Chapter 2 | Apprentice
Lightningcub stalked through the bushes in search of prey. He was hungry and exhausted from fear and lack of food.
Suddenly, he picked up a warm scent from under a nearby bush. He crouched into a hunting position his mother had shown him. Lightningcub could clearly see the large, fat quail leisurely eating a worm. He pounced onto it and cleanly killed it. The warm flesh of the bird was satisfying, awakening his hunger for more.
As Lightningcub crept through the lonely, silent forest, a strange scent filled his nostrils. Instinctively, he crouched into a defensive move his father had shown him, ready to run or fight. What he saw surprised him.
Two she-lions walked through the bush together, as though to be searching for something that was not prey. "I think we're close, Yellowtail," said the lean, black-furred lion.
"Yeah, I think you're right, Swiftbreeze," responded the yellow, lithe lion, "and now we just have to find that cub."
Cub?, wondered Lightningcub. They might mean me, because I know I'm the only survivor of WaterClan…. I hope they don't have bad intentions.
Yellowtail muttered, "Wait. I smell something."
Swiftbreeze sniffed the air. "You're right. It smells… it smells like blood." The two lions started padding more cautiously, and then they pushed their way into a small clearing.
There was WaterClan-smelling scent everywhere, and a bit of blood, but nothing to indicate that FrostClan had ever been there. However, Yellowtail detected a slight movement in the bush behind her. She stalked over to it and sniffed it cautiously. It was bathed in cub-scent. Wolf-cub scent.
Lightningcub was furious that two lions were trespassing on his territory, as though they owned it. With a snarl and a leap, he was on Yellowtail and forcing her to the ground. Then, he bounded up onto Swiftbreeze's back and tackled her too, all in one swift, smooth movement. "What do you think you're doing, trespassing in my territory?" he growled. "Get out by sunset, or you'll be sorry."
Yellowtail and Swiftbreeze just gaped up at this enormous, bristling, young wolf cub who was bravely defending his Clan's territory. He was huge, almost as big as them!
Swiftbreeze was the first to speak. "Are- are you- Lightningcub?" she stammered.
Lightningcub snarled back, "Why should I tell you? Why do you wish to know?"
Yellowtail spoke this time. "We were sent by Moonclan to find a cub named Lightningcub and raise him so that he would restore Waterclan. Are you he?" she inquired politely.
Lightningcub pondered on that for a moment, then growled again, "I don't need your help. I can take care of myself. Now get of my territory!" He lunged at the two lions and snapped at them, sending them fleeing away.
Pleased with himself, Lightningcub gave himself a brief grooming and murmured, "I bet Father would be proud of me. I just defended Waterclan!" He then stalked off back to the camp, and fell fast asleep.
Beyond the borders of Waterclan, Yellowtail and Swiftbreeze were also sleeping, when two Moonclan wolves prodded them awake. They jumped in surprise. The two lions had not yet seen wolves from Moonclan. "Do not be afraid," said the large male in a deep, kind voice. "My name is Stormstar, former leader of Waterclan, and this is my mate, Quailfur." Quailfur dipped her head in greeting.
"I apologize about our son, Lightningcub," continued Stormstar. "I taught him that he must always defend his territory, whether it be with words, claws, or fangs. It seems as though he did quite a good job of it," he chuckled softly.
Swiftbreeze was the first to speak. "He was so scary! That cub can fight like a full-grown lion, and he is almost as big as me and Yellowtail!" Yellowtail nodded her head in agreement.
"But Lightningcub also has a good heart. He is not a vicious cub who attacks everybody; he was only defending what belongs to him. You must go back to Lightningcub. Do not be afraid of him; we will visit him also."
And with those last few words, the two Moonclan warriors faded away into the dark night.
"Lightningcub, wake up." Stormstar prodded Lightningcub awake. "Come on, Son, wake up."
Lightningcub awoke with a start and instinctively snarled and prepared to defend himself, but when he saw that it was his beloved father and mother, he relaxed. Then he leaped onto them, yelping in happiness. "Father! Mother!" he cried, burying his nose deep in their fur. "I thought you left me forever!" Stormstar and Quailfur gently nuzzled their son.
