Lilystar's Demise

Chapter 3

Lilypaw stood straight she looked at her old den mates. She didn't seem so small anymore. Spikekit and Honeykit came running through the clearing. "You're apprentices!"  Honeykit mewed excitedly. "We will miss you in the nursery." Honeykit said once more. Spikekit growled with annoyance, "If you two can be apprentices I don't see why we can't be, we're only an inch shorter than you" Spikekit growled. Honeykit rolled her eyes, "It's not how big you are!" Honeykit hissed. "Plus, if you keep boasting about yourself you may never be an apprentice at all!" Hazelpaw gave a mew to get Spikekit's attention. "Don't worry Spikekit, I will teach you every battle move I learn!" Spikekit turned his head as if he was rejecting her offer, "I'm already a better fighter and hunter you'll ever be" He huffed.

Muddyoak's mew made Lilypaw jump. "I hope you're ready to leave camp for your first time" Lilypaw tilted her head. "We're going right now?" Muddyoak nodded, "The sooner you start, the better" Lilypaw's heart started beating as she followed Muddyoak to the entrance of camp. She thought of everything they could do, would she go hunting?, Would she learn how to fight?, Would she practice her stalking position?, Or possibly she'd learn how to swim. Lilypaw's thoughts left her mind as she heard the grass stirring as Hazelpaw came tumbling onto the rock that they were standing on with Snowpelt. "I'm going with you to!" Hazelpaw circled Lilypaw. Muddyoak purred which got Lilypaw's attention. "First, as each apprentice does their first day of training, the swimming lesson" she said dipping her tail in the water that surrounded Riverclan's camp. Lilypaw twitched her tail wondering how hard it was to swim. "Is it easy?" she asked as Muddyoak nodded. Muddyoak raised a paw "First, curve your paw like this when in the water to swim easier," she said demonstrating. "While you're in the water raise your chin to keep your nose out of the water, you're only going underwater to hunt fish or to save a warrior when you're older." Muddyoak mewed jumping into the water and swimming across, climbing up onto land that's on the opposite side. Hazelpaw mewed "I want to see you do it before I do it." Lilypaw nodded as she jumped into the water curving my paws, then lifting my chin up. Struggling for a moment Lilypaw got a rhythm in her paws moving through the thin water moving through it as easily as Muddyoak. Lilypaw made it to the other end and climbed up on land amused. "Amazing work so far" Muddyoak mewed. "Can we watch Hazelpaw?" Lilypaw asked. Muddyoak nodded as she turned to watch the apprentice. Hazelpaw jumped into the water also struggling for a moment before getting the same rhythm swimming across easily. Muddyoak nudged Lilypaw, "Come on she will be learning about something else now" Lilypaw followed her wondering what they were going to do next. The trees are so tall. "What are we doing next?" Lilypaw asked. Muddyoak mewed, "I will show you the borders for today, you will see, Thunderclans border, Windclans border, Shadowclans border, and other places like Fourtrees." Lilypaw's heart was beating with excitement. 

Lilypaw had wondered what her sister was doing. "This is Thunderclans border, notice how their scent smells of wood and prey, their ground is also drier and more harder for Riverclan paws." Muddyoak said while Lilypaw's mouth watered due to so many good scents hitting the back of her throat. Muddyoak looked at the cloudy sky. "We're lucky, we got finished with the tour of the clans borders just in time" Muddyoak flicked her tail as a indication to follow her back to camp. By the time they made it to the river that surrounded their camp Lilypaw thought she might drown swimming across from tiredness. Lilypaw jumped into the water swimming across climbing on the rock that separated from the grassy entrance. "Go get something to eat, after get some rest" Muddyoak said shaking off her wet pelt onto Lilypaw's pelt. Lilypaw looked up at her with annoyance as she shook her own pelt off. Lilypaw scanned camp and saw Hazelpaw with Hillpaw and Featherpaw, she scampered down the rock onto the grass and skidded in the sand, she darted toward the fresh-kill pile grabbing a mouse and running to greet Hazelpaw. "Hello Lilypaw!" Hazelpaw had already greeted Lilypaw before she could. Lilypaw dropped her mouse, "Hello Hazelpaw what did you learn about?" Hazelpaw's whiskers quivered with annoyance. "I took my time hurting my paw to get fresh moss out of a tree for the elders' bedding to not receive a thank you!" Hazelpaw hissed. She calmed before looking calmly at Lilypaw, "What did you learn about?" she asked Lilypaw. "I went to the border of each clan," Lilypaw said licking her right paw. "I even saw Fourtrees." Hazelpaw mewed, "Lucky" She said dropping to the ground taking bites out of her Thrush. Lilypaw dropped to the ground taking bites out of her mouse before a purr of amusement started rising in her throat. "What is it?" Featherpaw asked tossing the rest of her Thrush to Lilypaw. Lilypaw smiled as a thank you and continued on what she was saying. Lilypaw meowed like Muddyoak, "And this is Shadowclans border, notice how their territory smells" Lilypaw's whiskers twitched going back to her normal voice, "Like I'd miss that froggy scent" Hazelpaw, Featherpaw, and Hillpaw purred with amusement. Lilypaw finished her moue and half the thrush Featherpaw had given her before she followed Hazelpaw to the Apprentices den. "We made a nest for you two" Hillpaw said pointing to their nest. "Thank you" Lilypaw thanked the tom. She curled up in her nest which was right next to Hazelpaw's nest and fell into deep dreams.