"From this day on, until you receive your warrior names, you will be known as Snowpaw and Breezepaw."
The newly named Breezepaw sat next to her sister beneath the Tallrock, her tabby pelt fluffed out in excitement as she gazed up at Larkstar with shining green eyes. This was it! It was really happening; she was a real warrior apprentice now! All those moons of listening to their mother's stories and dreaming of this exact moment, but not thinking it would ever actually happen. Her only regret was that Moonwing herself wasn't among the crowd of cats watching the ceremony, but she knew the she-cat would be watching from afar in StarClan.
A quarter moon had passed since the pair had arrived in WindClan and they had focused on regaining their strength in camp and getting to know their new home. Most of the other cats were very welcoming and kind to the sisters, though a few didn't seem too thrilled with their presence. Breezepaw tried not to let it bother her too much though, she could understand them not trusting outsiders right away, but hoped that if she worked hard it would prove to them that she was serious about being here and becoming the best warrior she could be for WindClan.
Most of her days had been spent playing with Grasstail's kits, teaching each other new games. She also spent a lot of time with the elders; Cloudfoot and Voleclaw especially had all sorts of stories about past cats and battles. A few of the warriors checked in with them from time to time, like Foxflower, Patchnose and Swiftfoot. Larkstar had also kept close eye on their progress and when Dawnlight had finally deemed them as fit and healthy as any kit their age, she announced their apprenticeship.
"Bluetail." A dark grey tabby stepped forward at Larkstar's meow. "You made a fine warrior out of Whitewhisker, and I trust you'll do the same with young Snowpaw."
Breezepaw glanced over as her sister sprang to her paws and eagerly touched her nose to her new mentor's with a soft purr. The tom's amber eyes gave away no emotion, but he dipped his head to the silver tabby in acknowledgement.
"And Foxflower." Breezepaw's gaze shot back to Larkstar as the leader continued, excitement welling up inside her. "You have proved your wisdom and courage countless times over, and I know you will pass these traits along to Breezepaw."
The black tabby rose to her paws and bounded over to meet her new mentor, hardly daring to believe her luck at being paired with the she-cat. "I promise I'll work really hard and make you proud!" She meowed, touching their noses together like she had been told to do before the ceremony.
"I know you will," Foxflower purred back, amber eyes warm.
"Snowpaw! Breezepaw! Snowpaw! Breezepaw!"
The sisters exchanged a delighted look as the rest of their clan-mates began yowling their new names. If she was honest, Breezepaw had been worried for her sister lately. She'd been acting more withdrawn than usual and spending more time with Cloudfoot, who'd taken a particular shine to her, than with Breezepaw and the other kits. She knew she was still mourning of course, as they both would be for a long time, but hopefully now that they were apprentices with more to keep them busy, she would return to her old self before too long. Even now, Snowpaw's blue eyes were brighter and more alive than she'd seen since they arrived.
"Snowpaw! Breezepaw! Snowpaw! Breezepaw!"
"Congratulations," Larkstar purred as she hopped down from her perch on the Tallrock. She gave each apprentice a gentle nuzzle. "I know you're both destined for great things. You'll do Moonwing proud."
"I hope so," Breezepaw meowed honestly. The last thing she wanted to do was let her mother down. This was the chance of doing something great.
"What are we going to do first?" Snowpaw asked her mentor excitedly. "Hunting? Battle training?"
"First," Bluetail answered, flicking his tail. "We will show you around the territory. Every cat in WindClan needs to familiarize themselves with our borders and any important landmarks that are on our territory as quickly as possible."
Foxflower nodded at the tom's words. "Yes. It will take time, but by the time you're warriors you'll know the location of every rabbit hole and bramble patch on the moor. Learning the territory is just as important as learning to fight."
"Good luck," Larkstar meowed, dipping her head in farewell. "Make sure you listen and do as your mentors say. You'll be warriors before you know it."
Purring, Breezepaw nodded back at the leader's words, then bounded after Foxflower as the she-cat made her way for the camp entrance, waving her tail for them to follow. Then, as she exited the gorse tunnel for the first time since their arrival, the young she-cat took a moment to gaze ahead at the stretch of territory ahead of them.
The vast grassy plains were so different than the forest she was used to living in, but the feeling of the light breeze running through her fur and the warmth of the sun on her back was making her feel at home already. It was impossible to see from this spot, but she remembered the view from higher on the moor during their original journey to camp, and the wide open, gently rolling hills that eventually gave way to thick woodland that she assumed was another clan's territory. It was a beautiful place, and she was quite happy to be there.
Beside her, Snowkit flicked her ear with her tail."What's the matter? Nervous Breezekit?"
She snorted, shooting her sister a playful glare. "That's Breezestar to you."
"In your dreams," the silver tabby sniffed back and began padding after their mentors. "I'll be leader way before you. Maybe if you're lucky, I'll pick you as my deputy."
Bluetail glanced back at her, amber eyes narrowing. "Perhaps. But you have a long way before you even earn your warrior names. Ambition is a good trait to have, but arrogance is not."
