Morningpaw meets her new BFF...
Morningpaw had to let her jaws hang open in awe as she eyed the Great Tree. She imagined herself, in a far-off, alternate future, as the leader of ThunderClan, sitting up there, announcing news for her Clan.
I, Morningstar, leader of ThunderClan—
"Somebody's having ambitious thoughts," a male voice said, abolishing her daze.
She tensed and turned to see a dark brown tom with glittering green eyes grinning at her. "Stalker much?" she hissed.
His simper didn't shift at all in spite of her dangerous tone. "That's Stalkerpaw to you," he informed her with a gentle voice.
"Well, I'm Morningpaw," she replied tartly, "and I'm not about to talk to anyone from another Clan."
"Why not?"
Why not just leave me alone? With a heavy sigh, the silver apprentice whirled around to face him and grumbled, "You might want to change your name to Persistentpaw, that would suit you better."
Just then, Reedstar, the sleek RiverClan leader, stepped forward and yelled, "Let the Gathering begin!" Morningpaw felt a surge of relief; surely Persistentpaw wouldn't talk to her now that the leaders would be talking, too.
"Rowanstar, how would you like to go first?" Reedstar meowed to the ginger tom.
"Thank you, Reedstar," said the ShadowClan leader. With a delicate grunt, he rose to his paws and began slowly, "ShadowClan is full of apprentices these days. Just one sunrise ago, Twigpaw and Comfreypaw were apprenticed to Ferretclaw and Starlingwing, respectively." He paused to allow brief cheering for the new apprentices.
"Twigpaw! Comfreypaw!" Morningpaw joined in the yowling as a brown tom and a gray she-cat stood shyly for a moment, their ears flattened and their noses flushed pink.
As the caterwauls died down, Morningpaw heard a voice in her ear again— a persistent voice. "Come on, can't a cat make friends around here?"
"I told you," she hissed back through gritted teeth, "I'm not becoming attached to anyone from another Clan."
"But what if I am from your Clan?"
She arched her brow at him, then sighed loudly through her nose, still trying to hang out to whatever Rowanstar was saying: "I am saddened to announce that one of our elders, Toadfoot, has left us to join StarClan…" Then Persistentpaw's voice overpowered the ShadowClan leader.
"Okay, fine, I'm not. What Clan are you from, anyway?"
"Isn't it obvious?" she demanded, giving him a light shove. Then she froze, shocked at and disgusted with herself. I just pushed some stranger playfully, like he's my brother or something. She began to chew her lip, blinking owl-like yellow eyes at the windblown tom. I've barely ever shoved Beepaw like that, and she's my littermate!
He snorted. "What, are you afraid you'll get mad WindClan sickness because you touched me?" Morningpaw giggled, and he said, "What? Are you surprised I'm in WindClan? I know, I know, I have the strong build and thick muscle for ThunderClan—"
A light gray tabby turned on them, amber eyes blazing. "I'm afraid I'll get mad WindClan disease from your breath on my neck!"
A pale gray she-cat next to them rested her tail-tip on his shoulder. "Mintfur, calm down. Don't embarrass our son at his first Gathering."
"You're right, Troutstream." Mintfur's gaze softened, and he nudged a young tom who was the spitting image of him. "How about you go chat with the other apprentices a bit?"
The tom leaped to his paws, blue gaze wide in anticipation and relief.
"— ah, ah, not so fast… wait until after the Gathering is over, Beetlepaw."
Morningpaw glared past the RiverClan family at Reedstar, who was now speaking. When he announced Beetlepaw's name, the tom stood, tail waving close to the WindClan tom's muzzle, which curled in distaste. Just before Beetlepaw could sit down again, the brown cat swatted at his tail, and Beetlepaw whirled around to face him.
"You look far too old to be a new apprentice," scoffed the WindClan cat. "How old are you?"
Beetlepaw lowered his head, sneaking a glance at Mintfur before blinking almost submissively at Morningpaw and her companion. "I'm…" he sighed. "… twelve moons."
