"Moonkit," Stormkit meowed. "MOONKIT!" He swiped a paw over his sister's nose. Moonkit instinctively ducked and rolled under her brother, leaping up and pinning him down by his shoulders.
"Woah!" He gasped, winded. "Where'd you learn that?" Moonkit stumbled off her brother. "Bluestar, stupid!" Moonkit purred in laughter. "You should come join us sometime." Stormkit fluffed out his fur in fear. "No thanks! That just seems...unnatural. Only medicine cats are supposed to share dreams with StarClan." Moonkit scowled. "I don't want to be a medicine cat," she muttered. Stormkit shoved her playfully. "I was only kidding!" he meowed. "Besides, with training like that, you have to be a warrior. Also, just because I don't want to share dreams with you doesn't mean I don't want to learn! Show me how you did that again?"
While the two kits tussled, Bramblestar stood at the entrance to his den with Jayfeather and Lilycloud. "Are you sure?" he was saying. Jayfeather nodded persistently. "Yes! StarClan has warned me of a great danger to our Clan." Bramblestar shook his wide tabby head. "But we have so many warriors. Are you sure we need more apprentices?" Lilycloud spoke up softly, "We never know when we might lose some of them. Though it might seem morbid, we must always have warriors to defend the Clan. And StarClan has spoken. One cat is special, we know that..."
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Bramblestar growled. He bounded up the Highledge and yowled the summons. Lilycloud shrank down onto the ground. "Did I upset him?" she whispered to her mentor. Jayfeather shook his head. "He just wants to be the best leader he can be, and now he knows that his Clan is under threat. And what can he do about it? Little, except train more apprentices for warriors." "But this isn't about just training any warrior!" Lilycloud hissed. "She—" "Quiet!" Jayfeather snapped.
"Hey!" Stormkit meowed as he struggled free of Moonkit's grasp. "Firekit's apprentice ceremony is starting!" The two kits bounded over to Cinderheart's side to watch as Firekit stepped forward, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Firekit, you have been with us for six moons. It is now time for you to begin your training as an apprentice of ThunderClan. From this day forth, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Firepaw."
A long silence followed. Moonkit wondered if Bramblestar had forgotten who would be Firepaw's mentor.
"I will be your mentor."
The silence became heavier, if possible.
Stormkit hissed in Moonkit's ear, "What a blatant show of favoritism!" Moonkit pulled away, craning her neck to see her denmate touch noses with his father.
"Firep-"
"Wait!" Bramblestar called as he bounded back up onto the Highledge. "I wish to appoint two more apprentices." An icy chill ran down Moonkit's spine. They were to be apprenticed early?
"Oh, no!" Cinderheart meowed in dismay. "Look at you two!" The two kits were covered in brown dust. But before Cinderheart could wash them, Lionblaze bolted across the clearing and grasped Stormkit by the scruff. He squeaked in surprise. "Follow my lead!" Lionblaze hissed to Cinderheart through a mouthful of dusty fur. Cinderheart obediently grasped Moonkit and looked up at Lionblaze expectantly, but dropped her kit in shock.
Lionblaze was violently shaking Stormkit from side to side, releasing puffs of dust. "W-ww-w-w-w-w-w-h-h-h-h-a-a-a-t-t-t a-a-a-r-r-r-e-e-e y-y-y-o-o-o-u-u-u-u d-d-d-d-d-o-o-i-i-n-n-g-g-g!" Stormkit squealed.
"Stormkit and Moonkit," Bramblestar began.
"PUT HIM DOWN AT ONCE!" Cinderheart yowled.
Lionblaze reached for Moonkit, but the she-kit had already fluffed out her fur and shook it free of dust.
"Please come forward."
The two kits stepped up towards the Highledge, quivering in excitement. They were to be apprenticed at five moons!
"Stormkit, from this day forth, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Stormpaw. Graystripe, you will be his mentor. It has been a long time since you have taught an apprentice, though you are a great warrior. Pass on your wisdom and courage to this young cat." Stormpaw bounded forward to touch noses with Graystripe. The old gray tom sneezed at the kit's touch, due to residual dust from Lionblaze's "grooming".
"Moonkit, from this day forth, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Moonpaw. Lionblaze, you have proved yourself again and again as a fantastic fighter and loyal warrior. You will be mentor to Moonpaw. Pass on your battle skills and loyalty to this young cat." As Moonpaw reached up to touch noses with her father, she couldn't help but notice the way that Bramblestar had broken Clan tradition; cats were not meant to train their own kin. Then again, Firestar had set a precedence for this in mentoring Cloudtail...But he grew up not believing in StarClan! Moonkit thought.
"Firepaw! Stormpaw! Moonpaw! Firepaw! Stormpaw! Moonpaw!" The Clan's cheers echoed off the stone canyon walls. Why so many apprentices? Moonpaw thought. Something's going to happen soon...I must speak with Bluestar! But it's not even sun-high yet. It'll have to wait, she decided.
