April 30 2021

The morning air was cold and heavy. Clouds rolled over the horizon, dark and heavy with rain, as the suns rays beamed lightly onto the forest floor. Trees rustled, branches creaking as the wind whipped over the forest and camp.

As the Clan awoke, Thornstar leaped upon the log that sat in the middle of camp. His ears were twitching as he tried to keen his fur from being messed up by the wind.

"RiverClan, gather under the Ledge of Hearing for a Clan meeting!" Thornstar's voice boomed across the clearing. His hard gaze was sharply searching the camp, keeping his ears pointed as he lashed his tail. "We don't have all day!"

Dawnflame trotted out of the nursery. They flicked the long-pelted cream white queen's side. Eyes rolling up at their mate who shifted with the patience of a kit. "Have their mentors picked?" Meowed the ginger deputy.

The leader snorted. "Of course I do. Only the best," he paused, eyes narrowed as he added in a softer, much quieter voice. "Leopardkit is getting a helper."

"A helper?" Dawnflame hissed, their ears flattened as they bristled out their pelt. "That isn't fair, she's just as important as the others."

Thornstar growled, irritation glinting in his sharp eyes. "This isn't the place, Dawnflame. What else can I do? She's unable to hunt or fight, if anything she might as well become an elder already!" Huffing, he shook his head, forcing his pelt flat before he added.

"Medicine cat. That's the most I can offer, the most I will offer." Thornstar forced his pelt flat. He wouldn't let his followers see him get irritated by anyone, certainly not his own mate and deputy.

The deputy twitched their ear. It was an offer that would let Leopardkit live her life to the fullest instead of just being a helper. Stuck in a low position of no power, stuck to be nothing more than someone who cleaned out nests and gave out prey.

"Fine, but it's her decision. I'll get Gingerbelly to come out, hopefully she doesn't mind with two apprentices already." The ginger cat trotted away. They pushed past the crowd of cats that had surrounded the leader, all waiting with twitching tail and ears.

Thornstar sighed. He didn't know how he let himself be talked into this. For stars sake he was the leader! They were nothing more than a deputy, someone who helped lead whenever he got to overwhelmed with duties.

As the cats started to mutter, he growled. His broken teeth glinting in the sunlight as he forced his claws to slip out, scraping the log underpaw. "Quiet! We will start the ceremony now..."

*

Leopardkit sat beside her mother. The long cream pelted queen was watching the ceremony with pride, cheerfullness floating in her aura.

The smallest of the two litters huffed. How was it fair, she had to sit here and listen to all this, but only be nothing more than a helper, or worst, a queen and stuck having some tom's kits.

This is so stupid. The golden pelted she-cat lifted herself to her paws. Tail lashing as she stumbled to where a new, yet familiar, aura glowed in the crowd. "Oh - hey-hey!" The hesitant voice of Shadowpaw met her ears.

Leopardkit flicked her tailtip to him. She wasn't big on speaking, but over the past few days the two toms seemed to be fine with her signals.

The white tomcat shifted so that she could sit between them. There was some confusion that waved off him, but he seemed to understand more than Shadowpaw, as the ginger tom's aura was bright with confused oranges and yellows.

As they watched the kits were, one by one, apprenticed off. Dustypaw was apprenticed to Nettlefrost, Palepaw to Waveshadow, Swirlypaw to Ravenfall. Once they were done, the leader paused, his gaze falling to where Gingerbelly trotted out.

"As it seems, we have a few things to adjust. Leopardkit, please step up and meet your fate." The tom kept a even gaze on her, even as she blinked, surpirse rippling off her.

Indigopaw nudged her flank. "Go on," he seemed happy, his aura sparked in a faint pink as he nudged her again. Shadowpaw only whispered something she barely heard before he also pushed her forward.

Ears flat, she walked forward slowly. This wasn't suppose to happen, she had heard nothing but of her becoming a helper. When did the medicine route become available?

"This was a new idea for me too, as such, Dawnflame is your parent and my deputy, so they get a choice in this too." The gray tom shook his head before he added in a low growl. "Gingerbelly, even with two apprentices already, would you like to take another?"

Gingerbelly swept her thin tail over the grass. The disturbance was enough to send a ripple through the grass, like a little wave of green blades, towards Leopardkit. The young she-cat perked her ears as she felt the grass touch her paws, a whisper she barely heard niped at her ears as she shook her head.

"I'll take another. We grow stronger and bigger as a Clan, many medicine cats will likely be needed, as such Leoaprdpaw will join me, Songpaw and Blizzardpaw." Gingerbelly swiftly crossed the path to her new apprentice. Dipping down, she touched noses with the blind she-cat.

Thornstar watched. He could see the surpirse in almost everyone's face. No-one wanteded the runt to become in such high power, a medicine cat had strange abilities, connections that no-one else dared to even seek out. And yet, here he was, giving the position out to a blind runt the size of his paw!

Hopefully with Blizzardpaw and Songpaw my Clan isn't doomed. The tom stood up, he needed to get the attention back onto him. "There's still more apprentices, listen up now!"

As Gingerbelly lead her away, she heard Foxkit's name being called. She was tempted to stay and listen, but the medicine cat flicked the side of her head. "Those two toms will fill you in later. You seem to talk with them alot anyways." She meowed before pushing into the den.

Leopardkit sighed. She just wanted to see who was apprenticed to who, was that so much to ask? At the same time... Did she really want to sit there and watch all her sibligs be named warrior apprentices when she was just stuck being a medicine cat out of pity?

"Okay," she followed the ginger she-cat into the den. Only looking back to see the cluster of auras that were happily shouting the names for her siblings.