Chapter Two
The next morning, Tigerkit was jerked out of sleep by a paw prodding her sharply in the side.
"Come on, Tigerkit! It's morning, now we can play."
Tigerkit groaned and rolled over, recognizing the impatient voice of Marshkit. She stuck out a forepaw, grasping blindly to knock the kit away.
"Go away," she muttered, tucking her paw back in and curling her tail over her nose tightly.
"But we have something to show you!" Goldenkit broke in.
Tigerkit cracked one green eye, her littermates surrounding her with their eyes wide and expectant. Her nightmare from last night quickly faded away into wisps as she felt the tingle of excitement in the air.
"What is it?" she asked hesitatingly.
"Come see for yourself!" Applekit bounded towards the den entrance, waiting there for Tigerkit to get up. She hauled herself rom her warm nest into surprisingly cold, clear air. She blinked. For some reason, everything in the den looked different. Maybe a little brighter?
"Come on," Marshkit whisked his tail happily as he saw his sister start to follow him and Goldenkit and Applekit out of the den and into the cold morning air.
Tigerkit squinted as paused at the entrance, her eyes suddenly bombarded with light. As her eyes slowly adjusted, they widened as she caught sight of what her littermates were talking about.
The entire ShadowClan camp was coated in something fluffy and white. She breathed in the chilly air, her throat stinging as some of the white stuff that still drifted in the air got sucked down her nose. She sneezed, making the white stuff poof up and surround her with fluffly white flakes. She squealed in surprise, batting at the flakes as they swirled and fell around her. Marshkit bounded back to her, his paws making small indents in the carpet of the white stuff, a couple flakes perched on his nose.
"Isn't this amazing?" He asked, jumping up and down.
"What is it?" Tigerkit wondered, watching Goldenkit and Applekit wrestle in the middle of the clearing.
"It's snow."
Tigerkit turned around to see Palestripe sitting in the entrance of the den, her tail wrapped around her paws and a purr rumbling in her throat at the sight of her excited kits.
"Snow?" Tigerkit scooped some up in her paw, the flakes melting against her warm pink pads. She glanced back at her mother. "Where does it come from?"
Palestripe waved her tail towards the sky. "It falls like rain in leafbare, and sometimes even newleaf like now. It's like fluffy frozen water."
"That's weird," Goldenkit sniffed. She had broken off her play fight with Applekit to come listen to Palestripe.
"It is poisonous?" Applekit asked worriedly, glancing at her snow-encrusted pelt.
"No, not at all," Palestripe purred. "It tastes like water."
Applekit licked some off her pale tabby fur, scrunching up her nose.
"It tastes more like dirt," she said, disgusted.
"You probably got it dirty playing with Goldenkit," Marshkit pointed out. Applekit shrugged, shaking it off her fur.
"You four stay out of mud," Palestripe warned. She got up and headed to the fresh-kill pile that was sheltered under a bush, safe from the layered snow. Tigerkit watched her go, her paws sinking through the snow and kicking it up along with some dirt form underneath.
"Snow fight!"
Tigerkit hissed as she felt snow sting her head, falling into her eyes and ears. "Watch it!"
"It's a snow fight, Tigerkit!" Marshkit sang as he flung another clump of snow to Applekit, who quickly retaliated. Tigerkit crouched down, her eyes narrowed as she readied herself to jump onto Marshkit.
"Hey, Tigerkit!"
She flicked her tail irratibly as she was interrupted, sitting back out of her crouch to see Fishpaw and Starlingpaw, the two oldest apprentices in the clan approach the four kits.
"Hey Fishpaw, Starlingpaw," she greeted, her annoyance wearing off a bit when she who it was.
"What are you four up to?" Starlingpaw asked, her mottled white, brown, and gray fur dusted with snow.
"We're having a snow fight," Goldenkit said breathlessly as she slid to a stop beside Tigerkit, Applekit and Marshkit still hurling snow back and forth.
"We can see that," Fishpaw said, amused.
"It's a lot of fun," Tigerkit said, her tail tip waving in the air excitably.
"Fishpaw!" Applekit ran up to the two apprentices, her blue eyes shining with excitement. "Do you have something new to teach us?"
"Well, we did just learn this new move," Starlingpaw began. "It's easy enough. You just rear back and swipe with your front paws." Starlingpaw demonstrated against her brother, rearing up and balancing on her rear paws, her front paws as fast as lighting against Fishpaw. She eased up on her attack, falling back on all four paws.
"It's one of the first moves you learn as an apprentice," Fishpaw mewed. "Why don't you four try it?"
But right when Tigerkit reared up to try and slash an invisible enemy, a bright flash of ginger fur caught her attention out if the corner of her eye. She turned to see ShadowClan's leader, Oakstar, standing on top of the huge boulders that sheltered the medicine den.
"Let's all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather for a clan meeting!" He yowled. Fishpaw and Starlingpaw looked apologetically at the kits.
"Sorry, we'll have to practice later," Starlingpaw mewed. She moved off with her brother to find a good place to sit for the clan meeting.
