The shine of sunhigh cast a bright beam of light over the bracken wall that surrounded ShadowClan's camp. A small dilute calico tom emerged from the depths of a nest constructed of thicket and moss.
Inside the den, his mother, a beautiful calico she-cat, was curled in a nest next to his littermate. The slim tom padded out into the clearing, a thin layer of snow crunching under his tiny paws.
Once a tail-length away from the nursery, the kit planted himself down on his haunches, curling his tail over his front paws. Sitting tall, he watched the near empty camp. The dawn patrol had been sent out before he woke, and there was a soft layer of untouched snow that sat like a blanket over the clan clearing.
The light from the sun, which had nearly reached its highest point, made the snow in the camp glitter like the stars in silverpelt.
The shimmering snow reflected back in the kitten's wide eyes. All in the camp was quiet, except for a slight murmur that came from somewhere around the warriors' den.
From out of nowhere, a loud yowl rang through the clearing. A large, silver tabby apprentice burst through the bracken tunnel. Following him was a white and ginger tom, and a slimmer brown ticked tabby.
The apprentice had a water vole dangling from his jaws. His voice was muffled by the prey, but despite this, he was carrying on a conversation with the two warriors that was loud enough to be heard across the camp where the kit sat. The calico cat stifled a frustrated mewl. Not only had the apprentice disturbed the peace in camp, but he'd also stirred up the fresh layer of snow.
The kit could barely even see the returning dawn patrol as he turned back toward the nursery.
"Snakekit! Hey!" The kit's fur stood on end when he heard his name being called from behind him.
He quickly turned to see the apprentice, known as Silverpaw, bounding toward him with the water vole. "Is Patchkit or Tawnyflower awake yet?" The larger tom chirped between the vole in his teeth.
"They're probably awake now," Snakekit retorted, his fur still bristled. He sat up tall, trying to appear big in front of the older cat.
From behind him, Patchkit trotted out of the nursery and passed Snakekit. Silverpaw dropped the water vole, and Patchkit lept to catch the prey before it hit the ground.
Tripping over her paws, she sloppily landed in front of Silverpaw, just a whisker length away from the water vole. She gave a nervous chuckle as she stood and straightened out her fur with a quick lick.
"Thanks!" She mewed, her voice muffled by the vole she'd picked off the ground. Snakekit watched quietly, keeping to his own. In his opinion, Patchkit was far too ambitious, and would take any opportunity to make a fool out of herself if it were handed to her.
Snakekit stood and followed Patchkit back into the nursery, where Tawnyflower had already awoken. The fluffy calico she-cat was picking bits of moss stems out of her pelt that had found their way into her fur while she slept.
Snakekit carefully stepped over the edge of the moss bedding, climbing into the nest to sit next to Tawnyflower.
Patchkit had already crouched down next to the nest, chewing at the prey that Silverpaw had brought them to share. Tawnyflower bent over and nipped Snakekit by the scruff, pulling him between her front paws and licking his head. "Next time, before you leave the nursery, make sure your whiskers are straight and your fur is going the right way."
Snakekit let out a defiant mewl at the queen's words. "Can the clan not know that I sleep? What's so bad about ruffled fur?" Snakekit shook his head as the queen used her hooked tongue to straighten his whiskers.
"If you're going to be an apprentice, you need to show that you care about how you present yourself. You too, Patchkit." The queen gave a disgruntled meow as her gaze rested on Patchkit, who was ravenously, and sloppily, gnawing at the water vole.
"..sorry," Patchkit squeaked with a full mouth, licking her paw and drawing it over her muzzle to clean the remains of the prey off her maw.
Snakekit opened his mouth to complain that Patchkit had eaten the vole that was intended to be shared between the three of them but was distracted by the rustling of a cat pushing through the mossy entrance of the nursery.
"Geyserwing," Tawnyflower greeted with a purr. The approaching tom stood on tall legs, and despite his height, his tail still draped over the earth beneath him. He had a slick, gray pelt with a darker-tipped tail and ears.
Snakekit recognized the tom as his father, though he didn't spend a lot of time around the nursery.
"Elmstar wants to see how Snakekit and Patchkit are getting along," the tom spoke with a soft tone laced in confidence.
