《 across the seasons ❖ name the apprentice 》

♘ bonus :: retrospection ♘

retrospection: the act or process of looking back on things past

word count: 5111

❝ sometimes, just being in the wrong place at the wrong time can send your whole world spiralling. ❞

━━

heavenpaw felt ecstatic.

the chanting in her ears was loud, but not unbearable, and the excitement and pride from every cat pulsed in her ears. heavenpaw's chest puffed up with pride as she closed her eyes, basking in the heat of the moment.

"heavenpaw! heavenpaw!"

i just might set ablaze from all this... happiness.

for a good portion of her kithood, heavenpaw had been a weak, sickly thing, due to her mother contracting some sickness before she was born. but cinderburn had worked their magic soon enough to be able to deem heavenpaw well enough to begin her training at the usual six moons.

heavenpaw felt the warmth of shellstar's tail leave her shoulder, and she opened her eyes to see the ginger tom's gaze fixed on something beyond her shoulder. there, a light-footed shadow strode its way towards shellstar and herself.

"slitherwake will be your mentor," shellstar announced. "slitherwake, you are just and compassionate, but also display your strength when needed. train your expertise into heavenpaw and make her a warrior who deltaclan can be proud of."

heavenpaw and slitherwake's eyes met. he's got golden eyes like me. heavenpaw felt her fur rise with excitement. what did it matter her mentor's eye colour? she was an apprentice now! without realising, a silly smile bloomed on heavenpaw's face, and she started purring. then a sharp, quieting hiss burst from the crowd- coming from her mother, no doubt- and heavenpaw tried to silence her purr, lowering her gaze and trying to look solemn- but she just couldn't seem to wipe the smile from her face.

slitherwake dipped his head to touch noses with heavenpaw. heavenpaw raised her head so quickly that she bumped her nose on slitherwake's chin by accident.

"oops! sorry, slitherwake." the words came out in a slurred whisper as heavenpaw rubbed her paw over her nose. he must be mad at me now... but when heavenpaw looked up, slitherwake was chuckling softly. his eyes shone with pride as bright as stars.

"tortoisepaw! heavenpaw! tortoisepaw! heavenpaw!"

heavenpaw licked her chest fur down furiously, stealing a glance to her side. she was only trying to hide her embarrassment; in the thrill of the moment, she'd forgotten about her sibling. oops.

but thankfully, tortoisepaw only gave heavenpaw a wide grin. their pale hazel eyes showed the same joy that heavenpaw felt. next to tortoisepaw, their mentor windsmite nodded to slitherwake, a tiny smile gracing her pretty face. windsmite's serious and composed, and more fierce than she looks at first glance. i hope she treats tortoisepaw well...

heavenpaw heard a squeal, and she turned to see a small brown tabby kit rush towards her across the clearing.

"you're an apprentice now!" the kit's paws bounced as he skipped around heavenpaw's feet; heavenpaw had to dodge his clumsy landings to avoid being stepped on. then suddenly he stopped, and he ran over to tortoisepaw instead, albeit holding back and flashing a cautious glance at windsmite first. the lilac colourpoint gazed at the kit for a moment, then blinked slowly and left to join her fellow warriors. the kit purred and started yapping at tortoisepaw, who tried their best to keep up- heavenpaw had always been the more socially adept of the two. then another kit pushed his way through the crowd of warriors, dipping his head silently to heavenpaw. his expression was blank, and he blinked a few times before trailing after the first kit.