Three sunrises had come and gone since the formation of SaltClan. Twilightstar had travelled back to the Moonfly Cave and received her nine lives, a tradition she explained to her Clan in the hot, arid afternoon prior to her journey.
Now, Twilightstar was having another training session with the warriors. She allotted each afternoon at sun-high time to further review the Warrior Code, telling stories to explain their importance, and how each code came to be. Twilightstar was an exciting storyteller, and Greenkit occasionally listened in on the stories. Twilightstar didn't seem to mind.
But this afternoon, Greenkit was sulking among the milky scents of the nursery. Beachflower was chatting quietly with Coralclaw, the queen that Greenkit had offended before the first Gathering. In the end, only Beachflower had been able to put ease to the agitated queen's mind, who was very close to kitting. Beachflower spoke to her in soft, soothing mews, promising Coralclaw a life of safety for she and her kits. It took some time, but Coralclaw eventually made a nest in the nursery and took her Clan name.
Greenkit, since, had not been comfortable in the nursery. Coralclaw was still not accustomed to the close capacity of Clan life, and she hadn't she forgotten Greenkit's quick tongue during their first meeting. Coralclaw ignored her plainly, and not even Beachflower could bring her to acknowledge Greenkit, unless it was a warning hiss.
Beachflower had explained that it was most likely due to the fact that Coralclaw was so close to kitting, but it didn't make Greenkit any less irritated with the queen. Greenkit hadn't planned on spending very much time in the nursery to begin with, but now she actively avoided the brush bramble bush.
Greenkit was only sulking because Twilightfur had postponed her apprentice naming ceremony, all because Greenkit had called Reedtail a mouse-brained old coot. Though, in Greenkit's defense, nobody else had called him out for bringing back a fish that had smelled too much of the dry, sun-high heat. Greenkit told Twilightstar this.
"What mistakes other cats may or may not make is no business of yours, Greenkit." Twilightstar had mewed, clearly agitated. There was a sure-fire wall burning in her icy blue eyes. "Mouthing off to anyone in this Clan – whether it be kits, apprentices, warriors, or anyone else – will not be tolerated. Until you learn that, you can continue staying in the nursery. Maybe Beachflower will teach you some manners."
Greenkit had been absolutely shocked by the harshness in her leader's mew. Though, perhaps Greenkit shouldn't be. Greenkit knew herself to be a highly opinionated cat, one who often spoke out of turn. But did that really mean she wouldn't be able to become an apprentice? Did Twilightstar even hear the apprentices? Sharkpaw made fun of Greenkit all the time! Where was his punishment?
And so, Greenkit sulked, much to Coralclaw's disdain. Greenkit had been doing a lot of thinking this afternoon, and she had reached a conclusion she had been avoiding the past few days. The real thing that Greenkit was truly rotten about was the fact that Twilightstar had taken on her own apprentice, Riverpaw, a creamy tom with gray-blue patches and light gray eyes that seemed to reach every corner of the growing camp.
In all honesty, Greenkit was hoping that Twilightstar would take her on as an apprentice. After all, she did show Twilightstar around the beach and the Dunes, introduced her to Pearlpelt and Waterpaw, and recruited cats for the first Gathering. She may only be a kit, but Greenkit knew she had helped her leader tremendously! And Twilightstar had seemed to like her company okay, regardless of her sharp tongue. But now that Twilightstar was a full-fledged leader, it seemed she didn't have any time for Greenkit.
And now she wasn't even going to give her an apprentice ceremony!
"Stop brooding, Greenkit." Beachflower mewed gently, turning away from Coralclaw. "You'll be apprenticed soon. Just you wait."
"I'm tired of waiting," Greenkit grumbled, pushing her muzzle under her paws. "I don't want to wait anymore! I've already waited!"
"Three sunrises!" Coralclaw snipped, wrapping her tail around her swollen belly. "A lifetime of waiting."
Greenkit bit her tongue. Usually, she'd snap back at the cranky queen. But Greenkit really did want to be apprenticed. And if holding her tongue would get her there, then so be it. There would always be time for retorts when she was an apprentice. Or, a warrior, Greenkit amended. That way only Twilightstar and Seaheart could boss her around!
Maybe, someday, she could even become Clan leader, she dreamed. Then nobody could boss her around. She'd never make kits wait to be apprenticed, not for a few jabs here and there!
When Greenkit got tired of Coralclaw's remarks, and Greenkit could no longer hold her tongue, she slid through the narrow nursery entrance. The bramble bush had been heavily worked on by the apprentices: at the direction of Pearlpelt, sea rosemary had been woven into the branches, explaining briefly that rosemary numerous health benefits; the smell was even soothing and calming to queens and kits. The inside of the bramble was lined with silverleaf, a very soft plant that grew behind the Dunes and didn't dry out very quickly. In addition, many vines from coast plants had been woven into the bramble, reinforcing it and blocking out the mid-day heat.
That made exiting the nursery a very bright, humid shock during the heat of sun-high. Greenkit arched her back, stretching her spine, yawning. Being lazy made her tired. She saw the warriors still crowded around Twilightstar, but Greenkit didn't feel like listening to her stories. And I can't even leave the stupid camp! She thought to herself, irritated. She spent the entirety of her life, sans the past four sunrises, with free reign. Well, as free as it could be, avoiding other cats at all costs. But now she was confined to a hollow!
She lay down outside the nursery, resting her chin on her front paws. What would she do now?
