"Beware the flame that touches your heart"
Primrosepaw woke with a start. She sat down and smoothed her ruffled fur. She had a dream she was swimming in the river with Lightningpaw and Swiftpaw when suddenly everything was black and those words echoed over and over again. Maybe it was some kind of weird prophecy?
She shook her head. No, not about me.
"Hey, Primrosepaw. You ready for today?"
"What's today? Is it the gathering?"
"No, hare-brain, that was only half a moon ago." He purred in amusement, "my assessment and your free day? Ever heard of these before?"
" point?"
"I'm becoming a warrior! And you get to watch me do it!"
"Only your mentor can watch you during your assessment. Besides, I promised Gingerbush I'd go hunting with her."
He rolled his eyes.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to start today. Or are you to busy gossiping?" Duskheart said dryly from outside.
Lightningpaw winked and ran outside, eager to get started. Driftpaw and Swiftpaw were curled up together in a tight ball. They probably had forgotten that they weren't actually sisters. Moonpaw had already left as usual and Horsepaw had gone on the dawn patrol.
"Oh, good, Primrosepaw." Treeclaw said poking his head inside. "I'd like you to join Flamedash's hunting patrol."
She nodded at the deputy and went out. She jumped in surprise. Snow covered the ground in all directions and the crisp air burned her throat.
"Are you coming?" Flamedash asked.
"What? Yes."
"Well, let's go."
Nutfall caught up with them at the entrance and burst through the snow covered reeds. Primrosepaw had never been out in snow before and she kept hopping to keep her paws from freezing. The first time she saw snow was when she was a kit and for her, it was preferable to stay inside for the whole leaf-bare. Flamedash snorted in amusement as she slipped on a frosty log. Nutfall gave her a sympathetic look as she landed on the icy grass.
"Sorry! It's so slippery!"
"I remember when I was an apprentice," Nutfall whispered to her. "My very first time it snowed I was running all over the place and poor Minnowstream, my mentor, had difficulty getting me to walk!"
"I don't mind that so much. But I do mind the lack of fish. We have to eat birds! Voles are n their nests, the lakes are frozen so all there is, is birds." Flamedash put in.
Nutfall was one of Primrosepaw's favorite cats for a reason. She was always sympathetic, unlike her brothers, Troutflight and Coldwsater. When she was a kit, Nutfall used to visit her and her brothers when they were less than a moon old. Webfur trusted Nutfall very much. Primrosepaw also knew that Nutfall had hoped to mentor one of Webfur's kits but instead got Gingerbush .
Primrosepaw watched in absolute awe as Nutfall leaped up and snagged a bird in mid flight. Flamedash caught rabbit that came across the border. I must be amongst the best hunters in the world, she thought. Well, ill just have to try harder.
Across the Windclan border she saw Lightningpaw chasing a hare over the hill. He must have gone to Windclan for his assessment. Beside him, was another cat, one of great agility, because the cat was carrying a hawk in his or her jaws. She mused over the possibility of ever catching a hawk but decided the possibility was very slim.
"Primrosepaw?"
"Huh? What?"
Flamedash sighed. "I was asking you if you wanted to try catching that water vole over there. Or are you too busy gaping at Windclan toms?"
Nutfall snorted in amusement and cast a teasing look at her. "I used to do that but only the Shadowclan ones caught my eye."
"I was not gaping at them! I just wanted to know how Lightningpaw was doing." She repeated this inside her head over and over again until she believed it. On the bright side, she did manage to catch the vole despite the nagging feeling of 'was I being honest'.
By the end of the hunt Flamedash had a rabbit, a mouse and a trout. Nutfall had a sparrow and three fish. Primrosepaw had nothing but a mingy vole and a minnow. She kept her head low as they entered the camp. The dawn patrol was back but with a few scratches. Wetgrass was telling Treeclaw about the aggressive Shadowclan cats, Dewleaf was getting her scratches healed and Horsepaw looked rather pleased with himself. Usually he was calm and easy going but now he was boastful. Smallkit, Leafkit and Lakekit stared up at Horsepaw with wide eyes. Their, mother Orangepool(also the mother of Dreadclaw, Slowstep, Moonkit and Driftkit) looked on at them and purred.
"Thanks for the vole!" she called out to her.
Primrosepaw ducked her head in embarrassment.
"Primrosepaw?" Gingerbush said, prodding her in the ribs.
"Yeah?"
"Our walk?"
"oh, right. Let's go."
"I wanted to ask you a favor," Gingerbush began."I have a secret I need you to keep for me. Only Dreadclaw and Rustlestep know. This is why Dreadclaw didn't want to leave. I am going to the twoleg place, just past here to look for someone."
"What!?"
"No interruptions please. I assume you know that Rustlestep is my brother and Reedtail is my mother. Well, I believe my father is a cat called Muffles. I will be back but in the meantime I need you to pretend you don't know where I am."
"Then why tell me in the first place? Why tell me at all?"
"I don't want you to worry too much. And I like you, Primrosepaw. If I ever have kits, I'd want you to mentor one of them."
"Thanks, Gingerbush. For telling me all this. When do you leave?"
"After the apprentice ceremony today."
Smallpaw! Leafpaw! Lakepaw!" the clan chanted. Gingerbush wished Rustlepaw and his knew apprentice, Leafpaw luck and went out, giving Primrosepaw a quick, knowing look. Flamedash got Lakepaw, which was kind of odd. This was because Lakepaw was always the odd one out. While her siblings wrestled, she was sitting in the elders den. Fernstar probably gave her Flamedash to make her more confident. Her siblings and the other kits had always bullied her. Whatever Fernatar's intentions, it didn't seem to be working. Lakepaw was nervously sitting beside Orangepool, not even the faintest bit of excitement on her face. Orangepool even terrified the kit sometimes. She needs help, Primrosepaw thought.
"Come on, Lakepaw, I won't hurt you," Flamedash tried desperately t coax the kit from her hiding place while Scalesplash sat back and laughed.
"Flamedash?" she asked hesitantly. "Can I help you?"
He glared at her but his brother's laughter made him nod.
"Hi, Lakepaw. I'm Primrosepaw and I'll be sharing a den with you for a while. It'll be so much fun! My other friends will be really nice to you."
The little she-cay smiled. "Friends?"
"Yip! And Flamedash is one of my closest friends. He's really kind."
She glanced at Flamedash and he nodded. "Beware the flame that touches your heart" a sinister voice whispered.
She jumped but shook it off. "Come on, Lakepaw, we're going to explore the territory!"