First POV change, I'm so excited!
I hope you'll like this character as much as I do, because she deserves the world.
After Mumblepond's warrior ceremony, Webpaw had been left as the only apprentice. Honestly, it wasn't that bad.
There were no elders in the Clan; no bedding to change again and again until the smell made you gag. Sometimes, she had to change Hootkit's because he was still young, but he always helped her and never complained that she hadn't done it right.
It meant more time to learn about fighting and hunting, more time to do interesting things. The most boring thing she had done since their arrival here had been picking herbs with Pricklesong, and even that hadn't been horrible because now, she remembered a few useful plants.
She had the whole apprentice's den to herself, which was a relief, because if Mumblepond had spent one more night gushing about Alderwhisper, she would have probably committed murder. Or maybe not, it still had been worse in their old Clan, with so many other apprentices that someone was always squishing someone else, to the point that Webpaw had slept in the dirtplace sometimes. That was why, upon finding her sleeping in such a disgusting place, Flipspot, her mentor, had let her in on Blossomstar's idea to leave.
Their leader was called Blossompelt back then, and she couldn't bear the situation anymore. Webpaw truly understood the feeling, but she doubted that she would have had the courage to stand up to such convictions. Anyway, they had left around two moons and a half ago, and things were marginally better now. Of course it was difficult to adjust, but it seemed worth it.
She didn't know why the others had followed Blossomstar. Well, she could deduce a few things, loke how Alderwhisper and Mumblepond would chase each other to the Place of No Stars and back, how Flipspot and Grasslilac never talked about kits despite having been mates before Webpaw herself was even born, how Snaildapple and Bluestripe had announced that they were going to have some even if they used to say that they wanted to wait, how Pricklesong positively glowed when everyone was in good health. She knew they had taken Hootkit because his mother, Springfur, who was Blossomstar's sister, had died before they had been ready to leave.
That was why she had come. Not because Springfur had died, but because of her mother.
She had asked Mumbleponnd who his mother was, and he had confidently answered that it was Cloudlake, and it was true that, in her memories at least, their pelts and stripes matched. But it was different for her.
She had a frightfully common pelt, a forgettable gold-ginger tabby; and when she had been old enough to understand that among all the queens that fed her, one was her mother, it was already too late. No one remembered who had given birth to Webpaw. It could have been Paletail or her daughter, Storkmist, maybe Scarleap or even Firaster. Worse, it could have been any of the queens whose mate a slightly ginger or golden fur, possibly even one of those who didn't have enough milk and left her kits in the nursery to the others. There was no telling who her parents were or if she had siblings. It had eaten her away for moons, not daring to form attachments with the other apprentices for fear that they could have had the same parents. If such bonds could be so easily lost, did it really matter if she stayed?
At least now, she was like everyone else: no direct family, no clear blood ties. A clean break for a new beginning. No judgemental eyes when she spent most of her free time alone. There was still an empty space that nothing could seem to fill inside of her, bet where it used to be a constant ache, like pulling on a fresh wound, it had dimmed to a faint throb. MistClan was definitely the best thing that had ever happened to her.
"Do you think they'll be born soon?"
The question snapped her out of her musings and her gaze fell on Hootkit. She hadn't heard him approaching, completely lost in her thoughts.
"What?" Webpaw mewed.
"Bluestripe's kits. Will they be born soon?"
"Probably not before next moon, maybe a little longer than that. Why?"
"I'm getting lonely in the nursery. Pricklesong said Bluestar should join me in a half-moon, but if they take that much time to be born, I won't get to play with them. I'll be old enough to be an apprentice next moon and then I'll be alone in my den, again."
She couldn't help laughing as he scrunched up his nose in outrage.
"You won't be alone. I'm still an apprentice, remember?"
"You won't be for much longer. I heard Flipspot tell Blossomstar that you were ready for your final assessment."
"Were you sneaking around again?!"
But as she chastised him and carried out a fitting punishment by trapping him against her side to groom the unruly fur behind his ears, she realised that he might be right. She wasn't that much younger than Mumblepond and her apprenticeship had begun a little more than six moons ago. The final assessment wasn't exactly something that belonged to the distant future anymore. Webpaw decided to sleep in the nursery for a few nights.
The kit's prediction was finally proven right when she was informed by her mentor that the assessment would take place a few sunrises later. She wasn't as stressed as Mumblepond had been, probably because she'd had more time to prepare herself and because she actually performed well under pressure – at least, Flipspot said so.
Hunting was hunting, whether someone was watching you or not, she reasoned, the important part was to do your best to keep the Clan well-fed. If she wasn't good enough, she could still try again later.
But she did just fine, she was sure of it when her mentor looked at her proudly as she came back with a squirrel, two mice and a frog – frog that she had caught completely by accident when it nearly jumped into her paws as she was taking a break to drink. But if no one had seen that, well, there was no reason to tell.
Webpaw had never caught so many preys in such a short time before and had to do a round trip to bring everything back to the camp. Performing well under pressure indeed. She would probably have to demonstrate her fighting skills later but she had managed the hunting part quite well.
When the excitement fell down, she realised that becoming a warrior meant leaving her spacious den, which was definitely a downside, but it still wouldn't be as crowded as what she had known before.
It would have been arrogant of her to be so certain that her warrior ceremony wasn't far, but the knowing looks Flipspot sent her were clear enough.
And so, when Blossomstar called for a Clan meeting and asked her to stand in front of everyone, Webpaw wasn't surprised. She sat up straight, head turned up towards their leader, listening with rapt attention as if she hadn't heard the same words a moon ago for Mumblepond.
"I, Blossomstar, leader of MistClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in turn. Webpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
It would have been just as easy to refuse. But as much as she disliked the forced proximity induced by the Clan, she still liked the other cats and she had never known anything else. Webpaw wasn't sure she even wanted to know something else. Of all the cats she had seen go through their warrior ceremony, not a single one had said no. She used to think that it was because completing one's apprenticeship an honour. She knew better now. The choice was never really one.
It was more about continuing down the same path or giving up on everything you knew. In their old Clan, maybe she would have turned her back and left. Stayed Webpaw forever in the eyes of the living and the dead alike. Now, though…
"I do."
"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Webpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Webhollow. StarClan honors your independence and your cleverness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MistClan."
She performed the ritual acts without thinking, bowed her head then licked Blossomstar's shoulder after feeling the slightly cold muzzle brush her forehead. Lost in thought, she barely heard the Clan call her new name.
Why had their leader chosen that name? Did StarClan tell her to? Worse, did she know, somehow, about the void inside of her, how hollow she was?
But there was no time to think about it more, because everyone was congratulating her, her former mentor pressed against her left side and Mumblepond on the other, and she was led through the tunnel at the entrance of the camp for her silent vigil.
It was still a bit early but soon, everyone left after wishing her good luck and she was fully reday to go back to her thinking. Then, the leaves rustled and Hootkit appeared.
"I was really looking forward to sharing a den with you, you know."
She looked up at the sky; it wasn't moonrise yet so she could still speak.
"You'll have to become a warrior if you want that to happen."
"You'll wait for me until then?"
It wasn't what she had meant at all. But he looked so serious and his eagerness made a burst of warmth trickle in her empty core. She wanted him happy, and if he could be satisfied by so little…
"Of course. What else would I do?"
He suddenly purred so loudly that she could almost see him shake with the strength of it.
"It's a promise Webhollow! Just wait, I'll become a warrior in no time, you'll see!"
As he ran back inside the camp, Webhollow let herself ponder a new idea. Maybe she had been given that name to show that even hollow hearts could be filled.
This chapter's unofficial name was 'depressive cat'. Fitting, right?