Chapter 2
Firekit stared at the mysterious cat for what seemed like moons now. The stranger was perched up on the branch of an oak tree, watching him… studying him. The shadows of the night made it barely visible to see who the cat really was, but their pelt glowed a dim silver that illuminated the forest. He couldn't see their face except for the yellow eyes that seemed to pierce his soul and search deep into his thoughts. The stare alone was enough to send shivers down Firekit's spine.
Firekit was also on a branch, though he was completely unaware of how he had gotten there in the first place. The only thing he remembered was falling asleep and showing up to face this mysterious cat. "Is this even Thunderclan?" thought Firekit. "Was I kitnapped? Where's Willowpelt? And who is this guy? If the last thing I remember was falling asleep, then I must be dreaming, right? But…" Firekit flexed his paws against the smooth oak wood beneath him. "It all feels too real." The stranger remained motionless and observed Firekit's every movement, like a stone statue that would watch you no matter where you tried to walk.
Firekit glanced around for an exit, a way out. He perched himself over the edge of the branch and peered over. To his astonishment, the tree was so tall that he could barely see the ground. It looked like it stretched downward for fox lengths beyond fox lengths, seemingly endlessly. Firekit backed away from the edge and unsheathed his small claws to dig into the branch so he wouldn't lose his grip. If he fell, it would certainly mean death.
A shuffling in front of him caused Firekit to focus on the stranger again. The cat had gotten up and turned around before finally breaking the silence, speaking in a hushed but audible female voice.
"When fire lights the sky, the deepest of secrets shall be unearthed..."
The she-cat leaped to a nearby branch opposite of Firekit.
"Follow me, when you are ready.."
The she-cat leaped away, branch to branch, further and further away from Firekit at incredible speeds. Firekit tried to comprehend everything the she-cat just spoke of. "Wait! Ready for what? What does any of that mean?" Firekit yowled. Firekit bunched his shoulders and prepared to chase down the cat. If the she-cat had answers, any that could lead to the truth of his past, then perhaps he could understand who he truly was. The first jump was a very large one, but Firekit was determined. He took his first leap, but unfortunately it wasn't enough. He failed to reach the branch in front of him and began falling quickly to the ground below him. His small body had him spinning in the air, his sense of direction skewed. The ground was quickly approaching, but Firekit had no other means of escape.
Right before Firekit hit the ground, his eyes shot open and he jumped up from where he was from his small moss nest in the nursery. He reoriented himself and blinked the sleep from his eyes so he could see more clearly. Willowpelt was furiously grooming Graykit and Ravenkit was licking his paws to clean his face over and over again.
"You're finally awake? Took you long enough. You seemed to be squirming quite a bit in your sleep though. Did you have a good dream?" meowed Graykit with curiosity.
Firekit stretched his legs out and released a huge yawn. "I don't know. It was kind of a bizarre dream, really. I've never experienced anything like it."
"Well you could at least start grooming yourself right now. You have a big day today. The least you can do is look presentable!" scolded Willowpelt.
Firekit suddenly remembered about the apprentice ceremony today. He was finally going to become an apprentice! Firepaw gave Willowpelt a playful pouty face and grumbled before grooming himself thoroughly. Ravenkit was still pacing back and forth outside the nursery, jittery as usual. After a while, Firekit finished grooming himself and bounded over to Ravenkit.
"Hey Ravenkit. You excited?"
"Ya, I'm j-just a bit nervous…" stuttered Ravenkit.
"Who do you think our mentors will be?" asked Firekit.
"Well, there's plenty of good warriors that don't have apprentices right now. I'm sure any of them will be great," meowed Ravenkit.
"Ya! I wonder who my mentor will be…" thought Firekit out loud. His thoughts were cut short from an announcement from the highrock.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the highrock for a clan meeting!"
The warriors and apprentices appeared from their dens respectively and approached the center of the clearing. Sandpaw and Dustpaw sat together near the edge of the clearing, while the senior warriors sat closer inside with their own group as well. The warriors were scattered about here and there, while Bluestar sat at the top of the Highrock with Redtail sitting next to her. As the last of the cats were gathered along with the kits, Bluestar waved her tail for silence and began to speak.
"I have an important announcement to make. Today, three of our kits have reached six moons old, and are now going to become apprentices. Ravenkit, please step forward."
Ravenkit padded forward from the edge of the clearing to the middle, his body nervously shaking.
"You got this!" whispered Graykit from behind.
"Ravenkit," Bluestar began. "You have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to become an apprentice. From this day on, until you have received your warrior name, you will be known as Ravenpaw."
Bluestar trailed her eyes away from Ravenpaw and onto a massive golden tabby close behind.
"Lionheart. You will be Ravenpaw's mentor. You had a great mentor with Swiftbreeze, and I believe you will be able to draw out Ravenpaw's true abilities to their maximum potential."
Lionheart dipped his head in respect and bent down to touch noses with Ravenpaw, who happily touched noses with his new mentor.
"Graykit, step forward."
The gray bushy tom stepped forward with a bit of clumsiness, to which Sandpaw snickered softly.
