Apprenticeship

"Stormfur, You will mentor Nightpaw, Sorreltail, you will mentor Skypaw, Birchfall you will mentor Ravenpaw, and Brooke, you will mentor Lilypaw." Firestar called Lilypaw looked up in astonishment; the Tribe she-cat was going to mentor her? She was very surprised, but pleased.

"We should all go sweet the territory first." Brooke said in her exotic tone. Lilypaw purred her pleasure. She had grown a lot, and was now almost as big as her siblings, but not quite. They all walked out together, then deciding their patrol was too big, they she-cats split off. Lilypaw, Skypaw Brooke and Sorreltail were enjoying the patrol when they scented Windclan over the border. The she-cats raced there, Lilypaw felt her blood boiling in her veins, and fear thrilled though her. She was barley out of the nursery!

"Crowfeather?" came Sorreltail's surprised snarl, coupled by Skypaw's. Brooke and Lilypaw were less hostile but still, not inviting. There was a blackish gray tom with ice blue eyes. Aside from the eye color, and fur length, Hollypaw was a spitting image of him.

″What do you want here, Crowfeather." Brooke's voice was more gentle and kind, but still demanding.

″I... I heard that an un-named She-cat had kits, and those kits were made apprentices. I've been wanting to see them. And now I've finally brought up the gumption."

″Why do you want to see these kits?" Sorreltail growled.

″I know they're mine and Leaf pool's." he said simply. Skypaw snarled and lowered her dappled head, a thundering of foot steps sounded, and Birchfall and Stormfur followed by their apprentices came from the brush, Birchfall stomped right up to him and stuck his nose into the taller Tom's face,

″You have no buissees saying something like that!"

″I do, why would Firestar not say which She-cat had kits, and didn't say their names until they were apprenticed. They weren't at the gathering, even though most of the time, when an kit is apprenticed, they are at the gathering that full moon." Crowfeather explained. Lilypaw could sent the furry rolling off his flanks, but he kept his calm very well. ″I promise, Windclan will never know, I will not demand taking them back to Windclan with me. I just want to meet them." He assured the four warriors and four apprentices.

″Skypaw, go back to camp and tell Leafpool and Firestar that we're bringing Crowfeather back with us." Sorretail said. Skypaw nodded and darted through the trees. they sat there and waited, so Skypaw could be there before they were.

″You know, I guess your kind of my uncle." Lilypaw stepped forward and purred. Crowfeather looked dowm and she noticed that his icy eyes were very sad,

″Oh? Who is your mother?"

″Squirrelflight. My father is Ashfur. I'm Lilypaw, and these are my brothers, Nightpaw and Ravenpaw. The she cat that just left, Skypaw is my sister." Lilypaw explained.

″That's nice. I was very good friend with your mother on the great journey. What ever happened to Brambleclaw?" he directed this latest question to Stormfur.

″Uh... He's not around anymore..." He said simply.

″What? Did he die?" Crowfeather's eyes went wide.

″No. he became a rouge." Sorreltail said curtly,

″Come on lets go." She lead the way, Lilypaw and Nightpaw were on either side of Crowfeather, Birchfall behind and Brooke and Stormfur flanking the apprentices.

Once they got to clamp, there was some hisses of disapproval, and a couple mows of confusion. Leafpool, her kits and Firestar were sitting in the middle of the clearing.

″You promise, you wont take these Apprentices?"

″I swear on Starclan." Crowfeather promised.

″Alright then." Firestar stepped aside, and Leafpool stepped forward, and touched noses with Crowfeather. Lilypaw gasped, because what she saw startled her, her vision went black except for Crowfeather and Leafpool. They weren't the color of cats though. They both glowed like the sun, the longer they touched, the more the color intensified. When they broke apart, everything went back to normal. Lilypaw shook her head in confusion and watched as Crowfeather met his sons and daughter.

″I...I'm Hollypaw." the black apprentice shuffled her paws, ″Brackenfur is my mentor."

″I'm Lionpaw. Ashfur is my mentor." the golden tabby's eyes blazed with challenge, and pride.

″Yeah, I'm Jaypaw. Leafpool is my mentor." the gray tabby tom growled, looking sightlessly at the ground.

″Why don't you look at me, Jaypaw?" Crowfeather asked, seeing slightly hurt.

″What good would it do? I'm blind." he snarled.

″Oh. I'm sorry it sound like a touchy subject." Crowfeather's shoulders bristled slightly, and Lilypaw could sense the anger from the apprentice's disrespect. Lilypaw giggled.

″Hey whats so funny?" Ravenpaw tipped his head.

″I can see where Jaypaw got his prickly-ness." Lilypaw purred at her brother.

″What do you mean? Crowfeather doesn't look mad." Ravenpaw meowed.

″But he smells mad."

″You cant smell anger. Only fear." Ravenpaw scoffed.

″Well I can." Lilypaw's shoulder's bristled in contempt.

″Well, you all look strong. I cant let Windclan know that you share my blood, or they may try and take you from your mother. So, I will see you at the gathering, Lionpaw, Hollypaw, Jaypaw." The black tom touched each apprentice on the top of the head, and Lilypaw saw again, the glowing color of the cats. But the odd thing was, it was only Crowfeather who glowed with that yelowee sun color. Jaypaw was a color of roses that reminded her of anger, Hollypaw was a kind of gray that reminded her of indecision, and Lionpaw was green, a color that reminded her of hope. What was happening to her? Why was she seeing things that weren't there?

Hey there, you can call me Foxshine, I'm thrilled to see good reviews, and to Minycool1 especially, I know that Brambleclaw was wayyy out of character, but for the purposes of this story, that's how it had to be. and same with Crowfether being way out of character here too. and, Jaypaw, Hollypaw and lionpaw will all have different personalities, since they're growing up knowing their parents.

Ok, Question of the day: what is your Warrior name?

-Foxshine