"Mothkit, do you promise to listen to your mentor and uphold the warrior code?" Duskstar's yowl echoed across the StormClan camp.
"Yes," she meowed, her fur fluffed up in excitement. Duskstar smiled.
"Then, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Mothpaw. Windsilver," she pointed to the white-and-silver she-cat, "will be your mentor." Windsilver happily padded up to Mothpaw and touched her nose.
"I promise to train Mothpaw to my best abilities," she meowed seriously.
Duskstar then turned her attention to the dark tortoiseshell-and-white she-kit.
"Spottedkit, do you promise to listen to your mentor and uphold the warrior code?" she repeated. Spottedkit nodded.
"Yes," she meowed confidently, her amber eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Then, until you receive your full medicine cat name, you shall be known as Spottedpaw. Blueclaw will be your mentor." Duskstar mewed proudly.
Spottedpaw smiled happily as Blueclaw touched her little soft kitten-petal-pink nose lightly with her rough pink-gray one. She looked up and nodded to Duskstar.
"I promise to teach Spottedpaw everything I know," she mewed.
"Spottedpaw! Mothpaw! Spottedpaw! Mothpaw!" the two young cats lifted their heads in pride, the amber sun behind them making the two young cats look like brands of flame in the new morning light.
The cheering died down.
"Clan meeting dismissed," Duskstar meowed. Mothpaw ran towards Starlingpaw, Foxpaw, Lightningpaw, and Badgerpaw, while Spottedpaw followed Blueclaw to the medicine cat's den.
"Good luck Spot, I know you'll do great! You're the smartest cat I know!"
Spottedpaw smiled and ducked her head at her sister's praise. "Oh, uh, um, t-thanks, Moth!" she meowed, then she disappeared into the medicine den to start her training.
It was silent for a few moments before Mothpaw spoke up with an excited wave of her tail. "Wasn't that great?" Mothpaw mewed excitedly.
Foxpaw had just opened her mouth to start saying something when Windsilver's meow cut through their conversation.
"C'mon, Mothpaw, I'm going to show you the borders of our territory." Mothpaw nodded and waved her tail and trotted after Windsilver, heading out of camp and through the pine forest.
•••
"And this is the gathering place where all four Clans gather for one night of peace, and the truce last's for as long as the moon is full." Mothpaw nodded, her dark green eyes widened in aw as she took in her surroundings.
The Gathering place was in the center of the four Clans. It was surrounded by one oak tree for BreezeClan, a misty pine tree for MistClan, an iceberg for IceClan, and a small rocky hill for StormClan. At the center, a big ancient birch tree sat there, with spots for all the leaders and deputies to sit.
"Wow! This place is so beautiful!" Mothpaw exclaimed, her fur fluffed up in excitement as she turned to face Windsilver.
"When is the next gathering?" she asked, her green eyes wide as she continued to stare at the BirchTree that was perched dead smack in the center of the clearing.
Windsilver purred and twitched her whiskers. "The next Gathering will be held at the next full moon, which is in two sunrises from now if I recall correctly."
"Will we see the Thunderpath?" Mothpaw asked as the two she-cats were making there way back to the StormClan camp.
Windsilver laughed and playfully cuffed one of her apprentice's ears. "We can if you want to," Mothpaw grinned and nodded her head.
"Yes, yes I want to!" she meowed cheerfully.
Windsilver laughed again and they turned to the left of the gorse tunnel. "Ok, if you say so you crazy apprentice!" she joked, smiling and shaking her head in amusement.
•••
By the time Mothpaw and Windsilver returned to camp, it was nearly sunhigh. Mothpaw caught sight of her sister and excitedly dashed over to her.
Mothpaw chose a fat red robin from the fresh-kill pile and trotted over to join her sister and friends near the entrance of the apprentice's den.
"Heya, Mothy!" Foxpaw and Lightningpaw both meowed at the same time. Mothpaw laughed and twitched an ear.
"How did you like seeing our super cool territory? Wasn't it great?" Starlingpaw chimed in, her black fur fluffed up and her yellow eyes gleaming.
Mothpaw grinned widely, her dark gray fur fluffed up and her green eyes shimmering with both amazement and aw. "It was absolutely awesome!" she exclaimed cheerfully.
