Here's the next chapter my lovelies! Please read and review, it means a lot to me! Plus-more reviews make more chapters come faster!
"From this moment forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Petalpaw." Splashstar glanced around at the assembled Clan. "Your mentor will be Firefall."
The big ginger tom stepped forward and touched his nose to the black and white she-cat's head. She was shaking so much it was visible. Stormkit shuffled his paws in the dirt, his heart racing.
It was three full moons after his conversation with Pinefrost and Splashstar. The harsh chill of leafbare was beginning to penetrate the dusty leaf-fall air. It would snow before too long.
His mother had tried to speak to Stormkit on numerous occasions to get him to accept his destiny of being a medicine cat, but he was keen on being a real warrior.
Medicine cats just hide in camp all day and sniff around dusty leaves and they don't hunt or fight, Stormkit thought yet again. I'd rather be out in the woods like a real warrior.
Splashstar turned and fixed his bright green eyes on Stormkit. His expression was unreadable.
"I call down from StarClan to watch over this young apprentice as he trains to learn your ways," Splashstar meowed, "and show him the way his paws should travel on the path of life."
Stormkit almost bristled. He knew that Splashstar was talking about his refusal to be a medicine cat. But Splashstar continued.
"Stormkit, from this moment until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Stormpaw. Your mentor…"
Please not Pinefrost, please not Pinefrost, please not Pinefrost…
"…will be Flywing."
Who the heck is Flywing? Stormpaw spun around. A white and gray she-cat was coming towards him, with long fur and a plumy tail. Her eyes were the brightest, most startling blue Stormpaw had ever seen. As she stepped forward and bent to touch noses with her apprentice, Stormpaw stretched up to meet her and their muzzles collided with a little more force than he had intended. He flinched.
"It's okay," Flywing murmured reassuringly. "I was excited on my first day as an apprentice too."
"Stormpaw! Petalpaw! Stormpaw! Petalpaw!" The cry rose up from the assembled Clan, and Splashstar had to wave his tail for silence.
"Now, just as the naming of new apprentices keeps the Clan strong, so does the naming of new warriors. Whiskerpaw, Foxpaw, come forward, please."
There was a startled moment of silence, and then the two littermates stepped up to the base of the rock. They obviously hadn't expected this—Whiskerpaw's snow white feet were muddy from his recent hunting patrol, and Foxpaw's fur was messy. One of his ears was turned in on itself. Dustdapple and Applebranch, the two toms' mentors, looked about to burst with pride.
Stormpaw tipped his head. He had stopped paying attention to the two soon-to-be warriors, and was watching Pinefrost. The aging medicine cat was watching him with a sad look in his bright eyes, and as their eyes met, Pinefrost rose stiffly to his paws and limped back into his den.
A pang of despair gripped Stormpaw's heart. Ever since he had run out of Splashstar's den all those sunrises ago, Pinefrost had seemed to age by the day. More and more guilt dug into Stormpaw's body like sharp claws—what would happen to HuntClan if Pinefrost died without an apprentice?
Then he shook himself. He would just have to find another cat, that's all.
"Whiskerfur! Foxtail! Whiskerfur! Foxtail!"
Stormpaw was jerked out of his reverie by the Clan cheering the new warriors' names. Joining in, he managed to push Pinefrost out of his mind.
That night, after his tour of the territory with Flywing, Petalpaw, and Firefall—on which they saw the other two Clans' territories (he couldn't remember what they were called, though)—he padded wearily towards the nursery, a thrush in his jaws.
"Wait!" Petalpaw stopped, her eyes shining. She set down her mouse to speak. "We can sleep in the apprentices' den now!"
A new joy trilled through Stormpaw as he realized she was right. Purring, they changed course and headed for the low-growing willow tree, underneath which was the apprentices' den. When they entered the cool, dark den, they found Badgerpaw already in there, dozing. He raised his head sleepily when they entered.
"Hey guys," he purred. "We remade Foxtail and Whiskerfur's old nests for you two, towards the back."
Waving their tails in appreciation, the two newest apprentices headed for the back of the den, picking their way over the other nests. Stormpaw found one freshly lined with crow feathers, and smelled faintly of Foxtail. Settling down, he put the thrush down and stared at it.
"Isn't it great? We're apprentices now!" Petalpaw purred, her musical mew barely registering in Stormpaw's distracted mind.
"Yeah, of course," Stormpaw murmured. What if StarClan hates me for not being a medicine cat?
"Don't be such a bump on a frog," Petalpaw teased. "Tomorrow we're going to learn how to hunt!"
He should have been happy. This was what he wanted, right?
Then why did he feel so empty?
Pinefrost sighed, dropping his head where he sat in Splashstar's den. "How am I ever going to find an apprentice?" he rasped, feeling his age more than ever.
"Stormpaw just has to come to realize his destiny in his own time," Splashstar soothed. "Calm down, old friend. StarClan picked Stormpaw for a reason, and they're never incorrect."
Pinefrost couldn't find the energy to respond. His days were drawing to a close, and now, with the onset of leafbare looming ever closer, he was desperate to find another pair of paws to assist him.
"Pinefrost, stay with me."
The elderly cat raised his head. Splashstar looked at him expectantly—he had obviously begun speaking without Pinefrost's attention.
"Sorry, Splashstar, what was that?"
The leader sighed. "I said, maybe we should have Flywing let him help you sometimes. Like we have the apprentices take care of the elders, Stormpaw can help you with your herbs."
Pinefrost nodded silently, more instinctual than soothed. "What if he resents it?" he fretted. "What if he decides more firmly than ever that he doesn't want to be a medicine cat after working with me?"
