Chapter 1: Aftermath
Russetkit kneaded her dark ginger paws with impatience. Crowtail was staring morosely at Cedarkit again. He kept asking to leave the den, but she refused. "No, Cedarkit, it's far too dangerous. Just, no." She had let all the other kits go out to play, but never Cedarkit. "Crowtail! I know you miss your mate, but Cedarkit won't get hurt if he leaves the den. We're five moons old, and he's hardly been out of the nursery." Russetkit snapped at her mother. The black she-cat flicked her tail crossly, but Russetkit could see in her eyes that the truth was staring at her. "Very well. But be careful, for StarClan's sake. Russetkit, go with him, and make sure he doesn't get hurt." She pressed her fur against her brother while rolling her eyes. Excitement was thrumming through him; she could sense it.
Russetkit shared a special bond with Foxkit, but she was quite close to Cedarkit as well. "Let's go!" Russetkit said, but a fluffy white bundle blocked their path. Cloudkit, Poolcloud's kit, had been born two moons previous along with his sister, Whitekit. "Can I come too?" He asked, pale blue eyes wide. "Umm..." Russetkit said uncomfortably. She like Cloudkit well enough, but she wanted this to be special, just her and her brother. "I'll go with you, Cloudkit." said Foxkit quickly, smiling at him. Thanks, Foxkit. though Russetkit fervently. it must have shown in her eyes, because Foxkit smiled knowingly at her before padding out of the den with Cloudkit.
Russetkit and Cedarkit bounded out of the den to see Raggedstar conversing with a large, scruffy ginger tom and a gray tabby. Russetkit swept her tail over Cedarkit's mouth to make sure he kept quiet, then darted into a nearby bush so she could hear what they were saying. Cedarkit pressed next to her, silent as a stone. "So your names are...?" Raggedstar asked the other cats. "This is my brother Foot. I'm Jagged. I was a rogue, but I've heard of these Clans and they sound like, perhaps, a better way to live." Raggedstar dipped his head. "And you understand what this means? You will hunt for the queens, kits, and elders, as well as yourself. Your whole life will be dedicated to keeping the Clan safe." Jagged said in a low voice, "My kits were killed by another rogue a long time ago. They never stood a chance. I know that here, if I ever took a mate and she had kits, they would be safe. And I wouldn't want any other tom see his kits slaughtered before his very eyes, either. No cat could wish that upon another." Raggedstar's eyes seemed to soften. "You have well enough reason. Today, you shall receive a warrior name, and an apprentice. When I call all the cats together in a while, sit close to the tree. Talk to no cat." The ginger tom nodded and said, "Thank you."
Russetkit stared wide-eyed at Cedarkit as the two toms padded away. "He's getting an apprentice today? That must mean we're becoming apprentices!" Cedarkit grinned. "This is awesome! And it has to be us! We're six moons in a few days, he must have decided to do the ceremony a few days early!" Then his face fell. "Crowtail won't be happy..." She brushed her fur against his. "She'll be alright. Besides, she needs to realize that we can take care of ourselves. I bet you'll miss Whitekit more than you'll miss Crowtail!" She giggled as Cedarkit blushed furiously. "Shut up!" he said embarrassedly, tackling her to the ground. Reacting quickly, she bucked him off and pinned him to the ground, her teeth in his ear. He surrendered, but then pounced on her again and they scuffled in the dirt.
"Russetkit! Cedarkit!" A deep voice called, and the two kits, their fur caked with earth, looked up to see Raggedstar frowning at them. "You'd best clean yourselves up." Cedarkit piped up, "For our ap- Ow!" Russetkit had dug her tiny claws into his tail, warning him to hush. "Why, Raggedstar?" She said innocently. "You and your littermates are becoming apprentices today." She feigned surprise, and the excitement she truly felt made up for whatever her lie lacked. "Wow! Can I go tell Foxkit?" The leader nodded. "Be ready in a little while. It won't be long now!" The two kits hurried off, Cedarkit muttering, "You didn't have to claw me that much."
Russetkit rolled her eyes. "Sorry, but if Raggedstar knew we'd listened he might be mad." Cedarkit let out a small smile. "I wonder who our mentors are going to be..." Russetkit speculated. "I've no idea." Foxkit and Cloudkit walked up to them, Foxkit looking quite curious. "What's going on?" Russetkit knew her sister had felt her own excitement; she often knew how Foxkit was feeling. "We're going to be apprentices! Raggedstar just told us!" She grinned happily. "What's this?" asked Crowtail with a note of restrained fear. Russetkit ex-haled impatiently. "Cedarkit will survive as an apprentice." she said in a hard tone of voice. She loved her mother, but sometimes she was just way too overprotective. "I know you will be okay, Russetkit, but Cedarkit's kind of small..." Foxkit rolled her eyes. "If Cedarkit's small, then Oakkit and I are midgets." Oakkit had just came out of the nursery. "Who's a midget, now?" He grinned.
