(Hey guys! I remembered I have never mentioned Hollykit, so I'll make something up! Enjoy the chapter!)
Flamekit laid huddled right outside the nursery. With every breath she took, a white puff clouded her vision for a moment before drifting away. Leaf-bare had arrived early, taking all the clans by surprise.
"W-when is Bramblestar going to come out?" Fernkit was pressed up against Flamekit, violently shivering every three seconds. Today was Sorrelkit's, Fernkit's, and Flamekit's apprentice ceremony, and they decided to stay outside to watch for the leader and be prepared to become apprentices.
"I don't know... Hopefully soon." Flamekit shivered, her teeth chattering. Their fur was slick from Cinderheart's grooming, not helping with trying to keep warm.
Sorrelkit suddenly leaped to her paws after remaining silent for so long. Her tail was waving, and her eyes wide and gleaming with excitement. "There he is!" She skidded over to the clearing, one of her paws slipping from underneath her, causing her to tumble the rest of the way.
Bramblestar watched with amusement from the highrock, his tail swaying back and forth as Cinderheart bolted put of the nursery to re-groom Sorrelkit. Flamekit and Fernkit scrambled after Sorrelkit, a bit more gracefully as they slid right underneath Bramblestar in anticipation, their eyes sparkling.
"Mom! Stop!" Sorrelkit whined, ripping herself away from Cinderheart. "The ceremony is about to start!" She bounded over to Fernkit's side, Cinderheart following to give them all one last groom.
"Exactly," she meowed, all knowingly. "That's why you need to look presentable." She gave them all one lick on their head's, and then padded over to sit at the side of the clearing, her eyes shining with pride.
"Every cat old enough to catch their own prey gather underneath the highrock for a meeting!" Bramblestar's voice rang out loud and clear, and all the Warriors and Apprentices padded out from their den's to watch the ceremony. Even Graystripe, Sandstorm and Purdy came out to watch, yet they didn't go very far from their dens.
Bramblestar smiled warmly, and Flamekit felt as if the cold, harsh weather of early Leaf-bare had been whipped away. She looked around for her Lionblaze, and her heart swelled up in her chest when she saw him sitting next to Cinderheart, his eyes just as full as pride.
"Pay attention!" Sorrelkit hissed, lightly cuffing Flamekit around the ear. That was when Flamekit noticed another kit. A black one, smaller than Sorrelkit.
'Hollykit!' Flamekit's eyes widened in surprise. Hollykit was her other sister, but she had only heard about her. Apparently, she had fallen horribly ill with Green-cough, and took a long time to recover. Flamekit was surprised that she was being made an apprentice now, because Hollykit looked so small, almost as if she had just recovered. Yet, Flamekit couldn't help but notice the shine in Hollykit's eyes, as if she couldn't believe this was actually happening, a look of pure joy.
Hollykit must have noticed Flamekit staring at her, because she quickly blinked in embarrassment. Hollykit seemed to focus on something behind Flamekit, and when Flamekit turned around, she almost gasped in surprise. Jayfeather had a look of pride on his face, and that was saying something! Maybe the grumpy Medicine cat had taken a liking to the kit?
"Ahem?" Bramblestar coughed from where he was standing, and both him and Squirrelflight had a look of amusement etched across their faces.
Flamekit quickly licked her chest in embarrassment. "Sorry," she muttered, glancing down at her paws for a moment.
"Today, I will perform one of my favorite duties as a clan leader." Bramblestar took a step forward, his paws flexing at the edge of the highrock. "Hollykit, step forward." A look of emotion flashed across his face, almost as if he were remembering a warm moment.
Hollykit stepped forward nervously, her paws shaking. She glanced over at Jayfeather, and he gave her a nod of encouragement. She shook her head, and took in a deep breath.
"Hollykit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your Warrior name, you will be known as Hollypaw." For a brief moment, he raked his gaze across the clan. "Your mentor will be me."
Flamekit felt a stab of envy. Hollypaw got the clan leader as a mentor! She was going to be one of the most trusted, and well taught Warriors in the clan!
Bramblestar continued on. "I, am ready to take on an apprentice. I have received excellent training from Firestar, and I will be the mentor of Hollypaw. And I will pass on all I know to Hollypaw." He jumped down to touch noses with Hollypaw, whose eyes were wide with disbelief. She shakily reached up and touched noses with her new mentor, and Bramblestar quickly jumped back up to the highrock to continue the ceremony.
