Chapter 2(:
"Good morning Cindercloud, Silverstream." Foxkit flicked his ears at the sound of a soft voice.
"Good morning, Bluestar." Silverstream purred back quietly. Cindercloud murmured her own greeting, tucking her tail closer around Foxkit and Hailkit.
"They're sleeping so soundly." Foxkit nearly snorted at his leader's soft mew, but kept his sounds of exasperation to himself, listening carefully. "They've grown so much…"
"They certainly have…" Cindercloud stroked her tail fondly over Foxkit's back, and he fought the shiver that prickled at his fur.
"I think it's about time these kits were made apprentices."
What? Foxpaw felt a jolt of excitement lance through his paws. Apprentices? Finally!"
Silverstream purred. "That sounds great!"
Bluestar sighed. "I'm concerned about Stormkit and Featherkit, Silverstream…" Foxkit pricked his ears. "I've already given Sorrelpaw to Graystripe, or I would have him mentor one of them himself. I want them to feel welcomed and comfortable, but there are a few warriors that still see them only as half-Clan kits."
"I know." Silverstream's voice was thick with what Foxkit could only figure was regret.
"They're all as mouse-brained as a hole of rocks." Cinderrcloud spat. Foxkit could feel her tail lashing faintly against his side. Hailkit shifted restlessly in his sleep—he did that a lot.
"They'll come around. Just as they did for Fireheart." She paused. "Is there any cat you have concerns about, when it comes to mentoring your kits, Silverstream? I normally don't let queens choose, but…"
"No, Bluestar. I trust your judgement. I know that whoever you choose will treat my kits with the respect they deserve."
"If they don't they'll have to answer to me." Cindercloud growled. "I need to brush up on my fighting skills again, anyways."
Bluestar purred in faint amusement. "I'm sure that won't be necessary." She mewed. "I think I have their mentors chosen," Foxkit felt his paws tingling, eager to hear who he would be trained by. "But I think it would be better saved as a surprise for certain, nosy kits."
Foxkit held his breath, before sighing as he realized he had been caught—and by Bluestar no less!
Cindercloud prodded him with her paw. "Apologize. Eavesdropping is rude."
He stood, flicking his ear in embarrassment. "Sorry, Bluestar…" He mumbled. "But are we really going to be apprenticed?!"
Her eyes flashed in amusement. "Yes. At sunhigh. I suggest you groom that moss out of your pelt if you want your mentor to take you seriously."
The small ginger tom felt his ears burning as he dipped his head. "Yes, Bluestar."
The great blue-gray she-cat nodded. "Good." With that, she turned and pushed her way out of the nursery, her broad shoulders scraping the brambles. Foxkit whipped around, pouncing on his brother.
"Hailkit, wake up!" He yowled, rolling his drowsy brother onto his back. The pale silver tabby groaned, swiping half-heartedly at his entirely-too-awake brother. "We're going to be apprentices!" He continued yowling. "We're going to be apprentices now!"
"Now?" Hailkit yawned, still not bothering to fight his brother back. Suddenly his icy blue eyes shot wide open. "Now?!" He repeated, leaping to his paws.
"Yes!"
Hailkit spun to face Cindercloud. "Really?"
Cindercloud purred, "Yes, Hailkit, really." Foxkit was already prodding Stormkit in the side, Silverstream rolling her eyes good naturedly as Stormkit growled at the ginger kit.
"We're going to be apprentices!" He crowed again, prodding the dark gray tom with more vigor.
"Apprentices…?" Stormkit echoed, slowly sitting up, Featherkit did the same, blinking her eyes sleepily as their racket stirred her.
"We're going where?"
"We're not going anywhere." Hailkit laughed nudging the gray she-kit playfully.
"We're going to be apprentices." Foxkit was finally settling down, though he could sit still, pacing around Hailkit in excited circles.
"Start cleaning up now," Silverstream fussed, leaning forward and swiping the moss Bluestar had mentioned out of Foxkit's fur. "The ceremony is at sunhigh."
"Sunhigh?" Stormkit gasped, looking at Foxkit through wide amber eyes.
"Sunhigh." Foxkit confirmed, puffing his chest out.
