This chapter is from Windkit's point of view, and it has been one moon. By the way (uurrrghhh) I also realized that Windkit is related to Ravenkit as well. So…I need ideas for his love interest. I also had this totally cool idea…this loner comes to their camp – a jet-black she-cat who is heavy with kits, and tells them that her name is Wanderedsoul, and she is a descendant of Ravenpaw. She tells them that her ancestor passed down the story of the Great Journey to every generation, telling them to journey to the mountains and find the Clans. No cat had listened to the story, and neither had she, until one day her mate, a ginger tom by the name of Crab, was killed by a monster, and she had been so lost and angry that she decided to see if the story was true, and set out to find the Lost Clans. She has her kits a few days later, but dies in the kitting. The kit is named….I need ideas!
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Windkit had barely any memory of the days before he came to ThunderClan. He remembered snippets of his time with the Tribe of Rushing Water – he remembered the day his father had first taken him out of the cave. That was the only memory he had of the gray tom when he was alive. He also had a fleeting memory of the day he and his mother had fled the cave. He remembered the knowledge that his sister was dead, and the bloody scene as he was carried away in the tired jaws of his mother.
But Windkit did have memories of his first day in ThunderClan. Of the beautiful black cat who had brought him to the medicine cat, and the fiery red she-cat who had slept beside him the first night.
Then he remembered meeting the other apprentices – Waterpaw, Willowpaw and her sister Mothpaw, Graypaw and his sister Cinderpaw, and Owlpaw, the leader's son. Most of all, Windkit remembered meeting Ghostpaw, the strange silver apprentice who so resembled himself.
Today, for some reason, ThunderClan was very busy, and as soon as Bloomfrost walked into the den after gathering herbs early in the morning, he blurted out his question. "What's going on? What's everyone so worked up about?"
Bloomfrost grinned like a fox and a twinkle lit in her eye. "Today is your apprentice ceremony, along with Ravenkit and Shadowkit. You're going to be an apprentice of ThunderClan!" Bloomfrost seemed hardly able to contain her joy, and she rushed forward and started covering Windkit's face with licks.
For the first time, Windkit didn't push her away, and just tolerated the affection while he let her words sink in. An apprentice of ThunderClan… it seemed almost too good to be true. And Ravenkit too! They had become good friends since the day she had rescued him from his mother's grasp in the nursery so long ago.
"I have to go find Ravenkit!" he cried, leaping to his paws.
"Oh no you don't!" Bloomfrost snapped, pushing him back down. "I'll have your mother fetch her – your not going anywhere!"
Bloomfrost disappeared, and a moment later, Ravenkit came bursting into the den, her black fur shimmering in the afternoon sunlight.
"I'm so excited!" she meowed loudly, her eyes bright and shining.
Windkit smiled widely. "I know!"
A moment later Mistystone bustled into the den, her silver fur gleaming and her blue eyes brilliant. "Come here, mister, you need a bath!" The medicine apprentice mewed, beaming at her only son. Windkit groaned, but allowed his mother to wash his head and tail before he hurried out of the den, Ravenkit bouncing beside him.
"I'm so excited! This is going to be so cool!" I want Cardinalbelly to be my mentor, Waterpaw says she was from ShadowClan!"
Windkit blinked at her as he limped towards the Highledge. "Why in the name of StarClan would you want a cat from ShadowClan to be your mentor?"
Ravenkit looked taken aback. "Why not? It would be interesting…" Ravenkit dropped off, noticing the look of skepticism in Windkit's glare
"I want Sunblaze to be my mentor…he's my grandfather!"
"Sunblaze is boring," Ravenkit retorted, but said no more. "Shadowkit!" Ravenkit called a little while later, as she and Windkit were waiting for Lionstar to begin the ceremony. The black tom-kit meandered over to where his sister and her friend sat before the Highledge, and eyed Windkit warily.
"Aren't you excited?" Ravenkit cried, giving her brother a quick lick on his ear.
Shadowkit did not smile, but replied coldly. "Yes."
Windkit felt a chill run down his spine. Ravenkit glanced at Windkit with an almost apologetic smile.
"Who do want to be you mentor?" she asked Shadowkit, her eyes gleaming.
Shadowkit looked around, his tail twitching. "Pinenose."
Ravenkit cringed.
"You can't…"
Shadowkit turned his gaze on his sister and
curled his lip. "I know," he snapped, before stalking away.
"What's eating him?" muttered Windkit in Ravenkit's ear. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and she turned to face him, her head held high. "He's fine. He's just nervous," she meowed, straightening.
