A/N: Hey everyone! This note should be pretty short, but I just wanted to give a huge thanks to Cherryheart! I really appreciated your name ideas, and while I don't see myself using Hollyfern unless it's suggested multiple times, because having a plant prefix and a plant suffix just seems strange to me. It sounds nice though, and it's definitely on my maybe list! Like I said, I really appreciate it, as I am having horrible indecision trying to think of her name currently.
Anyways! I hope to see more name suggestions soon, and I would like to go ahead and open the floor for names and appearances for Sorreltail's kits! She can have as many as 4 (as she did in the original series) and I will more than likely pair Birchpaw with one of them, as I will be pairing Whitepaw with Spiderleg. Thanks in advance!
Now here's chapter 5!
Chapter 5
A dense fog cloaked the forest when Hollypaw emerged from the apprentices' den. It made the late new-leaf morning chilly and damp. Just one moon of training had formed a layer of slender muscles beneath her dark tabby pelt, and though Birchpaw still teased her for being small, she knew that her legs had grown at least a little bit, as she could nearly look Whitepaw in the eye now.
"Do we really have to hunt in this fog?" The tabby apprentice complained as she joined Cloudtail at the thorn tunnel. The big warrior rolled his eyes.
"This weather is ideal," he meowed. "Pelts of every color will blend in, and the fog will make it much harder for prey to smell us."
"And make it harder for us to smell prey," Hollypaw countered fussily. She tried vainly to shake the moisture from her fur.
"If you'd rather…"
"I'll definitely catch plenty of fresh-kill, though," the apprentice added quickly. "You've taught me so well, it would be a shame to let such a shining opportunity to feed the elders slip past."
Cloudtail nodded, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "That's what I thought."
With a resigned sigh, Hollypaw followed Cloudtail out into the chilled forest. Despite her skeptical thoughts, Hollypaw found Cloudtail was right. The prey was completely unaware, far too focused on searching out their hidden food than trying to sense predators. It wasn't until she had carried her huge catch back to camp (tripping over the same squirrel tail at least ten times) that Cloudtail joined her again. Hollypaw immediately dropped the fresh-kill and narrowed her eyes into a threatening glare.
"And where have you been?" She huffed.
Cloudtail only twitched his whiskers in amusement. "Assessing you."
Her tone changed instantly as a startled squeak escaped her throat. "Assessing me?! Why didn't you tell me this was an assessment?"
"If I had told you, you would have been nervous." The white warrior blinked gently at his apprentice. "Especially if you knew what the assessment was for."
"Well," she tried to brush off her sudden anxiety with a sniff. "What was it for?"
"To decide if you would be allowed to go to the Gathering tonight," Cloudtail answered simply. Hollypaw's heart dropped into her stomach.
"And…?" She prompted, almost fearfully. Her mentor hesitated just long enough to have the tabby's hopes plummeting before letting out a purr.
"Of course you passed, I didn't expect anything less. You caught even more than Birchpaw." Cloudtail flicked his tail to where the tabby tom was excitedly chatting with Whitepaw.
"Is he going to the Gathering, too?" Hollypaw's eyes stretched wide with dismay. Did her catching more than him mean she would have to go to her first Gathering without him.
"Of course he is," Cloudtail flicked his tail-tip against her ear. "His catch went straight to the elders, so put yours in the pile and get something for yourself. You'll have to rest up before the Gathering if you want to keep up!"
I can keep up just fine! Hollypaw kept the retort to herself as she padded to the fresh-kill pile. The warmth of sunhigh has dissipated the lingering fog, and the chill that came with it. She chose a blackbird with particularly glossy feathers and joined the other apprentices outside their den.
"Well?" Birchpaw demanded immediately. "You passed your assessment, right? You had to have, that catch was huge!"
"Of course I did," Hollypaw bragged, puffing her chest out. Whitepaw gave a little cheer, jumping to her paws to brush her muzzle against Hollypaw's.
"That means that we're all going!"
Hollypaw felt a flash of excitement. "I wish we could go now." She settled between Whitepaw and Birchpaw, tucking neatly into her blackbird while the other apprentices agreed energetically.
"You're both going to love it," Whitepaw rolled onto her back, swatting lazily at the air above her. "I'll introduce you to all of the other apprentices—but don't be surprised if they pick on you for being younger than them!"
