The night seemed to drag longer than usual. It might have passed quicker if the young apprentice, but Driftkit and Snowkit had squirmed all night so far and yowled pitifully at intervals in their sleep, their thick white pelts catching the moonlight that their mother didn't soak up like the moss that smothered the nursery floor. This is the last night I'll sleep with them, Forestkit thought sorrowfully, shifting into a more comfortable position. I should at least try and enjoy myself. But every time Forestkit felt like ticking off, another yowl would snag her drowsiness. Through the softly breathing body of Daisystep barring the front of the nursery, Forestkit caught a glimpse of a shining full moon, silvery light streaming down into camp and flooding the water-like smoothness of granite boulders of SkyClan camp. She could almost feel the moon washing over her brown pelt, the beams smooth like milk, and the air fresh, not stuffy and breathed in by other cats, but channelled from the moon straight to her. It even seemed to smoothen out her fur silently in one swift movement, not sticky like Daisystep's lolling tongue, or cold and harsh like water, which soaked her to the pelt. The second she moved into her mother's shadow, it seemed like her fur had spiked up like she'd collected every burr from SkyClan to StarClan. She knew Daisystep would pester it for her later, and if she was lucky Whitehawk might not notice. As if Daisystep would need any help pestering her.
How long was it since I last checked? It felt like a few heartbeats ago but, time could whizz fast, so Forestkit carefully got to her paws, trying to breathe lightly, turning her snout away from her mother, as not to breathe on her and checked the moon again. It hadn't moved a kitstep.
Irritated, Forestkit, collapsed, and not taking as much care descending as she did ascending. Her jaw cracked on the moss and the pain ached like the irritation. She allowed her eyes and thoughts to wander until her water- like gaze rested on a squirming belly, guilt making her thoughts jolt nastily back to her mind.
It was good timing too, as she heard a warrior heading the way of the nursery. Whitehawk gently patrolling, his yellow eyes glinting like a kindly Twoleg monster - seeing every danger with the sharpness of TigerClan, but not spewing black fumes or ploughing relentlessly into cats, just moving steadily and patiently - past the front of the Nursery and Forestkit quickly dipped her head down like she was sleeping as her huge, lean father poked his head into the den and rested a warm, familiar gaze upon her filled with pride and sorrow. Forestkit knew that her father would have liked to keep her in nursery longer after being born so early, but Forestkit knew she was the same size as any apprentice or apprentice-to-be. Whitehawk dipped his head over Forestkit's head and gave her a rough lick which told her he knew she was awake.
"Sunrise isn't far off. Get some sleep. Cedarheart will need you to have every scrap of energy," he whispered. Forestkit let out a purr of satisfaction and nodded slightly, but knew she wouldn't ever get to sleep tonight. She felt bad lying. "Good kit. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Forestkit whispered back.
Whitehawk moved silently through the shadow of the den like fish in black water until only his scent lingered against her fur and walls of the den. The kit wildly sheathed and unsheathed her claws in excitement, careful to keep them off the comfy floors which leave rather noticeable marks. She pressed further against her mother, Daisystep, her brown belly shifting with her kits underneath. She allowed herself childishly to nuzzle Daisystep for her warmth. Forestkit pulled Snowkit and Driftkit closer to her and gently licked their white fur in turn. Their yowls were stifled and turned into soft mews as they clumsily waved their paws. We're a whole family now, Forestkit thought. If only Icouldn't be a medicine cat, we could all sleep together; we would be a whole family.
Dawn trickled in quickly once Forestkit fell asleep. She was woken by the scent of warm bird's eggs and squirrels and thrushes brought through the front entrance with the scent of her father. Daisystep sighed and nudged Forestkit's flank affectionately and the kit leapt to her paws, her chocolate-brown fur on end with excitement.
"Good morning," Daisystep soothed calmly. "What is all the rush for?"
"Is it your 1st moon today?" Whitehawk chimed in playfully. "Or is it your 2nd or 3rd…?"
"It's my 6th!" Forestkit announced triumphantly.
"Oh, yes!" agreed Whitehawk with mock surprise. "I remember. A full apprentice - wow!" Forestkit fluffed up her fur to make it seem like she was bigger.
"Have your fresh-kill then, Forestpaw," invited Daisystep. Haykit wriggled into sight, his short ginger fur gleaming.
"Hi Forestkit!" he mewed enthusiastically. "I helped father bring some fresh-kill for you!" Forestkit felt a twinge of sympathy for Haykit. Haykit had always thought Whitehawk to be his father, but she was forbidden to tell him he was an abandoned kitty-pet. She twitched her whiskers happily and said,
"Thanks, Haykit! What did you get me?"
"A thrush!" A troubled look swarmed Haykit's innocent blue eyes. "That is your favourite, right?"
"Yup!" Forestkit wasn't lying either.
"Yay!" Delight surged through Haykit's body as he nuzzled forward a golden-feathered thrush towards Forestkit and she began to steadily gulp down her food.
