The four kits waited for their right of passage, the first step of being an a apprentice of the clan that sees the sun first, Morning clan. "Ohhhhh. I can't wait for Ivystar to call the clan." Streampaw smiled with excitement and joy for her and her brothers and sister for the apprentice ceremony and a little afraid of what will her mentor to be will think about her. "Come on! Let's go already! I'mmmmm Dyyyyyyyyingggggggggg offffffff booooooooooooooooooredom...!" Blazekit whined as he try to dash outside but then his littermate, the grey tom, Ivykit stops him by stepping on his tail.
Then he began to pretend that he was dying and wailed whiny like. "Stop that, Blazekit. You're are alright. Ivykit, be nice to your brother, he and your sisters are your kin." The eldest queen, the light grey she-cat, Sageteller ordered the foster kits that she and the other queens, like before they left, Greyclaw and Birdsong. Sadly Greyclaw lost her son Sniffkit to the mighty river a few moons ago. "Sorry, Sageteller." Blazekit meowed as he'd bowed his head in shame. "Whatever... Let's wait for Ivystar..." The grey tom who was named after the eldest cat in Morning clan and was now leader moaned.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, meet me at the lion's peek for a clan meeting." The voice of Ivystar echoed with the roar of a mighty lion as the clans gather for the meeting an the ceremony of apprentice hood for the motherless kits of Hazeleye and the very long departed the silver she-cat, Riverstream. Hazeleye walked with Mintbreath and Ribbons to watch or hear his kits become apprentice and bring serves to Morning clan, but he also felt afraid for them, for they might have to fight against their own kin, the evil one who cause the terrible tragedy of him and his dearly beloved, Riverstream and the exile of the clans.
"Do not worry, silly mousebrain. Your kits will do well as a apprentices and if they play their game right, maybe even better warriors then you or Riverstream, bless her soul..." Mole-eye began to blather on and on for a long time. Hazeleye stopped listening as he heard Ivystar began the apprentice ceremony. "Ivykit, Streamkit, Cherrykit, Blazekit, step forward." The dark grey tom requested for the young kits to do. " Nightgazer, you have shown craftiness and the most amazing stealth in my old age. I want you to pass it down to Blazekit. Until he has earned his warrior name, he will be known as... as B-Blazepaw..." Ivystar began to choke on his last words.
*Oh, Ivystar. I know you miss our son so very much and can still feel the wounds of the past, but you need to move on my love.* Ribbons thought as she stared at her mate in great concern. " Apricotheart, you show loyalty and swiftness, I want you to pass it down to Cherrykit. Until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Cherrypaw." Ivystar smiled as she touched noses with the excited new apprentice. " Lunareyes, you have shown great judgement and strength, I want you to pass it down to Streamkit. Until she has earned her warrior name, you will be known as Streampaw." The leader of Morning clan smiled on the the two of them as they touch noses.
"Before you say anything, Ivystar." Pebblestone spoke out as she walked towards Ivykit. "What is it, Pebblestone?" Ivystar wondered to the the medicine cat. The clan began to mutter and whisper to each other. "I was sent a message from Star clan. 'The Ivy of the newest kind will become strong in the medicine den.' I believe they are talking about young Ivykit here of being a medicine cat of Morning clan." Pebblestone announced to the clan in front of the camp. "WHAT! No, I want to be a warrior!" The grey tom shouted. "Very well, Pebblestone. If this is the will of Star clan, then so be it. Until you have earn your medicine cat name you will be known as Ivypaw." Ivystar announced.
"BLAZEPAW! IVYPAW!CHERRYPAW! STREAMPAW!"
Ivypaw, the new apprentice to Pebblestone, the dark tortoiseshell she-cat, the medicine cat of the clan of morning or Morning Clan, followed her with great disappointment of the path was forced to walk. Never having kits, or hunting like a warrior or plunging into battle with his brother and sisters. He would just watch and just sort out junk. Pebblestone saw her new apprentice in depression and disappointment in his eyes. "What is the matter,dear apprentice?" The Morning clan medicine cat wondered as she stopped. Ivypaw growled with anger. "I want to be warrior, not some weak medicine cat who dose nothing!" The grey little tom spat in wraith and fury.
"Ivypaw, our soul duty is to help our clan in time of need." Pebblestone explained. "But not in the way I would have wanted to. I want to hunt for prey, battle with my clanmates, my brothers and sisters, and the Morning clan leader, maybe even being a mate to a queen and a father of many kits." The grey young apprentice complained and protested in anger and misery. The older medicine cat 'huffed' in annoyance as she'd smiled, "Come with me." As Pebblestone and the very grumpy Ivypaw left the clan to the things he needs to see, Cherrypaw and her mentor, the deputy, Apricotheart went for a hunting lesson.
Cherrypaw was bouncing with glee and joy for her first time outside the clan, and the very first time she gets to hunt not just for her, but for the entire clan. "Alright, young warrior, let's begin with the simple pouncing for mice. First, we need a target." The white she-cat with ginger and golden splotches smiled as she waited and listen for a certain noise. "What are-" The scarlet she-cat was about to ask, but then was hushed as she listen. Then they heard a squeaking noise and stealthily creeping into the bushes to see the tiny creature. "First get low to the ground, feel your claws in the earth, wait for the right moment, then pounce." Her mentor instructed.
