South Park - Warriors

Chapter 1

The morning birds sang wistfully, and the wind brought whispers through the breeze. Tall, golden, frond leaves rustled as a figure approached. Bursting out through the leaves, making them quiver, a tussle of fur spat and snarled.
"I'll show you who's the fiercest warrior, Gingerkit!" A fat fluffy kit, only a few days away from becoming an apprentice hollered.
"Nu-uh! You're too big and lumpy to become a good warrior like I'll be!" The red-furred kit hissed back impractically.
"Oh shh-shh, Bigkit's not 'big and lumpy' my dear, he's just big-boned." A brown Siamese queen purred in amusement, curling her tail around her kit—Bigkit.
"Then why is his name Bigkit, Rainpansy?" Gingerkit peeped back in curiosity.
"Oh, well, I guess you caught me there." The queen hummed in laughter, giving her son an apologetic lick.
Bigkit quickly dodged his mothers rasping tongue. "Mom! That's not funny!" He lifted his top lip in a snarl, stepping back with his fur on end when he landed his foot on another queen's tail.
The big, red, and fluffy mother hissed quietly, gazing down at her stomach. Bigkit peered over her fluffed out tail to make out a small ball of black-and-white fur.
"His name is Maplekit. He's Gingerkit's little brother." The queen purred with pride, her eyes filled with pure love and affection towards her new-born kit.
Gingerkit stepped forward, scooting close to Maplekit and giving him a few swift, kind licks. "I'm proud to call him my little brother." Joy sparked in Gingerkit's eyes.

