Chapter 2
Plasmakit raced after the bobbing short tail of his littermate, Mistkit. "Wait up!" Mistkit stopped and glanced over at the smaller kit, "Hurry up, Plasmakit! I wanna see if Minnie is at the Cat Place again." Once Plasmakit caught up, Mistkit trotted off towards the exit to the camp. "Where are you going this time?" A tiny voice mewed, annoyed. The two kits spun and stared at their sister, Hollykit. "We're gonna go to the Cat Place!" Mistkit meowed, jumping up and down. "I'm telling Snowstar if you two leave camp again!" Hollykit threatened, her long tail lashing. "Okay, you do that. we are going to explore!" Mistkit mewed as he held his head high in front of his glowering sister. "I'm only going to keep Mistkit out of trouble." Plasmakit shrugged and hollykit rolled her eyes in response. "Just because Snowstar's our mother doesn't mean you two cancontinue to sneak off!" "Go back to your plants!" Mistkit retorted. Plasmakit glanced between the two with his blue striped head swinging back and forth. "Let's just go." He turned to his youngest sister, "We'll be fine! The Pack has laws to protect young of all the groups! See ya!" He then turned and raced away out of the camp. "Wait!" Ignoring their sister's call, the two kits snuck out through a tiny hole in the camp lining and crawled through bushes in the camp entrance, avoiding Milkstep's watchful gaze.
"Don't these monsters ever stop?" Plasmakit groaned as he and Mistkit watched the monsters rush past. It had taken them half the day to just get to the first thunderpath and Plasmakit was starving! "You and your stupid ideas!" He hissed at his older brother. "Last I checked you agreed to this journey!" Murmmering under his breath, Plasmakit continued to scan the thunderpath for a break in the continuous stream of monsters. Once one appeared, he nudged his grumbling brother and the two kits raced across with ease. "Gets funner every time!" Mistkit chuckled as a monster narrowly missed them. Plasmakit glared at him and nudged him, "Come on. We only have some time before Hollykit realizes we left her!" The two kits raced up the hill, further and further away from SnowClan's camp. Once they had reached the crest in the hill, the sun had positioned itself high above them, casting the Valley in radiant light. "Are you sure Minnie will even be there?" Plasmakit demanded. Mistkit nodded, "I asked her to meet us there on this day, remember?" "What if something came up and her housefolk locked her in the den?" Mistkit shrugged, "Then we explore some more. I heard there is a garden area that the animals go to when they need herbs and it isn't in their territory."
The kits continued on and, as the sun began to set, the kits arrived at the Cat Place; a part of twoleg-place that loners and kittypets loved to visit. It was where most of the SnowClan cats had stayed before joining, and where Mistkit and Plasmakit had met their friend Minnie. A few clouds covered the greenleaf evening sky and a few stars shone. The two kits entered the Cat Place and headed straight for a half-den in the back border. "Minnie?" Plasmakit called, looking for his gray, spikey furred, friend. "Plasma? Mist? Is that you?" Minnie poked her head out, her gray eyes bright. "I thought you weren't going to make it!" "Neither did this bees-for-brains!" Mistkit joked as he shoved Plasmakit's shoulder. "Should we sleep and then in the morning we play?" Plasmakit suggested, looking at the two other kits. At their agreement, Minnie showed the younger kits over to where a small pile of freshkill lay, "Feel free to take one. The cat who caught these said I could have them for when you arrived." Mistkit and Plasmakit nodded and each grabbed a piece of prey, Mistkit a robin and Plasmakit a mouse. Minnie tentively took a squirrel and the three kits lay and began eating. "How long before you two become the next rank in your clowder?" Minnie asked, tilting her round head after swallowing the last mouthful. "Clowder?" Plasmakit echoed, "What's that?" "Your group." "Oh! You mean SnowClan?" Mistkit's eyes shone with recognition. "Yeah... Snowy Clam..." Plasmakit chuckled as Mistkit shot a playful glare at Minnie. "We are six moons, so it should be any day now. How old are you?" Minnie licked the blood from her jaw, "Seven moons. I haven't been taken to the cutter though. Now! Let's sleep!"