"We are warriors of Moonclan now, Lightningcub. We will always watch over you," said Quailfur.
"I saw how you defended Waterclan today," growled Stormstar proudly. "Those were some great moves. Your mother and I are so proud of you."
"However," Quailfur continued, "those lions were trying to help you. Lightningcub, with the help of those lions, you will restore Waterclan."
"Exactly," agreed Stormstar. "Those lions will be coming back tomorrow, and DO NOT ATTACK THEM. They will help you."
"Lions?!" Lightningcub asked in surprise. "Why not wolves?''
"Because we have chosen those lions to help restore Waterclan. They are direct descendants, you know," replied Quailfur. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. If you can survive on your own in the forest, then you can certainly handle living with the two she-lions."
"That's right," agreed Stormstar. "And if they give you any problems, you could defend yourself anyway. You're nearly as big as them!"
"Oh yeah, that reminds me," continued Quailfur; "Because you will be restoring Waterclan on your own (besides the lions) Moonclan has made you stronger, larger, and with keener sense than an average wolf-"
"What?!" spluttered Lightningcub in shock; "you mean I'm some sort of… of…" He tried to think of a word along the lines of unnatural mutant.
"No, Lightningcub, it's not like that at all," Stormstar sighed; "It's for your own good, and for the good of your clan. Really, Son, it's nothing to worry about. Consider it a blessing from Moonclan."
"All right," agreed Lightningcub, "I'll do the best that I can."
"Just remember that your father and I will always be watching over you," said Quailfur gently. Then, she said sadly, "It's time for us to return to Moonclan."
"Goodbye, Lightningcub," murmured Stormstar. "I could not be more proud of you." He licked Lightningcub affectionately on the cheek, and then he and Quailfur faded away, returning to Moonclan.
"No, wait! Come back!" howled Lightningcub, "please come back!" He howled his sadness to the stars and the moon. But his mother's words came back to him, bringing the cub comfort- " 'Just remember that your father and I will always be watching over you.' ''
The next morning, as Swiftbreeze and Yellowtail neared the Waterclan border, they spotted Lightningcub waiting for them. They took in his features: the ice-blue eyes, broad shoulders, massive paws, sharp claws and teeth, bushy tail, strong hind legs, thick neck fur, and his well-groomed, bluish-brown pelt, with a thin, jagged streak of gold resembling lightning running down his back. He was a truly amazing sight to behold.
"Wow," breathed Yellowtail in awe, "that is some cub."
"Yeah," agreed Swiftbreeze, "really."
Lightningcub walked up to them and said in an almost friendly tone, "Hello, I'm Lightningcub. You must be the lions my father Stormstar told me about."
The two lionesses were speechless until Swiftbreeze broke the silence; "Yeah, we're the ones. I'm Swiftbreeze, and this is my best friend Yellowtail," she replied, flicking her tail at Yellowtail, who nodded cautiously, still wary of this cub who had so ferociously attacked them the day before.
Lightningcub, sensing their wariness, assured them, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I'm a nice wolf, really." Then he paused, and went on; "Sorry about yesterday. I was just trying to defend my territory, and I didn't know that you two were trying to help me." He looked down at his paws sheepishly (just like a foolish cub, Swiftbreeze thought).
"It's all right," Yellowtail told him hesitantly. "So... what now?"
"I had a dream," Lightningcub confessed, "about you two. Two warriors from MoonClan visited me. My parents, actually."
"Really," Yellowtail mused. "I had a dream like that."
"So did I," agreed Swiftbreeze. "So we're supposed to rebuild WaterClan?"
"Yes!" cried Lightningcub. "We've got to save my Clan, whatever it takes."
"How are we going to do that?" wondered Yellowtail to herself.
By sunhigh, Lightningcub was concluding his brief tour of the Waterclan camp and territory. "And this is the fresh-kill pile," he said. "It's empty now, but I haven't been using it, but I can hunt, I really can!" He was jumping on his paws in excitement.
"I'm sure you can," purred Swiftbreeze enthusiastically.
"I love hunting," said Yellowtail happily, "let's go right now!"
"Well, we should first set up our dens. Should we sleep together, or should we sleep in separate dens, like a real Clan?" Swiftbreeze, as always, was quick to get right down to business in a prompt manner.
