Fleckpaw awoke to the prodding of an insistent paw. "Fleckpaw! Fleckpaw, wake up! It's time to start training!" Quickpaw's voice invaded his sleepy daze.
Fleckpaw forced his yellow eyes open, still bleary with sleep. "What?" He yawned.
Quickpaw blinked down at him, green eyes as bright as ever. "Training? Remember? You're an apprentice now. And apprentices have to get up early."
Fleckpaw stretched, pulling himself out of his nest. "That doesn't mean I have to like it." He meowed. Despite his unwillingness to get up early, Fleckpaw was excited. It was his first day as an apprentice- and as a true member of Thunderclan. His happiness was quickly dampened as he recalled the dark tale Quickpaw had told him the night before. The Lightning Rouge… Who was this mysterious killer, making the hunters of the forest feel like the prey? Could it be a cat from an enemy clan? His fur bristled with unease at the thought. What if he ran into this killer during his training today? Fleckpaw quickly shook away the fear. He couldn't be worrying constantly over something like that. He couldn't live his life in fear.
"Are you coming?" Quickpaw asked. "Poppyfrost's been waiting for you by the camp entrance for a while now." Quickpaw commented.
"Huh? Why didn't you say so sooner?" Fleckpaw yowled with mock anger. He stretched his tight muscles and pelted out of the apprentice's den. As he dashed across camp, he noticed the distinctive gray tail of Dovewing disappearing around the side of the nursery. Why hadn't she left through the camp's main entrance? Fleckpaw realized he was being far too mistrustful of his new clanmates. Whatever Dovewing was up to, it wasn't any of his business. And anyway, she'd probably just wanted a quiet place to make her dirt. Fleckpaw had more important things to worry about! He was late for his first day of training!
Fleckpaw caught sight of Poppyfrost's distinctive tortoiseshell coat. His mentor was indeed waiting by the camp entrance for him. Fleckpaw scrambled to stand beside her, fur sticking up at all angles. "Sorry I'm late!" He meowed.
Poppyfrost's ice blue eyes glittered with mirth. "Don't worry about it. The day isn't going anywhere. We've plenty of time." She eyed Fleckpaw. "You look like you just jumped out of your nest."
Fleckpaw's ears went hot with embarrassment. "I did..." He gave himself a quick wash, smoothing his ruffled fur.
Poppyfrost gave him a quick lick on the head. "Don't worry about it. You're up now. It's your first day of training, so I don't expect you to have everything right the first time." She reassured him. "This is my first time as a mentor, so it'll be a learning experience for both of us."
"Really?" Fleckpaw purred happily. He could already tell he was going to get along well with his new mentor.
"Really." She replied.
"So what are we going to do today?" Fleckpaw asked eagerly.
"Well, first we'll be going on a tour of Thunderclan's territory. It's important you know where our hunting grounds end. Then I'll be teaching you the hunter's crouch, and we'll see if you can catch some prey." Poppyfrost's eyes glanced over at Quickpaw. "Quickpaw and Lilydawn will be coming with us. It isn't safe to go out in groups of less than three cats. I'm sure you know why. And besides, Quickpaw looks like he's going to jump out of his fur if he doesn't get to come with you. You two have been inseparable since Fleckpaw joined Thunderclan. "
"Great!" Fleckpaw meowed. He couldn't wait to see all of Thunderclan's territory with his friend, even if it was only so they were safe from attacks.
Quickpaw nudged Fleckpaw's shoulder. "This is gonna be awesome!" He meowed.
Poppyfrost nudged a pair of mice towards the two apprentices. "You should eat before we leave. You'll need plenty of energy."
Fleckpaw purred in gratitude, sitting down with Quickpaw to eat.
"Who's Lilydawn?" Fleckpaw asked as they finished up their meal.
"Lilydawn's my mentor." He flicked his tail in the direction of the Warrior's den. "That's her."
A pretty brown and white tabby she cat was just stepping out of the den. She looked around the clearing until she caught sight of Poppyfrost and the apprentices, and began padding in their direction.
"Good morning, Lilydawn. Have you eaten yet?" Poppyfrost asked. "There's plenty of time for you to grab a quick bite if you haven't."
