"I'm going to be the best apprentice ShadowClan has ever seen," Pinekit boasted, her black-furred tail twitching with excitement. "Look what I can do!"
Pinekit crouched down, slinking forward in a hunters crouch, then leaped suddenly onto Poolkit's back.
"Hey!" Poolkit protested, shaking her off.
Pinekit gave a growl, leaping on him again and the two siblings went tumbling across camp.
Frostkit watched them play from a distance, her long fluffy grey tail wrapped neatly around her paws. They were all six moons old now, which meant that they were ready to become apprentices. Frostkit sighed quietly to herself. She didn't feel as excited about the prospect of it as the other kits did, though. Pinekit, Poolkit, and Autumnkit were dying to see the outside of the camp, the forests of ShadowClan's territory, and even the lands beyond. They chatted incessantly like birds about how they heard the oaks of Four-trees towered so high, they touched the clouds, and how they hoped to be able to be brought along with Sedgestar or Clearstream on the long, perilous journey to Mothermouth, which contained the Moonstone.
Frostkit, however, did not care to venture beyond the thorny walls of the camp. She didn't want to see the territory, or Fourtrees or Mothermouth. Slowly, she had come to see the camp place as her home—a safe place. She had already seen the forest beyond. She had seen how unforgiving and cruel it was.
Frostkit looked down at her paws. Their grey markings were stained brown with mud, and they sunk slightly into the muddy ground beneath them. New-leaf had reached the forest finally, bringing with it a thaw that touched every tail-length of the camp, making everything wet and damp, although the air was warm and sweet, and smelt of flowers.
"Quiz!" Poolkit meowed suddenly, springing off of Pinekit and to his paws. "Who is the new deputy of ThunderClan?"
Frostkit's ears pricked in interest; she knew the answer.
While ShadowClan made it through the leaf-bare without losing a single cat to hunger or sickness, the other Clans were not so fortunate. The word was that ThunderClan barely scraped by. Frostkit had heard from Weaseltail that they had finally rallied and fought back against WindClan and SkyClan, but not without some losses, both from battle and from weakness. Morningstar himself was rumored to have lost a life, and one of the cats who died was ThunderClan's deputy, Leafstorm.
"Um…" Pinekit meowed, blinking hard as she thought.
"It's Acornear," Autumnkit cut in, padding out of the nursery and over to them.
"Oh yeah! I remember now," Pinekit meowed, giving a snicker. "Acornear! Morningstar probably made him deputy because he felt so bad about giving him such a dumb name!"
Poolkit and Autumnkit purred loudly. Frostkit purred quietly along with them, watching their amusement from the distance.
"And, who's the new deputy of SkyClan?" Poolkit meowed, dancing from paw to paw.
Frostkit recalled the conversation she overheard a few moons ago between the warriors about SkyClan's deputy, Robinsong, and how weak she had seemed then. Robinsong had clung to life for a couple more moons, but last gathering, she was gone, and SkyClan had a new deputy.
Pinekit and Autumnkit were silent as they thought. As the moments stretched past, Pinekit rolled her eyes.
"This is so boring, Poolkit, let's go back to battle training," she meowed.
"You're only saying it's boring because you don't know," Poolkit said, whiskers twitching smugly. "We're going to have to know all the deputies and leaders of the other Clans when we're apprentices! So, come on, Robinsong died of green-cough, who's the new deputy?"
"It's Paledusk," Frostkit said quietly.
Her blue eyes widened. She hadn't meant to speak and draw attention to herself; the words had just slipped out.
Pinekit, Poolkit and Autumnkit turned to look at her, and Autumnkit nodded.
"That's right, I remember now, Dad told Mom that," Autumnkit said.
"No one asked you, Dirtface," Pinekit huffed to Frostkit, her tail twitching irritably.
Frostkit growled softly at the cruel nickname. As she grew, the grey fur on her face had too, making a mask that covered her muzzle, eyes and ears. She had caught sight of it on occasion when she saw her reflection in the puddles around camp. Sometimes it made her freeze in shock, for a moment, she thought that she had seen her mother.
Frostkit turned and padded away from them, her head down as she padded back to the nursery.
"Why are you always so mean to her?" Frostkit heard Autumnkit hiss to Pinekit in a hushed voice.