Morningpaw gaped at him. "You can't be! How have you only been apprenticed now?"
The brown tom frowned quizzically. "Has Reedstar traded brains with a fish for the past six moons?"
A few tufts of fur rose along Beetlepaw's spine— it was such a pathetic sight, Morningpaw couldn't help but grin warmly at him despite his hissing. "How dare you insult my leader!" Beetlepaw snapped. He then calmed down and went on slowly, "I was sick for most of my days as a kit. I was finally given an apprentice name several moons ago, but then I got sick again, so I couldn't go to any Gatherings, and Reedstar hasn't"— he paused to take a breath— "announced my name—"
"We get the picture," the WindClan cat grumbled. Beetlepaw turned around, his tail tucked tightly by his flank, and Morningpaw resisted a snort.
Reedstar sat back down on his branch, and Ashstar stood shakily, looking as pitiful as Beetlepaw's halfhearted hackles. Morningpaw leaned over to whisper in the other apprentice's ear, "So what is your name?"
"You're about to find out," he replied, jerking his head at Ashstar.
"Leaf-fall has treated WindClan well so far, prey-wise," the gray she-cat rasped. Morningpaw winced at the grating voice. I hate to be rude, but I've never known a cat who should be in the elders' den to be Clan leader! "Like the others, we have new apprentices to announce: Moonpaw, apprenticed to Furzepelt, and Barkpaw, to Boulderfur."
When she said the name Barkpaw, Morningpaw's head snapped to her right, and she saw that the brown tom's chest was puffed out. As a bouncy tortoiseshell stood a few rows ahead, so did he. Morningpaw smirked playfully at him. "So, Barkpaw, hm?" she murmured, risking a look in grumpy Mintfur's direction. She saw him shift his paws, so she lowered her voice even further. "But how do WindClan cats know what bark is? There's not a single tree in your territory."
"There is one tree, a willow, near our border with RiverClan, thank you very much," Barkpaw shot back. But she saw the twinkle in his glowing green orbs.
"And to finish up WindClan's announcements, we have three new warriors," Ashstar mewed, her worn voice echoing crisply on the chilly night air. "Antleg, Thistlethorn, and Willowbranch." Her azure-blue eyes darkened with sorrow. "However, we should have four new warriors tonight."
Morningpaw stiffened as she remembered her first day as an apprentice, when that she-cat Dewpaw had drowned in the lake. Her brother was Antpaw… Antleg, now. She couldn't bring herself to see what the expression on Barkpaw's face was. I could never imagine what kinds of wounds a young loss must've inflicted on his Clan.
Ashstar lifted her muzzle to the sky, and the other leaders didn't waste time copying her movement. Soon, every cat in the clearing was staring at the inky-black sky dotted with StarClan warriors. "May StarClan light your path, Dewpaw," she whispered.
"She always wanted her warrior name to be Dewheart," someone said, and immediately someone else started up a cheer of "Dewheart! Dewheart!" along with Antleg, Thistlethorn, and Willowbranch's names.
For a long while, Morningpaw cheered Dewheart's name until it sounded foreign on her tongue. Then last but not least, Bramblestar stepped up, very earnest as he swept his black-tipped tail over his large paws. "ThunderClan grieves for Dewpaw— Dewheart— just as we grieve for our own recent loss," he began.
Every cat looked on in horror, and Morningpaw felt Barkpaw's eyes hot on her face, making her whiskers twitch continuously. Oh, stop, his gaze isn't a pesky fly. Quit twitching, whiskers!
"Half a moon ago, one of our elders, Sorreltail, succumbed to her coughing illness and departed on her journey to StarClan," meowed Bramblestar. "Soon after this loss, we were attacked by the problem we've been dealing with the past few moons." He looked toward Ashstar fleetingly, almost guiltily. "Foxes have been living on ThunderClan territory for a good season now, and they recently invaded a portion of WindClan territory as well." Ashstar's shoulders slumped as he said this. She probably didn't want to admit this weakness. "Clans," Bramblestar mewed. "We need your help in fighting the foxes off. We have come together before, on the journey to our new territories here; to battle the Dark Forest; and we united while we lived with the Tribe of Rushing Water during the flood. It is destiny to have four Clans, four cat Clans, living around the lake. We cannot let a measly group of foxes take away this right of ours!"
