Chapter 5
"I can't believe that Foxleap is back in the medicine den," Icecloud complained. Maplekit blinked up at the pretty white she-cat. She was pacing back and forth before the ferns, her blue eyes full of irritation at her littermate.
"Is he sick again?" Maplekit asked. Foxleap had complained of a cold, and Maplekit was sure every cat had noticed his runny nose and coughing – but that had been a moon ago. Jayfeather and Leafpool had cured him, right?
Icecloud nodded and complained, "We were supposed to do the evening patrol but someone decided to complain about his belly…"
Even though she was upset, Maplekit knew she was concerned. I'd worry too, if I had a sick littermate. She supposed that if Spottedpaw got sick, she would worry – Spottedpaw was the closest thing she had to a littermate.
Icecloud's fur fluffed and she sighed. Millie padded over to her, her blue eyes troubled. "Are we leaving him?" the silver tabby asked.
"I guess," Icecloud sighed again. She lashed her tail and stood up. "Let's head out."
Millie nodded, and then turned to the patrol gathered at the entrance. Maplekit saw Dewpaw waiting with Thornclaw, who seemed antsy and irritated at being sent on patrol when his first litter of kits was just three days old. Daisy was taking good care of all four of them, and they were soft and lovely – three she-cats and one tom.
Blossomfall didn't look happy to be part of the patrol – she sat a fair distance away from Thornclaw, and she avoided her mother's gaze. Maplekit had heard from Bumblestripe that Blossomfall and Millie hadn't gotten along for some time… not to mention that Blossomfall had, according to Dovewing, had a crush on Thornclaw. To see him turn her down in favor of Daisy probably didn't feel good.
"Sorry Maplekit," Icecloud called. The white she-cat threw Maplekit a sympathetic look. "We'll be missing your apprentice ceremony."
"It's all right," Maplekit mewed. "You have to patrol."
"There are enough warriors here to cheer for you," Icecloud told her. "We'll be with you in spirit."
Maplekit purred. Icecloud cast one last look towards the medicine cat's den before joining Millie for the evening patrol. Blossomfall joined up with Icecloud as they left, the setting sun turning their pelts orange. Maplekit watched them pad out through the thorn tunnel, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.
I'll be patrolling myself, soon, she told herself.
She flexed her claws. Mapleshine had spent the last moon perfecting Maplekit's hunting crouch; so much so that every cat seemed to notice a significant improvement in the clumsy would-be apprentice. Her confidence was still low, and Maplekit refused to play games that involved using her hunting crouch, claiming that she would be an apprentice soon and playing with kits would be something she wouldn't do. It made her heart race to think if someone found it strange she was suddenly improving.
Yet no cat seemed to notice. "It's about time," Bumblestripe had said. Dovewing had been nodding in agreement.
With a lick on Maplekit's forehead, Dovewing had stated, "Sometimes it just takes a while."
Thankfully, Maplekit had not been injured by her frantic run-in with the nursery wall. She had only come out with a thorn caught in her fur and, even though Jayfeather and Leafpool checked her over, there was no other sign of injury. Maplekit had had a headache for the rest of that day, but Mapleshine's encouraging words were playing over and over in her mind.
I will help you be the best warrior you can be, Mapleshine's voice told her. I will help you be something more than just another face in the crowd.
The thought thrilled and terrified her. Was Mapleshine helping her because StarClan had a special destiny planned for her? Was she to become this amazing warrior, capable of fighting off any opponent? Was she to lead her Clan to glory?
Maplekit shook her head, looking at her paws. No, she told herself. The only special thing about me is that Dovewing is my mother. There's nothing else.
"Are you ready?"
Maplekit blinked, looking up. Dovewing was there, her eyes sparkling with pride. "For what?" Maplekit asked.
"Bramblestar is about to call the meeting," Dovewing told her.
"H-He is?" Maplekit gasped. So soon?
Dovewing nodded. She padded up to her kit and began to groom her, flattening her fur. Maplekit allowed Dovewing to do so, knowing that whether she could groom herself or not from the moment she received her apprentice name she would no longer be, in a sense, Dovewing's kit. No more doting, no more afternoons spent with the other kits in the nursery, no more anything – she would be an apprentice at the beck, call, and mercy of her mentor.
"You'll always be my precious daughter," Dovewing told her fondly. "I love you, Maplekit."
"I love you too, Mama," Maplekit mewed back.
Dovewing pulled away, looking at her kit. She used her paw to smooth down some fur between Maplekit's ears before saying, "No remember – head high, tail straight. Look happy! You're being made an apprentice today."
Maplekit trembled, but she purred.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath Highledge for a Clan meeting!"
The summons ran through the camp, bouncing off of the stone walls until it rang in Maplekit's ears. Still trembling, Maplekit watched as the Clan gathered beneath Highledge, where Bramblestar made an imposing shape. Squirrelflight and Leafpool stood on either side of him, dwarfed by his massive form, while Jayfeather sat beneath the shadow of the ledge, his blue eyes gleaming.
Cinderheart brought out her kits, but the three of them didn't seem to know what the meeting was all about. Ivypool – finally forced to move into the nursery by Leafpool and Jayfeather – settled down beside Toadstep, her belly bulging. Poppyfrost, expecting Berrynose's second litter, sat beside the entrance of the nursery so she could keep in touch with Daisy, who was bedridden with her four newborns.
Maplekit tried to catch Spottedpaw's eye, but she was too busy chatting with Amberpaw. Snowpaw was sitting beside them, his pelt glowing white in the failing light.