Snowpaw flattened her ears at his sharp tone, and Foxflower gave her a sympathetic look.
"Many young cats dream of one day leading their clan," the ginger she-cat reasoned. "But there are other honorable ways to serve WindClan too. StarClan has a path for every cat, and yours will be revealed in time."
The group fell into silence as they moved on. After a while, the sound of rushing water reached Breezepaw's ears and she perked up curiously.
"The river," Bluetail meowed, leading them to the edge of a steep drop off. "Come look, but be careful where you put your paws."
Creeping closer, Breezepaw peeked over the edge, her eyes widening at the sight of the swiftly moving water far below that was nearly a whole tree length wide. "Is there a way down to it?"
"No," Foxflower meowed sternly. "Well, not here. As you move upstream, the drop shortens until the river is level with the moor. We do have other, smaller streams on our territory, but they sometimes dry out during droughts and this river provides a steady source of water during those times."
Bluetail nodded. "It also marks the edge of our territory. No clan lives on the other side, at least not until after the falls where RiverClan lives, but that's farther downstream. We do still have to patrol this border regularly however because foxes and badgers can cross there and the sooner we discover them, the less prey they steal and fewer cats risk getting hurt."
Breezepaw couldn't help but wince at the thought of facing a badger again one day, but at least she would have a whole clan of warriors at her back this time.
"Seems dangerous," Snowpaw meowed, peering down at the river with wide eyes.
"It is," her mentor's voice was firm. "More than one cat has lost their life after falling from this edge and getting swept away by the current. If you don't drown quickly, the falls will certainly finish you off. You'd need to be blessed by StarClan to miss all those rocks at the bottom."
Breezepaw blinked nervously, backing away from the edge. "No thank you."
Foxflower just purred reassuringly. "Don't worry, apprentices are not allowed to come here alone, and if even if you're here with a patrol you won't have to get too close to the edge. It's just important you realize how serious this is if you're not careful."
"Got it," the tabby meowed quickly, shaking out her pelt. "I want to see StarClan some day, but not for a long time if I can help it."
Her mentor blinked at her in amusement, and even the more serious seeming Bluetail snorted.
"Come on," the tom meowed, waving his tail for them to follow him before setting off down the slope. "We still have a lot of territory to cover. The river continues downstream from here for a little ways, until it reaches the falls. It settles after that, and RiverClan lives along it's banks there."
"We share just a small border with them near the gorge," Foxflower explained. "Normally we don't have to worry too much about them trespassing, they prefer to hide among their reeds eating fish than chase land prey on the moor, but leaf-bare can make a hungry cat do desperate things."
"Leaf-bare or not, some cats will still overlook scent markers for a chance at easy prey," Bluetail added. "Although thankfully RiverClan has been more of a thorn in the side of ThunderClan than us. At least in recent seasons."
Snowpaw leaned in to meow quietly in her sister's ear. "Good thing too, because I'd shred any mangy fish-face that dared to mess with WindClan."
Breezepaw rolled her eyes and gave her a teasing flick in the side with her tail. "Don't I know it," she murmured back. "The mighty Snowstar."
The patrol lapsed back into silence as they continued down the moor, following the general direction of the river, but veering away from it gradually. The dense woodland Breezepaw had seen in the distance was quickly drawing closer, as well as a strong, tangy scent on the breeze. When she slowed to taste the air, Foxflower glanced at her approvingly.
"Good, you can smell it already. We're coming up on RiverClan's border; that's their scent."
Beside her, Snowpaw seemed to notice it as well, wrinkling her nose. "Do they all smell like that?"
Bluetail nodded. "As a whole yes, but you'll learn their individual scents when you meet them at Gatherings. It's important for you to be able to recognize the difference between, say, an invading battle patrol, and medicine cats just crossing through on their way to Highstones, just from scent alone."
The tabby was slightly overwhelmed by the thought, even as she tried to pick out different scents along the border they all meshed together into a jumbled mess. But just like the tom had said, maybe it would get easier once she actually met the cats who they belonged to. Just one more aspect to her training, she supposed.
They continued along the border, Bluetail pausing occasionally to leave his own scent along the WindClan side, and before long Breezepaw picked up a new scent drifting from the trees.
"Are we getting close to ThunderClan?"
"We are, good nose," Foxflower meowed with a nod. "ThunderClan and RiverClan have been squabbling about borders quite a lot lately, especially in this stretch of forest, so where one ends and the other starts here can change, but as long as they keep their paws off our moor we let them fight it out and don't get involved."
"Been quite a while since WindClan's gotten involved with anything," A new voice called out suddenly from the brambles. "I heard they've all gone soft since Larkstar took over."
The four cats froze, and Breezepaw watched with wide eyes as several lean shapes slipped into view. Judging by their scent, they had managed to catch a ThunderClan border patrol; three fully grown warriors and a younger apprentice, all bristling and sneering at them tauntingly.
Black tabby pelt fluffling out, she tried to appear confident and brave despite the alarm clawing at her inside. What if they attacked? She and Snowpaw didn't know how to fight yet and as much as she wanted to have faith in their mentors, she doubted Foxflower and Bluetail could fend off a whole patrol by themselves.
