Chapter Two
Dawnkit yawned and stumbled out of the nursery. Nightstorm had ignored her ever since he became a warrior, keeping his promise and being too busy with warrior duties to visit her. Still, she understood. She had other things to worry about, such as her naming ceremony at sundown.
She blinked against the sunhigh light. Bounding over to the fresh-kill pile, she chose a small mouse and carried it to the shade of under a tree, close to the nursery. Heavytail allowed her to eat outside of the den, as long as it wasn't too far away. Although leaf-bare was just nearly over, the days were already warming up quickly. Or, it may just be her thick pelt doing its job.
"Hey, Dawnkit!" Cheesekit padded over, his words muffled by a chaffinch. He dropped it on the ground and settled next to her. "I heard from Heavytail that your naming ceremony is today. Mine is too! We're gonna be lucky, having the apprentice's den to only the apprentices. The nursery was overcrowded, but I guess the apprentice's den will be too."
She swallowed her bite of mouse and laughed. "I'll teach you battle moves in secret if I learn them before you, I promise." She winked at him.
He shrugged. "Who do you think our mentors are going to be? I think Stormpaw was lucky he got Adderfang. He's so nice! And he never loses his patience."
"Yeah, but Cinderpaw got Badgerstrike. I guess it fits." Dawnkit chewed another mouthful of mouse.
"Why? Because they're both mouse-brained?" Cheesekit said mockingly. "He's not that bad, you know."
"Don't swear. It's not becoming. And you're right- Badgerstrike does have a good side." Dawnkit smiled at her own joke as she finished her mouse.
"Oh, whatever. Stormpaw agrees with me." Cheesekit called after her as she strode back into the nursery. Heavytail glanced up.
"Did you even groom yourself today?" She rushed over and began licking roughly. "With how messy your pelt is, I'm surprised you don't have fleas!"
"I do groom myself, I just haven't had the chance yet. I was going to." She meowed, ducking as her mother continued to try to lick her.
"Well, get it done. Your ceremony is soon and you can't be looking like a rouge that has been scavenging out of Twoleg trash for seasons." Heavytail let her kit groom herself, helping only with parts she couldn't reach. "Are you excited?"
"That's a dumb question. Of course I'm excited! Weren't you when you became an apprentice?" Dawnkit asked in between licks.
"Ah, yes, but that was long ago. In fact, I believe I only have another litter of kits left before I'll have to join the elders." Heavytail smiled at the memory of her apprenticeship.
"Who do you think my mentor will be?" Dawnkit's eyes danced with joy as she questioned her mother.
"Hard to say. Berrycloud, maybe. He hasn't had an apprentice in over five moons. Then again, it's possible you could get one of the newer warriors…" Heavytail looked thoughtful as her gaze darted around the clearing, making a list of possible mentors for her kit.
"Who do you want it to be?" Dawnkit shuffled her paws in excitement.
"What's with all the sudden questions? You know that Riverstar will give you the best mentor she can. But, to answer you, I believe that Sharptongue would be a good mentor. We'll have to wait and see." Heavytail watched the young ginger warrior sprint across the clearing from the woods, a large vole and a rabbit in her mouth. "Why don't you go talk to her?"
"Alright!" Dawnkit took off after Sharptongue, just barely meeting her at the trail to the woods. "Sharptongue?"
"Yes, Dawnkit? Is there something you need?" The warrior paused, focusing all her attention on the little cat in front of her.
"If you were to have an apprentice, who would you want it to be? My mother thinks you'd be a great mentor."
Sharptongue flicked her tail sheepishly. "Oh, I don't know. You, maybe. Or Cheesekit. I don't think I'm suitable for an apprentice quite yet."
"Nonsense!" Badgerstrike sidled up beside Sharptongue, pressing his pelt to hers. His voice took on a sweet tone as he spoke to her. "You're a great hunter and an amazing fighter. Any apprentice would be lucky to have you as their mentor."
"Oh, you two stop. I'm going hunting. Badgerstrike, want to come with me? Maybe you could bring Cinderpaw along, if he can curb his temper enough to catch something." Sharptongue nodded away Dawnkit, signaling that their conversation was over.
