Okay, I know this series is called Tabby Stripes, and Ivykit isn't a tabby, but most calicos do have ginger tabby patches. And besides, it is just a name. And book 2 and 3 will consist of cats that are tabbies, if it bugs anyone. Oh, and I may post the next 2. They may contain a few spoilers like if a cat dies or gets a warrior name, but they are not required to be read in order. I will post the last book when i finish the other 3 though. It will contain major spoilers for all three books and will cnclude the series.
Ivykit's paws felt like they were moving through mud; heavy and tired. Finally, she slid into the familiar den where she had grown up next to her mother and brothers. The only thing missing was Oakkit, the largest of her litter. Even though she knew she was only dreaming, she had guessed he would not be here. She had not contacted him at all in her dreams, though this particular dream seemed to reoccur every nigh as if telling her something.
Ivykit laid down in her usual nest. She closed her eyes. When she blinked them open again, everything was back to normal. Pale sunlight filtered in from the entrance, and Mousekit was curled next to her, his chest rising and falling gently. Daisypelt's nest was empty, but still warm. Ivykit prodded her brother gently.
"What?" He groaned, rolling onto his back to look at her with sleepy eyes.
"I'm going outside." Ivykit mewed, stretching. Mousekit rolled his eyes.
"Thanks for letting me know." He grumbled.
Ivykit slid out the nursery entrance, pausing for a moment to soak up the warming rays of the morning sun. Surprisingly, the camp was already bustling with activity. Featherpaw and Rainpaw were play fighting in the shade. Lilypaw and Mallowstripe padded towards the elders' den with sticks covered in wet moss. Even Cloudpelt and Silverclaw were out of their den, their pelts brushing as they shared tongues.
"Catch Ivykit!" Ivykit turned around just in time to be hit with a dusty mouse. She toppled over, blinking in surprise.
"Sorry." Dapplekit's tortoiseshell pelt glowed in the sun as she looked at the older kit. A familiar dark ginger tom bounded over to retrieve the mouse.
"I told you to catch." He mewed through the freshkill.
"Be nice Firekit!" Specklekit mewed, joining them. Her tail lashed back and forth. Firekit was the same age as Ivykit and her brother, though he acted more like Specklekit and Dapplekit, who were only just four moons. "Are you alright?" She added toward Ivykit.
"Of course I am." She replied, standing up and shaking herself. "Have any of you seen Daisypelt?" She added.
"Her and Morningspirit went to talk to Robinstar, tough I don't know why." Lilypaw mewed. Ivykit hadn't noticed her join them. Lilypaw was the oldest of the apprentices. Her siblings, Swiftclaw and Shadowpelt, had gotten their warrior names not more then a moon ago. Unlike them, Lilypaw had chosen to be a medicine cat, but she too would soon have her full name.
"I think they went to talk about our apprentice ceremony." Firekit's voice was barely audible through the mouse, which he had decided to eat on his own. Excitement flared through Ivykit's paws.
"Do you think it will be today?" She asked him. He shrugged.
"How should I know?" He grumbled as he took another bite.
"It is about time. It seems like you three have been kits far too long." Lilypaw purred. Ivykit nodded. She felt the same way. At times it had seemed like Robinstar would never hold their apprentice ceremony.
"I wonder who my mentor is going to be." Ivykit wondered aloud.
"A mentor is a mentor." Dapplekit shrugged.
"Yeah. I wish we were becoming apprentices." Specklekit purred, licking a paw and drawing it over her ear.
"I can wait. Apprentices have to clean out the elders' den." Dapplekit mewled, trying to swipe the half-eaten mouse from Firekit. He picked it up and trotted a good distance away, settling down again in the shade where he continued to eat. "You eat as much as Whitefoot!" She hissed.
"As much as who?" Dapplekit whirled around in surprise, her eyes wide and fearful. Her fur fluffed up as she looked into the angry eyes of the dark tabby.
"I-I-I didn't mean it that way." She stammered. Whitefoot's eyes narrowed, but she padded away with a lash of her tail.
"I hate kits." She grumbled as she left.
"That was scary." Dapplekit mewled with a shiver.
Ivykit stopped paying attention. The dawn patrol was returning, looking grave. Immediately, Robinstar poked her head out of her den, murmured something, and bounded down the few boulders leading up to her den in the Hightree. She met up with the patrol quickly, her eyes betraying the unheard words coming from her mouth. Ivykit trotted to the freshkill pile, which was closer to the conversing cats, and pretended she was searching for freshkill to eat.
"We followed the scent all the way to the stream, and then it disappeared. Other then the paw prints and scent, we found no evidence of trespassing." Nightstorm reported. Beside him, his old apprentice Swiftclaw sat wordlessly, while Redfur and Heatherstripe exchanged an odd glance.
"we will have to keep an eye out. For now, we will add extra patrols around the borders with GustClan and DarkClan. If any cat is trespassing, we are sure to find them with extra patrols." Robinstar meowed. Nightstorm nodded respectfully. Satisfied, Robinstar turned to Ravenwhisker, who had appeared at her side. "As I said, add extra patrols." She reminded him. He looked uncertain.
"Our clan is small. We have no cats for extra patrols. We barely have enough to send out a hunting patrol at the same time as a border patrol." He pointed out. Robinstar twitched her ear.
"These are hard times for our Clan. The other Clans know this. We cannot let them see our weakness. We must prove to them that we are strong, and that we can survive on our own." She meowed. Glancing over, Ivykit noticed a glint in her eyes. The she-kit tried to comprehend what it meant, but she could not.
"Are you going to take something or not?" The purr was proud and playful, not hostile or accusing. Ivykit flattened her ears in embarrassment as she turned to look at her father. Wolftail purred. "I know you are curious, but the time comes for a cat to tell the whole Clan of things that are happening. Unless it is one of those times, I suggest you ignore a private conversation." He advised, giving her a gentle lick on the forehead.
"I will, and I'm sorry." Ivykit mewed.