"I'm sure there's going to be at least one apprentice younger than us," Birchpaw rolled his eyes. "Besides, we've been training for a moon now!"
"And Birchpaw is bigger than you," Hollypaw teased, flicking her tail-tip against Whitepaw's shoulder.
"But you were apprenticed the day after the last Gathering," Whitepaw reminded them. "That means that even if they think you're older, Firestar is going to let the whole Gathering know that you've only been training for a moon when he ounces that ThunderClan has two new apprentices."
"No fair," Birchpaw sighed softly. Whitepaw purred sympathetically as she stood.
"Well, I've got to go. Brackenfur promised to take me battle training before the Gathering." She flicked her tail in farewell as she went to her mentor, sunning himself in the late new-leaf sun alongside Sootfur.
Hollypaw yawned. The sun was certainly welcome after slinking through mist all morning. She stretched out luxuriously and rested her chin on her paws. She heard Birchpaw mimic her motions, and felt his tail-tip grazing her flank. It wouldn't do us any good at all to be exhausted at the Gathering, after all…
A sharp prod in her side roused Hollypaw, and she blinked blurrily up at Birchpaw. "Is it time to go already?" Half of her question was lost in the yawn that stretched her jaws, but it seemed Birchpaw understood, because he nodded energetically.
"The sun is going down, and Firestar has just come down from his den!"
Suddenly, Hollypaw was wide awake. "Well let's go then!" She rushed to the thorn tunnel, searching out her mentor in the throng of cats. His snowy pelt was easy to find, standing out like a patch of snow beside Rainwhisker's stormy gray fur.
"It's about time you woke up," Cloudtail gave his apprentice a playful nudge. "You were sleeping like a hedgehog over there."
Rainwhisker's tail curled. "You must be excited," the young warrior purred.
"Of course I am," Hollypaw licked her chest fur self-consciously. "Weren't you?"
Cloudtail rolled his eyes. "Don't let how calm he is now fool you," he meowed. "Back when he was Rainpaw this one," he flicked his tail pointedly at the dark gray tom, "bothered me from dawn until sunset about when we were leaving for the Gathering."
Rainwhisker swatted good-naturedly at his former mentor. "I wasn't that bad. Sorreltail was far worse."
"Really?" Hollypaw glanced towards the nursery, where the pretty tortoiseshell was staring wistfully at the group of cats that had been chosen to go to the Gathering. She had withheld moving to the nursery for so long that now she was all but confined to it, and every cat knew that her kits could arrive at any time.
"Sorreltail has always loved chatting," Brackenfur added warmly.
Firestar called for his warriors' attention, then flicked his ears and raced through the thorn tunnel. Hollypaw's heart soared in her chest as she rushed out alongside Cloudtail. Her mentor's legs were long, carrying him quickly over rocks and fallen trees that Hollypaw had to skitter clumsily around. I won't fall behind! She passed Rainwhisker and Birchpaw, thrusting her legs out further with every stride until she was beside her mentor again. His whiskers twitched in amusement.
"You've got some competition for fastest hunter in ThunderClan!" The white warrior called to Sandstorm. Amused purrs rippled through the Clan, and Hollypaw felt her chest swell with pride. She'd show them!
It was until she was skittering through the mud at the edge of the lake that she realized it may have been wiser to take it slowly. She was grateful when she fetched up against the tree-bridge, though her shoulder stung from hitting it so hard.
"I won't lose my title until she can run faster than me… and still stop," Sandstorm purred. She flicked her tail against Hollypaw's nose as she jumped over her and crossed the bridge.
Hollypaw's pride was warming into a prickly embarrassment.
"Are you alright?" Birchpaw panted as he caught up. Ashfur followed more slowly, his blue eyes bright with laughter. The entire Clan was probably laughing at her clumsy display.
"I'm fine," she muttered crossly, flicking the mud from her paws.
"If you say so," the lighter tabby blinked sympathetically at her, then followed his mentor across the bridge. Hollypaw sighed. She hadn't meant to be so snippy. I'll apologize to him once I've crossed.
She jumped up onto the tree-bridge beside Cloudtail, surprised by how slick the bark was.
"Careful," Rainwhisker called from the shore as she wobbled. "It's slippery."
