Warriors: A New Beginning #1: The Beginning

Chapter 4

Wavepaw was woken up by screaming.

She dashed out of the apprentices den and saw Mintleaf rushing past.

"Dawnpool's kits are coming!" he mewed frantically, then squeezed through the brambles that were the entrance to the nursery.

"I can't wait to see the kits!" Tussledpaw padded out of the apprentices den, accompanied by Flamepaw and Wolfpaw.

"Where's Wheatpaw?" Wavepaw asked.

"Gone out early to practice hunting," Flamepaw answered.

"I thought she was going to practice battle training with Waterpaw," Wolfpaw mewed.

Flamepaw shook his head. "You must of misheard. Wheatpaw did say she WANTED to practice battle training with Waterpaw, but Sunfur and Spottedstripe said no."

"Who's--" Wavepaw asked.

"Waterpaw's mentor," Wolfpaw meowed.

"I have a feeling there's something going on between those two," Tussledpaw mewed mischievously.

"Tussledpaw!" Flamepaw replied to his sister in a half-amused, half-serious tone. "They're only apprentices!"

"I guess," Tussledpaw mewed, but her whiskers were twitching.

They heard the excited voice of Mintleaf from the nursery. "The kits are here!"

Dawnpool's kits! Wavepaw dashed into the nursery, followed by Tussledpaw, Flamepaw, and Wolfpaw. She squeezed through the brambles and found Mintleaf tending to an orange and white queen. In front of the queen were three kits.

"These are Dawnpool's kits," Mintleaf explained. Dawnpool looked up and saw the four apprentices. She flashed a tired smile. Reedtail was sitting next to Dawnpool.

"They're my kits too," he mewed. "We decided to name the brown tom Bushkit, the grey she-kit Squeakkit, and the white tom Greenkit."

"Why Greenkit?" Wolfpaw asked.

"Look at his eyes," Dawnpool suggested.

Wolfpaw and Wavepaw examined Greenkit's eyes, which were just little slits. They were a stunning emerald green. Just then Goldstar entered the nursery. He smiled when he saw the kits.

"So these are ThunderClan's newest warriors!" he exclaimed.

"They are," Reedtail mewed proudlt. "They are Squeakkit, Bushkit, and Greenkit."

"You did great in naming them," Goldstar murmured.

Suddenly Speckledfur peeked into the nursery. "You there Wavepaw?" she asked. "Thorntail and I are taking you and Flamepaw hunting together."

That perked Wavepaw and Flamepaw up. "Sure, Speckledfur." Their mew was in unison. They scrambled out of the nursery and ran to join their mentors.

Once they were in the woods, Thorntail started speaking.

"There is a big difference between hunting a mouse and a rabbit," he mewed. "What is it?"

Wavepaw thought for a moment. Then she opened her mouth to speak, but Flamepaw interrupted her.

"Is it because rabbits are faster?" he asked.

"Not quite," Speckledfur said. "Rabbits definitely are faster than mice, though. Wavepaw, what do you think?"

"Uh...is it because..." Wavepaw suddenly remembered Curlyfur telling her and her littermates of hunting. "Rabbits can hear you first, and mice can feel your pawsteps!"