Chappie #1 is UP. Woot! Thanx to all that reviewed the prologue and my old story. Here's the first real chappie, from Leafpool's POV.
Leafpool sat on the ledge of the stone hollow. Her tail flicked with amusement as she watched Birchkit rocket out of the nursery suddenly, yowling at the top of his lungs to no one in paticular, "I'm going to be an apprentice! I'm going to be an apprentice!"
His light green eyes were shining with glee, and he seemed ready to burst in excitement. Ferncloud followed after him more slowly, padding over to Dustpelt and touching her nose to his cheek affectionately as they watched their only surviving son.
Sorreltail, who had recently joined the nursery queens herself, leaped onto the rock with Leafpool. "I think I may be half-deaf from listening to that one," she mewed, twitching her whiskers at Birchkit. "Thank StarClan he'll be joining the apprentices, and keeping Sunpaw awake instead of me!"
"What's that I'm hearing?" Sunpaw, Graystripe's apprentice, bounded up after them. "I need just as much sleep as the next cat, thank you very much!"
Sunpaw hadn't been born with the Clans. She actually had no memory of her actual kin- she had been taken by Twolegs when she was little more than a kit. During his own capture, Graystripe had befriended her and they had escaped together. Now she was a loyal member of ThunderClan.
Sorreltail let out a mrrow of laughter, and then aimed her next comment at Leafpool. "I'm surprised you're here," she meowed. "You've been out a lot lately with-"
She closed her mouth at Leafpool's warning flick of her ears, and then finished awkwardly, "...with Cinderpelt, collecting herbs."
"Yes, well, newleaf's just begun, and the softest coltsfoot and catmint has just sprouted," Leafpool mewed quickly. "We have to get it all."
Sunpaw looked at her curiously. Sunpaw, despite being talkative, did not miss much, and she did not forget much. But she didn't say anything more on the subject, and instead asked, "Who do you think Firestar will choose for Birchkit's mentor?"
But Leafpool wasn't paying attention. Even Sorreltail's near-mention had gotten her thinking of him again. His light blue eyes and dark, dark pelt that was not quite black and not quite gray...she loved him. Crowfeather. The WindClan tom.
And that wouldn't be such a problem...if it weren't for the codes of honor, the Clan rules and loyalty, that she was breaking.
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Birchpaw's ceremony was at sunset. The cats gathered below the Highledge, waiting for Firestar to appear. Birchkit sat nearest to the spurt of rock, with Ferncloud hovering behind, occasionally giving his ears a lick until he shook her off. Leafpool sat with Whitewhisker and Sorreltail near the edge of the crowd.
Finally, her father Firestar appeared. He leaped to the Highledge, the muscles rippling under his flaming ginger pelt that gave him his name. From beside her mate Brambleclaw, Leafpool's sister Squirrelflight's fur gleamed the exact same way.
Firestar sat on the Highledge for a moment and called the summons just as Mousefur made her way over from the elders' den. Leafpool thought her walk was a bit odd, and decided to gather some ginger root to help ease the pain in her joints. And ginger grew near the WindClan border...
Her thoughts were interrupted as Firestar began. "Cats of ThunderClan, we are gathered today to give a young kit his apprentice name." He leaped from the Highledge in one fluid motion and took a step towards Birchkit. "But first, I wish to spare a moment to honor the two kits that should have been here with him, as well the apprentice that runs with the warriors in StarClan now. Hollykit, Larchkit, and Shrewpaw would have made fine members of ThunderClan- and they did, for the short time they were with us. And now they watch over us from StarClan."
He bowed his head, and the rest of the Clan followed suit. Leafpool swallowed as she remembered Ferncloud's three kits. Hollykit and Larchkit had died of starvation while the clans had suffered at their old home, and Shrepaw had been hit with a Twoleg monster. She thanked StarClan that at least Birchkit had pulled through, giving the Clan some future, some hope.
At last Firestar looked up, and he locked eyes with the young gray tom before him. "Birchkit, from now until you earn your warrior name, you shall be known as Birchpaw."