"Fernkit, step forward." Fernkit scrambled around Hollypaw, who went too sit next to Flamekit, eyes still wide. "Fernkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, until you receive your Warrior name, you will be known as Fernpaw."
Fernpaw slightly puffed out her chest, her tail waving happily as she wondered who her mentor would be.
"Your mentor will be Blossomfall," Bramblestar nodded to Blossomfall, who bounded up proudly. "Blossomfall, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Hazeltail, and you have shown yourself to be loyal, and honest. You will be the mentor of Fernpaw, I expect you to pass on all you know to her."
Blossomfall reached down to touch noses with Fernpaw, who bounced up excitedly and stood on her toes to touch noses with her mentor. Blossomfall turned away, and padded back a bit to sit out of the way.
Sorrelkit padded forward, before Bramblestar had even said anything. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement, and her paws seemed to be ahead of her own head.
"Sorrelkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, until you receive your Warrior name, you will be known as Sorrelpaw." Sorrelpaw looked over her shoulder, her eyes looking across crowd, trying to guess who her new mentor will be.
"Your mentor will be Molewhisker." Bramblestar flicked his tail, and Molewhisker strutted forward, his chest puffed out. "Molewhisker, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Rosepetal, and you have shown yourself to be brave and strong. You will be the mentor of Sorrelpaw, I expect you to pass on all you know to her."
Before Molewisker could even react, Sorrelpaw jumped up and touched noses with him, but maybe a little bit too hard.
"Ow!" He rubbed his nose, looking down at Sorrelpaw. "Looks like I'll have my paws full for a while!" His voice was covered with amusement, and pride.
"Sorry!" The tips of Sorrelpaw's ears turned red, and she went to go sit next to Fernpaw and Hollypaw. Now, all that's left is Flamekit.
"Flamekit, step forward." Flamekit thought she had imagined it, but she thought she had heard a murmur of surprise from the clan.
"Flamekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, until you receive your Warrior name, you will be known as Flamepaw." Flamepaw's mouth went dry. It was time! She felt as though she had waited forever for this!
"Your mentor will be Brightheart." The one-eyed Warrior stepped forward shyly, never making eye-contact with Flamepaw. "Brightheart, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Whitestorm, and you have shown yourself to be brave and strong. You will be the mentor of Flamepaw, I expect you to pass on all you know to her."
Brightheart bent down and touched noses with Flamepaw, her eyes darting away. When they pulled away, the clan broke out into cheer.
"Hollypaw! Fernpaw! Sorrelpaw! Flamepaw!" Their voices seemed to reach the sky, and Flamepaw was sure their would be complaints from other clans.
As the cheering died away, Flamepaw looked around. What should she do first?
"Congratulations." Her fur spiked up, and she whirled around, her fur lying flat once she saw who it was.
"Riverpaw, you really need to stop scaring me!" She whined, licking her chest.
"Sorry, sorry," he chuckled. He turned around, and bounded off to the apprentice's den, his gray tabby coat rippling. "Come on! I'll show you where you sleep!"
She quickly followed him, and once she stepped inside the den, she instantly felt the difference. There was no warm, milky smell, and it was smaller. Riverpaw flicked his tail to a nest near the back.
"Here, you can sleep next to me," he purred, sitting on his nest. Flamepaw sat on her new nest, sweeping her gaze across the den.
She opened her jaws to say something, until Brightheart poked her head in.
"Come on Flamepaw, we're going to explore the territory," she meowed and padded out, Flamepaw following suit.
As they padded out of camp, Brightheart began to speak again. "Look, I'm sorry. No one wants a half-blind mentor. But I promise I will try my best to teach you." As she said this, she stared at her paws, and her tone was angry- angry at herself.
"Don't be sorry!" Flamepaw's eyes widened. "I think you're really cool! I heard you once tried to fight off dogs! And how good you fight!"
Brightheart's eyes shone. "Really? Well, I promise, I'll make you the best Warrior there is!" She puffed out her chest, her mood seeming to have changed for the better.
Flamepaw flicked her ears upward, bounding forward to keep up with her mentor. "I know you will!"
(How was it? I also want to add, Squirrelflight has 2 kids; Riverpaw and Sunpaw. They're both toms!)