A/N Hey guys! It isn't Friday yet, but here's a present for you!
The crescent moon shines its weak light down through the leaves as the wind gently disturbs the trees. The crisp fog that bellowed from her breath proved it to be a cold night, in spite of it still being leaf-fall. Memories flashed through her mind of the dream. Would they speak to her again? If so, then he would prove himself to be a true medicine cat. He would be important, rather than the burden everyone else thought him to be. He was already a terrible fighter and hunter.
The rustling of a bush broke the young tom cat from his thoughts. He pricked his ears forward. It was almost time. Soft chatter filled the air as the Riverclan and Windclan Medicine cats approached. They had finally arrived, and now they can move on to the moonpool before they freeze their whiskers off.
The tabby tom glanced to his left, where his mentor stood. In the broken moonlight, he could vaguely see gray tabby stripes. But her single blue eye shined brightly at the sight of her two friends. The young apprentice felt jealousy burn his ears when he recalled how his clanmates treat him. His mentor was the only one who believed in him. Only one who could be his friend.
Fur brushing against grass snapped him back to the present and the young tabby saw his mentor flick her tail to beckon him to follow. The group made their way down the well worn trail and the tom felt his senses work into overdrive. Something was wrong. They had to leave. They must go away.
Turn back.
They reached the moonpool. One by one, each medicine cat took their place, settling down to greet Starclan. The foggy breath from the other cats bellowed as they slipped into dreams and finally, the young apprentice took his own place and joined them.
Suddenly, he found himself standing in a meadow of Starclan. Green grass, warm wind, and heavy scents of prey flooded his ears, nose, and eyes. He blinked. When he opened them again, he found himself face to face with an old, faded cat. Too faded to identify any features, until he spoke.
"Truth must be accepted and change will be inevitable. To survive, one must become five, and five must become one again when times of need are no longer. Follow the dying clan to take your rightful place among the stars again."
"Redkit, you have reached your sixth moon and it is time for you to become an apprentice," Honeystar's voice echoed in the hollow that sheltered the Clan as Redkit watched with awe filled eyes, "From this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Redpaw." The yellow-patched leader watched with amusement as Redpaw visibly struggled to contain her excitement. Her littermates, Bugpaw and Shadepaw, had already greeted their mentors.
"Your mentor will be Sorrelpelt. I know she will pass down all that she knows on to you." She turned to face the tortoiseshell she-cat before continuing, "Sorrelpelt, you are ready to take on your first apprentice. You received excellent training from Furrypelt, and you have shown yourself to be confident and patient. You will mentor Redpaw and I expect you to pass on all you know to her." The newly named calico apprentice pranced over to her new mentor and reached up to touch noses with dark, mottled she cat. Her eyes twinkled with her silent promise to train hard as the Clan erupted into cheers for the new apprentices.
"What are we going to do first, Sorrelpelt?" Redpaw asked, eyes rounded with curiosity. Sorrelpelt waited until Bugpaw and Shadepaw padded up with their mentors, Furrypelt and Leafsong before replying,
"We will begin with showing you the borders. This will be so you know scents and…" Sorrelpelt broke off when Shadepaw interrupted.
"We know what the borders are for, Sorrelpelt. And with how much Eaglepaw complains of the smells, I doubt they're very hard to miss," Leafsong swatted the insolent apprentice's ear. Redpaw bristled in shock, Shadepaw has never acted like that before! Where did that come from? The calico apprentice shook her pelt out and followed Sorrelpelt through the thorn tunnel with Bugpaw and Furrypelt. Leafsong had gestured for them to go ahead without them, insisting that such a smart cat can do smart work instead. Redpaw's white and gray tabby sister seemed disgruntled by Shadepaw's insolence, but quickly returned to her energetic self.
While following the mentors through the woods, Bugpaw and Redpaw practiced pouncing on leaves and twigs and tails, earning more than one cuff over an ear. Purring loudly, the sisters calmed down a bit, having walked further now than ever before and started peering around the trees, wondering if the world ever ended.
