Chapter Three:
I meant to upload this yesterday, but I was making sure my plot wouldn't collapse in a hole, haha...
- - Brownfur
Echokit was jostled awake by a sudden movement and quickly blurred open her eyes. She stood, startled as she realized she was curled in Fawnflight's body.
"-She doesn't-" Fawnflight turned her head around as Echokit stood. "And now you've woken her up!" She snapped at a white queen with black specks on her.
Fawnflight stood and rasped a tongue over Echokit's ears, and the brown and white kit lowered her guard.
"Poppyjaw, it's not like she's a rogue," Fawnflight told the queen. "Her own father is-"
"All cats old enough to vanish in the shadows, gather under the Highrock!" Driftstar's voice rang loudly.
"Well, you'll see." Fawnflight lifted Echokit in her jaws and lashed a tail at Poppyjaw before slinking through the camp to the shadows beside the Highrock. She plopped Echokit down and shoved her into her fur. "This is a Highrock meeting. Driftstar- she's the leader you know, she calls the clan to announce important things to us."
"I know about clan meetings. And gatherings. And leaders, and medicine cats." Echokit mewed softly. "Mama told me."
"Oh."
The pair watched as many cats stood before Driftstar and the Highrock, Ashenspots waving his tail.
"Warriors of Shadowclan," Driftstar yowled. "Last night, on a border patrol, warriors Ashenspots and Fawnflight found a kit."
Murmurs already began to spread like wildfire through the cats.
"This kit was waiting at the brook for a patrol, and for Spirestrike." Driftstar nodded her head at a tall, thick brown and white tom who stepped back in surprise.
"A kitten?" He cried, as startled as the rest of the cats around him.
"That's your father," Fawnflight mrowed to Echokit.
Echokit studied him. He had kind eyes, but an imposing frame, and quite a few battle scars. "I like him." She whispered.
"The kit's mother is Brambleflower." Driftstar almost hissed the last word, and faces twisted in anger, fear, and pity for Spirespike. Driftstar flicked her tail, and Fawnflight once again lifted Echokit by her scruff. She took her to the front of the gathered cats, and Spirestrike ran to the kit.
"Shadowclan will welcome Echokit into our ranks as an apprentice tomorrow," Driftstar finished, but Echokit's eyes were locked on Spirestrike's. Fawnflight nodded to him, and Spirestrike stepped forwards, both hesitating and rushing before freezing.
Echokit took two small steps and pressed her nose against her father's.
"Brackenflower had you?"
"Yes."
Spirestrike wrapped his tail around Echokit. "I knew that dirty monster would-"
Driftstar leapt down and cut him off with a knowing look in her eyes. "She's okay."
Spirestrike finally released Echokit from his grasp and licked Driftstar's cheek. "Come, Echokit," His deep voice was warm. "Let's introduce you to the rest of Shadowclan."
"These are the apprentices. You'll join them tomorrow." Spirestrike flicked his tail to each young cat in turn. " Birchpaw, Rapidpaw, Thawpaw, and Greenpaw, my apprentice. She's becoming a warrior tomorrow."
Birchpaw was a yellow tom with broad dark stripes. Rapidpaw was likely his sister, a yellow-gold she-cat with warm brown eyes. Thawpaw was only slightly larger than Echokit, and was a silver and grey tom who had a bit too much of a smirk for her liking. Greenpaw was almost full grown, and was a dark brown-black tabby she-cat, with green eyes.
"Hi." Echokit didn't know how to react to cats who weren't Nightkit or Whisperkit.
"So Spirestrike's your dad?" Birchpaw purred a greeting happily.
"Yes."Greenpaw sat beside Echokit. "He's my mentor! Well, tomorrow I'll be a warrior, though," She mewed, flicking her wispy tail. "And you'll be an apprentice."
Rapidpaw blinked warmly at Echokit. "It'll be nice to have you in our den!" Her velvety voice was cheery.
