Apprenticeship
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge. It is time to fulfill a promise I made to four of our kits," Firestar yowled from the ledge.
All the ThunderClan gathered around. Millie, still knew to the Clan, followed Graystripe uncertainly.
"I gather you all for one of my favorite duties. Crescentkit, Spottedkit, Littlekit, and Firekit have reached their sixth moon." Murmurs and whispers filled the Clan as the four mischievous kits padded over to Firestar.
"They have had quite a life as a kit," Firestar said, causing many to chuckle and snicker, "and I hope that in the future, they will use their talents for the benefit for the clan, not for their own amusement."
"Crescentkit!" he called. Crescentkit, with his head held high, padded proudly over.
"From this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be Crescentpaw."
"Crescentpaw! Crescentpaw! Crescentpaw!" the now not-so-youngest apprentices Icepaw and Foxpaw yowled first. Everyone else joined in.
"Graystripe." Graystripe padded over to Firestar and dipped his head.
"You mentored Brackenfur, and he is a credit to his clan. Now ThunderClan asks you to prove yourself once more a great mentor. I trust you to pass on all you have learned to Crescentpaw and help him become a warrior to be proud of."
Graystripe padded over to Crescentpaw and touched noses.
Then they sat down side by side.
"Spottedkit!" Spottedkit calmly padded over, but her tail was trembling with excitement.
"From this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be Spottedpaw."
"Spottedpaw! Spottedpaw! Spottedpaw!" yowled her siblings loudly.
"Sorreltail." Sorreltail went up to the new apprentice.
"I trust you to pass on all you have learned to Spottedpaw and help her become a warrior to be proud of."
Sorreltail and Spottedpaw touched noses and returned to the crowd. Firestar yowled the next kit's name.
"Littlekit!" The small black kit crept slowly up, keeping his head down.
"From this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be Littlepaw."
"Littlepaw! Littlepaw! Littlepaw!" Leafpool began. Other cats soon joined in.
"Brightheart." The one eyed she-cat apprentice at Littlepaw's side.
"I trust you to pass on all you have learned to Littlepaw and help him become a warrior to be proud of."
Brightheart and Littlepaw awkwardly touched noses.
"Don't worry, you'll do fine," Brightheart reassured.
Littlepaw gulped but nodded.
"And finally, Firekit."
Firekit, in all her excitement, bound through the group of cats, her eyes dancing and her tail whooshing to and for.
Finally she reached Firestar, and stood there, shaking like a leaf.
Firestar chuckled as he said, "From this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be Firepaw."
"Firepaw! Firepaw! Firepaw!" the whole clan yowled loudly, especially Leafpool.
Firestar whipped his tail and silenced the over excited crowd. "And for her mentor, I shall teach her."
Firepaw jumped up and touched noses with Firestar. "I looking forward to training with you," Firestar commented.
Firepaw beamed, unable to contain her joy.
The next morning, Firepaw rose as early as she could.
She glanced around her and stretched. The cold stone under her pads gave her the sense of silence.
Firestar emerged from his den and spotted his new apprentice. "Ah, greetings Firepaw," the leader mewed to his apprentice. Firepaw puffed out her chest importantly. "Good morning Firestar sir. I am ready to begin my training."
Firestar smiled and purred, "Good. We'll do that later. Right now, I must speak with your siblings' mentors."
Firepaw looked at him curiously. "Why?"
Firestar only smiled and padded away. "You'll see."
Firepaw tilted her head and shrugged and padded off back to the apprentice den.
Firestar woke Graystripe, Brightheart, and Sorreltail. Then he whispered his master plan to them privately. Each nodded and set out to do their parts.
This would be fun.
Later:
Firepaw slammed hard into a tree as her body glided past the mouse she was suppose to catch. Firestar flinched and grimaced as Firepaw lifted herself up and shook her head, dazed.
"Firepaw," her mentor meowed calmly, "maybe we should try something a little easier. Obviously hunting isn't your thing."
"I can't aim right!" Firepaw yowled angrily. "Darn it, why can't I hit one tiny mouse?"
"Maybe that's because you and your siblings have been too busy attacking Jaypaw to play with a moss ball."
"Maybe," Firepaw mumbled. Firestar flicked his tail, and Firepaw followed him obediently back to camp.
