Gingerheart's Destiny

Chapter 6: Finally Apprentices

Gingerkit and her littermates were sitting just outside the nursery, where Yellowflower was grooming and fretting over them. Coalfeather was there as well, helping his mate posture them correctly.

She tried to sit still. Her mother had told her to sit still, but when Gingerkit looked at her two siblings, they were squirming like worms.

"Why do we have to do this?" Leopardkit whined.

"I've already answered that question," Yellowflower mewed in between licking Mudkit's fur. "I want you to look good when you become apprentices."

"Listen to your mother," Coalfeather told the kits.

Gingerkit looked around camp, still processing the largeness of it. Cats, warriors to be exact, were milling around camp, some eating fresh-kill, some sharing tongues, even others hunting and patrolling. Soon, she thought, soon I'll be hunting and fighting and patrolling.

Looking around at the camp, Gingerkit saw Waterpaw and Splashpaw joking around with Silverpaw and Cloudpaw, who were kits of Blizzardstar and Stormrunner. She realized that, judging by the way Splashpaw was acting around Silverpaw and how he was looking at her, her former denmate had a crush on the pretty silver tabby.

Giggling, Gingerkit nudged Leopardkit.

"Look at them!" She whispered. "They are so funny!"

Leopardkit caught on and started giggling as well. They both half rolled in the dirt with mischievous humor.

Suddenly, Mudkit head butted them and told his sisters to be quiet.

"Blizzardstar is about to start!" He hissed.

He was right. Blizzardstar had leaped onto the Tallrock and was apparently gathering her thoughts. Looking up, Gingerkit conducted herself and became calm and collected. Or at least that was the goal.

"Let all cats old enough to catch a rabbit gather beneath Tallrock for a Clan meeting!!" Their leader yelled.

Cats milled in from the farthest corners and the dens of the camp. Feeling a tail whisk across her pelt, Gingerkit turned her head around.

"Good luck, Ginger-soon-to-be-paw," Waterpaw whispered. Gingerkit grinned.

"Fellow Clanmates," Blizzardstar began. "I have gathered you here today to inform you of the making of three new apprentices: Leopardkit, Mudkit, and Gingerkit." When she heard her name, Gingerkit flicked her tail excitedly.

"Leopardkit. Step forward."

Her sister took almost a leap forward, and the crowd was all smiles.

"You are a very energetic and excited cat," Blizzardstar observed. "You deserve a mentor who can maintain these qualities with the exception of teaching you patience. From this day forward, until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Leopardpaw. Your mentor will be Eclipseleaf."

Leopardpaw's new mentor bounded forward to greet her new apprentice. She touched noses, and muttered something too quiet for Gingerkit's young ears to pick up.

Blizzardstar half smiled. "Now Mudkit. You are like your sister-" at this Gingerkit let out a mrrow of laughter "-but I don't doubt that you have a good heart. From this day until you gain your warrior name you will be known as Mudpaw. Your mentor will be Anttail."

The scrawny red tom padded forward to meet his new apprentice.

Suddenly, Gingerkit felt a wave of fear and excitement rush over her. What if her leader told her that she could not ever become an apprentice?

"Gingerkit," Blizzardstar began, flocking her intense blue gaze from Mudpaw to Gingerkit.

She scraped the ground in anticipation.

"You are the quietest and most mature of your littermates," Blizzardstar continued. "You need to learn to be a bit more cheerful. From this day forth until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Gingerpaw. Your mentor will be Honeyfur."

Gingerpaw saw the light brown tabby push through the crowd and leap to her. Her muscles rippled beneath her pelt.

Touching noses with the new apprentice, Honeyfur mewed, "You are going to be a great apprentice: I just know it."

Smiling to herself, Gingerpaw looked up at Blizzardstar, who was jumping down from Tallrock and padded over to her mate, Stormrunner.

"Why don't I take you on a tour of the territory?" Honeyfur offered.

"Can I come too?" Mudpaw asked excitedly.

"And me!" Leopardpaw chimed.

"Mudpaw can go, but I want to show you something first, Leopardpaw," Eclipseleaf answered.

Honeyfur beckoned for the apprentices to follow her with a flick of her tail. Mudpaw scrambled after her, while Gingerpaw padded as softly as she could. Following Honeyfur out of camp, she thought, This is going to be awesome.