"What?" Pinekit replied, her voice indignant. "We were playing. She wasn't a part of the game!"
"You're just mad that she knew the answer, and you didn't," Autumnkit huffed.
Their squabbling voices faded as Frostkit padded further away. She was headed to her spot just outside the nursery, half-hidden under the thick thorn thicket. She had almost reached it when a pair of silver-striped legs appeared in front of her, seemingly materializing out of thin air. Frostkit jerked her head up in surprise, and the grey dappled-tabby cat attached to the legs sprung out of her way.
"Watch where you're going, rogue!" Swoopstrike hissed, his silver tail lashing.
"... Sorry!" Frostkit managed to squeak, but the warrior had already stalked off with a huff, leaving Frostkit to wonder if he had even heard her.
Frostkit quickly took her last few trembling steps that took her into the shelter of the nursery. Safely tucked under the thorn bush, she the bent her head to give her white chest a few comforting licks, trying to flatten her bristling fur.
"Don't let them bother you," a nearby voice said.
Frostkit jumped in surprise at the words, and she turned to see Snakeeyes emerge from the nursery's entrance and pad over to her. The white she-cat's paw-steps were slow; her belly was swollen with kits. She had moved to the nursery just a little while ago because she was so close to her kitting time. Frostkit studied Snakeeyes hesitantly as she approached.
The she-cat had never been cruel to her, but she never showed much interest in her either. As far as Frostkit could tell, Snakeeyes mostly kept to herself, which made Frostkit confused as to why she was bothering to talk to her now.
"When I was your age, the other cats would make fun of me too," Snakeeyes continued, sitting down next to Frostkit. "For the way my eyes look."
Snakeeyes blinked at Frostkit, emphasizing the startling difference between her brilliant blue eye and her deep green one.
"I'm different, like you are," she said.
Frostkit felt the stirrings of warmth in her chest at the comradery of her words.
"Never forget that you're different," Snakeeyes emphasized, and Frostkit's brow furrowed as she swallowed, feeling her heart drop at the sudden change in conversation.
Frostkit looked down at her grey paws.
"… Because they will never let you forget that you're different," Snakeeyes said, nodding towards the cats out in the camp and Pinekit, Poolkit, and Autumnkit.
Frostkit's brow furrowed with confusion, and her gaze was slowly drawn back up to Snakeeyes'.
"They will always see you as an outsider. They will be reminded that you are one just from the way you look," Snakeeyes meowed. "You will have to fight twice as hard, hunt twice as much, run twice as far as them to prove yourself."
Frostkit blinked hard, feeling the ground slightly sway under her at that thought.
That's too much.
"But, you can do it," Snakeeyes said, her voice firm. "Make your difference your strength. Shroud yourself in it. Use it to drive you. If you do that, then they can never use it to hurt you again."
The warrior looked kindly down at the kit.
"I asked Sedgestar to give me my warrior name 'Snakeeyes.' So, everyone will be reminded of how I look just by saying my name," she said. "When I was young, I thought the way I looked was a defect. But, I'm not ashamed of it anymore. So, no one can hurt me with it."
Snakeeyes looked away from Frostkit to stare out into camp, her mismatched gaze falling on Rowanheart.
"My eyes are no longer a curse for me. Rowanheart thinks my eyes are beautiful," Snakeeyes said softly, her eyes filling with love as she curled her tail around her belly.
She glanced back over at Frostkit.
"And, your pelt is beautiful too," she said.
"Thank…Thank you," Frostkit managed to stutter, blinking hard as she gazed up at Snakeeyes. "That's very wise…"
Snakeeyes let out a soft purr, then she cleared her throat.
"So, just don't let them get you down, kit," she said, a bit more gruffly, bending her head to nose Frostkit off.
Frostkit padded away from her, heading back into camp.
As she padded away, Frostkit felt herself wishing that Snakeeyes could be her mentor, but she knew that she would be in the nursery with her kits during all of Frostkit's training. Frostkit sighed heavily to herself, her paws slowing as she approached the center of camp. It was mid-morning and ShadowClan was buzzing with activity. The fresh-kill pile was high, packed with frogs and lizards lured out by the warm weather. Frostkit wrinkled her nose slightly when she gazed at them. Although she didn't mind the taste once she got through the scaly skin, she preferred her prey to be furred. Frostkit's gaze flickered up from the fresh-kill pile to scan over the warriors that were in camp. Her eyes flickered over the pelts that were now so familiar to her, after spending all these moons in camp.
