Chapter four

Bisonkit shuffled through the crunchy brown leaves littered around camp. She stamped on them, enjoying the satisfying "crunch" sound they made.

"Bisonkit!" Swandance called from across the clearing. Bisonkit looked over, and Swandance was ushering her over. Bisonkit trudged to her mother.

"What is it?" She groaned.

"Your apprentice ceremony is at sun high, and I don't want you looking like a leaf monster." Swandance looked her over, as if she were taking Bisonkit a part piece by piece.

Bisonkit perked up, remembering one of the most important days of her life was that very day.

"Alright." She chirped, sitting down to let her mother groom her fur. Swandance lapped at Bisonkit's pelt, grooming out the leaves until it was glossy.

Bisonkit pulled away, Shouldn't you be worried about Firekit and Icekit?" She tilted her head.

"They don't run through leaves and get their pelts all dirty." Swandance replied pointedly.

"Well it's almost sun high, so you're done now." Bisonkit said quickly and scurried away.

She ran over to join Meadowkit, who was talking with Firekit, Icekit, and Blossomkit.

"I hope I don't get Spidermountain," Blossomkit shivered, "she gives me the creeps."

"She's not that bad!" Bisonkit retorted, "She was really nice and played mossball with me when Meadowkit was sick to keep my mind off it."

"I just want a good mentor." Meadowkit sighed.

"Yeah." Icekit agreed.

"I want someone fierce, to push me to my limit." Firekit said determinedly.

Before anyone else could say anything, a voice rang through the camp, "All cats old enough to lurk in the shadows gather around the shade rock for a clan meeting!"

Bisonkit looked up, and a crowd was gathering around Foxstar. She jumped up, jittering with excitement. Bisonkit pushed to the front of the crowd, ignoring the annoyed hisses.

She sat down, smiling happily, at the front of the crowd. Meadowkit and the others followed her, and sat down next to her.

Nettlepaw sat to her left, off to the side.

"Why are you here?" She asked innocently.

"I'm getting my warrior name." Nettlepaw replied proudly.

"Cool!" Bisonkit's eyes filled with awe.

Nettlepaw lifted his head in superiority.

"Quiet!" Foxstar's voice rang out, and every cat settled down.

Bisonkit looked up, watching the ginger tom look over the crowd.

"First things first. Nettlepaw, please step foward." Foxstar ordered.

Nettlepaw puffed out his chest, raking the crowd with his golden gaze.

"I, Foxstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn." Foxstar began.

"Nettlepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" He stared intensely at Nettlepaw with a questioning gaze.

"I do." Nettlepaw meowed confidently.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Nettlepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Nettletongue. StarClan honors your bravery and confidence and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." Foxstar walked down to Nettletongue, placing his head on the newly named warrior's head. Nettlepaw licked Foxstar's shoulder submissively, and the two pulled back.

Nettletongue turned to the crowd, a purr rumbled in the back of his throat.

"Nettletongue, Nettletongue, Nettletongue!" Every cat started chanting and Bisonkit joined in, yowling loudly.

After the crowd settled, Foxstar leapt back on the rock and called attention to himself.

"You will sit vigil tonight, Nettletongue." He nodded to the golden brown tom, who then disappeared into the crowd, "Now, we have five kits who have reached the six moons and are ready to be apprenticed, and make our clan stronger." Foxstar declared.

The crowd cheered, and Foxstar waited for them to settle back down.

"Blossomkit, step foward." The ginger tom looked to the group of kits.

Blossomkit stepped foward solemnly, holding her head low.

"Blossomkit, lift your head." Foxstar ordered softly, "Blossomkit has reached the age of six moons and is ready to be apprenticed. From now on, until she receives her warrior name, She will be known as Blossompaw and her mentor will be Twigbee." Foxstar looked down on the apprentice with a soft gaze.

Blossompaw looked up at Twigbee as he stepped foward, her green eyes looked duller than usual.

What's wrong with her? Bisonkit pondered, confused by the golden and cream she-cat's odd behavior.

"Twigbee, you were trained well by Hickorystone, and I hope you will pass down your precision and quick thinking onto your apprentice." Foxstar turned to Twigbee, nodding slightly. The white tom shifted before stepping foward to touch his muzzle to Blossompaw's.

The two stepped back into the crowd and Foxstar continued.

Icepaw with Duckglade, a white tom with a ginger muzzle, Firepaw with Mushroomhill, a russet and gray patched tom, and Meadowpaw with Yellowivy, a creamy she-cat with yellow stripes.

Finally, Foxstar got to Bisonkit, "Bisonkit, step forward." His eyes were stern and judgmental.

Bisonkit shifted, then stepped forward, feeling as if she'd done something wrong.

