"Let all cats old enough to fetch their own prey gather around beneath the Deadtree!"
Shrewstar's muffled call woke Hawkkit from his sleep. Blinking his eyes open, Hawkkit pawed the tufts of moss out of his ears. He's been doing this for a while now, gathering small amounts of moss to drown out the excessive noise as he sleeps. He quickly scramble to his paws. A Clan meeting! Hawkkit thought in excitement. Robinkit must've heard the call as well; as he sat up from his nest, yawning and stretching.
Hawkkit glanced outside the nursery, seeing most of the cats already out and mingling about beneath the crooked, leafless tree.
Hawkkit turned towards Brindlecloud, her green eyes half-open as she stretched her head with pricked ears, hearing the Clan leader's call outside. "Can we go?" He mewed with pleading eyes.
Brindlecloud nodded wearily. "If you promise to behave yourselves." Her voice spoke softly, if a little raspy.
"We will!" Hawkkit promised, nodding eagerly.
Brindlecloud got up slowly to her paws with a sigh, and padded to the den entrance.
"Where's Sageflower?" Robinkit wondered.
Hawkkit craned his head around and noted the empty nest beside theirs. "The others are gone, too."
"I suspect they are already out in the clearing." Brindlecloud called to them over her shoulder as she squeezed through the gap in the brambles.
Hawkkit scrambled out after his mother, Robinkit following close behind him. The early morning sun shined brightly into the clearing from over the stone walls surrounding the camp. The Clan cats were filling the clearing, murmuring excitedly while Shrewstar gazed down at them from the very top of the Deadtree.
Sitting in the shadow of the twisted tree is Foxripple, standing in between of Aspenbranch and Lightningwillow. Focusing his eyes, Hawkkit spotted Rowanwhisker among the crowd, chatting with Swallowfeather. He tried to catch his father's eye, but he was deep in conversation with the blue-gray tabby sitting beside him.
The tangle of branches and reeds surrounding the secluded shady area of the elders' den quivered as Hazelstep, Willowtail and Riverflight filed out. Glancing back towards the nursey, he could see Skyfang in her nest with her kits curled up by her tail as they watched the meeting from the entrance.
"Hurry." Brindlecloud's raspy whisper in his ear snapped Hawkkit out of his focus. She nudged him and Robinkit past Cloverpaw and Sprucepaw, who were fidgeting around for the best position in the crowd.
"Here." Brindlecloud sat down behind Snowcreek and Flintclaw. "Now sit perfectly still and don't speak a word."
Hawkkit looked up, focusing his eyes on Shrewstar. The StoneClan leader's gaze was fixed down below with a proud glint in his eyes.
Hailkit, Lilykit and Seedkit were sitting beneath the Deadtree. The Clan had drawn back, leaving an empty space around them. It's their apprentice ceremony! Hawkkit realized. Sageflower groomed each of them until their fur was slick and shiny; her blue eyes glowing with pride as Shrewstar began to address the rest of the Clan.
"My fellow Clanmates, we gather together to name three new apprentices. Please, come forward, you three." Shrewstar announced before beckoning them towards the centre with a flick of his tail. All eyes fixed on the three young cats, as they padded forward silently. "You have been with us for six moons now and have learned what it is to be a StoneClan cat. Today is the day you three will begin to learn what it is to be a StoneClan warrior."
Mews of approval rippled through the crowd as Shrewstar went on.
"Hailkit!"
When his name was called, Hailkit stepped forward, his green eyes raised to where Shrewstar was perched on, at the very top of the Deadtree. His eyes wide and his fur fluffing up a bit along his spine in excitement.
"From this day forward, you shall be known as Hailpaw." Shrewstar turned his gaze towards the crowd. "You will train him, Aspenbranch. Riverflight was your mentor once, and I hope you will pass on all the skills he taught you." Hawkkit tried to stand on his hind legs to look above the many heads in front of him among the crowd, trying to find Aspenbranch. Focusing his eyes, he saw at the head of the crowd, making his way towards the centre, the familiar shape of the speckled pale gray tom. He dipped his head and stepped forward to stand beside his new apprentice.
"Lilykit." Shrewstar went on. "Within you, I already see your mother's kind spirit shining in your eyes. From now on you'll be called Lilypaw, and I give you Lightningwillow as your mentor. Listen to her carefully because, though she may be young, she is clever enough to teach you when to use your kindness to defend your Clanmates."