The three cats lay curled around eachother for warmth and soon drifted off into sleep. Plasmakit awoke with a start when he felt a set of paws bating at his ear. "Wake up, Sleepy! It's time to play! Minnie said she'd show us to The Garden!" "Just a little bit longer." Plasmakit groaned as he rolled over and tried to block out Mistkit's annoying wake up call. It wasn't until he felt a slobbery lick on his cheek did he move. He glared at Minnie and Mistkit. "Okay! That's it!" He lunged at Mistkit and they rolled across the Cat Place with Minnie in close pursuit. She joined in and it became a two against one, Mistkit and Minnie against Plasmakit. Their playfight ended when several adult cats padded into the Cat Place. "Oh! It's feeding time! We should leave before the Feeder comes!" Minnie quickly led the toms out of the Cat Place. They crouched in the bushes as a twoleg strided in, his pelts a pale brown and green. "The Garden is not too far from here. As far as I know, there shouldn't be anyone there." Minnie explained, her pale paws pawing at the earth under them. "Let's go then!" Mistkit cheered, with Plasmakit cheering directly afterwards. "Okay! But I have to go back to my housefolk soon to reassure them." Minnie nodded and led the way across a thunderpath and along a twoleg path. It was almost sunhigh when they reached a beautiful place. Trees' leaves hung over the Garden as a canopy and flowering bushes of every variety scattered the outskirts. A few herbs could be seen through the thick bushes. "We're here! Do you two know your way back to your camp?" Minnie announced and questioned. Mistkit nodded while Plasmakit gaped as he looked around. "Good. I have to go check on my housefolk. See you some other time!" With that, Minnie turned and trotted back towards the catplace and beyond towards her housefolk's nest. Plasmakit focused back on the Garden once their friend had disappeared from sight. He turned his pale blue gaze to where Mistkit had been standing, only to find him gone. Sighing, the brown legged tom darted through the bushes and searched for his brother.
Two days. It was two days since they had left SnowClan's territory to meet up with Minnie. Plasmastorm sighed in exhasperation as his older littermate raced off and followed yet another butterfly. "I think we should go back! I'm hungry!" The brown faced tom complained to his black striped brother. "Aww! You should eat some bugs!" With that, Mistkit caught the butterfly and, promptly, ate it. "They taste good!" He purred around the wings. Plasmakit shuddered in response, "No thanks! Hey! Put that flower down! You don't know if it's poisonous or not!" He chased Mistkit around the Garden and tackled him. Just as they had begun wrestling they heard voices. The two kits hid in the fronds of a bush as three cats padded into view. "Mother!" Plasmakit squealed and raced out towards the silver tabby she-cat. "Plasmakit!" She purred joyously, "Where's Mistkit?" "Right here." Grumbled the white tabby tom. Milkstep glared at his two oldest kits. "You need to stop scaring us like this! What if you had been carried off by a hawk?" "They don't do that here!" Mistkit argued, "Even the twolegs are peaceful! And we're protected from the outside world's view thanks to The Pack!" Snowstar rolled her eyes. "That doesn't mean there aren't dangers! You can't just go off on your own without telling a warrior or myself first!" The faded blue spots and stripes lining Snowstar's pelt shone as the sun's rays lit up her being. "Let's get you two back to camp. We will determine your punishment later." She scooped up Mistkit as Plasmakit felt more than saw Milkstep lift him.
