"Wake up, sleepypaws." A familiar voice sounded over Scooter's shoulder.
"Hmrm?" Scooter groaned, stiff from lack of sleep. He turned his head to see Silverfoot sitting near him.
"Have you made your decision?" Silverfoot mewed, her voice filled with worry.
"Yes. I am coming to live with the Clans." Scooter purred.
"Oh, StarClan! Thank you!" Silverfoot gasped and twined her tail with his. Scooter leaned his head into her shoulder, breathing in her sweet, flowery scent.
"Scooter? Is it time to go?" Stream poked her head out from around the corner. Silverfoot leapt from his side in shock.
"Oh, great StarClan, you scared me!" Silverfoot grumbled.
"Silverfoot. It is nice to see you." Burr mewed, coming from around the corner.
"Same to you, Burr. Where is Leaf?"
"I am here. May we leave now?" Leaf stumbled from around the corner.
"Yes, of course. Let us leave." Silverfoot meowed, and flicked her tail, beckoning them to follow. Scooter walked up to her side, his soft fur brushing hers. Silverfoot looked at him, her eyes widening, but she didn't move away. Leaf snorted with amusement.
"Looks like Scooter's found a mate." Leaf teased. Burr flicked her with his tail.
"That's no way to treat your brother, Leaf! I shouldn't have to treat you like a kit!" Burr snarled. Leaf glared at her father.
"That's quite enough, you two." Stream mewed pointedly, wedging herself between the two arguing cats.
"You both sound like apprentices." Silverfoot purred with amusement. Scooter shot her a warm look.
It had only been a few heartbeats when a hollow log came into sight. Leaf tilted her head in confusion.
"What is that?" Leaf asked. Silverfoot turned to look at her.
"That's the entrance to the camp." Silverfoot snorted, and padded through the log. Scooter followed close behind. He gasped as he seen the large clearing. A small stream passed right through the middle, with dens lying on either side of the camp.
"You look like you just seen a monster, Scooter. Are you alright?" Silverfoot purred with amusement.
"What? Yes, I'm fine… this is all just so much to take in." Scooter sighed. He looked up from his paws, and noticed a bunch of cats staring in his direction. His pelt felt hot with embarrassment.
"Swiftstar! I have brought the Cat of the Stars and his family!" Silverfoot called. A tan colored she-cat leaped from a tall, sand covered rock.
"So I see. Welcome to ThistleClan, Scooter." Swiftstar bowed her head with respect.
"What's wrong with her muzzle?" Scooter whispered to Silverfoot.
"She's growing older and older by the minute. That grey fur is from old age." Silverfoot whispered back. "It won't be long until I'm leader."
Scooter hadn't realized that everything here was so organized and busy. He had always dreamed of living in the forest; he didn't think it would be this difficult.
"May all cats old enough to leap into the trees gather beneath the CrownRock for a Clan meeting!" Swiftstar called. Scooter's ears perked up with unease.
"Come on, you mousebrain." Silverfoot purred and nudged his shoulder. Scooter numbly walked forward, and he realized that all eyes were on him and his family. Leaf, who was at Scooter's shoulder, looked around nervously.
"What's happening?" Leaf called up to Swiftstar.
"You'll see." Swiftstar answered coolly. She flicked her tail.
"Cats of ThistleClan, I present to you our newest additions to our Clan. Scooter, the Cat of the Stars. Leaf, his younger sister. Stream, the mother of the kits, and Burr, the strong father." Swiftstar called. Cats were streaming from their dens to see the newcomers.
"Scooter," Swiftstar mewed. "Do you promise, from this day until you earn your warrior name, to protect the warrior code and learn the ways of a warrior?"
"I… I do." Scooter whispered.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I name you Scooterpaw. Your mentor will be Brownrock." Swiftstar licked Scooterpaw's head, and he licked her shoulder in return. He turned around to see a muscular, brown tom staring at him. Scooterpaw bowed his head in respect.
"I am Brownrock, your new mentor." The sturdy tom mewed. He purred in amusement at Scooterpaw, who had stumbled forward to greet him. "You might want to work on your balance, to start."
"O-okay." Scooterpaw stammered. He turned around as he heard light pawsteps behind him—Silverfoot was glaring at Brownrock.
"Stop teasing him. You know very well that he's… well, was a kittypet. He's never learned the ways of the Clans." Silverfoot snapped. Brownrock looked surprised.
"Well, since you seem to be so grumpy with such a little tease, why don't you go tell Swiftstar?" Brownrock taunted. Silverfoot bared her teeth at the senior warrior. Scooterpaw bristled in anger. He threw himself at the brown warrior, unsheathing his claws.
"Go, Scooterpaw!" Leafpaw called.
Scooterpaw swiped both of his paws at Brownrock's muzzle, leaving claw marks on his cheeks and ears. Brownrock wailed in pain, and jumped to his hind paws, lashing out with both forepaws.
Tail on the ground… paws forward and evenly spaced… got it! Scooter thought with triumph. He leaped into the air and landed on the warrior's back—Brownrock couldn't reach him from here. Scooterpaw swiped at his shoulder blades and bit the back of his neck lightly. Brownrock crumbled beneath him, exhausted.
"Why did you do that?" Brownrock snarled. Fear and anger flashed in his icy blue eyes.
"It serves you right for teasing him, Brownrock." Silverfoot snapped. She turned to face Scooterpaw, affection welling in her eyes.
"You fought well—for a kittypet." She mewed, teasingly. Scooterpaw knew that this wasn't meant to hurt him; in return, he licked Silverfoot's shoulder.
"Hey, Scooterpaw!" A small, sand colored apprentice called out. "We want to see that move you used!"
"Okay!" He shot an amused look to Silverfoot, and padded to where the two apprentices were sitting.
"I'm Sandpaw, and this is Starpaw." Sandpaw mewed and pointed his tail at a black-colored she-cat.
Scooterpaw noticed that Starpaw had scars crisscrossed across her face. Starpaw glared at the ground.
"Don't stare, Scooterpaw. Her mother abused her as a kit—attacked her, threw her off a steep hill… Ashheart even tried to drown her. None of these worked. It only made Starpaw stronger." Sandpaw whispered. Scooterpaw padded up to Starpaw's side, and whispered, "Your scars make you look beautiful. Don't worry about the others."
Starpaw looked at him in surprise. She hadn't expected a compliment from such a new apprentice.
"Looks like we've got a new couple already." An elder with one eye was meowing to his den-mate.
"Yes, I can see that, Spottedfur." The other elder purred with amusement. Scooterpaw's pelt felt hot—he was only trying to make the black she-cat feel better.
"What's this about a new couple?" Silverfoot asked, padding up to Scooterpaw's side.
"They think that I like Starpaw." Scooterpaw answered her. Silverfoot looked pained by his answer.
"Well… do you like her?" She asked after a moment. Scooterpaw looked at her in shock.
"Of course not! I don't even know her that well!" Scooterpaw felt angry that Silverfoot thought something so silly.
"Silverfoot," He mewed quietly, "I like you."
"As do I," Silverfoot meowed back. "I want to be your mate once you become a warrior."
"Then wait for me." Scooterpaw whispered. Silverfoot put her head on his pelt.
"I'll always wait for you."