"Are you alright, little kit?" Twistertail's voice floated to her as she padded towards Dawnkit. "Oh, talking to possible mentors?"
The warrior was nearly a queen, being close to having Hickoryleaf's kits. Still, she insisted on hunting and doing patrols until the day her kits were born. She smiled at the young cat.
"Yeah. Heavytail thinks Sharptongue would be a good mentor." Dawnkit glanced back at the trail where the two cats exited. "I don't know, though. She doesn't seem very confident…"
"But that can be a good thing. Over-confidence can turn a humble, well-meaning cat to a ferocious, mercy-less foxheart. Besides, it seems like there's someone you would rather have as a mentor than Sharptongue." Twistertail meowed, watching Dawnkit closely. The young cat only shrugged.
"Anyway, go get ready. Your ceremony could be any time now." Twistertail leaned down and whispered. "Any cat here would be lucky to have you as an apprentice!"
Dawnkit nodded enthusiastically and bounded off to the nursery. Today was her last day in it, she realized. Not until she had kits would she be back in there. If she ever had kits.
She rested for a while until Riverstar called a Clan meeting. Dawnkit bounded out of the nursery, her paws tingling with excitement. She ran to TallOak, sitting on a root. Bramblekit, Cheesekit, and Brownkit followed, choosing their own roots. It was obvious all three others were buzzing as well.
"By naming apprentices, we show that FireClan will survive and remain strong. From this moment on, until they have earned their Warrior Names, these Apprentices will be known as Dawnpaw, Bramblepaw, Cheesepaw, and Brownpaw. While it is unusual that we name four apprentices at once, all are of age and deserve this." Riverstar said.
The clearing came alive with calls of the four new apprentice's names. Meanwhile, Bramblepaw, Brownpaw, Cheesepaw, and Dawnpaw shone with pride and excitement.
"Hickoryleaf, you are now ready to take on an apprentice. You will be mentor to Brownpaw. Hickoryleaf, you have shown yourself to be a warrior of care and honor. I'm sure you will pass on all you know to this apprentice."
Brownpaw pressed his forehead to his new mentor's. They stood there together and waited, while the two others got their mentors.
"Berrycloud, you are now ready to take on an apprentice. You will be mentor to Bramblepaw. Berrycloud, you have shown yourself to be a warrior of truth and intelligence. I'm sure you will pass on all you know to this apprentice."
They did the same as the previous pair did. Dawnpaw shuffled her paws in anticipation, waiting for the murmurs to die down before she got her new mentor.
"Foxbark, you are now ready to take on an apprentice. You will mentor to Cheesepaw. Foxbark, you have shown yourself to be a warrior of readiness and loyalty. I'm sure you will pass on all you know to this apprentice."
"Sharptongue, you are now ready to take on an apprentice. You will be mentor to Dawnpaw. Sharptongue, you have shown yourself to be a warrior of agility and stealth. I'm sure you will pass on all you know to this apprentice."
Dawnkit concealed her happiness while she padded towards Sharptongue. The warrior was just as surprised as she was.
"Congratulations all of you on your new mentors and apprentices. Clan dismissed!" Riverstar jumped down from TallOak and walked into her den.
"Come on, we're going to see Clan boundaries!" Sharptongue exclaimed as she bolted for the entrance. Dawnpaw had to run to catch up, just barely seeing the proud look from Heavytail as she ran past.
Sharptongue lead her, running, through the woods. The newleaf sun shone through the trees as they rushed past. Dawnpaw was having trouble keeping up as she followed her new mentor. Dodging thorns and branches, she had to set her paws just right so that she didn't trip. If she were to fall, she'd lose sight of her mentor and never catch up.
Then, all at once, Sharptongue halted.
"What is it?" Dawnpaw asked, but was immediately shushed by the warrior. Following Sharptongue's line of sight through the spindly trees, she saw movement.
"What do you scent?" Sharptongue whispered.
Dawnpaw focused, parting her jaws slightly. A strong smell of sap and maple hit her. "It smells…fresh…but overpowering."