"Bisonkit has reached the age of six moons and is now ready to be apprenticed. From this moment on, she will be known as Bisonpaw, and her mentor will be Shadedbramble."

Bisonpaw turned, and saw a brown and black speckled she-cat padding foward. The she-cat was purring happily, and the happiness spread to Bisonpaw like a disease.

"Shadedbramble, You were trained well by Paledawn, and I hope you will pass on your nobility and determination to your new apprentice." Foxstar nodded, though he didn't seem very enthusiastic.

Shadedbramble leaned foward, and Bisonpaw touched noses with the brwonand black speckled she-cat.

"That is all, Clan dismissed." Foxstar flicked his tail dismissively, and hopped down. He drifted into his den, disappearing into it's dark deapths.

"Let's go see what the other apprentices are doing. Maybe we could tour the territory today." Shadedbramble suggested.

"Alright!" Bisonpaw wiggled excitedly.

The two she-cat's padded over to thebother mentors and apprentices, who must have had the same idea.

"Good, you're here." Mushroomhill looked up at the new comers, "I was thinking we should tour the territory together."

"Sounds perfect!" Duckglade agreed enthusiastically, the complete opposite of his apprentice, who was still staring at her paws.

"Let's go then." Mushroomhill waved his tail and the patrol followed him through the thorn entrance.

Bisonpaw was shaking with excitement. She had never ventured out of camp before, and the thought of seeing it for the first time was invigorating.

As the thorns scraped her fur, she stepped through. She found herself standing in a clearing. Pine needles littered the ground, and tall, mighty pine trees towered over her head, all around her. The sun filtered through the trees, casting a happy glow on the scene. Bisonpaw was filled with awe as she gazed upon the green pine forest.

Shadedbramble purred, "I see you like it. I wish I had brought you out here sooner, a kit really should see the outside at least once."

"It's wonderful!" Bisonpaw breathed, her amber eyes darting this way and that, analyzing every detail.

"Hurry up, slow pokes." Duckglade called back, pulling Bisonpaw out of her trance. She and Shadedbramble had fallen behind.

Bisonpaw hurried to catch up. She pushed towards the front of the patrol, stopping next to Meadowpaw.

"Isn't this great?" She purred, "We finally get to see the outside! We're finally apprentices!"

Meadowpaw looked distant, as if caught in his own thoughts. Bisonpaw nudged him.

"Oh, uh, yes, definitely." He meowed distractedly.

"Are you alright?" Bisonpaw filled with worry for her friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Meadowpaw looked ahead, "Just thinking about how old and responsible we are now. I feel so proper." He started talking in a fancy voice, raising his head to look superior.

"You look like Nettletongue!" Bisonpaw giggled, then copied Meadowpaw, "I'm Nettletongue, and I'm a warrior now. I'm so special." She mocked.

Meadowpaw laughed, but stopped abruptly when he bumped into Firepaw. The patrol had paused.

"Watch it." Firepaw hissed, glaring at Meadowpaw.

"Sorry," Meadowpaw said defensively.

Bisonpaw glared at Firepaw as he turned away, and mocked him, pretending to talk, scrunching up her nose, and rolling her eyes. Meadowpaw snorted quietly, watching her with amused eyes.

"This is the Burnt Sycamore." Mushroomhill's meow caught Bisonpaw's attention. She perked her ears, and sifted to her tippy toes, trying to see what Mushroomhill was referring too.

There, in front of her was a huge, blackened tree. It's branches were shriveled, and covered in ash, and all around the grass was still brown.

"This is one of the only remaining signs that there was ever a fire." Mushroomhill informed the apprentices, "Instead of letting it be a reminder, we use it. Here is where you will do night hunting, and training."

"Night hunting?" Icepaw tilted her head, voicing Bisonpaw's thoughts.

"In ShadowClan, we hunt various times of the day, including at night, unlike ThunderClan, who does not particularly like night hunting." Twigbee answered his apprentice.

"Oh." Icepaw looked back at the burnt tree. She looked slightly prouder of that tree and her clan, just as Bisonpaw felt.

"Shall we move on?" Yellowivy suggested, finally speaking for the first time. Yellowivy's voice surprised Bisonpaw, it was so sweet and soft.

Mushroomhill nodded, "We have much more ground to cover."

The patrol pushed forward, leaving behind the burnt tree.

Bisonkit and her friends are now an apprentices! I carefully selected their mentors to be perfect for them. I would explain, but I feel it's best if you guess as the story goes on. Fun, right?

Another fun question!: Why do you think Blossompaw is acting the way she is? Explain.

Once again, I hope you enjoyed!

— Theoneandonlylonelypotato