"Are you wondering who's going to be your mentor?"
Frostkit jumped, startled at the voice from behind her.
She turned to see Autumnkit padding over, and she let out a sigh.
"You scared me, Autumnkit," she said.
His whiskers twitched in amusement.
"Then try being less jumpy next time," he teased, taking a seat next to Frostkit, seemingly not worried about the muddy ground that splashed all up his dark ginger haunches when he did so.
Autumnkit nodded towards the warriors out in camp.
"I hope I get Darkpelt," Autumnkit said wistfully. "Did you know he once chased off a trespassing WindClan patrol single-pawed? Or, it would be so cool if Thornheart was my mentor; he's like crazy strong and a great fighter. Oh! Or, what about Sedgestar! Do you think he'll want to take on an apprentice?"
"You really want to be the leader's apprentice?" Frostkit asked quietly, her ears pricking in surprise.
Autumnkit looked over at her with wide eyes.
"Well, of course!" he gasped. " Sedgestar is the bravest, strongest cat in all of the Forest! Why wouldn't I want him to be my mentor?"
Frostkit shrugged.
"It just seems like a lot of pressure to me," she said. "Having to always impress the leader. I wouldn't want Sedgestar to be my mentor."
Autumnkit snorted.
"You're weird Frostkit," Autumnkit said, but there was no venom in his voice, like there would've been in Pinekit's if she had said that. "Then who do you want to be your mentor?"
Frostkit was silent for a moment as she thought, gazing out at the warriors in camp.
"Rowanheart," Frostkit said finally, recalling her conversation with Snakeeyes.
If Rowanheart can accept Snakeeyes, then he might be able to accept me too.
"Why Rowanheart?" Autumnkit asked, his brow furrowed.
Frostkit hesitated, not sure if she wanted to confess the reason why and explain her whole personal conversation with Snakeeyes to Autumnkit.
"…Ugh it's not because you think he's handsome, is it?" Autumnkit asked, sticking his tongue out in disgust. "I've heard she-cats mooning over him. Leafbreeze especially seems to think he's StarClan's gift to ShadowClan!"
Frostkit's fur fluffed out defensively.
"What? No! That's not why!" Frostkit exclaimed. "Don't be ridiculous. And, who cares if other cats think he's handsome; he's Snakeeye's mate. They're having kits together!"
Autumnkit didn't look entirely convinced by Frostkit's defense, but before he could say anything else, Frostkit spotted Sedgestar emerge from his den in the tangled roots of the old Oak Tree, and bound up the boulder that leaned out over the camp clearing. Sedgestar took a moment to shake the mud from his paws from his perch before raising his chin.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath Clanrock for a clan meeting!"
"This must be it!" Autumnkit purred excitedly to Frostkit, his eyes sparkling.
Frostkit didn't echo his excitement. Instead, she felt her stomach flip in unease, but she followed Autumnkit as he bounded into the center of the camp. Warriors padded over from around camp, some appearing out of the den, evidently they had been sleeping in this morning. Autumnkit took a seat very close to Clanrock, and Frostkit settled down next to him. The warriors brushed past Frostkit and Autumnkit, coming to gather at the sound of their leader's cry. Frostkit eyed them from the corner of her gaze.
Which one of them will be my mentor?
Frostkit's gaze caught Rowanheart's. He was seated next to his mother, Emberflower, and their two nearly identical ginger pelts intermingled. Rowanheart gave Frostkit a friendly nod, and she felt her paws twitch with not quite excitement, but it wasn't anxiety either as she quickly glanced away from him.
Maybe Rowanheart will be my mentor after all.
"It's happening!" Poolkit gasped, barreling over to take a seat at Autumnkit's other side.
His amber eyes gleamed wildly in his black and white furred face, and he seemed hardly able to sit still.
"I wonder if Sedgestar will make Frostkit an apprentice with us, or will he decide to not bother training a rogue?" Pinekit meowed hauntingly, padding over and taking a seat next to Poolkit.
