A Warrior of Windclan - Chapter 6

Alligences - A/N. Chapter 1's allegences were not a full and complete reflection of the members of Windclan at the time, as this list should also be considered :)

Windclan

Leader - Dreamstar - Long-legged blue-furred she-cat with green eyes.

Deputy- Abyssfang - Black tom with dark, smoky fur and greyblue eyes.

Medicine Cat- Cloverleaf - An older light brown tom with a kinked tail and green eyes.

Warriors

Cloudheart - White tom with light grey patches. Apprentice, Robinpaw.

Ravenpelt - Black and white tom. Apprentice, Hopepaw

Dusksky - Cream and white patched she-cat with blue eyes. Apprentice, Firepaw.

Oakfur - sleek brown tabby. Apprentice, Faithpaw

Aerialattack - Sharp-tonuged dark brown and white queen.

Darkswagger - Cream tom with a smoky body and nearly black face, tail and paws. Blue eyes. Apprentice, Winterpaw.

Gentlebreeze - Cream tabby she-cat. Apprentice, Pearlpaw.

Desertspring - Seal point tabby with golden-tinged stripes. Aqua-blue eyes. Apprentice, Dawnpaw.

Strawberrymist - Small red she cat with faint stripes.

Whitepelt - small snowy white she-cat. Apprentice, Cheerpaw.

Apprentices

Dawnpaw - Cream tabby and white she-cat. Blue eyes.

Faithpaw - Beige with marbled chocolate stripes and pale green eyes.

Hopepaw - Silver with black rosette markings, blue eyes.

Cheerpaw - Silver with black marbled strpes, blue eyes.

Firepaw - Bright golden-furred tom with bold red striping. Long fur, Bright amber-gold eyes. Known for his unusually large size.

Robinpaw - Lean, wiry cream and white longhaired tom.

Winterpaw - Grey and white tom, longhaired, gold eyes.

Pearlpaw - White she-cat with a silver tabby patch that runs from her head down her back to her tail. Dark blue eyes.

Queens

Cheetahflight - brown spotted tabby. Mother of Foxkit, Wingkit, and Trailkit.

Silvermask - Small longhaired silver tabby who stays in the nursery. Blinded by a badger mauling. Mother of Bluekit, and Falconkit.

Elders

Nightpelt - skinny black tom

Redrose - Creamy-furred body, red tabby points on face and limbs.

Skyclaw - Mostly deaf white tom with yellow eyes.

"Firekit, Robinkit, Winterkit, and Pearlkit - you have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed." Recited Dreamstar, standing high on the Tallrock. "From this day, until you receive your warrior names, you will be known as Firepaw, Robinpaw, Winterpaw, and Pearlpaw."

The brotheres exhcnaged a quick glance filled with pride yet tinged with sadness. Finally, they were apprentices - except their father wasn't here to see it.

"Dusksky." The cream and white she-warrior stepped forward and Dreamstar gave her a nod. "You have trained many apprentices for Windclan, and have shown yourself to be a mentor of patience and great wisdom. Windclan asks once more that you pass along your knowledge to Firepaw."

Firepaw didn't have to stretch to touch noses with Dusksky, who was petite, even for a Windclan cat. But Firepaw knew she was a warrior worthy of respect, and he was pleased. He turned his attention back to the ceremony to see who his brother would be mentored by.

"Cloudheart." The grey and white tom stepped forward and for a moment Firepaw felt a flash of jeaoulsy. Robinpaw was going to be mentored by one of their father's closest friends! "You are ready to take on another apprentice. Pass on your courage and skill in battle to Robinpaw." Robinpaw's yellow eyes shone as he lifted his head to touch noses with his new mentor, clearly happy with his choice.

"Gentlebreeze." Continued Dreamstar. "Now you have returned to Warrior duties, you are ready for an apprentice. You are a Warrior of great understanding and honesty. Pass along your skills to Pearlpaw." As they touched noses Firepaw felt a flash of surprise. Queens who had recently spent six moons of relative inactivity in the nursery were rarely given an apprentice so quickly. But then he though he understood Dreamstar's choice. So soon after loosing her mate, and unable to apprentice her own kits, his mother would need something to focus upon. And Pearlpaw, who had lost her own mother so early, would benefit from Gentlebreeze's kindness, and was also sensitive enough to help her own mentor with her current grief. They would be good for one another, Firepaw realized.

"Darkswagger, you are ready for your first apprentice. You have proved yourself resolute and determined. You will mentor Winterpaw." Firepaw watched the dark cream and soot-furred warrior touch noses with Winterpaw, whose expression was unreadable. Firepaw felt a brief flash of unease. He knew his mother didn't like Darkswagger, though he suspected it was because he all but ignored his young daughter. But he was a good fighter, Firepaw told himself. To his surprise, a small voice from just outside the nursery called out - he had forgotten during the long ceremony that the Clan would welcme them by calling their new names!