"Well, I'm used to sleeping by myself," admitted Lightningcub, "and I would prefer to keep it that way. That's my den, up there." He pointed to a cave high above the others, near the top of the ravine in which the WaterClan camp was. It was partially hidden, for it was behind the waterfall that fed a small pond in the camp. "I'm really the only one who can jump up here, so I'll be safe from predators. Also, I can keep watch over the camp." He did not mention that it was the leader's den.
The two lions were astounded at the height of the cave. "Wow," breathed Yellowtail, "you can actually jump up to there?" The cave was about thirteen tail-lengths off of the ground.
"Yeah, it's pretty simple," said Lightningcub modestly. "I just jump off of that boulder, to that one, and then jump to the cave from there. Here, I'll show you.'' He nimbly leaped from boulder to boulder until he reached the cave. Then, he walked through the waterfall, and poked his head out of the opening. "See, it's not too hard."
"It must be because of those powerful hindlegs," commented Swiftbreeze admiringly.
"Oh, probably," replied Lightningcub. Then, changing the subject, he asked, "Where are you two going to sleep?"
"Well, Yellowtail should probably sleep in the warriors' den, and I'll sleep in the medicine wolf's den," said Swiftbreeze. "If we're going to be a Clan, we'd better start acting like one."
"I agree," replied Yellowtail.
"Actually," countered Swiftbreeze, looking at Lightningcub, "you ought to sleep in the nursery. You are still a cub, you know."
Lightningcub was shocked. "I'm five moons old! I can hunt for myself and fight like a full-grown wolf! And-"
"Lightningcub!" growled Swiftbreeze sternly. "If we are going to be a real Clan, you should sleep in the nursery, then the apprentices' den, and then-"
"Fine. I'll sleep in the nursery. But you can't treat me like a cub." Lightningcub was bristling in fury as he spoke, but held his ground. "In fact, I am about six moons old, ready to be apprenticed." He stared pointedly at Swiftbreeze.
At just that moment, Stormstar appeared in the middle of the camp and bounded up to the Highrock. "Let all wolves and lions old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highrock for a Clan meeting!" he howled. Then he leaped down to the ground and looked pointedly at Lightningcub. Around them, MoonClan warriors began to appear.
Lightningcub, Swiftbreeze, and Yellowtail gasped in surprise. "Stormstar?!" they all asked in surprise.
Stormstar dipped his head, then motioned to Lightningcub. Beaming, he said, "Lightningcub, please come here." Lightningcub stepped forward.
"From this day forward until you receive your warrior name, you will be Lightningpaw." Lightningpaw's eyes sparkled as he gazed up at his father.
"Sparrowstar," Stormstar called.
The pale gray she-cat lifted her head. She was a bright MoonClan warrior, and was the leader of WaterClan before Stormstar. Her eyes brightened and her excitement showed in the tiny twitch of her tail as she stepped forward.
"You shall be Lightningpaw's mentor."
Lightningpaw touched noses with Sparrowstar as the MoonClan warriors cheered. "Lightningpaw! Lightningpaw!"
Lightningpaw's eyes shone. He went up to his father and pressed his muzzle to his cheek. "Thank you so much," he whispered. Stormstar bent down and licked his son.
"You're welcome," he murmured. Quailfur padded to Lightningpaw. She nuzzled his head lovingly.
"Your father and I will always watch over you and love you, Lightningpaw" she said. Then, she and Stormstar began to fade away, returning to the stars.
Sparrowstar was the only MoonClan warrior remaining. She trotted over to Lightningpaw and said, "Well, do you want to start training, young Lightningpaw?" Lightningpaw nodded in agreement and bounced on his paws in anticipation.
"What are we going to do first?" he yelped excitedly. "Hunting, battle training?"
Sparrowstar shook her broad head. "No, we are going to collect moss for the medicine lion and our dens." When Lightningpaw looked disappointed, she reassured him, "Don't worry, we'll do those things later.'' She then looked over to Yellowtail and Swiftbreeze. "You two can go and hunt or collect herbs. Lightningpaw and I will also do a border patrol." At this last statement, Lightningpaw perked up. The two lions obeyed and set off into the woods.