As Redpaw stepped out of the trees, her nose was instantly assaulted by the most rancid smell she'd ever witnessed. Her eyes watered and her nose scrunched up as she struggled to pinpoint the source of the smell. Through blurred eyes, she could only see a small clearing with pine trees shooting from the ground on the other side. Redpaw quickly swiped her paw over her eyes in an effort to clear them when eyes glittered back at her through the pines. Eyes cleared, she peered closer and couldn't find the eyes again. That smell must be making me imagine things! Redpaw thought to herself.
"Did you see the eyes?" Bugpaw leaned over and whispered in her ear, Redpaw could feel her sister's pelt bristling and it just made her angry. Why would Sorrelpelt bring us to such a weird, smelly place? She thought angrily. The calico opened her mouth to speak, but Furrypelt cut her off.
"This is the ShadowClan border. This clearing belongs to them, which is why we are most likely being watched." The fuzzy tom mewed quietly, "Take note of the smell, because it is one that we do not wish to find on our territory." Redpaw nodded, finally understanding why they were here. Bugpaw's fur laid flat again as she too drank in the smell. It was still bad, but knowing how important it was to recognize it made them pay closer attention. Too bad Shadepaw isn't with us! He'd have made a funny joke about the smell...Redpaw thought sadly as she followed her mentor around the edge of the clearing, back into the woods. They padded up along the border as the sun inched its way across the sky.
As the trees began thinning out again, Redpaw braced herself for another onslaught of scents to fight with. Suddenly, the group stepped out into the bright sunlight as the ground turned grainy and loose. Light glitter off the surface of the ground just a few tail lengths away in such a way that made Bugpaw and Redpaw freeze at the sight. As they stood blinking in the light, everything came into focus and the two she-cats stood gaping at the beautiful scene. Water was lapping at the earth before them as sunlight glittered across the surface. Squinting, Redpaw could just barely make out the shapes of trees on the far side of the humongous puddle. Lake, She thought, Mother always said something about missing the smell of the Lake! Redpaw drew in a large breath and immediately broke off coughing.
As her eyes streamed, Redpaw wondered why her mother would ever miss the smell of this lake. It reminded the small apprentice of the time Rainheart brought back a fish from a hunting patrol. Nobody in the Clan wanted to eat it and after a day or two, the rotting smell was coating everything in the camp. Honeystar had to make a rule that, if any cat brought a fish in again, they had to eat it at the end of the day if nobody else did so first. Redpaw simply hoped nobody would do so again. The young cat glanced over at her sister, to see her reaction to this smelly place. Bugpaw, stretching tall with her nose in the air, had the most serene expression as her nostrils flared in the wind.
"This is the Lake, right?" Bugpaw asked, her eyes shining in wonder at the marvelous sight, "It smells just like Beetail described!" Redpaw rolled her eyes, yeah, it smells like dying fish, she thought. regardless, Redpaw let her sister have her peace as the small patrol wandered their way across the shoreline. Sorrelpelt explaining that RiverClan lives on the opposite side of the lake, but because of the direction of the wind today, they wouldn't be able to smell it. Redpaw simply looked around, searching for anything that would make this area useful. Mostly, she saw broken branches and twigs, but occasionally she would see a clump of green that smelled like the Medicine Cat's Den. As they padded on, the smell began to less and soon mixed with the scent of open air and grass. This smelled wonderful.
A few heartbeats later, Sorrelpelt turned away from the lake and began following a small stream. The tumbling water in the creek churned restlessly over pebbles and stones, creating small whirlpools and bubbles that amused the two apprentices, especially when a small fish would get caught in one and swirl in the strong current. Playfully, redpaw tried dabbing her paw into the water at one of the miniature fish. She missed and heard a hiss behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that she had splashed Bugpaw with her attempt. The white and gray apprentice tackled Redpaw's tail and the two chased each other around their mentors for a few moments before Furrypelt let out a low growl.