Windkit did not have a chance to reply, because just as that moment, Lionstar leapt onto the Highledge. Windkit turned to face the leader and gave his chest a few swift licks, hoping that his fur was really as shiny as Firepaw always said it was.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their on prey gather here beneath the Highledge!" Lionstar's strong voice ran out across the clearing.
Immediately, like a flood breaking through a dam, the cats of ThunderClan began to pour from their dens, milling about in the clearing before settling down in front of the Highledge. Firepaw sat down next to Ravenkit, with her brother Waterpaw at her side.
"I'm so happy for you!" Firepaw whispered energetically in her friend's ear. Ravenkit nodded enthusiastically.
"Today, we are here to honor three new apprentices of ThunderClan! Ravenkit, Shadowkit, and Windkit, please step forward!" Lionstar called.
"Ravenkit, do you promise to learn and serve your Clan to the best of your abilities during your training as a warrior apprentice of ThunderClan?"
Ravenkit nodded proudly. "I do."
"Then Ravenkit, from now, you shall be known as Ravenpaw. Stripethroat, you are ready for an apprentice. You will mentor Ravenpaw."
Stripethroat, who sat beside his mate in the middle of the crowd, stepped forward to touch noses with Ravenpaw who looked scared and excited at the same time.
"Stripethroat, you possess love, compassion, and courage. I expect you to pass on your skills to Ravenpaw, so that she may be an honorable warrior of ThunderClan."
Ravenpaw and her new mentor backed into the crowd again, accompanied by loud cheers of "Ravenpaw! Ravenpaw! Ravenpaw!" Windkit joined in eagerly, calling out his friend's name with cheerful energy.
Lionstar quieted the cats down with a wave of his tail and began again. "Shadowkit, do you promise to learn and serve your Clan to the best of your abilities during your training as a warrior apprentice of ThunderClan?"
Shadowkit, with little expression on his face, meowed, "Yes."
Lionstar blinked, but went on. "Shadowkit, from now on, you shall be known as Shadowpaw. Dovewing, now that your kits are apprenticed, you are ready for another apprentice. I expect you to pass on your kindness and bravery to this new apprentice."
Shadowpaw shot Dovewing a frosty glare as she approached, but the down-to-earth queen just shrugged and touched noses with the new apprentice. Shadowpaw stalked back to the crowd to less enthusiastic cheers.
Finally, the moment that Windkit had been waiting for since he had arrived in ThunderClan…
"Windkit, do you promise to learn and serve your Clan to the best of your abilities during your training as a warrior apprentice?"
Windkit threw out his chin and replied with a resounding, "Yes, Lionstar!"
Lionstar chuckled, and Windkit felt his face get hot.
"Then Windkit, from now on, you shall be known as Windpaw. Your mentor shall be-" But Lionstar never finished his sentence, because just as that moment, an ear-splitting yowl split the frigid air, and every cat gasped as they turned to discover the source of the noise.
Windpaw could have died right then and there, out of humiliation and horror. First off, his apprentice ceremony was unfinished, and second, it was ruined because a tall, wiry black cat was standing at the entrance to the camp, her wide green eyes staring around her with fearful surprise.
"Pardon me," she meowed quietly. "I did not mean to-"
"Who are you?" growled Redstorm taking a step forward and sizing up the cat as he waited for an answer.
The she-cat drew herself up and replied, "My name is Wanderingsoul, I am a loner from the land beyond the mountains."
A hushed murmur broke out among the elders who were seated before the Highledge, and they looked up, their eyes suspicicous.
"From the land beyond the mountains, you said? The forest?" Fadedpelt inquired.
Wanderingsoul nodded. "Yes, though the forest is no more, since many years ago it was destroyed by two-legs. My father often told me stories that had been passed down through generations of our family: stories of the Old Forest."
"Who was your father?" Moonblow growled in a low, cracked voice. Windpaw was shaking so fiercely that he was afraid to move, but he desperately wanted to get to the front of the crowd to see the newcomer's face.
"My father's name was Blackcloud. He and my mother, Shallowpool, had lived in the abandoned barn all their lives…" Wanderingsoul seemed to have forgotten about the rest of the cats, as if she was speaking to herself, and she closed her eyes, turning her head to the sky.
"But who were the stories about?" Moonblow questioned.
Wanderingsoul snapped her head back down and her eyes flashed open. "My ancestor, Ravenpaw of ThunderClan."
Cries of amazement erupted from the gathered cats, and Windpaw looked across at Firepaw for an explanation.
"I don't know as much about Ravenpaw as the other cats of the Old Time, but I do know that that Ravenpaw was a good friend of the great Firestar, and was driven into exile or something by Tigerstar."
Windpaw nodded…even he knew that story. Ravenpaw had told him all the old stories as he sat, recovering, in the medicine den for so many long days.