"Hey, Spot! Come over here and join us!" Foxpaw meowed, motioning with her tail for the dark-furred apprentice to come join them.
Spottedpaw smiled softly and chose a raven from the fresh-kill pile. "So, Spottedpaw, tell me! How did your first day of training go?" she meowed in a friendly tone.
Spottedpaw replied with a small smile. "It went really well, Blueclaw taught me a few things about herbs."
Mothpaw grinned and gave her sister a playful shove. "Aren't you gonna tell us more?"
Spottedpaw just rolled her eyes. "Nope, you know very well that I can't say anything, Moth, but I promise I'll tell you all about it when I can get Blueclaw to allow me too!"
Mothpaw pouted and blew a raspberry at her sister. "Aww you're no fuuuun!" she whined, flopping onto her back with an overdramatic sigh.
Lightningpaw laughed and was about to open her mouth to start saying something, but one of the other apprentices came up to them and meowed an,
"Hey Light! Patchpaw caught something just for yoooooou!" he meowed, drawing out the 'oo' sound. Lightningpaw cuffed him over the ear.
"Oh c'mon Lark, you know I hate romantic stuff!" Lightningpaw groaned. Badgerpaw frowned.
"Ooh! Some cat's got a crush on you!" Starlingpaw hissed and cuffed Badgerpaw over the ear. "Stop teasing your sister!" she meowed, narrowing her yellow eyes. "If she's not interested then that's fine!"
Foxpaw laughed and gave the sable-she-cat a friendly shove. "Oh hush," she meowed teasingly. "I've scene the way you look at Patchpaw!"
"What? No! I don't like him, I like someone else!" she protested. After the sable she-cat said those words, Foxpaw and the others stared at her with expecting gazes.
Starlingpaw spotted Tawnystripe and Mosspetal patting into camp with prey clutched in their jaws.
The sable apprentice called out to them and the two warriors trotted over to the small group of apprentices.
"Hey Tawny?" Starlingpaw meowed to get her attention. "Could you please explain to Foxpaw and Lightningpaw the thing that I told you about?"
Tawnystripe, knowing exactly what her friend was talking about, knew exactly how to explain Starlingpaw's interests in other cats.
"Ok, so, the simple explanation is that Starlingpaw here likes Cinderfire." The ginger she-cat meowed, flicking her tail at a small, smoky-grey she-cat with silky fur and bright blue eyes.
"Say what?" they all exclaimed, blinking and looking from Starlingpaw, to Tawnystripe, then to Mosspetal, then to Cinderfire, and finally back to Starlingpaw.
"How long?" Foxpaw asked her friend.
Starlingpaw blinked and tilted her head to the side. "How long about what, Fox?"
Foxpaw sighed softly and narrowed her eyes at Starlingpaw. "What I mean by that is, how long have you liked Cinderfire?"
Starlingpaw was quiet for a moment before she purred, "We talked for hours when we were both apprentices. She's the best. She's so smart and beautiful and she makes me happy," her eyes were wistful as she spoke, shining with emotion. "We've already decided. I'm going to become her mate as soon as I'm made a warrior."
"Well, congratulations, Starlingpaw," Foxpaw purred, genuinely respecting the she-cat. "You have life a lot more figured out than I do."
"Oh, come on. You must have someone in mind," Starlingpaw meowed, her tone implying that she already thought she knew the answer.
Foxpaw hissed. "Don't make it weird. I'm just friends with him."
"I didn't say anything!" Starlingpaw responded teasingly.
Foxpaw huffed and turned her head away from Starlingpaw, her ears flat against her skull and her fur bristling. "Oh for the love of StarClan Starlingpaw!" she growled in a low tone. "Would you please stop teasing me!" she hissed, lashing her tail and narrowing her eyes. "There's nothing funny about this! So just please stop it!"
The sable she-cat flinched and drew back in surprise. "Eep!" she cried out, giving a startled squeak and leaping backwards. "I-I'm sorry Fox!" she mumbled while staring down at her paws. "I didn't mean to make you so mad."
Foxpaw said nothing, just growling and lashing her tail angrily from left to right. Starlingpaw tried to speak but Foxpaw gave her a warning look and she quickly shut her mouth.
"Just leave me alone!" she spat scornfully. "I need some time to think and to go cool off." And with that, the russet-furred she-cat spun on her heals and headed for the exit of the camp.