The new apprentice gave a little shiver of excitement, but remained silent as Firestar turned his attention to the gathered cats, catching the eye of one. "Brambleclaw, you have proven yourself many times over to be a noble warrior of great skill and strength, and you led us to our new home. I trained you myself, and I taught you all I know. I'm certain that you will do the same for Birchpaw."
"Of course," Brambleclaw mewed, and there was a bright gleam of anticipation in his eyes as he stepped forward to touch noses with Birchpaw. The new apprentice looked at the well-muscled tabby with a bit of awe for a moment, and then touched noses and they set off for the edge of the clearing.
The Clan broke into murmurs of approval and then gathered around the new mentor and apprentice to congratulate him, Squirrelflight and Spiderfoot, Birchpaw's older brother, among the first. Leafpool hesitated before following.
Strength and skill...but no mention of loyalty. Firestar had once told Squirrelflight that he was worried about the ambition in Brambleclaw. Squirrelflight had once been, too, but her love had won over. But Leafpool didn't know Brambleclaw nearly as well as her sister did, and she couldn't help wondering if there was more to him than she could ever really understand.
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Leafpool seized the fat root in her jaws, trying to get a good grip without letting the bitter flavor hit her glands. She tugged at it, grunting as she felt it came loose. Suddenly with a shower of dirt the ginger came all the way free. The force of Leafpool's tug sent her sprawling backward with the root in her teeth.
"Cinderpelt teach you that, Leafpool?" The teasing voice met her ears, and she spat out the root instantly, leaping to her paws. "Crowfeather! Only you'd catch me like that."
He let out a purr of laughter as she scrambled to her paws and padded over to him. She had hoped that she would find him at the border, though she hadn't dared cross over into WindClan territory to find him.
He pressed his muzzle against hers in greeting, and then took a pace back. "So how are things in ThunderClan?"
"Good. It is newleaf, after all. Birchpaw's been made an apprentice."
"Who's his mentor?"
"Brambleclaw," mewed Leafpool.
"He must be pleased," Crowfeather commented, and flicked his ears. Leafpool looked at him curiously. "Do you want an apprentice?"
"Oh, I haven't been a warrior long enough to think about it." Crowfeather shook his head. "Though I wouldn't mind one."
His voice was light, but there was worry making his fur bristle. Leafpool tapped him with her tail. "What's wrong?"
Crowfeather lifted a paw and licked it thoughtfully. "Ashfoot's a bit ill," he admitted. "Only a cough- and Barkface swears it's only from the cold winds, but still..."
Leafpool let out a purr of sympathy. Ashfoot, along with being WindClan's deputy, was Crowfeather's mother. "You must be worried for her."
Crowfeather shrugged, but Leafpool knew him better than that. "What does she have?"
"A raspy throat, and she says that it hurts when she breathes in," Crowfeather meowed. "And-"
He suddenly broke off and then shoved her roughly into a gorse bush. Leafpool clamped her jaws shut over her mew of surprise and instead pressed herself down amongst the prickly stems as two WindClan warriors came bounding up to Crowfeather. "Have you renewed the scent marks?" mewed one.
"Yes," Crowfeather meowed. "Come on, then. No sense on lounging around the border."
Quickly he began to lead them away. But he looked back once, and his eyes caught Leafpool's from inside the bush. He blinked, and in a heartbeat his indifferent gaze turned to one of longing, love, and warmth. Leafpool held back her purr so that she wouldn't be detected and instead waited in the bush until they were gone. Then she collected her ginger and set off back for camp. The medicine cat's pawsteps were incredibly light, despite the weight of the bitter roots she carried.
Okay, I'm planning on having three POVs for this story. One is Leafpool (duh), one is Brambleclaw (since I need him for the storyline), but I'm not sure about the last one. So I'll let you all pick. Your choices are just the traveling cats, though I put in Firestar too, just in case there's lots of old-series lovers out there. Here:
a.) Squirrelflight
b.) Tawnypelt
c.) Crowfeather
d.) Firestar
Which one? Pm your choice or put it in a review. The one that gets the most votes will be my third main character! Thanx!