Barkpaw scowled up at the dark tabby. "I can't believe he just announced a WindClan weakness like that."
Morningpaw actually agreed with him. "I don't know what Bramblestar thinks he's doing. He did not discuss this with the Clan or anything." And has he forgotten about announcing Beepaw, Lakepaw, Fogpaw, and I's names?
Bramblestar swept his gaze over Rowanstar, Ashstar, and Reedstar. "I am asking for the help of ShadowClan, WindClan, and RiverClan in defeating the foxes once and for all."
There was a lengthy silence that was eventually shattered by Reedstar. The sleek black tom tilted his upper body forward so that he could look directly at the ThunderClan leader. "Bramblestar," he began carefully. "Forgive me, but… we, RiverClan, make our camp across the lake from yours. Are these foxes really our problem? And if it is our problem, somewhat, then is it still worth the spilled blood of my warriors, when we we're not even concerned about our safety and well-being?"
Morningpaw gulped as Bramblestar's copper eyes flashed. "You must understand, though, that these foxes… these foxes will become a problem in the future! What if their population grows and starts to eat up WindClan territory even more, maybe ShadowClan—"
"We wouldn't let them set a single grimy paw onto our land," Rowanstar snarled.
"But you see what I'm saying?" Bramblestar meowed, ignoring the ruffled ginger tom. "Perhaps you should all think about it, and make your decision in due time." He swung his broad head back around to scan the crowd briefly, and Morningpaw glimpsed how ragged his dark tabby pelt really was. He's exhausted himself worrying over FoxClan. "In other news, ThunderClan has four new apprentices," Bramblestar went on absently. "Beepaw, Lakepaw, Morningpaw, and Fogpaw. Their mentors are Lilyfern, Amberear, Seedspeck, and Snowtail, respectively." He, and every other cat, was so distracted, it was a wonder there was any cheering at all. Morningpaw's pelt prickled angrily. Not nearly the amount of recognition we deserve. We're new apprentices, for StarClan's sake! Setting our paws on a path to being warriors! And all we get is a couple mumbles of our names from the elders in the back.
Again, silence settled on the island, thick like mist. Morningpaw glanced at Barkpaw, and he studied her with half a smirk on his face.
"I'm surprised there's not smoke coming out of your ears," he remarked thoughtfully. "There's furious heat radiating off your pelt."
Morningpaw just swallowed over the lump in her throat and turned away from him again. He could use a good, thick bundle of bracken wrapped around his muzzle to keep those jaws shut.
Then Ashstar mewed, "How about each Clan sends two representatives to ThunderClan in a quarter-moon, and they announce their Clan's decision then?"
Rowanstar answered with a curt nod, and began to claw his way down the tree. Reedstar said hastily, "Yes, that will do." He was already halfway down the Great Tree when he glanced up at Bramblestar, who was sitting frozen on his branch. "May StarClan light your path, Bramblestar."
Morningpaw flattened her ears and heaved a sigh. As long as there's foxes prowling just whisker-lengths away from where I sleep, there will be no lit paths. Only paths shrouded in shadow.
Anyone else ship MorningxBark? I sure don't...
I might as well tell you already, but if you don't want to know a spoiler for this story then don't read on.
Morning and Bark will always just be friends (yes, their "friendship" isn't going anywhere for a while, even when- uh oh, I should shut up now). Morning will end up getting a mate, Blackstorm, who is actually much younger than her because he doesn't even appear in this series. I just needed someone to be the mother of Flashnight (a character in my Dog Apprentice series) and I decided his mother might as well be Morning!
End spoiler. XD