Hey guys! It's me, Mouseshadow01! :D
Well, we finally got the new chapter up here for ya'll 'mazin' people to read. XD
I'd tell ya why we're late but I don't wanna ramble, so here ya guys go!
ALLONS-Y!
"Light is fading and darkness is falling, but the Stars shall rise and end the long night."
Chapter 11:
Apprentice
"Mousekit!" called Firestar. The brown she-kit dashed forward, her pelt fluffed up in excitement.
It had been almost a half moon since they had been confined to the nursery. All five of the kits had been on their best behavior since the morning of their 'little adventure' (as Daisy called it), and Firestar had finally decided to go forth with the apprenticeship.
(This is it!) Bramblekit thought herself (This is the big day!) Adrenaline coursed through her making her paws tingle. She glanced up at the sky.
The pale leaf-bare sun shone down in rays throughout small gaps in the cloud cover. It had rained the night before and now the skies were a mess of sunrays and cloud streaks.
(Maplekit?) Bramblekit inwardly directed her thoughts towards the overcast sky. (Are you watching?) Feeling a pang of sorrow that her sister wasn't here to experience this with her in person, she turned her attention back to the ceremony.
The great ThunderClan leader looked at his quivering granddaughter with affection warming his emerald green gaze. Brambleclaw stood near the base of High-Ledge, his pride and affection for his daughter made clear in the way that he held his head and tail high.
"Sorreltail," Firestar announced, lifting his gaze to where the slender she-cat sat by Brackenfur, her mate. "You will be mentor to Mousepaw. I trust you will pass on your energy, and your enthusiasm to her."
(As if Mousepaw needs ANY more energy.) Bramblekit thought with a smirk as the tortishell warrior padded up to Mousepaw and touched noses with the new apprentice.
"Mousepaw! Mousepaw!" called the Clan.
"Mousepaw! Mousepaw!" Bramblekit joined in, flashing a sharp toothed grin at her best friend when Mousepaw's bright green eyes drifted her way.
The joyful yowls and caterwauls slowly dyed down. Every eye turned back to the ThunderClan leader, and there was silence once again.
"Bramblekit," Firestar meowed quietly, beckoning to the light grey and black tabby kit with his tail.
Bramblekit's heart quickened; She arose and padded soundlessly into the space cleared for her by her Clanmates.
Firestar blinked down at the young cat standing unsure of herself in the shadow of the High-Ledge. "From this day forward," The flame colored tom began, his gravely mew resonating in the stone hollow. "until you receive your warrior name, you will be Bramblepaw."
The newly named Bramblepaw stood without moving, her dark burgundy colored eyes fixated on her leader.
Firestar paused and glanced around the clearing before continuing. "Your mentor will be Birchfall; Though he is young, I believe he is ready for his first apprentice."
Bramblepaw exhaled, releasing a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and turned to face her mentor.
Birchfall's warm amber eyes shone down at Bramblepaw as the young tom padded towards her.
"Congratulations." He breathed as they touched noses.
"You too."
Her whispered reply was almost drowned out by several loud yowls.
"Bramblepaw! Bramblepaw!"
Bramblepaw grinned, half listening to the Clan call her name, and followed Birchfall into the crowd, an apprentice at last
Mousepaw flopped down beside Bramblepaw and Lionpaw.
"Ugh!" The golden brown she-cat apprentice huffed, her green eyes narrowed to slits. "Jaypaw and I spent nearly all morning cleaning out the elders den! When we FINALLY finished, Brightheart took Jaypaw on a tour of ThunderClan territory while Sorreltail and I went on a hunting patrol."
Lionpaw looked excited. "It was awesome! I caught a vole and then-"
"And then I tripped while stalking a squirrel and fell in a mud puddle." Mousepaw interrupted her brother with an irritated mew. "I spent hours trying to get the stuff out of my tail. And Sorreltail wouldn't even let me groom it until we got back to camp! Do you have any idea how HEAVY a tail full of muck is?!"
Bramblepaw twitched a black tipped ear in sympathy but her attention was on the group of apprentices scuffling near the ferns. She stood up and padded over towards her other denmates.
"... And THEN- Hey! Bramblepaw!" Mousepaw called after her. "Where are ya going?"
"I'll be back." Bramblepaw replied without looking back behind her.
Pushing past Honeypaw and ducking under some cat's tail, she made her way through the cluster of the bodies to see Berrypaw and Hazelpaw playfighting in the middle of the small circle the apprentices had made.
"Beat his tail into the dirt Hazelpaw!" Someone yowled next to her ear.
Bramblepaw flinched away, scowling at them a bit but they were too busy watching the two siblings to notice.
A glimmer of blue caught Bramblepaw's eye. Scanning the cats on the other side of Berrypaw and Hazelpaw, she found herself looking into Leafpaw's dark blue eyes. The golden tom held her gaze for a moment, and then blinked and looked away.
Bramblepaw watched his face out of the corner of her eye, half hoping he would meet her gaze again but he didn't. She couldn't help but feel disappointed somehow.