"Let's do as Mother said." Featherkit insisted, already bending to lick her own fluffy chest fur. Hailkit nodded, following suit, but Foxkit growled, merely shaking himself roughly, hoping all of the loose moss flew free.
"There, done." He mewed. "Now let's go!"
"Oh no you don't." Stormkit's whiskers twitched in amusement as Cindercloud cuffed the dark ginger kit over the ear. "Settle down and wash yourself or I'll do it."
Foxkit groaned, but did as he was told, sitting beside Hailkit and twisting around to lick the fur around his haunches.
Silverstream got up and stretched. "I'm going to go get fresh-kill." She announced. Cindercloud stood join her, following the silver tabby out and called over her shoulder, "Come out when you're done, and if there's a single piece of fur out of place you'll be sent right back to do it again!"
Foxkit rolled his eyes. Yeah, right!
"Who do you think your mentors will be?" Hailkit piped up suddenly, glancing around at them through curious eyes.
"Fireheart, obviously." Foxkit rolled his eyes.
Stormkit cuffed him over the ear. "Fireheart already has an apprentice, he can't have two."
"I know that," Foxkit sniffed, licking a paw and swiping it over his ear. "But I can hope, can't I?"
"Besides," Hailkit added. "Parents never mentor their kits."
Featherkit purred. "You already know who your mentor is going to be." She pointed out.
Hailkit nodded, his eyes flashing. "I can't wait!"
"You'll be the best medicine cat in the entire forest." Stormkit head-butted the smaller tom fondly and Foxkit nodded his agreement.
"And we'll be the best warriors, no matter who our mentors are." Stormkit and Featherkit both nodded, and as they finished grooming, the four kits rushed out of the nursery.
As they exited, Cindercloud looked over them with critical blue eyes, Silverstream doing the same with her sharp green gaze.
"Good." Cindercloud finally nodded. Graystripe bounded over from the fresh-kill pile, Sorrelpaw scurrying after him, dodging the snow kicked up by her mentor's wide furry paws.
"I heard the news!" He meowed, touching Silverstream's nose before turning to the kits. "Are you excited?"
"Of course we are," Foxkit looked up at the large gray tom.
"Who do you think our mentors will be?" Stormkit also turned his gaze towards his father, while Hailkit and Featherkit bounded to their mothers' sides, sharing fresh-kill with them and talking animatedly.
Graystripe tilted his head to the side, thinking, before he shrugged. "There's plenty of warriors ready for apprentices." He acknowledged carefully. "I guess we'll see when sunhigh rolls around."
"That's going to be forever." Stormkit sighed, glaring up at the sun, which seemed to be stuck just above the tree tops.
Graystripe's whiskers twitched. "It will come sooner than you expect." He bent and touched his nose first to Stormkit's head, then Foxkit's, before turning and joing Silverstream and Cindercloud for a moment, giving similar gestures to Hailkit and Featherkit, and padding away.
Foxkit huffed. "You're right." He gazed forlornly at the sky. "It's going to take forever."
What seemed like moons later in Foxkit's eyes—it may as well have been, since they couldn't play because it might "ruin their fur"—Bluestar padded slowly out of her den, sitting down beneath the Highrock for a moment, gazing as her clan through calm blue eyes. Foxkit sat bolt upright, his ears pricking up.
"Stormkit, look!" He hiss to the other tom. Featherkit and Hailkit had gone to Yellowfang's den ages ago and were yet to return. "Bluestar left her den."
"And it's nearly sunhigh." Stormkit sat up quickly as well, his amber eyes bright. Bluestar brought her paw up, rasping her tongue across it once or twice before pulling it over her ears. After a few, excrutiatingly long moments, she stood again, turning and leaping onto the Highrock..
"Let all cat's old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!"
Foxkit and Stormkit exchanged an excited glance, jumping to their paws and scampering ahead of Cindercloud and Silverstream into the center of the clearing. Hailkit and Featherkit were beside them in an instant, their eyes glowing. Yellowfang padded along slowly after them, giving Hailkit an approving nod as she moved to sit beside Fireheart beneath the Highrock.