Frostkit felt a sting at her words, but it was only slight—she had expected some sort of comment from Pinekit.
"Watch your tongue young she-cat!" Redclaw snapped from behind, making all four of the kits start in fear. "Or, I will tell Sedgestar you are unfit to be an apprentice yet."
Frostkit turned to watch the queen approach them. Pinekit ducked her head down at Redclaw's reproach.
"Moooom," Pinekit whined. "You can't do that! I'm six-moons old, that means I get to be an apprentice!"
"Frostkit is a ShadowClan cat," Redclaw said, glowering down at her daughter. "And, I raised her as much as I raised you, so I won't have you turning against each other!"
"But, Damppaw says…" Pinekit weakly protested.
"Oh, Damppaw!" Redclaw meowed. "Is he the one filling your head with this nonsense?! He must be getting it from his mentor Marshnose, but if I have a word with Larkfoot, I'm sure she would be happy to straighten Damppaw out! Do you really think that after Larkfoot helped rear Frostkit, she'd be happy to hear her son spreading such snake-dung?"
"Mom!" Pinekit huffed.
But, before she could say anything else, Sedgestar began to speak and quiet fell across the whole camp.
"New-leaf is here!" Sedgestar yowled, his voice ringing triumphantly through the camp. "As Clearstream's vision showed us, ShadowClan not only survived the long, cold leaf-bare, but we've grown stronger because of it!"
Frostkit's ears pricked as the cat's around her began to yowl excitedly, their eyes bright, claws flexing excitedly into the muddy ground. Sedgestar paused, the look on his face pleased as he allowed his clan-mates to shout their victory into the sky. After a few heartbeats of indulgence, Sedgestar raised his tail, and quiet settled over the camp again.
"ShadowClan is the strongest clan in the forest!" Sedgestar declared. "No other can compete with us in our strength or size. And, we continue to grow. Today, I am proud to announce the making of four new apprentices!"
There was more cheering at this, but Frostkit's pelt prickled as she realized she was getting some sideways looks. As expected, not everyone was thrilled with her becoming an apprentice. Frostkit took note of the cats that looked the most displeased with the notion.
Marshnose, Damppaw, Swoopstrike, Flymask…
Frostkit decided that she would do her best to avoid the four of them during her apprenticeship.
"Poolkit, Pinekit, Autumnkit, and Frostkit, would you please step forward?" Sedgestar meowed.
"Be good," Redclaw hissed from behind them, and although she shot Pinekit a stern look, the red and black she-cat looked proud as her kits stood and strode over to stand in the shadow of Clanrock.
Sedgestar cleared his throat.
"You four have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior names, you will be known as Poolpaw, Pinepaw, Autumnpaw, and Frostpaw," Sedgestar said.
Frostpaw took a deep breath.
Here we go…
"Poolpaw, your mentor will be Fogfur. I hope Fogfur will pass down all he knows on to you."
Frostpaw's brow furrowed as she tried to recall what she knew about this warrior. Besides that he seemed stern and serious, Frostpaw couldn't think much more about what he was like. She turned her head to watch Fogfur pad over to them. His long grey fur stirred in the breeze like a rippling cloud, and his green eyes looked steady and pleased as he stood in front of his new apprentice.
"Fogfur, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Treefur, and you have shown yourself to be driven and fiercely brave. You will be the mentor of Poolpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."
Frostpaw watched Fogfur dip his head so he and Poolpaw could touch noses, then they stepped aside.
"Pinepaw," Sedgestar said, continuing the ceremony without delay. "Your mentor will be Grovepelt. I hope Grovepelt will pass down all he knows on to you."
Frostpaw's eyes widened in surprise as Sedgestar named his deputy to mentor Pinepaw. Grovepelt rose to his paws from the base of Clanrock and padded over to Pinepaw.
"Grovepelt, you are ready to take on a new apprentice. You trained me excellently as my mentor, and you have served your clan faithfully for many moons now as deputy. You will be the mentor of Pinepaw, and I know you will pass on all you know to her," Sedgestar said.
Grovepelt touched his greying muzzle to Pinepaw's and the two stepped aside.
