Chapter Two
I'm going to be an apprentice!
Spiderkit couldn't help but give a little bounce at the thought, her dark tabby fur fluffing up with excitement.
She was standing just outside the bramble nursery with Mistkit at her shoulder, whose green eyes were sparkling with the same excitement that Spiderkit felt. Ivytail sat beside the two she-kits, her tail curled around her paws as she waited patiently for Rowanstar to call the Clan to a meeting. Spiderkit's whole body trembled, half from the cold and half from the thrill of waiting for the apprentice naming ceremony to begin.
The sun arched overhead, halfway to sunhigh, casting a warm morning light across the snowy clearing. It was one of the few days in leafbare where the sun wasn't hidden by a blanket of white clouds, and Spiderkit relished in the way it warmed the fur on her back. The snow felt squishy underpaw, more like slush than the powder it had been when she first experienced snow three moons ago.
Leafbare was coming to an end, bringing with it the promise of warmth and growth in newleaf. The days were beginning to grow longer and the nights didn't have the same frigid coldness that Spiderkit had grown used to. Although Mistkit was over half a moon older than her, Ivytail had asked Rowanstar to delay her apprentice ceremony so the two kits could be apprenticed together and Spiderkit wouldn't be left alone in the nursery. Spiderkit was grateful that he had agreed. She gave another excited bounce as she realized she would be able to see the new growth in the forest with her own eyes when she was apprenticed and finally allowed outside of the camp.
"Calm down." Ivytail scolded her, but her voice was full of affection and amusement as she looked down at the two kits. "I want you both on your best behavior during the ceremony, and to act like sensible apprentices when you go out with your mentors."
"We will!" Mistkit promised, echoed closely by Spiderkit.
Our mentors! Spiderkit thought, her fur spiking along her spine as she realized she had no idea who would be mentoring her. Her gaze travelled across the clearing, where a few of the warriors were sunning themselves in spots where the snow had begun to melt.
Grassheart, a pale tabby she-cat, was stretched on her side next to Tigerheart, who was tearing into a plump sparrow, scattering feathers around his paws. She knew that Tigerheart wouldn't be her mentor since he was given Finchpaw as his apprentice last moon. Besides, it wasn't often that parents were given their kits to mentor. Along with Finchpaw, Sparrowpaw and Ravenpaw had been apprenticed to Tawnypelt and Pinenose respectively.
Grassheart, however, was a likely choice. She was a young warrior, but an excellent hunter, and she was fun and kind. Spiderkit's attention was drawn to the warriors den as Dawnpelt and Toadfoot emerged, blinking in the morning light. They both were good warriors as well. Spiderkit's pelt itched with excitement to see who her mentor would be.
"Are our kits ready for their ceremony?"
Startled, Spiderkit whipped around, realizing that Rowanstar had padded up to them unnoticed. She felt Mistkit quiver beside her and lifted her chin to look into the Clan leader's eyes, hoping he didn't notice the way her tail tip was twitching nervously.
"Of course." Ivytail purred, flicking each kit over the ears affectionately with her tail.
Rowanstar was distracted as the dawn patrol pushed through the entrance to the camp, and padded across the clearing to meet them. Crowfrost was leading it, with Tawnypelt and Sparrowpaw behind him. Spiderkit pricked her ears to listen, but they were too far away for her to hear their words.
"Who do you think our mentors will be?" Mistkit asked, winding around Spiderkit as she paced nervously. Her red tabby fur bristled along her spine nervously.
"Whoever they are, you'll be lucky to have them." Ivytail assured her, leaning down to lick her daughter's head. "The ceremony will start soon. You should groom yourselves; I don't want the Clan thinking I didn't raise you properly."
Only half listening to Mistkit's protests that her fur was fine, Spiderkit leaned down and licked the ruffled fur on her chest. She had just started grooming the fur along her spine when she heard Rowanstar call out.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather in the clearing for a Clan meeting!"
Spiderkit's heart was pounding in her chest as she watched her clanmates begin to gather. Tigerheart and Grassheart padded across from where they had been sitting, joined by Tawnypelt, Scorchfur, and Dawnpelt. As Sparrowpaw bounded across the clearing to sit beside his mentor, Finchpaw and Ravenpaw emerged from the apprentice's den at the far end of the clearing, yawning sleepily. They were joined by Oakpaw and Aspenpaw, who had been picking through the fresh-kill pile.