Beside her, Snowpaw bared her fangs in defiance at the enemy cats, not seeming to share her unease, and snarled.
"Leopardfang," Bluetail addressed the lead tom stiffly, amber eyes narrowing. "Why would we bother fighting in battles that don't concern us when we would just let your Clans tear each other to shreds yourselves. Doesn't seem worth the trouble if you ask me."
The golden ThunderClan tom growled at the words, glaring right back, thick muscles rippling under his spotted pelt. To his left, the tortoiseshell she-cat snorted.
"Oh please. WindClan's grown fat and lazy these past moons with Eaglestar dead. You hide up on your moors, gorging yourselves on rabbits, but you just wait until leaf bare. We might just come test how incompitant the lot of you have gotten."
"Enough," Foxflower spat, claws digging into the soil and Breezepaw imagined she'd much rather be raking them across this she-cat's smug face. "Try it, and you'll see just how wrong you are, Foxtail. WindClan's stronger now than it's been in seasons."
"New apprentices in the works too, by the look of it," the third warrior pointed out, glancing at them. He at least seemed less hostile than his companions, black tail swishing behind him and green eyes more curious as he peered at them.
"Two more sets of claws to send you lot running back to your forest with your tails between your legs!" Snowpaw boasted, lashing her tail boldly.
Bluetail sent her a warning look, but nodded. "Our warrior and apprentice dens are full of cats more than capable of shredding anyone who sets a paw where they don't belong."
"We'll have to see about that," Leopardfang growled.
The apprentice spoke up then, his green eyes meeting Breezepaw's own. "WindClan will have a chance to prove itself soon enough." He was bigger than her, and judging from the nasty looking tear he had in one ear, he was no stranger to battle already.
Despite her own lack of experience, Breezepaw felt an anger like she'd never felt before rise up in her at the tom's dismissive tone and she growled, tail lashing. How dare these pompous ThunderClan cats talk down to them like they were little more than dirt!
But before she could come up with a retort of her own, Leopardfang turned back towards the underbrush. "Right you are Hazelpaw, but come on. We still have the rest of the RiverClan border to patrol and I don't want to be at it all day."
The black tom and tabby apprentice followed without another word, but Foxtail made sure to spit threateningly at them one last time before doing the same.
Once they had disappeared, Bluetail let out a low growl. "Leopardfang, I can't stand that cat."
Foxflower sighed, shaking her head. "I can't believe Stonestar made such a hot blooded warrior his new deputy." Her eyes were troubled. "He'll lead ThunderClan into ruin with that attitude of his."
"He's the deputy?" Breezepaw looked to her in surprise. WindClan's own deputy was a kind and honorable cat, and while she was certain Swiftfoot was no pushover in a fight, it was hard to imagine him looking at anyone with that same cruel light that had shone in Leopardfang's eyes.
Her mentor nodded. "Duskfoot just recently had to step down after a leg injury never healed properly, and Stonestar is old. He probably wanted a strong, young cat to take his place, and while Leopardfang is popular within ThunderClan, and is quite a formidable warrior, he's reckless and quick to anger." She huffed and signaled for them to continue along the border. "Time will tell, I suppose."
"Well I'll claw any of them they dare to mess with WindClan," Snowpaw growled lowly, pale fur still bristling.
"No leader with any sense would start trouble for no reason during leaf-bare," Bluetail meowed gruffly as they bagan moving again. "Stonestar is better than that, but Leopardfang clearly holds enough influence over ThunderClan's warriors that they may side with him if it came down to it."
That wasn't what Breezepaw wanted to hear, and her tail twitched anxiously. She wasn't afraid of fighting exactly, she knew well that it was a part of Clan life and something every cat was trained for, but she also hadn't been expecting such hostility from her first encounter with cats from a rival clan.
"Don't worry," Foxflower assured, sensing her unease. "Border patrols can hiss at each other all they want when they cross paths, but real battles aren't as common as it may seem."
"And the pair of you are going to be some of the last cats to join a fight if something does happen," Bluetail added, glancing back at her. "Not until you get some training in at least. I can't speak for the other clans, but WindClan doesn't send kits to fight seasoned warriors."
"Well I'm not afraid," Snowpaw muttered, narrowing her eyes at her mentor's words, and the tom either didn't hear or chose to ignore her.
Breezepaw only hoped he was right.
Well, there you go, they're apprentices now and the real plot of this story can start building up :)
I didn't want to spend too long describing everything; like meting/describing every single cat in WindClan right away or walking around the entire territory pointing out every little thing, because that's kind of a lot to take in at once? I don't know, I want things to be somewhat balanced but if anyone feels like the pacing is weird or I'm skipping over anything I shouldn't just let me know.
This is the shortest chapter yet, but the next one is also the longest, so... Most chapters will average 3-4 thousand words which is a decent length which I feel is good? Not too long but not super short either.
Anyways, thanks for reading. Let me know what you think :)