Oddly enough, Fleck didn't feel nervous. Not as he had before. Even though he knew that the leader's next words would determine his future, he was not afraid. Worrying would not help him now. The choice had already been made, whatever it was. He would have to hold his head high and hope for the best. That was all he could do. If his destiny truly lay with Thunderclan, he would be accepted into the clan. So as Bramblestar stared down from the Highledge at the young cat, Fleck met his gaze bravely. He would not turn away. He would not avert his eyes. Not now.
Bramblestar's gaze moved away from Fleck, scanning the cats assembled in the clearing. "Ravenpaw was a good ally of Thunderclan. He could have become a great warrior if the danger from Tigerstar had not forced him to flee the clan. If he had stayed with us, his descendants would walk among us. We desperately need more warriors. You all know the threat we face." Bramblestar meowed. Many of the cats nodded somberly.
Fleck was confused. It sounded like he was going to be accepted into the clan, which was great, but what was this threat Bramblestar spoke of? Was Thunderclan in some sort of trouble? Fleck felt his blood boil at the thought of anything threatening Thunderclan. It was strange. He wasn't even one of them yet, and yet still he felt such deep loyalty to the clan. He stared at Bramblestar, curious as to what the leader would say next.
"This young cat has traveled from so far away to find us. He wishes to join our ranks. We would be fools to turn away a fit young cat when we so desperately need more warriors. Fleck will be allowed to join Thunderclan as an apprentice." Bramblestar yowled.
Fleck's heart soared with joy. All the nervous energy, the fear of rejection, that had been pent up in his body for so long flooded out. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He was going to be a Thunderclan cat! This had been his goal for so long. His dream. To carry on Ravenpaw's legacy, and to find his own path amongst the warrior cats. Most of the cats looked friendly and welcoming, glad to have a new member, but a few looked furious at the idea of having an outsider among them.
"Fleck, step forward." Bramblestar meowed.
Fleck suddenly felt the eyes of every cat in Thunderclan burning his pelt. The warriors began to back away from Fleck as one, clearing a path to the Highledge. The young tom stepped forward into the now empty space beneath the Highledge. Fleck's eyes met with Bramblestar's.
"Fleck, is it your wish to train to become a warrior of Thunderclan?" Bramblestar asked formally.
Fleck nodded. "It is." His voice rang out across the quiet clearing, clear as water.
"Then from this day forward, until he has earned his place as a warrior, this apprentice shall be known as Fleckpaw." Bramblestar yowled.
Fleckpaw felt a rush of excitement. He was really a Thunderclan cat now! "As for your mentor…" Bramblestar continued, his eyes scanning the clearing before finally coming to rest on a cat. Fleckpaw craned his neck, eager to lay eyes on the cat that was to teach him the ways of a warrior. "Poppyfrost. You are patient, kind, and skilled in battle. Though many cats less experienced than you were given apprentices before you, you never complained. You are a hard working member of Thunderclan, and I can imagine no better mentor for Fleckpaw than you." Bramblestar announced.
Fleckpaw heard a surprised meow from the back of the crowd of cats. A single cat emerged from the crowd. She was a tortoiseshell she cat with bright blue eyes that were shining with surprise and gratitude. "Me? Bramblestar, thank you! I promise I'll do my best to train Fleckpaw into a warrior the clan can be proud of!" The cat exclaimed.
So this is Poppyfrost.My mentor.Fleck thought to himself. The she cat turned towards him, excitement sparkling in her eyes and a friendly look on her face. Yes, Fleckpaw felt that he'd get along well with this cat. She looked at him expectantly. He was confused. What was he supposed to do? With a start, he remembered Ravenpaw had told him that apprentices touch noses with their mentors during the naming ceremony. He hurriedly touched Poppyfrost's nose with his own. And that's when the cheers broke out around him.
"Fleckpaw! Fleckpaw! Fleckpaw! Fleckpaw!" The voices of the Thunderclan cats called as one, welcoming the young apprentice into their ranks.
