Icekit spent a lot of her free time studying the apprentices for when she finally joined them. She hated Marshleaf, but had no problem with Sparrowpaw, her timid apprentice. The small brown tabby she-cat had a soft voice and softer blue eyes. She was the only one who would help Icekit. But only when the medicine cat wasn't looking. She wasn't the apprentice that Icekit hated.
That cat was the white she-cat with blue eyes, Swanpaw. While Icekit was hated, Swanpaw was spoiled by the Clan. A fact that she constantly rubbed in Icekit's face. She often bragged about becoming a warrior first and have the support of every cat around her. If any apprentice were to become deputy one day, it'd be her. Her deputy would be Poppypaw, the amber-eyed black she-cat always at her side, ready to help antagonize Icekit. Poppypaw was a complete rabbit-brain and only listened to Swanpaw. She would be lost without her. Poppypaw would lose her head if it wasn't attached to her neck. The two were huddled net to the fresh-kill pile, occasionally glancing towards Icekit and snickering like she was the funniest thing they saw. She tried to ignore their harsh words as she stepped over to grab a leg of rabbit.
"Hey Cursedkit!" Swanpaw called, blue eyes filled with mischief. "You curse any cat today?"
"Careful, Swanpaw," Poppypaw shook with laughter. "We don't want her to curse the fresh-kill pile."
"Or were you going to curse us instead?" Swanpaw fake gasped with a paw over her chest. "Poppypaw, I'm so scared! Please, save me from this curse!"
"I think I'm cursed!" the other she-cat pretended to die, going still and falling over. She started gasped like a fish out of water.
"Maybe you two should get cursed," Icekit growled. "Maybe then you'll come up with better jokes."
"I'll tell Marshleaf! Maybe she'll know something about curses. Or maybe you were a mistake by StarClan." The two apprentices chuckled even harder.
Icekit's ears felt warm and she moved to the other side of the apprentices' den. She was distracted and bumped into a cat, knocking him off his paws.
"Oof," A voice made her even more nervous as the tom she adored sat up. Hawkpaw was a cat who never really spoke to her, but she watched him from afar. She never even had the courage to go up to him.
"I'm so sorry!" she backed away from Hawkpaw, waiting to be berated. To her surprise, the brown tabby tom wasn't upset at all. He even brightened at her.
"No worries, Icekit. I wasn't looking where I was going. My mistake. You're all good."
He looked down at her with those mysterious green eyes making her heart pound harder. She had fallen for him since the day she saw him and the other two apprentices, Thistlepaw and Beetlepaw. But she never dreamed he'd be so calm with her. She thought he had hated her too.
He was often seen with Swanpaw and Poppypaw, making her even more jealous of the other white she-cat. She watched him shake dust off his fur and pad away with a sigh. Getting close with a tom like that would be a good way to prove herself to the Clan. She needed a friend at least. He looked back to wave at her and she felt her heart melt even more. She could use a friend like him. Any friend. A cat to make her feel at home. Someone worth protecting.
She couldn't start with the only other female apprentice, Thistlepaw. The dark ginger tabby she-cat wanted Swanpaw's approval. But she must have not hated Icekit enough. Her brother, the black-furred Beetlepaw, had it worse. He often followed Swanpaw and Poppypaw like a kit trailing after its mother. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him as Swanpaw didn't care about him or his sister. Thistlepaw and Beetlepaw were sharing a rabbit when she padded over to them. To her surprise, Beetlepaw's amber eyes were warm.
"Hi, do you want to share with us?"
"You sure?" Icekit asked.
"Of course," Thistlepaw nodded. "And don't worry about Swanpaw. Surely she'll like you once you've proven yourself."
"I doubt it," Icekit moved between them and took a small nibble.
"She's a great cat," Beetlepaw sighed. "Too bad she likes Hawkpaw."
"I don't know," Thistlepaw replied. "I'm positive that he likes another cat. They're just friends."
Jealousy continued to stir through her pelt as they went on and on about how amazing and great Swanpaw was. Didn't they even see how cruel that she-cat was? Then again, she was the one Swanpaw tormented. She was the one with the distant mother. The one that was said to bring death to WindClan.
She was relieved when their mentors came to gather them for training. Amberfur was a golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes. She was a gentle cat who treated Beetlepaw like he was her own son. Thistlepaw's mentor was the quiet gray tabby tom, Needledust. It was surprising that the gentle amber-eyed cat was Shelldawn's son. It was hard to imagine the grumpy elder as a soft queen. Maybe she was like Silverfang, although she's never heard Needledust complain about her.
Paleflower's kitting had not been very interesting to Icekit. The process had gone smoothly and both toms had been well and healthy. Grasskit was a silver tom with green eyes and his brother Weaselkit was a ginger tabby with blue eyes. As much as she disliked Paleflower, a small part of her was protective of the newborns.
She only had a moon to share their den before their apprenticeship, so gaining their trust was a given. Starting with their mother.
For the next couple of sunrises, she was often the one giving the pale gray queen food and feathers for her next. This caused a small bond with the queen. Even if Silverfang, Blossomtail, and her kits hissed at her and whined.
"Ignore them," Paleflower nudged Grasskit closer to feed. "You are useful after all. Just like I always told Silverfang."
Icekit wasn't surprised to hear the lazy cat lie. But she'd take it over the wide birth the others gave her. If it gained her friends in these kits and their mother, then she could deal with the rest of the Clan. She hoped.