Chapter 1
"Mommy! Mommy! She opened her eyes!" Creamkit said in a playful manner. Fawnkit looked at her younger sister, whose cream pelt shined beneath the nursery vines. Honeybee smiled at her tiny kits as her youngest kit, Darkkit, slumbered beside Applecloud's young kits, Hailkit and Lightkit. Russetheart's kits, Flamekit, and Maplekit, was both jumping around, were catching wisps of leaves that fell from the thorny nursery. Applecloud was gently licking Hailkit's white fluffy fur. "Yes I can see that, Creamkit, I understand. How is the light, Fawnkit?" Her mother meowed while cleaning Creamkit's fur. "Gwood" Fawnkit gently whispered, her voice cracking while she spoke. Honeybee smiled, looking over the horizon while Fawnkit wrestled with her sister. Darkkit grumbled and growled, "Shut up! Some cats are sleeping! Pesky girls." Maplekit scowled, scratching Darkkit gently with a paw. Maplekit looked at the other two she-kits, laughing at their frowning faces. She muzzled them, and told them that he was just grumpy. Maplekit and Flamekit was the eldest, two moons older than Fawnkit and Creamkit, both very kind, and always played with the younger she-cats since the younger toms were always sleeping. "Wanna come with me to the elder's den? Mothshine have the best stories!" Maplekit meowed, skipping around the den. "Sure! Just let me ask Mom first!" Creamkit said, telling Fawnkit what Maplekit said. Fawnkit nodded, standing beside Maplekit while her sister ran off. Fawnkit studied Maplekit; A beautiful tortoiseshell, with rich blood red tail tips and paws, with soft amber eyes. She looked at her mother from far away, a beautiful brown and dusty gold striped she-cat with green eyes. Her sister was standing beside their mother, and had a creamy pelt with bright blue eyes. Fawnkit stared, mesmerized at Flamekit's orange pelt with white tail tip. His grey eyes were so piercing, right through to her eyes. "Young love, ah…" Maplekit sighed, snapping Fawnkit out of her dream. "You think my brother is cute, right! Haha!" She teased, nudging the frustrated Fawnkit by the shoulder while Creamkit ran behind them, trying to catch up. They all laughed as they traveled to the thorny den, with Cloudfall slumbering while Mothshine and Fernpelt were sharing tongues. "What can I do for you, little ones?" the two elders said. "Story! They want to hear about the great Firestar!" Maplekit said. Mothshine smiled, and began her story while Fawnkit and Creamkit slowly began to drift to sleep. Mothshine gently asked Cloudfall, the younger elder, to carry the two kits to the nursery. Cloudfall smiled, his one amber eye brightened, finally being able to do something. Maplekit followed the depressed elder, jumping on top of Russetheart when they reached the nursery. Honeybee thanked the elder, while Cloudfall nodded and left. Honeybee closed her eyes, curling her tail around her young kits.
