Mysteries solved, Mysteries anew
Petalkit woke up in a state of shock. Yewpaw had dragged her into the apprentices' den, where all the toms used her as eye candy. "You mousebrained –sentence censored-! Go to The Place Of No Stars!" She howled, leaving the young toms in a state of shock. Petalkit lifted her tail high, strutting out of the apprentices' den like a proud rogue. The gray rock under her paws rubbed against her pads, but Petalkit's rough pads felt nothing.
"A little trouble with those toms, Petal?" Wishingsoul asked teasingly. "A bit," Petalkit admitted, much to her mother's surprise. "They all like me to much…" Realizing the mood had gone serious, Wishingsoul replied, "There are ways to make them stop liking you Petalkit. Make yourself taken! When you switch to a 'paw, just hang out with each of them and find which one you like. Speaking of switching to a 'paw, I think I hear Flipstar calling!" Wishingsoul finished with a large inhale. Although a rambler, she was right.
Petalkit sat next to her mother. The sun sat high in the sky, but the air was chilly. It was to be expected. The Clan lived at the foot of the Mountain. "Petalkit," Flipstar said. Petalkit bounded up toward the Toprock, chest puffed out. "From this day forward, until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Petalpaw!" Flipstar paused, as if thinking. "Hollowheart, you will be her mentor. You are strong and brave, and I hope you pass these traits on to Petalpaw," Flipstar nodded his head. The whole clan held it's breath, perhaps waiting for Hollowheart to refuse. Instead, he nimbly touched noses with his new apprentice.
"Tomorrow I'll show you the territory, and maybe how to hunt," Hollowheart said in a cold, unemotional voice. All Petalpaw knew was that the apprenticed toms were giving Hollowheart dirty looks. "Guys, he's twelve moons older then me!" Petalpaw called, not really assuring them. It was quite common for an age span like that between mates. She tensed. "Relax," Petalpaw heard Wishingsoul's reassuring whisper, "They'll still give you breathing space, hopefully."
Petalpaw suddenly got an idea. She walked over to the tense and angry toms and one by one, ran her tail over their heads. It worked. Foxpaw, Whitepaw, and Yewpaw went happily along with their business. Meanwhile, as Hollowheart observed, he realized that Petalpaw did not want a mate.
Roseleaf sat in the medicine cat's den worrying. Something was wrong… Though the tart smell of herbs wafted up around her, and cats talked normally outside her cave, there was a strange tension in the air. It made Roseleaf's fur bristle. The strange feeling felt as if a huge amount of cats were waiting… For what, she did not know.
Carefully, Petalpaw walked out of the apprentice den. She hoped she would not step on her den-mates. The stars showed bright. Petalpaw's fur felt ruffled and uncomfortable, not liking being away from the warm bodies already so familiar to her. Hollowheart sat in the center of camp, moon gazing. "Hollowheart? Why out so late?" Petalpaw whispered, unable to talk much louder for some unknown reason.
But Hollowheart heard, and swiveled his brown ears toward Petalpaw. A faint hiss came from his body. "Go into your den," Hollowheart growled faintly. Petalpaw became alarmed, "Is something wrong?" "Go," Hollowheart meowed, instantly beside her with a claw on her throat. S l o w l y, Petalpaw backed away, until she stumbled into the apprentices' den. She curled into a ball, pondering what had happened till she fell asleep.
Hollowheart felt regret as soon as he placed a claw on the beautiful she-cat. He was sure of it. She was protected by StarClan. What's more is the look of fear Hollowheart had seen in her eyes. He vowed he would actually try to be… nice …to Petalpaw tomorrow. She had tried to be… nice …to him, after all.