Ivykit blinked sunlight out of her eyes, pushing Kestrelkit and Honeykit out of her way. Ever since Flashpaw and Sunpaw had been made apprentices a little over a moon ago, Dustflight and Lemonblaze had moved into the nursery, clogging the already crowded den with five more kits. It had helped some that Applekit had become Applepaw a half-moon before, but not enough. Soon I'll be out of here, too, Ivykit thought.
Jaykit stirred beside her and Ivykit beckoned her past Moonsong's nest. Jaykit winced as she passed Thornkit, and Ivykit thought of the day when Thornkit had told her sister that he couldn't be friends with her anymore because Moonsong didn't approve of their bloodline. Ivykit had felt the fury flow through her hotly, but eventually it had died down enough to be civil.
Ivykit's silver and white patched fur warmed in the morning light. Turning, Jaykit exclaimed, "Today we'll become apprentices!"
"Today?!" Ivykit gasped and stood tall. She had thought it would be soon, but not this soon!
Jaykit nodded, breathless, and measured the sun's height in the sky. "We have about... The time it takes to eat two mice." Her blue and green eyes wide, Ivykit danced around in a circle, finally drawing her tail close to her side and sitting down heavily.
"Who's eating the mice?" she asked playfully, shoving Jaykit lightly with her paw. Jaykit narrowed her eyes and leaped at Ivykit, bowling her over. Ivykit pushed her sister off of her and crouched, twitching her tail. "Is it Thornkit?"
Jaykit squeaked angrily and caught Ivykit's tail with her paw. Ivykit laughed, closing her eyes and blindly churning her paws against Jaykit's stomach. In her merriment, she didn't notice Jaykit move until she was on the ground. "Not funny," Jaykit panted.
"Totally funny," Ivykit argued and twisted so she was on her paws. Her littermate hissed in fake anger and they began to tussle again.
Pawsteps pattered softly and evenly across the ground towards them. "You two look ridiculous."
Ripplekit's disdainful mew was interrupted by Mallowkit fastening her teeth into his scruff and dragging him towards Goldenshine, where she was frantically grooming his littermates. Ivykit and Jaykit had stopped fighting to watch, and they shared an amused look with Laurelkit and Amberkit before Waterwhisker ambushed them.
Ivykit fidgeted while Waterwhisker licked down a tuft of fur on her head as Jaykit watched, careful not to mess up her neatly groomed pelt. When their mother was done, Jaykit dragged Ivykit next to Goldenshine's litter and waited.
Echostar summoned the Clan together with the traditional words. "May all cats old enough to command the power of their souls join me for a Clan meeting!" As with Flashkit's, Sunkit's, and Applekit's ceremony, the summons pounded through Ivykit's skull.
Ivykit stepped forward in sync with the other kits, pressed between Jaykit and Mintkit. "Jaykit, Ivykit, Ripplekit, Mallowkit, Mintkit, Laurelkit and Amberkit, do you accept the responsibility of joining ClearClan and upholding its sacred righteousness?"
Jaykit tilted her head upwards so she looked Echostar in the eyes. "I do."
"I do," Ivykit echoed proudly. She pricked her ears and sat down next to her littermate.
Ripplekit meowed, "I do." His voice deepened and he looked very dignified.
"I do," Mallowkit echoed.
"I do," Mintkit chirped.
Laurelkit flicked her tail. "I do."
Amberkit nodded, saying "I do," with a flourish of her paws. They sat in silence, waiting for Echostar to continue the ceremony.
"With that, by the power invested in me by the Spirits, I pronounce you Jaypaw, Ivypaw, Ripplepaw, Mallowpaw, Mintpaw, Laurelpaw, and Amberpaw! May you uphold our sacred righteousness!" Echostar announced. The cheers were deafening, and Ivypaw could feel a smile stretch across her face and could see her excitement in the faces of her companions. She exchanged a glance with Jaypaw and followed her eyes to Waterwhisker and Mouseflight. Their parents were beaming, yowling loudly for her and Jaypaw. I'll make you proud, Ivypaw silently vowed.
Solarwind rose from her place next to Echostar. "Would the new apprentices follow me," she said authoritatively. Ivypaw stood, shaking out her fur and quickly running a paw over her whiskers. Flashpaw, Sunpaw, and Applepaw were shouldering their way towards their new denmates, and Ivypaw waved her tail before she was swept after the ClearClan deputy with Mallowpaw and Laurelpaw. I'll talk later, she mouthed to Flashpaw.
The thorns scraped her back as she emerged from the camp. Ripplepaw was ahead of her, pausing to look back every so often. Solarwind's golden fur shimmered in the sun's light through the trees. Soon Ivypaw was panting, and the forest blurred together before suddenly stopping, revealing a large cliff.
"Welcome to the Spirit Tree," Solarwind breathed. "Here you will unlock your soul power. You must make the choice whether or not to reveal your power to anyone else, excepting the cats around you currently, and you will not be pressured by any of your instructors to use it in training. Keep in mind, however, that the more you play with your power, the stronger you will become and the better you will be able to serve your Clan.
"The seven of you will receive your powers together, and will see your companions' powers right now. We will now begin."
Solarwind bounded forward lightly until she reached the edge of the cliff. Laurelpaw followed, her calico tail weaving as she picked her way down the rock path. Amberpaw started forward. Ivypaw exchanged a glance with her littermate and they stepped as one, Ivypaw hanging back at the edge so Jaypaw could go first. Ripplepaw's light footsteps sounded behind her, and Ivypaw took a deep breath and began downwards towards the Spirit Tree.
The ClearClan deputy was sitting inside the trunk of the Spirit Tree on a bed of moss. It's finally time! Ivypaw realized with a thrill. I'm going inside the Spirit Tree!
Once the final apprentice was inside, Solarwind motioned for them to lie down. They obeyed quickly. "Now close your eyes," the deputy instructed. Ivypaw snapped her eyes shut, and immediately felt herself spiral down into sleep.
A little bit of a cliffhanger! I broke the thousand word mark, too! I'm truly sorry for the delay in the update, with finals and some drama going on I didn't have time to write. Since it's summer now, I'll try to be a little more often with new chapters. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed.
Question(s) of the Day:
What do you think of Thornkit?
Do you have any ideas on what the apprentices' powers will be?
Also, a special shoutout to Icy the Icicle Goddess. Her review made my day and really inspired me to update. Thank you, Icy, and everyone else who reviewed!
~Jade