"I didn't know Grovepelt was Sedgestar's mentor!" Autumnpaw whispered to Frostpaw, shooting his sister and her new mentor a jealous look.
"Autumnpaw," Sedgestar said, pulling Autumnpaw's and Frostpaw's attention back to him. "Your mentor will be Beeclaw. I hope Beeclaw will pass down all he knows on to you."
Autumnpaw's face gave nothing away as the young black-furred warrior padded over to him.
Although I know he was wishing for Darkpelt or Thornheart instead… Frostpaw thought
"Beeclaw, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Emberflower, and you have shown yourself to be loyal and clever. You will be the mentor of Autumnpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."
Beeclaw and Autumnpaw touched noses, and the two of them stepped aside. Frostpaw was relieved to see that Autumnpaw looked pleased with his mentor, even though she knew Beeclaw was not his first choice.
"Frostpaw."
Frostpaw felt a chill run up her spine as Sedgestar called her new name. She slowly raised her eyes from Autumnpaw and up to ShadowClan's leader. Sedgestar looked down at her from the top of Clanrock, his face unreadable. Frostpaw searched his amber eyes for a hint of his thoughts.
Does he agree with some of the others and not want me apprenticed? But, he let me and May into ShadowClan… that means he must want me here, right?
"Your mentor will be Swoopstrike. I hope Swoopstrike will pass down all he knows on to you," Sedgestar said.
Frostpaw felt like her paws were frozen to the ground as the name he said echoed in her ears.
No… I couldn't have heard him right.
But, there the dappled silver tabby was, striding over to Frostpaw. Swoopstrike's narrowed green eyes met Frostpaw's, and he didn't look pleased as he towered in front of her, waiting for Sedgestar to complete the ceremony.
"Swoopstrike, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Weaseltail, and you have shown yourself to be a skilled fighter and loyal warrior. You will be the mentor of Frostpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her," Sedgestar said.
Swoopstrike shoved his face towards Frostpaw's. She had to resist the urge to flinch back as he brusquely touched his muzzle to hers, before quickly recoiling so they had to touch for only the shortest amount of time as possible.
"Poolpaw! Pinepaw! Autumnpaw! Frostpaw!"
The clan was chanting their names, but Frostpaw hardly heard them. She was too busy staring at Sedgestar's brown striped back as he bounded down from Clanrock.
How could he do this?
Frostpaw blinked hard. He had to have known that Swoopstrike hated her. Yet, Sedgestar made him her mentor! How was she supposed to survive her training with Swoopstrike hissing at her every other moment?
Frostpaw struggled to take a deep breath, searching for a scrap of calm inside of her. She tried to recall Snakeeyes' words from earlier.
"Make your difference your strength. Shroud yourself in it. Use it to drive you. If you do that, then they can never use it to hurt you again."
Frostpaw shook her head to herself; Snakeeyes' words rung hollowly in her head.
But, how will I be able to prove myself with Swoopstrike as my mentor?
"Hey, are you okay?" Autumnpaw asked, snapping Frostpaw out of her thoughts.
He had padded over to her as the four of them lingered in the camp. They just had a few moments before they would be swept off to their first apprentice duties. Frostpaw just sighed, giving a shrug. Autumnpaw peered at her concernedly, but before he could say anymore, Mosskit and Murmurkit came running up to the group.
"I wish I was an apprentice now!" Mosskit exclaimed with a jealous sigh.
"One more moon isn't that much longer to wait," Poolpaw pointed out.
Mosskit's tail twitched mischievously.
"Do you think they'd make me an apprentice early if I left camp and caught some prey?" she asked, her gaze sparkling.
Murmurkit stared at her sister with wide eyes, stricken. However, before the soft-spoken Murmurkit could manage a response, another voice rang out.
"Mosskit! You will do no such thing!" Amberberry scolded, striding up to her daughters.
"Awww," Mosskit whined, turning to Amberberry and gazing at her with wide eyes. "You heard me?"
Amberberry's expression softened. Frostpaw knew that the sweet-natured queen could never stay angry long.
"Of course I heard you, dear," Amberberry said. "You always speak too loudly."
Murmurkit whispered something to Mosskit that was so quiet, Frostpaw could barely made out the words.