As if answered by the warrior ancestors Twilightstar spoke so highly of, a white she-cat with stripes of all sorts of yellows padded on light paws from the apprentice's den, across the camp. Greenkit's ears perked. Sunpaw!
Greenkit had met Sunpaw by accident the sunrise following the pretty she-cat's naming. Right after the last cats had been named, Greenkit had been very excited to meet the warriors and apprentices of her new Clan. Especially the apprentices, the cats that would be training with her! As the cluster of cats dispersed from the bottom of the high-ledge at the dismissive flick of Twilightstar's tail, Greenkit followed the apprentices to their new den, her tail held high with excitement.
And was she ever disappointed. Sharkpaw, a gray and white striped tabby tom with strange yellow-green eyes, and Tidepaw, a dark tabby tom with large black stripes and even stranger orange eyes, were not very welcoming.
"You still have kit-fur!" Sharkpaw exclaimed when Greenkit had introduced herself, trying to resist the urge to bounce from excitement. "You can't lay with us, you're still a kit!"
"For your information, minx-breath," Greenkit bristled, quite offended by Sharkpaw's proclamation. "I'll be an apprentice in just a few sunrises! And I'll be stronger than you, too!"
These were brave words, Greenkit knew, because Sharkpaw was much larger than she was. He had no kit-fur.
Tidepaw lifted his head from the nest he had already settled into. "That'll be a fight I'd like to see. Or, not see. I wouldn't care to see a kit injured."
Greenkit was fuming. "My cat-fur is late blooming," Greenkit admitted carefully. "But at least it will come! You'll never be able to grow a brain!"
Sharkpaw wasn't the least bit offended. In fact, it seemed to be quite the opposite. Was he laughing at her?
Greenkit opened her mouth to lash out, her claws unsheathed. But before she could inhale a breath, she felt something soft curl around her mouth. Glancing down, she realized it was a tail. A slim yellow tail with a puffy white end. It tickled Greenkit's nose.
"We don't need to fight," came a soft mew from the owner of the tail. She stepped into Greenkit's field of vision. Sharkpaw and Tidepaw were silent. "We can get along."
Something about the she-cat's mew was something of a comfort. Greenkit very suddenly believed her. We can get along.
Greenkit couldn't remember seeing this cat receiving her apprentice name. She was wracking her brain for several silent moments before she remembered the young cat padding very quietly up to Twilightstar, bowing her head, and gracefully padding back to her place amidst the cats. Sunpaw!
With a better view, without many large warriors in front of her, Greenkit saw Sunpaw clearly. She was stunning. She was a little bigger than Greenkit, but something about her soft, delicate mew made her seem much older than Greenkit. She was a white and yellow tabby she-cat, the stripes of yellow impossible colors ranging from goldenrod to daisy to sand. Her eyes were bright yellow, but not glowing like Tidepaw's strange orange ones. Hers were soft, and promising, unassuming.
Greenkit had sputtered. "Yeah, yes, we can."
Tidepaw and Sharkpaw nodded, staring at her intensely with unmasked appetite.
Sunpaw blinked at her, and Greenkit scampered off to the nursery. Where had she come from? Greenkit couldn't remember ever even glimpsing her around the beach. Perhaps she came from another part of the Clifflands? Or had she truly just never noticed the dainty she-cat before? Greenkit went to sleep with these thoughts swirling around her mind with the milky scent of Beachflower's kits.
Over the next few sunrises, Sunpaw and Greenkit had become friends. Very, very good friends. Sunpaw always seemed to be near at the most opportune times.
Was that what the Clan life was all about? She wondered, watching Sunpaw approach her. Greenkit purred. If the Clan life was all about friendship and family, she was content. More than content. She was happy.
"Sunpaw," Greenkit purred, standing up to meet her.
"You look terribly bored," Sunpaw mewed, soft as ever. She touched her nose to Greenkit. "You smell of warm milk and new life. Has Coralclaw kitted yet?"
"Not yet," Greenkit reported, sitting down in front of her. Sunpaw had that look again – the way she met your eyes as if you were the most important cat in the world, and she wouldn't rather be doing anything else but talk to you. It was difficult to remember that that was most likely not true. But either way, Greenkit intensly enjoyed Sunpaw's company. "Pearlpelt said she could any day, though."
"They'll be the first kits of SaltClan," Sunpaw purred softly, cocking her head to the side. "Plus, I'll bet that once the kits are born, you'll be apprenticed. The nursery will be too small for all of you."
That cheered Greenkit immensely. "I'll be moving to the apprentice den! With you!"
Greenkit ducked her eyes a bit. She hadn't meant to say that. That was an obvious fact, and now she seemed like an overeager kit, she silently scoffed. But Sunpaw only licked between Greenkit's ears and asked, "Do you want me to show you the fighting moves Shellstream has been working with me?"
Greenkit felt herself quiver with excitement. She didn't bother to try and hide her emotions this time around. Sunpaw obviously didn't care about her overeager habits. "Yes! Yes please!"
"We'll just have to fetch Shellstream first, and make sure she can take us out of the hollow…I don't like much the idea of practicing with so many cats around as obstacles, and I don't think they would like it much, either." Sunpaw was murmuring to herself, turning away mid-sentence to find Shellstream. Greenkit trotted to keep up. Sunpaw did that often, left thoughts unfinished, not quite meant for any particular cat. But Greenkit felt a sudden squeeze in her stomach, a tiny ball of dread wrapped in doubt.
Kits weren't allowed to leave the hollow.