Chapter 1
Hawkkit purred softly, nuzzling into Sunsplash's chest. Honeykit and Acornkit had burrowed into his own chest somewhere during the night, keeping him perfectly warm. I could stay like this all day, he thought contentedly. It was nearing time for all of them to get up and be in the company of the others, but for just a little bit longer Hawkkit savoured the time with his family. I mean, I like the day, he mused, bouncing around and play-fighting with the apprentices, but there is something special about just being curled up with them. It makes me feel safe. Honeykit stirred slightly and turned to face him, her dark blue eyes blinking blearily up at him.
Her movement caused Acornkit to shift slightly, which woke Sunsplash. She gently pushed Hawkkit off her and sat up, resting on her haunches, peering down at the three of them still curled up on the ground.
"You three should be playing outside, not spending all your time in here." She looked at them expectantly and then added "Go on," when the three of them didn't move. Quickly, and as one, they all scampered to their feet and bounded out of the nursery, leaving Sunsplash and the other queen to sleep. Acornkit took his chance to run ahead, looking back to throw an insult over his shoulder, not noticing anything and plowing straight into a bush right outside. He yelped in surprise and Hawkkit padded up to him, watching him as he struggled to his feet. I hope he's okay, Hawkpaw worried. Honeykit didn't even bother to stop, hurrying over to where there was a pile of moss that some cat had placed there momentarily and pounced on it. She tugged it this way and that, tearing the neat pile into shreds with her claws and forming a small ball. Acornkit pushed himself back up, uninjured. No, he's okay, he thought with relief as he hurried over to where Honeykit was and headbutted her in her side, stealing the ball of moss for himself.
"Hey! That's mine!" Honeykit bounced after him, knocking the moss from his paws, where it unfortunately tumbled right into Acornkit's grasp.
"-pity that Flamefur wasn't there," Hawkkit overheard as he scampered past where one of the warriors was talking to another warriors, however he was too hell-bent on his brother's destruction to pay them much mind. "I had a few things I wanted to talk to her about." Hawkkit dove into Acornkit's grasp, trying to rip the moss ball back, but Acornkit managed to scamper away and run the way that Hawkkit had come from.
"Did you see Mistclaw-?" the other cat, a light brown tabby tom, was saying as Hawkkit ran back, Honeykit's yelp of victory cutting off the second half of his sentence. While his brother and sister play-fought back and forth a little ways away, Hawkkit perched off to one side and watched as Onepaw and Fogpaw crossed the clearing of the camp excitedly. The two of them chatted about something animatedly as they made their way out of the narrow bramble opening following their mentors, presumably for some training. I wish I could follow them. I want nothing more than to go out and explore what's out there, but I'm supposedly "too young", and will be for "just a little bit longer".
"Hey, Hawkkit," Acornkit called out tauntingly from where he batted the moss back and forth between his paws, evading Honeykit by a whisker each time. "You giving up are you?"
"Never!"
"-hardly anyone from WindClan-"
"You'll never get it!" Honeykit declared, using Acornkit's temporary distraction to seize the ball and tear off down to the other end of the clearing. She managed to make it right to the outskirts of the camp, where she climbed onto a log and stayed there, surveying the camp as if she was the leader.
"I win," she exclaimed triumphantly, burying the moss ball beneath her in a crack in the log, where neither of them could see.
"Aw, Honeykit…" Acornkit moped, stalking slowly to where Hawkkit was, the two of them looking up at her. "You can't win that way."
"You always say that," Honeykit said contentedly, not moving from where she was. "But I always win like this anyway." She purred with glee as the two of them growled lightly up at her before they padded away to a spot in the sunshine. Ugh, Honeykit can be such a tick sometimes.
Normally, he would go talk with Onepaw, but ever since Onepaw had become an apprentice he never seemed to have time for him anymore. The life of an apprentice was way more than Hawkkit had ever experienced, but soon enough he would be an apprentice as well, and they would be able to play and train together again. The two warriors, who he had figured out were called Mintfur and Owlwing, had moved and sat near the fresh kill pile sharing a squirrel, tails entwined with their heads bowed, talking to each other. Acornkit stretched out, exposing his pale stomach to the sun as he did so. Hawkkit mimicked him, watching as Honeykit looked over at them with a hint of envy before flicking her tail haughtily and stalking over to a group of apprentices to strike up an animated conversation with Splashpaw.
