A Coming Storm

➳ chapter 2

"Hello, little kit."
Drizzlekit's eyes opened quickly. She was laying in the shade of a small den, which was an low hanging oak branch. Elder bushes made walls beside the branch. The soft pitter-patter of rain sounded outside. The roof blocked the rain.
"Wh-who are you?" She stammered, gazing at the pretty tortoiseshell she-cat beside her. Shining stars littered her pelt. "You-you're a StarClan cat!" She gasped.
"Yes, and there is nothing to be afraid of. StarClan protects cats like you. I am Brightcloud. And I know you as Drizzlekit." She meowed softly, brushing her tail against Drizzlekit's side. Her fur was soft, and it felt real. But she's dead!
"Why am I here?" Drizzlekit asked. "I don't even know you! I'm going to be a warrior apprentice tomorrow, not a medicine cat!"
Brightcloud looked down at the smaller black-and-white she-kit. "That is exactly what you are here for, Drizzlekit. Your destiny is to become a great and respected warrior. But to not get your path entwined with evil." She meowed, flattening her ears.
"Evil?" Drizzlekit echoed. "What do you mean evil?"
"Evil is closer than you think. So watch where you are setting your paws." Brightcloud meowed, the stars in her pelt fading.
Drizzlekit leaped to her paws. "But what do you mean?" She meowed, her tail lashing. Brightcloud was nearly gone.
"Good luck, Drizzlekit." The tortoiseshell was gone.
Drizzlekit opened her eyes, and raised her head. She felt the fur on the back of her neck bristling.
"Wha-" She felt the soft morning light wash over her pelt. Morning already? It feels like I just went to sleep, before that stupid dream!
Drizzlekit got to her paws. I'm going to become an apprentice today! She suddenly felt like she could burst with excitement. She quickly woke up her sister.
"Today is our ceremony!" Drizzlekit meowed happily. Frostkit nearly leaped out of her pelt in excitement.
"Let's go wake up the other kits!" Frostkit meowed, darting over to Petalbreeze's nest, where she woke up Wavekit, Rapidkit, and Ripplekit. Drizzlekit woke up Shimmerkit.
     "I'm going to be the leader's apprentice!" Ripplekit boasted.
     "You don't know what mentor you're getting, minnow-brain!" Shimmerkit meowed to Ripplekit. "But I know who I'm getting!"
Ripplekit flicked his ear. "And who is that?" He challenged.
"Gingerstem. The medicine cat." She meowed, with an i-told-you-so look on her face.
"Psssh!" Ripplekit scoffed, thrusting his muzzle towards the cream-and-ginger she-kit. "Medicine cats are nothing but herb nerds!"
Shimmerkit glared at Ripplekit. "Herb nerds?" She seemed like she was going to say something else, but her glare faded and it turned to a smile. "Ok, I guess this herb nerd won't treat you when you've gotten yourself scratched, or pricked, or sick!"
Wavekit giggled. "Medicine cats are more important than you think, Ripplekit!" She said.
"Kits? What are you doing up?" A soft voice echoed the nursery.
Drizzlekit turned to see Creamcloud, laying in her nest.
"Oh, we're just excited for our ceremony today!" Shimmerkit mewed, perking up her ears.
"Ceremony? Shimmerkit, get over here so I can wash you." Creamcloud flicked her fluffy tail to her nest. Shimmerkit sighed and padded over to her mother.
Drizzlekit glanced over to Swiftstream, who was still asleep in her nest. Petalbreeze had woken just woken up, and was already calling for her kits for a wash.
"That means we're next!" Frostkit meowed to her sister.
"Drizzlekit and Frostkit." Swiftstream meowed. Drizzlekit glanced at Frostkit, her ears flattened against her head.
"You were right on time!" Drizzlekit sighed, padding over to their nest.
Swiftstream briskly licked Drizzlekit's black-and-white pelt until it was shinier than the river on a very sunny day.
Frostkit was next. Swiftstream did the same, and Frostkit's white pelt was glossy, like she had just gotten out of the river.
"My kits are becoming apprentices!" The mew of Drizzlekit's father came from the nursery entrance.
     "Heronflight!" Drizzlekit and Frostkit meowed in unison.
     "Hey!" He smiled, looking down happily at his kits.
     "Do you know what mentors we're getting?" Frostkit meowed, standing up excitedly.
     Heronflight shook his head. "I'm afraid not. But Willowstar told me that I'm getting an apprentice today. I just don't know who." He said.
That means me or Frostkit could have our father as a mentor! Frostkit looked over to Drizzlekit happily, like she could read her mind.
     Heronflight glanced around the nursery. "Well, it looks like all of you kits are groomed and ready. I'll go tell Willowstar it's time for the ceremony."
     The apprentices den would be empty, because two apprentices warriors one moon before, earning the names Butterflywing and Beechshade. So there would be plenty of room for the five new apprentices, not including Shimmerkit, who would be sleeping in the medicine den.
"All cats old enough to swim gather for a Clan meeting!"
Swiftstream gazed down lovingly at Frostkit and Drizzlekit. "Good luck, my beautiful kits. Next thing I know, you two will be warriors and I'll be sleeping in the elders den." She sighed.
