Ch.2
Songkit yelped. "We should tell Featherberry and Dovesong, immediately!"
She was about to dash out the nursery when Wingkit tackled her. In her mind, something was triggered and it was desperate.
Wingkit was desperate.
"Don't," Wingkit breathed in her ear. "The worse thing that could happen is that we are exiled,"
Songkit tried to wriggle out of Wingkit's weight but she still pinned her down. "What about the best thing, huh?" Songkit shot back to her sister. "We could figure out what the prophecy means!"
Wingkit hissed. "It's always better to be on the safe side! You said so yourself!"
Wingkit leapt off Songkit and she scrambled onto her paws and gave a lick to her front forepaw.
"Promise you won't tell?" Wingkit padded up to her sister and rested muzzle on her shoulder.
Songkit shivered. "I promise Wingkit, my first loyalty will always be to you,"
"Mines too," Wingkit purred. "Even if Birdstar was dying, my first loyalty will be to you,"
"And what are you two talking about, your 'loyalty' will be to each other first?" a stern voice echoed in their ear.
Wingkit blinked up to see Bluebird snarling at them. "The warrior code clearly states that your loyalty is first to your leader, not kin,"
Songkit could see that Wingkit was desperately trying to lower her fur from fluffing out, trying not to be fearful of the queen telling on them to Featherberry.
"We were just playing a game Bluebird," Songkit attempted to save Wingkit. "We were pretending she was in FireClan and I was in BirdClan and we were going to mate each other, except in the end Birdstar and Firestar find us and we both get exiled!" Songkit finished her story, hopefully Bluebird would just think that the pledge the two had made was not real and just in a game.
"Well, if that is the case," Bluebird gave both Songkit and Wingkit a dismayed glare. "That is a horrible story, falling in love is a good thing, but you must tame it,"
"Yeah," Nightkit glared at both Songkit and Wingkit.
Songkit could feel Wingkit's muscles begin to tense and she laid a cool, calm tail on her shoulder and hissed in her ear. "I just pushed a stone of trouble off the cliff."
Wingkit then relaxed and purred in her ear. "If they think they are so good, wait until they see me fight!"
Songkit gave her sister an affection rub with her muzzle. "Want to share tongues?" to convince her sister she added. "It's almost sunhigh,"
Wingkit purred in amusement and the two began giving each other comfortable licks across the ears and neck, until they heard the call from outside. "I call for a clan meeting,"
"Stay inside Wingkit, Nightkit and Talonkit are going to watch too, so you better wait for me," yawned Bluebird, waking up from her nap and she nudged the tiny bundles of Nightkit and Talonkit who clumsily rose to their paws.
Songkit caught a giggle from Wingkit and she gave her sister a cuff on the ear.
Songkit narrowed her eyes, so much light, so many cats!
Songkit could catch a glimpse of Hawkpaw and Herontalon together, each giving each other affectionate licks, as they were father and son.
Kestrelpaw, Stormpaw and Cloudpaw were all wrestling each other, over a bet they made probably.
Featherberry was talking with Treeshadow, Songkit wrinkled her nose, the thought of her mother mating him was disgusting. She already had two kits of her own! Next to Featherberry, Sparrowwing and Flightwater were just giving their final licks of sharing tongues and Sparrowwing had just cuffed Kestrelpaw on the ear and he reluctantly left the fighting apprentices to bump into Duskcloud, who hissed at him and he scrambled near Flightwater, Kestrelpaw's mother. Duskcloud gave Kestrelpaw and poisonous glare before facing Graydawn again and chatting, though a loyal warrior, Duskcloud was crabby. Snowowl was fetching Stormpaw and Cloudpaw, her son and daughter and gave Owlclaw a flushed glance before walking to the front of the clearing. Herontalon was talking proudly to Firewing, puffing his chest, in dismay, Songkit did not want a show-off mentor, she wanted one perhaps like Skyfeather who was on the other side of the clearing, Kestrelpaw had told her that Skyfeather was going to be a queen soon but she could be just as affectionate as a mother. Lucky Wingkit!