He rolled back and forth in the grass for a while, lazily batting butterflies when they came near him and chatting sporadically with others whenever they came by. Acornkit was just as lonely as Hawkkit was most days, but today Daisypaw had a break from her apprentice training and so the two were talking idly about something that Hawkkit didn't even try to overhear. Instead he looked around at the other members of his clan. I'd always wanted to be the first out of the three of us to know the names of whoever we happened upon, so I could rub it in Honeykit's muzzle of course. So far so good. I'm a little shaky on some of them, and sometimes I forget, but for the most part I know who my clanmates are. Mintfur and Owlwing were still by the fresh kill pile, but they'd been joined by Swiftheart, the clan deputy, who was telling them something rather important judging by the looks on their faces. Honeykit was mainly just talking to Splashpaw now, although she was still surrounded by the other few apprentices, which made Hawkkit slightly jealous. Honeykit has always been better than me at making friends. I only really have the one after all, while she seems to get along with anyone who crossed her path. But he didn't really mind that much. He was glad that she had people she could enjoy herself around, and at any rate he was about to become an apprentice. Having fewer friends meant that he would be able to throw even more of himself into his training - and thinking about that, he would be an apprentice soon. In barely half a moon he would be able to leave the camp, and start to learn to protect the clan from dangers. He would finally have a use other than playing around with his littermates, and he could finally show just how skilled he was.
Morning had turned to afternoon during his playing and pondering, and he stretched out his limbs, getting up and padding over to where Sunsplash had emerged out of the nursery. It was nearing time for him to have his share of the prey the warriors had collected and then go to sleep, but he was still bouncing with energy.
"Hello, Hawkkit," Sunsplash purred, as he reached her and perched next to her. "Did the three of you play nicely?"
"Yes, Sunsplash," Hawkkit answered, kneading the soft ground with his paws. "Will you take me out into the forest for a bit?" He looked at her hopefully, but she didn't even twitch.
"You know it is too dangerous for you out there. You are too young."
"But I'm almost an apprentice!" Hawkkit protested.
"Exactly," Sunsplash retorted, not unkindly. "Almost. Soon you will be able to. I'm sure you can wait until then." Hawkkit's face dropped in sadness, but he accepted her words without further complaint. She hadn't changed her mind yet, no matter how many times he asked her, and he didn't expect her to.
She flicked her tail at him to leave, a 'go on' look in her eyes, and he wandered back over to where Honeykit had been sitting on the log to search for the ball of moss. He eventually found it where it had fallen over and been brushed under a few twigs from other cats coming and going past the spot. He killed a bit of time batting it around, tugging at it with his claws, and rolling around in the grass. Like he so often did recently he found himself bored quicker than he normally did. It's so boring being a kit, but when I become an apprentice everything will be so much fun! I can finally prove that I'm not young anymore.
When he put himself to sleep that night, curled up next to his family, he dreamed about all the fantastical things that he would do when he was an apprentice, and then a warrior, and finally the leader of ThunderClan. He would do things that none of the other cats could even dream of.
The night before Hawkkit's apprentice ceremony he lay awake for the entire night. Honeykit and Acornkit were fast asleep next to him even quicker than usual, but even though Hawkkit wanted to be well-rested for his first day as an apprentice, to make a good first impression on his new mentor, he couldn't seem to turn off his mind. It spun with possibilities, and wonderment at everything that would happen when he finally got to leave the camp. It was almost morning, and Hawkkit was blinking practically every second in an attempt to make his vision less blurry. It wouldn't be good if, on my first ever day as an apprentice, I fell asleep on my paws, would it?
Honeykit and Acornkit woke up not long after, the sun just barely in the sky, and the three of them looked at each other excitedly. This was the first day of the next stage in their lives, and all three of them felt like they were going to explode from excitement.
"I hope I get a nice mentor," Acornkit said nervously, licking his chest fur as they left the nursery so they could talk without disturbing Sunsplash or the other queen and her kits. Honeykit and Hawkkit both looked as though they were thinking similar things, but didn't say a word. Hawkkit didn't speak mainly because he was afraid that if he opened his mouth the only thing that would come out would be a yawn.
"How long do we have to wait?" Honeykit asked as the rest of the clan began to wake up and go about their morning duties.
"Too long," Hawkkit answered, tearing at the grass with his claws. He was already impatient. I've been waiting for this for as long as I can remember, but having it so close and yet so far away is unbearable. Every time he thought he caught sight of Deadstar in the corner of his eye he made sure he looked as presentable as possible, but every time Deadstar either went off to do something else, or it just wasn't Deadstar in the first place. It wasn't even sunhigh by the time Deadstar called the clan meeting, but it felt as though it had been moons since the night before.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a meeting!" he commanded, looking down at the gathering crowd of cats. As everyone made their way forward to sit under Highrock, Hawkkit noticed that off to the side of the camp there was one cat not moving at all, a sad expression on her face as she looked at Hawkkit and his littermates. What does she have to be sad about? He looked at her confusedly and she quickly looked away before he could recognise her. Before he could move to question her Sunsplash quickly grabbed him and gave him and his littermates a thorough grooming. Not this again - in front of everyone as well. She smoothed out their fur before leaning back on her haunches, happy with how they looked, pride gleaming in her eyes.
