Bloodshed

Chapter Four

"You will be an apprentice today, kit." It was Frozenstar, visiting Shadekit a second time. Shadekit didn't know if he was glad to see her or not. She circled him, blue eyes scanning him. He felt uncomfortable under her unblinking stare.

"Yes, I am." He said proudly. He and Rainpaw would be apprentices today; they would no longer be forced to stay in the nursery with their dreaded mother. Echokit, on the other paw, wouldn't be out for another moon. Shadekit wasn't sure if he'd miss her.

"You're growing stronger. Now, in real life, you will have a mentor. In your dreams, I will truly mentor you." She touched her tail lightly to Shadekit's shoulder. "We will begin tomorrow."

"Okay.. What about tonight?" Shadekit asked. Frozenstar laughed.

"Tonight, you can have any questions answered that you want. Go ahead, ask me." She stared down at him as if he was prey.

Hesitantly, he asked: "Who are you?"

"I was a warrior of GreenClan, not long ago." She said.

"Why aren't you visiting a GreenClan cat, then?"

"Because none of those cats have the potential that you do, Shadekit. Except one of Coldstream's kits.." She muttered. "But he is not easily influenced, not even by his reckless brother."

"Who is he?" Shadekit felt suddenly threatened. Stripedstar was considering bringing Coldstream's sons to MudClan; would his Clan like these new kits more than they liked him?

"His name is Owlkit. Coldstream wants to bring him to MudClan." She shook her head sadly. "He's dangerous to your power, Shadekit."

"Will he come to MudClan?" Shadekit asked.

"Yes, he will.." Her eyes went wide. "Now!"

Shadekit was jerked awake. Rainkit had trampled him in surprise upon seeing two strange cats entering the nursery. Shadekit jumped to his paws as the two bundles of fur were set beside Moonbeam, the MudClan deputy who was expecting kits.

Coldstream was one of the cats. Shadekit guessed that the other was his mate, Skywing. "I'm so sorry I have to leave you, my kits. Riversong's kits are long out of the nursery... She can no longer produce milk for you." She said sadly, nuzzling a brown and white kit towards his new adoptive mother.

Shadekit felt a surge of anger. One of these kits was Owlkit, who Frozenstar had made clear was his enemy. Now Stripedstar was letting him right into the camp!

"Thank you, Moonbeam." Coldstream said, licking the ginger kit on the head. "Goodbye, Flamekit." He whispered. "Goodbye, Owlkit." He licked the brown and white one.

"Come now, we shouldn't take too long. We aren't welcome here." Skywing said, saying farewell to her kits before disappearing out of the nursery. Coldstream lingered by Owlkit for a few moments more before he followed his mate away from his kits.

***

Shadekit was beaming with pride as Stripedstar leaped up on top of her den. Today, he and Rainkit would become apprentices. He felt ready to jump out of his fur. Who would his mentor be? Who would Rainkit's mentor be?

"Today, the Clan has gathered to welcome two new apprentices into our ranks. This is greatly needed, as we have a small Clan. But with Coldstream's kits here, and Moonbeam's soon to join us, we are growing." She stared down at Rainkit and Shadekit, eyes gleaming. "Shadekit, Rainkit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed."

Shadekit noticed Spottedfeather, the temporary deputy, looking proudly at Rainkit. Will she mentor him? He wondered.

"From this moment on, you will be known as Shadepaw and Rainpaw. Shadepaw, your mentor will be Jaytail. I hope he will pass down all he knows onto you." Stripedstar said.

Shadepaw glanced at Jaytail. What did the silver warrior even know, other than how to guard the camp? Was that what Shadepaw was destined to be? A simple camp guard? No, he remembered, Frozenstar knows I'll be a leader one day.

"Rainpaw, your mentor will be Spottedfeather. Spottedfeather, Jaytail, you are ready to take on apprentices. You have received excellent training from your mentors, and you have shown yourselves to be loyal and strong. You will be the mentors of Shadepaw and Rainpaw, and I expect you to pass on all that you know to them."

Spottedfeather bent to touch noses to Rainpaw. Shadepaw hesitated before doing the same with Jaytail. He didn't look angry to have gotten an apprentice, but Shadepaw knew that Jaytail had never quite liked younger cats.

"Shadepaw, Rainpaw!" Snowpaw, one of the apprentices, began the chant. The other two joined in, followed by the rest of the Clan.

Shadepaw saw Echokit poking her head out of the nursery, eyes full of shame. He padded over to her, licking her ear sympathetically. "It's okay, Echokit. You'll be an apprentice soon.. This moon will go by fast, I'm sure."

Echokit nodded sadly. "Yeah, yeah. Go say hi to the other apprentices. I don't want to get in any more trouble." She ducked back inside the nursery.

Shadepaw turned towards the other apprentices. He barely knew these cats, and now they'd have share a den. Nervously he approached them, feeling a knot in his stomach.

"Hey, Shadepaw!" Blurrypaw spoke. "I made a nest for you in the apprentices' den. I'll show you later, but for now you should talk to your mentor.."

Shadepaw remembered awkwardly that Jaytail was the three apprentices' father. "Yeah, okay.." He nodded. "I'll talk to him."

"Hey, Shadepaw!" Rainpaw greeted Shadepaw got closer to them. Spottedfeather and Jaytail were talking quietly a few tail-lengths away. "I think we're going to explore the territory."

"We are?" Shadepaw said, feeling a burst of energy.

"We are." Jaytail confirmed, standing up. "Come on, I'll lead the way."

Shadepaw dashed happily out of the cave, all worries about Owlkit lost as he bounded away.