Plushstar's Journey

Chapter 5

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own pray join here around the Fallen Tree to hear what I have to say!" Came Spotstar's voice from outside the nursery. With joy, Briarkit, Plushkit and her siblings ran out of the nursery, with Berryheart walking out behind them, sitting by the nursery entrance.

Spotstar carried on. "I've called you together for one of the most important moments in the life of a clan, Briarkit, Plushkit, Berrykit and Barkkit have reached their sixth moon, and it's time for them to become apprentices." He looks down at the white and black she-cat. "Briarkit, from this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be called Briarpaw." He looks at Mistyeyes and flicks his tail for her to come forward. "Mistyeyes. You will be mentor to Briarpaw. You are for you are understanding and patient. I know you will pass these on qualities on to Briarpaw." Brairpaw and Mistyeyes touch noses and Briarpaw walks to sit next to her mentor.

He looked at Berrykit. "Berrykit, from this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be called Berrypaw." His eyes land on Wolffur and flicks his tail for him to come forward. "Wolffur. You will be mentor to Berrypaw. You are for you are strong and quick. I know you will pass these on qualities on to Berrypaw." Berrypaw and Wolffur touch noses and Berrypaw walks to sit next to her mentor. "I-I'll do my b-best." He says, smiling at his apprentice.

The leader turned to look at Barkkit and Plushkit felt giddy. She's next! "Barkkit, from this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be called Barkpaw." He turned his head to Willowfur and flicks his tail for him to come forward. "Willowfur. You will be mentor to Barkpaw. You are for you are a great hunter and fast runner. I know you will pass these on qualities on to Barkpaw." Barkpaw and Willowfur touch noses and Barkpaw walks to sit next to his mentor.

Then his eyes landed on Plushkit. Her tail perked up and smiled wide. She can barely stay still. But she held herself together because she's a big cat now. "Plushkit , from this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be called Plushpaw." He turned his head to Deerheart, his smile widening and flicks his tail for him to come forward. Deerheart looked surprised. "Deerheart. You will be mentor to Plushpaw. You are for you are a great fighter and fast thinker. I know you will pass these on qualities on to Plushpaw." Plushpaw walked forward and touched her nose to his. "See, not even Pidgenfeather can keep us apart forever." She said smiling. He smiled back. "We're meant to be, I guess." He lifted his head and sat next to her, tail wrapping around her, purring.

"StarClan, I ask you guide these new apprentices. Set their paws on the path they must follow to become warriors." Spotstar said loudly.

When the clan was shouting for the new apprentices, cats from outside the clan started jumping into the camp and attacking her clanmates!

Cats everywhere were fighting. She looked around, scared. She didn't know how to fight! She just turned an apprentice! But she couldn't stand by and do nothing, she had to do something!

She look beside her to see Mistyeyes and Berryheart standing on both sides of Briarpaw, both were telling her how to fight.

The camp swirled with scents she didn't recognize, it was dizzying. She looked over and saw a cat fighting with Barkpaw. Crowpaw was a tail length away fighting another cat.

Plushpaw felt her pelt bristle and she changed at the other cat, claws out and yowled. "Get off my brother!" She hissed and leaped at the bigger, stronger feline.

She may not have experience fighting, but she watched Ravenpaw, Eaglepaw and Crowpaw practice in camp.

She bowled over the bigger cat and them to the ground, she raised her paw and, claws out and stretched and raked them across the invader's muzzle. The bigger cat hissed and the next thing she knew, she was flying in the air and landed hard on her side, rolling into her stomach.

Her side and stomach screamed in pain and she couldn't see straight. She saw a sandy cat loom over her, about to finish her off.

She was in too much pain to get up. She closed her eyes and braced for the feeling of claws or teeth or both to finish her.

It never came.

Instead she heard a loud screech and two familiar scents. "Take care of Plushpaw. I'll handle this one." One of the voices ordered. Next she heard someone ask. "Are you alright, Plushpaw?" in a whispered voice.

'Ravenpaw!' She opened her eyes to see the grey and white she-cat standing over her. Plushpaw looked over to see Deerheart fighting over the sandy cat that was ready to end her.

She saw Deerheart get pinned down and quickly kick the cat off, hissing a warning. The sand colored cat growled and leaped towards the warrior.

Plushpaw watched in amazement as she watched her mentor slam the cat down with his paw, claws out, pinning them down, claws threatening to peirce through the fur and into the skin of the cat's head. He then leaned down and snarled, a look in his eye that she never saw. Anger. "Get. Out." He leaned down more, his nose brushing the cat's ear fur "Now." He leaned back up and lifted his paw and the cat below him scrambled to their paws and sprinted out the camp.

"Wow." She said to herself, forgetting she was fighting for a moment. She snapped out of it and turned around in time to get slapped across the face, feeling claws scrapping across her cheek to the tip of her nose, then felt a really heavy weight on her, claws sinking into her shoulder and teeth between the shoulder and neck.

She yowled, scrunched her eyes shut and raised her paws and sunk her claws behind her attackers ears and yanks her paws towards her and kicked her back legs into the stomach in the opposite direction, sending the cat flying, feeling the trail of more claws down her body with teeth this time.

She rolled onto her stomach and stood up, opening her eyes and looked at her paws to notice they were drenched in blood. Her eyes widened to see ears laying on the ground in a pool of blood. Her ears lowered as her heart lurched in fear as she saw the cat that was on her, screeching "MY EARS!!" Before sprinting away the way they came in, yowling, leaving a trail of blood behind them.

Horrified at what she done, she sprinted out the camp, not hearing someone call after her and unaware she was leaving a trail of blood herself. "Great StarClan! What have I done!?"