Chapter 1: Death at the Apprentice Ceremony
Hiya! Thanks for the reviews in the prologue. I couldn't really think of a shorter chapter title... here's chapter 1!
"Mother! Mother! It's almost time! Wake up, wake up!" Forgottenkit pawed at her foster mother's side. Swiftriver woke up and yawned.
"What? What is it?" she said sleepily.
"Our apprentice ceremony!" she bounced around Swiftriver until she got dizzy and sat down next to her.
"But it's only sunhigh! Wrenstar said he would hold the ceremony before moonhigh." She sat up and licked the kit's ear. Violetkit stirred and woke up, then Ravenkit and Mellowkit.
"Ah, your all awake now. Why don't you go ask Tigerstripe for a story and bring him a piece of fresh kill?"
"Okay!" They all said in unison. Violetkit shot a quick glare at Forgottenkit before racing off to the fresh kill pile. Ravenkit smiled shyly at her then padded after Violetkit. Mellowkit and Forgottenkit then raced after them to the elder's den.
When Forgottenkit woke up, she was in the elder's den.
"I must have fallen asleep in the middle of the story," she thought to herself as she stepped around her sisters and went to the entrance of the den. She ran into Mellowkit at the entrance of the den.
"Mellowkit, what's wro-" she stopped in the middle of her sentence. She smelt something awkward smelling and looked up at Mellowkit. They followed the scent to the nursery. Forgottenkit entered first. Her eyes grew wide in horror as she stared at the sight before her. Mellowkit, who had just entered, did the same.
"No... This can't be... No..." Forgottenkit whispered quietly to herself.
"NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She yowled in grief. She stared at her bloodied dead mother, who lay on the nursery floor, slaughtered. Mellowkit walked up next to Forgottenkit and placed his tail on her back, to grief stricken to speak. From in side the nursery they could hear Wrenstar's yowl and the cats gathering into the clearing. Mellowkit lead Forgottenkit to the clearing.
"I call you hear for 2 reasons. I shall get the saddest new over with first. Swiftriver has been brutally murdered." The grief in his eyes looked fake to Forgottenkit. There was something more to it, something she couldn't put her paw on.
Everyone looked up at Starclan with grief in their eyes. Some turned their heads back to Wrenstar while others continued to stare thoughtlessly at Silverpelt.
"The good news is that we have 3, I mean 4 new apprentices tonight. Violetkit, Ravenkit, come over here."
As they did as they were told, he said, "From this day forward, until they have earned their warrior names, Violetkit will now be called Violetpaw and Ravenkit will now be called Ravenpaw. Rainingleaf, you will be Violetpaw's mentor. Whitecloud, you will be Ravenpaw's mentor."
The new apprentices touched noses with their mentors and sat down. Mellowkit was next.
"From this day forward, until he has earned his warrior name, Mellowkit will now be called Mellowpaw. Copperpelt, you will be Mellowkit's mentor."
Wrenstar looked at Forgottenkit. "From this day forward, if she ever earns her warrior name, Forgottenkit will now be called Forgottenpaw," he said in a mocking voice, "She will have no mentor, for who would want to mentor the daughter of 2 medicine cats? I most certainly wouldn't. And now that Swiftriver is gone, who will tell me she has to have one?"
He hopped down from the Great Tree and to his den in it's roots. The new apprentices walked to the apprentice den and curled up next to the older apprentices to keep from the cold. Forgottenpaw went to the center of the clearing and sat a silent vigil for Swiftriver by herself in the clearing. As snow began to fall, she drifted into an uneasy sleep, still grieving for her lost foster mother.
Sad it was. Please review and tell me if you like the first chapter.