Paws Of Stars book #1: Rising Tides

Chapter 1

"You three have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this moment onward, until you earn your warrior names, you will be known as Cinderpaw, Poppypaw, and Honeypaw." Firestar's voice rang outside in the clearing, and the calls repeating their names started erupting soon after. Lionkit squeezed through his siblings, trying to get a look at the ceremony from the small entrance of the nursery they were confined to.

"Birchfall, Cinderpaw will be your first apprentice, but I trust you learned enough from Ashfur to pass on your knowledge and give us a great warrior. Poppypaw, your mentor will be Cloudtail. He has served his clan well for many moons and was a good mentor to Rainwhisker. I'm sure he will do just as well for you. And Squirrelflight, you will train Honeypaw. This will be your first apprentice as well, but you have shown your relentless energy and dedication as an apprentice and warrior which I know will make you a fine mentor to Honeypaw."

"Oof!" Suddenly he was flattened to the ground as his sister, Hollykit, landed on top of him in an attempt to see as the apprentices welcomed their mentors. Lionkit pushed her off, scampering closer to the entrance again. She rolled off him and pushed her hind paws into his flank.

Oh you're on! Lionkit thought to himself, sensing the playful tension. Smiling slightly, he lashed out a paw in her direction, though he found it only grasped air and his off-balance posture nearly made him topple to the ground face-first.

"Slow slug!" she teased, rolling her eyes.

"I don't see what you two are fighting over. We can hear it just fine from here." Jaykit grumbled from his nest.

Lionkit ignored him. "I'll get you this time!" he called. He leaped toward Hollykit this time, knocking her out of the way in an attempt to get a better view. Although he realized with alarm that he had overshot. Rather than landing on his sister, he fell clumsily on top of Ferncloud's two tiny kits. Ferncloud gave him a shove, pushing him away with her hind paws.

Lionkit gasped. "Have I hurt them?" He asked, the competition clearly done.

"No, thank Starclan," Ferncloud meowed, a snap to her voice. "You're still too small to do much damage. But you should be more careful playing in here!" Foxkit and Icekit mewled as she tucked them closer into her belly. "You three are getting too rough for the nursery."

"Sorry, Ferncloud," Hollykit mewed.

"Sorry," Jaykit echoed, apologetic even though Ferncloud's comment probably wasn't directed at him. At least the queen's anger would not last. She would easily forgive kits she had suckled—when Squirrelflight's milk had not come, it was Ferncloud who had fed Lionkit, Hollykit, and Jaykit. In just the last moon though, Ferncloud had two kits of her own in Icekit and Foxkit. It was strange, sharing their mother-like figure with another two mewing balls of fur that couldn't even play yet.

"Besides, it'll be our turn soon enough, and then we'll be able to see it easily." Hollykit meowed. Her tone was haughty, as if she somehow didn't want just as badly as him to see the ceremony. Cinderkit Poppykit and Honeykit has been so fun to play with when they were all in the nursery, but that wouldn't be happening anymore. At least not until we're apprentices too!

"There's really nothing to fuss about." Jaykit cut in. "It'll just mean more cats watching over our every move."

"Don't pretend you won't be excited to become an apprentice Jaykit. It'll be so great, being able to get out of camp, train to be a warrior, and help the clan instead of being treated like we're useless!" Hollykit's eyes shone as she spoke, her gaze locked on something no one else could see.

"Maybe, but right now we can't do anything. Even Squirrelflight will be out more than usual now that she has an apprentice to train." Jaykit responded. Honestly, it wouldn't be too much of a change from the norm. Their mother always loved them; there was no doubt in Lionkit's mind about that. But she definitely preferred performing her warrior duties to being in the nursery, so she often left the three kits under the care of Ferncloud and Daisy while she went out on patrol. Still, they also had plenty of other kits to play with, so it never bothered them all that much.