"Stop worrying over me, Crowtail! I am just as capable as anyone. I will be fine." Cedarkit said exasperatedly. The black tabby she-cat looked at her paws, then scooped him closer and started cleaning his fur wordlessly. Russetkit felt a pang of kittish jealousy as she cleaned her fur by herself. Crowtail really had cared more for Cedarkit than her other kits, but Russetkit knew he didn't ask for it or like it, and it was probably only because of his namesake. Still, she did get a bit fed-up with her mother.
Soon all the kits' pelts were beautiful and shiny, and Raggedstar leaped into the tree where he announced the meeting. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey please gather beneath the Great Pine for a Clan meeting!" In the background, Russetkit could hear Whitekit and Cloudkit begging Poolcloud to let them watch, but her heart was pounding as she wound her way through the throng of cats to the front. She sat next to the rogue she had spied on earlier, Foxkit on her other side.
"Crowtail's kits have reached their sixth moon, and it is time for each of them to begin their apprenticeship. But before that, a warriors' ceremony is in order, though it doesn't involve just one cat." There was a spattering of murmurs at this. "Hush, please. Now, these two rogues-" he flicked his tail at Jagged and Foot, "would like to join ShadowClan. They have given me sufficient reason, and I have decided to let them join us. However, if they prove disloyal, let me assure you, there will be consequences. Now, would you two please step forward?" They complied and he gave them each a small smile. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to defend this Clan, even at the cost of your own lives?" They nodded and he continued. "From this day forward, you shall be known as Jaggedtooth, and you shall be known as Wetfoot. Blackpaw, would you also please step forward?"
The white warrior with his big black paws did so, eyes shining with pride. "Blackpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to defend this Clan, even at the cost of your own life?" "O do." said Blackpaw formally. "Then from this day forward, you shall be known as Blackfoot." Blackfoot let out a rare smile that reached his amber eyes. Raggedstar looked down at his former apprentice, then went on with the rather unconventional ceremony.
"Kits, please come forward." Russetkit walked closer to the Great Pine, matching her stride to Foxkit's, almost trembling with excitement. "From this day forward, until you receive your warrior names, shall be known as Rowanpaw, Tallpaw, Foxpaw, Oakpaw, Russetpaw, and Cedarpaw. Rowanpaw, your mentor will be Jaggedtooth. I'm sure he has learned many things in his life, and will be a great mentor. " Her brother looked only the tiniest bit put out at having the rogue tom as his mentor. "Tallpaw, your mentor will be Blackfoot. I taught him and can assure you he will be an excellent mentor. Foxpaw, I would like to mentor you. You will only be my second apprentice, but I will try my best to make you into a great warrior."
Russetpaw felt another unreasonable stab of jealously then. She had half-hoped Raggedstar would be her mentor, though at the time he still had an apprentice. She shook it off, happy for her sister. "Oakpaw, your mentor will be Wetfoot, who, like his brother, probably has seen things no other ShadowClan cat has. Russetpaw, your mentor will be Hollyflower. Though you are kin, I'm sure she will make a good mentor. Cedarpaw, your mentor will be Yellowfang, who-" he broke off as Yellowfang interuppted him.
"Raggedstar, I cannot be Cedarpaw's mentor." He looked at her with deep surprise. "Why in StarClan not, Yellowfang?" The battle-scarred ex-rogue stared at her paws. "It is my wish to become a medicine cat." She waved her tail at the leader to stop him from speaking, causing half-shocked, half-angry mutterings to arise from the gathering of cats. "I know that Runningnose has an apprentice, however, warrior life does not suit me very well, so perhaps you would be so kind as to let me break the rules once again?" Raggedstar looked at her uncertainly, but there was something else in his eyes that Russetpaw didn't recognize.
"Erm, Yellowfang, you and I will discuss this later. So, instead...Cedarpaw, your mentor will be...Featherstorm. You will be her first apprentice, but I am sure she will pass on all the skills that Smokefrost taught her before she went to StarClan." He paused, and then broke the awkward, uncomfortable silence by cheering half-heartedly, "Jaggedtooth! Wetfoot! Blackfoot! Rowanpaw! Tallpaw! Foxpaw! Oakpaw! Russetpaw! Cedarpaw!" The rest of the Clan took up the cry slowly.
Foxpaw looked at Russetpaw concernedly. "I know you wanted Raggedstar as a mentor...I hope you're not mad at me?" Russetpaw rolled her eyes and batted at her tail playfully. "Of course I'm not mad, mouse-brain. besides, Hollyflower will be a great mentor. She was Cedarstar's sister." Foxpaw smiled. "I bet she'll be an awesome mentor. Oh, look, here she comes now!" The gray and white she-cat was indeed making her way over to the two ginger apprentices. "Hi Foxpaw. Russetpaw, we're off to see the territory. Let's go!" She said animatedly and walked to the camp entrance. "Have fun!" called Foxpaw, and the dark ginger she-cat padded after her new mentor with a spring in her step.