So, I decided to start a new fanfic about lovely little Goldenflower, one of my favorite Warrior characters. Scarflower kindly gave her permission for me to do this, considering she has already written a Golden fic (which you should definitely read). Enough with my rambling. Read and enjoy!
Disclaimer: No Warriors ownership for me.
1
"Now, are you going to behave?"
"Yes, Speckletail."
"Listen to everything your mentors tell you?"
"Ye-e-es, Speckletail."
"Be respectful towards the elders? Don't you dare roll your eyes at me, Brindlekit, Nettlecloud told me what you did to Squirrelfang's bedding the other day!"
"It was Goldenkit's fault! She dared me to!"
"I did not! She's lying!"
"Am not!"
"Are so!"
"Am not!"
"Are so!"
"Am not!"
"Kits!" hissed Speckletail, narrowing her eyes. "Do I have to call in your father?"
The two she-kits instantly stopped bickering. Goldenkit shook her head, while Brindlekit sullenly replied, "No."
"Good," their mother meowed. Her eyes suddenly widened and filled with tenderness. "I can't believe you two are already six moons old," she sighed, licking the top of each of her daughter's heads.
"Well, I can believe it," snorted Nettlecloud, entering the nursery with her teeth fastened on Darkkit by his scruff. She lowered him onto the ground. "Brindlekit has been nothing but a bad example for Darkkit. I just rescued him from being torn to pieces by Smallear. You know what he said to him? 'Brindlekit says your a grumpy old bat, so grumpy you should be an elder'."
Brindlekit giggled. "It's true."
Darkkit looked up at her, his big amber eyes mournful. "Are you really going to become an apprentice, Brindlekit?"
"Yes I am," Brindlekit beamed. Seeing Darkkit's desolate look, she added quickly, "But Goldenkit and I will come visit every day we can, okay?"
"I want you to come," the tiny black-and-gray tabby mewed sincerely, not taking his eyes off Brindlekit. Nettlecloud and Speckletail exchanged amused looks.
Goldenkit sighed. Even the youngest cat in the Clan payed more attention to Brindlekit than to her. But why not? Brindlekit was the pretty one, the clever one, the daring one. Almost every warrior in the Clan was hoping to become her mentor. She, Goldenkit, was the shy, clumsy, awkward one whom everyone forgot the name of. 'Sweet' and 'lovely' were the choice words used to describe her-when they remembered her at all.
"Goldenkit, you're daydreaming again! Come on, Sunstar has already called all cats to the ceremony!"
Goldenkit felt a sharp nudge at her back. Probably her impatient sister. "Okay, okay, let's go!"
Brindlekit, with a squeal of delight, dashed ahead, her tail erect. Goldenkit followed at a more restrained pace, trying to reach inside herself and put the excitement she must be feeling on her face. She found nothing but a sense of unhappiness and longing to rush back into the nursery and bury her nose in Speckletail's fur. Wasn't apprenticeship just another chance for everyone to see how pathetic she was, compared Brindlekit, Lionheart, their older brother, and the other apprentices?
As if she didn't need any more damage to her self-esteem, Goldenkit heard Nettlecloud's voice saying tartly, but with a bit of fondness, "Brindlekit is going to quite a warrior."
"If she gets a chance. All the toms will be chasing after her in no time," Speckletail replied, not without pride.
"She is a pretty one," agreed Nettlecloud. "Not like that other daughter of yours."
To Goldenkit's immense relief, her mother sounded scandalized. "Nettlecloud, what an awful thing to say! Goldenkit is lovely."
"She's lovely, all right, but terribly clumsy. You can't say anything against it, Speckletail, she is, with that queer way she walks, like she needs to think about every step. Except she doesn't! She falls over anything and everything. Added to that, she barely says a word! The first few moons after her birth I thought she was a mute!"
Goldenkit felt like the ground had been pulled out from under her feet. She swayed slightly on the spot. To think about your faults was one thing, but to have another voice them...Her queasiness only increased when she heard Speckletail not jump to her defense, but heave a weary sigh.
"I admit, she has her faults, but she's extremely sweet and kind, and always obeys her elders-"
"You mean she has no backbone."
"No, that's not what I mean. Goldenkit would stand up for Brindlekit any day, and vice versa. In addition, she is very respectful and does what she is told-something her sister has failed to learn. Now come, or we will be late for the ceremony."
Her heart pounding and an ache in her throat, Goldenkit quickly trotted up to the foot Highrock to sit beside her sister. Brindlekit looked ready to leap out of her fur; her green eyes sparkled with the light of a thousand stars; her tail flicked back and forth impatiently; her delicate claws slid in and out of her paws. She gave a fleeting, eager look in Goldenkit's direction, to which Goldenkit purred weakly in return.