"And she claims to be descended from him? Like my father was descended from Graystripe?"
Ravenpaw nodded, watching Wanderingsoul as she stood before the gathered cats.
"Wanderingsoul, ThunderClan has open paws to any cat in need, of course…but is what you say true?"
Wanderingsoul nodded, her eyes narrowed. "Of course it is. Why should I lie?"
Lionstar shrugged. "We have heard stories of Ravenpaw – the friend of Firestar and victim of Tigerstar's cruelty. He was a brave cat. I respect any relation of his."
Wanderingsoul looked at Lionstar. "As you should. I assume that you are the leader, so this is what I have to say – I lived in the abandoned barn on the moor for all my life, my father, Blackcloud, my mate Ben and his sister, Jenny. Jenny and Ben were kittypets that had escaped from their owners. A few moons ago, a monster killed my mate. I was lost and full of despair, and in my sorrow, I decided to seek out the Clan of my ancestor's origin – ThunderClan. So I journeyed, with Ben's kits growing in my belly, to this place. You are ThunderClan?"
Lionstar seemed impressed. "Yes. I am Lionstar, the leader of ThunderClan. This is Scarletspirit, my deputy." Lionstar gestured to Scarletspirit who bowed her head and meowed a greeting to the loner.
"I must only stay to bear my kits, and then I plan on either returning to my home or journeying on to the sundrown place."
Silence reigned in the camp for a long moment, and then Dovewing spoke up quietly. "And your kits?"
Wanderingsoul's eyes widened, and the stared at Dovewing, as if the thought hadn't occurred to her. Lionstar glanced at Goldbrook and Vinetail, then back at Wanderingsoul. "We will take them in, if you wish it. Perhaps one day you will be able to return and visit them when they have grown into fine warriors of ThunderClan."
Wanderingsoul did not reply for a long time, and then she mewed, "Thank you. You are a generous leader, like the Firestar of my father's stories."
Lionstar nodded, and Windpaw noticed a glimmer of pride in his eyes.
It seemed that the words had released the gathered cats, because the crowd now surged forward, some to Lionstar, and some to Wanderingsoul.
"Lionstar!" cried Crowtail, standing tall before the Highledge, "How dare you! Consult your Clan before you allow half-bloods," he glanced meaningfully at Windpaw and Ghostpaw, "and loners," he glared at Wanderingsoul, who raised her chin and pointedly turned her back on him, "into our Clan! ThunderClan was always known for pure, warrior blood!"
"Firestar himself was of kittypet origins," Lionstar replied quietly, not meeting Crowtail's gaze. Crowtail opened his mouth to deliver a stinging retort, but thought better of it and backed away.
"Lionstar, if I may be so bold…" Badgerfoot meowed, "Windpaw does not yet have a mentor."
Windpaw had to keep himself from hugging the huge black and white tom, but he flashed Badgerfoot a huge grin. The lame tom nodded and smiled back.
"Quite right, my friend," Lionstar murmured, shaking himself.
"Cats of ThunderClan, Wanderingsoul, we have an unfinished ceremony to perform. Windpaw, I apologize for the interruption, as does Wanderingsoul, I am sure," Lionstar yowled from the Highledge.
"Yes, of course! My sincerest apologies, young cat," Wanderingsoul mewed.
Windpaw ignored her, his eyes focused intently on Lionstar.
"Cardinalbelly! You are ready for your first apprentice, and you have shown loyalty and devotion to your Clan. You will mentor Windpaw."
Windpaw almost forgot to touch noses with the dark gray she-cat as she hurried forward and gave him a happy smile. Windpaw followed her as she stepped back into the crowd, and sat beside her as Lionstar closed the meeting.
He couldn't decide whether to be excited or sad. Cardinalbelly was indeed a loyal cat and an excellent warrior – ShadowClan had lost a valuable fighter in the wise young she-cat. On the other hand, Cardinalbelly was a Clan-deserter and a queen – could she be a good mentor to him? He knew in his heart that any cat would be a good fit, and that Cardinalbelly, of all of them, was probably the most similar to him, but there was still a nagging sense of disgust in the back of his brain, knowing that the gray she-cat was born and raised in ThunderClan's rival Clan.
"We begin training tomorrow at sunrise, Windpaw," Cardinalbelly meowed cheerfully to him, before striding away with a jaunty step. Windpaw stared after her, the echoes of his name being cheered still ringing through his brain.
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Sorry this took so long to update! With school starting, it is hard for me to keep up with my updates. But as soon as I settle into a routine again, I will update faster! My sincerest apologies!
-Darkstorm Mistystar's Legacy