"I've called you together for one of the most promising duties I have as leader. Today, four young kits will be made apprentices, ready to learn our noble ways." She looked down, catching Stormkit's eye. "Stormkit, from this moment forward, you will be known as Stormpaw." Foxkit looked around, wondering who his friend's mentor would be again. Sootpaw had been apprenticed to Longtail, Rainpaw to Mousefur, and Sorrelpaw to Graystripe. Ashfur and Ferncloud had been made warriors, but Foxkit didn't think any warrior got an apprentice that fast. "Whitestorm, you have been without an apprentice since Brightheart earned her warrior name. I know you will pass on all of your strength and wisdom to this young apprentice." The large white tom stepped forward, bending to touch noses with Stormkit. Foxkit felt a small flash of jealousy. How lucky! Whitestorm is one of the greatest warriors in the whole forest!
"Featherkit." Bluestar beckoned the small silver she-kit forward with his tail. "From this moment forward, you will be known as Featherpaw. Sandstorm," the pale ginger warrior sat tall, her eyes flashing with the pride of taking her second apprentice. "You did a fine job with Ferncloud, and I hope you will do the same with young Featherpaw." Sandstorm bowed her head, before getting up and touching noses with Featherpaw. Foxkit felt his fur prickling in excitement. Soon, it would be his turn.
"Hailkit." The pale silver tabby stepped forward, as did Yellowfang. "Yellowfang told me that she offered to take you as her apprentice, and you accepted?"
His ice blue eyes glowed. "Yes Bluestar."
Their leader dipped her head. "From this moment forward, you will be known as Hailpaw. Tomorrow, at Half-Moon, you will go with Yellowfang to the Moonstone to be recognized as her apprentice by StarClan."
The old she-cat stepped forward and touched noses with the pale tabby anyways, giving him a reassuring nudge as she led him backto sit down next to her beneath the Highrock.
Foxkit's heart nearly stopped as he realized it was finally his turn. "Foxkit, step forward." The ginger tom did as he was told, his paws tingling with excitement. "From this moment forward, you will be known as Foxpaw. Dustpelt," Foxpaw felt sudden panic. Dustpelt?! He was among the most short-tempered cats in the clan, and never cast any of them so much as a sideways glance except for when they played too loudly or got in his way. "You trained Ashfur, and are more than ready for a second apprentice. I hope you will pass on your courage and wit to this young apprentice."
Dustpelt stood, padding slowly to stand in front of Foxpaw. The ginger tom felt the urge to shy away from his sharp amber gaze, but quickly steeled his nerves and touched his nose to the dark brown tabby's. With a flick of his tail, Dustpelt led him to sit next to Sandstorm and Featherpaw as the Clan began to cheer their names, pressing close around them.
"Foxpaw! Hailpaw! Stormpaw! Featherpaw!"
As the cheers died down, Foxpaw spun to face Dustpelt, in his excitement momentarily forgetting how short-tempered the tom could be. "What do we do now?" He blurted, beginning to pace around his mentor in a circle as he usually did with his den-mates when he got bored.
To his surprise, Dustpelt only blinked, a faint gleam of amusement in his eyes. "First, we go see the territory you'll be hunting in and fighting for."
"Now?" He stopped pacing, sitting down in front of his mentor. The dark tabby rolled his eyes.
"No, a moon from now." Dustpelt meowed dryly, rolling his eyes. The warrior stood. "Let's go."
Foxpaw jumped to his paws again. "Okay." Dustpelt led the way, Foxpaw right on his heels as the slid through the gorse tunnel and began climbing the ravine. They reached the top, and Dustpelt paused, looked back down as Foxpaw as he scrambled up the last few stones. "Now," he flicked his tail out to the surrounding forest as Foxpaw gasped quietly in awe. "What can you smell?"
Foxpaw lifted his nose to the wind, closing his eyes as unbridled fire surged through his veins. Freedom…!
Okay, I'm not going to lie… I'm a huge Dustpelt fan xD I've always had a particular soft spot for him… Yeah… I just might write him his own story xD Interested? Let me know. On a more on-topic note, thanks to Frostflower223, riverspirit345, and Darkfire for reviewing! Reviews always make me want to update faster (as I'm sure they do for every writer). Lots of love, guys, can't wait to get the next chapter up! And I got some great name suggestions already, so if you still want a say in it, I recommend doing so soon;P