Pleased murmurs spread through the Clan. The golden tabby warrior made her way towards Lilypaw at the centre. The two of them touched noses before sitting next to one another, facing the crowd. Hawkkit turned his gaze towards Seedkit, who was waiting for his turn anxiously at the edge of the clearing. Will he get to be a medicine cat apprentice after all? Hawkkit wondered.
His unspoken question was answered soon after.
"Seedkit." Shrewstar announced.
Seedkit was taken by surprise and suddenly forgot to be nervous, as he stepped forward to stand at the centre. "From this moment on, you shall be known as Seedpaw." He went on.
"Foxripple." Shrewstar called out. With great surprise from the others, Foxripple padded forward and stopped in front of Seedpaw. "I know that I am putting my son in safe paws." Shrewstar meowed. "I pray that StarClan gives your apprentice all the strength and wisdom he'll need."
"I will teach him everything that I know." Foxripple promised. He bent his head forward, touching Seedpaw's muzzle with his.
"Hailpaw!" Sageflower's proud meow echoed throughout the clearing. "Lilypaw! Seedpaw!"
Soon the whole Clan joined in the chanting of their new apprentices; Hawkkit and Robinkit included. Though, Hawkkit couldn't help but utter Hailpaw's new name a tone lower than Lilypaw or Seedpaw.
As the crowd began to scatter and dissolve as the meeting came to a close, Hawkkit spotted Cloverpaw and Spruce weave their way towards the new apprentices. He pricked his ears in their direction to hear what they were saying.
"Congratulations you three." Cloverpaw mewed to the new apprentices. She fixed her gaze on Hailpaw and Lilypaw. "We've already made nests for the both of you."
"Yeah, using some of the moss from MY nest." Sprucepaw pointed out in annoyance. Cloverpaw batted her tail to the side of his face teasingly in response.
"Seedpaw!" Foxripple out to his newly made apprentice. Seedpaw excused himself away from the others and bounded off towards his mentor. They started to talk quietly to each other, although Hawkkit is sure he can hear Seedpaw's eager voice among the noisy crowd, as they walked off towards the medicine den.
Hawkkit felt a pang inside his chest. He was losing his denmates. "I wonder if Sageflower will miss their company?" Robinkit wondered, turning towards Brindlecloud.
"Yes." Brindlecloud answered softly. Hawkkit turned to face her, as he had never heard his mother sound so… weak? Her green eyes were glazed over with tiredness, and they seem to be glistening. Is she crying? Hawkkit jumped in surprise when Brindlecloud went into a coughing fit, her nose running as she sniffed.
"Mother, are you alright?" Hawkkit asked worriedly. He'd never seen her like this before.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She attempted to answer before going into another coughing fit. Hawkkit glanced around the clearing, trying to catch anybody's eyes for help. He spotted his father walking away while chatting with a dark tabby cat, who Hawkkit recognised as Condorleap. He made eye contact with Rowanwhisker's blue gaze, silently pleading for him to approach them.
Rowanwhisker must've gotten the message as he nodded in his direction, excused himself away from Condorleap and raced across the clearing towards them.
"What's going on? Brindlecloud, are you okay?" Rowanwhisker began to ask as he approached them. He could hear his mate's coughs from a certain distance and became instantly worried for her.
"I'm fine, really. It's nothing." She croaked, her voice raspy as she tried to reassure him.
"I think it's best if you go and see Foxripple." Rowanwhisker suggested. "You don't look so good."
"it's just a little cough, nothing serious." Brindlecloud tried to reassure them, but Rowanwhisker was simply not convinced. He narrowed his eyes at her.
"Serious or not, you should see Foxripple either way." He insisted, in a tone that made no room for further arguments.
"Very well." She sighed, giving in to his demands.
Slowly, Brindlecloud stalked off towards the medicine cat den on the other side of the clearing. Rowanwhisker followed closely beside her, glancing at her with worry and sympathy for what she must be enduring. Hawkkit exchanged glances with Robinkit; he's thinking the exact same thing. "We should make sure she's alright."
The two brothers nodded in agreement and rushed after their parents, squeezing through the gap of the reed secluded den. Slipping inside the den they arrived in the small clearing, just in time to see Foxripple check on their mother.
"Coughing fits, glistening eyes…" Foxripple mumbled as he looked over a stack of herbs., neatly divided into sections. "Certainly doesn't sound very serious."
"I told you so!" Brindlecloud meowed pointedly at Rowanwhisker, but burst into another coughing fit at the end.
"But, I still request that you spend a few days inside the medicine den." Foxripple continued. "I need to keep a close eye on your symptoms, to make sure it doesn't progress into something worse."
