"Hey! BlackKit! Wake up!"
"G-GoldenKit? Stop poking me!" BlackKit batted at her sister's paw.
"I think I know a word that might get you out of the nest. 'Apprentices'," GoldenKit added in a whisper.
"What about 'em?" BlackKit snorted.
"We... are going... to be..."
"Apprentices!" TigerKit purred.
"Apprentices?!" BlackKit echoed.
"Apprentices!" SnakeKit cheered.
"You really DO take the longest to get up," GoldenKit purred. "I was poking you for hours."
"Not "hours"; GoldenKit, that's a bit of an exaggeration. But, you have been bothering your poor sister for a while," ShadowStripe teased.
"We just want her to have enough time to get ready, so she looks her best during the ceremony!" SnakeKit asserted.
"And, she will. The ceremony is at sunhigh, after all," ShadowStripe soothed.
"It's al-most sunhigh!" TigerKit complained.
"No, it's not. It's barely the crack of dawn," AdderHeart yawned as he padded into the nursery. "You kits are making a ruckus, and waking everycat up!"
"Did we wake you?" GoldenKit fretted.
"No, I'm on the dawn patrol, but, RobinFlash isn't, and you know how cranky she gets when she's unwillingly woken up," AdderHeart joked.
"Dear! Even if that's true, and it is, that's not a very nice thing to say."
"I know. Come on, StormStar will be waking up. If enough cats are awake and in camp, she might call the meeting early."
"What?!" TigerKit wailed.
"We have to get clean! And, neat! We have to look good when we go up in front of the Clan!" GoldenKit cried. She and BlackKit began anxiously grooming each other, tossing away bits of moss, detangling snarls, and smoothing sticky-uppy patches of fur.
"Calm down, you four. StormStar said the ceremony was to be at sunhigh, and the ceremony will be at-" ShadowStripe was cut off by a loud yowl.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the HighLedge for a Clan meeting!"
"Looks like you were wrong, ShadowStripe," AdderHeart purred. "Come on, kits, let's go!"
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
"We have gathered here to honour the kits of ShadowStripe and AdderHeart. BlackKit, SnakeKit, GoldenKit, and TigerKit have reached their sixth moon and are ready to become apprentices! Kits, please come up here."
The four kits tentatively approached StormStar. LightningHeart, the deputy, nodded and blinked encouragingly.
"TigerKit, from this moment on, you will be known as TigerPaw. HawkFeather, you are a dedicated and focused warrior, and you will be mentor to TigerPaw.
"BlackKit, from this moment on, you will be known an BlackPaw. WolfStep, you are a loyal and amazing warrior, and you will be mentor to BlackPaw.
"SnakeKit, from this moment on, you will be known as SnakePaw. SteamBreeze, you are a young warrior, but you already show mature qualities some adult cats lack. Because of those traits, you will be mentor to SnakePaw.
YOU ARE READING
GoldenHeart
FantasyGoldenKit is one of four kits to her ShadowStripe and AdderHeart. At once carefree, like all kits, she plays and sleeps and complains. As she advances towards apprenticeship, GoldenKit begins to notice that the deputy, LightningHeart, is acting stra...