~~

      "Are you excited Deadkit? Or should I say Deadpaw?" A cream-furred kit mewed to the golden pelted kit next to him.
      "I sure am. What about you though Butterkit?"
"Oh well I should be excited, this is the day we become apprentices!" The cream colored kit gave his chest some smooth licks to look properly prepared at the ceremony.
      The two toms sat at once when they approached the high ledge, scanning the crowd of cats.
      Butterkit nudged Deadkit's shoulder with his, pointing with his tail towards a black tuxedo cat, a big brown tabby, and a puffy ginger cat. "There's Marshkit, Bigkit, and Gingerkit! Right across from Rainpansy and Pridewhisker."
      "I see them." Deadkit mewed oddly quietly and seemed some-what disappointed.
      "What's wrong fella? You seem blue." Butterkit wrapped his tail around his little paws, staring at Deadkit curiously.
      The kit sighed. "I don't see my parents." His gaze lowered to his paws shuffling in the dirt.
      "Well, it's not too bad-"
      Deadkit cut him off before he could finish. "Just this one time, this once, I relied on them to be there for me—for my apprentice ceremony. Not even my siblings are here to watch me."
      "Wouldya let me finish now?" Butterkit's fur prickled, but quickly flattened as he ignored Deadkit. "They could be on a hunting patrol, and your little sister—Shrewkit was it?—was just born, so Coralflower atta be in the nursery."
"He's right." Cleverkit meowed from behind. "I just saw the patrol come back now and Addershadow was with them, and so was Gorsepaw."
      Deadkit's ears perked, and his eyes shimmered with hope.
      "See, fella, it's all alright. Your parents are here now, and even if they weren't I still would've been here for ya." Butterkit turned his neck towards Cleverkit. "Thanks to you by the way."
      Cleverkit nodded, and with no other word from the two kits, she sat down peacefully.
      A large brown cat with matted fur and tufts of it missing leaped up onto high ledge. With a flick of his tail, he silenced the murmuring cats.
      "We are all gathered here to uphold a ceremony for the kits who have reached the age of 6 moons or older." He scanned the clearing, laying his gaze on one of the biggest kits. "Bigkit, 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 Bigpaw. Your mentor will be Tegridyheart."
      Bigpaw stepped forward, his eyes clearly surged with strength. Tegridyheart neared his new apprentice, wrapping his long, pale tabby tail around Bigpaw's broad shoulders. His mother Rainpansy flooded with pride for her only kit and with that her eyes sparkling with glee.
      Cheers from the gathered cats rang throughout the clearing; "Bigpaw! Bigpaw!".
      Bigpaw eventually dipped his head to his leader and newly applied mentor after the calls of his new name died out. After, he quickly hared over to Gingerkit.
      "Ha-ha! I got apprenticed before you did!" Bigpaw stuck out his tongue and flicked Gingerkit's nose with his tail tip as he reared behind him, running off to his mentor and sitting beside him.
"That's only because Kernelstar doesn't have any sense in him." Gingerkit muttered under his breath.
      After a few kits got newly apprenticed, the time had come for the one and only distinctive gingery kit.
      Kernelstar had held his gaze on Gingerkit, his eyes calling him forward. "Gingerkit, you've reached the age of six moons. It is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on—until you receive your warrior name, that is,—you will be known as Gingerpaw. Your mentor will be Thrushclaw."
     Thrushclaw had shown clear excitement of an apprentice by in the way he trotted over to Gingerpaw. But there was a glimpse of remorse in the apprentices eyes, and with that a dark menacing cloud hovered over the glowing sun. There were gasps of shock and anxious chatters coming from the crowd of cats, something was clearly wrong.
      "What's going on?"
      "Did Kernelstar do the right thing?"
      "Nothing like this has ever happened before."
      "It's that apprentice! They're clearly a bad omen!" One cat howled, pulling back their lip in a gnarly snarl. "This must not be his destiny. We have clearly angered Starclan."
      Gingerpaw clawed the stoney floor. Why does every cat always have to think that everything's a sign from Starclan? He thought.
      Kernelstar flicked his tail eagerly to silence the disapproved yowls. "We must remain calm, it's just a passing cloud I'm sure. This will not ruin our apprentice ceremony." And with the last words, Kernelstar continued the gathering.
      It was only a few moments later when light rain dropped from the dark, shady clouds. Gasps of surprise broke out, but the leader held the silence. Not much longer did the rain start to patter more heavily with an intense breeze. Then it came pouring down, and a loud crackle of thunder sent waves of shock from every cat in the clearing. Mrrows of dismay echoed from each cat. Another boom of thunder struck and cats started clambering over loose pebbles hurriedly into the safety of their dens. Showers of rain sprayed fiercely, flattening cat's pelts.
      Gingerpaw glanced around the clearing, with ears back and tail drooping. He caught Reedpaw's gaze and paced over to him.
      "What's happening! Everyone seems so mad at me!" The red apprentice shout over the thundering storm and spitting rain.
      Reedpaw squinted, trying to block the rain from his blue sky-like eyes. "I don't know, but everyone's too scared to be worrying about you now." He looked over at Kernelstar who was struggling to calm his clan mates.
       Bigpaw shouldered past Reedpaw. "Come on, it's of course Gingerpaw's fault—he caused this whole mess. He just wasn't meant to become a warrior apprentice." The fat brown tabby shrugged.
      "That's not true!" Reedpaw turned to face Bigpaw in Gingerpaw's defense.
      "Then obviously why did Starclan send this sign? They're clearly upset." Bigpaw replied. Weedpaw only gave him a snarl for an answer.
Butterpaw and Ghostpaw raced over to the group of apprentices. The five of them all gave uneasy glances at each other. Then Bigpaw whispered something into Butterpaw's ear. Butterpaw nodded, gave one last look at the group of toms, and trotted off.
Gingerpaw caught up to Butterpaw. "What'd Bigpaw say?" He questioned wearily.
Butterpaw seemed jumpy replying to Gingerpaw's question. "I can't tell you." He whispered.
The red-orange apprentice cocked his head, stopping in his tracks. Butterpaw haulted and peered over his shoulder towards Gingerpaw before carrying on his mysterious trot.
Reedpaw appeared by Gingerpaw's side. "What's he up to?"
"Dunno." Is all he responded with. Gingerpaw walked gloomily to the apprentice den entrance, shaking clinging raindrops that clung to his coat before entering the screen of ferns and brambles.
The familiar, and not rain washed out scent of his sleeping clan mates filled his nose, bringing a surge of sleep through his bones. Gingerpaw curled in a warm bed of moss and drifted to sleep, letting the soothing sound of drumming rain fill his ears and nose.