Chapter 1
Whitekit rolled over in her sleep, her thick milky pelt smothering Sleetkit against her mother.
"Get off, Whitekit." Sleetkit's complaint was only a mumble; she was still dreary with sleep.
Whitekit snored loudly.
Sleetkit wriggled out from underneath her sister and looked around the familiar cave. The entrance to the nursery was a small crack that led to the main cave. Snowstar and Thunderclaw's den was closest to the nursery. A hole in the wall led to a tunnel where they made their nests. On the other side of the nursery was the apprentices' den, a crack in the floor that led to a smooth chamber where the apprentices slept. Next to the leader and deputy's den was the warrior's den. A juniper bush sheltered that entrance. Nearby, the elder's made their den in a shallow cave next to the warrior's. The Grand Pillar was in the center, a slope of loose rocks surrounding an ancient water-formed stone. The piles of loose stones allowed the leader to climb up to the flat top of the Grand Pillar and see the entire cave.
Sleetkit flicked her tail against Whitekit's muzzle. Eyes bleary with tiredness, Whitekit blinked up at Sleetkit. "Wha-" Whitekit interrupted her own question with a yawn. "What is it?"
Sleetkit rolled her blue eyes at Whitekit. "You rolled over on me again! And you were snoring. You know that's why you keep getting a sore throat, Silversong even told you!"
Whitekit cocked her head in mock forgetfulness. "Did she?"
Sleetkit wasn't fooled. She just shrugged, "Oh well, don't come crying to me when Silversong doesn't give you any honey. She can't spare any more for you. Too many cats have sore throats and coughs." Honey in the mountains was very uncommon, so Silversong, or Songpaw, her apprentice, would have to go on trips down the mountain to find some. Luckily for them, there was plenty of honey in the forests below.
Whitekit's eyes widened. "Really?"
Sleetkit sighed. "Of course, you stupid furball. It's the middle of leaf-bare! And even when it isn't leaf-bare cats get sick, not as often though."
Whitekit glared at her sister. "Oh yeah? How do you know?" She challenged.
Snowkit met her sister's hot glare with an icy gaze. "Because Patchpelt told me."
"And Patchpelt also told you two to be quiet when you woke up!" The two kits looked up guiltily to see their mother gazing down on them.
Lilyflower, laying in her nest a few mouse-lengths away, raised her head and let out a purr. "Oh, come on Patchpelt. Kits will be kits. And it is a special day for them."
Sleetkit and Whitekit exchanged confused glances, anger forgotten. Suddenly Sleetkit let out a trill of excitement. "Our apprentice ceremony!" She squeaked.
Whitekit gave a skip of joy, her eyes huge. "I wonder who our mentors will be?"
"I hope I get Sharptooth! He's the best fighter in the Clan!" Continued Sleetkit, her tail twitching with excitement.
Whitekit puffed out her chest. "I want Leafwhisker. She's the best hunter in the Clan!"
"Remember, Snowstar chooses who your mentors will be," Patchpelt reminded them gently.
Sleetkit picked at the moss in her nest. "I wish we chose our mentors."
"Yeah," Whitekit agreed. "And I also think we should just do one thing. Like just hunt, or just fight, and there could be more than two medicine cats."
Sleetkit stared at her sister as if she had sprouted wings. "Well we don't do it that way, and never will, so there!"
Whitekit growled playfully at Sleetkit, then leapt at her and bowled her over. As Sleetkit pummeled her sister's belly, Patchpelt darted in and, gently but firmly, pried the two sisters apart. "Now, now," She scolded. "You two are almost apprentices. Behave like it."
Behind Lilyflower, Petalkit popped her head up to stare at Whitekit and Sleetkit. Her sky-blue eyes were as big as an owl's. "Lucky you!" She admired, then added ruefully, "We have to wait two whole more moons 'till we get to be apprentices."
Petalkit's brothers, Treekit, Seedkit, and Grasskit had woken up now as well, and all three scrambled over Lilyflower to get to the two older kits.
"Will you miss us?" Asked Grasskit.
"I bet you'll be the best apprentice ever, Sleetkit!" Treekit mewed kindly. "I hope you become a warrior fast, so you can mentor me!"
"But I'm not even an apprentice yet." Sleetkit pointed out.
"You will be soon."
"But I would have to finish my training in two moons!"
"You could do it."
"No, I couldn't."
"Yes, you could!"
"Couldn't!"
"Could!"
"Couldn't!"
Treekit leapt at Sleetkit and pinned her to the ground. "Could!" He yowled triumphantly.
Sleetkit heaved upward, threw Treekit off, and made a dash for the outside, only to be tripped by Grasskit.