"Do you think it might be Whitecough?" Rowanwhisker questioned.
"There's a chance." Foxripple sighed in confirmation. "That's why I want to maintain her here until further notice."
"So, does that mean she won't be sleeping in the nursery with us anymore?" Hawkkit spoke up, feeling a sense of dread and grief wash over him at the same time. He never felt these things before, and it was a little overwhelming to say the least. The thought of his mother not being there beside them, lending them her warmth during the colder nights made his heart clutch painfully in his chest.
Rowanwhisker and Foxripple both turned towards them. "I'm afraid so." He murmured.
Hawkkit could hear Robinkit gasp lightly under his breath, and his heart beat speed up a little. It hurt, knowing they won't be sharing a nest with Brindlecloud anymore. But then again, in less than a moon, Robinkit and him will be moving to the apprentices' den, so they might as well get used to the feeling now.
"Uh, Rowanwhisker?" Foxripple's voice called out unexpectedly, snapping Hawkkit out of his thoughts. "Don't you think it's for you to talk with your sons about… well, you know." He suggested, nodding his head towards them as he guided Brindlecloud to a moss nest near the back of the den.
Hawkkit raised one eyebrow in confusion. Talk? What is he talking about? He wondered.
Rowanwhisker glanced at them, his gaze softening but held a glimmer of uncertainty within them. "Sure. Though I would appreciate if you could lend me a paw in this subject matter." He meowed coolly.
"Of course, it will be just a moment, please." Says Foxripple, gently pushing Brindlecloud to lay down. "Seedpaw! Could you help me?" He called out.
Seedpaw came trotting from deep within the den. "What is it, Foxripple?" He asks eagerly.
"I need to go and do something; it won't be long. But I need you to watch over Brindlecloud for me while I'm gone." Foxripple meowed. "Give her some chickweed, it's a tall-stemmed plant over in that pile over there, to treat her. Can you do that for me?"
Seedpaw's green eyes shone with determination, and he nodded solemnly. "Leave it to me!" He stated.
"Good."
With a nod, Rowanwhisker ushered Hawkkit and Robinkit outside, Foxripple following behind. Hawkkit was still curious as to where they were going and what they want to talk about, but opted to wait and see where this goes.
They followed their father, as he guided them to a secluded area away from the rest of their Clanmates, in a small gap behind the medicine den. Hawkkit and Robinkit glanced around curiously before sitting down, facing the two bigger cats in front of them.
Rowanwhisker and Foxripple exchanged uneasy glances before sighing and settling down.
Robinkit gulped. "Are we in trouble?" He asks, wide eyed in fear.
Rowanwhisker shook his head. "No, nothing like that." He reassured them. Hawkkit and his brother breathed a sigh of relief.
"I think you should just get straight to the point." Foxripple suggested. "They are already anxious as it is, might as well just tell them what's going on."
Hawkkit grew even more confused. What are they talking about?
Rowanwhisker sighed and nodded. "Listen, you two are nearly six moons old now, and I think it was about time I- we, told you the truth." He began speaking, in a soft tone but held some seriousness to it. Hawkkit grew apprehensive. "We know about your gifts."
Hawkkit instantly jumped to his paws, wide eyed in shock. He turned towards Robinkit, who seemed to be equally as shocked, but couldn't help but blurt out the question. "You told him?"
"No! I swear I didn't!" Robinkit protested.
"Kits, please! This isn't what it sounds like." Rowanwhisker meowed loud enough to gain their attention. "Robinkit told me nothing; we kept our eyes on the two of you and noticed your unusual behaviour ourselves."
"You can trust us, we won't judge you for your gifts and we won't tell anyone." Foxripple meowed gently.
"Wait, how did you know that I knew about Hawkkit's enhanced vision and hearing abilities?" Robinkit questioned.
"You have vision and hearing abilities?" Rowanwhisker gasped as he gazed at Hawkkit, who shrunk under his intense gaze in discomfort. He nodded slightly.
"We didn't know, actually." Foxripple answered. "We just knew that you two have special gifts, but we weren't exactly sure what they were."
Hawkkit took a full minute to process the information. The two of us? But that would mean… He didn't finish his thought, as he glanced over at Robinkit. He felt so many emotions swell in his chest at once, and none of them good.
"Wait, what do you mean the two of us? Hawkkit's the only one with gifts." Robinkit pointed out anxiously.
