Warriors: Into the Forest

Chapter 2

Falconkit rose to his paws as he heard Cranestar yowling the familiar words to gather the Clan.  Fawnflower quickly finished grooming his fur and then moved onto Larkkit, as Falconkit padded over to join Swallowkit, who was hopping eagerly in place at the entrance to the nursery.

     "I'm so excited!" his sister exclaimed.  "Who do you think our mentors will be?"  Falconkit shrugged.  "Oh, I hope I get Sagewing!  She's so cool!"

     Falconkit nodded.  He would've liked Swiftcloud, his older sister from an older litter, but she was already mentoring Boulderpaw, who was Cranestar's son.

     "I'm sure whoever Cranestar gives you will be great."  Falconkit looked up and saw his father, Sandyscar.

     Larkkit raced out of the nursery, Fawnflower close behind.  "Come on." Sandyscar mewed.

     The three littermates followed their father across the clearing, remembering what their mother had told them about walking slowly, not bounding around like kits.  And we're not kits anymore! Falconkit thought.

     "Kits and apprentices are the future of our Clan." Cranestar meowed when the kits had taken their places beneath the Skyledge.  "We are here today to apprentice these three kits.  Falconkit, Swallowkit, and Larkkit have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for them to be apprenticed.  Falconkit, from this day on, until you recieve your warrior name, you will be known as Falconpaw.  Your mentor will be Maplegaze.  Maplegaze,"  Cranestar looked to her yellow deputy, who had appeared at Falconpaw's side.  "You are ready to take on another apprentice.  You trained Sandyscar well, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Falconpaw."

     Falconpaw stepped forward and touched noses with Maplegaze.  The two cats padded towards the crowd of cats as the Clan cheered his name.  "Falconpaw!  Falconpaw!"

     Cranestar proceeded to name Swallowpaw and Larkpaw, who were apprenticed Sagewing and Sandyscar.  The two apprentices celabrated, Swallowpaw because she got the mentor she wanted, and Larkpaw because he had gotten his father as his mentor.

     "Don't think I'll go easy on you," the ginger tom meowed.  "I'll train you just as hard as your siblings."

...

     Oliver padded into a hollow that was surrounded by brambles.  He was astonished by how much prey there was in a pile on the far end of the clearing.

     "Welcome to our camp." Thornstar meowed.  Molewhisker growled at Oliver before heading to a large dead stump with an opening guarded with a thorn barrier much like the entrance to the clearing, and Oliver heard the mewling of kits within it.

     "Molewhisker's mate has kits." Thornstar mewed to Oliver.  "That's the nursery." he added.

     Oliver followed Thornstar towards a large oak tree, and watched as the gray tom clambered up it's trunk to the second lowest branch.

     "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highbranch for a Clan meeting!" the elderly tom yowled.

     Almost at once, cats began to appear from the bushes and rocks around the clearing, and Oliver could tell some had just roused from their sleep, while others were glancing curiously at Oliver.

     "There is a new cat among us tonight," the leader began.  "He wishes to join this Clan."  Yowls broke out around the clearing.  Oliver knew these cats were angry by the way their yowls were pitched.  Thornstar waved his tail for silence.  "Oliver, from this day on, until you recieve your warrior name, you will be known as Stonepaw."  Thornstar looked around the camp for a moment before locking eyes with tortoiseshell and white she-cat.  "Poppystem, you are ready to take on an apprentice.  Strikeacorn trained you well, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Stonepaw."

     The tortoiseshell stepped out of the crowd and padded up to Stonepaw.  He was surprised when she touched noses with him, and Poppystem whispered in his ear, "It's a custom.  The mentor always touches noses with the apprentice."

     Suddenly the crowd began to chant, "Stonepaw!  Stonepaw!"

     Stonepaw felt a tail rest on his shoulder opposite of Poppystem.  He looked up and saw a dark brown she-cat.  "I'm Strikeacorn," she meowed.  "I was Poppystem's mentor, and I am the deputy of this Clan, LightningClan."

     "I'll teach you about all the roles in our Clan tomorrow." Poppystem mewed to him.  "After we see the territory.  But, for tonight, you will rest in the apprentice's den."  Poppystem flicked her tail towards a large crevice in the cliff wall at the edge of the clearing, where a white she-cat was grooming herself outside.

     "That's Spiritpaw," Strikeacorn meowed.  "My son."

     Stonepaw nodded before padding over.  Spiritpaw looked up as he approached.  "Oh, you're that new apprentice.  My mother seems to like you." the apprentice mewed.

     "Yeah, well, that makes one cat."  Stonepaw whipped around at the scratchy voice behind him.  Standing there was an elderly pale tabby tom.  "Do a good job changing my moss and I'll see how much I like you."

      Stonepaw watched as the tabby padded away towards a bramble bush jutting out from the wall.  "Don't listen to Gazellefur," Spiritpaw mewed after they had settled in their nests in the apprentices' den.  "He's just an old, crabby elder who has nothing to do but threaten apprentices.  You grow used to it."

     Stonepaw soon drifted into the darkness of sleep.