Chapter 2 is now up! I don't own Warriors! (How many times do I have to say that?!)
Mudpool's Path- Chapter 2
Thinking about the prophecy made Mudkit's head hurt. She wanted to believe it was all just a dream, but it seemed so realistic. She could never get her mind off of it.
Her thoughts were inturrupted when her mother ran her tongue between her ears.
"Hey!" she squeaked. "I'm clean already! I'm clean!"
Nettlepelt purred. "Of course you are," she mewed.
Icestar yowled out over the camp, summoning the Clan together.
Snowkit and Silverkit raced ahead, Mudkit tagging behind. This is it, Mudkit thought. Our apprentice ceremony!
The prophecy took up a lot of her mind, so it came as a surprise when Icestar told them they'd be having their ceremony soon.
Icestar sat on the Highbranch, his light gray fur shining in the sunlight. The other apprentices, Rockpaw, Morningpaw, Maplepaw and Rainpaw, had all assembled near the front. They were all very excited to watch the ceremony.
Snowkit, Silverkit and Mudkit sat at the very front, waiting for their names to be called.
"Snowkit," Icestar called first. Snowkit bounded forward to sit beneath the Highbranch.
"From this moment, until you recieve your warrior name, you will be known as Snowpaw. Your mentor will be Mosseyes."
A gold and white tom with green eyes padded forward to touch noses with Snowpaw, and they retreated to the crowd. It was then that Mudkit remembered that Mosseyes was Maplepaw's father.
Welcome to my world, Maplepaw, Mudkit thought as she saw a look of annoyance cross Maplepaw's face.
"Silverkit," Icestar called. The tabby kit bounded forward and stretched up on his toes to meet Icestar's gaze.
"Until you recieve your warrior name, you will be known as Silverpaw." Icestar turned and beckoned with his tail to a black and white thick-furred she-cat.
"Dawnshadow, you will be mentor to Silverpaw. Share with him your honesty and bravery."
Dawnshadow touched noses with Silverpaw, jerking backwards as he came too fast, and sat down.
"Mudkit," Icestar meowed. Mudkit stepped forward, quivering with excitement. "Until you recieve your warrior name you will be known as Mudpaw."
Mudpaw wondered who her mentor would be. Not Twistedfoot, she thought. He can't be a mentor because of his paw.
She looked up and realized with excitement that it was Nutwhisker, Shimmerheart's brother.
Nutwhisker was a great warrior. Maybe a bit too headstrong, but still a great warrior.
"Nutwhisker, you will be Mudpaw's mentor. Share with her your kindess and loyalty."
Mudpaw was shaking when she turned to touch noses with Nutwhisker.
"Don't worry," Nutwhisker whispered, too quiet for any other cat to hear. "You'll be a great warrior."
Mudpaw felt hot with embarrassment, but she felt happy, too. Nutwhisker actually had faith in her. Hopefully she wouldn't screw up anything.
The assembled cats called out their names, except for Maplepaw and Morningpaw. Mudpaw wondered why they weren't cheering, but she pushed the thought away. She was finally an apprentice of LeafClan!
~o~o~o~o~
Mudpaw padded after Nutwhisker. He was showing her the territory, all the way to the borders.
They stopped when they reached the Twoleg path, which was the border between LeafClan and ShadeClan territory.
"What can you smell, Mudpaw?" Nutwhisker asked.
Mudpaw lifted her nose. "Dog, but it's stale. And... something really smelly!"
"Good," Nutwhisker praised. "That bad smell must be ShadeClan, since we're so close to the border. We'll avoid their territory for now, but remember that smell."
They padded through the forest, coming to a river. The water was frozen.
"Is it safe to walk across?" Mudpaw asked.
"Probably," Nutwhisker replied. "But this is the MistClan border, so we shouldn't even try walking across into their territory."
Mudpaw sniffed the air. A marshy scent hovered on the air. That must be MistClan scent, she thought. She turned to another piece of territory, which was surrounded by hills.
"Is that BreezeClan territory?" she asked, pointing towards the hills with her tail.
"Yes, Mudpaw, very good," Nutwhisker purred. "If you cross through their territory, you'll eventually get to the Moonhill. We won't go there today, but when Hawkkit and Tigerkit are apprentices, we'll go."
Mudpaw nodded and continued. She and her mentor eventually stopped at an old Twoleg nest.