"Told you so," Murmurkit hissed.
Mosskit shot her sister a sour look.
Amberberry turned to the new apprentices.
"Congratulations!" she purred, giving them all affectionate blinks.
She was quickly joined by Larkfoot, who also came to congratulate the kits she helped bring up in the nursery, as well as Redclaw and Weaseltail, of course. Larkfoot gave each of the new apprentices motherly licks on their heads, and Redclaw gazed at the four of them with pride. However, even in the face of the queens' affection, Frostpaw's stomach churned. She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that had appeared once Sedgestar had named her mentor.
"Congratulations all of you," Weaseltail's rumbled as Larkfoot helped Amberberry herd her kits away.
Noticing the bleak look on Frostpaw's face, he turned to her.
"Swoopstrike can be intense. He was even as my apprentice, but he's a good warrior, and he will be a good mentor," Weaseltail meowed.
"I don't understand why I got stuck with Grovepelt!" Pinepaw complained, but not loud enough to be overheard by anyone outside Frostpaw and her family. "He's practically as old as dirt!"
Weaseltail's brow furrowed.
"Don't be rude to your deputy!" Weaseltail snapped at his daughter.
"What concerns me is why Sedgestar gave Frostpaw Swoopstrike to be her mentor," Redclaw interjected, her green eyes narrowed. "He's been nothing but cruel to her."
"I'm sure Sedgestar has his reasons," Weaseltail meowed, carefully watching his hot-tempered mate out of the corner of his eye.
Redclaw's tail was twitching, and she had her jaw set in a mutinous way that Weaseltail was all too familiar with.
"Why don't we go out for a tour of the territory?" Beeclaw asked, padding over to Autumnpaw, utterly unaware of the tension in the air surrounding the group.
"…Okay," Autumnpaw meowed after a moment of hesitation.
"Can we go too?!" Poolpaw said excitedly, shooting a glance at Fogfur as he padded over.
Fogfur shrugged.
"Sure why not?" he meowed.
"We will also join you," Grovepelt meowed, going to stand next to Pinepaw.
The three mentors turned almost unconsciously it seemed to Frostpaw.
She shifted from foot to foot under their gaze, well aware that Swoopstrike seemed to have vanished, and she did not know what she would be doing. Frostpaw almost sighed in relief as he appeared, emerging from the tunnel at the base of the Oak Tree, which led down to Sedgestar's den.
"What's going on?" Swoopstrike said in a gruff voice as he noticed the mentors circled around Frostpaw.
"We were just about to take our apprentices on a tour of the territory," Grovepelt meowed. "Would you like to join us?"
Swoopstrike scowled slightly.
"I was thinking collecting moss would be a good first duty for an apprentice," he said.
Beeclaw wrinkled his nose and shot Frostpaw a sympathetic glance. Fogfur shrugged and turned towards the camp entrance, but the deputy was not so easily cowed.
"Come on, Swoopstrike," Grovepelt said. "Come with us. These kits haven't even set foot outside camp yet. It's good for apprentices to get a tour on their first day, or else you'll find that they'll end up terribly lost the first couple times they go hunting."
Swoopstrike grumbled something under his breath that Frostpaw couldn't catch.
"Fine," he sighed after a moment.
Grovepelt's whiskers twitched contentedly.
"Good," he meowed. "Let's get going then."
Grovepelt led the way to the thorn tunnel at the edge of the camp. Pinepaw followed him with Poolpaw at her side. Fogfur was behind them, and at his tail was Beeclaw and Autumnpaw, the two of them already engaged in conversation. Swoopstrike padded off to follow them, but Frostpaw hung back, her paws dragging on the ground.
Her heart filled with trepidation as she slowly drew closer to the looming thorn barrier, and the dark tunnel that pierced through it.
"Hurry up," Swoopstrike snapped impatiently at Frostpaw from the tunnel, noticing her tail-lengths behind him.
Frostpaw jumped at his words, her nervous blue gaze widening. After a heartbeat of hesitation, she rushed forward. At the entrance of the tunnel, she paused, the pounding of her blood so loud in her ears that it drowned out all other noise. She gazed into the darkness of the tunnel, feeling the blackness open a hole that yawned back at her in her chest. Shuddering, Frostpaw threw herself into the shadows.
