Dawn light slid into the opening of the nursery, casting the occupants with a watery orange glow. Marigoldkit blinked in the light and rolled over to bury her face in her brother's white pelt. She could feel moss sticking to her fur and poking her inbetween her and her brother, but she was too sleepy to deal with it.
Mornings were hard! The nursery was at the perfect height and angle to catch the first light of morning, and unless she managed to sleep at the very back of the den, Marigoldkit always ended up being awoken by it.
"Get off," Hawthornkit muttered. One of his paws pushed at her and she moved away with a whine.
"But you're comfortable," she mumbled back, and he sighed. One of his eyes slid open, squinting in the light, and he lifted his paw. Marigoldkit took the invitation and snuggled back in, letting her brother shift until they were both comfortable. Behind both of them, Poppyface, their mother, snored. Hawthornkit rolled the eye that was still open and they both giggled minutely.
Marigoldkit was just about to slide back into sleep when Poppyface shifted and sat up. The movement jarred Marigoldkit from her sleep, and moved Hawthornkit besides; he, and by extension Marigoldkit, slid into the depression Poppyface's body had made.
In a tangle of limbs, Hawthornkit and Marigoldkit struggled to get up. Poppyface purred in affection and amusement, and gently helped them up. Annoyed, Marigoldkit shook her orange pelt out, getting rid of most of the moss sticking to it. Hawthornkit yawned loudly and tried to lay back down, but Poppyface stopped him.
"Don't you remember what's happening today?" she mewed.
Remember what? Marigoldkit wondered, still sleepy. The answer came to her, just as Hawthornkit mewed, voice bursting with excitement, "Apprentice ceremony!"
"Shh," Dawnheart, at the back of the den, mewed. He sounded sleepy. Marigoldkit caught sight of the tiny form of Carpkit peering at her from where she was pressed against Dawnheart.
"Sorry," Hawthornkit mewed, and then, quieter, "Apprentice ceremony!"
Poppyface took a moment to groom her kits, and then led them out of the den. She paused on the ledge outside of the den then leapt upwards, traveling along ledges and overhangs sticking out of the face of the cliff that made up Cliffclan's camp. The clearing where the Clan ate and talked to one another was at the very top of the cliff, along with the elder's den.
Hawthornkit and Marigoldkit scaled the cliff with ease, hopping from ledge to ledge and scrambling up with ease born of Cliffclan ancestry and sheer practice. The top of the cliff already had minor activity in it; Russetfoot, the deputy, was directing patrols with flicks of her tail. Brightstar was watching the goings on from close by. When she spotted Poppyface and her kits, she stood up and headed over.
"Good morning," she mewed. "Big day, hm? We'll have the ceremony soon, but why don't you all eat before then? I'm sure your mentors will want to get an immediate start."
"Okay!" Marigoldkit chirped. She liked Brightstar. The leader was always nice, and wasn't above talking to Marigoldkit and her brother.
Brightstar flicked her tail and dipped her head, and Poppyface led her kits to the freshkill pile. Marigoldkit plucked a mouse from the pile, and carried it away. Hawthornkit followed with a dove, and the three shared the prey equally between them.
As they ate, more cats climbed their way to the clearing. By the time the prey was just scraps, Brightstar had taken her place on the rock she addressed the Clan from. She beckoned the two soon-to-be apprentices closer, and called out for her Clan to gather.
Marigoldkit's paws trembled in excitement. She exchanged a look with Hawthornkit and saw her excitement reflected in green eyes. He nudged her briefly with his haunches and turned to look up at Brightstar.
"My dear Clan," she mewed. "It's my honor to welcome two new apprentices to our fold. They're reached six moons and it's time for them to learn our skills. Marigoldkit, Hawthornkit, please come here."
Lightpaw and Darkpaw had both told them about this part, and just yesterday Larkheart had checked them over to make sure they were ready. Still, nervousness was to be expected as Marigoldkit and her brother hopped up to where Brightstar was. Their leader swished their tail, indicating the ledge behind her. They crept closer to the ledge and stared down.
The ledge dropped down, stretching far below them. Marigoldkit looked up at Brightstar, eyes wide. Brightstar crinkled her nose in a smile and nodded. "Let yourselves be new," she mewed. "Let go of the old and land as apprentices."