Bramblestar hopped down from the Highledge, signaling that the meeting was over. Fleckpaw's mentor purred happily. "Welcome to Thunderclan, Fleckpaw!" Poppyfrost meowed.
"Thanks." He replied.
"Since it's pretty late now, I won't take you for a tour of the territory today. We'd need a patrol to come with us anyway, with all the danger on the borders right now. Rest up tonight and I promise we'll start your training first thing tomorrow!" Poppyfrost meowed, padding off. Fleckpaw was really confused now. What was this danger the Thunderclan cats were so deeply concerned about? They were a clan of well-trained fighters. What could be so bad that it would make these powerful cats afraid of their own territory? His pondering on the matter was interrupted as some of the cats wandered over to congratulate him. All thoughts of the unknown danger flew out of Fleckpaw's mind. He could worry about that later. For now, he wanted to enjoy his first evening as a Thunderclan cat.
A lithe, white and ginger body wove its way through the throng of cats offering Fleckpaw their congratulations. Quickpaw broke free of the crowd, bounding over to the new apprentice. "Hey, you're a Thunderclan cat now! Congrats!" Fleckpaw's new friend meowed happily.
"Yeah, I guess I am!" Fleckpaw purred. He was glad he'd decided to find Thunderclan. For the first time in his life, everything felt right. Like this was where he'd always belonged.
"I'm glad Bramblestar let you join. I'd have hated to see you go. I think that you and I will get along really well." Quickpaw purred. "Now that you're a Thunderclan cat, you gotta let me show you around camp!"
"Sure!" Fleckpaw meowed, eager to learn more about his new home.
"Follow me!" Quickpaw called, bounding off, his ginger paws thudding on the hard packed earth of the camp.
Fleckpaw dashed after Quickpaw, following the white and ginger tom to the base of a hollow tree with an opening just above the roots. "In here is the elders den." Quickpaw announced. "Come take a look!" Fleckpaw saw his friend's ginger tabby tail disappear into the hole. He ducked into the den, following Quickpaw's lead.
Once he'd entered the den, he realized that it was much bigger than he would have guessed. Some of the space under the tree had been dug out so that the den dipped slightly into the ground. Furthermore, one side of the trunk had been badly destroyed, but had been repaired and used to increase the space in the den even more. As Fleckpaw's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized that he and Quickpaw weren't the only cats in the den. The nest that had Graystripe's scent in it was still empty, but the other four nests were occupied. One of them was occupied by the bony ginger she cat from earlier, Sandstorm. Her green eyes pierced Fleckpaw, scrutinizing him. "You're still here, eh? When I heard the pawsteps, I thought that maybe Graystripe had gotten some sense knocked into him and decided to come back to his nest to rest up. I should've known better. The old fool won't listen to a word I say, parading around outside after he's barely recovered from Greencough. And all to see you." She rasped in annoyance. Fleckpaw decided that it was probably in his best interest to stay quiet at the moment, if he valued his pelt. It was a wise decision.
Sandstorm continued on, apparently not wanting Fleckpaw to reply. "I don't see why Bramblestar decided to let you join the clan. We don't need more mouths to feed. Everyone seems so very amazed at the fact that you're Ravenpaw's kin. Like you're some kind of blessing from Starclan. Half the clan just can't believe that you were brave enough to search for Thunderclan all by yourself. But personally, I think you must have been crazy, traipsing around to search for cats you had no proof actually existed." Sandstorm kindly shared her opinion. "I don't think you'll make it to the rank of warrior."
"But Ravenpaw was my grandfather! He and you were great friends! You should be glad to see me!" Fleckpaw exclaimed.
Sandstorm gazed at Fleckpaw with contempt. "So?" She snorted. "That's ancient history, and it has nothing to do with whether you'll become a warrior or not."
One of the other elders sat up, looking at the ginger she cat fondly. "Oh, Sandstorm. You're always so hard on the new apprentices! Be a bit nicer to him, he'll think you hate him in particular!" The silver tabby she cat meowed.