"Sedgestar?" Redclaw called from the entrance to his den.
"Come in, Redclaw," Sedgestar said, his deep voice echoing up from the tunnel in the roots.
Redclaw padded inside the tunnel, her tail twitching. She entered into the dim earthen cave. Sedgestar sat up in his nest. Emberflower remained curled up by his side, but she blinked her green gaze up at Redclaw.
"What can I do for you, Redclaw?" Sedgestar asked.
Redclaw exhaled slowly.
"It's about Frostpaw and Swoopstrike," she said.
Sedgestar sighed.
"I thought you'd have something to say about that..." he said.
"I just don't understand," Redclaw cut in. "Swoopstrike hates her with every hair on his pelt! Any cat with two eyes can see it! Why would you assign him as her mentor?"
"Swoopstrike knows the truth of her parentage," Sedgestar said. "I need her to be watched by a warrior that is aware that she is half-SkyClan in case her father ever tries to reach out to her."
"But, then there are other plenty of cats that you could've chosen to train her!" Redclaw protested. "Emberflower, Grovepelt, Beeclaw, or me! Any of us would've been better than Swoopstrike."
"I had already decided Grovepelt and Beeclaw would mentor Pinepaw and Autumnpaw. And, I couldn't have given her to you," Sedgestar said, glancing at her sympathetically. "You raised her, and you know that queens don't normally train the kits they brought up."
"Oh, so now you're treating her like a regular ShadowClan kit," Redclaw huffed. "What other apprentices need to be 'watched' by their mentors?"
The sympathy in Sedgestar's gaze evaporated as he narrowed his amber eyes at her. Redclaw glanced away from her leader, her fur prickling under the strength of his powerful gaze.
"I don't mean to be disrespectful, Sedgestar," Redclaw said. "It's just that she is such a quiet, sensitive kit. And, Swoopstrike—"
"That's exactly why I chose him and not any of the other cats you named," Sedgestar said, interrupting her.
"What?" Redclaw said, blinking in confusion.
"I know Swoopstrike is distrustful of her and that he can be difficult at the best of times. But, Frostpaw needs to be strong and tough and brave if she is to survive in this Clan," Sedgestar said.
"Regardless of who trains her, there will always be cats who hate her for being an outsider. If she cannot preserve and train successfully despite that fact, then she is not fit to be a ShadowClan warrior. It follows the same logic as the other pairings I made with your kits. I gave Pinepaw to Grovepelt to learn maturity and compassion from him. Autumnpaw to mild Beeclaw so he can learn that it's good, at times, to calm his fiery temper and playful attitude. And, Poolpaw to stern Fogfur so he can learn that sometimes it's good to be serious. These are things they all should learn before becoming warriors. Their mentors will ultimately strengthen them, not stifle them."
Redclaw frowned. She glanced over at Emberflower for support, but her ginger-furred sister just gave a small head shake, indicating that Sedgestar would not be swayed. Redclaw, though, was much too headstrong to back down without a fight. She curled her lip up at Sedgestar.
"No. You are making things needlessly difficult for Frostpaw specifically," Redclaw protested angrily. "She's been in ShadowClan practically her whole life. Will you ever stop blaming her for being born outside of ShadowClan; something that was completely out of her control?"
"I'm not blaming her for not being born in ShadowClan," Sedgestar snapped, rising to his paws, and causing Redclaw to take a step backwards. "The reason we have apprentices is to train young cats to be warriors. Warriors are the life-blood of the Clan. They must be loyal to ShadowClan above all other things. So, besides just learning hunting and fighting, apprentices must learn these traits, and, yes, learn to be loyal. Sure, for cats that are ShadowClan born, it's easier since they already have their family here—roots that spread back generation after generation in ShadowClan. But, that doesn't mean that it's impossible for a cat like Frostpaw to prove her loyalty, it will just be more difficult."
Redclaw's tail twitched, but she was silent.
"Once Frostpaw completes her training with Swoopstrike and learns loyalty and the warrior code, just like all of the other apprentices, she shall have my full trust as any ShadowClan warrior does," Sedgestar said.
He flicked his tail at Redclaw.
"You are dismissed," he said coolly.