Lilydawn shook her head. "I've already eaten. I've been up for a while. Palesnow accidentally stepped on my tail while she was heading out for the dawn patrol with Cloudtail, Mousewhisker, Bumblestripe and Lynxpaw. I wasn't able to get back to sleep." Lilydawn sounded slightly annoyed. "She didn't even stop to apologize."
Poppyfrost rested her tail on Lilydawn's shoulder sympathetically. "Well, she's been through a lot in the past few moons. After all, her mother Icecloud was killed only two moons ago."
Fleckpaw listened to the exchange between the two warriors silently. He tried to recall who Palesnow was. He thought he remembered her from the night before. She'd been one of the cats that had congratulated him on becoming a Thunderclan apprentice. Thinking back to it now, she had seemed a bit distant. Now he knew why. His heart flooded with sympathy. Though he'd left his mother behind, he couldn't bear the thought of her dead.
The two mentors turned towards Fleckpaw and Quickpaw. "Listen to us, gossiping like elders. I'm sure you're eager for us to get going. Finish up your mice and we'll head out." Lilydawn meowed.
Once the apprentices had scarfed down the last bits of their fresh kill, the small patrol set out, heading straight away from camp. Fleckpaw could hardly contain his excitement. He would finally get to see his new Clan's territory! "I can't believe this is really happening!" He meowed to Quickpaw.
Quickpaw nodded. "I was just as excited on my first day of training."
Fleckpaw and Quickpaw chatted quietly as they walked, until Fleckpaw saw Poppyfrost swish her tail, signaling the apprentices to stop. Fleck padded up to stand beside her. He let out a small gasp as he saw what lay before him. A vast expanse of water stretched out in front of him, it's unbroken surface reflecting the light of the rising sun. "This is the lake. All of the clan territories are centered around it." Poppydawn announced.
"It's… incredible!" Fleckpaw meowed.
Poppydawn nodded. "Directly across the lake is Riverclan's territory. We don't share a border with them, so we don't see Riverclan Warriors very often, aside from at gatherings. But that doesn't mean we should let our guard down! Once, when I had just been made a warrior, Riverclan and Windclan attacked our camp." She said gravely.
Fleckpaw shivered, imagining how terrifying that must have been. He could picture the image of the drowsy Thunderclan warriors waking up in confusion, realizing their camp had been invaded. Attacked in their own nests. He hoped he never had to see a battle like that.
"Over to our right is Shadowclan territory." Poppyfrost continued, gesturing to a darker patch of forest, dominated by pine trees. "They were our allies in the battle with Riverclan and Windclan. They used to be calm and fair about cats crossing their borders, warning them off without fighting if possible. But since the Lightning Rouge showed up, many of them have become increasingly hostile. If you run into the wrong cats on the wrong side of the border, they'll flay you first and ask questions later. Just be careful not to cross their border. Tensions are high enough as it is. If they caught a Thunderclan cat on their side of the border, there's no telling what might happen."
Fleckpaw nodded somberly, eyes wide. Were things really so bad with the clans that they were being drawn towards a violent conflict? Fleckpaw didn't need his mentor to tell him that if things continued the way they were, the clans would be thrown into all-out war.
"To our left is Windclan territory." Poppyfrost turned to face a part of the lake where the trees thinned out. Fleckpaw could see the grassy moorlands through the sparse cover of trees. "Windclan have been prickly for as long as I can remember, but more so now than ever before. Some of the elders remember a time when Windclan and Thunderclan were friendly, but it's been many moons since then. Windclan cross our border from time to time, chasing rabbits into our forest. They have no regard for other clan's borders whatsoever. But if you cross their border, they'll attack you without question."
"You're lucky you didn't run into any Windclan cats when you were searching for Thunderclan. Starclan must've been watching over you." Lilydawn commented.
"If you ask me, only rabbits belong on the moor. It's no place for cats." Quickpaw sniffed.
"Enough about Windclan. It's time you saw our borders, now that you know where the other clan's territories are." Poppyfrost meowed.
Fleckpaw meowed in agreement, and the patrol headed on.