"Calm down, we are walking beside the WindClan border now," He explained, "They might not have much in the way of cover to hide in, but they excel in disguising themselves in the heather." As the four cats trotted along the stream, Redpaw drank in the scents of moorland and rabbits. The musty smell of WindClan didn't crinkle her nose like the smell of ShadowClan did, and it was a pleasant change from the fishy scent of the lake. Glancing to her left, Redpaw watched her normally energetic sister calmly, but curiously, sniffing at plants along the water's edge and occasionally pouncing on frogs perched on twigs at the water's edge. The calico was so caught up in watching her sister that she didn't realize the stream suddenly veered into ThunderClan territory. With a yowl of shock, Redpaw slipped unceremoniously into the water. She floundered for a moment before finding her paws again and climbing up the bank.
After shaking the water from her pelt, and giving herself a few self-conscious licks, Redpaw looked around. It didn't take me that long to get out... Where did Sorrelpelt go? Then she looked across the stream and realized with horror that she hadn't pulled herself out on the correct side. Redpaw fluffed up defensively as she looked for a safer way back across. Sorrelpelt, on the opposite side, was simply shaking her head; sides quivering slightly as she tried not to show her amusement. Bugpaw didn't show the same tact as she was bubbling up with laughter and had flipped over onto her back. Furrypelt was the only one kind enough to foresee the issue and was already trotting a few tail lengths up the stream.
"Over here, Redpaw, there's a branch large enough for you to cross over with!" The orange tom yowled, "Quickly now before WindClan shows up!" Redpaw began to dash over to him and squealed with shock when suddenly, pain exploded in her side and she was thrown back into the water. The tail length or two she had gone had apparently proven to earn much deeper water, as she was unable to find her footing. Redpaw plunged under the water, vaguely hearing angry yowls from above water. Redpaw struggled against the current until her flailing paws hit something solid. Furrypelt's branch! She thought as she sank her claws deep into the surface. She hauled herself up, pelt heavy and legs trembling, then dragged herself back onto land.
Redpaw laid there for a few heartbeats as she caught her breath, then wearily hauled herself onto her paws. She became aware of the spitting and yowling continuing.
"She was just an apprentice!" She heard Sorrelpelt yowling, followed by a yelp of pain. Eyes focusing, Redpaw became aware that her mentor was tussling with a dark gray tom next to Furrypelt, who was locked in his own fight with cream tabby tom. Anger fueled the young she-cat's heart when she noticed a small white tom with red patches slowly stalking Bugpaw, who was cowering against a bush. Her sister's eyes were wide with fear and her tail had easily fluffed up twice the size of the rest of her petite body. The tom cat was coming up from the side, just out of her sister's view. Redpaw pelted through the tangle of cats and launched herself on the tom, anger and fear guiding her untrained paws.
"Leave my sister alone!" She scowled in his ear, earning a flinch as the larger tom easily rolled her off of his back. Encouraged by Redpaw, the white and gray tabby she-cat began lashing out at the WindClan apprentice's nose as a distraction while Redpaw, having been thrown off his back, began dashing in and out of reach and nipping at his tail and paws. When the tom got irritated with twisting and turning, trying to target one before the other got a hold of him, he finally got the nerve to pounce on Bugpaw. Redpaw immediately pounced onto his back again, teeth snagging into his scruff and back claws tearing into his spine. The tom yowled and threw himself straight up into the air, jamming Redpaw's jaw into his back and knocking her loose. With one more swat on the muzzle from Bugpaw and the ginger patched tom yowled curses and turned tail.
Panting, Redpaw and Bugpaw stood side by side under the bush while Sorrelpelt helped Furrypelt finish off the cream colored tom. "That's what you get, foxheart! For attacking a brand new apprentice!" Furrypelt spat, anger sparking in his eyes as he chased the flea-pelts over the stream. Sorrelpelt walked over, pelt bristling and tail lashing, and stood in front of Redpaw.
"By no means was that called for. Yes, you should have paid more attention to where you were in an unfamiliar place," Sorrelpelt ranted, "but it doesn't change the fact that this is your first time out of camp!" the tortoiseshell she cat yowled. Redpaw thought her mentor was going to have a fit if she got any angrier, and cowered back against her sister. Bugpaw rested her tail comfortingly on Redpaw's shoulder. The calico apprentice finally noticed how cold she was becoming and pressed closer to her sister, beginning to shiver. Sorrelpelt softened her gaze.
