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Chapter 1: Mintkit
"Featherkit! Catch!" Mintkit threw the moss ball high in the air. The sun was high in the sky. Mintkit was one moon old, and newleaf was finally here. She watched as the ball fell onto her sister's head.
"Hey!" Featherkit was purring as she shook the moss scraps off. They were playing moss ball outside the nursery. She threw it back to Mintkit. Mintkit leaped up, caught it, and dropped it on the ground.
"Ha!" Mintkit meowed. "I win!"
"Or did you?" Featherkit shrieked, squishing the moss onto the black she-kit's back.
"Kits!" Leafstar was sitting nearby, watching them play. "Clean your pelts and stop destroying moss." Her eyes glittered with annoyance.
"Sorry." The kits muttered, licking the tendrils of moss off their pelts. After they washed their pelts, they went back to playing moss ball without making a mess.
By the time the sun set, they were exhausted. "Time for sleep," Leafstar purred, herding them into the den. "I need to speak to Ivybreeze and then I will come back." She waited until Mintkit and Featherkit were curled up in their nests and left.
…
(Five moons later)
"Sootsong! Can we come with you?" Mintkit ran after her sister from another litter, who was going out on a patrol. Featherkit followed her. The other cats on the patrol, Doveheart and Mossfang, stopped, flicking their tails in annoyance.
Sootsong purred in amusement. "Soon. You are almost six moons, after all. Go play with Honeyfrost's kits." Honeyfrost had given birth to Crowtail's kits two moons ago. The three kits, two toms and a she-cat, were rough-housing together.
"But they're too young!" Featherkit complained, "they're only two moons!"
Doveheart sighed. "Sootsong, can you hurry up? We need to check the OakClan border. Willowwind said there were more scents on our side!" She flicked her tail impatiently.
"You know kits aren't allowed out of camp. Go find yourselves something to do," Sootsong suggested, then turned to Doveheart, "Let's go." The three cats raced out of camp, tails waving behind them.
"Let's ask Leafstar when we get to be apprentices!" Featherkit nodded to their mother, who was talking to Thunderstrike across the clearing. "Mom!" She mewed, running over to the white she-cat, "When can we be apprentices?"
Leafstar stroked the kit's back with her tail, "Hmm… how about at dusk?"
"Yes! Yes!" The kits jumped up and down excitedly.
"Go play now." Their mother shooed them away, laughter in her eyes. Mintkit gazed at the warriors coming and going from the camp. I wonder who my mentor will be? Maybe Sootsong?
"Hey, Mintkit! Come practice hunting with me!" Featherkit was stalking a leaf, placing her paws down lightly, although she was waving her tail around. Purring, Mintkit bounded after her sister. Slowing as she approached, she took a huge leap and landed flat on Featherkit's back, just as the grey kit landed on the leaf.
"Aha! Now I have two pieces of prey!" Mintkit burst into laughter as Featherkit pushed her off.
"Not fair! I didn't know you were coming!"
Mintkit rolled her eyes. "Featherkit, if the prey knew you were coming, it would run away long before you caught it."
"Well, I'm not prey!" Featherkit sniffed.
"Whatever. Let's practice further away from each other," she suggested and trotted across the clearing.
As she began to stalk a leaf, she heard Ivybreeze and Leafstar talking in the medicine den. They're always whispering. What's that about? She wondered, creeping closer to the entrance, but staying out of sight. In the past few moons, Leafstar had often disappeared, and Mintkit would see her later, talking to Ivybreeze.
"Another vision? Really?" That was Leafstar speaking.
"Yes, Leafstar! And it was about your daughters." Ivybreeze was whispering, just loud enough for Mintkit to hear.
"What did your vision say, Ivybreeze?" Leafstar sounded slightly annoyed and a little disbelieving. Mintkit held back a purr of amusement.
"I saw a feather falling on a leaf of mint and I hear the words, 'War is coming,' again! I'm telling you, Leafstar, something is going to happen and your daughters are involved whether you like it or not." At this point, Mintkit was stumbling away, stunned by what she was hearing. It can't be true! It can't! Does she mean Featherkit and I are going to start a war? Horrified by the thought, Mintkit padded into the nursery and climbed into her nest, suddenly exhausted. Despite her worries, she fell asleep instantly.
…
"Mintkit! Wake up!" Mintkit opened her eyes to see Featherkit peering down at her face. "Leafstar needs to groom your pelt! It's our apprentice ceremony, remember?" Featherkit's eyes sparkled, and her usually ruffled pelt was smooth.
"Oh, right!" Mintkit leapt out of the nest and trotted into the clearing. Leafstar was sitting by the nursery, her eyes shining.
"Mintkit! Did you take a nap?" she purred, running over, and beginning to groom the black kit's pelt. Mintkit stood still, but her tail tip twitched back and forth. Finally, Leafstar finished and left to gather the cats.
"Let all cats in LakeClan gather!"
Honeyfrost brought her kits out of the nursery, and they settled down at the edge of the clearing. Some of the warriors emerged from the warriors' den, while others already in the clearing moved closer to high-ledge where Leafstar stood, her white pelt glowing in the darkness of the night that was beginning. Embertail and Softfur sat down by their den, and Ivybreeze sat under high-ledge, next to Thunderstrike.
Leafstar addressed the clan first. "Mintkit and Featherkit have reached their sixth moon and are ready to become apprentices." Then she turned her gaze to the kits, who walked to the center of the clearing. "Mintpaw, your mentor will be Slatestorm." Mintpaw whirled around to see the grey tom padding forward from the group of cats, his eyes glowing. Forgetting how she was supposed to behave, the new apprentice bounded across the clearing to her mentor, and touched noses with him. His eyes glimmered with amusement as she sat down beside him.
"Featherpaw, your mentor will be Fawnlight," Leafstar continued. Featherpaw walked elegantly over to her new mentor, but her tail was thrashing excitedly. Mintpaw zoned out while her mother finished the meeting.
When the leader jumped down and receded into her den, the black she-cat jumped up and turned to her mentor. "What are we doing?"
"We are going to sleep. It's too late for training. There is a nest for you in the apprentices' den, be up early tomorrow and we can explore the territory." By the end, Slatestorm was already walking away.
"Come on, Mintpaw! Let's go find our nests!" Featherpaw bounced by her, excitement coming off her. Mintpaw followed her into the den, feeling much less excited then her sister about being an apprentice. After all, weren't they destined to start a war anyway?
I hope you liked the first real chapter!