Sandstorm looked at the tabby, looking completely unfazed. "I do hate him, Millie. And the other one too. Their cheerfulness is contaminating the air in here." She drawled.
Millie?That's an odd name for a warrior. Fleckpaw thought. Maybe she was from outside the clan. His thoughts were interrupted by a yawn from Sandstorm.
"Well, I'm going to get some fresh air before this happy atmosphere makes me sick." Sandstorm meowed, stretching. And with that, the ginger tabby she cat rose to her feet and left the den.
The other two elders were up now. One of them, an old tortoiseshell, blinked the sleep out of her eyes. She reminded Fleckpaw of someone, but he wasn't sure who. "What's going on? Did Sandstorm decide to complain about the bedding the apprentices bring her again?" The she cat yawned.
"Don't worry about it, Sorreltail. Sandstorm's just been harassing the newest member of our clan." Millie purred in amusement, turning to Fleckpaw once more. "Don't take it personally, she's like that with all the apprentices." She reassured.
Sorreltail's eyes came to rest on Fleckpaw. "I haven't seen you around before. And you don't smell like a cat from another clan. Where are you from?" She asked.
Quickpaw replied before Fleckpaw had the chance to say a word. "His name is Fleckpaw, and he's Ravenpaw's grandson! He came all the way from the barn, and Bramblestar says he can train as an apprentice!"
"Oh my! That's quite incredible. It's nice to meet you, Fleckpaw." Sorreltail meowed. She turned and prodded the other cat in the den, a sleeping light brown tabby cat. "Wake up! You have to come and meet this new cat!"
As the other elder uncurled, Fleckpaw felt a wave of confusion wash over him. He'd thought Sorreltail looked a bit too young to be an elder, but this other she cat… There was no way she was an elder. She was far too young and pretty to be retired. She was a beautiful, light brown she cat with dark tabby stripes marking her sleek pelt. Her chest fur was white and soft looking, as were her paws. She blinked open her wide amber eyes to look at Fleckpaw. It was clear she hadn't really been asleep. "I'm awake, Sorreltail. I have been since Sandstorm ran out of the den after Graystripe earlier, hissing and spitting. I couldn't fall back asleep." Her voice was soft and sweet, not thick with age. She gazed at Fleckpaw. "My name is Leafpool. It's a pleasure to meet you." She meowed.
"You too…" He said quietly.
Before he could find the words to ask about what Leafpool was doing in the elder's den, Quickpaw jumped in yet again. "Fleckpaw, these cats are Leafpool, Sorreltail, and Millie. But you already know their names. Millie is Graystripe's mate, she helped him find Thunderclan again after he got taken away by twolegs. Sorreltail retired a bit early because one of her battle wounds didn't heal quite right, and it slowed her down. She's also Poppyfrost's mother." Quickpaw meowed.
So that's why she looked so familiar.My mentor is her kit! Fleckpaw thought.
Quickpaw continued with his introductions. "The younger she cat id Leafpool, Squirrelflight's sister. She was a medicine cat once but she… umm… well, she couldn't be a medicine cat anymore, and she had difficulty being a warrior, so when she started to slow down a bit, she retired to the elder's den." He explained.
"I'm afraid I was never very good at hunting and fighting." Leafpool sighed.
"Nonsense! You were a fine warrior and a great medicine cat." Sorreltail reassured.
"Anyway, one of the apprentice's duties is to care for the elders. Change their bedding, bring them prey. And they tell great stories! I thought you might like to meet them." Quickpaw continued.
Fleckpaw wanted to ask more about why Leafpool had stopped being a medicine cat, but Quickpaw stopped him with an uncharacteristically serious glance. "We should probably move on. You still gotta see the warriors den and all the other dens!" Quickpaw meowed, his cheerfulness back. He dashed out of the den, and Fleckpaw had no choice but to follow him. He meowed a quick goodbye to the elders before charging after his friend.
"Come back and visit us soon!" He heard Sorreltail meow as he bounded off to meet the rest of the clan.