Life 1:3
It was finally time for Snakekit's apprentice ceremony. Bluestar leapt onto the High Ledge to preform her announcement. Meanwhile, Snakekit sat dutifully below, looking up at Bluestar with determination mixed with an odd amount of pride directed at her. In an odd way, he carried himself like an apprentice ready to receive his warrior name. The way Bluestar looked down upon him was also oddly warm, not in the way a mother looks at a kit, but rather in the way one looks upon an old friend they'd not seen in a long time.
Slowly, Bluestar began. "Snakekit. 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 Snakepaw. Your mentor will be Runningwind. I hope Runningwind will pass down all they know on to you."
Snakekit stepped forward and touched noses with Runningwind, his new mentor. Meanwhile, Runningwind looked upon his new apprentice with trepidation. He had never had an apprentice before. He wasn't sure he could trust himself to teach a kit the ways of the clan. Runningwind knew himself. He was quick to act, easy to distract, and lacked the patience that was so necessary for molding a young mind. His new apprentice met his eyes with fierce determination, only wincing slightly when he agitated that neck sprain that he'd recently received. Runningwind's heart steadied looking at the apprentice. If any cat were to be an easy apprentice, everyone knew it'd be Snakepaw. Maybe he could do this after all.
Runningwind almost made to depart, doing the typical tour of the territory customary for the first day of an apprenticeship when Bluestar stopped him. "Runningwind, a moment of your time if you will."
"What is it Bluestar?" Runningwind mewed curiously.
"Your new apprentice, I want you watch for them. I cannot tell you how, but they will be an easy apprentice in terms of learning, but they will be a difficult apprentice in terms of protecting. Snakepaw is a cat I know very well. They're quick to assist and aid in anything, regardless of the danger. They will teach you much as they learn from you. Maybe one day they'll tell you their secret. I already know of this secret and unfortunately tell you the nature of this new relationship you will have. Snakepaw is special in a strange way. He will grow on you, become someone you come to depend on and care for. One day, you will fail. He will die before ever receiving his name, but he will go out fighting or trying to save someone. I am sorry to foist this cruelty onto you, but you are one of the few cats I can trust with this." Bluestar mewed apologetically.
"What… What do you mean? Did Starclan prophesize his death? Can… Can anything be done?" Runningwind mewed with clear concern.
"As far as I know, it is unavoidable. Snakepaw already knows this, and yet he decided to push forward with a smile on his muzzle and to do as much good as possible. If you somehow manage to protect him, you'll have done something I thought impossible, but if you cannot, hold no regrets. He will treasure every moment with you, and hopefully you can do the same. Talk to Snakepaw when you get the chance." Bluestar replied morosely.
At that moment, Snakepaw padded forward to interject. "Don't worry too much about it. Fate is fate. There's no use crying over it or wasting energy trying to defy it. For all we know, maybe I'll just get sick and pass from that. Instead, let's enjoy the now, do what we can. I want to see the Thunderclan territory. Maybe we'll have time to catch something big while we're out there. Race you!" The apprentice mewed with an upbeat tone.
Runningwind could only gawk as his doomed apprentice happily trotted over to the camp entrance, looking back at Runningwind expectantly. He looked back to Bluestar for support, who only gave him a nod towards the apprentice. Taking her cue, Runningwind finally turned away, bringing himself to pad over to his eagerly waiting apprentice.
"What took you Runningwind, or should I say slow wind? Cat's typically aren't named wind or running for nothing. Show me what makes Runningwind great." Snakekit taunted, drawing forth a wry smile from Runningwind.
"Do you really think you can keep up with me?" Runningwind cheekily challenged.
"I may not be as fast as you, but I know some tricks that'll definitely make your head turn." The apprentice boldly replied.
With that, Runningwind set the pace, a rather brisk trot that wore normal cats out by the time they hit Fourtrees. He looked back towards his apprentice, knowing full well that the apprentice would have to run to keep up. He was honestly surprised when he saw the kit was right on his tail. When he'd turn, instead of turning with him, Snakepaw would use a tree to rebound and keep his momentum. The tactic fascinated him. Runningwind was by far the fastest cat in the clan, but he'd always had an issue cornering. Inspired by the apprentice's antics, Runningwind attempted one of the corner turns, only to accidentally slam into the tree a bit hard and loose most of his grip as he attempted the rebound, wasting a lot of energy.
"Yeah. Making turns like that is tricky. The trick is to hit the tree at an angle. You've also got to prepare yourself like you're going to make a big leap from standing. Wanna try it?" Snakepaw asked, drawing a confused stare from Runningwind.
How had Snakepaw acquired such knowledge and when did he even have the time to practice it. Runningwind puzzled over it a moment before shaking his head. This must have had something to do with Snakepaw's secret. It wouldn't hurt to learn the technique anyways.
"Ok. Tell me how to do it." Runningwind answered.
Snakepaw trotted up to a nearby tree. He looked back at Runningwind, seemingly sizing him up for a moment before standing against the tree on his hind legs. Snakepaw reached up as high as his little frame could reach and put a scratch on the tree. Snakepaw then trotted back to Runningwind and dug a little scuff in the ground.
"From here, you should be able to do it. Run at the tree and try to land on the scratch. From there, just jump as if you're making a far leap. It won't feel right for a while, and for now it'll be slower than turning the normal way, but once you get used to it, you can outmaneuver near any cat." Snakepaw lectured.
Runningwind did not know what to make of the kit, but he trusted Bluestar to know what she was doing. If this technique really worked, Runningwind's biggest weakness would be near totally removed. He felt bad for cutting the tour early and for receiving training himself instead of teaching his new apprentice, but the sheer joy in Snakepaw's eyes as he saw Runningwind make his attempts and get closer and closer to what Snakepaw had done shut down those doubts. It was only when Snakepaw made an off the paw comment did his questions about the apprentice return.
"You know, this used to be an old Skyclan technique. Of course, they usually did it from higher up and used it to keep their momentum as they jumped from branch to branch."
Who was this Skyclan Snakepaw was mentioning, and how did Snakepaw know them? Runningwind puzzled on it but only conceded to the hope that one day Snakepaw would open up to him about his strange skillset and unheard of knowledge.