The Cat Of The Prophecy: The Origins Of The Clans- Part 1: The Original Treeclan

Chapter 13: The Kittypets

     The next night came all too quickly. Tonight I would be addressing the first wave of new clan members. These cats were cats that influence my life and a few that were apart of my life and then went to other homes. Willowflower also told me that several of the now passed away cats were also going to be in the clearing. I still don't have a clue as to what I am going to name it.
     "Fernstar?" Sootfeather asked me.
     "Yes?" I asked her softly noticing the three other cats she had with her.
     "This is Rainleap and her two kits Cedarstorm and Graytail. You may remember them or you may not, but they've agreed to help us train the apprentices." Sootfeather meowed turning towards the three cats that were standing in front of me. They each dipped their heads to me out of respect.
     "Thank you for agreeing to help us. I appreciate the help. We are definitely going to need it." I purred softly and then I continued, "It is nice to see you all again."
     "You are welcome. It is nice to see you again as well Fernstar." Rainleap meowed her two sons, Graytail and Cedarstorm, beside her simply nodded.
     Willowflower padded towards us slowly and as she arrived to our sides she meowed. "They are here waiting in the clearing."
     I swallowed nervously and then tried to clear my throat. "Alright let's do this."
     "You've come this far Fernstar, this speech is nothing compared to the prey you've caught, the moves you have learned, the trees you have climbed and the lives you have recieved." Willowflower assured me. Wait trees that's perfect!! I struggled with climbing trees at first but in the end I persevered and came back stronger. Treeclan has the perfect meaning.
     Sootfeather came up behind me and meowed. "You'll do fine we will be behind you the entire way."
     "What do I even say to them." I asked the black and white bobtail.
     "It will come to you. Trust me." Sootfeather meowed.
     "Well here we go." I meowed nervously and I padded into the clearing. I jumped up on top of a rock and Willowflower, Sootfeather, and the rest of the 'Pre-starclan cats' filed in behind me. I cleared my throat and meowed. "All those cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath this rock for a clan meeting!"
     The seventeen cats in the clearing hesitated for a moment before padding forward and sitting underneath the rock.
     "I am Fernstar leader of Treeclan. You are all here because of a prophecy that must be fulfilled." I meowed and then I stated the prophecy. "Darkness will engulf light unless the past can be mended by the one that will save them from the shadows. The clan must go back as well where scattered through the future they will aid the one who lead them in the light and in the dark."
      "And what exactly does this have to do with us?" a short black and white she-cat asked me.
     "That is a very good question Playful and one that deserves an answer. The seventeen of you have been chosen to join Treeclan and as such you will all train to be warriors." I meowed. The cats glanced among themselves and several cats looked excited.
     "What if we don't want to join your clan?" Asked a young cream tabby tom with a half bobtail.
     "Thyme, you would not be here if you didn't have some kind of desire to join. This was a choice and you've made it by coming here." I replied to him.
   His eyed widened as if he was shocked that I knew his name. His mother, a lynx point polydactyl pawed bobtail,stepped forward and meowed. "Is training to be a warrior the only choice? I remember you mentioning medicine cats a while back."
     "Yes, Sage, you can be a medicine cat if you choose." I meowed purring at my bobtail cat.
     Thyme turned towards his mother. "You know this cat??" He asked confused.
     Sage chuckled. "Yes I do and so do you. That cat up there is Jada,  but now she is known as Fernstar. Make sense?"
    "That actually makes a lot of sense." Thyme concluded.
   "Yes it does." meowed Rosemary, the tortoiseshell tabby beside him who was also his sister.
   Murmurs of this spread throughout the group with several meows of "Oh that does makes sense" and "Of course." The cats spoke among themselves for a little while so I took the opportunity to turn towards the cats behind me. "So how am I doing so far?" I asked them softly.
    "Great." Willowflower told me.
    "You are doing just fine." Sootfeather meowed purring and then continued, "Great clan name by the way. Treeclan is perfect." The other cats nodded.
     "Thank you." I meowed and then continued,
"I was thinking that we could each take on a couple of apprentices each if that's ok with you."
    They agreed. "Sounds like a plan." Loudface meowed.
    "Alright. Let's make some cats some apprentices." I meowed excitedly turning back to the cats in the clearing and continued, "Please turn your attention back here."
    All the cats stopped talking and turned their attention towards me.
     "It is now time to give you your apprentice names. Playful please step forward." I meowed.
     The black and white she-cat stepped forward. "Is it your wish to join Treeclan as a warrior?" I asked her. 
     "It is." She meowed. 
     "Then from this day forward until you earn your warrior name you will be known as Shortpaw." I said.
     "Thank you Fernstar, I am older than the rest of the cats here but I will try my best to keep up." Shortpaw replied.
     "You are welcome and you will do great Shortpaw. Age is just a number after all." I replied. She nodded and padded back into line. "Trix. Step forward."
     Another slightly taller black and white cat stepped forward. "Do you wish to become a warrior apprentice of Treeclan?"
     "It is." She meowed strongly.
     "From this day on, until she earns her warrior name, this apprentice will be known as Swiftpaw." I meowed.
     "I love it." She meowed to me.
     "I knew you would." I replied to her and she padded back into the crowd. "Lily, Speckles. Please step forward."