"Firepaw, Robinpaw!" Ambrosiakit's soft voice called. "Winterpaw, Pearlpaw!" She was joined by the four older apprentices, Dawnpaw, and a trio of sibligns, Hopepaw, Cheerpaw, and Faithpaw, then the warriors and elders. Redrose, Gentlebreeze's mother, called out loudly despite her age-cracked voice, and Firepaw smiled over at her.

Robinpaw nudged him. "We did it." His yellow eyes sparkled for a moment before the light died, thinking of Wildfire. Firepaw roughly nuzzled the top of his head. "Yeah, we did it." He agreed, as Gentlebreeze and Redrose came over to congraulate him. For a short time, Firepaw mingled with his family and purred at their words of encouragement. Then he heard Dusksky calling. "Firepaw?" He padded over, bowing his head respectfully to his new mentor, who noded aprovingly. "We have a special msision for your first apprentice task." She told him, and Firepaw felt excitement fizzle his forepaws. "What is it?"

He was surprised when Dreamstar joined them, along with Cloudheart and Robinpaw. "I want you four to scout the territory. It will be a long day for you, but you're up to it." Dreamstar meowrd briskly. "Abyssfang didn't come back to camp last night. You're looking for any sign of him. It's not like him to stay out all night." There was a trace of worry in her eyes, but her tone remained level. "Your mentors can show you the borders at the same time."

Firepaw and Robinpaw exchanged pleased glances, happy to be undertaking their first mission together - and an exciting one at that, looking for the clan deputy!

"Come along then." Cloudheart meowed briskly. Firepaw wondered if he wanted his own son and daughter to come on the patrol. But then Dusksky was signaling with her tail for him to follow, and he forgot about his denmate and joined the patrol, bounding out of the entrance for the first time, as a Windclan apprentice.

"See that line of trees? That marks the edge of Widnclan territory. We'll go and check the scent markers." Cloudheart, at the lead of the patrol, told the two new apprentices. Dusksky brought up the rear, her ears pricked as she scanned the gently rolling lands for any sign of Abyssfang's smoky coat.

"Is that a Twoleg den?" Robinpaw stretched his neck out and sniffed the hay-and-grain scent coming from the large red structure over the border. Cloudheart twitched his tail no. "They store hay and straw in it, they don't live in it. It's called a barn, and a cat name Boston lives there."

"Will we meet him?" Robinpaw, always eager to meet new faces, asked. Dusksky twitched her ears. "No, we've still got to check the Thunderpath and the Shadowclan border yet."

They had travelled the long way to the border with Boston's barn, along the ravine. Cloudheart explained they didn't usually set border markers there because there was no danger from Riverclan or any other clan crossing over the ravine. "It'stoo wide to jump - so don't get any ideas!" He warned.

"Now, you two pay attention. We're going to be following the edge of the Thunderpath up ahead." Cautioned Dusksky, flicking Firepaw with her tail. "Stay close to us, and don't panic when you see monsters pass by. They won't leave the Thunderpath."

Firepaw was glad for the warning as they padded along the northern border beside the noisy, acrid-smelling Thunderpath. The monsters roared loudly, moved faster than any Windclan cat, and made even burly Firepaw feel small. But like his mentor promised, they took no notice of the cats travelling paralell to the path.

"Is that Shadowclan territory?" Firepaw parted his jaws, wrinkling his nose in disgust as he caught a whiff of sharp scent the breeze blew ovver he Thunderpath. "Urgh, they smell like a dead frog!" Robinpaw put in, pulling a face too. Cloudheart chuckled softly. "You get used to it." He promised. "What worries me if that we've come nearly the whole way around the territory now and there hasn't been a trace of Abyssfang." He and Dusksky exchanged a worried glance.

Firepaw wasn't paying all that much attention. "Fourtrees!" He exclained, nudging Robinpaw and pointing with his muzzle. "Wow!" He drew in a deep breath and held it, wanting to ingrain this memory to his mind for all the moons to come. Robinpaw's eyes shone and he rested his shoulder in the dent underneath his brother's. "Just think. Soon we'll be attending our first Gathering. I hope we go together." He nuzzled affectionately at Firepaw and the red tom butted him happily with his large head, nearly pushing his brother over. "They'll be many Gatherings together." He promised Robinpaw. "First as apprentices, then as warriors."
"Well, young Warriors of Windclan." Purred Dusksky from behind them, making the brothers jump. They had been so caught up in the moment they had forgotten about their mentors momentarily. Dusksky and Cloudheart exchanged amused glances with one another. "Shall we carry on? We thought you might like your first hunting lesson before we head home, if you're not too tired."
"Too tired!" Exclaimed Firepaw. "I feel like I could run all day!" Robinpaw bounced enthuastically at his side.

