Alllllll right! I'm so excited that you're excited XD
Chapter One - Finally fighting back
Sapkit bounced from paw to paw as her mother, Spottedfoot, tried to groom her fur. Kindlekit watched, his eyes full of amusement.
"If you groom any more, she won't have any fur left!" He purred as Sapkit dodged out of the way again.
Spottedfoot sat back on her haunches and looked at her kits with pride. "Well then stop fussing and you'll have some fur left." She purred and gave them each a reasuring lick on the head.
Sapkit looked out the entrance of the nursery. Outside, Bluestar and Fireheart were murmuring to each other in the snowy clearing. Finally, Bluestar got to her paws and jumped up onto the Highrock.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath me for a clan meeting!" She yowled.
The kits shot out of the nursery, sending tufts of snow flying, Spottedfoot following behind.
"Today, two kits will join the ranks of the 'paws." She looked through the crowd at Sapkit and Kindlekit. They tried to walk calmly up to the Highrock, but excitement took over and they darted forward.
Sapkit was first up and she sat with her chest puffed out. Kindlekit joined and flicked his tail over her ear and hissed with mock-anger "It's not a race, mousebrain!" Sapkit just purred.
"Kindlekit," Bluestar started "Please come forward." The little white-and-orange cat took an excited step forward. "Kindlekit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is high time that you were apprenticed. From this day on, until you recieve your warrior name, you known as Kindlepaw. Your mentor will be Whitestorm. I hope he passes all he knows down to you.
"Whitestorm," She continued "You will take on Kindlepaw as an apprentice. Your skills in hunting and defending have improved over the moons. I know will you will pass all you know down to Kindlepaw." She stepped back and let Whitestorm and the newly named Kindlepaw touch noses.
"Sapkit," She mewed as the little white kit stepped forward "You are six moons old and, until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Sappaw. Your mentor will be Graystripe." Bluestar turned to the gray tom, who sat with bright eyes "Graystripe, this is your first apprentice, but I know you will pass you excellent hunting and stalking skills on to Sappaw."
Their leader let them touch noses. As they did so, Graystripe whispered "I hope you don't get in as much mischief as your father did!" His eyes sparkled with humour and Sappaw purred.
"Sappaw, Kindlepaw, Sappaw, Kindlepaw!" The clan chanted as the new apprenticed sat beside their mentors.
"I hope you two are up to some walking..." Whitestorm meowed as he and Graystripe exchanged tiny nods of agreement.
Sappaw felt her chest was going to burst with excitement. They were going to leave the camp!
Kindlepaw jumped up and down "Are we going to see the Fourtrees?" He mewed excitedly.
Whitestorm looked at him with icy blue eyes "Possibly, if we leave before the sun is above the treeline." He looked up at the sky. There wasn't even a wisp of cloud. Four moons had passed since the begining of leafbare.
Four moons since Sandstorm. Since the foxes. Since her mother's death. Sappaw still didn't know how her mother came back from being slaughtered. She shook her head, not wanting to think about it again.
"So what are we going to see?" Sappaw asked.
Kindlekit's eyes sparkled "The thunderpath?"
Graystripe shook his head, baffled "I just don't get why kits want to see the thunderpath so much..."
Whitestorm's eyes filled with long forgotten sadness. Sappaw remembered the story that his mother had died there when he was just a kit. Bluestar looked after him in her sister, Snowfur's, place.
"We'll probably start by the Riverclan border." Whitestorm meowed hastily.
"Blech! By the fish-faces?" Kindlepaw exclaimed.
Sappaw playfully boxed his ears. "Be kinder! They may reek of old prey, but they could still shred you to ribbons, if they wanted to!"
Kindlepaw growled, pretending to be a Riverclan warrior. "Like this?" He yowled and bowled her over, pinning her to the snowy ground.
"Hey, you stinking fish-face!" Sappaw yelped "Get off of me before I smell like river!"
Kindlepaw rolled over "Never!" He jumped back and arched his spine "Give me your river! I'll eat all the fish!"
Sappaw purred and was about to jump at her snow-covered brother when Graystripe cleared his throat.
"While I enjoy sitting here all day, we need to get moving." He meowed dryly.
Sappaw stopped and looked at her paws.
"Let's go!" Whitestorm popped to his feet and marched towards the thorn barrier.
Sappaw and Kindlepaw threw one last amused look at each other before racing after their mentors.
Sappaw looked around the snowy forest as the padded onwards to the river. It was so beautiful during when there was snow, but they couldn't hide the fact that everyone was hungry. Good thing the weather was starting to warm up now.
"Here!" Graystripe stopped abruptly.
Sappaw walked to his side and looked down. Below their paws, was a thin sheet of cracked ice. Below that, was black water that turned and flowed.
"This is the.. river?" She asked uncertainly.
"Yup. Right now it has some ice left on it, but as the weather continues to warm up, you're going to notice the ice gets thinner. Soon, it'll crack completely and you'll be able to see the water underneath." Graystripe meowed importantly.
Kindlepaw looked at the frozen river. "... Lame."
Whitestorm whipped his head around, about to scold him, but stopped. He looked back at the frozen river. "Actually... It is, a little."
Graystripe snorted.
"Next is the Shadowclan border! Trust me, it smells worse there than here." The gray warrior announced.
Kindlepaw clawed at the hard ground "I hope we see some Shadowclan warriors!"
"Nooo, you don't."
"I do."
Sappaw looked at Graystripe "If he wants to be shredded to bits, let him."
"Hey!" Kindlepaw mewed indignantly "You would miss me, you know it."
"No.
"You would too. Who would be the funny one?" He puffed out his little white chest.
"Funny looking, maybe." Sappaw purred.
"I don't look weird!" He defended himself. But he did, just a little. His fur was mostly white, and his paws were orange. The tip and the base of his tail was orange, and the tip of his left ear was also orange.
Sappaw purred and rubbed her head against his, and he relaxed.
The group began to walk to the Shadowclan border. As they walked, Graystripe slowed to a stop. Kindlepaw and Sappaw stopped with Whitestorm in front of the gray warrior.
Whitestorm turned, concerned. "What's wrong?"
Graystripe paused and looked around. Then he looked back at the white warrior. He looked so confused.
"... Graystripe?"
The confused tom blinked. "Do you smell that?"
"Smell what?"
He hesitated then flattened his ears. "It smells like..."
Sappaw padded up to her mentor. "What is it, Graystripe?"
Graystripe swallowed and answered, not looking at an cat in particular.
"It smells like fox."
Alright, that was just an intro to the new book XD