CinderStar's Broken Family

Chapter 5 ~ New Apprentices

~CinderKit's POV~

Today is the day... today me and MistyKit are becoming apprentices!!

We were running circles around the nursery, trying to not disturb MapleCloud, who had recently moved into the nursery. Our mother had already cleaned us, and now we were waiting for the meeting to start.

It's funny. We always pictured this day as the three of us, padding side by side into the clearing, tails twined, and listening to the cheers of our clanmates calling our names... that can't happen now... FeatherKit should be with us, receiving her apprentice name as well.

I heard the call. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the high-ledge for a clan meeting."

We rushed out of the nursery, my father and AshPelt waiting for us. SmallTail walked beside me to the bottom of the high-ledge, as AshPelt did with MistyKit. All of our clanmates watched, some wore faces of congratulations, others of anxiousness. 'Are they wondering who the mentors will be?' I thought eagerly.

MistyKit and I sat down at the foot of the large rock, looking up at SkyStar. Her gray pelt was clean, shining in the sunlight, as she looked down at us, looking so proud...

"Today is a good day for ThunderClan!" She called. "New kits bring new life, with new life comes new warriors!" She yowled proudly. Her gaze flew across her clanmates, then down to AshPelt and SmallTail, who sat side by side, and behind MistyKit and I.

I watched her gaze flick to just SmallTail, as she smiled warmly at him, then looked to me and MistyKit. She stood, and leaped off her place at the top of the high-ledge, and land infront of me and MistyKit. Her gaze wandered beside MistyKit, then beside me, then behind us, and it darkened with sadness.

'Is she thinking about how FeatherKit should be here, too?' I thought. She shook her head ever so slightly, then smiled warmly at us, and spoke.

"MistyKit, from this day forward, until you have received your warrior name, you shall be known as MistyPaw. Your mentor will be AshPelt." Murmurs of confusion shot through our clan, some cats spoke concerned that AshPelt would be easy on her, others just nodded in agreement of SkyStar's choice. Her gaze met AshPelt's. "You are her father, so I hope that you will still be as hard on her as you were to your other apprentices." He dipped his head, and padded forward, and touched his nose to MistyPaw's.

SkyStar looked down at me, next, sadness welling up in her blue eyes. She closed her eyes, and spoke "CinderKit, from this moment forward until you have received your warrior name, you will be known as CinderPaw. I will be your mentor."

My eyes widen. 'Her?! I'm being mentored by my mother, as well as the clan leader?!' I tried as hard as I could to keep myself calm, as I reached up to touch noses to my mentors. I turned around, as did MistyPaw, and we faced our clanmates with smiles on our muzzles as they called our names. "MistyPaw, CinderPaw! MistyPaw, CinderPaw!"

This was one of the best days ever. Me and MistyPaw would train together, do everything side by side. Nothing could go wrong from here.