Warriors-Chasing Clouds

Chapter 2

FrogKit awoke next to WeaselKit to the sound of OtterPaw bounding across the camp with a shrew in her teeth. FrogKit looked up and padded to the entrance to the nursery den gazing at OtterPaw with admiration for her catch but their eyes quickly turned to BirchPaw who had a giant rabbit clamped in their jaws and their tail held high. BirchPaw ran up to OtterPaw who had put her catch on the fresh-kill pile, "Look at my catch!" BirchPaw said confidently, "Dumb luck!" OtterPaw yelled, "Whatever it's still a catch" HarePaw said behind them. FrogKit was so invested in the apprentice's conversation that they hadn't noticed WeaselKit was awake, "Watcha doing?" His meow sounded behind FrogKit which made her jump, "Geez, don't scare me like that!" turning around to bat him with a fluffy paw. "Okay okay, got it, you can stop hitting me now." WeaselKit said pushing FrogKit's paw away, "So, what are you doing?" WeaselKit asked repeating his earlier question, "Watching the apprentices banter I guess." FrogKit said flicking her tail toward the small cats play fighting in the center of the camp. "Oh yeah it's our ceremony today isn't it." "Oh yeah..." FrogKit trailed off suddenly remembering that was happening today. FrogKit turned their head to a shuffling sound they heard behind them and saw MinnowKit getting to her paws and walking over to her littermates. "I thought you were still in the medicine den?" FrogKit asked her sister, " Oh yeah, DappleShine said I was okay to go back to the nursery so she dropped me off here and I fell asleep next to DewBerry." "Nice, so you're back to normal right?" WeaselKit said happily. FrogKit thought he just wanted to play again but there was a hint of complete happiness in his voice. MinnowKit sat next to FrogKit on the opposite side of her, "Yes but I'm not in the mood to play sorry" she said settling down, "You know it's our apprentices ceremony today, its exciting isn't it?" WeaselKit asked looking at MinnowKit with bright blue eyes, "It is?!" MinnowKit asked in astonishment, her mouth in a gaping gasp. "Yeah! Aren't you excited?" FrogKit asked gazing with uncertainty at MinnowKit, "I guess I'm just scared. What if I'm not ready or I'm not good enough or what if my mentor is some cat grumpy like LakeTail or BreezeWhisker?" MinnowKit asked rushing every word and shuffling her paws, "BreezeWhisker isn't grumpy he just wants every cat to do their best and sometimes he can be a little strict." WeaselKit stated trying to calm MinnowKit down. "I'm sure you'll be great, MinnowKit." FrogKit added laying her tail on MinnowKit's back, comforting her. A mew sounded from inside the den, "Kits come here, it's almost sunhigh and you're still not groomed." DewBerry said. The three kits made their way next to their mother obediently. DewBerry got to work licking and grooming all her kits as best as she could for the ceremony that was only a moment away. Once she thought it was good enough she stopped and stood up leading the kits Out of the nursery and into the center of the camp where ThornStar waited on the TallRock. Once she saw the queen and her kits walk up, ThornStar called the traditional words, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the TallRock for a clan meeting." Every cat available gathered around below the TallRock, "WeaselKit, FrogKit, and MinnowKit, you have all reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed. WeaselKit until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as WeaselPaw. Your mentor will be LakeTail who has shown themself as a loyal and trustworthy warrior, I hope you will pass all you know to this apprentice." ThornStar dipped her head to LakeTail who was touching noses with WeaselPaw and turned to FrogKit, "FrogKit until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as FrogPaw. Your mentor will be DaffodilCloud who has shown incredible kindness and agility, I hope you will pass all you know to this apprentice." FrogPaw walked up to DaffodilCloud and touched noses with her. ThornStar set her gaze onto MinnowKit who was nervously shuffling her paws, "MinnowKit until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as MinnowPaw. Your mentor will be BreezeWhisker who has shown amazing honesty and intelligence, I hope you will pass all you know to this apprentice." MinnowPaw shuffled up to BreezeWhisker who looked at her with kind eyes which helped to calm her and they touched noses. "WeaselPaw! FrogPaw! MinnowPaw!" The congratulations came from the crowd of cats but most of all their mother and the apprentices. OtterPaw came up to FrogPaw and touched her nose to their ear making them feel hot under their fur. "Now that you guys are apprentices, you'll need to sleep in the apprentice den." OtterPaw lead the newly made apprentices across the clearing to a small den dug into the soft dirt of the camp walls with brambles and vines covering the rest of the small cave seemingly expanding it. OtterPaw ducked under the leaves of the entryway followed by the three apprentices. Inside the den was actually quite large filled with nests of moss and feathers enough for all the apprentices. "You can lay down and sleep if you want, I know it's only after sunhigh but some rest would be good because you have a lot of training and duties to do in the morning." OtterPaw said finding her way to the entrance leaving the apprentices in the den, "Oh and LeafWhisker wants you three for a dawn patrol to check the borders." OtterPaw told them before she left. FrogPaw watched her go lost in her thoughts only snapping back to reality when WeaselPaw announced, "Wow, I'm tired" "What? But you haven't even done anything yet." MinnowPaw said teasingly. It was good to see her acting a little better. FrogPaw shook out her fur and settled into a nest which she checked and it didn't seem to have any scent on it. She curled up into a ball with her tail laying on her nose and fell into a light sleep with no dreams. Many moments later she heard whispering outside the den and opened her eyes to see the sun setting into a indigo night sky. Once she realized that the other apprentices were the ones whispering she shut her eyes closed pretending to be asleep, a small moment later she felt smooth fur brush against hers and opened her eyes to see the pretty brown OtterPaw settled in the nest beside her, breathing elegantly. FrogPaw couldn't believe that it was possible for a cat to do everything beautifully. OtterPaw's breathing soothed FrogPaw to sleep and suddenly she found herself dreaming of hunting delicious mice.

Allegiance Check

Apprentices 

FrogPaw

WeaselPaw

MinnowPaw

Warriors

DaffodilCloud-apprentice-FrogPaw

BreezeWhisker-apprentice-MinnowPaw

LakeTail-apprentice-WeaselPaw

(This is most likely the only allegiance check I do but you never know)