As the rest of the cats gathered, Ivytail coaxed the two kits to their paws, guiding them slowly across the clearing. Spiderkit felt hot under her pelt as the gazes of her clanmates fell on her, but she held her chin and tail high. Mistkit walked determinedly at her side as they approached Rowanstar, who looked down at the two kits with pride in his eyes.
"Today, we make our Clan stronger with the addition of two new apprentices," He began, beckoning Mistkit forward, "Mistkit, you have reached your sixth moon and are ready to begin your training. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Mistpaw."
Spiderkit noticed that the tip of Mistpaw's tail twitched nervously, but she raised her head at their leader's words, taking in her new name proudly.
Rowanstar continued, "Toadfoot will be your mentor."
Mistpaw's eyes gleamed as the dark brown tom padded into the center of the clearing, his chest puffed out. He leaned down and touched noses with his new apprentice before he guided her to the edge of the clearing where the other apprentices were standing.
Spiderkit's breath hitched in her throat when she realized it was finally her turn. She stepped forward tentatively as Rowanstar called on her, the snow crunching under paw.
"From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Spiderpaw." Rowanstar mewed, "Your mentor will be Snowbird."
Yes! Spiderpaw almost gave a bounce of excitement but remembered Ivytail's words at the last moment. She turned and watched as the white she-cat stepped forward, looking down at Spiderpaw with sparkling green eyes.
"You're doing very well." Snowbird assured her as she touched noses with her apprentice before guiding her across the clearing to stand beside Toadfoot and Mistpaw.
"Mistpaw! Spiderpaw!"
Spiderpaw closed her eyes as her clanmates called out her new name, her fur feeling warm in spite of the cold air. As the meeting came to an end, she turned to her mentor, her fur bristling with excitement. She felt Mistpaw nudge her shoulder, and looked at her friend who was gazing at her with matched emotion. "We're apprentices!" Spiderpaw mewed.
"Congratulations, Spiderpaw."
The tabby apprentice turned around to see Oakpaw standing behind her, his green eyes gleaming. He flicked his tail nervously as his gaze shifted to Mistpaw. "Er... you too, Mistpaw."
Spiderpaw watched as he bounded away to find Tawnypelt, a strange feeling coming over her. She flicked her ears as Mistpaw gave her a knowing look before turning to Toadfoot and Snowbird.
"What are we going to do first?" Mistpaw asked, pacing between their mentors on quick paws. She seemed to forget her mother's advice as she bounced excitedly on her paws, "Battle training? Hunting? Patrolling? What if we see cats from other clans? Do we fight? Do we-"
She broke off as Toadfoot gave her a stern look before he sighed. "We're going to explore the territory. And if we see cats from the other clans we will not fight them."
Mistpaw, refusing to be crushed by her mentor's words, tilted her head back and yowled in glee. "We get to see the territory! Finally! After six moons of being stuck in this camp!"
Spiderpaw couldn't help but let out a mrrow of amusement at her friend's enthusiasm. "Can we go with them?" She asked Snowbird, who was watching Mistpaw and her mentor with her whiskers twitching.
"Of course." Snowbird answered, whisking her tail for the other cats to follow her as she led the way out of camp. Spiderpaw raced at her heels, followed closely by Mistpaw and Toadfoot in the rear. For the first time, she squeezed through the thorn tunnel, ignoring the way the barbs tugged at her fur, and emerged into the forest.
The forest was huge. She had seen the tips of the pine trees that had encircled the camp, but she never imagined that there could be so many of them. The forest stretched on forever in each direction, and at one side she could see a silver sheen through the trees, sparkling in the sunshine. Snow dappled the ground, glinting brightly in the morning sun. Spiderpaw could see bundles of pine needles where the snow had melted away, creating a soft ground under her paws.
"Where's all the undergrowth?" Mistpaw asked as she followed Spiderpaw out of the camp, gazing around with wide eyes.
"It'll grow back in newleaf." Toadfoot answered her, shaking leaves from his pelt as he exited the tunnel."For now it's mostly snow, pine needles, and twigs."
"Let's head towards RiverClan." Snowbird called over her shoulder to Toadfoot as she led the way deeper into the forest, "Then we can circle around to ThunderClan and the lake."