-Line Break-
Snowstar watched as her kits played together, her tail curled around her paws. When they had returned back to camp, Shadowsong had convinced her not to delay their ceremonies, "It may only make the little ones more rebellious." She had instead not allowed them to practice their swimming in the pond and had them care for Whitenose and Goldenbee. She noticed Milkstep watching as their two oldest dragged old moss from the soon-to-be medicine den where Whitenose lay. Plasmakit, his nose twisted in disgust, carried bedding to the dirtplace as Mistkit pulled moss from the Old Willow. Brownfoot emerged from the nursery with Nettlekit weaving in between her soft, dark brown legs. She bent her head and whispered something gently to Nettlekit and he scampered off towards Lizardstripe. The brown-and-creamy-white queen picked her way towards Milkstep and stopped in front of him. "May I go on a hunting patrol with Batglow and Shadowsong, if she's returned?" Milkstep nodded in return and Snowstar faintly heard him say that she had returned with Smallkit and Whitekit from their journey to Moon Falls. Brownfoot dipped her narrow head and raced towards the sleeping hollow where Shadowsong and Icecloud shared a squirrel. Milkstep watched as Brownfoot skidded to a halt in front of the two and shared some words with them. "I'm stealing Icecloud too!" Brownfoot called across the clearing at Snowstar's deputy. "Be my guest! He needs to get off his hindquarters for a while!" Milkstep called back. As the three cats left in search of Batglow, Milkstep trotted over to the camp entrance where Snowstar sat watch, "Do you think Hollykit would make a good medicine cat?" Milkstep started in surprise at the sudden question, "She's shown more interest in herbs than any other kit. I don't think it would hurt to have her train to become a medicine cat. If she doesn't like it, she can always become a warrior apprentice." Snowstar nodded, stood, and walked towards the Old Clover Cove and lept upon a small rock. "Let all cats old enough to hunt, gather in the Old Clover Cove for a gathering!" She yowled. "Now? You wanna do it now?" Milkstep groaned and rushed to sit at Snowstar's side as the other cats piled in; Shadowsong, Whitenose, Goldenbee, and Brownfoot sat among the small clovers with the kits, Batglow, Runningfire, Lizardstripe, Icecloud, and Leafpaw sat closer to the rock where Snowstar perched. The kit's pelts were fluffed up in excitement. Once all the cats in the clan had gathered, the clearing was alive with the sound of birdcalls and the murmmering of cats. Snowstar looked upon her small clan with pride; they had survived through greenleaf and the first moon of Leafbare. "Today, I have gathered you all because of two of the most important ceremonies within a clan." She took a deep breath, "Leafpaw, please step forwards." The young, multi-brown she-cat stood, her pelt fluffing nervously as she walked to the base of the rock. Snowstar jumped down and stood next to the apprentice, "You are the second cat who has joined this Clan and it has been decided that it is time for you to earn you warrior name. Leafpaw, do you promise to uphold SnowClan's and Spirit Valley's code and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?" Her pale blue eyes met Leafpaw's golden-brown. Leafpaw's eyes hardened in determination as she raised her voice for the whole clan to hear, "I do!" Showstar purred, "Then by the powers of our ancestors, I give you your warrior name. From this momment on, you will be known as Leafstream. We honor your thoughtfulness and hunting skills and welcome you as a full warrior of SnowClan. The siler tabby rested her head atop Leafstream's while the youngest warrior licked her shoulder. "Tonight, you must sit vigil in Drift's Grove." Leafstream nodded and trotted towards her former mentor, Milkstep, her tail held proudly. Snowstar lept upon the rock again, "Now it's time for me to create some new apprentices."
The kits' eyes shone in excitement and Rainkit lept to his paws. "Rainkit, Hollykit, Icekit, Nettlekit, Plasmakit, and Mistkit, step forward." Rainkit raced to the rock in excitement, throwing dust over his two sisters, who growled in protest to their hard effort of looking nice being put to waste. Plasmakit and Mistkit strode pridefully towards the rock behind their siblings, with Nettlekit. Once they reached the rock, Snowstar spoke again, "These kits have reached their sixth moon and are ready to become apprentices. From this day on, until you earn your warrior names, you will be known as Rainpaw, Hollypaw, Icepaw, Nettlepaw, Plasmapaw, and Mistpaw. Rainpaw's mentor will be Shadowsong. Even though she has kits to care for, she has requested to mentor you. Please, stay nice!" The cats chuckled and Rainpaw touched Shadowsong's nose and sat at the edge of the clearing with her kits. "Hollypaw will train to be SnowClan's first medicine cat and will learn all she needs from Drift, our Snow Spirit." Hollypaw dipped her head and murmmered a quick "Thank you!" before trotting over to Drift, who stood under a small birch tree. Drift knelt down and spoke softly to her apprentice. Snowstar turned her attention back to the others, "Icepaw, your mentor will be Whitenose. He is almost fully recovered and I trust him to teach you where to find the best prey, and feathers for your collection. Nettlepaw's mentor will be Icecloud." She waited as the two apprentices touched noses with their mentors and then continued. "Oh no... Plasmapaw's mentor will be Batglow and Brownfoot will be Mistpaw's mentor. Good luck you two!" Once the apprentices touched noses to their mentors, Snowstar lept down from the rock and flicked her tail to dismiss the cats. All of the apprentices were taken out to be shown the territory or, in Plasmakit and Mistkit's case, re-shown.