"Robinkit, you may have not realized yet, but the signs are all there." Foxripple murmured gently, lifting Robinkit's chin with the tip of his tail. "You catch things in the air effortlessly, climb trees with ease, skilfully dodge moves during a play of fighting, never losing your balance; all qualities young kits at your age wouldn't be able to accomplish without any training. It's quite clear that you may have the power of agility."
Robinkit staggered back, his blue eyes wide with disbelief. "Agility?" He echoed.
"Is something wrong with us?" Hawkkit asks, his voice quivering a little. "Are we sick?"
"There's nothing wrong with either of you." Rowanwhisker tries to reassure them. "You're just special."
"Which is another way of saying that we are different." Robinkit hissed. "It just sounds a little nicer."
"Why are we like this? What did we do to receive these, gifts?" Hawkkit demanded.
Foxripple glanced at Rowanwhisker. He sighed and nodded, motioning for him to carry on. "We believe you two may have inherited these gifts from blood lineage." Foxripple murmured.
"Blood lineage? What does that mean?"
Rowanwhisker took a deep breath, Foxripple giving him a reassuring smile. "You're not the only ones with gifts here; I have my own powers too." He told them solemnly.
Hawkkit and Robinkit gasped simultaneously, looking at their father with shock in their faces. Mustering up his courage, Hawkkit was finally able to ask. "What is your special talent then?"
"I can see and sense the life force of other beings around me." He replied. "Which means, no matter where I am, I'll always be able to detect your presence. I won't be able to see things like rocks or bodies of water, but animals and plants I will sense it at any distance."
Hawkkit gaped up at him when a sudden realization hit him. "So, because you have powers, we were born with our own as well? Does that mean if we were to have kits in the future they would have talents as well?" He questioned.
"Most likely." Foxripple murmured.
"Now listen closely, the both of you. I know you two are scared but I don't want you to fear your abilities, or feel any different from the rest of your Clanmates." Rowanwhisker began to speak. "We have special talents no one else has and no matter how much we wish to be the opposite, we can't change this fact."
Hawkkit felt something stuck in his throat. It was odd, since he already knew about being different form the others due to his gift of sight and hearing, but he thought that maybe, overtime, other cats would reveal their own special talents. Like, everyone has their own unique ability or something. Now he finds out that not only his father but Robinkit as well have gifts too, and he is telling them that they are different from all the rest.
"These abilities that we share, they aren't common with the rest." Their father went on, his blue eyes flashing with sympathy for a brief moment before continuing. "If the other Clanmembers find out about our gifts, they won't be as welcoming or acceptable as Foxripple. We have been friends since at a very young age and i confided in him my secret, and never told anyone or judged me for it."
"Does mother know about it?" Robinkit asks, narrowing his eyes.
Rowanwhisker hesitated a moment longer, but answered eventually. "No, she doesn't."
"And if we didn't have these gifts you wouldn't be here telling us about it now, would you?" Robinkit growled unexpectedly. Hawkkit turned his head and saw the angry expression on his face, which was so unnatural for his brother since he is so much quieter than the rest and never seem to put too much of a fight before. "Admit it, would you have ever told us about your powers if we didn't have our own? Or would you have kept your little secret between the two of you?"
"Look, I know it sounds bad; believe me I know. But we don't have any other choice. Should we risk the trust of others with our secret we end up exposing ourselves and eventually the truth comes out for all. I knew I could trust Foxripple because we're friends; you trusted Robinkit with yours because you are brothers and rely on each other." Rowanwhisker explained.
"And yet, you couldn't trust your own mate with this?" Hawkkit argued, finally finding his voice and mustering up his courage to talk back.
Rowanwhisker visibly flinched, and Hawkkit felt a pang of regret inside of him. But he needed answers.
"Please, I know it's hard to understand now but one day soon you will. You can't use your powers in front of everybody; at the very least, don't show off. Your talents are easy to hide, but don't attracted unwanted attention to yourselves or others will get suspicious." He gazed at each of one them, his blue eyes glinting with sorrow.
"So what you're asking of us, is to hide a part or ourselves, out of fear of being shunned by the others?" Robinkit questioned, his voice calm and collected, but Hawkkit still detected the icy undertone laced in it. "Even if it means we could potentially benefit our Clan by using our gifts?"
Rowanwhisker nodded. "It's for your own good. Please, promise me you two won't display your powers so openly. You may use them, of course, they come in handy and I can't stop you from using them. But don't let anyone else figure out this secret. This is only between us. Do we have an agreement?"
Hawkkit turned to Robinkit. He was still mad that he hadn't told him about his talents, but he seemed genuinely surprised when Foxripple told him. How couldn't he have known?