Toadfoot nodded and together the two mentors led their apprentices through the trees. Spiderpaw tilted her head back as they walked over the snow and pine needles, marveling at how tall the trees were. Although the undergrowth had died and shriveled in the cold, the pine trees were still in full leaf, and rustled in the slight breeze. As they walked, the silver sheen through the trees began to grow bigger, and Spiderpaw could feel a colder wind on her face as they approached.
"What's that?" She asked, pointing with her nose at it.
Snowbird followed her gaze. "The lake. We're approaching the shore."
The white she-cat led them further, until the trees thinned out and led to a wide shore of pebbles. Lazy waves of water bubbled over the pebbles and, as Spiderpaw gazed across the lake, she gaped at how big the mass of water was. She had heard the warriors describe the lake during her kithood, but had always imagined it as slightly bigger than the puddles that formed in camp when it rained. The lake was massive, and when she squinted her eyes, she was able to see the blur of hills and trees on the other end. An island floated on the opposite end, a few pine trees growing on it. The clear blue sky was reflected on the lake, and Spiderpaw could see ripples of waves in the water.
"That's the Gathering place." Toadfoot explained, stopping at her side and following her gaze across the lake to the island. He gestured to the hills and trees on the other side of the lake as Mistpaw and Snowbird joined them. "Those hills belong to WindClan."
"Where do they hunt? I don't see any trees at all." Mistpaw asked, squinting as she looked.
"WindClan hunt rabbits on the moorland." Snowbird told her, "They don't have many trees on their territory, and they seem to like it that way." The white she-cat gestured towards the gnarled trees on the edge of the moorland, where a few strange structures loomed in the distance. "The marsh belongs to RiverClan, and the horseplace is beyond it."
"Horseplace?" Spiderpaw echoed, before her eyes widened, "Oh! Tigerheart told me about that! He said twolegs live there with a few loners."
"He's right." Her mentor replied, looking proud of her apprentice. "Two loners live there, but they don't bother us."
She turned away from the lake and began to led the way along the shore, leaving dappled pawprints in the melting snow. Spiderpaw followed close behind, her mind buzzing with the information she was learning about the territory. Her territory now. Calling ahead to her mentor, she mewed, "I didn't know Clan territory was so big."
Toadfoot answered her from where he was padding behind with Mistpaw at his side. "The Clans each have a wide expanse of territory that is catered to their skills and prey. StarClan found the perfect place for us after the old forest was destroyed."
Spiderpaw's pelt bristled as Toadfoot mentioned the old forest. She had heard stories of it from the elders in the Clan, but she had never really heard the testimonies of cats who had lived there. "Did you live in the old forest?" She asked.
"Yes." The brown tom answered, "I was a kit then, but I remember it well."
"What was it like?"
Toadfoot hesitated for a moment before answering. "It was very different from the lake. ShadowClan shared borders with WindClan and ThunderClan then. Our old territory didn't have as many trees, and there was a thunderpath that went through the old forest."
Spiderpaw shuddered. She had heard of thunderpaths, even though she had never seen one. Twolegs rode in them in huge, terrifying monsters with glittering, hard pelts.
"Our old Gathering place was at a hollow called Four Trees. It was in the center of the four territories, connecting them during the time of the full moon. Now, we have to cross through RiverClan territory to reach the island for the Gathering." He went on.
"When we arrived here, the leaders decided to allow safe passage to the Clans on the night of the Gathering. We can travel through the other territories as long as we stay within two fox-lengths of the water." Snowbird explained, slowing down so she could walk at Toadfoot's side.
Toadfoot nodded, "The forest was our home for seasons upon seasons, but we were forced to leave when the twolegs destroyed it to build a new thunderpath."
Spiderpaw had heard the story of the destruction of the old forest many times - every Clan kit had. She knew that the twolegs had begun to cut down trees and dig up the earth in the old forest, driving away the prey and leading the Clans into moons of starvation. She knew many cats had died in the famine and under the paws of the twolegs before they finally left to find the lake.
"I remember when the twolegs attacked our camp. Firestar - the ThunderClan leader before Bramblestar - brought ThunderClan to help. We were able to escape the camp in time, but it was the scariest moment of my life. My mother, Tallpoppy, thought she could never get all the splinters out of my fur." Toadfoot finished, lashing his tail as he remembered the destruction of his old home. "But StarClan led us here, where we're safe."
Mistpaw was looking up at her mentor with wide, scared eyes, as though she could see the horrors Toadfoot was describing. He noticed her and flicked her affectionately over the ears with his tail before bounding ahead, taking the lead.