     A gray and white she-cat and a longhair black and white tom padded forward.
    "It is your wish to become warrior apprentices of Treeclan?" I asked both of them. 
     "Yes it is." Lily responded.
     "Yes." Speckles meowed.
     "Then from this day on until you earn your warrior names you will be known as Ashpaw and Speckledpaw." They nodded and stepped back in line. "Shadow, it is your turn come forward."
     Shadow padded forward without hesitation the gray and white bobtail was confident.
     "Do you wish to become a warrior apprentice of Treeclan?" I asked him warmly.
     "Yes I do!" He meowed strongly.
      "From this day on until this apprentice earns his warrior name he will be known as Shadowpaw." I meowed and Shadowpaw stepped back into the group excitedly. "Moon, Dawn, and Dove your turn." The gray cats stepped forward.
  "It is your wish to become warrior apprentices of Treeclan?" I asked them proud of how big they had gotten. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Silverleaf watching her kits with pride.
     "It is." Moon meowed.
     "Yes." Dawn replied simply.
      "Definitely!" Cried Dove.
    "Then from this day on until you earn your warrior names you will be known as Moonpaw, Dawnpaw, and Dovepaw." I meowed renaming the sibling trio. They looked happy as they got back into the group of cats. "Faith, you are next."
     The brown patched she-cat padded forward nervously, she had never been in front of so many cats. "Its going to be alright. You'll be ok. I am nervous too, just keep your eyes on me." I meowed softly to her. She nodded and then I meowed. "Do you wish to become a warrior apprentice of Treeclan?" 
     "Yes I do." Faith meowed."
     "Then from this day on until you earn your warrior name you will be known as Brownpaw." I meowed.
     "Thank you." She meowed to me.
     "You are welcome." I meowed and then continued, "Bent ear, Jonah, Rock, and Leaf please step forward."
     The four gray siblings stepped forward from several different directions. These cats were from Silverleaf's second litter with Loudface.
     "It is your wish to become warrior apprentices of Treeclan?" I asked readjusting my paws on the rock I sat upon.
     "It is!" Bent ear yowled.
     "Yes, it is." Jonah meowed strongly but not matching his brothers intensity.
     "It is." Replied Rock.
     "Yes. It is." Leaf meowed.
     "Then from this day on until you earn your warrior names you will be known as Loudpaw, Longpaw, Rockpaw, and Leafpaw." The four cats padded back into the crowd together. In order of age Sage would be next but because she has already said she wanted to be a medicine cat she will go last. So that means Tigger is next and then Rosemary and Thyme. I thought softly. 
     "Tigger. Please come forward."
     The bright orange tom cat padded forward to me and sat down. "Do you wish to become a warrior apprentice of Treeclan?"
     "I do." He meowed.
       "Then from this day on until you earn your warrior name you will be known as Firepaw." Firepaw stepped back in line with the rest of the cats. "Thyme and Rosemary step forward young ones."
     The two siblings stepped forward. I watched them softly and I purred and I could hear Sage's purr not far from behind me. I then meowed. "It is your wish to become warrior apprentices of Treeclan?"
      "It is." Thyme meowed finally coming to terms with it.
     "Yes, it most definitely is my wish." Rosemary meowed.
        "Then from this day on until you earn your warrior names you will be known as Thymepaw and Rosepaw." I purred again as I meowed this. I was proud of the two cats. 
     Sage had already stood up in the clearing. I smiled and purred. "Sage come on up here."
     Sage padded over to me and she began to purr rather loudly.
      "It is your wish to become a medicine cat apprentice of Treeclan?"
       "It most certainly is." She meowed.
          "Then from this day on until you earn your medicine cat name you will be known as Sagepaw."
          Sagepaw purred and then stepped back into line. "Do not forget that we have another apprentice Brightpaw but she was already an apprentice." I meowed and then continued, "Welcome all to Treeclan!" I yowled my voice echoing through the clearing and then we began chanting their new names. "Brightpaw! Shortpaw! Swiftpaw! Ashpaw! Speckledpaw! Shadowpaw! Moonpaw!  Dawnpaw! Dovepaw! Brownpaw! Loudpaw! Longpaw! Rockpaw! Leafpaw! Sagepaw! Firepaw! Thymepaw! Rosepaw!"
     I let the congratulations settle in after we all finished chanting. "It is now time for us to assign you to mentors to be trained."
     Loudface stepped forward first. "I will pick Ashpaw and Speckledpaw." Those two padded over to him.
    Willowflower meowed. "I will pick Swiftpaw and Shortpaw." They padded over to her.
     "Moonpaw and Loudpaw." Silverleaf picked.
     "Brownpaw and Shadowpaw." Sootfeather meowed.
     "Leafpaw and Dovepaw." Nettlefire chose.
      "Rockpaw and Brightpaw." Blackfur chose.
      "Firepaw." Rainleap meowed
      "Dawnpaw." Cedarstorm announced.
      "Longpaw." Graytail stated.
       "Sagepaw, Thymepaw, and Rosepaw will go with me." I meowed happy no one picked them. The groups split off in different directions. I lead my trio into the woods and got Thymepaw and Rosepaw to show me their best hunting crouches and begin practicing before I got Sagepaw set to go to look for catnip.