"Rapidpaw, Birchpaw, and Thawpaw!" A tall silver and grey tom called from across the camp yowled. "Time for your training!"
The three apprentices waved goodbye and tripped over each other on their way. Greenpaw smiled and ambled away to the freshkill pile.
"Well, why don't we say hello to Rubblerace?" Spirestrike nudged Echokit to her feet. "He's my brother, so you're family."
Echokit followed her father to a mostly grey tom with white feet, similar to Spirestrike's but with brown.
"Hello, Echokit," Rubblerace nodded to his niece. "I'm happy my brother's kit will be joining Shadowclan."
"Hello." Echokit meowed, her tail lifting in greeting.
"Give her a good mentor, will you?" Spirestrike teased.
"Don't worry. Driftstar and I already discussed that." The grey tom laughed.
Echokit smiled, unused to the light-hearted mood of Shadowclan.
It was sunset by now, and Echokit had been paraded around by her father with many 'hellos.'
As her father was busy grabbing a small wren for Echokit, she watched Fawnflight and Driftstar walk back into camp with a few more cats. They all had prey in their jaws, and as Spirestrike dropped a wren before Echokit, Driftstar padded over.
"Want to share?" She asked Echokit's father with a large crow in her mouth.
"Of course," He licked her head and they sat beside Echokit.
Eating slowly, Echokit turned out their conversation and watched the clan go by. Poppyjaw and her kit, Speckledkit, were tossing a ball of lichen back and forth. The medicine cat, Streakfern, was setting leaves out to dry in the brisk air of newleaf. Palestripe, Birchpaw, and a warrior she'd learned was Starksnow we're holding a mock battle beside the apprentice's den.
Echokit finished her wren, and slinking quietly while her father and Driftstar were sharing tongues, walked over to Fawnflight. She had been watching Poppyjaw and Speckledkit play with a solemn look on her face.
"What's wrong?" Echokit mewed, startling the cinnamon she-cat.
"Why, nothing, darling." Fawnflight rasped a tongue over the brown kit's ear.
"You seem sad."
Fawnflight shook her head. "Not sad."
They sat in silence for a moment.
"I thought I wouldn't be an apprentice for a half moon more?" Echokit blinked her wide eyes.
"Streakfern came into the den and said you were well around six moons, and you already knew much of the warrior cat life. Plus, we would have been short on apprentices tomorrow." The cinnamon she-cat meowed, still staring at Poppyjaw and her kit. She turned around with a gleam in her eye to Echokit and crouched. "Bend your legs like this," She demonstrated.
Echokit followed, and with anticipation, flicked her tail.
"No. Keep your tail still, and relax your shoulders. You aren't a Thunderclan cat."
"Oh." The brown kit eased her shoulders and rose on her haunches. "Like this?"
Fawnflight nodded. "Now creep softly, smoothly and then leap forwards. But low to the ground."
Softly. Smoothly. Low to the ground.
Echokit tossed herself through the air, paws too high up from the ground. She landed with a thud, and tripped over her own paws. But she had landed where she wanted to.
"Pretty good for your first time, Echokit," Fawnflight purred. "There's much to work on, but not a bad foundation."
"What was that?" Echokit mewed.
"It's both the basis of the hunting crouch and an attack. They can be modified on many ways, like grappling an opponent or landing in a somersault." Fawnflight's red paws brushed Echokit's back.
"It's running on moonrise." Spirestrike appeared from behind a bush. "You sleep one more night in the nursery and then you'll be apprenticed tomorrow. I'm so happy we found you." He rubbed his face across his daughter's.
Fawnflight led the brown and white she-cat into the empty nest of the nursery. Ebonypool and Poppyjaw were already asleep with their kittens.
As Fawnflight and Echokit curled together in their nest, Echokit's eyes flittering closed, she didn't notice Spirestrike's solemn face watching her from the entrance.
- -Brownfur