"You two did very well taking on that apprentice. Let's get you back to camp and have Deweye look at you before you freeze to death," she mewed, nuzzling Redpaw's ear. Furrypelt lead the way back to camp while Bugpaw offered her shoulder for support, which Redpaw gratefully accepted. On the long walk back, Sorrelpelt asked quizzed them on the Warrior Code by giving them scenarios and asking if it would break any of the codes or not. By the time they reached camp, Redpaw had stopped answering and focused purely on getting one paw in front of the other, muzzle nearly dragging on the ground from exhaustion.
Beetail ran up to them as they passed through the thorn barrier, "What happened to my kits?" She yowled, anxiety bristling her pelt and her kits limp weakly towards the medicine cat's den. The brown tabby she-cat's tail was fluffed up as she paced beside the two apprentices, wailing in distress. Owlpaw stalked out of her den, scowl painted on her face as she hissed at Beetail.
"If you're going to make that much of a racket, then why don't you take it elsewhere?" The light brown tabby tom snapped at the fretful she cat, "I can't treat them if you're just going to get in the way!" he hissed as he ushered the two apprentices inside. His glaring stare kept Beetail from entering. To Redpaw's relief, there was a nest ready just inside the entrance that she could collapse into. She barely registered the taste of the herbs as they were brought to her, but she did notice the seedy texture of the poppy seeds. Everything after that was a dream.
Redpaw woke with sunlight just barely entering the den the next morning; Bugpaw, still snoring beside her, had patches of poultices making her pelt stick up in weird places. Looking over her own pelt, Redpaw saw a few of her own patches, but her pelt had dried out. With a yawn, she sat up and began rasping her tongue over the patches of dried, clumpy fur. In the corner of her eye, she watched Owlpaw stretch in his nest. The odd tom had received visions nightly from StarClan, ever since he was a kit. This made him a very odd, short tempered cat because, as he put it, you can't sleep with cats yowling in your head trying to be heard. Redpaw could only guess that he'd learned how to quiet them a bit, because after gaining apprenticeship, he began calming down some and actually being able to pass on the prophecies to Honeystar. When he had been in the nursery, three moons ago, he had been a bully to Redpaw and her siblings; but, after training with Deweye for a short while, he had returned to apologize to them and take them for a short trip around the hollow.
Owlpaw seemed to have noticed the attention Redpaw was giving him because he looked up and hissed, "You were barely injured so you can leave now. We need to keep the space available for other cats who actually need it." Redpaw rolled her eyes, but nudged Bugpaw awake anyways. Once Bugpaw had sat up in her nest, the small calico walked out of the Medicine Cat's Den and looked around the hollow. Beetail was sleeping in a pile of ferns just outside the den, the nest looked hastily built as though she had just scraped together scraps from around the camp. Redpaw sighed, mother had always been protective of them; wishing they would enjoy their kithood as long as possible. She had even heard her trying to convince Honeystar that she needed another moon before she was apprenticed! Redpaw sniffed her mother cautiously to ensure she was still deeply asleep before quietly slinking passed.
Once safely away, Redpaw trotted over to the Warrior's Den and called softly for Sorrelpelt. She got a few groans in response, but heard rustling of a nest as well. Satisfied, the young apprentice backed away and sat down, continuing her grooming. A few heartbeats later Sorrelpelt emerged from her den, moss still clinging to her fur. She gave her apprentice a playful glare and mewed, "Since when do apprentices wake up early?" Redpaw purred with her mentor before she was told,
"Go get a mouse to eat. You didn't have anything yesterday because of WindClan." Sorrelpelt looked like she wanted to slash another muzzle, but instead turned to brush the moss off her side. "After you eat, Furrypelt and I decided it would be best for us to teach you some fighting moves. If the Clans are going to be that hostile, we need you to be able to handle yourselves."
A/N So what do you think about that insolent little WindClan apprentice? How dare he take on kits! And the other warriors should have known better, right? Well let's see what happens after they return to camp, hmm?
As always, if you would like to see a certain OC in this story, review or send me a pm and I'll work them in! It may take a while before they show up, but it's just because I am trying to find a good place where they can have some sort of significance, even if it is a small one