Cherrypaw was ready, then she pounced. But the mouse ran. The chase began. Started with the mouse being chased by Cherrypaw and Cherrypaw being chased by Apricotheart. *I won't let my clan go hungry!* The scarlet she-cat thought, but then she ran into the river. "Help!" She'd screamed, then a mysterious cat came to the rescue.
The deputy and mentor Apricotheart rushed into the water to help the stranger save the apprentice from the very cold river. They laid her down the fallen leaves. She began to cough and and gasped in surprise from the fall she had look up to see a handsome ginger tom with large blue eyes and a cocky smile on his muzzle. "Hehehehe... What do you think you are, a fish? If this is Morning clan's generation, then this would be a surprise if they survive the first night." The ginger tom laughed as he easily caught the mouse by this a swift flick of the paw.
The young apprentice growled at his arrogance and insult to her clan like that comment. But then he'd raised the paw with the killed mouse in it and dropped it between her front legs. "But you did do this to feed the clan. I must say that is very selfless or very selfish of you to try this stunt." The tom grunted. "SELFISH?!" Cherrypaw hissed as she got up. "What if I wasn't there to save you, you would save died? Then what will your clan do? They would probably mourn for their sweet little apprentice who died for just one, little mouse." The ginger explained as he turned to the deputy.
"Who are you?" The white she-cat with ginger and golden splotches demanded. "A cat who was born in an evil clan, Dragon clan." The tom meowed as the deputy stared in shock, then pounced on him and pinned him down. She sniffed his fur, it was true, it was faint, but still the sent of the evil clan. "What are YOU doing here!?" The mentor growled at the clan cat, reveling claws at his fur. "I came here, because my mother brought me here, she died a day ago from starvation and I not so well." The ginger tom frowned sadly. But in her eyes she did not believe.
"Don't believe me, go to into the trees to the left and you would find her." The ginger growled. "Cherrypaw, go get the patrol, I'll keep him here.
The ginger tom, who was from the darkest clan of them and who came here who was previous leader of Morning clan was killed and her clan driven out was now on his way to the Morning clan prison to be judge by the well known Ivystar and his ability to gaze into the soul. He was guarded by Fluff-fur and Quietvoice. "Listen, if you don't believe a word I saw, then find my mother's body, she starved to death when I was very ill, she used all of her time to care for me, are even listening?" The ginger demanded. "We heard you, nice sob story." Fluff-fur growled rudely at the prisoner. "It's not a sob story, IT'S THE TRUTH!" The ginger tom screeched angrily.
"We'll see when Ivystar is here. So don't bother trying to lie to him." Fluff-fur snapped at him. "Is that a fight you want?" He'd growled as they began to release their claws. "What if I do?" The golden she-cat with a scar on her eye hissed. Then the very quiet tom placed a paw on her shoulder with disprovable look on his face. "Fine! I'll be good." Fluff-fur growled angrily and in annoyance. Then the mighty leader of Morning clan, and the eldest cat in the clan, Ivystar came in wobbling a little. "I came here to see the ginger tom, oh, and tell Longlegs and Lunareyes to go to the forest to see if the body is there." The dark tom ordered.
As soon as the two left, it was only the elderly tom and the young warrior in the prison. "Now," Ivystar the wise began. "Let's start with your name, and the beginning of your long journey here." The tom began to stare into the soul of the ginger tom. "Well my name is Ashenfire, but my family's troubles began when I was Ashenpaw. I was named after Ashytail ( Buzzingbug's and Citrus-sweet's son) my father, my mother was named Sparkfly (Owlleg and Autumnwind's daughter) when they had me, the first thing I could remember seeing is my mother's frightened face when Dragonstar approached her. They were always so scared of him, and what was worse that he made me his apprentice.'
"And my finale test to become a warrior was to kill one of the elders. That was when my father stand up to him, he did not wished for anymore bloodshed, so he ordered my father to kill me for disobedience or there would be grave consequences, he would kill my mother and his sister in cold blood and burn down their home. But he grabbed me and ran for their lives, of course Dragonstar killed... k-killed him and to be sure that none try to oppose him again, he made me warrior. After a moon of this, my mother and I fled from the evil cult, without them ever knowing. That's when I was very ill. Everything else was foggy, until I recovered, then I saw my mother, dead from starvation, then I met that cute yet dumb apprentice in the river." The ginger tom explained.
After the leader Morning clan ordered Lunareyes and Longlegs to go search for the body if the tom says it's true and all they have to find it was the sent of where he went. They kept at it as they found it, the body of the she-cat starved to death and alone. "Poor she-cat, to starve like this. She bares the same sent as the tom who came here." Longlegs mourned as she put her paw gently on the corpse side. The dark grey she-cat known as Lunareyes then smelled the warriors sent still continuing outside the forest. Then she saw two sets of paw prints that were coming into this fores. "Longlegs look. The paw prints lead to the outside of the forest." Lunarstar pointed out. "We better let Ivystar know and bring the body with us." Longlegs ordered.