"That's the scent of LeafClan." Sharptongue lowered herself, flattening against the ground. Dawnpaw copied her the best she could when the warrior gave her an expecting look. "Remember that."
"But isn't the border over there? Their smell is stronger there…" She motioned with her tail, confused. Her mentor nodded grimly.
"We'll approach them and ask what they're doing here. Do not give them any reason to battle. We're trying to spare blood here, and they may have a good reason." Sharptongue got up and padded through the undergrowth. Dawnpaw followed.
A dark tabby tom was facing away from them. Along with him was a smaller white tom, most likely an apprentice, and a green-gray she-cat. Sharptongue stayed a few tail lengths away from them.
"Excuse me, LeafClan? Why are you so far from the borders?" She meowed respectively, the fur on her shoulders lying flat.
The three whipped around, wearing different expressions. The white apprentice stared at her in dread, a fresh-caught mouse dangling from his mouth. The she-cat wore a look that seemed superior, as if she was important enough to not bother with borders. Yet the tabby looked angry, possibly at himself for being stupid enough to get caught.
"Borders? You mean the ones your Clan doesn't bother to mark clearly? It's not surprising we accidentally stumbled past them. The smell is so faint none of us could tell we had even stepped into your messy territory!" The superior one hissed in defiance.
"Impossible! We marked them at sunhigh today, Reedwind. And what has Mintpaw got? Is it your Clan's prey?" Sharptongue asked calmly. Mintpaw gave a regretful look, shaking his head, but the dark tabby stepped in front of him.
"I'll have you know my apprentice has done nothing! It simply ran over your so-called marked borders, and we couldn't tell. It's still LeafClan prey." His answer angered Dawnpaw, but she forced her fur to lay as flat as Sharptongue's.
"Rippedclaw, we both know the warrior code says otherwise. Now, for the sake of sparing spilled blood, could you give it back?" Sharptongue mewed calmly, her amber eyes hypnotic.
"Never!" He spat, but his apprentice padded past him. He laid the mouse at Dawnpaw's paws.
"Here you go. I'm sorry." He spoke, not to Sharptongue, but to her.
His mentor snatched the prey back up as soon as Mintpaw stepped back. "LeafClan does not give unearned prey from their own territory to a rival Clan just because a petty mouse-brain asks!"
"But it's our prey! You said so yourself that it went over the border! It's your own mistake you couldn't scent it!" Dawnpaw glared, immediately regretting her words.
"Doesn't FireClan teach their apprentices to show respect to other Clans' deputies?" Rippedclaw snarled through the mouse, stepping towards Dawnpaw threateningly.
"Calm yourself, please! She's been an apprentice for not even a day yet, and we do teach them that! Maybe you should teach your apprentices to not steal from other Clans!" Sharptongue hissed at them, receiving a glare from Reedwind.
"You will not tell my kit what to do! He hasn't done anything besides pass your faulty borders on accident! That mouse was rightfully LeafClan's, and you know it!" Reedwind growled, lashing out a clawed paw aimed at Sharptongue's ear.
Sharptongue ducked. "Dawnpaw! Go find the hunting patrol and ask them for help!"
Reedwind, Sharptongue, and Rippedclaw jumped into battle. With a quick glance at each other, both Mintpaw and Dawnpaw turned tail and bolted. Her paws flew through the sun-dappled forest, ignoring scuttles of prey. It took too long to find the patrol.
"Tawnywhisker! Lilypaw! Nightstorm! Sharptongue needs your help!" She yelled out, turning immediately.
Without question, the patrol followed her as she began running again, back to her mentor. Although she had ran over half the length of the forest, she didn't feel tired. The only thing she felt as she raced along was anxiety. Dawnpaw urged her paws to go faster.
When she finally fell upon the place, she was dismayed to see more LeafClan warriors, at least four more. Sharptongue was in the midst of it, fighting them off with the strength of TigerClan. The three Dawnpaw had brought along picked their own enemies and began to fight.
