Foxfire shifted under Darryl's claws. "Ugghhhhh... wha' happened?" Darryl, too shocked by Whitestar's revival, did not notice him wriggle free. Quickly, the bushy-tailed apprentice lunged forward, while yowling, "Whitestar! What are you doing?"
"He killed me. In return, he shall be killed."
Junglebeat, however, had been impressed by Hobbes' strength. "ThunderClan is in a time of need, Whitestar. The recent rogue attack killed off many of our good warriors, and we have also lost several to disease. It would be wise to invite these loners to join us, no? They seem to put up a good fight for ones so young..."
Whitestar hesitated, then released Hobbes. "Do not attack me again, and you shall be allowed to join ThunderClan."
"We will!" yelled Zoe, Hammie, and Calvin together before anyone could stop them.
"Very well. Then I should explain how the Clan system works, and tell you of the warrior code..." Sitting down, she wrapped her tail around her legs and began the explanations. (Not to be included, since I assume you know)
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"
Slowly, the small number of warriors and apprentices in ThunderClan began to gather. Starsky sidled up to Junglebeat and whispered in her ear, "What's going on?"
"Shh, you'll find out," the large-pawed she-cat replied.
"Recently, a large number of loners have been discovered on our territory. They fought bravely when discovered, and I lost one of my lives in the battle." A collective gasp rose from the assembled cats. Their leader was a powerful fighter, how could she have lost? "I have invited these cats to join ThunderClan, as we are in need of warriors and apprentices. Four of them, however, are still under six moons old, but two will soon be of apprentice age. I will name them now."
"Excuse me," meowed Wanda. "But they already have names. They are Zoe, Hammie, and Wren. This child is not ours, but we know his name-Calvin. I am Wanda, and my...mate is Darryl. This cat"-she gestured at Hobbes-"is called Hobbes."
"Very well," mewed Whitestar. "However, they are in need of Clan names. If it pleases you, I shall name the one you call Wren Wrenkit. Zoe shall be Flarekit. Hammie shall be Ravenkit. And Calvin shall be Strawkit. There are no naming ceremonies, however, for kits. Will that bother you?"
"Those are fine names," purred Darryl. "How about us?"
"You two shall be apprentices," replied the leader. "Clan cats, as you may have realized, this cat"-she gestured at Wanda-"is still nursing a kit, and is technically a queen. All the same, her name shall be an apprentice name. Darryl, from this moment on, until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Skypaw, for your blue eyes. Owlwing, you are without an apprentice since Robinpaw died. You were an excellent mentor to him, and I expect you to pass on these skills to Skypaw." The brown warrior trotted proudly up to the rock, touching noses with his new apprentice.
"Wanda, from this moment on, until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Shadowpaw. After your kits become apprentices, Starsky shall mentor you." Starsky stepped proudly up. Another apprentice, so soon! Okay, so she'd have to wait. Waiting never hurt anyone!
"How about the last one-the one who took one of your lives?" yowled Owlwing. The brown warrior gazed curiously up at his leader from his position near the Highrock, his amber gaze fixed on Hobbes.
"Ah, Hobbes. You shall be a warrior. From this moment on, you shall be known as Stripedfang."
"Skypaw! Shadowpaw! Stripedfang! Skypaw! Shadowpaw! Stripedfang!"
"Stripedfang, it is the custom of the Clan that you stand vigil at the edge of the camp this night." The newly named warrior nodded proudly, his green eyes glimmering in the light of the sun.
Strawkit stretched, yawning loudly. For a moment, he didn't remember where he was. Then he did. This was the nursery-where kits and queens stayed! Of course, Shadowpaw was the only queen right now. Her kits were curled up nearby. Seeing Flarekit, Strawkit suddenly felt an inexplainable feeling in his chest. What was it?
Sniffing the air, he noticed how much more he could scent now that he was a cat. With a careful sniff, he was able to scent Stripedfang. The warrior had been good-he had not fallen asleep, although he was pretty stiff. For a moment, he considered leaving the nursery but decided against it.
"Strawkit, you're awake." Flarekit pulled herself to all fours, yawning loudly. "Do you want to go exploring? Just around the camp, that is."
Suddenly, Strawkit felt an intense desire to explore the camp with Flarekit. He was unable to explain it, but decided not to trouble himself about it. "Alright then, why don't we go?" With a grin at Flarekit, he dashed out the nursery entrance. She followed close behind, laughing happily.
The camp was much larger than they had expected. Several cats were wandering around, some chatting, some putting food on the fresh-kill pile, and all that stuff. The two kits were awed. Turning, Strawkit saw Stripedfang wandering over to the fresh-kill pile. "Hey Flarekit, let's see if Stripedfang will give us some fresh-kill!"
"Stripedfang, your vigil is over," meowed Whitestar as she approached him. "You may go get something to eat from the fresh-kill pile."
"Thank you," replied the tiger-striped warrior, padding over to the pile of meat. Tempted by the smell, he licked his lips as he neared it. Quickly, he grabbed a mouse and settled down to eat it.
Strawkit skipped over. "Stripedfang, can I have some?" The warrior grinned, and generously offered him a bite of mouse. Strawkit tore into it with great gutso, offering one to Flarekit, who was watching from the side. She generously accepted, and ate it with chomping bites similar to Strawkit's and Stripedfang's.
"Flarekit! Hi! Hey, can I have some meat too?"
Flarekit groaned. It was her annoying younger brother, Ravenkit. Then again, he wasn't allowed to catch his own food. There wasn't that much in the fresh-kill pile.
"Fine, fine. Here," she muttered, tearing off a tidbit of mouse and throwing it at him. Ravenkit looked dejected, but ate it anyways. After all, it was most likely all he'd get. His sister was stingy-cat or no. He wished he could become an apprentice with her, it wasn't fair that he was younger than she. Luckily, their age difference had been compressed when they arrived. He was maybe a moon and a half younger than she was. That was good.
Preview
"Flarekit and Strawkit are now six moons old, and ready to receive their apprentice names. Flarekit, from now on, until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Flarepaw. Rosethorn, you are patient and steady. I ask you to mentor Flarepaw." The deputy rose to her paws and touched her nose to Flarepaw's. The firey apprentice seemed calm, but her heart was pounding with excitement on the inside.