"In green-leaf, we can get catmint from here. It's good for greencough," Nutwhisker mewed.
It won't be that long, Mudpaw thought, seeing patches of grass poking out of the snow. Leaf-bare's almost over.
Just then, a thin mewling was heard coming from the river. Mudpaw and Nutwhisker raced to the MistClan border, when they found two, tiny she-kits, one tortoiseshell and one light brown and white.
"Poor things," Mudpaw meowed. "Where do you think the mother is?"
"I'm not sure," Nutwhisker murmured. "But no Clan queen would leave her kits out in the snow."
Mudpaw sniffed them; They both carried an unfamiliar scent.
"They're probably rogue kits," her mentor mewed. "But we can't just leave them here."
"Let's take them back to camp, then!" Mudpaw suggested. "We can raise them to be warriors!"
For a moment, a gleam of hope lit Nutwhisker's gaze, but was soon replaced by doubt. "Mudpaw, they're rogues. How do we know they'll be loyal to LeafClan?"
"Nutwhisker like you said, we can't just leave them here," Mudpaw argued. "If we do, who knows what'll happen? They could freeze to death, or a fox will get them! We'd be seen as cruel compared to the other Clans!"
Nutwhisker stared at her for a moment, then picked up a kit. "We'd best get a move on, then," he meowed through a mouthful of fur.
Mudpaw picked up the second kit, who squealed loudly. It'll be okay, she thought. You're going to be okay.
They padded through their territory, squeezing through the thorn entrance to the camp. Cloudstorm, Rainpaw's mentor, was the first to notice them.
"Kits?" he mewed, sniffing each of them. "Rogue kits?"
They caught the attention of the whole camp. Petalbloom and Riverflower poked their heads out of the warriors' den, wide-eyed.
"You brought rogue kits to the camp?" Petalbloom asked, hiding no astonishment in her voice.
Birdwing and Weaselfang, having gotten back from patrol, both stared in shock at Mudpaw and Nutwhisker.
"What have you done?" Weaselfang yowled.
Maplepaw padded forward. "They have plagued our Clan with these abominations, is what they have done!" he hissed. "Have you brought them here, thinking that we could raise them to be warriors?"
"Kits? Where?" Hawkkit mewed, poking her head out of the nursery. "Oh! Tigerkit! Come quick! There are kits!"
"Really?"
The two remaining kits darted out of the nursery, skidding to a halt in front of Mudpaw.
"They're so cute!" Hawkkit squealed. "Are they staying?"
"Of course they're staying, mouse-brain! They're kits!" Tigerkit squeaked.
"Rogues aren't welcome in this Clan," Streamtail, a young warrior spoke up. "Rogue kits on the other paw... well they can't remember much about where they were born, or that they're even rogues. It wouldn't hurt to raise them as warriors."
"I agree," Nettlepelt mewed. "If they do stay, I'll raise them."
"Are you mad?" Thrushflight hissed. "We can't let rogues in our camp! It's leaf-bare! They'll eat all of our fresh-kill!"
"It's almost newleaf, Thrushflight," Birdwing mewed. "We can catch more prey. I agree with Streamtail. They can stay."
"That's for me to decide, Birdwing," a mew sounded from behind the crowd.
Cats moved aside to let Icestar through, his blue eyes not showing anything.
"But you are right. If we leave them out in the cold, they'll probably die before newleaf even comes. We'd be more cruel than the mother that abandoned them out there. I think they should stay," he meowed.
Mudpaw felt happiness tingle in her fur.
Nettlepelt padded up to them. "Let's take them to the nursery. I'll care for them."
The cats left for the nursery, and Mudpaw heard Maplepaw whisper loudly, "If I were leader, I wouldn't have let them stay!"
Nettlepelt laid down in a mossy nest, and Mudpaw and Nutwhisker laid the kits beside her belly. The kits squirmed blindly, then latched onto Nettlepelt's belly and began to suckle.
"I think I'll name this one Dapplekit," Nettlepelt murmed, pointing to the tortoiseshell, then pointing to the light brown and white kit, "And I'll name this one Fernkit."
"I think those are great names, Nettlepelt," Nutwhisker purred.
Mudpaw and Nutwhisker padded out of the nursery, where they were greeted by Icestar.
"How is Nettlepelt?" he asked.
"She's doing fine," Mudpaw replied. "She gave them names: Dapplekit and Fernkit."