"Come on then. Let's see your best rabbit crouch." Invited Dusksky, and the brothers quickly dropped into position. "Pretty good Firepaw, but shift your weight so you're not taking it all on your front paws. And Robinpaw, if you keep flicking your tail around you'll alert every rabbit on the moors to where you are." Dusksky scolded. Robinpaw flicked his ears in embarrasment and held his tail still. Cloudheart chuckled. "They're much better than most new apprentices though." He pointed out, making the brothers beam. Cloudheart's face flickered with sadness, and Firepaw knew he was thinking about their father. He swallowed. Wildfire is still with us. He'll still gide our pawsteps, just like when we were kits, and he taught us this crouch for the first time.

"Come along." Nodded practical Dusksky. "Let's practice stalking before we try it for real. Robinpaw, you're smaller and you're be fast and agile, while Firepaw, you're big and strong. You'll make a good team, Robinpaw, you are going to chase the rabbit and Firepaw will ambush it. Now, don't forget to respect your prey. Just because we eat rabbits every day, they aren't easy to catch. They're clever and will shake a predator off if they can, and they're strong in close quarters. They would rather flee than fight, but believe me, you don't want a kick from those legs in the wrong spot."

After a bit more practice, including their mentors showing them a pounce-and-dispatch technique while the sun sank lower in the sky, Firepaw and Robinpaw were eager to try out their practice session for real. Dusksky scanned the cloudy sky with a practiced eye. She was excellent at predicting the weather. "We have time - and you're ready. Come over this ridge - Firepaw, you lie here in this tall grass. Don't make your move too soon." Dusksky warned, and Cloudheart led the way up the ridge. A few heartbeats later Firepaw spotted his brother stalking towards a grazing rabbit, both mentors keeping out of sight, letting the apprenticnes experience the hunt for themselves. Robinpaw crept towards the rabbit, holding his body low and freezing whenever it looked up. Firepaw held his breath as he watched, and spotted the moment his brother lost patience, broke and ran, just a little too soon. The rabbit bolted with Robinpaw hard on its tail. Firepaw saw the problem - the early start had allowed the rabbit more room to make his escape and he was veering away from his own hiding place in the long grass. Thinking quickly, Firepaw kept his head low and backed around the tussock until he was on the far side, as close as he could get without breaking cover. He counted his thudding heartbeats as the rabbit drew nearer, forcing himself to stay put until he knew in exactly two steps the rabbit would be as close as it ever would be. He exploded from the grass, taking the biggest stride he could then launching himself through the air. He couldn't beleive it when he felt the rabbit's fur under his outstretched claws. He crashed his prey to the ground, and, recalling Dusksky's warning, he quickly bent his head and finished it with a clean bite to the back of the neck.

A huge yowl burst from Robinpaw; he barreled delightedly into his brother and they rolled together, Robinpaw still whooping like a wild thing. "You did it! Your jump was amazing, I thought we'd lost it for sure when I broke too soon!" Unable to help laughing at Robinpaw's excitement and pretty pleased himself, Firepaw pushed his brother off with a friendly thump between his ears. Cloudheart and Dusksky appeared, and Firepaw hauled himself to all fours and pushed their catch forward for inspection. Cloudheart nodded aproovingly. "A solid first effort. Robinpaw, you made your run too early, but your stalking up until then was excellent."
"It was a good thing Firepaw was ready to compensate, or you wouldn't have caught this one. I thought you two would work well together." Dusksky praised. Robinpaw nudged Firepaw. "You carry it back to camp - Dusksky is right, it's thanks to you we got this one."

Beaming, Firepaw bent his head and lifted the rabbit. As they headed back to camp, Robinpaw's pelt brushing his, he felt tired, but proud. He belonged to the best clan of them all, and he had begun to journey to becoming a Warrior.

A/N2 - I had a couple of readers question Dreamstar's offer to Firekit in an earlier chapter for his early appenticeship, one saying that the code states kits must be six moons and size was not a factor. I wanted to explain her descison a little further - in actual fact as we learned in Code of the Clans when too-small kits were sent into battle early, they were killed/in too much danger, and so led to the queens' rule of kits being a minamum of six moons, because that's when the average cat reaches a size and strength able to hold their own against Warriors. Dreamstar knew that Firekit was already at that stage as he is much larger than average sized, and therefor would have been capable as an apprentice - this descision was also made with Code 13 in mind - a Leader's word is law!