Warriors: What Is There To Do?

Chapter 5- Will You Keep It?

Splitkit woke in a dark space. It wasn't a bad experience, but she wasn't expecting it, causing her to leap up in surprise. Her eyes were quick to adjust, and when they did, she froze. Around her were four other cats, each in a nest made of moss sleeping soundly. A moment's more of squinting into the dim light led her to the discovery that there were three toms and one other she-cat, each around her age of... six moons! Splitkit was an apprentice today...

...If Shadowclan made her an apprentice today. Maybe they will keep her as a kit until she is stronger, because as Sharpstar put it, she was 'weak' and 'underfed'. But, if they were going to do that, why was she in the apprentice den right now? Maybe the Nursery was full, or they didn't want her face to scare the kits.

Splitkit was lost on what she was supposed to do. Should she get up and go outside or lie back down and wait for someone to get her? She was completely rested, a bit sore from her long journey the night before, but she wanted to do something! Maybe all of the cats would be like Sharpstar, and not flinch when they saw her... that would be like Starclan for her!

Splitkit sat back down after one glance to her fur. It was so messy! Having so much free time in Riverclan, she would just groom her pelt the whole day between listening through the reeds, but now her fur was ruffled, sticking every which way and she didn't want to even think about how her back side looked!

With a huff, she began grooming with a swiftness that you could only acquire after having nothing else to do for six moons, finishing with a black and orange pelt that gleamed in the sunlight now shining stronger through the cracks in the bracken.

"GET UP you lazy 'paws! Up, up, UP! The Riverclan cat is up quicker than you four!" Splitkit was pretty sure that her pelt almost fell out from stunned surprise. At the entrance to the den was a grey and cream she-cat. She was very tall, and after a moment's of recovering, Splitkit was able to recognize the tall hind legs, and guessed that this was Sharpstar's sister, Sweetpetal.

As much as Splitkit wanted to say that she would be good friends with this warrior, she felt the need to correct her.

"I'm not Riverclan," her voice was soft, but it was clearly audible above the apprentice's soft snores, mumbles, and groans. As soon as she spoke, all heads snapped towards her. Sweetpetal looked at Splitkit with an expression that she had never seen in Riverclan.

"If you're not Riverclan, what are you? I don't believe we have made you a Shadowclan cat, yet." Again, four wide-eyed heads bore into her back, awaiting her answer. She couldn't place Sweetpetal's tone; again, it wasn't something she could pinpoint.

A little part in her mind, the part that was still a kit, wanted to back down and apologize, but that was one of the biggest things she learned from the cracks in the reeds: never back down when challenged. Frowning, she tried to settle her beating heart and her quivering tail as she answered.

"I understand that I am not yet Shadowclan, but I was never Riverclan, really. For now, I'm just...me."

Sweetpetal looked at her with that same look before purring. "I like you, Splitpaw."

Splitkit finally named the expression! It took her a few moments just because she saw it so rarely in Riverclan... admiration and respect. But wait...

"Oh, uh... Sweetpetal? I'm not an apprentice. I'm Splitkit, still." The four apprentices looked at her with confusion, still as silent as ever. Sweetpetal looked at her again, and nodded once. "I'll take you to Sharpstar. This is something we will have to discuss."

The grey cream she-cat motioned with her tail to follow her, which Splitkit did with one final look at the apprentices, who were grooming each other and one, a tom, had already gone back to sleep.

Following the warrior out of the den, Splitkit was greeted by stares. Not all, some, but not all cats looked away, instead they studied her. Riverclan had studied her about as much as they would a dead bee. Splitkit's ears burned at all of the attention, both good and bad, and she struggled not to look at her paws. No! she thought, those days where she was ashamed of herself were behind her!

Outside, the sun was just above the trees with not a cloud in the sky. The air was warm, the last of green-leaf trying to ward off the chill of leaf-fall as much as it could. Cats were everywhere, grooming, sharing tongues, eating... it was just like Riverclan, except there was no shunning, turned shoulders and heated whispers.

It appeared that the camp was in a type of ditch, with walls rising about three tail-lengths above her strewn with rocks and ferns, and Splitkit wondered if she could even clear it in one jump... not likely. She had never really jumped over anything.

One of the many wonders of watching through the reeds: she never did any exercise, unless retrieving fish and going to the dirt-place counted.

Sweetpetal led Splitkit to a small-looking den surrounded by ferns, which seemed to be as common in the camp as reeds were in Riverclan, and she shivered as she passed through, dew collecting on her perfectly groomed pelt and making it shine for the last moments before it was plunged into dimmer light.

Sharpstar sat with one other cat, a tom with a greenish tortoiseshell pelt and bright green eyes. They seemed in an argument, but Splitkit didn't try to pry as the tom brushed passed the leader on the way out of the den coldly, scowling.

Sharpstar settled her gaze on Splitkit, but she was too busy studying everything. The den was much larger than it looked, with only one nest pushed into the corner. The rest of the space was covered in huge leaves the size of a cat and a strange smelling — and looking — substance. It was black, glittering in the light that the thick-pressed ferns let through, smelling bitter and earthy. The leaves that weren't black were covered in the stuff, forming shaped lines that gave Splitkit a headache to study too closely.

"Ah, Sweetpetal, I see you have brought me Splitkit; what is the matter?"

Sweetpetal sat down, and after a moment's hesitation, Splitkit copied the she-cat. "Splitkit has yet to be made an apprentice, and I am here to ask when that will happen."

Sharpstar nodded, a not-quite serious expression on her face as she smiled at her sister.

"Did you think I did not already know this? I was going to speak with the kit today to discuss this; do not worry, sister."

Sweetpetal nodded and left with a huff, dipping her head to Splitkit on the way out.

It took all of her will not to pry; Splitkit wanted to make a good impression and be as little of a hindrance and setback as she could, since after all, Shadowclan had taken her in when no one else would.

"Now, Splitkit," The leader snapped Splitkit out of her stream of thought and she looked at her, "Since you were renamed because of Riverclan's foolishness, I will give you back your name that you had befo—"

"That's okay, Sharpstar. If I can, I would like to keep it as Split."

"But why? You could be Rainkit... Rainpaw again,"

"The reason is still something I'm discovering for myself, but if I can I would like to keep the name I have now."

Sharpstar looked at her for a moment. "You are very wise, for a kit."

"Thank you."

Sure Rainstar sounded good for Riverclan, but Splitstar sounds better for me.