Geyserwing was one of the clan's senior warriors, and his rank among the warriors was rarely unnoticed by the other cats. Tawnyflower nosed Snakekit forward, lifting herself onto her paws and stepping off of the moss nest.
Snakekit tumbled forward, catching himself on clumsy paws and carrying himself to the entrance of the den next to Geyserwing.
Snakekit looked at the warrior with big, admiring eyes. The tall tom seemed to avoid eye contact with him. Maybe he just didn't notice Snakekit. Maybe he's just really busy. Being a senior warrior must be tiring.
Tawnypelt stepped over Snakekit with Patchkit in her jaws, carrying the kit by the scruff. Snakekit followed quickly, trailing just behind the queen's rear paws.
She guided the kits toward the hollowed oak that contained Elmstar's nest. The thin tom was sitting just near the entrance of his den, watching the three expectantly as they approached.
Geyserwing had already found his way beside the tom and was sitting with his paws neatly tucked in front of him.
Snakekit couldn't help but notice how similar the two looked. They both had sleek, gray pelts. Elmstar's pelt was darker and had more black accents, and the leader's aging had been less forgiving, as he appeared more frail, and his muzzle was flecked with gray.
His deep green gaze was focused on Snakekit, and the kit returned the stare as he continued to pad forward.
Tawnyflower sat in front of the two gray toms, placing down an excited Patchkit who wiggled to free herself from the queen's grasp.
She bounded forward, sitting right in front of the leader's tail that was draped over his front paws. Snakekit hesitantly followed behind her, stepping forward and sitting next to her in front of the leader.
Elmstar looked down at the two with a fond expression. His pupils were large, and he seemed as if he were looking down at his own two kits.
"They will make great apprentices," Geyserwing started, clearing his throat for a brief moment. "They're five moons old, and Patchkit is already trying to hunt the elder's tails." His tone had a hint of humor as he looked down at his kits.
"Snakekit is more reserved. He keeps to his own, but is independent and smart."
Snakekit felt his chest swell with pride at his father's praise. He tried to remain calm, but his tail flicked harshly against the ground in anticipation of Elmstar's response.
"I see," the old tom rasped. "I trust your judgment, Geyserwing. These two will have their ceremony the day they reach the age of six moons. I already have warriors in mind for their mentorship," Elmstar said with a dip of his head.
Snakekit could hear a deep purr from Tawnyflower behind him and Patchkit.
Elmstar dismissed the group with a flick of his tail, and before Snakekit could process it, Patchkit was bowling over him and darting halfway across camp.
Snakekit took chase, nearly running right into Patchkit as she skidded to a halt.
She hopped up onto four paws and turned to face him, crouching down with her tail in the air.
"We're gonna be apprentices!" She exclaimed, swiping playfully over Snakekit's ears.
He ducked down, rearing up on his hind legs and cuffing her over the ears in return.
He could feel the excitement in his body and was struggling to remain calm. Any cat would be excited to start their training
Patchkit stood in a bow and shifted on her paws, waiting for the tom kit to plot an attack.
Snakekit was unable to focus on the playful Patchkit, though, feeling like two eyes were staring right at him. The exhilaration faded from him as he turned to try and find the source.
Silverpaw and the rest of the cats from the earlier returning dawn patrol, Rednose and Twigrush, were sitting near the fresh-kill pile.
Twigrush and Rednose were sharing tongues over a fresh crow.
Silverpaw sat nearby, but his gaze was fixed on Snakekit and Patchkit. Snakekit's fur rose.
He felt like the tom was staring right through him. He returned his gaze, straightening out his posture and forcing his fur to lay flat.
Silverpaw's stare only broke when a large black warrior stepped between the two. He was greeting Twigrush, and was only a tail-length away from Silverpaw, unaware he'd blocked his view.
Snakekit tilted his head a bit. He didn't care for the apprentice much, but curiosity was tingling in his paws, and he started to walk toward the gathered cats.
Patchkit hopped up and grabbed his tail, though, pulling him and sending the both of them tumbling down on top of eachother.
As if broken from a trance, Snakekit let out a mrrow of laughter, scrambling back up onto his paws and ramming into Patchkit's flank as she tried to lift herself back up.
The two continued to squabble in the clearing with Tawnyflower watching from a distance.