Warriors Novella Set: She-Cats of the Lake

Chapter 4

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highbranch for a Clan meeting!" Fallenrain hears Mallowstar call out from inside the nursery.

"Let's go," Fallenrain meows to her eldest kits. "Stay with Ferretfur," she then meows to her younger kits. Her first litter has just turned six moons and it's time for them to become apprentices. Ferretfur's kits have already became apprentices, but once Ferretfur was out of the nursery, she bonded with Quickspring yet again and now she's going to have another litter with him, which Ashpelt predicts will be a one-kit litter.

"But we want to come!" Hazelkit whines.

"Yeah! When are we going to become apprentices?" Lionkit protests, seemingly about to throw a tantrum.

"The three of you still have a few more moons until you become apprentices," Fallenrain meows. "Now, we have to go. Be nice to Ferretfur, okay?" She tells her youngest kits.

"Okay," Hazelkit and Lionkit say in unison, rolling their eyes, while Emberkit just sits beside Ferretfur grumpily.

Well, at least one of them behaves. Fallenrain thinks as she pads out of the nursery. Flintkit and Honeykit follow closely behind her. Once Fallenrain steps out into the crowd in the clearing, she sits down while her daughters sit down beside her.

"Today, two young kits have reached the age of six moons, and are ready to become apprentices," Mallowstar announces, looking down at the kits.

"Flintkit, please step forward," Mallowstar meows. Fallenrain gives her eldest kit a gentle shove, signaling her to step forward. She watches as she walks forward slowly and nervously.

"Flintkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Flintpaw.  Your mentor will be Wasptooth. I hope Wasptooth will pass down all he knows on to you," Mallowstar says, her gaze looking down at the dark gray-and-white apprentice, but then it shifts over to a gray-and-white-furred warrior. "Wasptooth, you are ready to take on your first apprentice. You have received excellent training, and you have shown yourself to be a skilled and brave warrior. You will be the mentor of Flintpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Fallenrain purrs proudly as Flintpaw pads over to the tom and the two cats touch noses. The Clan cheers for Flintpaw.

Then, Mallowstar's gaze shifts right over to Honeykit.

"We want to become apprentices too!" Fallenrain hears two familiar tiny voices cheer from the direction of the nursery. Fallenrain winces as she turns her head to spot Hazelkit and Lionkit dashing out of the nursery and over to the front of the clearing.

"No! Come back here this instant!" Ferretfur yowls as she waddles out of the nursery, Emberkit staying by her side.

"Oh, StarClan, just take me now," Fallenrain mumbles under her breath as she hurries over to the front of the crowd, going right up to her mischievous kits.

"What in StarClan's name do you think you're doing?!" Fallenrain hisses. "You're interrupting your sisters' ceremonies!" Hazelkit and Lionkit look back at her with wide eyes.

"B-Becoming apprentices...!" Lionkit answers, flattening his ears, terrified of his mother's wrath.

"Y-Yeah! Four moons is close enough to six moons... right...?" Hazelkit then mews, tucking her tail underneath her.

"You two better go back to the nursery right now! I'll deal with the two of you later!" Fallenrain growls. Lionkit and Hazelkit give each other terrified looks and then dash back over to the nursery, just to get a yelling from Ferretfur as they returned. Fallenrain pads back to her spot full of embarrassment, noticing that the whole Clan is staring at her.