„All cats who are old enough to catch prey may come here to the rock heap!",clanged Whirlstars voice through the canyon. Skykit wanted to run there, but Glarestep catched him at his tail with her claws and pulled him back to fair the fur at his shoulders, while Fogtail explained him what he had to do through the ceremony fort he at least 20st time.
„Please Glarestep, let it be I dont like...yes Fogtail, I know I have to touch my mentors nose...now let me have a go!",he broke away.
„Enough already!", he hissed. „My fur is smooth now!"
„Wait, there between your ears...", Glarestep began, but Skykit cutted her of.
„I'm gonna be late for the ceremony!" „Yes, you can go...but dont forget to..." „I know Fogtail!", Skykit interrupted her again. More calm he added: „Can I go now?"
„Yes but...", but Skykit already turned around and ran towards the rock heap, where his friends Curlykit and Fallingkit sat with lifted tails. Skykit sat down next to them, and forged his neck proudly. Up the rock heap stood, big and slim, their leader. Whirlstars white and grey marbeled fur gleamed in the light of the white moon.
Appeasing he raised his long tail, whereon the crowd of cats fell silent.
„Today we, the cats of Skyclan, are getting together to appoint these three kits as apprentices!",he spoke out. He looked down at the three kits with his icy blue eyes, who glanced up at him with excitement. „Fallingkit!", he called. The little brown cat beside Skykit leaped to her feet.
Amused purring came from the crowd. Fallingkit flatted her ears embarassed. Whirlstar moved a paw forward and turned his head. „Colorless", the leader continued. His view rested on a white tom with grey eyes. „This young cat will be your apprentice from the date. Until she'll recieve her warriors name she will be called Fallingpaw, and I hope you will pass your cleverness and your ability to her." Colorless stepped out of the crowd. His bright fur appeared like snow in the canyon. Slowly he came up to Fallingpaw, who seemed to explode out of agiation. Eventually she bounced the last few steps over to him, and poked his nose with hers. Colorless purred, and layed his tail onto her shoulder blandly.
„Skykit!", Skykit turned his head back to Whirlstar, and cocked his ears expectant. „Until you become a warrior your name will be Skypaw. Your mentor is gonna be Coalfur." The white tailtip of the big tom pointed at smokey black she cat who looked up suprised. Her yellow eyes looked proud when Skykit headed towards her and forged his muzzle. She touched his nose with hers, and led him over to Fallingpaw and her mentor. Now there was only Curlykit left at the foot of the rock heap. His eyes travelled over the cats in the canyon. He probably wondered who would become his mentor. Once again Whirlstar made a movement with his tail, and a robust, black tom with silver stripes emerged from the crowd. „Ironstripe!", Whirlstar meowed „This apprentice here will, until he earned his warrior name, be called Curlypaw." Ironstriped touched the nose of his apprentice and looked down at the black tom benelovent. His pelt was as disheveled as always, even though his mother tried to smooth it all day. It stuck out as short curls.
„These new apprentices will hopefully become great warriors one day. They're at any rent a luck for our clan."
Whirlstar closed the meeting with a movement of his tail, and jumped down the rock heap where he joined the cats who came into the middle of the canyon for congratulating the new apprentices. Calls resounded from everywhere.
„Fallingpaw, Skypaw, Curlypaw!" The cats cheered and sang their names. Skypaws ears where burnig of proud and abashment. Pelts streaked his body, tongues tousled his just smoothed pelt.
„Where so proud of you Skyki... uuhm, Skypaw, I mean."
Skypaw turned around. Glarestep and Fogtail pushed through the crowd towards him. The next moment they pressed their cheeks against his muzzle. „No washing again, `kay?!", Skypaw said as they were about to lick his fur again. „I'm not a kit anymore!" „Since a few minutes!", Glarestep answered back, but the desisted from him.
Anyways it took Skypaw a while to get rid of the caring paws of the two queens. Who could resent them?
He was like one of their own kids to them, although none of them was his mother.
Sure skypaw would have liked to know who his parents were, but, as his foster mothers told him, even though they searched for his parents for days after they found him, they didnt find anyone. Not even a pawprint, or a fur bunch.
Nothing.
Paw cloping woke him from his silent thoughts, and heartbeats later Fallingpaw launched herself at him. They raised red sand as they struggled with each other in the dust. Finally Fallingpaw managed to nail him down at his shoulders.
„Beware of your whiskers man, even they could get you down!" ,Fallingpaw mocked him „ How will you fare when I'm a warrior then?"
„You just became an apprentice!", said Curlypaw before Skypaw could reply anything. Skypaw tried to slash at him with one paw.
„Eh, leave us our dreams!"
Curlypaw didnt respond to that „Let it be you two!",he dispraised them. „Save your power for tomorrow, then you'll need them!"
Fallingpaw took her paws of Skypaws shoulders, and flicked her tail over Curlypaws ears.
„Killjoy!", she bleated.
Curlypaw twitched his ears „No, just sensible!", he claimed, and wnet towards the nursery with high raised tail.
„Just sensible!", she aped him, just loud enough so Skypaw could hear it. He giggled behind his charged tailtip.
„Hey, you genius.", Fallingpaw called after the black tom „The apprentices den is over there!"
She pointed at another little rock heap with her tailtip. A dark crevice led into the inside of the cave, where they would sleep from now on.
With flattened ears Curlypaw ran back to them. He murmured something about 'he just wanted to look for the kids`, as he went past the two cats who shook with purring.
Skypaw blinked as he entered the apprentices den. Between the rocks, which made the roof of the cave, pale moonlight fell in, and lightened the den meager. Nests out of fern, moss and feathers covered the ground.
„Way bigger than the nursery!", he heard Fallingpaws ardent meow. Her shadow jumped past him into the next best nest. Her eyes shone silver in the darkness.
„Hey folks, y'know what?!", she asked loud, „Were apprentices!"
„Yeah, I noticed that.",, Skypaw purred „Our leader wasnt pretty secretive with it..." „Yes, you are apprentices, we all got it now!", a quiet hiss came out of an edge. Skypaw saw amber eyes shining. „Could you be excited about it tomorrow?!"
Fallingpaws silver light spots narrowed. „Another killjoy, this Mountainpaw!",she spat.
„Oi cun huer yu!", Mountainpaw mumbled into her tail.
Fallingpaw ignored her. „C'mon Skypaw!", she meowed and pointed at a nest next to her with a paw. „That nest is free."
Skypaw nudged deep into his new nest, and layed down his head on his paws. Something tickeled at his ear „Pshh", Fallingpaws voice whispered „Where apprentices!"
They burst into purring again.
„Silence!", Mountainpaw hissed.
I found the ceremonies always boring in the books...I guess here its not better XD
If I wrote something wrong, please correct me :)