She was prepared to back away when teeth met in her tail. She let out a howl of pain and turned to see an apprentice, larger than she. She jumped onto the grey cat, sinking her claws into his pelt. With a screech of fury he hopped around. Dawnpaw only clung on tighter.
"Let go of me, foxheart!" He growled, rolling over and crushing her. She struggled to breathe against his thick pelt. When she felt as if her lungs would burst, she let go. Her opponent stood, hardly giving her enough time to right herself before lunging at her again, teeth bared.
Dawnpaw moved to the side, striking out and scoring his side. Crimson blood leaked from his side as he hit the ground messily. She took the chance and pinned him down, raking her claws across his muzzle.
"Get off!" He shrieked, wriggling. As soon as she got off, he limped off quickly to LeafClan's side of the border.
Heartbeats later, she heard Rippedclaw's yowl. "Retreat!"
Instantly, the warriors turned and fled to the border, disappearing into the thick woods. Dawnpaw scanned the battlefield, looking for her mentor. Her heart leaped into her throat when she saw the she-cat laying on her side, her side rising and falling quickly.
"Sharptongue!" Dawnpaw raced to her side. "Are you okay?"
"I…I'm fine…" She coughed, spluttering as blood leaked out of her mouth. Red was pooling underneath the warrior's head at an alarming rate, staining the sand. "J-just… see… if… anyone… else… needs … help…"
"Go get Twilightsong!" Dawnpaw called out to Lilypaw. The apprentice nodded and raced in the direction of the camp. "You'll be fine, Sharptongue… I'll make sure of it."
"Don't fret…" Sharptongue smiled frailly. "I'll… I'll be okay…"
Twilightsong burst through the birch trees, Lilypaw following. She quickened her pace when she saw Sharptongue, carrying a leaf bundle in her mouth. "What hurts?"
"M-My side… My head is throbbing… I'm dizzy…" Sharptongue mewed weakly. The medicine cat nodded, nudging her bundle open.
"Eat this, dear." She pushed a few leaves towards the warrior's mouth. Sharptongue obediently chewed the herbs, struggling to swallow. Twilightsong chewed up another leaf, patting it onto a long slice on Sharptongue's side. "Dawnpaw, go find some cobwebs and bring them to me, please."
Dawnpaw nodded and stood, rushing into the trees. She collected as many as she could, wrapping them around her paw. She ignored the sounds of prey, attempting to run back to the medicine cat on three paws, holding the other one in the air.
"Oh, thank StarClan! Come on, Dawnpaw." Twilightsong unwrapped the cobwebs from the apprentice's paw with her teeth, fastening them onto the warrior's side. "Go on back to camp. I'll come for you when I'm done."
Dawnpaw hesitated, shuffling her paws. Twilightsong gave her a promising look. "It's alright. She'll be fine."
She nodded, and after a long while of watching them, she turned away. Very slowly, she padded back to camp. She watched the trees go slowly by as her paws trudged along, her mind clouded with worry.
"Hey." Nightstorm's voice startled her. She whipped around to see him standing right behind her. "Want to hunt with me?"
"I…don't know how. I was just made an apprentice today, remember?" She meowed, embarrassed.
"Then I'll teach you." Nightstorm's tail curled around her's. "Oh, calm down. I know you're worried about Sharptongue, but let me teach you how to hunt. It'll keep your mind off her for a little while."
Dawnpaw sighed. "Alright. What do I do first?"
Nightstorm stepped back a bit, flattening himself to the ground, like Sharptongue did when she noticed the LeafClan warriors. "First off, make sure to stay low to the ground, especially when what you're hunting is inside a knothole or underneath a bush."
Dawnpaw clumsily copied him, struggling to keep her body level with her paws. "Am I doing it right?"
Nightstorm nodded. "You're okay for a first try. Next, you slither forward like a snake to your prey. Like this." He did just as he said, flawlessly and silently.
She tried to move forward smoothly like he did, digging her claws into the soft earth. Nightstorm observed her, his expression not giving anything away. "Great job. Remember that during leaf-fall there are dry leaves that can crackle and scare away prey if you're not careful."