Hawthornkit crouched beside her, wiggling his haunches. He backed up a pawstep, then another, and threw himself forward off the ledge. Not to be outdone, Marigoldkit followed, feeling the ground go out from beneath her paws. She fell and-
Landed, only a second after she had jumped. She blinked in surprise and looked up. Funny. The distance had felt so far, but it wasn't very far at all! Just two tail-lengths, if even.
Two cats were down there with them, cats Marigoldkit recognized as Squirrelwhisker and Ivyclaw.
"Marigoldpaw! Hawthornpaw!" Brightstar called down. Marigoldpaw, newly renamed, looked up to see her silhouetted against the sun on the ledge. "You've taken your first jump into the life of a warrior! Congratulations!"
Cats crowded in behind her. Marigoldpaw recognized her mother, ears pricked in delight. The cats, and more behind them, roared their new names.
"Hawthornpaw! Your mentor is Ivyclaw. Marigoldpaw, yours is Squirrelwhisker," Brightstar continued as the names of the new apprentices echoed throughout the hills. "May you make Starclan proud," Brightstar finished, pride and affection in her voice.
Wiggling in excitement, Marigoldpaw touched her nose to Squirrelwhisker's. From the corner of her eye she saw Hawthornpaw do the same with Ivyclaw.
"Congratulations," Ivyclaw mewed, her brisk voice hiding her own glee.
The ceremony over, Ivyclaw and Squirrelwhisker led their apprentices down the slope that connected the ledge to the plateau and headed into the rest of the territory. Poppyface called well-wishes behind them as they left. Marigoldpaw had never been down the slope; kits weren't allowed outside the camp, after all. Squirrelwhisker was patient, showing their apprentice the best pawsteps, and how to keep the dry earth from crumbling under her paws. She'd have to learn fast- it was one of the only ways into and out of the camp.
"You and I are going to the Hollow Gulley," Ivyclaw mewed to Hawthornpaw. "I want to start you on battle moves immediately." Marigoldpaw saw her claws flex and dig into the dirt.
"Are we going with them?' Marigoldpaw asked Squirrelwhisker, but they shook their head.
"I want to show you the territory, first. We'll do battle moves later." Marigoldpaw and Hawthornpaw exchanged shocked, disappointed looks. Six moons doing everything together, and their first day as apprentices separates them.
Squirrelwhisker brushed their tail across Marigoldpaw's shoulder. "You'll be able to train together soon. We won't keep you apart forever."
"Bye," Hawthornpaw mewed to his sister as Ivyclaw led him away.
"Bye," Marigoldpaw echoed back, following Squirrelwhisker. She missed him already, but they'd still be sleeping in the same den come nightfall, so at least that was something. But Poppyface wouldn't be there..
"New apprentice blues?" Squirrelwhisker asked. Marigoldpaw realized she'd fallen behind.
"I guess," she mewed.
"I was the same way. Hey, it's alright. You'll get used to it all." The ginger tolly stopped to let Marigoldpaw catch up.
"Thank you," Marigoldpaw mewed, grateful. "But- I'm fine! Let's go." She started walking again and tried to make her stride confident, so Squirrelwhisker wouldn't worry so much.
"If you say so," Squirrelwhisker mewed, amusement in their voice.
Marigoldpaw had only ever seen Cliffclan territory from the camp, which, while it was definitely pretty, didn't quite convey everything the way actually being out in it did. She and Squirrelwhisker climbed up ridges, back down hills, and skirted cliffs too sheer for even the most skilled of Cliffclan's climbers.
Squirrelwhisker showed her the easiest paths, and helped her up the harder ones. By sunhigh Marigoldpaw was covered in a thin layer of orange dust. Not that it was visible; her own coat was orange enough that the only effect was how her fur felt.
By the time the sun had dipped low in the sky, Marigoldpaw was panting hard. She'd seen both the Brushclan border and the Caveclan border. Cliffclan territory was incredible- Marigoldpaw had seen so many wonderful views she didn't quite know what to do.
"Let's head back," Squirrelwhisker mewed as they stared across the horizon from a cliff they'd both scaled.
Marigoldpaw looked out across the rolling hills and cliffs of Cliffclan territory. "Really?" she wondered. "But I haven't even learned anything."
"Haven't you?" Squirrelwhisker mewed, the amusement back in their tone. They nodded their head at a rock that jutted sharply out of the earth. "Climb that."