"I noticed," Hollypaw quipped hotly. She picked her way carefully across, her tail lashing. I'm not a kit, I've been training for a moon now! So I slipped in the mud, that doesn't change anything! She completely forgot about apologizing to Birchpaw when she reached the other side, brushing right past her brother and disappearing into the undergrowth. Cloudtail sighed as he followed her.
"There you are!"
Hollypaw froze, her eyes stretching wide as she took in the sight before her. Cats of all four Clans were mingling in the clearing, the soft meows filling the air with a companionable buzz. Whitepaw had appeared in front of the younger apprentice.
"Well?" She inquired. "Aren't you coming?"
Hollypaw started. "What?"
Whitepaw purred sympathetically. "I know it's a lot to take in," she assured the dark tabby. "But you'll get used to it." She broke off, waving Birchpaw towards them with her tail as he appeared. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the other apprentices!" Without waiting for a response, the white apprentice, turned and slipped away. Hollypaw brushed close against her brother as they followed their denmate, and he flashed her an understanding glance. Thank StarClan for my soft-hearted brother, Hollypaw sighed silently. No other cat could put up with me like he does.
Her nose prickled as they passed a group of RiverClan and ShadowClan cats. The piney scent made her want to sneeze, and the smell of fish made her stomach churn. Whitepaw slowed as they neared a group of smaller cats—though Hollypaw was by far the smallest there.
"Smokepaw!" Whitepaw called warmly.
A sleek black tom that smelled of ShadowClan turned his head to return her greeting, only to blink in surprise as he saw Hollypaw and Birchpaw. "You've brought kits with you?"
Hollypaw bristled immediately, but Whitepaw was purring in amusement. The other two apprentices—whose fur reeked of fish—seemed just as tickled by the comment.
"He's only joking," Whitepaw brushed her tail down Hollypaw's flank. "This is Hollypaw, and this is Birchpaw." She flicked each of them with her tail in turn. "Don't let Firestar's announcement fool you, though, they've been training for a moon now."
"I'm Beechpaw," the light brown RiverClan apprentice dipped his head. "And this is Ripplepaw." The dark gray tabby beside him murmured a small greeting.
"So you've been training for a moon, huh?" Smokepaw tilted his head. "You certainly don't look it, Hollypaw."
"Weren't you a kit when we made the Great Journey?" Ripplepaw narrowed his eyes. Hollypaw ruffled her fur defensively, but Birchpaw answered.
"We both were," he supplied calmly. "Hollypaw nearly died in the Old Forest; it's because of the journey that she's so small now."
"It doesn't hold me back," she sniffed haughtily. "You'll see."
Warm laughter followed her words, and though embarrassed, Hollypaw couldn't help but to join in. Whitepaw was about to change the subject when Blackstar called for the Gathering to start.
"ShadowClan has little to report," he announced coolly. "We chased a badger from our territory, but it was male, alone, and left with plenty of wounds to remember us by." Relief swept through the Clans. Firestar stood next.
"ThunderClan is proud to announce the naming of two new apprentices, Birchpaw and Hollypaw."
Hollypaw sat straighter as the eyes of all of the Clans swept to rest on her and her brother. Birchpaw straightened as well, and she fought the urge to swat at him. Don't sit so tall, they won't be able to see me you great lump!
"Other than that," Firstar was continuing, "we've also had a problem with badgers—Squirrelflight chased off a mother, and days later Thornclaw and Cloudtail found the kits and chased those away as well."
Leopardstar and Onestar reported more of the same—new-leaf was bringing plenty of prey, and plenty of badgers. When the Gathering was called to a close, Hollypaw was glad to be away from Smokepaw's tangy scent and taunting eyes.
"Going to race all the way back to camp, too?" Cloudtail have her a nudge as they gathered with the rest of ThunderClan on the shore.
"I can hardly put one paw in front of the other," the dark tabby huffed. "I'm not running anywhere." Still, when Firestar called for them to start moving, she willed her legs to take her just a little further, panting as she ran heavily alongside Whitepaw. She was struggling for breath when they finally thundered into the camp, and she only flickered her ears to Cloudtail before slithering away to the apprentices' den. She fell asleep almost as soon as her chin touched her nest, swept into a dark, dreamless sleep.