"Oof!" Sleetkit rolled across the floor. Lilyflower leaned over and gently lifted her back onto her paws. "Thanks Lilyflower," muttered Sleetkit, embarrassed.
"You're welcome," Purred Lilyflower.
Sleetkit growled and flung herself onto Whitekit. "Eek!" She screeched. As the two sisters fought, Treekit and Seedkit charged into the fight.
"I'm an IceClan warrior and I'm gonna rip your throat out!" Whitekit yowled.
"Never!" Treekit charged into Whitekit from behind, and she squealed in surprise, then toppled over. Seedkit shoved Whitekit as soon as she had gotten back on her paws. Sleetkit saw her chance and leapt onto Whitekit's back, squashing her.
"Okay, okay, I surrender! Now get off me!" Whitekit heaved upward and Sleetkit tumbled off of her. "I'll teach you to surrender! Treekit, come on!" Sleetkit called to her friend. For a moment Treekit looked uncertain, then suddenly screeched a battle cry, and jumped on top of Sleetkit.
She let out a shocked squeal. "What are you doing Treekit?" Traitor! She thought playfully.
Whitekit prowled over and joined Treekit in the attack. Seedkit scampered off to hide behind Lilylfower with Petalkit and Grasskit.
"Hold her down," Whitekit commanded. Treekit planted his paws firmly on Sleetkit's belly. Whitekit padded closer and whispered something into Sleetkit's ear. Sleetkit nodded, purring with amusement, and used one of her hind legs to sweep Treekit's legs off of her. Treekit reared back in surprise, and fell. Then, Whitekit pounced on poor Treekit.
Just as Sleetkit scrambled up, a call rang through the cave. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Grand Pillar for a Clan meeting!"
Patchpelt gasped. "It's time!" She made an attempt to groom Sleetkit and Whitekit, and failed as each kit shook her away. The two kits dashed for the entrance. Sleetkit shared a glance with Whitekit. Lilyflower's four kits stared at the two sisters with huge eyes, as if they were StarClan warriors.
They barely paused to jump down from the nursery into the main cave. Bursting with excitement, they bounced over to the Grand Pillar where Snowstar sat, the majority of the Clan staring up at her. The Clan members sat back slightly from the pillar, leaving a half-circle where Sunpaw, Moonpaw, and Skypaw stood proudly facing Snowstar.
Patchpelt hurried towards her kits, with Lilyflower and her kits not far behind. "Wait," Patchpelt hissed as Whitekit tried to enter the half-circle. Whitekit ducked her head in embarrassment, and padded over to her mother.
"Tigerstripe, Leopardheart, Lionclaw, are you satisfied with your apprentices training, and do they know the meaning of the warrior code?"
"Yes, and Sunpaw does," Meowed Tigerstripe.
"As does Moonpaw," Agreed Leopardheart.
"And Skypaw, too" Lionclaw rumbled.
"Sunpaw, Moonpaw, Skypaw, come forward." The three apprentices padded farther into the half-circle. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and stay loyal to your Clan even at the cost of your life?"
The words "I do," resonated through the cave three times.
"Then by the power of StarClan I give you your warrior names. From this moment on you will be known as Sunstreak, Moonbeam, and Skystorm!"
"Sunstreak! Moonbeam! Skystorm!" The Clan cheered. Sleetkit thought the young warrior Nightflower was cheering especially loud. Oh! I bet they're her kits! She thought to herself.
"Whitekit, Sleetkit, come forward."
Sleetkit jumped. She hadn't noticed the cheering for the new warriors die down. "Today, there will be more than just a warrior ceremony. Patchpelt's kits have reached their sixth moon."
"Sleetkit, from now on you will be known as Sleetpaw." Sleetpaw! I'm Sleetpaw!
"Your mentor will be Lightningfur." Lightningfur? Yes! She's like the perfect warrior!
"Whitekit, from now on you will be Whitepaw. Ravenfeather, you will train her."
"Sleetpaw! Whitepaw! Sleetpaw! Whitepaw!" The Clan cheered for the two new apprentices as they touched noses with their mentors. At last! I'm an apprentice! Nothing will stand in my way to become a warrior!
No cat had noticed two gleaming amber eyes or a flash of ginger-and-white fur in the shadows, watching the apprentice ceremony. Snowpaw felt something staring at her, making her pelt burn.
She shivered.
A/N: I'm rewriting basically this entire story. The general plot will be the same, but since the general plot hasn't been really revealed at this point (since, in the old version, there're only 12 chapters) it may seem like a lot changes. Maybe not. Idk. I changed a few of the names and a lot of the beginning, since it was way too cliche and Starkit's Prophecy-like.
Sleetpaw was formerly Snowpaw; Patchpelt was formerly Rainbowfur; Songpaw was formerly Starpaw.
