Leafpaw was always the first apprentice to wake in the morning, long before the sun rose. He always wanted - no, needed - to be first. His father, Cinderfall, would often joke about Leafpaw's need to be first; he had been the first born, after all. It was a matter of pride.
Sitting outside of the apprentice's den, Leafpaw started to groom his chest fur, tail wrapped neatly around his paws. He was usually awake before his mentor, Morningflight, so all he had to do now was wait. The dawn patrol had not even been sent out yet; Leafpaw could spot the curled-up form of Blueclaw in the lower level of the Stone Den, still sleeping peacefully.
Leafpaw's stomach growled with hunger, but he ignored it, even though he eyed the fresh-kill pile in his periphery with want. There were only a few prey items there, and he knew the queens and elders needed to be fed first. As hungry as he was, he was fit and strong, and could go a few hours without eating.
Spotting movement out of the corner of his eye, Leafpaw turned his head suddenly towards the medicine cat's tree. Willowreed was climbing out of the hollow, looking around nervously, before padding towards the Stone Den.
"Hello, Willowreed," Leafpaw greeted cordially, flicking his tail as he did. "How are you this morning?"
Willowreed jumped at Leafpaw's voice, turning her head around and smiling slightly at him. "Hello, Leafpaw. I was just… on my way to speak with Darkstar."
There was a strange hesitancy in her voice that gave Leafpaw pause. "Is something wrong?" Willowreed had always been jumpy, even as an apprentice, but there was something different about her this morning.
"Oh no, nothing's wrong!" Willowreed assured him. "Just thinking about something, that's all. I'll talk with you later, okay?"
Then, with a flick of her tail, the she-cat disappeared into the Stone Den, leaving Leafpaw alone for the moment.
A yawn from behind him told Leafpaw he was no longer alone. Pushing his way through the twigs and leaves surrounding the apprentice's den was Waterpaw, stretching his legs out as he walked.
"Hey there, Leafpaw, you're up early," Waterpaw greeted, shaking a few leaves from his pelt.
Leafpaw chuckled. "Funny for you to say, I'm usually up this early. Why are you up so early?"
"Couldn't sleep," Waterpaw replied. He reached out to claw at a nearby stone, sharpening his claws on it as he did. "Just had some weird dreams. How about you?"
"I don't dream," Leafpaw meowed simply. "To be honest, I almost envy those who dream regularly. It seems like fun."
"Yeah, it's fun until you find yourself chasing a bird down a rabbit hole, and you end up floating in a river," Waterpaw laughed. "I wish we could switch. Maybe then we'd be satisfied."
Waterpaw padded over to Leafpaw, sitting down next to him and brushing his tail against Leafpaw's flank. "Is that why you're always up like this? Because you don't dream?"
"No, there's just a lot to do, and not enough sunlight in the day to get it done," Leafpaw answered honestly. "I wish I could just sleep like everyone else, but I never can."
The two apprentices were quiet for a while, with Waterpaw pressing himself close to Leafpaw, enjoying the warmth he gave off. They stayed that way until Leafpaw saw movement at the head of the Stone Den again, and this time it was Darkstar who emerged, dark blue eyes narrowed as he headed straight towards the two apprentices.
Leafpaw scrambled to his paws immediately, dipping his head in respect to the leader. Waterpaw almost did not notice Darkstar approaching until he was nearly upon them, and when he did notice, he stood up suddenly, tail going straight up in the air as he dipped his head as well.
"Leafpaw," Darkstar meowed gruffly. "Get your siblings, and follow me to the Stone Den. There is something we must discuss."
Leafpaw felt a strange sense of dread go over him. It can't be about our warrior assessments, it hasn't been long enough for that. Did we make a mistake? Are we not training hard enough? He swallowed, and even as those thoughts swirled in his head, he nodded respectfully to Darkstar.
"Yes, Darkstar," he said obediently, turning and going back into the apprentice's den.
Stormpaw and Featherpaw were curled tightly around each other, sleeping blissfully without a care. Leafpaw gulped, and then reached out with one paw to prod at Stormpaw's shoulder, hoping to wake his brother.
"Mmm… go away," Stormpaw muttered sleepily, batting at Leafpaw's paw half-heartedly. "I'm still sleeping…"
"You and Featherpaw have to get up," Leafpaw said. "Darkstar needs us for something. And no, he hasn't told me what, so don't ask."
Stormpaw lifted his head, blinking blearily at Leafpaw. "What? Are you sure?"
"Have I ever lied to you about something this important before?" Leafpaw pressed. "No, I haven't. Now get up, Darkstar is waiting for us."
As Stormpaw got to his paws, Leafpaw came back out of the apprentice's den, nodding to Darkstar. "They're coming."
"Good. Come with me," Darkstar grunted, flicking his tail and turning to stalk back towards the leader's den.
Leafpaw could not help but wonder what was going on as he was led away from the den. Little did he know that his entire life was about to change. For better or for worse, that was yet to be known.