"Well?"
Rowanwhisker prompted, waiting for their response. Hawkkit gulped. He's been using his gifts ever since he was born and nobody seemed to have figured out, yet. But then again, Robinkit suspected him, and both Foxripple and his father have been observing him long enough to figure it out. What if someone else knows? It doesn't help that he used to point out things out of range to the others.
I need to be more careful when using my powers. He thought. Hawkkit knows how brave and loyal his father is, so is kind of shocking to see him practically begging them not to expose themselves to others. As if he was afraid of something. But that still doesn't excuse the fact he hadn't told them of this before now.
Hawkkit sighed in defeat. "Deal."
Rowanwhisker turned his gaze to Robinkit, who was glaring at him with narrowed eyes. When he met his gaze, Robinkit turned his head away and glared at the ground instead. "Fine." He muttered.
Satisfied with their answer, Rowanwhisker nodded to Foxripple and stepped out into the clearing. Foxripple glanced at them sympathetically one final time before following him out, leaving the two brothers to remain there in silence. Hawkkit glanced at Robinkit uneasily through the corner of his eye.
"Don't give me that look." Robinkit muttered. "I know what you're thinking, and I assure you I had no idea. If I did, I would've told you. You know that, right?"
"How could you have not realized?" Hawkkit questioned quizzically. "Are you seriously telling me that after those tricks and moves you've done so many times, and not once you notice nobody else could do it as easily as you?"
"What about you then? You took a while to realize as well!" Robinkit argued.
"Yeah, but seeing and hearing things are a bit subtler in comparison to your agility." Hawkkit pointed out. "I thought for sure that everyone could do the exact same thing as me, but when I discovered the contrary, I stopped mentioning to the others." Hawkkit frowned, curling his tail around himself in attempts to gain some sort of comfort. "I just never imagined that we are the only odd ones in the Clan. Sure, now I know you and father have gifts as well, but we can't even use them without being afraid of getting discovered."
Next thing he knows, he felt a certain warmth press up close to him. Robinkit touched his ear tip with his muzzle affectionately. "Hey, it's going to be okay. I'm sorry for making you upset." He murmured.
"And I'm sorry for getting mad at you, I know you didn't mean it and you couldn't have known." Hawkkit apologized, his green eyes watering a bit. He sniffed and cleaned the water from his eyes away with a shaky paw.
"Listen, we may be different from the others, but we're still the same; you and i." Robinkit meowed. "We have an advantage over the others, and that will make us the best warriors StoneClan will ever see."
"Wait, are you suggesting that we use our powers for our own benefit?" Hawkkit gasped. Did he forget the promised he just made?
Robinkit tapped his chin lightly with the tip of his tail, gently signalling him to be quiet. "No, I am suggesting that we use our powers to benefit our Clan." He corrected. "Think about it; we were born with these powers for a reason, and we shouldn't waste them by doing nothing. Even if we have to limit our use, why not by serving our clan?"
"But, Rowanwhisker says that we shouldn't-"
"Come on Hawkkit, do you honestly believe that he doesn't use his powers when it most conveys?" Robinkit interrupted him. "Remember what the elders said about Rowanwhisker that one time? He is without a doubt, the best hunter in StoneClan. The only warrior that always brings back prey during Leaf-bare, when times are harsh and prey is scarcest. He's not a senior warrior, true, but that doesn't matter when it comes to pure skill. How do you think he manages that? He obviously uses his powers to find the prey hidden in the snow."
Robinkit does bring up a good point. Hawkkit mused, but he was still unsure.
"What if we get found out?" Hawkkit prompted. "If Foxripple was able to discover our talents simply by observing us, don't you think other will get suspicious too?"
"We'll be more careful. If no one suspects Rowanwhisker of anything, then we shouldn't have this problem." Robinkit meowed. "Besides, Foxripple has to a certain extent a bit of knowledge about powers. The others don't. Even if they were to notice our talents, it's not like they will immediately think up of the possibility of powers. So I wouldn't worry."
"Not to mention that, once we're fully trained, no one will question it as they will mistake our talents for pure skill." Hawkkit pointed out.
"Exactly!"
"Okay! I'll do it!" Hawkkit exclaimed eagerly. "With my sight and hearing powers I will be able to detect prey, predators and rivals from anywhere!"
Robinkit chuckled. "And with my agility powers, i will dodge and attack my enemies effortlessly!" He meowed, placing his tail over Hawkkit's shoulder. "Hawkkit, you and I will change this place. For good."
"For the better?"
"Of course!"