All the murmuring and chattering stopped when Sunstar began the ceremony in his strong, resonating voice. "We are gathered here today to name two ThunderClan kits as apprentices. Brindlekit, come forward."
Brindlekit leapt up as soon as he said her name. A ripple of quiet laughter traveled through the gathered cats.
"From this moment, until she has earned her warrior name, this apprentice shall be known as Brindlepaw. Smallear, you will be mentor to this apprentice."
The shock and utter disappointment on Brindlepaw's face was visible to everyone as the gray warrior padded up to a spot a few tail-lengths away from her. He probably wasn't any more pleased than she, but he was careful to guard it. After all, being a mentor was an honor.
"You mentored Redtail, and he is a credit to the Clan. I hope you will pass on the same knowledge and skills to this apprentice," Sunstar meowed, his gaze flickering between Smallear and Brindlepaw.
Smallear bowed his head. "I will, to the best of my ability." He walked up to Brindlepaw and touched noses with her. She hung her head and followed him back into the crowd, only pausing to look over her shoulder at Goldenkit and roll her eyes.
"Now, Goldenkit, come forward."
Goldenkit jumped at the sound of her name, and hesistantly made her way directly beneath Sunstar. He looked down at her; his eyes seemed to bore into hers. "From this moment, until she has earned her warrior name, this apprentice shall be known as Goldenpaw." The ginger she-cat held her breath. This was the moment. Who would be her mentor?
"Hollystorm, the time has come for you to be a mentor once again. You will be mentor to Goldenpaw. Patchpelt, Whitestorm, and Cedarpaw, who joined StarClan before she could receive her warrior name, were all trained by you, and your two living former apprentices are invaluable contributions to this Clan. I trust you will pass on the same knowledge and skills to this apprentice."
Hollystorm! an awestruck Goldenpaw thought, as the pale gray she-cat stepped forward, touched noses with her, and led her to edge of the clearing. Hollystorm (A/N: For those of you who haven't read my story "Mother", Hollystorm is One-eye) was one of the most respected and talented senior warriors in ThunderClan, and was notorious for her skills as a mentor. Smallear was nothing compared to her.
"Brindlepaw! Goldenpaw! Brindlepaw! Goldenpaw!" the Clan shouted, and Goldenpaw shone with pride. How, in the name of StarClan, could she have ever dreaded this day?
As the cries died down, and the Clan returned to normal, everyday life, Hollystorm turned to Goldenpaw with narrowed eyes. "Today you may rest, get to know the other apprentices, and so on. But tomorrow, I want you up at sunrise for the dawn patrol. Understood?"
Goldenpaw nodded.
"Good," Hollystorm meowed briskly, and left without another word.
Brindlepaw was already chatting animatedly with the other apprentices. In the corner of her eye she saw Goldenpaw padding towards them, so she bounded over. Accomponied by an enthusiastic lick, she purred, "We're apprentices, Goldenpaw, finally we're apprentices!"
"It's so nice to have some more she-cat apprentices to talk to," added a pretty white she-cat, whom Goldenpaw recognized as Frostpaw, one of the oldest apprentices. "Willowpaw never says anything!"
She and Brindlepaw laughed, while Willowpaw, a pale gray she-cat, looked down at her paws in embaressment. When she looked up, Goldenpaw gave her a sympathetic smile. Willowpaw brightened instantly.
"And of course we have..." Frostpaw continued dramatically, suddenly looking over her shoulder. "Oh, where are they? Tigerpaw, Branchpaw; come out, come out, wherever you are!"
Two dark brown tabbies emerged from the apprentices den; one drastically larger than the other and looking far more menacing. "What, Frostpaw?" the large one meowed; not angrily, just in slight annoyance.
"You haven't introducted yourselves properly," Frostpaw replied coyly, tilting her head to one side.
"Oh, like they don't know who we are, with all your chatter?" the same tabby retorted disbelievingly. "Fine. I'm Tigerpaw, and this is my brother Branchpaw." Branchpaw dipped his head shyly.
Out of the corner of her eye, Goldenpaw noticed Brindlepaw was shuffling her paws and giggling softly, exchanging glances with Frostpaw. "Hi," she murmured in Tigerpaw's general direction. He didn't looked surprised at her behavior. Instead, he stared straight at Goldenpaw.
"Who are you?" he asked, stepping forward, as if he expected her to swoon at the sound of his voice.
"I think you heard my apprentice ceremony quite clearly?" Goldenpaw said loftily, holding up her head, speaking with a brazen courage she didn't know she possessed. Tigerpaw narrowed his eyes, looking confused.
"Do you want me to show you where you'll sleep?" Willowpaw interrupted, to break the tense silence.
"Sure," Goldenpaw replied, and walked by the brooding Tigerpaw without a glance in his direction.
Ha, serves you right, you arrogant piece of foxdung! :D
Review, if you please!