"Really?" Marigoldpaw repeated. She eyed the rock uncertainly. It wasn't as tall as some of the things she'd climbed today, but it was more steep than she was used to. Still, she couldn't refuse her mentor, so she padded over to it. She paced around the rock for a moment, studying it, and then took the plunge.
She wobbled for a moment after the first jump, but stabilized quickly. And as she climbed, she realized something; Squirrelwhisker had been teaching her. Everything they'd climbed had been a little more practice. Marigoldpaw, though she was still uncertain, had a better idea of where to put her paws as she climbed than she would have had that morning.
She hauled herself up to the peak of the rock and stood there for a moment. Squirrelwhisker stood below her, almost far enough that their features were distorted. They looked pleased. 'Now climb down," they instructed, and Marigoldpaw did. That was a little harder, and once or twice she lost her grip and slid down a tail length before catching herself.
Her paws were sore by the time she was standing with Squirrelwhisker again, but when she licked her pawpads, there was no blood. "Good job," Squirrelwhisker praised, and Marigoldpaw waved her tail, pleased with herself. Squirrelwhisker continued, "Still think you haven't learned anything?" and when Marigoldpaw shook her head, "Good. You've done really well today, Marigoldpaw. Let's go home."
By the time they got back, the sun was ever closer to the horizon. Squirrelwhisker sent her to the freshkill pile for dinner. A good thing, Marigoldpaw thought. Her belly was rumbling, having not eaten since that morning. She took a sparrow from the pile and carried it over to where Hawthornpaw was.
"Hey!" she mewed to him. He looked even more tired than she was. His coat was covered in a fine film of orange. "Look at you," she teased, and pressed her fur against his to compare the color. "We match!"
"Oh, hah hah," Hawthornpaw mewed, though the genuine amusement in his voice cut through the sarcasm.
"Hah hah yourself," Marigoldpaw mewed back. "How was Ivyclaw?"
"I learned so much I didn't learn anything at all," her brother sighed. "What about you?"
"I saw the whoooole territory," Marigoldpaw mewed. Her tail waved and her bumped her flank against Hawthornpaw. She felt excited and giddy despite the tiredness pulling at her fur. "And I climbed a rock."
"We climb rocks all the time," Hawthornpaw mewed, bumping her back in a less enthusiastic manner. "That's not an accomplishment."
"It is how I did it," Marigoldpaw mewed smugly. She finally bit into her sparrow, and then spent the time she was chewing by shuffling the feathers the bird was shedding. Hawthornpaw snatched one in a paw and pressed it against her fur. She let him, and pressed a feather of her own against him.
"Now we match even more," he mewed, and then yawned. "I feel sore all over, even though we kept claws sheathed. How about you?"
"Sore paws, and I think I bruised a couple places rolling down hills, but that's it. Wanna go find a nest when I finish this?"
"Sure, but hurry up. I'm dead on my paws." Hawthornpaw yawned again, and Marigoldpaw quickly scarfed down the rest of her sparrow. He helped her clean up, and then they were both climbing down the cliff wall to the apprentice's den. It wasn't as deep into the cliff as the nursery had been, but the dip in the cliff stretched much wider to the sides, and there was plenty of moss to choose from, especially since Darkpaw, and Lightpaw weren't yet inside. Marigoldpaw sniffed around and picked a place that didn't have the smell of another apprentice on it and patted down the moss to make a depression.
Hawthornpaw picked a spot close to her, and they both laid down. Marigoldpaw shifted for a moment, feeling something poke her, but a quick swipe of her paw revealed the feather her brother had stuck to her. She held it up for him to see, and after he snickered at her she stuck it into the nest, out of the way but visible. "A reminder of our first day," she said as gravely as she could. She meant it as a joke, but to her surprise, Hawthornpaw nodded seriously and fished his own matching feather out of his nest and displayed it.
A warm affection bloomed in her chest. Though they'd spent the day apart, they were as close as ever. She was glad for that.
A shadow appeared at the opening of the apprentice den. "Sleep well, darlings," their mother's voice whispered. "I'm so proud of you both," Poppyface mewed, and then she whisked away. Marigoldpaw looked out at the darkening dusk sky and snuggled deeper into her nest.
"Goodnight," she whispered to Hawthornpaw, and he whispered it back. The word curled around Marigoldpaw like a nuzzle from her mother, and sent her softly to sleep.