"What lovely names," Icestar murmured, then padded away.
Mudpaw looked toward the apprentice den. Maplepaw was glaring at her through narrowed eyes. Mudpaw glared right back, not flinching.
She wasn't going to let Maplepaw take her down, and she wasn't going to let him think that he could just take her father away from her.
~o~o~o~o~
"Hawkpaw! Tigerpaw!" The Clan cheered, welcoming the new apprentices.
One moon had passed since Dapplekit and Fernkit came to the Clan, and now Hawkkit and Tigerkit were apprentices, now known as Hawkpaw and Tigerpaw. Hawkpaw's mentor, Birdwing, was being warned that she'd have her paws full with Hawkpaw. "I can handle her," she would protest. Tigerpaw's mentor, Riverflower, was happy that she got her first apprentice.
Mudpaw was in the apprentice den, working on making a nest for their new denmates.
"Do you think they'll like their nests?" Rainpaw asked.
"Hopefully," Rockpaw mewed. "We did work pretty hard on them."
Morningpaw bounded into the apprentice den, excitement lighting her dark blue eyes.
"Guess what?" she meowed, hardly able to contain her excitement.
"What, did Icestar promise to make you deputy?" Silverpaw joked.
"No, mouse-brain!" Morningpaw replied. "We all get to go to the Gathering!"
All movement in the den stopped. Mudpaw broke the silence. "Are you serious?" she demanded. "All of the apprentices?"
"Yep!" Morningpaw squealed. "It's going to be some kind of special Gathering. All the apprentices from the Clans are going."
Mudpaw remembered the last Gathering that happened. She didn't get to go, but Rainpaw and Maplepaw went, and they said the leaders were planning something for the apprentices.
Nutwhisker poked his head into the den. "Mudpaw, can you clean out the elders' den? Dawnshadow said Silverpaw will help you."
Maplepaw snickered. Mudpaw flashed a glare at him. "Yes, Nutwhisker."
She and Silverpaw made their way to the elders' den, beneath a fallen tree trunk.
Skyfoot, a large gray tom, lifted his head. "Hello, Mudpaw! What brings you here?"
"We're going to clean out your nests," Mudpaw replied.
Blacktail and Sandpaw squeezed their way in.
"Grassnose, you said you had a tick?" Sandpaw mewed.
The pale brown elder lifted his head. "Yes, on my lower back," he rasped.
Sandpaw picked up a stick, a wad of moss dripping in mouse bile, and began to dab his fur with the moss. A few moments later, a tick dropped off.
"Much better," Grassnose mewed, falling asleep.
Mudpaw and Silverpaw began to exchange the old moss with new moss.
"This moss is wet," Skyfoot complained, dabbing at the moss Mudpaw had brought.
"Sorry, Skyfoot," Mudpaw mewed, dipping her head. "I go out and get somemore."
Mudpaw padded through the forest, alone, when she scented a strange scent... like the river and fish.
She padded towards the scent, and spotted a young brown and white tom, killing a shrew. On her territory.
"Thief!" she yowled, springing onto the intruder. They wrestled on the peaty earth for a while, when the intruder suddenly sprang off of her.
"I-I'm sorry!" he stammered. "I didn't think any of your Clan was here, so-"
"You didn't think at all, that's what you did!" Mudpaw snapped. "Do you think the warrior code is no big deal, or that you can just break it whenever you want?!"
The tom dipped his head, ashamed. "You can have the shrew. It would make me feel better."
Mudpaw's gaze softened. "It's okay, I guess. Thanks for the shrew."
As she picked it up, the tom turned around. "I'm Eaglepaw, by the way."
Mudpaw turned to glare at him, then dipped her head. "I'm Mudpaw."
She padded back into the forest, picking up the moss she had collected earlier along with the shrew.
Stupid furball, she thought. Can't stick to his own territory.
Still, he was pretty handsome, she shook the thought away. He's from another Clan, you idiot!
She walked to the elders' den, fixing Skyfoot's nest and giving him the shrew.
Maybe I'll see Eaglepaw again at the Gathering... Mudpaw sighed.
"You're losing it, Mudpaw," she muttered to herself, padding back to the apprentices' den.
She settled down in her nest beside Silverpaw, and drifted into a deep sleep.
I just wanted to thank Erin Hunteress for reminding me to put the cats names up. They're in the very first chapter (the prologue), so I suggest you take a look there. Thanks!