"Empty handed?" Firestar's deputy, Brambleclaw, asked. Firestar nodded. When Firepaw padded past Brambleclaw, she could have sworn she saw him glare at her. A shiver ran down her spine.
Firestar suddenly stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Stay here. I forgot to mention something to Brambleclaw." Then he padded to Brambleclaw, and the two disappeared in the leader's den.
Firepaw sharpened her claws on the hard stone beneath her paws and looked around. Surprisingly, she noticed that she was sitting right next to the medicine cat den.
Cautiously, she peeked in. No one was there. She sniffed. Stale. She quickly glanced at Firestar's den. No movement.
Her fur rising on end, Firepaw casually padded past the medicine cat den. When she was sure she was out of the den's sight, she charged into the medicine cat den and grabbed the first herbs she saw. She burst out of the den and ran at top speed into the apprentice den.
Her mouth dropped.
Firestar, Brambleclaw, and Leafpool were waiting for her.
"I told you," Firestar mewed, chuckling.
"W-what?" Firepaw asked uncertainly.
"You past the test," Leafpool explained.
"What test?" Firepaw questioned.
"The test set out for your new training," Brambleclaw informed. "After seeing how well you and your siblings can steal something without being noticed, Firestar decided to harness that power."
"Rather than teach you hunting skills," Firestar continued, "I will train your mind. Each of you as a gift that must be put to good use. Crescentpaw has strength and bulk. Spottedpaw uses strategy and leadership. Littlepaw has caution and memory. And you have your mind and passion."
"I need you to explain that one more time," Firepaw mewed nervously.
Firestar sighed and repeated. "Okay, I'll list each of your and your siblings' talents. Crescentpaw has physical power and muscles. He is a natural hunter and fighter. Spottedpaw uses her mind mostly. She has strategy, she plans things out, she has logic. She's a natural leader. She is the mind behind Crescentpaw's body. Littlepaw is the voice of reason. He thinks before he speaks, he has caution, he thinks about safety and weighs the opinions before choosing. He has excellent memory. He is the flag for your siblings. You have passion, strength in the heart, and a clever mind. You do not think ahead, but you are good at improvising and making things up as you go. You are like a fire, relentless and reckless. You are the movement within your siblings. You get them going, and you keep them going."
"Really?" Firepaw asked.
Firestar nodded.
"Where one of you is weak, another is strong," Brambleclaw mewed. "So remember these pointers."
"And how's mine and my siblings' training going to change?"
"Well, I will focus more on your mind and heart. Though you have passion and compassion, you tend to jump into things without a second thought. That's why you're not too good at hunting," Firestar stated.
"If Jaypaw wasn't my apprentice," Leafpool mewed, "I would have chosen Littlepaw as my apprentice. He has the making of a medicine cat, that's for sure. He remembers everything to the finest detail. Though, his training will focus more on his hesitation."
"As for Crescentpaw, Graystripe will focus on increasing his gray matter," Brambleclaw moawed. "He's more bulk than brain."
Firepaw purred in laughter and asked, "And my sister Spottdepaw? What will she do?"
"Sorreltail will have her spent time with Hollypaw. The two can learn together, making things easier for us," Firestar answered. "Now, to put that herb back." He pointed to the herb that had been dropped.
"Oops," Firepaw mewed nervously. She picked up the herb and returned it to the medicine den.
Firestar met her at the entrance, and they headed out for training.
"So, Firestar," Firepaw began, "if I can't hunt well, how do we fix it?"
"I have some ideas," Firestar answered. "I was thinking of making you think of something different when you're ready to pounce."
Much later:
"Now, think of the mouse as an herb," Firestar murmured into Firepaw's ears. "Think of Jaypaw guarding it, and you must sneak up on him to grab the herb."
Firepaw nodded and slowly crept forward. Soon, she was in lunging distance between the mouse. Flexing her claws, she narrowed her eyes and aimed. Then she lunged like a speeding rabbit.
Bam! She pounced and killed the mouse in one move. Smiling boldly, she picked up her prize and presented it to Firestar. Her mentor smiled and nodded his head in approval.
"Good work," he complemented.
Firepaw felt her chest welled up with pride.