Splashstar sighed again. "What is it with medicine cats and finding the worst in everything? You know, your mentor Waterleaf once found a dead butterfly and stirred the whole camp into a panic by insisting it was an omen that we would get crushed by MoonClan."
Pinefrost straightened his back. "Waterleaf probably knew what he was talking about," he stated firmly, his tail twitching.
"Oh, I'm not saying he didn't." Splashstar's gaze sparkled mischievously. "We were crushed by MoonClan that moon at the Gathering, when they all fell down the slope in that mudslide and smothered us all."
Despite himself, Pinefrost purred.
The next morning, Stormpaw woke up after a fitful night of sleep to Flywing poking her head into the den. Petalpaw's nest was empty, as were the other three. His heart began to pound and he leapt to his paws.
"Did I oversleep? I'm so sorry!" he cried, his exhaustion vanishing.
"You had a big day yesterday, I can imagine you were tired," she soothed, flicking her plumy cream tail. "Come on, your sister is already up and waiting for you to begin training." She vanished out of the den with the willow whispering behind her.
My first day as an apprentice and I'm already messing it up! After a hurried washing, he bounded from the apprentice's den to find Flywing and Firefall speaking. As he watched, a ginger tom—Sunfur, it was Sunfur—approached them and spoke softly. Flywing turned to glance at Stormpaw as he trotted up.
"It seems that Splashstar wants to speak with me," she said apologetically. "Firefall agreed to take you out with Petalpaw and teach you some basic hunting techniques."
Stormpaw hesitated. Why would Splashstar want to speak with his mentor? Knowing what he and his parents thought about Stormpaw, it couldn't be good. Scowling, he scuffed the dirt with a wide paw.
"Sure," he mumbled.
"I won't be long," Flywing promised gently, touching Stormpaw's head with her nose before trotting away after Sunfur. Firefall came up to Stormpaw.
"Why don't you grab a bite to eat—a hunting patrol just came back," he said briskly. "Then you and Petalpaw meet me at the entrance to the camp and we'll go on to the training hollow."
What in StarClan could Splashstar be saying to Flywing? Stormpaw mused.
"Are you listening, Stormpaw?" Firefall asked.
"Yes," he said distractedly, wandering away, all the while still thinking about Splashstar.
Before he knew it, he was following Petalpaw and Firefall out through the entrance to the camp. The trees and bushes were bright with many oranges, browns, reds, golds, and yellows. It would soon be leaf-bare, the warriors said, with the white stuff that fell from the sky—Stormpaw couldn't remember what it was called—that made all the prey hide and made all the plants hard like rocks and the rocks cold like water.
Stormpaw brushed past a plant and stopped as its sharp scent filled his nose. It had fuzzy leaves with rounded edges, and smelled sharp like blood but sweet like honey. Bending closer, he flicked his tongue out and tasted the plant. The fuzz stuck to his tongue like the fur of a vole.
"Stormpaw!"
He jerked his head up. Firefall had stopped a few fox-lengths ahead and was looking back, Petalpaw at his side.
"What's this plant?" he asked before he could stop himself. Firefall shrugged, obviously unconcerned.
"I don't know; plants are Pinefrost's specialty. Come on, we came out here to learn to hunt," he dismissed, twitching his tail in an invitation for Stormpaw to follow.
Suddenly feeling sheepish, Stormpaw dashed after him. That was right, he wasn't a smelly medicine cat, he was a real warrior, destined for greatness, and today he would learn to hunt and fight like any other cat.
They trained, with Firefall showing them how to hunt and stalk, until sunhigh. Then Flywing joined them just as Stormpaw pounced on another leaf that tried to skitter away in the wind.
"It looks like Firefall taught you well," she purred appreciatively. "How about we try out those techniques with some real practice in the field? See which apprentice can catch the most prey?"
Petalpaw looked excitedly at Stormpaw.
I'll beat you! he thought determinedly. And then that'll show Splashstar and Pinefrost that I'm meant to be a real warrior!
Flywing stopped just off of one of the paths leading through the forest. A faint flowery scent tickled Stormpaw's nose, but he ignored it.
"There's no shame in not catching anything," Flywing said. "Let's try here; what can you scent?"
Stormpaw opened his mouth. For a moment, all he could smell was that flowery aroma, but he pushed it away and tried harder. A musty scent filled his nose.
"Mouse!" he whispered. Flywing nodded and stepped back to give him room.
Stormpaw focused on it until he heard a tiny shuffling noise to his left. Turning his head, he saw a tiny body shifting a leaf; a pink nose shuffled into view, followed by a wide brown body. It was a fat mouse, snuffling for nuts and not paying attention to the cats.
Stormpaw dropped into a hunting crouch. Paws spaced evenly, keep your tail still, make sure the prey is upwind… There's that plant!
He suddenly froze. Behind the mouse, he had caught sight of the fuzzy green leaves again. His tail tip twitched at his lack of concentration; a leaf rustled. The mouse jerked his head up, saw him, and, with a terrified squeak, sped off.
No! Mouse-dung! Stormpaw launched himself after the mouse, pounding across the ground. He slammed a paw down on the mouse's tail, but it jerked it free and fled into the leaf litter.
Thoroughly embarrassed, Stormpaw risked a glance at his mentor. Flywing's expression was unreadable.
"Everyone misses a catch sometimes," she purred. "But you need to keep your focus while hunting, or that will happen."
Stormpaw nodded. The overpowering scent of the fuzzy plant filled his nose. As Flywing walked away, beckoning for Stormpaw to follow, he cast one last look back at the plant. Then he shook his head and darted after Flywing.
I need to stop focusing on stinky plants!