Lionblaze looked down at his daughter and son proudly. "Well," he meowed, turning to Graystripe, "shall we take them around the territory?" Graystripe narrowed his eyes for a moment, thinking. "Well...in theory, the first thing an apprentice should learn is how to care for the elders. But we have three apprentices already tending to Dustpelt, and he's the only one so, we might as well show them around. Besides, it's leaf-fall, and soon most of the landmarks will be indistinguishable." The four cats headed towards the tunnel, but Moonpaw hesitated at the exit.
"Wait!" she called. "Shouldn't we invite Firepaw?" Stormpaw gestured behind them. "It seems he's preoccupied," he muttered. Bramblestar was showing his son the Highledge, looking down at his Clan and speaking to his young ginger apprentice was copying his father's stance, but he puffed his chest out proudly and lifted his chin high. Moonpaw's enthusiasm suddenly turned to inexplicable dread at the look in Firepaw's eyes. What was it?
Just as she was about to turn away, something odd caught Moonpaw's eyes. Were there two Bramblestars? But then Moonpaw noticed a tiny difference. One dark tabby had a vee-shaped nick in one of his ears and a split across his nose. The larger tom was battle-scarred and had a dark look in his amber eyes as he regarded the young apprentice. Tigerstar. The name came to the front of Moonpaw's mind, summoned from Dustpelt's stories. Why was the Dark Forest warrior here? And why couldn't any other cat see him?
Curious, Moonpaw padded closer to the Highledge. Tigerstar's gaze flicked towards her and his eyes flickered with an unnamed emotion. To Moonpaw's terror, Tigerstar gathered his haunches and prepared to attack the young apprentice. Moonpaw stumbled backwards, but a ginger shape flew across her vision, knocking Tigerstar out of the way before he could reach her. Moonpaw's gaze flicked back up to the Highledge. There was Firepaw, that emotion—ambition!—still flickering in his eyes, standing next to Bramblestar, who was still speaking.
"Move, Moonpaw!" A hiss sounded in her ear, and she felt teeth in her scruff dragging her in the direction of the medicine cat's den. "Jayfeather?" "Yes, I see them, too!" The medicine cat growled as he dragged her to safety.
Wait...Moonpaw froze. If Firepaw was still on the Highledge, then...
"Jayfeather!" she meowed, fear cracking her voice, "What's Firestar doing here?"
None of the other cats noticed the two phantasmal shapes viciously clawing and biting at each other, except Jayfeather and Moonpaw, who stood watching as Firestar was pinned to the ground. Tigerstar unsheathed his unnaturally long claws, and prepared to sink his teeth into Firestar's throat, but another cat appeared out of nowhere, knocking Tigerstar off the old ThunderClan leader and sending him hurtling into a dark hole, where the tabby disappeared, presumably back to the Place of No Stars.
At least, it resembled another cat. "Jayfeather?" Moonpaw asked. "What's that hairless thing?" Again, Jayfeather didn't respond, but bounded across the clearing. "Rock!" he hissed in a hushed meow. Rock? Moonpaw had heard of this cat. Bluestar had told her that Rock was the keeper of the ages, the wisest cat of all.
But why does he have to be so ugly?
She padded over to Jayfeather, glancing at the tunnel exit. Stormpaw, Lionblaze, and Graystripe had disappeared, probably already exploring the territory. But that's okay, she thought. Stormpaw can show me later.
"You still haven't told her?" Rock hissed. Firestar was growling something in response. Jayfeather's voice floated over, "She doesn't need to know yet! She's barely an apprentice!" Moonpaw walked up. "Firestar!" she meowed. "What are you doing here?" With a gulp, she added, with a strained, but polite dip of her head, "Greetings, Rock..."
"Moonpaw," Jayfeather meowed impatiently, "Go find Lionblaze and the other two. I have something to discuss with these cats. You'll see Firestar tonight." Moonpaw looked at him, startled. "You know? About the night-training?"
"Night training?" Rock spat. "So it's okay to prepare her, but not tell her what for?" "That's enough," Firestar hissed. "Run along, Moonpaw," he meowed, "As Jayfeather said, I'll talk to you later."
Moonpaw dipped her head obediently and scampered off to find her mentor and brother. Cinderheart stopped her. "Moonpaw!" the silver apprentice skidded to a halt at the sound of her mother's voice. "Yes? I have to find—"
"Why are you talking to the wall with Jayfeather?" Cinderheart screeched.
"I wasn't talking to the wall, I was—"
"Are you feeling delusional? Lightheaded? Dizzy? Nauseous? Ill? Sick? Headache? Bellyache? Cramps? Sore? Wounded? Did Lionblaze bonk you on the head? Toss you around like your poor brother? Training—"
"YES! I HAVE TO GO TO TRAINING!" Moonpaw yowled at her paranoid mother, and scrambled down the fern tunnel before Cinderheart could continue. "Take care!" She called.
Wow. Long chapter. Long crappy chapter. I think I might be losing my touch :{
Feedback please! Constructive criticisms much appreciated!
BoudicaFlamespirit—thanks for pointing that out, fixed it now
^_^ May StarClan light your path