Sky Falls | | A Warrior Cats Story | | Book One

3

"You what?" When Eclipsekit and Leopardkit came back to camp, a warrior named Spottedfin saw them and ran over, asking questions. "You lost Snakekit, then thought it was a good idea to go look for him? And so close to FireClan territory, too!" 

Eclipsekit shrunk back at the she-cat's sharp tone. Leopardkit also flinched, her eyes down, and her tail low. Spottedfin sighed then gave them a stern look. "I'm going to have to tell Gleamstar about this." Eclipsekit nodded, and silence was held for a minute. Spottedfin finally turned and headed up the rocky slope, her claws digging into the boulder to hold her balance. 

"This is all your fault!" Eclipsekit hissed in Leopardkit's ear. "If you wouldn't of left the nursery in the first place, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Leopardkit shifted her paws. 

At that moment, Eclipsekit's mother, Streamjay, padded over. "I heard you snuck out of camp," she mewed. 

Eclipsekit flattened her ears. "I'm sorry! I just wanted to find Snakekit!" Streamjay shook her head. 

"I don't want to lose you too.." she said as she padded off. 

Eclipsekit then heard a shrill call from the top of the Everstone. "Let all cats old enough to swim the great rapids gather beneath the Everstone for a clan gathering!" 

Leopardkit instantly got to her paws. "Let's go!! Hurry!" She then broke out into a sprint up the cliff, hopping over apprentices, warriors, and even elders. Eclipsekit laughed then got up to her paws, thinking about her encounter with her mother.

When Eclipsekit reached the top of the Everstone, she spotted Leopardkit, along with Darkkit and Dawnkit. She stalked over to them and sat down, dreading what came next.Gleamstar leaped up on top of a fallen tree, and sat down. Her silver fur danced in the sunlight, and her head was held high. 

"I have received information that two kits snuck out of camp." Leopardkit's tail twitched and she looked at Eclipsekit. "This is unacceptable. We will do something immediately." Gleamstar glanced around at her clan. "I know she wanted to find her brother, but Eclipsekit needs to learn. And the best way to do that is to become an apprentice." 

Gasps of shock rippled through the clan. "An apprentice?"  Eclipsekit thought. "Nice punishment." Leopardkit's smile lit up the sky, her whiskers twitching and her fur fluffed up. Darkkit was the most excited, though. He jumped up and down and used a sing-song voice, mewling "I'm gonna be an apprentice!!"

Glarestar silenced the kits with a flick of her tail, and continued. "Eclipsekit, you have reached a level in which you to be made an apprentice. From this day forward, until your warrior name is gifted upon you, you will be known as Eclipsepaw. The one who shows you our ways will be Falconstripe. I hope he will pass down all that Rabbitfang taught him."

"Wow!" Eclipsepaw's fur was bristling. "I sneak out of camp, and my punishment is becomeing an apprentice! And better yet, I get the deputy as my mentor!!" 

"Leopardkit, you have reached a level in which you to be made an apprentice. From this day forward, until your warrior name is gifted upon you, you will be known as Leopardpaw. The one who shows you our ways will be Hailrose. I hope she will pass down all that Eagleheart taught her"

Gleamstar continued with Darkpaw, but in the middle of Dawnpaw's ceremony, she stepped up and mewed "Wait! Gleamstar!" All eyes were fixed on Dawnpaw. 

"You never interrupt a ceremony!" One of the warriors, a frisky black tom named Ravenleaf shouted.

"I want to be a medicine cat! I've been watching our medicine cat, Gemsky, and I want to learn all about herbs!" The crowd was silent. Then, ripples of astonishment flew through the clan as an old, wise, blue-gray she-cat stepped up.

"I would be honored to take Dawnpaw as my apprentice" Eclipsekit stared at the old cat. 

"Is THAT Gemsky? She's older than I thought!"  Gleamstar stared at the shriveled-up medicine cat. 

"Well then," She said. Dawnpaw stared at her with eager eyes.  "It's long overdue for Gemsky to get an apprentice. So, by the power of StarClan, I grant you with the powers of a medicine cat."

The cheering seemed to go on forever. Minnowpaw ran over to Eclipsepaw and almost made her deaf by shouting "CONGRATULATIONS!!!" Leopardpaw touched noses with Hailrose and Eclipsepaw guessed she should do the same, so she hopped over to Falconstripe.

"Congratulations!" He said. Eclipsepaw smiled and glanced around. Falconstripe touched his nose to her ear and whispered "I'm glad to be your mentor!"

Out of the corner of her eye Eclipsepaw spotted a shady black tom, closely resembling Ravenleaf. "Is this the tom I saw sleeping in the warrior's den?"  His name was Finleap, and beside him stood a light gray she-cat, Cascadefur, and Eagleheart.

The elders were stuffed in a corner, whispering and gossiping about when they were warriors. Twigcloud, the eldest of the bunch, was sprawled out on a rock, as she had no idea what was going on.

Darkpaw was near the other apprentices, Minnowpaw, Nightpaw, and Wavepaw, jumping around like a rabbit. "Yay yay yay!"

There was one thing that stung Eclipsepaw's heart, though. "I wish Snakekit could be here..." 

That second, Falconstirpe whispered "We'll look for him" in Eclipsepaw's hear. She nodded, then padded to the apprentice's den, ready to get some sleep before a long day of training.