Soft fur brushed her pelt as another cat slid into the space next to her.
(What're you staring at?) Mousepaw's voice said in her mind. Her best friend tipped her head to the side, a frown on her face.
(Nothing.) Bramblepaw replied by directing her thoughts at her friend. "Hey look! Here's Hollypaw and Lionpaw!"
She said aloud changing the subject abruptly.
"Congratulations you four!" Hazelpaw mewed as she kicked out at Berrypaw with her hind legs.
Poppypaw gracefully slid through the crowd and made her way towards the four new apprentices, halting by Hollypaw.
"Where's Jaypaw?" She asked no one in particular, her light amber eyes mildly curious.
"He's still out with Brightheart." Hollypaw explained. "She said she wanted to show him the old thunderpath."
Berrypaw pounced on top of Hazelpaw's back, grappling precariously with her grey and white shoulders.
"Four more apprentices!" The creamy white tom
shouted over the voices of the cats cheering him on. "Now we're really going to be squished… oof!" He huffed as Hazelpaw dropped to the ground and rolled on top of him, successfully knocking the wind out of him.
"Well if there's not enough space, we can always make you move back to the nursery!" Honeypaw purred in reply, promptly sitting up on top of Berrypaw, and giving her chest fur a couple of licks as he coughed and gasped for breath.
Berrypaw struggled out from underneath his sister, an annoyed expression on
his face. "Or we could-" He began, but was interrupted by Hazelpaw knocking him over and pinning him down with one of her forepaws.
"I win!" She crowed.
"Not so fast you-"
"Berrypaw! Hazelpaw!" Brambleclaw's authoritative yowl echoed from the entrance tunnel. "We haven't got all day!"
"Coming!" Hazelpaw called back and scampered off with Berrypaw on her heels.
Now that the main source of the excitement had gone on patrol the other apprentices melted away, some reclining in the shade underneath the high-rock, and others joining various afternoon patrols.
Poppypaw, and Honeypaw's sister, a fluffy grey she-cat named Cinderpaw trotted over to them with her plumy tail held high in the air.
"So..." She mewed. The she-cat apprentice rocked onto her front paws, her wide blue eyes sparkling. "Have you seen your new den?"
Bramblepaw nodded in reply, not really paying attention. She had been watching Leafpaw and his mentor join an evening patrol and head out through the thorn barrier.
(Of course we have! Is this cat a mouse-brain?!) Mousepaw's mew penetrated her mind, forcing her attention back to her friends.
Bramblepaw ignored her.
Lionpaw was replying. "We've been in the caves lots of times before." He mewed. "Don't you remember that time you helped us sneak that fox-dung in there?"
Cinderpaw shook her head. "Well yes; but no. I was talking about a... different den." She mewed with an excited little wiggle.
Bramblepaw exchanged a confused glance with Mousepaw.
"Then which den are you talking about Cinderpaw?" Hollypaw asked finally.
"... Yeah, What she said." Mousepaw added helpfully.
The grey she-cat bounded off towards the camp wall.
"C'mon!" She called over her shoulder.
Bramblepaw began to follow but stopped when she realized that Mousepaw was no longer beside her.
Her friend stood with her head cocked and her mouth slightly open, staring up into the trees that encroached on the top of the hollow.
(Mousepaw? ... What is it?)
The golden brown she-cat blinked, her brilliant green eyes hidden for a moment, and then snapped out of her trance like state.
(Nothing.) She said abruptly. (It was nothing. I just thought I...)
She trailed off again, her ears pricking back up and swiveling for just a second before she shook her head stubbornly, trotting off in the direction the others had taken.
"Nevermind. It wasn't important… Come on! Are we gonna let them get away?"
Bramblepaw took a moment to scan the tree line for whatever Mousepaw had seen, but seeing nothing, she shrugged and followed her friend to check out whatever Cinderpaw had in store for them.
Hidden in the shadows, sky blue eyes blinked before being swallowed up by the gloom.
And that, my fellow racers is Chapter 11 of Falling Shadows!
(yes I did reference both Doctor Who and Wreck-It Ralph. Watchya gonna do about it?)
Okay so. 2 things.
1.
For the people who've read/followed my story "Carried Away with the Wind" (it's an InuYasha fanfic), I am putting it under Code HIATUS. XD
No, seriously.
I forgot about it for a while and when I came back and re-read it, it was SO CRAPPY.
So I'm gonna be re-writing it.
So I may actually delete it for the rewritten version. :)
2.
I have quite a few other fanfics stored in my head, so I may take a lot longer writing my own chapters for this particular story.
Bramby and I aren't gonna abandon this.
We put WAY too much hard work and thought into it to do that. XD
So even if we take a while, keep looking for updates,'kay?
ANYWAYS, that's really it for now, friends. :3 Hope ya enjoyed it.
And ooooooh, SCHNAP have Bramb and I got one fun chapter to read for next time! :D
You're all gonna LOVE IT!