"Make sure you don't do anything…" Haykit paused before whispering, "Dangerous stuff like Crowpaw did." Forestkit nodded sadly. Crowpaw was an arrogant young she-cat that had tried to tackle an owl. It had beaten her badly, and when she had scrambled up a tree and fallen and broken her backbone. She was bound to the Medicine cat's den, along with Volepool. Volepool was an old she-cat, which was harshly pregnant with an amount of at least 2 litter's worth of kits.
"I promise I won't," swore Forestkit, and Haykit relaxed.
"Well, that's good." He padded up to Driftkit and licked her gently in greeting. "Morning!" Driftkit mewled in reply, and crawled toward him and played with his belly-fur.
"Your mother's over there!" he said gently, nodding at Daisystep, but he didn't mind. He dragged over a squirrel and tore off a strip and pushed it towards Driftkit. Driftkit obviously didn't get the idea of fresh-kill and began to bury it in the moss floor.
"Oh, kits." He rolled his eyes which gleamed at Forestkit.
Before Forestkit knew it, she was being dragged by her scruff by Daisystep who smoothed her fur out.
"Can you see if you can keep it neat until the ceremony?"
"Maybe."
Suddenly, a familiar call sounded through the camp; Foxstar's.
"Quick! Wash!" Daisystep demanded as cats began to flood the clearing.
"Later!" Forestkit promised, flicking some dust off her pelt.
"Come on!" Haykit cried excitedly.
Forestkit followed the small ginger kit out into the clearing, which was already half-full with SkyClan cats who she knew so well. A fox-like tom was standing beside a pretty ginger she-cat Forestkit recognised at once on the Highrock; Cedarheart, the medicine cat.
"It is time to appoint a new apprentice." Foxstar stepped back and signalled Cedarheart to step forward.
"Cats of SkyClan!" she announced. "As you know, I will not be around forever. So it's time I took an Apprentice. I have chosen a cat that has shown kindness and loyalty. Your next medicine will be Forestkit." SkyClan murmured in approval, and parted where Forestkit stood. Forestkit felt the ground shake as Foxstar looked down on her and barked,
"Forestkit, do you accept the post of apprentice to Cedarheart?"
Suddenly she felt a small prompt in her ear in a mysterious, wavering voice.
"I do." Forestkit whipped around, but there was no cat beside her. Slowly, she looked at her mother, father, foster brother then to Foxstar and spoke, courage filling her lungs as she spoke.
"I do."
"Then come forth." Excitement pounding in her ears Forestkit leapt up the Highrock and looked at SkyClan. They were her responsibility. If she made a mistake, they could die. Suddenly she saw a grey Queen squatted in the corner, watching her carefully; Volepool! But there was something wrong- she was older and broken… with 6 kits beside her! She hadn't had her kits yet, and they weren't recognisable from the nursery. She discreetly nudged Cedarheart, not wanting to interrupt an important ceremony, but it bothered her too much. But she felt no response. She waited a few seconds, before the breath was taken out of her, quick, but viciously, that made her chest ache with pain.
The scene around her had completely frozen; Foxstar half-blinking, Cedarheart's mouth turned up in the corners in the faintest suggestion of a proud or emotional wave. Only the kits moved, bounding around Volepool, squealing joyfully. Forestkit's blood froze and felt her heart lurch horribly as one kit settled an ice-blue set of eyes like icicles, narrowed and piercing. Her pelt was jet-black like a starless night where StarClan would be powerless. Forestkit stared, wide-eyed with uncertainty and horror. The voice came again.
"These kits are not meant to survive. Don't let honour stop you. Honour will not defeat what could happen."
Forestkit tried to cry out in fear, but her lips wouldn't obey. Instead, she felt like the body was a shell, a prison. She felt like her spirit was just contained in her shell of a body and had no choice but to watch, unblinking, isolated. What was happening? She desperately prized her lips apart, and she felt like she was stretching her skin like it was hooked under teeth. She let a yowl gush out of her lungs, taking all the fear with it into one, high-pitched screech of horror, and tearing time back into its steady pace, making it splinter like ice.
Everything resumed, which took Forestkit in surprise like a gush of wind bowling a kit over, but she tried to blink away the tears of horror and confusedness of the sign. But Foxstar, nor any of the cats, could have suspected anything was wrong. It was natural to be emotional at such an important event.
"Then let StarClan receive this new medicine cat apprentice as Forestpaw," Foxstar continued, every word being pulled out reluctantly by him, as if he would rather be catching prey or chasing off kitty-pets. "StarClan and SkyClan welcome you, Forestpaw."
"Forestpaw, Forestpaw!" called the Clan, including Cedarheart, Daisystep, Whitehawk and of course Haykit, who was the loudest.
She let her eyes wander over the calling cats, temptation pulling her over to Volepool, but fear held her back. It could have been a heartbeat, a half-moon, or moon before she plucked up the courage to drag her sky-blue eyes over in Volepool's direction, who was still seated, silent, watching intently. The kits were gone.