Warriors - The breaking dawn

- Chapter 1 -

Sunrisekit stretched her paws forward, then blinked open her eyes. Her gaze quickly flicked over to Cypresskit, who was getting his fur cleaned by the nursery queen Clearwater, his mother. Yawning, she stood up and shuffled towards her denmate.

"Oh! Sunrisekit!" The tom gasped happily. "I almost forgot we would become apprentices together... Today will be even better!" The smaller kit purred, his tail tip flickering happily as he bounced to his paws and began washing down Sunrisekit's fur. His dusky gray fur was still a bit prickly, so Sunrisekit finished the job, then sat and let Cypresskit continue. She was just barely containing her own excitement for the day, and she pretended to ignore the fact Cypresskit almost forgot about her existence.

"We'll do all our patrols together, and we'll keep our Clan well fed, and-"

"It's too bad my brother couldn't be here with us..." Sunrisekit interrupted, her gaze trailing over her nest, where Moonrisekit should have been. Cypresskit paused for a moment, glancing over the nest himself.

"I'm sure he's watching over you in Starclan." Owlsoar, another nursery queen, meowed "He'll be incredibly proud to see his sister becoming an apprentice, and even more proud when you're a warrior." The she-cat pressed her nose to Sunrisekit's cheek in a comforting manner.

It had been a moon since her brother had disappeared, and every cat in her clan seemed to believe he was dead. Sunrisekit had been hoping he'd just gone missing, but after several days of waiting the realization he might never be coming back had hit Sunrisekit like a monster roaring on the Thunderpath, it's glaring lights beaming the ugly truth into her eyes as she tried so desperately to escape it.

Sunrisekit was stirred from her thoughts by the sound of Pinestar's voice.

"All cats old enough to climb up the quarry gather beneath the Fallen Oak for a clan meeting!" The tom's voice echoed across the steep stone hollow.

Bouncing to her paws, and pushing her brother to the back of her mind, Sunrisekit followed Cypresskit out of the nursery and pushed her way into the crowd of cats gathered beneath the dead tree. Owlsoar is right, Sunrisekit thought, shaking off her gloom like dew off her pelt. Moonrisekit would want me to be happy as an apprentice.

"I've called you together for one of the most important moments in the life of a clan," Pinestar began, his voice calm as water. "Two of Lightclan's young have reached the age of six moons old, and are ready to become apprentices."

"Cypresskit, please step forward." The only sound in the quarry was the young tom's pawsteps. "Cypresskit, from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Cypresspaw. Starclan, I ask you guide this new apprentice. Set his paws on the path he must follow to become a warrior."

"Wolfspark," Pinestar paused as the she-cat stepped towards Cypresspaw "You will be Cypresspaw's mentor. I trust you to pass on your loyalty and spirit onto this apprentice." There was a small pause as Wolfspark and Cypresspaw touched noses.

"Sunrisekit, please step forward." Sunrisekit quickly moved into the center of the clearing, trying not to shuffle away from her clanmate's staring eyes. "Sunrisekit, from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Sunrisepaw. Starclan, I ask you guide this new apprentice. Set her paws on the path she must follow to become a warrior."

"Ferretlightning," Sunrisepaw kept her gaze steadily on the sandy she-cat. "You will be Sunrisepaw's mentor. I trust you to pass on your skill and selflessness onto this apprentice." Ferretlightning leaned forward, and Sunrisepaw met her halfway to touch her nose like she'd seen her denmate do.

"Cypresspaw! Sunrisepaw! Cypresspaw! Sunrisepaw!" The Clan cheered as Sunrisepaw retreated to her friend's side.