"Oh, okay, thanks. Anything else I should know?" Dawnpaw asked, sitting up regularly.
"Hm, let's see…Well, apprentices hunt for the elders and queens first, and when you're on a hunting patrol, you can't eat anything you catch until you get back to camp. But it's not that hard, especially in newleaf and greenleaf, to keep the fresh-kill pile well stocked." Nightstorm's speckled pelt shone in the dappled sunlight, giving him an almost StarClan warrior look. "Now do you want to hunt?"
"I…I can try!" Dawnpaw's tail swished with enthusiasm as she bolted off towards the thicker trees. Nightstorm followed close by.
"How about here?" He slowed down in the deep woods. Trees were covered in thick moss and dew, and undergrowth was scattered. "It doesn't seem like any cat has hunted here for a while, and it's on the edge of the territory."
Dawnpaw nodded and began to scent the air. "Smells tangy…and like dirt. What's that?"
"That's mole." A scuttle further away indicated the prey's location. "Maybe more than one, if you're lucky. I'll wait back here. Go ahead and test it out, but be careful and watch for its claws."
Dawnpaw lowered herself to the ground and slithered forward, her breathing steady. The bushes kept moving. It won't suspect a thing, Dawnpaw thought as she paused. Suddenly, the mole shot forward and right past her paws. She jumped up and raced after it.
She flew through the woods for a few heartbeats before she leapt, digging her claws into the mole's back. She flicked it over and sank her teeth into its throat before it could react. A messy kill, but my first! Dawnpaw realized.
"Good catch. Your first one, too. Let's go back to camp- it'll be dark soon, and you can brag about your kill then." Nightstorm meowed, sidling up next to her. "Who are you going to give it to?"
Dawnpaw began walking, giving him a shrug. "Probably Sharptongue, but Twilightsong might want to share it with her too." Her tone was muffled with the mole as she dragged it along.
"It's a great catch for your first time." Nightstorm stayed beside her as they walked.
After a few minutes, Dawnpaw spoke again. "Nightstorm? Do you think Sharptongue will be alright? It would be terrible to die over a border argument…"
"She'll be fine, Dawnpaw. Focus on how happy she will be that you made your first catch, and that it was a mole. Those are hard to find, since they don't come out of the ground that often, and also that they're huge." Nightstorm reassured her again and again until they reached the camp.
Murmurs of surprise were heard from assorted cats when the two entered. Nightstorm turned to Dawnpaw. "Go and see if Twilightsong is back. Bring her the mole, too."
She nodded excitedly and ran off, almost tripping over her catch as she made her way to the medicine cat den. She padded in, where Twilightsong was bent over Sharptongue.
Dawnpaw dropped her prey and nudged the medicine cat. "I made my first catch today and I want you and Sharptongue to share it!" She exclaimed happily.
"That's great!" Twilightsong turned her head briefly. "A mole? I didn't know we could find those here! I'd never seen a warrior catch one, nonetheless an apprentice!"
A groan came from Sharptongue. "Your first catch was a mole? Who taught you to hunt?"
Her tone wasn't resentful, just surprised. Dawnpaw purred out her answer. "Nightstorm taught me!"
"He was always willing to help younger ones…" Sharptongue mewed wearily. "You did amazing, young one."
"Go on, Dawnpaw. Sharptongue needs her rest. Go tell the rest of the Clan about your catch. The elders will be amazed!" Twilightsong nudged Dawnpaw out of the den.
Her tail drooped as she trudged back to the apprentice's den. Suddenly, she didn't feel so proud anymore. Hunger gnawed at her stomach, but she ignored the tempting smells from the fresh-kill pile.
"Hey, Dawnpaw!" Lilypaw whispered from her nest, opening her eyes. Her grass green eyes pierced through the dark of the den. "I heard you made your first catch today. What was it?"
"A mole…" She sat in her own nest, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. She was determined to improve her mood. "It was huge!"
"I'm sure it was! Where'd you find it? I'd never heard of any cat catching a mole before. I always thought they stayed underground." Lilypaw purred, stretching out her limbs.
