Allegiances
Thunderclan
Leader: Honeystar- Tortoiseshell she-cat with gold eyes
Deputy: Leafheart- small reddish brown tabby tom with green eyes Apprentice: Duskpaw
Medicine Cat: Feathersong- Light silver cat with amber eyes Apprentice: Pinepaw
Warriors:
Ravenwing- Long-Haired Black tabby tom with unusually short claws Apprentice: Leopardpaw
Nightstorm- Black she cat with yellow eyes Apprentice: Russetpaw
Rainfoot- pretty brown cat with a black paw and green eyes Apprentice: Goldenpaw
Tigerfur- Light brown tabby cat with black stripes
Wildfur- Big white tom with yellow eyes Apprentice: Icepaw
Mousetail- handsome gray tom with one yellow, one green eye and a very small tail
Brightleaf- Ginger she-cat with white paws and face
Apprentices:
Duskpaw: Handsome dark grey tom with amber eyes
Icepaw: Light grey cat with blue eyes and a white chest
Pinepaw: Dark grey with darker flecks, green eyes
Goldenpaw: pretty golden she cat with a white chest and blue eyes
Russetpaw: Yellowish-ginger with yellow eyes
Leopardpaw: Yellow and black she cat with green eyes
Queens:
Mossclaw Tortoiseshell cat with a black tail
Silverfur- pretty silver tabby she cat, green eyes
Snowflower- White with gray stripes
Elders:
Ashflower – Once-pretty dark grey she-cat with a black tail
White-eye- Blind white tom, oldest cat in Thunderclan
Blackface- Black tom with half of tail missing
Shadowclan
Leader: Sparkstar- Grey-black tom with yellow eyes
Deputy: Winterpool- white she-cat with green eyes and grey paws
Medicine Cat: Thornwhisker- Old dark grey tom with a white face
Warriors:
Riverpelt- Blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes
Cloudfeather- Big white tom with grey eyes
Windclan
Leader: Lavenderstar- Tan almost purple she-cat with blue eyes
Deputy: Branchwhisker- Light tabby tom with yellow eyes
Medicine Cat: Poppyrose- Tortoiseshell she-cat
Warriors:
Stormfang- Dark tabby tom with a very long tail
Riverclan
Leader: Ripplestar- Silver she-cat with black stripes
Deputy: Maplestripe- Reddish brown tom with a black stripe
Medicine Cat: Poppyrose- Tortoiseshell she-cat
Warriors:
Mudflower- Dark brown she cat with a very long tail
Cloverstream – Small black she-cat with a grey chest
Tawnystripe – Tawny tom with amber eyes
Chapter 1: The Apprentice Ceremony
"Goldenkit, wake up! It's almost time!" The ginger cat tumbled on her.
"Get off, Russetkit." The golden cat mumbled. She struggled to her paws, playfully swatting her sister. "Where's Leopardkit?" She asked.
Russetkit answered excitedly, "Mossclaw's grooming her. She says she wants us to look our best for when we become apprentices. Come on, it's your turn."
After a long process of grooming all three kits, Mossclaw purred loudly and said, "I'm so proud of you all, even though you're not my own by birth, you are my kits. You'll be the greatest warriors the forest has ever seen!" And with that, she hustled her children out into the camp. She looked over at the leader, Honeystar, and nodded.
Honeystar, nodding back, took a massive leap up to the top of the Highrock and yowled, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting."
Slowly, cats flowed out of dens into the center of the camp, the setting leaf-fall sun glowing on their fur. In the center was Mossclaw, her kits all around her. The three cats were bright-eyed and their fur beautifully groomed. Once the clan was assembled, Honeystar continued. "We gather this sunset to name three more apprentices. Come forward, please."
The three small cats padded forward. One seemed to be bouncing on her paws, the other two cautiously following behind. Honeystar gazed encouragingly at the smallest of the three, a golden kit. "From this day forward, until she earns her warrior name, this apprentice shall be called Goldenpaw." Goldenpaw returned the gaze nervously, but her soft purring could be heard.
"Rainfoot, because Brightleaf has become a warrior, you are ready for your second apprentice. You shall be mentor to Goldenpaw. Rainfoot, you have proven yourself to be a cat of enthusiasm and bravery. May you pass on all you can to this apprentice." Honeystar said warmly. The brown she-cat casually walked forward and bent down to touch noses with her apprentice. Then the two padded back and took seats in the crowd to watch Goldenpaw's sisters.
Honeystar spoke again. "This apprentice, until she earns her warrior name, will be called Russetpaw. Nightstorm, you are ready for another apprentice, so you shall be a mentor to Russetpaw. Nightstorm, you have proven to have intelligence and loyalty. I hope you can share this with your apprentice." Russetpaw's squeal was hushed by her mother, and she bounced up to touch noses with the black cat. Once again, the pair left the center to watch the final ceremony.
"Until she earns her warrior name, this apprentice will be called Leopardpaw. Ravenwing, you will be mentor to Leopardpaw." The black tabby nodded to Leopardpaw, and she felt reassured. Honeystar continued speaking. "Ravenwing, you have shown great strength and quick-thinking, so may you pass all of this to your apprentice."
As the two touched noses, the clan rose in a chorus of "Goldenpaw! Russetpaw! Leopardpaw! Goldenpaw! Russetpaw! Leopardpaw!" as Honeystar leapt off the Highrock, congratulating each of the apprentices in turn.
One of the older apprentices, who Goldenpaw recognized as Icepaw, was one of the last to talk to his new den mates. "Hi! Shall I show you the apprentices den?"
"Yes, thanks, Icepaw." Leopardpaw asked kindly.
"Do you remember me from the nursery? I guess not. You were all young kits when I was made an apprentice. I might get my warrior name soon!" Icepaw said happily. "Oh, here's the den, you've seen it before." He said, squeezing into the entrance below the tree stump. "Hi, Duskpaw! This is my brother Duskpaw, everyone," pointing with his tail to the only other cat in the den, a dark grey tom Goldenpaw had seen before.
"Hello, Duskpaw!" She said, "Where should we sleep?"
"Anywhere, it doesn't really matter. Our sister, Pinepaw, is a medicine cat apprentice, so she sleeps in the medicine cat's den. Duskpaw and I sleep over here, but anywhere else is okay." Icepaw replied.
Goldenpaw shifted some moss for a nest between her two sisters. As she settled down for the night, she thought about her apprenticeship. She loved her new name, and she wanted to get to know her mentor, Rainfoot, better. She thought about how nice Icepaw was to her, but Duskpaw seemed a little cold. She would make friends with him in the morning, she decided, as sleep took her.