"From this day on, until you have received your warrior name, you will be known as Graypaw. Your mentor will be Runningwind."
She turned to the light brown tabby behind Graypaw.
"Runningwind, Your quick thinking and fast reflexes make you an admirable opponent in battle and your affable nature makes you a good clan mate. I hope you will pass on these attributes and much more to this apprentice."
Runningwind and Graypaw touched noses, while giving the biggest grins they could to each other.
"We'll make a great team!" whispered Runningwind to Graypaw.
"And finally, Firekit. Step forward."
The bright orange tom stepped forward until he was directly in the center of the clearing where all eyes were fixated on him alone.
"From this day on, until you have received your warrior name, you will be known as Firepaw. Your mentor…" Bluestar trailed off for a brief moment. Firepaw thought he caught hesitation in Bluestar's eyes for a split second, but it was over before he could determine what he saw and Bluestar regained her natural composure.
"Your mentor will be Tigerclaw."
Ravenpaw and Graypaw gave Firepaw a concerned look while murmurs rippled throughout the clearing.
"Tigerclaw taking another apprentice? I thought he hated apprentices!"
"That poor kit. He's going to have to go through hell just to keep up with Tigerclaw."
"Let's hope the kit becomes as good of a warrior as Tigerclaw one day…"
"Silence!" yowled Bluestar. The clearing instantly fell quiet again.
"Tigerclaw, I don't think I have to explain your attributes as your reputation should speak for itself. Pass on all that you know onto Firepaw and turn him into a fine warrior."
Firepaw turned around to face the massive dark tabby behind him. His amber eyes stared deep into Firepaw's emerald eyes, his face showing nothing in its expression. "What kind of reputation does he have?" thought Firepaw. "If he doesn't even have to explain it, then it must be impressive, right? Maybe I'll be like that too someday…"
They touched noses and the crowd began chanting their names.
"Ravenpaw, Graypaw, Firepaw!
Ravenpaw, Graypaw, Firepaw!"
Eventually, the sounds died away and everyone began gathering around Redtail to receive their duties, leaving the newly appointed apprentices and their mentors on their own.
"So what should we do first?" asked an eager Graypaw.
"Well I suppose we should go around the territory first. Lionheart, would you like to join us?" meowed Runningwind.
"Yes, we would. Tigerclaw?" meowed Lionheart.
"We'll be exploring the territory some other time. For now, We're going to train first." responded Tigerclaw.
"Training already? Don't you think it'd be better to see the territory first before you actually train in it?" meowed Lionheart.
"What I do with my own apprentice is none of your business. Besides, the forest is just a bunch of trees. Nothing spectacular. We'll explore it another time," responded Tigerclaw coolly.
"Alright then. Let's head out," meowed Lionheart.
"We'll see you when we get back!" called Graypaw enthusiastically to Firepaw.
The two sets of cats padded out together through the ravine of the entrance and disappeared at the top. Tigerclaw began moving ahead in a different direction, with Firepaw trailing just behind. The trees grew denser and denser, and the leaves blocked out most of the sunlight.
After a short period of time, they paused in a small clearing and Firepaw padded next to Tigerclaw. "What are we going to train on?" asked Firepaw.
"Training? Hmmm… perhaps 'training' wasn't the right word. This will be more of… an assessment."
"An assessment? What kind of assessment? meowed Firepaw.
"This assessment will be a test on your current attributes. I'm going to have you perform a few tests to see where you stand in terms of physical traits and powers. I need to know if you'll actually be worth my time and patience. Understand?"
"Yes!" meowed an anxious but determined Firepaw. "Okay, sounds easy enough. I got this," he thought.
"Your first test…" Tigerclaw lifted his paw in the opposite direction of where they came from. "...will be to run around Fourtrees and back. Each clan's territory has a unique landmark near Fourtrees as well, so you will travel to each one and come back before the sun reaches its peak."
"Fourtrees?! I don't even know where that is, or what I'm looking for!" exclaimed Firepaw.
"Exactly. This test will determine your speed, endurance, and mental capabilities in your sense of direction. However, I will give you a bit of advice on the territories. Riverclan is surrounded by a big river with a gorge. Windclan rests in the moors, where there are no trees and the wind blows strong. Shadowclan is a territory full of pine trees. In the center of all four clans will have four massive trees known as Fourtrees. A thin circle around Fourtrees remains neutral territory, so you won't have a problem traveling through there. Remember, I have travelled to each territory, so I will know if you have actually gone to each one separately when you describe them."
"What happens if I don't make it back before sunhigh?" Firepaw asked nervously.
"You don't become a warrior."
Firepaw felt his heart skip a beat. "Not become a warrior? Can he really do that? And only on the first day?"
"Also, if you try to get any help from anyone, I'll know about it and the punishment still applies," finished Tigerclaw.
"Wh-when do I s-start?" stuttered Firepaw.
"Now."
Post A/N: I had originally intended for this chapter to be much longer, but I decided it would be better if I split the assessment into two parts. The second part will be released either tomorrow or the next day.