Drizzlekit shook her head. Swiftstream was a young cat, a little bit older than a new warrior. So was Heronflight. "We'll be fighting beside each other!" Drizzlekit meowed.
Swiftstream chuckled, rising from her nest. "Alright then, Drizzlekit. Now, kits, it is time for your ceremony."
Frostkit and Drizzlekit bounded out of the nursery beside their mother, taking a seat near the front of the semicircle the Clan made in meetings.
"Today is the day to make some new apprentices. Shimmerkit, step forward." Willowstar meowed.
Shimmerkit padded up, dipping her head at the leader and then the medicine cat, who was standing beside Willowstar on the meeting tree.
"I wish to apprentice this young cat. She has shown me that she knows the ways of the medicine cat code, has a strong knowledge of herbs, and a great connection with StarClan." Gingerstem meowed, gazing down at Shimmerkit.
"Shimmerkit, from this day forward, until you receive your full medicine cat name, you will be known as Shimmerpaw. May StarClan light your path." Gingerstem leaped down and touched noses with the newly named Shimmerpaw.
"Drizzlekit, step forward." Willowstar meowed.
Drizzlekit puffed out her chest and stepped to the middle, where every cat could see her.
"Drizzlekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, it will be known as Drizzlepaw. Your mentor will be Curlear. I hope he will pass on all he knows on to you." Willowstar dipped her head.
     A pale gray tabby tom with curled ears padded out of the crowd of cats. He smiled as he touched noses with his new apprentice. Drizzlepaw, on the other paw, was terrified.
     "Come over here," Curlear said, bounding over to the shade of a willow. "We can watch your sister and friends become apprentices." He said down, raising his tail kindly for her to do the same.
     Frostpaw got Stormstrike, Wavepaw with Rainfall, Rapidpaw with Ivyspring, and Beetlepaw with Sunclaw.
"We should take them on a tour of the territory." Sunclaw meowed, as Gungerstem and Shimmerpaw padded up.
"Yes. Good idea." Gingerstem meowed. "Shimmerpaw and I can come as well."
"Alright! Follow me!" Sunclaw bounded out of the camp entrance, Beetlepaw and the rest of the mentors and their apprentices following.
Drizzlepaw stayed beside Curlear as they slowed down to see the river.
"That's the river," Curlear meowed. "We hunt and swim in it. Soon we'll learn to swim, but not right now." He said.
The river flowed gracefully, like the water was dancing in it. The sun shone down on the water, making it glimmer.
"It's so pretty!" Drizzlepaw meowed, her eyes shining.
"I felt the same way when I first saw it." Curlear said, smiling.
Sunclaw led the cats to a marshy area, with an island off in the distance. The mentors explained what it was to the apprentices, like they did with the stream.
"This is the marsh, and that island over there," Curlear pointed with his tail to the island. "is where all the Clans go for a Gathering."
"What's a Gathering?" Drizzlepaw asked, pricking her ears.
"Oh, right. A Gathering is where all the Clans get together, in a peaceful way, and talk about what's happening in their Clan. And cats from different Clans can talk and laugh and be friends for once." Curlear answered, bounding beside Drizzlepaw as they headed closer to the lake.
"Look! Watermint! Can I grab some?" Shimmerpaw looked up at Gingerstem, who nodded. Shimmerpaw padded up to the bank of the lake, biting off sprigs of the little plant.
"The lake is where we can hunt and swim, just like the river." Curlear said as he gazed out at the vast blue body of water.
He glanced over to a fence in the distance. "That's the horseplace. The horses that Twolegs ride live there. And on the other side of that—in WindClan territory—is the Twolegplace, where the Twolegs live." He meowed.
"Are we going to visit the borders?" Drizzlepaw asked.
Curlear shook his head. "No, not today. We have so many cats as so little time!" He smiled.
"Sunclaw," Stormstrike said from beside Frostpaw. His eyes were narrowed. "Don't you think these cats should be learning about more important things, like borders and how to identify another Clan's scent?" He sneered.
"It's a tour of the territory, Stormstrike." The big ginger tom replied, flicking his tail. "But I guess we can go visit the borders."
Drizzlepaw glanced up at her mentor, who wore an I-don't-know look.
Sunclaw bounded off towards the horseplace. A strong stench filled Drizzlepaw's nose, making her nose wrinkle.
"Ew," She meowed, flattening her ears. "What is that smell?"
Curlear laughed. "It's WindClan! They're right next to us, and as I like to say, our border neighbors." He said.
"You still say that?" Gingerstem meowed, padding up beside Curlear. "I can remember you saying that when you were an apprentice!"
Curlear laughed. "That was a while ago! But I've got some youth left in me..."
"Curlear!" Gingerstem exclaimed. "You're not old!"
     Curlear shook his head, laughing. Shimmerpaw appeared beside Drizzlepaw. "I know I shouldn't be saying this," she giggled. "But I think Gingerstem and Curlear like each other!"
     "I can tell!" Drizzlepaw grinned. "If only Gingerstem wasn't a medicine cat!"
     Suddenly, black clouds rolled in, letting out a clap of thunder. Drizzlepaw jumped, her tail puffing up. Rain crashed down, soaking the apprentices and their mentors.
     Gingerstem gasped. "Great StarClan!" She yowled. "The storm! It's the storm StarClan promised!"