Thrushfall and Jaywhisper were giving each other blushed faces until Robinfang stood between them both and he whispered fiercely in Jaywhisper's ear.
Birdstar stood proudly on the rock with Crowstorm next to her, on a slightly lower platform of Eagle Rock, his frosty blue eyes gleaming and with Dovesong licking her paw on a lower platform.
"We have two kits who are to become apprentices," Birdstar beckoned to Featherberry and she nudged Wingkit.
Despite being a loud, confident kit, she shyly stood on the rock and trembled to look up at Birdstar.
"Do you promise, young Wingkit, to be an apprentice, on the right path, and listen and learn the warrior code?"
Wingkit yowled. "I do!"
Mrrows of amusement were heard across the clearing like a wave, when it got near the middle it was the loudest.
Birdstar purred. "That's the spirit Wingkit!" and then she puffed her chest to look more formal again. "From now on Wingkit, you will be known as Wingpaw, Skyfeather, you will be her mentor,"
The newly named Wingpaw walked reluctantly to Skyfeather and they both dabbed noses before Wingpaw excitedly stood next to Songkit.
"It's not that hard," Wingpaw purred and she stroked Songkit comfortably with her tail.
"Maybe to you," Songkit shot back worriedly.
"Songkit," Birdstar called.
Songkit scrambled up the rock, gritting her teeth, she didn't want to look like a one-moon old kit to Herontalon!
"Songkit, do you promise to follow the code and learn it as you become an apprentice,"
Songkit was quiet, she didn't want to be a warrior! It was in her blood! And she knew Sparklestar was right all along. She could feel an instinct wavering in her.
"I…I do," stammered Songkit. She couldn't face the pressure of all the cats staring at her.
"Then from now on Songkit, you will be known as Songpaw, Herontalon, this apprentice is yours, we all know how long you were waiting for an apprentice,"
"Songpaw! Wingpaw! Songpaw! Wingpaw!" called out the cats from below.
Songpaw brushed muzzles with her sister and then Wingpaw gave her a long look. "You don't have to be a warrior apprentice, you know? I could feel it in you Songpaw, you want to become a medicine cat apprentice, don't you?"
Songpaw gasped. "How do you know, you possibly can't know! I was only thinking it!"
Wingpaw shrugged. "I just feel it in you, it was like picking a mouse full of maggots off the fresh kill pile,"
Songpaw brushed muzzles again with Wingpaw. "Well, I'm not sure about it, I'll think about it,"
Wingpaw gave her a lick across the ear. "I'll be happy, whatever choice you make, Songpaw,"
"Songpaw, Wingpaw!" Skyfeather and Herontalon yowled. "We want you for border patrol, we'll teach you around the boundaries together,"
Songpaw and Wingpaw grinned and they raced each other to Herontalon and Skyfeather.
"Hey a mouse!" Wingpaw dropped into a crouch and she stalked it carefully. Wingpaw leapt at it and caught it with one paw.
"Great catch," Songpaw brushed her muzzle against Wingpaw.
"What are you guys doing?" Skyfeather arrived near the two apprentices.
"Wingpaw caught a mouse!" Songpaw affectionately licked her sister.
"Great job," commented Skyfeather. "You did well Wingpaw, bury it here, we'll pick it up later,"
Songpaw and Wingpaw followed Skyfeather and Herontalon until they came to a stop.
"Stand on the rock, go, it'll fit both of you," Herontalon nudged his apprentice.
Wingpaw and Songpaw gave each other a glance before reluctantly standing on the tall rock.
A burst of wind buffeted Songpaw but then it cleared and she could see the moorlands, the forest and the lake in the middle.
"Wow!" Wingpaw exclaimed.
"Isn't it beautiful Wingpaw?" Songpaw rubbed her muzzle against her sister.
"Yeah," admitted Wingpaw. "You could easily see an intruder from here!"
Wingpaw and Songpaw leapt off the rock to see Herontalon and Skyfeather looking at them.
