Warriors - Northstar's Reckoning - Book 1

Chapter 01 | Reborn

''I am hard on myself. But isn't it better to be honest about these things before someone else can use them against you? Before someone else can break your heart? Isn't it better to break it yourself?''
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The white tom kit could hear the bustling of warriors out in the clearing as his mother, Koifish, hastily licked down his fur to make him look halfway presentable. "How can one kit get so dirty so fast?" She mumbled and took a step back to admire her work, smiling in satisfaction at what she saw. "Okay! You're ready to go out and get your apprentice name my little snowball!"

Northkit's ears were plastered against his head in embarrassment, which was decorated with an assortment of kit-fluff. "Moooom, I told you not to call me that anymore! It's humiliating!"

"Alright, alright... My little snowflake!" The tortoiseshell queen chuckled as her son groaned in frustration. Her fluffy tail whisked through the air and Northkit walked with her out of the nursery, mesmerized by the constant swaying of her plump stomach. Soon after he was born his mother had gotten pregnant with his new littermates and he couldn't wait to meet them.

The overwhelming scents of salt-water, fish and oak met his nose which hadn't made it's way to him inside the milky fragrance of the nursery. His eyes turned to saucers as he scanned over the crowd of cats that greeted him, all waiting for his apprentice ceremony. Northkit even caught his father, Ebonyflame, waving at him from beside a calico warrior before quickly padding over. "Hey, kiddo. You didn't think I would miss your ceremony, did you?"

Northkit attempted to swipe him over the ear but he easily dodged using superior height to his advantage. "Of course not! My ceremony is too great to miss!" The young white feline thought he heard someone scoff from behind him and his father glare at whoever had done it, but it happened so fast he put it off as his wild imagination.

"Anyway, you had better get up to the fallen tree!" His mother told him, and gently nudged him towards the fallen tree branch Agamastar stood on. The kit's breath was stolen from his lungs as he admired the powerful honey-brown tom who looked down on him with kind blue eyes. Northkit sat at the base of the fallen tree, waiting for him to speak.

Agamastar simply raised his tail and the clearing was instantly silenced, Northkit was impressed by how effective one motion from a leader could be. That's so cool! I want to be leader when I grow up! "After six moons, a kit has come of age to become an apprentice of NautilusClan! Northkit, step forward." The white kit eagerly did as he was told with a bright smile on his face. "Do you swear to protect and serve your clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

"I do." There was no hesitation or any form of dishonesty in the vow he made that day, the kit he was back then was pure and looked forward to the future. The kit he was back then only cared for protecting his clanmates to the best of his abilities. What could have possibly changed?

"Then you are now named Northpaw until you have earned your warrior name and Nightowl will be your mentor. Nightowl, I hope you pass on your cunning and skill in battle to young Northpaw." The new apprentice touched noses with his mentor but he found his icy blue eyes were just as emotionless as the tides themselves and didn't hold any joy of becoming a mentor. Does he not want me as an apprentice? Northpaw noticed - on top of that - that only a few cats within the clan bothered to cheer his new name, while in other apprentice ceremonies he had witnessed, the entire clan was joyful. Is there something wrong with me?

"Come on, lets hurry up and take a tour of the territory," his mentor said and headed for the entrance to the camp. Northpaw could barely keep up with his fast pace and greatly lagged behind, especially when they entered into the forest. The apprentice's eyes went wide in awe as he looked up into the trees, of which he swore touched the cobalt skies, he never knew they could be so tall. The chilling kiss of new-leaf softly caressed his pelt as he found himself sprinting through the forest, admiring every herb and crevice he found. "Will you hurry it up? We don't have all day."