When all the cats – minus a hunting patrol and Icecloud's border patrol – had gathered, Bramblestar began to speak again.
"We gather here tonight for an important occasion," Bramblestar began, "Maplekit has reached her sixth moon, and is finally able to receive her apprentice name."
"Maplekit gets to be an apprentice?" Hollykit burst. "But why can't we?"
Half the Clan stared at the loud tom. Lionblaze narrowed his eyes and growled, "Hush, Hollykit – you and your littermates will have to wait until you're six moons, just like everyone else."
"If you can't be quiet, I'll take you back to the nursery!" Cinderheart threatened.
Maplekit trembled more. Even Hollykit thought she shouldn't be an apprentice! What did the rest of the Clan think?
"Hollykit! That loudmouth," Dovewing chided. "Don't worry about him, Maplekit – you're going to be a fine apprentice."
Bramblestar's whiskers were twitching at the top of Highledge. "Maplekit," he called, "come forward."
That's me! She thought.
"Remember, be happy!" Dovewing told her softly, giving her a nudge to stand. "Smile, and hold your head and tail high."
Maplekit obeyed, padding through the crowd with Dovewing a pace behind her. The cats parted, until she came to a small clearing just before the shadow of Highledge. Maplekit sat there, conscious of every cat's eyes on her.
You can do this, she told herself, breathing in and out. You can do this…
"From this moment forward, until she has earned her warrior name, this kit will be known as Maplepaw," Bramblestar announced.
Maplepaw! She said to herself. My new name…
"Berrynose!"
Berrynose? Maplepaw blinked. Berrynose was known for his cocky attitude and overconfidence. The young cream-colored tom padded up to stand beside Maplepaw. Why Berrynose?
"Berrynose, you were my first apprentice," Bramblestar meowed. "Maplepaw will be yours. Teach her everything she needs to know to be a confident warrior."
"I will," Berrynose promised.
He bent his head. Maplepaw touched noses with him, letting Bramblestar's words wash over her. A confident warrior… he wants Berrynose to teach me confidence! But Mapleshine said she'd do that, too. Do I have two mentors now?
She followed Berrynose back into the crowd as the cats began to call her name. She couldn't help but want to shrink at all the attention – "Maplepaw! Maplepaw!" they cried.
"We're so proud of you," Bumblestripe mewed. His chest was puffed with pride.
Dovewing only purred, pressing against her daughter. Spottedpaw pushed through the crowd to lick Maplepaw between the ears.
"We'll be sharing a den again!" Spottedpaw exclaimed. "It's going to be great!"
Maplepaw purred, unable to voice her happiness any other way. To be beside Spottedpaw, her best friend, again made her happier than anything.
"Settle down, everyone!" Bramblestar called.
The Clan quieted, looking up at their leader. Maplepaw blinked, wondering what was happening. Apprentice ceremonies didn't usually have extra announcements attached to them.
"Leafpool would like to speak," Bramblestar told them.
He stepped back, and Leafpool took his place. The way the sun lit her slight frame made her look like some sort of dazzling StarClan cat.
"As you all know, I visited ShadowClan last moon to help Littlecloud, and have been there periodically this past moon," she began, her amber eyes gleaming. "Littlecloud's condition has been getting worse, and there is nothing more that can be done but to make him comfortable."
"What does this have to do with you?" Mousewhisker asked.
"With Littlecloud's condition in rapid decline," Leafpool went on, "I have decided that I must do what I can to help Mistpaw finish her training. So, as of tomorrow I will be temporarily joining ShadowClan so that I might finish Mistpaw's training."
"You're leaving ThunderClan?" gasped Brackenfur.
Leafpool nodded.
Murmurs of shock and unease spread through the Clan, and Maplepaw looked up at Leafpool. What could this mean? Would Leafpool be a ShadowClan cat now?
"I'm not leaving ThunderClan permanently, mind you," Leafpool went on. "Once Mistpaw has completed her training and earned her medicine cat name, I will be returning. I know that you don't like this, but I cannot deny Littlecloud. He asked me to do this himself."
Littlecloud asked an enemy medicine cat to teach his apprentice? Maplepaw thought. She knew that medicine cats operated differently than warriors, but not that differently. Was this really something she could do?
"In the meantime, I leave you in the capable paws of Jayfeather," Leafpool meowed. "He has served you as a sole medicine cat before and has done a spectacular job. I don't think he can do any less than his best when it comes to taking care of this Clan."
"You agree with this, Bramblestar?" Brackenfur asked. He seemed to speak for the entire Clan as the most senior warrior.
Bramblestar nodded. "Every Clan needs and deserves a competent medicine cat. If Littlecloud himself asked for Leafpool to oversee the remainder of Mistpaw's training, then that is what must happen. Leafpool has trained Jayfeather to be an amazing medicine cat despite his blindness – she will do an excellent job with Mistpaw."
"I expect to be back in two seasons' time," Leafpool meowed. "With the peace that the Clans are in now, making it through to leaf-bare should not be a problem." She glanced at Bramblestar. "Just try not to get yourselves into trouble!"
"When are you leaving?" Lilyflight asked.
"Tomorrow," Leafpool meowed, "before the Gathering."
"We'll miss you!" Cinderheart called.
"Good luck!"
"Don't let those grumpy ShadowClan cats get to you!"
"Come back soon!"
Maplepaw watched as the Clan let out their heartfelt good-byes, as if Leafpool would not be coming back despite saying she would.
"Leafpool! Leafpool!" they called.
She's so important to the Clan, Maplepaw thought. She imagined standing up there, tall and proud, with voices cheering her name. Do I really want to be someone so important?