"I'm so proud of you all." As she finished her sentence Spidertail came over, a similarly proud look in his eyes, as he fussed over them too, smoothing down imaginary spots of fur that were sticking up. Hawkkit wriggled under him, but Spidertail carried on until he was satisfied with all three of them.
"We're both so proud of you all," he said looking to Sunsplash who licked his cheek, whispering into his ear affectionately.
"You're making them feel self-conscious, Spidertail." As Sunsplash finished whispering and pulled back Spidertail tried to control himself, although he still looked like he was vibrating with energy, his eyes not losing their proud sheen.
Deadstar flicked the end of his tail, signalling for the clan to be silent.
"Hawkkit, Acornkit and Honeykit," he said when the clan had quietened down. Spidertail had a proud look in his eyes as he motioned with his tail for the three of them to go forward. Here goes nothing. Following their father's instructions they made their way to the front of crowd, cats looking down at them as they made their way through the middle of the crowd. Honeykit followed Acornkit while Hawkkit brought up the rear. He couldn't help but feel nervous as dozens of eyes bored into his pelt. Oh StarClan, I hope I don't make a mess of this.
Once they were at the base of Highrock, Deadstar looked down at them from where he sat on it. His body blocked out the sun above them, lighting only his back and setting his face in shadow, his cloudy pale green eyes imposing as he looked down at them. Hawkkit gulped, nervousness setting in as he desperately tried to control his fidgeting paws. Deadstar stayed still for a second, maintaining eye contact before bringing his head back up to address the rest of the clan.
"Today, Acornkit, Honeykit, and Hawkkit-" he felt a slight flutter in his chest as Deadstar spoke his name. Looking over at his littermates indicated they felt the same trepidation as him, if the look on Acornkit's face was any indication, although Honeykit seemed to be keeping it together well enough "-have reached six moons of age and will start on their journey towards becoming warriors." Hawkkit looked back in the crowd catching a glimpse of a proud Spidertail and Sunsplash, as they nodded encouragingly to him.
Deadstar looked down at them, his gaze holding with Hawkkit's for a second before he switched to look over at Acornkit instead. "Acornkit, step forward." He apprehensively followed the instructions, looking small and vulnerable, and Hawkkit felt a stab of protectiveness, momentarily forgetting his own skittishness to offer silent support to his littermate by standing tall and straight. Glancing over at him Acornkit, seeing what he was doing, followed his unspoken advice, taking a deep breath and straightening his spine before looking back up at Deadstar who, upon seeing this exchange, had a slight glimmer of amusement in his eyes. Then he continued: "Acornkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Acornpaw. Your mentor will be Mosspool." As he said her name Acornpaw looked visibly relieved, glancing over with a small smile to Hawkkit for a second. "I know Mosspool will pass down all she knows onto you." Hawkkit turned and looked for the light grey she-cat, her eyes widened slightly.
Deadstar continued as Hawkkit stared at Mosspool. "Mosspool, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Crowfur-" as he mentioned this unknown cat Mosspool's eyes softened "-and you have shown yourself to be kind and observant. You will be the mentor of Acornpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Acornpaw." As Deadstar finished, Mosspool got up from her spot and wove her way through the crowd to the front. Upon reaching Acornpaw at the front she tenderly pressed her nose to his outstretched one, warmth shining in her eyes. As soon as the two drew back, a thunderous round of "Acornpaw, Acornpaw, Acornpaw, Acornpaw, Acornpaw!" rose from the clan, Hawkkit making sure his voice was the loudest. Deadstar let it continue for a few moments before flicking his tail, everyone falling silent again.
"Honeykit." A flash of determination lit her dark blue eyes as she stepped forward, raising her head proudly. "You have also reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you too to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Honeypaw. Your mentor will be Sparrowfeather." Hawkkit looked over to a young she-cat who wore an expression that was a mix between staring down a pack of foxes on your own and finding that your mouse had turned into a squirrel. Several other cats turned to her wearing astounded looks and surprised expressions. "I trust that Sparrowfeather will pass down all she knows on to you."
He looked over at Sparrowfeather who hadn't moved, her eyes still wide. "Sparrowfeather, even though you are young you have shown to me you are ready to take on an apprentice. I have given you excellent training, and you have shown yourself to be diligent and loyal. You will be the mentor of Honeypaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her." Sparrowfeather walked woodenly forward, all her muscles taunt to run, towards Honeypaw. She rigidly pressed her nose to Honeypaw's outstretched one, fear shining in her eyes. As Sparrowfeather sat back next to Honeypaw he could hear Mosspool lean over to her and whisper:
"Trust me, it's not that difficult, you'll be fine." Hawkkit smiled internally over the fact that, at this point, even after Mosspool's words she still looked more nervous than Honeypaw. But Mosspool's quiet words of encouragement were soon drowned out by a similar thunderous applause of "Honeypaw, Honeypaw, Honeypaw, Honeypaw, Honeypaw!". This time he could see Acornpaw fighting for the title of loudest, competition fierce in his eyes as he shouted.
