The Clans Beside the Waves - A Beginning | A ClanGen Story

Chapter 12

Honeykit squeaked in annoyance as Amberbite licked him, trying to smooth his fur. "Amberbite!" Honeykit snapped. "Can you stop?" He hissed. Amberbite only rolled their eyes. "Honeykit, this your apprentice ceremony. Do you want to look like a bunch of brambles?" They snapped. Honeykit didn't respond and sighed, sitting down. It had been a while since the Gathering, and Honeykit had been itching to become an apprentice. It had been soooooo boring being alone in the nursery, even if it was for just a moon. Besides, he wanted to hang out with his friend Howlpaw again. Not only that, but Clawpaw had been acting a bit differently than normal, even though some could argue that she was the weirdest cat ever. But she seemed so... happy after the Gathering. Sure, she had always been a cheerful one, but she acted and moved with more pride in her steps and her eyes gleamed with excitement.

Amberbite sighed as Honeykit continued to squirm a bit more. "Can you please just stop?" They asked. When Honeykit didn't reply, Amberbite responded by saying, "Do you want to look to look bad in front of Howlpaw?" They asked. Honeykit stopped and whirled around to face Amberbite. "W-what do you mean?" He stuttered. Amberbite sighed. "Do you think that I don't notice the way that you two look at each other?" They asked. Honeykit's fur fluffed up. "We were practically raised together, of course we're going to have a bond." Honeykit mewed, frowning. What does Amberbite mean? He wondered. Amberbite shook their head. "You'll understand one day." They murmured softly, making Honeykit feel a lot more insecure. Seriously, what was he talking about?

Amberbite continued to groom the young ginger tom a little more before Fuzzstar climbed onto HighTree to call a Clan meeting. "Let all cats old enough to pad through the water gather around the HighTree for a Clan meeting!" She called out. Even though most of the Clan was already out grooming, the rest soon gathered around. Honeykit could hear the whispers and happy murmurs floating through the air and he puffed out his chest, well-aware of what this meeting was about.

Fuzzstar smiled at her Clan. "Today marks a special day for WetClan, for the final kit in this Clan is ready to become an apprentice." Honeykit strutted over, his head and tail held high in the air. Some Clan members purred in amusement at the young cat's posture. Fuzzstar laughed softly. "Honeykit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Honeypaw. Your mentor will be Wolfblotch. I hope that she passes all that she knows onto you." Honeypaw blinked in shock and happiness. Wolfblotch, the Clan deputy was going to mentor him! He couldn't believe it.

He watched as Fuzzstar looked at her deputy. "Wolfblotch, you are ready to take on another apprentice. You have shown to be loyal and kind and did an excellent job with mentoring Oatblur. You will be the mentor of Honeypaw and I expect you to pass all you know onto him." Honeypaw was looking at Wolfblotch with excitement as she pressed her muzzle to his, swinging his tail from left to right. He just got one of the greatest cats in the world to be his mentor! Though he hoped that she would be an awesome mentor and wouldn't assign him any boring tasks. Anything but moss gathering or tick duty. He thought, wrinkling his nose just at the thought of it. However, his sour mood soon changed when he heard the Clan start to cheer his name in celebration.

"Honeypaw! Honeypaw!" The Clan chanted and Honeypaw could hear his best friend Howlpaw's voice being the loudest. His didn't know why, but his heart fluttered when he realized that it was Howlpaw. Honeypaw blinked in surprise. After all, that was just because of their friendship. Right? Maybe I'm going crazy. He thought before glancing at Amberbite who was giving him an 'I-told-you-so-look' to him. Is Amberbite right and there's someone more going on? He wondered. He sighed. I should probably not think about it too much. He soon decided.

Honeypaw looked up at Wolfblotch, his eyes wide with excitement. "Soooo what are we going to be doing?" He asked, bouncing around enthused. Wolfblotch smiled. "It's going to be a surprise." She replied. Honeypaw's eagerness only grew. "Are we going outside of camp and shredding foxes?" He guessed. Wolfblotch purred. "Well, we are going out of camp. But I don't think that we should be shredding foxes yet." She replied. While Honeypaw was mild disappointed that he couldn't see a fox, it soon vanished at the thought of leaving camp. It excited him. After all, he had been on the journey to the ocean. He had seen so much and then was crammed into camp for four whole moons!