*ON HOLD* Our Rebellion (Sequel to Tigerstar's Apprentice)

Chapter 5

   "Icekit, stop squirming! You've got brambles in your fur!"

   "Ugh, Mama it's fine. No one cares," Icekit rolled her eyes.

   Rosekit's whiskers twitched. We're going to be apprentices! She and her sister had finally reached their fourth moon, only a moon and a half after Vixenpaw and Stormpaw were made apprentices.

   "Cats of ThunderClan, gather to hear my words!" Rosekit and her sister burst from the den at the leader's call. Frostwhisker called after them, but her voice was drowned out by the roaring in Rosekit's ears. We finally get to become apprentices! But her heart slowed as she neared the base of the Highrock. As always, a lean, muscular ginger tom sat perched on the rock, his gaze cold and calculating. Again, his appearance made Rosekit shiver. A sudden thought made her blood run cold. What if he has us killed too? Would Mama attack us? Or Papa?

   Firestar cleared his throat, and the Clan settled down. "Two young cats are ready to begin their training. Icekit, Rosekit, step forward."

   Icekit's fur bristled with excitement, while Rosekit's pricked in fear. "Icekit, from this day forward, you will be known as Icepaw. Your mentor will be Swiftstrike." He paused as the black and white tom touched noses with Icepaw. "Rosekit, you will be known as Rosepaw. Before I give you your mentor, I have an announcement to make."

   "Tonight, under the cover of moonlight, we will attack RiverClan."

   A few cats growled. "Why? They've left Sunningrocks alone for moons," Dustpelt meowed, glaring up at Firestar.

   The leader returned his gaze coolly. "Some old friends of mine fled ThunderClan while it was under Tigerstar's reign. We are going to bring them home."

   Some cats mumbled to each other, but it soon fell silent. Icepaw was the first to speak. "Who's Rosepaw's mentor?"

   "I will decide that after the battle," Firestar meowed, a growl edging his mew. "ThunderClan, prepare yourselves for war."

~~❤︎❤︎❤︎~~

"This isn't right!" Rosepaw hissed to her sister. "We haven't had any training! And I don't even have a mentor!"

"What, are you scared?" Icepaw batted at her muzzle playfully. "Cmon, RiverClan cats are mouse-hearts. You'll be fine. Just growl and they'll turn tail."

Rosepaw forced a smile, but her heart was still heavy with worry. "O-ok," she glanced up at the rest of the battle patrol. It seemed like the whole Clan was there, divided up into three patrols; the front line, and two groups of reinforcements.

Firestar sat off to the side of the RiverClan camp entrance, his tail tip flicking in anticipation. Suddenly, Rosepaw heard a cat crunching through the grass. A smug smile was starting to form on Firestar's face as a moonrise patrol exited camp. Suddenly, he lashed his tail quickly back and forth. "ThunderClan, attack!"

Taking a deep breath, Rosepaw yowled and sprang from her hiding place. Icepaw was a tail-length ahead of her, and launched herself at a fully-grown tom without hesitation. Rosepaw's heart leapt into her throat she the tom flung her sister on the ground. Icepaw landed with a bone-jarring thud, and lay stunned as the tom towered over her. He paused as he was about to begin shredding her pelt. "A kit!?" He yowled furiously. "Firestar's sent kits into battle!"

"I'm an apprentice," Icepaw snarled defiantly.

The tom still held her in the dirt. "You can't possibly be older than four moons. You still have fluff behind your ears!"

Rosepaw suddenly felt a cat crash into her from behind. She whipped around, trembling but with teeth bared, only to see a heavily pregnant she-cat lunging down to grab her scruff. Rosepaw yowled, terrified of what the she-cat would do, but the RiverClan cat turned and raced into the camp.

The queen ushered her into a den made of reeds near the back of the camp. Inside was another queen, who's blue tabby tail was curled around two small kits. The nursery?

The she-cat set her gently next to the other queen. "Watch her please, Bluewillow. Firestar's sent kits into battle."

She heard Bluewillow gasp in horror before the queen swept her tail over Rosepaw. "Of course. Are there others?"

"I'm not sure—"

Rosepaw cut her off. "My sister, Icepaw! She tried to attack a big gray tom, but he shoved her into the dirt!"

"Sounds like Boulderpelt. I'll go get her," the pregnant she-cat turned and bounded away. Rosepaw turned back to the queen who's nest she was in.

"What's your name, little one?" She meowed.

"Rosepaw."

"A 'paw? How old are you, dear?"

"Four moons." The queen looked shocked. "What's wrong? I'm apprentice age. Why is everyone calling me a kit?"

Bluewillow exchanged a fearful glance with the other she-cat in the den, who had two kits of her own. "Well, dear, you see—"

"You got to be an apprentice early?" A white and blue tabby tom kit beside her asked. "That's not fair!"

Rosepaw was confused. "Early? What do you mean?"

"Kits don't become apprentices until they are six moons old," the other tom, a blue tabby, meowed. "It's in the Warrior Code."

"The Warrior Code?" Why are these cats using such funny words? Maybe RiverClan cats are stupid.

Bluewillow gasped again. "You're not even being taught the Warrior Code!? What has ThunderClan come to?"

Every cat was silent. Rosepaw shuffled her paws. Is ThunderClan doing something wrong? I mean, I know that Icepaw and I shouldn't be here, and I know that Firestar killing those cats was bad, but is the whole of ThunderClan going against this "Warrior Code?"

~~❤︎❤︎❤︎~~

"Rosepaw, your mentor will be Cloudtail!" The dilute calico she-cat padded over to the blood-soaked white tom. His blue gaze was dark, but a small smile formed on his face as he leaned down to touch noses with her.

"You'll do great, kiddo," he murmured. "I'll teach you everything you need to know."

"Icepaw! Rosepaw! Icepaw! Rosepaw!"

Rosepaw felt like there was a cold stone in her belly despite her Clanmates' cheers. ThunderClan is doing bad things. I'm not sure what the Warrior Code or StarClan is, but something isn't right. She had seen many bodies littering the RiverClan camp as ThunderClan left with Cloudtail, Cinderpelt, and Yellowfang. She had seen cats hunched over their loved ones who would never walk again. This battle brought death and destruction beyond anything I've heard of from the nursery tales. Something is very, very wrong.