Waterstar nuzzled Gingerkit.
"Are you ready to begin your apprentice ceremony?" Waterstar asked quickly. He, Gingerkit, and Reedheart were all sitting near a bigger stream running through the RiverClan camp. It was called the Bigstream, and it was like the Highledge for ThunderClan or the Jaggedstone for ShadowClan.
"Yes, Waterstar," Gingerkit mewed proudly. The wind was blowing her beautiful ginger fur, and her water-blue eyes were once again filled with life and anticipation.
"Then let's begin," Waterstar purred roughly. He turned to the clearing and called out his usual words to begin a Clan meeting.
"I'm proud of you," whispered Reedheart. Gingerkit smiled.
"Reedheart, you are now ready to take on an apprentice. You will be mentor to Gingerpaw. Reedheart, you have shown yourself to be a warrior of compassion and excellent fighting skills. I'm sure you will pass on all that you know to this apprentice." Waterstar nodded to the two.
Gingerpaw touched Reedheart's nose. They lingered like that for a few heartbeats, but what seemed like forever for the two cats, and walked away together.
"Okay, so, first, I'm going to show you the territory, starting with ours," Reedheart purred, trotting out the camp entrance; his new apprentice at his side.
"Good! I've never been out of camp, not even once! Shame," Gingerpaw meowed.
"Being good is not a shame," Reedheart growled playfully, flicking her ear with his tail-tip. He was trying to take her mind off the exile that was coming for Gingerpaw's father and Blackwhisker.
"I know you're trying to distract me, Reedheart. I know you very well. I've known you since I was born. You are one of the first faces I saw." Gingerpaw kept her head down to not show her embarrassment. "I know that my dad and Blackwhisker are being exiled at this very moment. And I wonder if Waterstar will tell them who it was that told on them."
"I don't think Waterstar would ever do something like that to you, Gingerpaw," Reedheart mewed, licking her ear with affection. "But I bet that Gingerfur's out looking for you now – to say his last good-byes."
"I hope not. It'd be so awkward," Gingerpaw hissed. Not any anger towards Reedheart, but anger towards Gingerfur; her own father. Reedheart understood.
"I understand that you might not want to talk about this, so let's just get on with training, okay?" Reedheart purred. He nuzzled the side of Gingerpaw's head, which made her spirits rise high into the sky and floated among the stars of Silverpelt.
There were two other newer she-cat apprentices, Lilacpaw and Rosepaw. A slightly older tom named Furrypaw was in the apprentices' den as well. Gingerpaw felt welcome, because Lilacpaw and Rosepaw were being very friendly to her. She could see them being three best friends.
Furrypaw, though, was a problem. It's not like he was mean to Gingerpaw, because he wasn't. He was…flirting with her. He liked her, and Gingerpaw could tell. She didn't have the heart to tell him she was interested in her own mentor. She hadn't even told Lilacpaw and Rosepaw yet; she had only been an apprentice for a moon, and she figured that a moon of friendship wasn't enough to share her deepest and most well-kept secret.
Gingerpaw began to stir from her nest of heather and moss. She sat up and arched her back, stretching. She yawned.
"Gingerpaw, you're up," Lilacpaw mewed, her white pelt looking silky smooth. The sweet lilac scent that was hers was coming off her in waves and her sea-foam-green eyes were staring at her, expecting something. Whatever she was expecting, Gingerpaw wasn't sure.
"Your eyes look expectant," Gingerpaw purred teasingly. "What are you expecting me to say?"
"I wanted to ask you about Furrypaw," Lilacpaw began, "do you like him?"
"No," Gingerpaw answered tensely. "I like someone else. Why, do you like him?"
"No, I just wondering if you did or not." Lilacpaw shrugged. "Want to go hunting after training?"
"Sure. Is Rosepaw coming?"
"Yeah. Girls night out, sorta."
Gingerpaw saw Lilacpaw's mentor, Stormysky, approaching. Then along came Moonburst, Rosepaw's mentor, along with Rosepaw.
"Moonburst and I agree that a training session together would be excellent to test your skills, as long as you don't hold back on each other just because your friends," Stormysky purred.
"We won't!" Rosepaw, Lilacpaw, and Gingerpaw meowed in unison.
"As long as Reedheart agrees," Moonburst warned. And as if on cue, Reedheart, deputy of RiverClan, showed up, reed-colored eyes shining with anticipation to be with his apprentice, training once again.
"Reedheart, can we train with Rosepaw and Lilacpaw and their mentors? Their mentors say its fine, as long as you say yes." Gingerpaw's eyes were pleading.
And in Reedheart's eyes flashed amusement, then love. The affectionate look lasted for a few heartbeats before Reedheart nodded, and the apprentices let out yowls of triumph. The mentors exchanged amused looks, and they all headed to the training hallow.
Once they arrived, Reedheart ordered Gingerpaw to show the mentors and apprentices her hunting crouch. She did so, and was absolutely perfect.
"See? Gingerpaw's the best apprentice," Reedheart teased the other mentors.
"Oh, yeah? Well, let's see Lilacpaw's hunting crouch!" challenged Stormysky.
"Guys!" Lilacpaw mewed, batting at Stormysky's ear.
"You both are silly," Moonburst mewed quickly. "It's Rosepaw who's the best!"
And so the day went on. The apprentices trying to outdo each other while the mentors argued on who was the better apprentice.
Rosepaw, Lilacpaw, and Gingerpaw, during their break, discussed handsome toms. Well, not Gingerpaw. She just shrugged and listened to her friends, and batted away comments about how she was being secretive about whatever tom or toms that she liked.
Finally, Moonburst suggest they go back. Reedheart said he was staying longer to practice with Gingerpaw, so Gingerpaw's friends (And their mentors) said good-bye and left.
Reedheart attacked Gingerpaw, claws sheathed, and she landed on her back. They stared deeply into one another's eyes. Water-blue staring into reed-green, reed-green staring into water-blue. Gingerpaw could tell that both their heartbeats had quickened.
---
Cliffhanger, huh? Hahahahaha!