"We're nearing the RiverClan border." He called over his shoulder.
Spiderpaw looked ahead and saw more buildings like those at the horseplace, and wondered if more twolegs lived here. As she looked, she noticed a strange wooden structure that hung over the water, looking as though it were made from unusually flat branches. "What's that?" She mewed.
"The twoleg half-bridge." Toadfoot answered. "Twolegs come here in greenleaf. They stay in those nests as well." He gestured to the buildings with his tail. "They like to play in the water."
"What?" Mistpaw asked in disbelief, her eyes wide, "Why?"
"Who knows." Snowbird grunted, "Twolegs are crazy. Sometimes they even catch fish."
They approached the half-bridge, and Spiderpaw could see a weird wooden thing in the water beside it that looked like an upturned leaf. It was tethered to the bridge by a tendril of something thicker than ivy. Interested, she bounded across the shore to it, peering across the water at it. Mistpaw picked her way across the pebbles to her side, tilting her head as she gazed at it.
"It's a boat."
Spiderpaw jumped when she heard her mentor's voice behind her. She'd been so intrigued by the boat that she hadn't noticed Snowbird come up behind them. "What is it for?"
"Twolegs ride in it sometimes."
Twolegs are weird! Spiderpaw thought. She gasped as Mistpaw suddenly bounded away from her side and onto the half-bridge, running her nose along the planks of wood as she sniffed at it.
Toadfoot skidded to a halt beside Spiderpaw and Snowbird, looking at his apprentice with wide eyes. "Mistpaw, get back here!"
The red apprentice reluctantly leaped down from the bridge and padded back to them, her tail down in shame as Toadfoot glared at her. "You could have fallen in!" He scolded.
Mistpaw looked down at her paws, but Spiderpaw could see the mischief in her eyes. "But it's so weird! I wanted to see what it was like."
Toadfoot scoffed and whipped around, leading the patrol away from the lake and back onto the snowy grass. "Next time, ask before you go running off into danger."
"Yes, Toadfoot."
The four cats continued along the line of trees until a strange scent hit them. Spiderpaw wrinkled her nose, flicking her tongue to try and drive the weird smell from her nostrils. "What is that?" She asked.
Snowbird purred, nodding towards a line of snow-covered bushes in front of them. "This is the border with RiverClan. What you're smelling is their scent markers."
Spiderpaw curled her lip, disgusted by the smell. There was something weird and fishy about their scent, and she was relieved when their mentors led them away from it. They headed deeper into the trees, their pawsteps muffled by the pine needles and thin layer of snow. Spiderpaw began to feel her paws drag, tired from trekking so far, but she refused to slow down. She was an apprentice now, she needed to be ready for anything.
As they headed farther away from the lake, the silver sheen disappeared behind them, leaving nothing but a wide expanse of pine trees on every side. She and Mistpaw weaved through the trees, chasing each other and squealing as they batted at each other's tails. Snowbird and Toadfoot said nothing, but their whiskers twitched and eyes gleamed with amusement as they watched their apprentices.
Soon, Spiderpaw saw another twoleg nest in the distance. Dark smoke billowed from an opening in the roof and a thick wall of stone circled around it. She was aware of the mentors bristling pelts as they approached.
"Twolegs live on our territory?" Mistpaw asked, eyeing the nest warily as they neared.
"This is the only permanent nest." Toadfoot explained, his voice a low growl as he eyed the nest. "And don't ever go near it. Two cats live there with their twolegs, and they've given us plenty of trouble in the past."
"Kittypets?" Spiderpaw asked in shock, "What can two kittypets do to a whole clan of warriors?"
Snowbird flicked her tail, eyes serious. "Those two kittypets are bigger than most of our warriors. They've killed cats who went too close."
Mistpaw and Spiderpaw followed their mentors past the nest in stunned silence, and she didn't feel her fur begin to fall flat until it faded into the distance.
Snowbird glanced over her shoulder, giving them a sympathetic look. "Why don't you two run ahead and meet us at the stream?"
Exchanging an excited glance, the two apprentices raced past their mentors. Spiderpaw's paws grazed against the ground as she bounded through the trees, her tail streaming out behind her. Mistpaw raced at her side, her longer legs giving her an advantage of speed. The red she-cat pulled ahead of Spiderpaw, yowling with satisfaction, and hared away into the trees. Spiderpaw followed her friend, determined to reach the stream first.