"Nightstorm and I went near the edge of the border- the one we share with RainClan. It was under a bush, and holes were around it." She continued the story of how she caught it before she heard a groan from the back of the den.
"Will you two shut up? It's dark and some of us are trying to sleep." Cinderpaw hissed, glaring at them. "It's nice that you caught a mole, but no one cares."
"I do! And I know Sharptongue does, and Twilightsong. Maybe it's just your bad temper!" Lilypaw growled. "Please, Dawnpaw, go on. If a certain party dislikes this story, they can leave or ignore us."
Dawnpaw stifled a laugh and continued. "Like I said, Nightstorm taught me how to hunt, but it didn't help in the end of the catch. I had to run after the mole. It wasn't that hard though, because they're kind of blind unless they're tunneling through dirt."
"Nightstorm, huh?" Lilypaw said in a teasing tone. "I think you like him!"
"Oh, shush…" Dawnpaw mewed, embarrassed. "He's four and a half moons older than me and already a warrior. I'm just an apprentice, anyway…"
"He probably likes you too!" Lilypaw squealed, before settling back on her nest. "I'd love to talk more, but Mister Fussyfur over there is glaring at me. That, and I have dawn patrol. So, goodnight Dawnpaw!"
"Goodnight, Lilypaw." Dawnpaw closed her eyes, sighing. Worry still clouded her thoughts, even after the excitement of today. Still, rest came to her easily, and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
It was still dark when she heard movement outside the den. Blinking, she got up and shook sleepiness from her pelt. A dark figure slipped away from the den, moving quickly. Dawnpaw crept out of the den, watching as the figure moved towards the dirtplace tunnel.
A false alarm, she decided. Still, now that she was awake, she couldn't fall back asleep. Pawsteps filtered in behind her. Cheesepaw walked up beside her, a confused look on his face. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine… Just woke up and couldn't fall back asleep." Dawnpaw sat outside the den, wondering what to do next.
"The dawn patrol isn't for a while…" Cheesepaw whispered, seating himself next to him. "Want to go check out a thing I found yesterday?"
"What was it?" She asked, turning her head towards the other apprentice. Cheesepaw's eyes shone with excitement.
"You'll find out when you see it! Now come on!" The ginger tom bounded towards the entrance. Dawnpaw got up and followed, allowing Cheesepaw to guide her to a deep river.
"How do we cross this? We can't swim- we're not RainClan cats." RainClan cats had to learn how to swim from kithood, having to do so to escape floods and overflowing lakes in their territory after snowmelts in newleaf.
"There's a fallen log over here. Follow me, and dig your claws into it. Otherwise, you'll fall in and it's really cold, but it doesn't move fast enough to drown you." Cheesepaw padded towards a damp piece of wood, naturally placed across the river. The apprentice began to walk across it.
"Are you sure it's safe?" Dawnpaw asked, hanging back. The log looked as if it would snap in half any time without warning.
"Positive. Stop being such a mouse-heart and get over here!" Cheesepaw was already on the other side of the river, waving his tail.
"Fine…" Dawnpaw hoisted herself up onto the soaked log, her claws digging into it, just as Cheesepaw had instructed. She cautiously made her way across, setting one paw in front of the other carefully. Eventually, she made her way across, landing next to Cheesepaw.
"Good. Now come on, we have to be back before the dawn patrol heads out, and we need to catch prey as an excuse for being out. Hurry up!" He called as he raced towards a Twoleg fence.
"What's here?" She asked, catching up. Cheesepaw smiled and gestured towards a large crop of sweet-smelling, tempting catnip.
"You found this? That's great! Should we take some back to Twilightsong? I noticed that she was running low…" Dawnpaw meowed.
"Or we could keep it a secret until it's really needed." Cheesepaw said, sitting down and wrapping his tail around his paws. "You never know."
"Maybe…" Dawnpaw whispered. "But we should really go hunt now. Cats will begin to notice we're gone."
"Fine, let's go then." Cheesepaw mumbled simply, upset that the other apprentice wasn't as excited as he was about his find. The two went back into their territory, going separate ways to hunt.
