. Shiverkit would always play the villain, Snowkit the brave warrior, and Wrenkit the medicine cat. Those days are gone now. And I miss her so bad!
Shiverpaw and Thrushpaw were absentmindedly working on small talk skills, saying things like,
"How's hunting?"
"Good."
"What's your name?"
"Yes."
Emphasis on absentmindedly. The new apprentices needed something to liven up their days. And it was soon to come.
(-)
Lakekit was running through the snow. The further she ran the colder she became.
She realised it was chasing her.
Sprinting toward the alpines, she heard the howling and prepared to get torn up just like her mother. She closed her eyes and stopped.
It reached her.
In her cold darkness, she expected the entire world to come skidding to a stop. As fast as she ran, nothing would help. It was over.
But when she expected it the most, nothing came.
The kit sat eyes closed in an icy wasteland, shivering as she neared closer and closer to death….