The Renaissance - Book 1: Rising Sun - Chapter 3

I don't own Warriors.

Sorry. :/

Chapter Three

A paw prodded Sunpaw in the side, waking her from her dream. The golden she-cat woke with a start and stared around at the unfamiliar surroundings with confusion for a moment. Finally, she remembered. She was no longer Sunkit. She no longer lived in the nursery with Cinderheart to curl her tail around her and keep her warm. She was Sunpaw and she was an apprentice; Bramblestar's apprentice.

"Wake up, Sunpaw!" Hollypaw's voice hissed in her ear. "It's nearly sunhigh!"

Sunpaw's head shot up with a start. She suddenly realized that she had duties as an apprentice and couldn't sleep until sunhigh like she used to do as a kit. Groggily, she pulled herself to her paws and followed her sister from the den as if she were in a trance. Her body did as it was told, but her thoughts were blurry and dazed, still thick with sleep.

"Well, well, well, look who decided to join us," Hazeltail's teasing mew came from nearby.

The golden-furred apprentice looked up to see the black-and-white warrior grinning at them with unhidden amusement. "Enjoy your night did you? I bet you two didn't sleep a wink all night!" she exclaimed with a mrrow of laughter.

Sunpaw forced a smile at the warrior's words. That much was true. She had lain in her nest thinking about the day's events and about Bramblestar. She still could not wrap her head around the fact that he was her mentor.

"I don't blame you," a deep voice meowed. Bramblestar padded closer and stood beside Hazeltail. "I didn't expect either of you to sleep much. That's why your first lesson today will be relatively easy."

Even though Sunpaw was relieved she would not have too hard of a day ahead of her, Hollypaw was gazing at Bramblestar with an excited gaze. "Are we going to take a tour of the territory? Are we gonna start battle training? Hunting crouches? Lionblaze taught me a hunter's crouch he said…" Hollypaw rambled on, and both warriors listened for a little while patiently, until Bramblestar raised his tail for her to stop.

"That's a wonderful story, Hollypaw. You can tell both Hazeltail and I both more later, if you wish, but we really must get going," he meowed simply. Sunpaw was shocked at the gentleness and patience in his tone. Even she couldn't bear to listen to Hollypaw's rambles sometimes. How can they both just stand there and not get annoyed with her? Hazeltail is always kind, but I never though that Bramblestar could be so gentle. Maybe is extreme patience is one reason why he's leader, Sunpaw thought.

"What will we be doing today, Bramblestar?" Sunpaw inquired innocently. She didn't want to make Bramblestar mad, but she was curious.

Bramblestar exchanged a glance with Hazeltail. She let out a small purr of laughter. "Should we tell them, Bramblestar?" she asked.

He sighed, amused, and shook his head. "They'll find out eventually. Better tell them now… Will you do the honors? Maybe if they want to claw someone, they'll claw you then."

Hazeltail glared at him playfully. "Better you than me! You're the one with nine lives," she muttered, but then looked at the two sisters. "Today, we will be gathering moss for the elders' bedding."

Sunpaw's spirits feel immensely. Hollypaw glanced at her sister, looking just as disappointed as Sunpaw felt. How boring is collecting moss? she thought with indignation.

"Hey, hey, hey," Bramblestar chuckled. "It's not that bad. Besides, it will help you with your warriors skills," he promised, his whiskers twitching in amusement. "Scraping the moss off the tree will help you learn the proper way to strike with your paws, and carrying the moss back to camp will help you learn how to carry more prey back than you can fit in your mouth."

That lifted Sunpaw's attitude. She looked up at Bramblestar and forced a smile. As boring as it might be… if Bramblestar says it will help us be better warriors, then it will. Bramblestar is right about everything.

Then, Hollypaw voiced Sunpaw's thoughts. "Are Stonepaw and Finchpaw gathering moss too?"

Bramblestar shrugged his broad shoulders. "I don't know. They're doing whatever Thornclaw and Bumblestripe planned. Hazeltail agreed to work with me since you two are sisters. We figured that you would be more comfortable together for the first day."

The two sisters glanced at one another, then nodded. Sunpaw felt warmed by their mentors' consideration. It would make her more comfortable to have Hollypaw at her side throughout the day.

"Now that that is all said," Hazeltail meowed calmly after exchanging a brief glance with Bramblestar. "We should probably get going."

Bramblestar dipped his head in agreement, and without another word, headed to the camp entrance. Sunpaw felt the same fear and anticipation she'd felt during her naming ceremony as she approached the bramble barrier that had kept her and her littermates safe inside the camp for six moons. Bramblestar went first and slunk through the brambles with unbelievable ease. Hollypaw scrambled after him, much less gracefully, her long, fluffy black fur snagging occasionally.

When it was Sunpaw's turn, she tried to imitate Bramblestar's movements, and reached the other side unharmed. "Well done," the Clan leader praised when she emerged unscathed. Nearby, Hollypaw let out an annoyed hiss as she licked her hind leg where a clump of fur had been pulled off. "The ThunderClan camp is mostly surrounded my natural barriers, but when we arrived at the lake, the entrance to the camp was open. The warriors had to bring these brambles in from the forest and form them to make a barrier and keep out any invaders we may have. It has had to been rebuilt a few times; the most extreme damage it had ever received was when badgers attacked the camp in a huge group."

Sunpaw remembered that nursery tale about the badgers and the death of a cat named Cinderpelt. Cinderheart had told her the Cinderpelt had died when she was born, saving Cinderheart, her mother, and her siblings from a badger. Stonepaw had once asked her more about Cinderpelt, but Cinderheart just shook her head and claimed she didn't know, but Sunpaw had a feeling that she knew more about Cinderpelt than she was letting on.

A moment later, Hazeltail pulled herself out of the barrier and shook her pelt out. She looked at Hollypaw sympathetically. "Don't worry," she tried to soothe. "Longhaired cats have a harder time getting through the barrier too. Just as Cloudtail and Graystripe!"

Bramblestar let out a small chuckle. "That is true. Hollyleaf was the same way," he meowed, and then looked at his paws. Sunpaw caught a hint of grief flash in his amber eyes, but then it was gone. The Clan leader looked at Hollypaw almost longing and shook his head.

Hazeltail watched him sadly. She padded up to his side and murmured something in his ear that Sunpaw couldn't hear. "I know," Bramblestar replied. "Come on, you two. We'll find moss on some trees or rocks through the forest."

Hollypaw, who had been watching Bramblestar's reaction as well, looked at Sunpaw. Sunpaw padded over to her sister so they could walk together. "Who is Hollyleaf, again?"

"Hollyleaf… she was Lionblaze's sister, wasn't she? I think she died in the Great Battle. Bramblestar and Squirrelflight were their parents… Well, not their real parents. Leafpool and Crowfeather were their real parents, but Bramblestar and Squirrelflight took them on as their own… I think that Bramblestar still thinks of them as his kits," Sunpaw mused.

Hollypaw looked down at her paws almost worriedly. "Does he think that I'm Hollyleaf?"

Sunpaw shrugged. "I doubt it. I think you were named after her though." Sunpaw knew that Hollypaw could not be Hollyleaf. Hollyleaf was dead and in StarClan. Cats couldn't live twice. Or can they?

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