Because I have tons of work to do, I probably won't update soon, so here's chapter 4 before I do those things!
Lol I keep having to check back on chapter 3 for all the mentor names.
Gingerpaw could feel the whole Clan's eyes on him as he leaped off the Skyrock. Some cats came over to congratulate him as he made his way to Silentstrike. Touching noses with her, he went to sit beside Blackbird and Hazelpaw.
"Hi, Gingerpaw," said Hazelpaw sarcastically. "What's up with you?"
Now that he thought about it, Hazelpaw and Blackbird were among the cats that had not risen to congratulate him. Hazelpaw wasn't expected to, of course, since she had been made an apprentice in the same Clan meeting. But surely Blackbird had no excuse, as well as the rest who did not say anything to all five apprentices? Gingerpaw wondered if Blackbird had even congratulated his own apprentice.
Blackbird stood up, as well as the grey she-cat near him. "I'm going with Wolfheart," he meowed, and padded away with the grey cat, their tails twined.
"What a responsible mentor you are!" Hazelpaw called after Blackbird.
Gingerpaw flicked his tail towards them. "And what's up with them?"
"Wolfheart and Blackbird are mates, and she's expecting his kits," mewed Hazelpaw. "I'm quoting him, by the way. I'm not sure what kits are. They're kittens, I guess. Are you an idiot, or just blind?"
Gingerpaw ignored the last part.
"Hi, Jason-no, Gingerpaw," called Daisypaw as she bounded over to join her younger siblings. "Talking about your new name, why did you call yourself Ginger?" she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.
Gingerpaw could understand why she did that. It would be weird if five cats travelling together didn't even know each other's names.
"Yeah, why?" added Lionpaw, coming over to join him.
"I'll leave all of you to talk," said Silentstrike, rising up and heading off to somewhere in the snowy clearing. Gingerpaw's gaze followed her as she slipped inside a barely visible hole, piled with snow on top.
"Well?" came a new voice. Gingerpaw turned around to find himself face to face with the glittering amber eyes of Ivypaw.
Gingerpaw realized all of his siblings were waiting for an answer. "Okay, fine. I named myself Ginger since that's my colour. And it's better than being called Jasonpaw."
"Couldn't you have called yourself Jay then, since it's the first syllable of your name and cats are bound to know what jays are?" asked Lionpaw.
"Oh yes. I never thought of that," mumbled Gingerpaw, looking down at his paws.
There was a snort from Hazelpaw, and the sound of fur swishing against fur as Ivypaw covered her sister's mouth with her black and white tail. That was something unexpected of the tortoiseshell's mild character. Silencing Hazelpaw was suicidal.
Before Hazelpaw could do anything, much to the relief of four apprentices, a white she-cat bounded over. "Hi, I'm Moonlight," she meowed. "I'm LightningClan's deputy, which means I do things like arrange patrols and give advice to Froststar when she needs it. Patrols are groups of cats who either hunt or mark borders together. Those who hunt and carry prey back are the hunting patrols, and those who leave scent markers are the border patrols," Moonlight added hastily as Daisypaw gave her a curious look.
"Leave scent markers?" asked Lionpaw.
"Oh. We leave our scent by brushing against trees or bushes," The white cat informed him. "Froststar sent me to show you around the territory. She wanted to give your mentors some rest. With most of our cats sick, we need all the warriors right now."
"Warriors?" asked Hazelpaw. Her green eyes betrayed excitement and Gingerpaw knew she was eager to be one.
"Warriors," repeated Moonlight. "They are cats who hunt and fight for our Clan. You are all warriors-in-training, apprentices. Except for you, Ivypaw. I think Froststar has told you what you are to learn. Let me show you the medicine cat's den. I think Duskwatcher is inside mixing herbs."
With that said, the deputy turned and beckoned the apprentices forward. Gingerpaw took a tentative step. The snow was cold, and each time he put a paw in front, it sank deep into the snow. It didn't help that his legs were short and fluffy.
Daisypaw overtook all of her siblings with ease, tailing Moonlight without effort. Out of all the apprentices, her legs were the longest. Gingerpaw wondered if it had to do with the fact that she was the oldest among them, save for Moonlight, who was also running strongly.
Gingerpaw finally managed to get through the snow to Moonlight. Moments later, Lionpaw appeared beside him. "Third," he panted. Typical, thought Gingerpaw. His brother was so competitive.
Hazelpaw appeared next, followed by Ivypaw, who had the shortest legs of all.
"Inside this hole," directed Moonlight, disappearing into a dark hole covered by the snow. The apprentices followed, shaking their pelts.
The hole let in some sunlight, and Gingerpaw could see the entire underground den. There were leaves and stems all piled up on the ground with stones serving as dividers between individual piles of herbs.
Next to the piles, sat Duskwatcher. "Welcome to my den," he mewed, his eyes shining in the pale light. "Ivypaw, this will be your home from now on. See those leaves and stems there? Those are the herbs I use for healing."
The golden tom was talking mostly to Ivypaw, realized Gingerpaw. Well, he couldn't blame him for wanting to teach his apprentice.
"Duskwatcher, we have to get on if we want to explore the whole territory before sunset," mewed Moonlight gently but firmly. Duskwatcher didn't protest, and Moonlight led the group out.
"There's the warriors' den," she pointed with her tail. "And the apprentices' den's under that bush. Gingerpaw, Hazelpaw, Daisypaw and Lionpaw, you'll be sleeping there. Ivypaw'll sleep in the medicine cat's den."
Gingerpaw wasn't sure he liked the idea of that. All five of them had always been together.
"I'll show you the territory outside camp," mewed Moonlight, and took off again with her tail streaming behind her. Gingerpaw couldn't help but admire the way she ran without effort.
Outside, she skidded to a halt. "I can't take you on a full tour today," she mewed. "But I can point them out. It's sunset soon, and after that we wouldn't be able to see anything in the dark."
She proceeded to point with her tail. "There's the herb garden," she murmured. "It was left by some Twolegs. Duskwatcher takes good care of the plants, and he gets his herbs there. Oh, and there's the Great Hole. No cat knows how it got there, but it's a good hiding spot for mice and voles. So we can catch plenty of prey there in Greenleaf."
"Greenleaf?" asked Daisypaw.
"The hottest season. The best season for catching prey too," answered Moonlight. "It's also the time when most Twolegs are spotted. The pink creatures that walk on two legs."
She must mean humans, thought Gingerpaw.
Moonlight wasn't done yet. "After the Great Hole, there's a waterfall which is known as the Rushing Falls. According to Duskwatcher, it's the best place to find water mint, the best cure for bellyache," the white cat said to Ivypaw. The tortoiseshell nodded.
"And that tiny red spot there," added Moonlight, "Is the Forest of Blood. It's not really blood, but the plants there all have red flowers. Some plants have red leaves instead. It's also the best place to catch birds in Greenleaf, when all the flowers are blooming. And that stream, we call the Stream of Emotions since its water is so clear it reflects the sky so vividly. It's where we get water."
Gingerpaw looked towards the Stream of Emotions. The water reflected the sunset so clearly and beautifully. It was indeed a worthy name.
Moonlight seemed to notice the sunset too and mewed, "Oh, it's sunset already. Your mentors will show you the rest of the territory and actually let you go to those places. I'll report back to Froststar now. All of you should get some rest."
Gingerpaw followed Moonlight back to camp with Hazelpaw in front of him and Daisypaw behind him. His paws tingled with the prospect of exploring the territory the next day as he looked up at the quarter-moon beginning to appear in the sky, becoming clearer and clearer to make out as the sky dimmed around the fast-setting sun.