As they ran together, Spiderpaw suddenly became aware of a strong scent up ahead. It reminded her of the RiverClan border, and she realized she must be nearing the ThunderClan border.
"Mistpaw, wait!" She called to her friend. The other apprentice skidded to a halt as the reached the stream, her tail straight up as she purred with satisfaction of reaching it first. Spiderpaw slowed to a halt at her side, panting as she caught her breath.
"You're fast!" Mistpaw told her, mischief sparking in her eyes as she added, "Not as fast as me, though."
Spiderpaw cuffed her affectionately over the ear before turning to look across the stream. It bubbled through the trees, several tail-lengths wide and lined with snow on it's banks. She saw the pines on the other side fade into thicker, denser oaks. The scent that swamped the bushed on the other side of the stream told her this was the ThunderClan border. Approaching pawsteps caused her to turn around and dip her head to Snowbird and Toadfoot as their mentors caught up.
"We found the border!" Mistpaw told them.
"What?" Toadfoot narrowed his eyes, "We aren't anywhere near the border."
Mistpaw's tail drooped, "But I thought-"
"She's right." Snowbird cut her off, raising her head to sniff the air. "There's ThunderClan scent everywhere."
Toadfoot growled as he leapt across the stream, thrusting his muzzle into the snow-covered bushes on the other side. "Those mange-pelts!" He snarled, "They've moved the border!"
"They can't have!" Snowbird wailed incredulously.
Toadfoot joined them back on their side of the stream, his hackles raised and eyes sparked with anger. "They couldn't even honor their promise to wait until newleaf. The foxhearts!"
"Is this not the original border?" Spiderpaw asked, shifting from paw to paw nervously.
"No!" Toadfoot growled in reply, "Our territory lasts for several more fox-lengths on the other side. Bramblestar warned us he'd steal our territory, and he finally did it."
Snowbird growled deep in her throat, glaring across the stream into ThunderClan territory. Lashing her tail, she whipped around and stalked into the trees, closely followed by the other cats. "Come on, we need to tell Rowanstar about this."
The sun was beginning to sink as Spiderpaw followed her mentor into the camp, aware of Snowbird and Toadfoot's bristling pelts. The white she-cat raised her head and yowled, "Rowanstar!"
Several cats were in the clearing, enjoying their evening meal. Tigerheart leapt to his paws with Sparrowpaw and Finchpaw beside him. Pinenose and Crowfrost's fur bristled, turning to look at Snowbird and Toadfoot with narrowed eyes.
Rowanstar pushed his way out of his den on the other side of the clearing, his amber eyes wide as he looked at Snowbird. He bounded across to her side, "What happened?"
Toadfoot pushed past Mistpaw and Spiderpaw, growling deep in his throat, "ThunderClan moved the border."
Yowls of disbelief in anger answered him as more cats gathered around, pelts bristling and claws digging into the ground below.
"They wouldn't!" Stoatfur yowled from the back of the crowd, looking bewildered.
"They did." Snowbird assured her. "They marked the bushes on the side of the stream all the way through our territory."
Rowanstar lashed his tail, curling his lip as he listened to Snowbird's report on how the apprentices had reached the stream to discover it swamped in ThunderClan scent. Crowfrost padded to his leader's side, his eyes flashing with anger as he listened. The Clan was silent when Snowbird finished her report, waiting for their leader to give them orders.
"We can't let them get away with stealing our territory." Rowanstar finally growled. "If they think they can win this without a fight, they're wrong."
"So is there going to be a battle?" Tigerheart called, working his long, hooked claws through the snowy grass. Spiderpaw felt a flash of pride for her father and his willingness to fight for his Clan.
Rowanstar turned to his son, eyes glinting. "Yes, there will be a battle. ThunderClan blood will be spilled today - I'll make sure of that."
The story is finally getting started! I was originally going to make the battle a part of this chapter, but since it was already so long I decided to leave it until the next chapter.
What do you think? Which Clan are you rooting for to win the battle? Let me know your thoughts!
Thanks so much for reading!
CANNON INCONSISTENCIES: Although Toadfoot is stated to have died in the Great Battle, he is alive in this timeline.
PS: Thanks so much to Fala, Hazeldapple, and Snootsnoot for leaving reviews on Chapter 2! It means so much to me!