Deadstar flicked his tail once more and the clan went silent again "Hawkkit." He could feel his heart hammering in his chest as if he had just run to Highstones and back and he fought to keep his limbs from trembling, only just managing to succeed as he stepped forward. "You too have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed as well. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Hawkpaw. Your mentor will be Stonejaw." He looked over to the big light grey tom, his dark amber eyes flashing with... something? It was only there for a heartbeat, and Hawkpaw couldn't quite make it out, but he didn't like what he saw. "I hope Stonejaw will pass down all he knows onto you." Stonejaw looked up at Deadstar, his dark grey jaw moving in something akin to fury, before he got up and started weaving through the crowd as Deadstar spoke.
"Stonejaw, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received your training from Snowtail, and you have shown yourself to be brave and ambitious. You will be the mentor of Hawkpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him." By this point Stonejaw had made his way to the front and he looked at Hawkpaw, a hard glint in his eyes as he jabbed his nose against Hawkpaw's. Hawkpaw backed himself away, meeting Stonejaw's gaze as the light grey tom made no noise. Around him the thunderous uproar of the entirety of his clan repeatedly chanting his name faded into the background of his mind as he watched Stonejaw's eyes narrow.
The noise died down before long, but Hawkpaw found himself still stuck in the vicious eye contact with his new mentor.
"You'd better hurry off to your family," Stonejaw growled deeply, and Hawkpaw startled a bit before hurrying off to Sunsplash and Spidertail without further hesitation. He didn't dwell on the fact that both Acornpaw and Honeypaw seemed to have mentors that - despite Sparrowfeather's apprehensiveness - wanted to teach them, whereas he only had… whatever Stonejaw was. Why is he being like this? I don't understand.
Sunsplash's tail drooped slightly, but she looked pleased with them, and Spidertail was almost glowing with pride. Hawkpaw would have thought that the pride would have been dimmed by now, but it had only increased.
"You're really an apprentice now, Hawkpaw," Sunsplash said happily. "I know you felt like it was never going to happen, but wasn't it worth the wait?"
"Yes, Sunsplash," Hawkpaw said. He tried to channel all of his previous enthusiasm - all his inability to sit still and the buzzing energy that kept him awake - but all that settled in his mind was Stonejaw's steely gaze, two dark amber eyes analysing every single part of him.
Spidertail almost looked as though he was surprised at how well Hawkpaw was keeping it together, but Sunsplash was too caught up in her own emotion that she didn't even notice if something was off.
"Don't you want to go talk with your mentor? You're going to spend a lot of time with him after all, and you've hardly shut up about it your entire life." Hawkpaw dipped his head slightly at Sunsplash's words and turned around. He wished he could go back to his mentor, but he was worried about what would happen to him if he did.
Deciding that neither of his parents would notice if he didn't go back to Stonejaw right away, he headed over to where Honeypaw and Acornpaw sat, engrossed in conversation with each of their mentors. It didn't feel right to butt in, not when Acornpaw hadn't been so content in his entire life, and not when Honeypaw looked so curious and enthralled.
He heard the soft sound of someone approaching him from behind and turned around slowly, before startling backwards at seeing Deadstar right before him, joined by a calico she-cat who looked vaguely familiar.
"Hawkpaw," Deadstar greeted, and Hawkpaw squeaked slightly in embarrassment. "Please gather your brother and sister. We have something we wish to discuss with the three of you." Hawkpaw nodded furiously, bounding over to Honeypaw and Acornpaw and interrupting both conversations.
"Honeypaw, Acornpaw," Hawkpaw said, and they both looked at him with vaguely annoyed looks before noticing it was him. "Deadstar wants to talk to us! Come on!"
When all three of them returned to Deadstar, him and the she-cat were murmuring softly to each other, but they stopped when they saw the three of them.
"Who is that?" Acornpaw whispered to Honeypaw.
"Acornpaw, Honeypaw, Hawkpaw," Deadstar said before Honeypaw could say a word. "This is Pebblestep, the clan's medicine cat." Hawkpaw opened his mouth to say hello, but Pebblestep cut in before he could say anything.
"I received a prophecy several moons ago, on the eve of your births, that said that three cats would defeat a great evil." Hawkpaw thought she looked slightly too uneasy for someone sharing such splendid news, but he didn't pay it any mind. He was part of a prophecy! Barely an apprentice for ten minutes, and he already had such an important role to play for his clan. This would give him an opportunity to make Deadstar proud of him, and show the others exactly what he could do. Who knows, maybe it would even show his mentor that he was worthy to be an apprentice. Even if Stonejaw hadn't been given a reason otherwise.