"Well?" Skyfeather questioned, her blue eyes gleaming.
"It's beautiful!" burst Songpaw. "You can see the moor and the lake and the territory of Woodsclan!"
Herontalon let out a purr. "My apprentice is thoughtful, a great quality for a medicine cat,"
Songpaw felt a wave of instinct waver over her. Medicine cat! Herbs!
"But that rock is great for spotting intruders, isn't it?" Wingpaw looked up at her mentor Skyfeather.
"That is correct, Wingpaw," purred Skyfeather. "That is why this rock is called Guardwatcher, when apprentices become warriors they watch from this rock,"
"I'll be the greatest warrior any clan has ever seen!" Wingpaw boasted leaping onto the rock and her blue eyes gleamed.
Skyfeather purred. "That's the spirit, Wingpaw,"
Songpaw grinned at her sister.
"Okay, let's continue our journey, this is the edge of BirdClan territory, where you stand,"
"And look," Skyfeather flicked her tail across Wingpaw's face.
"That's a FireClan patrol!" exclaimed Herontalon and he padded up to the border.
"Hello Redclaw," Herontalon formally nodded to the ginger tom.
"Hello Herontalon, is everything fine in your clan?" the tom next to him asked.
"Everything is fine Tigerstripe," purred Skyfeather. "Is everything nice in your clan?"
"Yes," answered Tigerstripe. "This is my apprentice, Sunpaw, he became an apprentice a moon ago,"
"These are our apprentices," purred Herontalon. "This is mine, Songpaw,"
"Hi," Songpaw mewed shyly a memory flickered in her head and she remembered being licked roughly by a kitten, whose pelt gleamed like the sun. This must be the Sunkit in her memory!
Sunpaw nodded curtly.
"This is my apprentice, Wingpaw," Skyfeather licked her apprentice.
Wingpaw dipped her head towards the senior clan warriors.
"Is she the daughter of Blackwing?" asked Tigerstripe quietly.
Songpaw's fur bristled at the mention of her father's name.
"Yeah, he's my dad," Wingpaw answered back with quietness.
Tigerstripe nodded. "We were just here for a border patrol,"
"I see," Herontalon was all stiff. "Okay let's go," they turned around from the FireClan's border patrol.
"Okay, we'll learn how to catch prey," Skyfeather announced. "Show me your crouches, both of you,"
Songpaw dropped into a crouch trying to copy Wingpaw's, hers was obviously better.
"Pretend, I'm a squirrel," Herontalon nodded. "Stalk me,"
Wingpaw let each black paw slink in front of her and she leapt at Herontalon easily bringing him to the ground.
"Great job Wingpaw!" exclaimed Herontalon. "Nice leap too!"
"Thanks," purred Wingpaw and she nudged Songpaw. "You can do it Songpaw,"
Songpaw gritted her teeth and dropped into a crouch and managed to land a clumsy pounce on Herontalon.
"That's good enough," commented Herontalon as he shook fallen leaves from his pelt.
"Okay, whoever catches more prey gets first pick from the fresh-kill pile,"
"This sounds like competition," Wingpaw glanced at Songpaw.
"Ready? GO!" yowled Skyfeather.
The two dashed off like hares and Songpaw easily caught the scent of a squirrel, and eagerly chased it up a tree, keeping her mouth slightly open.
"Songpaw, what are you doing?" Herontalon yowled.
The sound of Herontalon was drowned out of her ear as she slowly tried to stalk the squirrel.
"What's going on?" Skyfeather arrived next to Herontalon her fur stood on an end.
"It's Songpaw, she's so high in the tree that I can't call her back down!" Herontalon ended his sentence desperately.
Songpaw did not even hear the cry of her own sister from below and as she scrambled the tree Songpaw still did not notice her and she leapt for the squirrel.
"No SONGPAW!" yowled Wingpaw.
Songpaw gave a startled yowl as she started hurtling towards the ground and that was the last thing she saw before she blacked out.