Chapter 2

"Foxkit, step forward!" Foxkit padded forward at Redstar's command, her chest puffed out with pride. She spied Silverfang staring at her, eyes gleaming with happiness, and Heatherkit beside her, giddy with happiness. On her other side, Wolfkit beamed at her.

"Foxkit, you 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 name, you will be known as Foxpaw. Your mentor will be Branchleap. I hope she passes down all she knows to you." Foxpaw stepped forward to bump noses with the bright-eyed young warrior.

"You'll be the best warrior by the lake when I'm done with you!" Branchleap murmured. Foxpaw grinned at the she-cat before stepping back and taking her place between Wolfkit and Heatherkit. Soon after, both of her friends had earned their new names and mentors. As Redstar dismissed the clan, Foxpaw watched as Heatherpaw bounded over to Honeydew, who greeted her with a warm, proud smile.

Foxpaw felt her fur bristle with anger and her gaze harden. Of course Honeydew only cared about her favorite kit. That was so like her. She still hadn't even apologized to Wolfpaw! The anger disappeared, though, as Wolfpaw grinned at her. "We're apprentices now!" he exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement. Foxpaw chuckled at his small leaps, yet her paws were also itching to run around with happiness.

"We should probably go talk to our mentors," Foxpaw suggested, noticing Branchleap eyeing her from her place in a shady corner of the hollow.

"You're right. Let's meet up later so we can find the best spots to put our nests," Wolfpaw meowed.

"Sounds good," Foxpaw agreed. Wolfpaw nodded goodbye before bounding over to Brambleshade, who greeted him with a grin. Foxpaw turned slightly so she faced her mentor, took a deep breath, and walked confidently toward her.

"Hi, Foxpaw. Congratulations," Branchleap meowed, her eyes sparkling.

"Thank you, Branchleap," Foxpaw replied as she sat down in front of her mentor. Foxpaw pressed her paws together neatly and dug her claws into the soft ground with excitement. "So, when do we begin training?" Foxpaw asked, flicking her tail tip back and forth.

"I'll give you a tour of Thunderclan's territory tomorrow, but today, we have to gather moss for your new bedding. The old nests in the apprentices' den are from when I lived there, so they're pretty uncomfortable, I'd bet." Branchleap chuckled, her eyes suddenly gazing into nothingness, as if she'd suddenly remembered a fond memory from her apprenticeship. "Right then," she said with a shake of her head. "Let's head to the oak tree right outside our camp. It has the softest moss by the lake."

Foxpaw nodded, giddy with excitement, and followed her mentor as Branchleap began to pad toward the slope that led up to the forest. A light breeze tousled with Foxpaw's orange fur. She paws, craning her neck upwards so she faced the clear blue sky. She drank it all in for a moment; the sunlight, the wind, the smell of fresh, dewy grass. Everything was perfect at that moment. Soon, it was all going to go downhill.

"Foxpaw! Come on, it'll be dusk soon!" Branchleap called, already a few fox-lengths in front of her apprentice. Foxpaw blushed, embarrassed, before quickly catching up to her mentor in a few long strides. The two walked side-by-side until they reached the top of the slope. Branchleap nodded toward a large oak tree, with a trunk bathed in a fuzzy green plant. Heatherpaw and Whitefeather were already there, scraping their paws against the bark and adding moss to their growing pile.

"I smell rabbit," Branchleap mewed, gesturing vaguely toward a small bush. "I'll be right back. Start harvesting moss, okay?" Foxpaw nodded.

"I'll come with you, in case we need to corner it," Whitefeather offered, turning towards her Branchleap.

"Good idea. Thanks," Branchleap told her with a smile. The two disappeared into a bush, leaving Foxpaw and Heatherpaw to sit alone.

"So…" Foxpaw began awkwardly. "Want to talk about what happened?"

"Why did you start ignoring me?" Heatherpaw asked sharply, catching Foxpaw off-guard.

"What do you mean?" Foxpaw wondered aloud, confused.

"Ever since Wolfpaw got mad at Honeydew, you acted like we aren't friends anymore. I didn't do anything wrong!" Heatherpaw exclaimed.

"I-I…I thought you were on Honeydew's side," Foxpaw admitted.

"I'm not on anyone's side! You guys are my friends." Heatherpaw sighed sadly, and turned away. "It doesn't matter, anyways."

"I'm sorry, Heatherpaw. It was wrong of me to ignore you." Foxpaw hung her head, shame creeping up on her like thousands of tiny ants.

"I forgive you," Heatherpaw meowed, causing Foxpaw to snap her head up in surprise. "After all, we are sisters."

"Sisters," Foxpaw agreed, swiftly licking her sister on the shoulder. Heatherpaw batted her ear playfully in response, causing Foxpaw to giggle and duck away.

"Alright you two, that was sweet and all, but get back to work," Whitefeather meowed, appearing from the bush and making Heatherpaw jump with surprise. Branchleap followed, a fat white rabbit hanging from her jaws.

"Yes, Whitefeather," Heatherpaw and Foxpaw chorused, turning back toward the tree trunk. Soon after, Heatherpaw and her mentor left, leaving Foxpaw and Branchleap together beside the tree.

"Almost done?" Branchleap asked, the rabbit lying limp beneath her feet.

"Yep!" Foxpaw replied, grabbing the last clump of moss from the bark. She turned around and faced her mentor, proudly showing off her large pile of green bedding.

"Good job! Now, while I take your moss to the apprentices' den, go bring this rabbit to the elders." Branchleap nudged the fresh-kill toward Foxpaw who picked it up in a flourish. "After that, go get something to eat." Foxpaw nodded, said goodbye, and ran back to camp, the rabbit swinging from her jaws. She salivated at the taste, but managed to make it to the elders before she ate it in one gulp.

"Is that for us?" Muffin asked with a smile as Foxpaw padded inside.

"Mhm," Foxpaw mumbled through the mouthful of white fur. She plopped the fresh-kill in front of the black and white elder, spitting out the clumps of fluff stuck in her jaws.

"Thank you!" Brightfire purred. The old tom shuffled toward his meal and began to eat.

"Hmm," Winslow grunted as she followed Brightfire's lead. Muffin smiled at Foxpaw again before digging in with the others. Foxpaw left them in peace, padding out into the quickly fading sunlight. She trotted over to the fresh-kill pile and selected a magpie from the pile. She gazed around the hollow, searching for Wolfpaw. She spied his familiar gray pelt next to Moonpaw as they shared a squirrel.

Wolfpaw met her eyes and beckoned for her to join them. Foxpaw found herself shaking her head, declining the offer. I should let Wolfpaw make friends without me, she decided, though deep down, she knew that wasn't the real reason she said no. With a sigh, she turned away and padded to a lonely corner of the hollow. She sat down on the warm ground and tucked into her magpie. In a few famished bites, there was nothing but a pile of bones in front of her.

She looked up, and suddenly a strange scent wafted into her nostrils. It smelled of grass, dandelions, and…rabbits? Could it be…? As if on cue, a group of cats barged into the clearing, led by a cream-colored she-cat. Warriors around the hollow stood, their tails lashing and claws unsheathed. Redstar emerged from his den and leaped down from the Highledge, meeting the cream-colored cat in the center of the hollow.

"Breezestar," he meowed coolly. "What brings you to Thunderclan?"

"Windclan has come to reclaim our lost kit."

Lost kit? Who do you think it could be? Btw, I'll be posting Chapter 3 soon!

-Onyx