Shimmerstar looked at her deputy, now asleep in the nursery. Her deputy- in- standing was Honeybee's mate, Trebleclaw. Trebleclaw was up bright and early, ready to start organizing the dawn patrol. "Icegaze, Foxtail, Leafwish, Cloudsky, Sandwhisker, and Smokewind, come with me for the dawn border patrol." He yelled as the six sleepy warriors started picking up the pace as Honeybee awoke. Six moons had passed, and Fawnkit, Darkkit, Creamkit, Hailkit, and Lightkit were ready to be apprenticed. Maplepaw and Flamepaw have both been apprenticed two moons earlier. "I bet you three mice five of those six cats on the dawn patrol are going to be our mentors, huh Fawnkit!"Darkkit bet, his dark brown eyes shining. Fawnkit laughed, nodding, ready to eat three mice. Once the dawn patrol came back, the apprentice ceremony started, all six kits' clean and groomed. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting." Shimmerstar yelled, her fur blowing against the wind. "Fawnkit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Fawnpaw. Your mentor will Aspenleaf. I hope Aspenleaf will pass down all she knows on to you. Aspenleaf, you are well ready to take on an apprentice, and has received excellent training from Sparrowshoot, and has shown yourself to be swift, and loyal. You will be the mentor of Fawnpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Fawnpaw." Fawnpaw looked at her mentor, a cinnamon and white coloured she-cat, coming over to touch noses with her. The ceremony continued, and Creampaw got Snowstep, Darkpaw got Whiteblaze, Hailpaw got Cloudsky, and Lightpaw got Smokewhisker. The whole clan cheered their names, excited from the new additions. Shimmerstar closed the ceremony by saying, "I hope these new additions to the apprentice den will boost Thunderclan! Meeting adjourned." Fawnpaw smirked at Darkpaw, and Darkpaw stuck his tongue out as he went to gather three mice. Aspenleaf gently nudged Fawnpaw. "It's time to go and gather some moss for the elders bedding. They need some new moss; it is too damp from the storm last night." "Awww! I wanted to have a tour of the camp!" "Moss collecting gives you good skills for how to hunt quickly, and it strengthens your control of your paw. It is very useful." Fawnpaw grunted, and then followed Aspenleaf to a rock cove. "No one but me and my sister, Leafwish, know about this cove. Now you get to know!"Aspenleaf explained as she led Fawnpaw toward a green mossy corner. "Moss collecting is quite easy once you get the tactics down. Watch me carefully." Aspenleaf took her paw, her claw unsheathed, and slice through the moss in one elegant swipe. "You try!" Fawnpaw repeated the process in her head, and then sliced the moss, cutting it, but leaving it uneven. "Almost," Aspenleaf meowed, "But you need to slice it faster, with a better paw motion. Try again, okay?" Fawnpaw sliced the moss at high speed, her paw imitating Aspenleaf's. The moss came out clean. "Good!"Aspenleaf purred, and then started building up her own moss pile. When they finished, Aspenleaf showed Fawnpaw how to carry the moss to the elders den, and then off they went. "Good, good," Mothshine murmured as she shared tongues with Fernpelt. "It better not be damp!" Fernpelt mewed, his voice jumping three octaves from the thorn that flew into his paw. "Mothshine!" He yowled, his purr turning to an annoyed growl. Fawnpaw took the moss and gently put it down, exhausted from the climb down. "You can go grab something from the fresh kill pile. I'll finish this." Aspenleaf whispered while Mothshine and Fernpelt argued. Fawnpaw gratefully nodded, leaving the thorny den. As she picked out her meal, Flamepaw wandered over to her, and asked if he could eat with her. She calmly accepted, and nudged the fat rabbit over so they could share. They ate the rabbit together, their warm muzzles touching each other for a brief second when they both went for the leg. "Love birds!" Creampaw called, laughing, as Maplepaw grinned. Maplepaw and Creampaw's mentors, Snowstep and Trebleclaw, respectively, were chuckling behind them. Fawnpaw and Flamepaw blushed beet red, and then leaped onto Creampaw and Maplepaw, play fighting. Afterwards, they departed for the apprentice den, ready for a long nights sleep.
"Willowfur and Yarrowsong, bring all your supplies. Shadowclan will fight like a shark if we are not ready." Shimmerstar whispered. All the apprentices and warriors were up, ready to fight, even to kill if they must. Fawnpaw looked at Aspenleaf, her mentor looking at Fawnpaw with concern. Shadowclan was easily outnumbered, but too nimble and easily hid at night. Suddenly, they heard a huge yell, "Shadowclan! Attack!" Sixteen full grown warriors attacked, their claws unsheathed. Fawnpaw fought like a lion, to the best of her abilities, when suddenly, a huge brown tom sliced her stomach, which began to bleed like crazy. She fought for breath, when she suddenly saw her mother rip his neck, and he immediately collapsed, while her mother screamed for help. Yarrowsong appeared instantly, her eyes widening, grabbing cobwebs, marigold, and tormentail. Fawnpaw knew she was in good paws, and closed her eyes.