Hello, everyone! I know something surprising has happened in Everything but Nothing, but right now you'll just have to settle with the third chapter of Phoenix. :P Enjoy!
California Rain: I'll change those, thanks! :)
SakuraFlutist: Thank you! :)
Spottedfire98: Thanks! And aww, you have a kitten and it's taking a nap on your arm? Cute! 3
Silverwing: Yeah, Birchstep really should be nicer to his kits. But that's the way the story goes. *sighs*
Smurflover: Don't worry, I updated Everything but Nothing yesterday (as you saw) and I'm still going to! :D And yes, I'm glad that my dad isn't that mean, too! :)
Cherrynose: Thanks! You accidentally reviewed Chapter 1 thrice, though. Oh, well.
Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors. Wow, a lot of my reviewers' names start with "S". 0.o -*random thought*
Chapter 3: Grooming
Life goes on and LeafClan slowly recovers from the loss of Oakpelt. Ravenwing has become best friends with Whispersong, as the medicine cat always had a comforting word for the black she-cat whenever she thought of Oakpelt. Whispersong's brother, Grayfeather, had died two moons ago, and so she felt a kinship with Ravenwing.
And friendship is built off of kind words and connections, is it not? But friendship is all I have, I remind myself of my promise as I pad out of the apprentices' den two sunrises after Oakpelt's death. Casting that thought aside, I slowly stretch outside of the den, and then begin grooming myself.
It's my apprentice ceremony today, and as I have no mother or father who will lick my fur to perfection, I will have to do it myself. The sun warms my back as I slowly smooth down my chest fur, then my legs and paws. Then Tigerkit surprises me by sneaking up behind me while I'm working on my ears.
`"What are you doing?" His voice is laced with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
I stop licking and turn around to face him. "Grooming," I reply casually.
His nose wrinkles. "Why?"
"Because it's my apprentice ceremony, that's why."
"It's mine, too," Tigerkit says unnecessarily.
"Duh." I resume my licking, grooming my tail until it gleams like a snake's scales, looking like a sinuous ginger-colored serpent. I wave my groomed-to-perfection tail at him. "See? It's called grooming. So you look good for your apprentice ceremony." I eye him. "Which you don't, by the way."
Tigerkit huffs. "You're supposed to loathe being groomed for an apprentice ceremony. That's what always happens."
"Says who?
"Says me."
"Your opinion doesn't matter." I finish up licking and stand up. "There, I'm done. I look great and you look like a drowned mouse."
"Hey!" He knows I don't mean it, though, and there's a teasing light in his eyes. I glance at him—dark brown tabby fur, dancing green eyes, with a smile tugging at the side of his mouth. For a moment my heartbeat speeds up and my promise is forgotten, but then Brightsky pads out of the nursery, and the moment is broken. Ashkit, Lilackit, Petalkit, and Darkkit follow at her heels.
I'm berating myself. You stupid head, it's only been two days and already you're forgetting what you told yourself. Do I really have such a weak will? I steel myself. Remember Birchstep and Ravenwing.
My foster mother looks at me, pleased. "You're groomed already!" I tug myself away from my thoughts and force a smile onto my face.
"Yep! I woke up early and since it's my apprentice ceremony, I want to look good for it," I explain.
Brightsky nods, smiling. "Very good, Amberkit." Then she glances at Tigerkit, who's now sitting next to me, and a frown appears on her face. "Tigerkit!"
The dark brown tabby tom-kit looks up, instantly on alert. "Wh-at?" he stammers, scrambling to his paws.
"You're not groomed!" Brightsky reprimands. "Look at Amberkit, she's practically shining." She takes a moment to gaze fondly at me, then turns her attention back to the now cowering Tigerkit. "And you—you look like a drowned mouse!"
"That's what I said," I quip under my breath, making sure only Tigerkit can hear me. He gives me the evil eye, and I smirk back at him before he vanishes under a flurry of licking from his mother. Brightsky's licking is punctuated with comments as she grooms her son.
"Look at the state of your fur!" Lick, lick. "And would you look at those ears?" Lick, lick. "Your father would be so ashamed." Lick, lick. "I'm so glad I got to you before your apprentice ceremony!" Lick, lick.
I snigger behind my paw. Apparently Ashkit, Lilackit, Petalkit, and Darkkit agree with me, for they're all holding back laughs while shakily grooming themselves. When Brightsky turns around, she'll be pleased to find all the rest of her kits, foster ones or not, licked to perfection.
Petalkit, Lilackit, Darkkit, and Ashkit just finish grooming themselves before Brightsky deems Tigerkit worthy to become an apprentice. The light brown she-cat turns around to find five kits, including me, sitting before her with gleaming pelts.
"Look, you groomed yourselves!" she exclaims with delight. "That way I don't have to track you down and hold you to the ground while licking you." There's a glimmer in her eye that tells us that she's not kidding. We all exchange glances, silently agreeing that grooming ourselves was a good option.
Behind Brightsky, Tigerkit looks steaming mad. His eyes find mine and silently promise, I will get you back for this later. I stick my tongue out at him when Brightsky's examining Lilackit, making sure that the space between her ears is clean, and Tigerkit manages to look even more furious.
Oh, yes. This is fun.
Brightsky finishes looking over my sister and judges that the rest of us are groomed properly. She then sits beside Darkkit, a slight proud smile on her face, waiting for the apprentice ceremony to begin.
I look at my foster mother, and a sudden burst of warmth inside my chest surprises me. I love Brightsky, and she loves me. When I promised myself that I wouldn't love, I didn't mean not feeling warmth for Brightsky, or Lilackit or Ashkit, or even Birchstep. Just…not having a mate.
Eying Tigerkit and Darkkit, I conclude that it's not such a big loss. There's another tom-kit, though: Graykit. His sister is Cloudkit, a white she-kit. Their mother is Doveflight, and I'm pretty sure their father is Breezetail.
Remembering another reason why Brightsky is a good mother, I smile. It must have been hard for her, having to nurse six kits. Tigerkit, Darkkit, and Petalkit are her first litter, as Ashkit, Lilackit, and I were Blazepelt's—and her last. I recall a sunny afternoon when Doveflight and Brightsky were conversing, and Doveflight commented that Cloudkit and Graykit were her second litter.
So, Brightsky had had the heart to take on nursing six kits on her first time, while Doveflight, who'd already had one litter, and only two kits her second time, didn't? I'm not so sure if I like Doveflight, but I remind myself to give her the benefit of the doubt. I haven't gotten the chance to talk to her or her kits yet.
Lilackit, Ashkit, and I were born on the same night as Petalkit, Darkkit, and Tigerkit. Whispersong, the medicine cat, and her apprentice, Swallowpaw, must have had their paws full guiding one queen's birthing and then another's. But, one queen survived. And one queen didn't.
I sigh to myself, but my thoughts are broken by Branchstar leaping up onto what I've learned from Brightsky is called the "Hightree", though it's a not-very-tall evergreen tree. I expect that if it actually was high, or tall, then it would be hard for any leaders of LeafClan to make announcements and ceremonies to their Clanmates, for they would have to shout.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather around the Hightree!" the light brown tabby leader yowls. I feel a spark of excitement inside me. My apprentice ceremony was about to begin!
'Kay, so in this chapter you got to see Tigerkit and Amberkit teasing each other (aren't they cute? ;)) and a specification of Amberkit's promise: she can love her foster mother, littermates, father, etc., but not any other cat that's not technically related to her, in a "mate" way. Think you understand? Good. :) Oh, and it's a bit hard for me to write in present tense, so please point out any mistakes you see. :)
Review! :D
~Ponyiowa