"Do you think we can watch the meeting?" Tigerkit asked.
"Well, I almost caught a frog the other day, so I'd say we can catch our own prey," Marshkit boasted. Applekit shrugged.
"Why not?"
The four kits headed in a small group toward the meeting, but were stopped by a wide gray paw.
"Sorry, kits," Juniperclaw said. "You'll have to watch from the edge. Oakstar wouldn't want kits bothering him during a ceremony."
Tigerkit's head drooped. "Okay."
The four sullenly walked back to the outer edge of the group.
"We can watch from the sunning stones," Goldenkit suggested, pointing with her tail where they had ambushed the elders the day before in their mock fight.
"Sure." Tigerkit followed her sister up the rocks, Marshkit and Applekit close behind. As they settled at the top, clearing some snow off to make a space to sit without getting too wet, Nightkit and Scarkit emerged from the nursery, their fur carefully groomed and shining. They were followed by Duskpelt, their mother, who was beaming with pride.
"Oh, yeah, they're becoming apprentices today," Goldenkit whispered. Tigerkit twitched an ear in acknowledgment as the two kits entered the circle of the gathered cats, Duskpelt going to sit at the front next to her mate, Ratpelt, who held his wide brown head high, yellow eyes glittering. Tigerkit shuddered. Ratpelt had always been the most intimidating cat in the clan, alongside his kit bully Nightkit.
Oakstar raised his head, his fur shining in the soft newleaf sun. "With newleaf just beginning, prey is returning to the forest and green leaves are starting to appear. And what better way to celebrate this than by welcoming two new apprentices?"
Oakstar looked down on the two kits, who looks small from where Tigerkit was sitting. Even Nightkit looked a little nervous as Oakstar surveyed the kits.
"Scarkit," Oakstar called. "Until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Scarpaw." Oakstar paused, looking over his warriors. "Lakemist, you are ready for another apprentice. I trust you will turn Scarpaw into a fine warrior."
"I will, Oakstar." Lakemist's eyes gleamed as she stepped forward to Scarpaw, who was practically vibrating with excitement. The two touched noses, then moved off the the side to allow Oakstar to continue the ceremony.
"Nightkit," Oakstar began. Even though Nightkit was alone in the clearing, he held his head high, his amber eyes glittering. As he watched Oakstar open his mouth to continue the ceremony, Tigerkit gasped, her dream from last night coming back in one frightening wave. She dug her claws into the rock. What if it wasn't just a nightmare? She shook her head almost immediately after the thought came to her. She was just being a silly kit. Of course it was just a dream.
"From now on, you'll be known as Nightpaw," Oakstar said. Tigerkit quickly turned her gaze back to the ceremony.
"Jack, even though you used to be a kittypet, you've proven to be a formidable fighter and a loyal warrior. You are ready for your first apprentice."
Tigerkit couldn't help feeling happy for the dark brown tom as he stepped into the clearing. Even though he used to be a kittypet, Tigerkit knew that every cat respected him and his mate, May. They had joined not long before Tigerkit was born, although they had quickly earned everyone's trust as they worked hard in their clan.
"A kittypet mentor?" Nightpaw said in disbelief as Jack approached him. The entire clan gasped as Nightpaw spoke, his teeth gritted in anger. He spun back around to glare at Oakstar.
"A kittypet won't teach me how to fight and hunt like a real warrior," Nightpaw spat. "Give me a better mentor."
Even his strict father, Ratpelt, looked aghast as his son spoke. The clan started whispering, Oakstar raising his tail for silence.
"Nightpaw can't do that, can he?" Goldenkit whispered. "Demand a new mentor?"
"I doubt it," Marshkit responsed. Tigerkit frowned as she saw Jack freeze awkwardly a couple tail lengths from Nightpaw.
"Jack will make a fine mentor, Nightpaw," Oakstar spoke. His eyes glittered dangerously. "You'd do well not to interrupt your own apprentice ceremony. I know what's best for you."
Tigerkit swallowed as Nightpaw hissed one more time before letting his tail droop to the ground. He allowed Jack to come forward and touch his nose, even though it was only for half a second. Jack stepped back warily, Nightpaw standing defiantly a little ways away.
Duskpelt looked around the clan, then began to call, "Scarpaw! Nightpaw!" The rest of the clan joined in, though hesitantly, especially toward Nightpaw. After a couple moments, Oakstar waved his tail for silence. "This meeting is at an end. Sunhigh patrols, head out."
The cats began to disperse, leaving Jack and Lakemist with their new apprentices. Tigerkit felt jealously burn through her pelt as the Scarpaw and Nightpaw headed toward the entrance with their new mentors.
"I wish I could see the territory," she said bitterly.
"It'll be our turn someday," Applekit said, getting up to jump back down the rocks.
"Yeah, but four whole moons," Marshkit joined in. "That'll take forever."
"I'm going to be the best warrior I can be," Tigerkit said, looking back at the entrance to the camp that was still quivering as the sunhigh patrol left. She worked her claws in the snow. "I promise."