Naiyapaw shook out her pelt and slunk into the Apprentice's Den, ducking her head so that she wouldn't bump it on the massive boulder.
What she saw was surprising. She had thought many or even all of the cats were going to be asleep, but instead, she had prowled into a burrow lit by a dozen or so fire bugs, all held together within a tight cobweb. Below the dim yellow rays sat all of the apprentices in their nests, huddled together in different groups, laughing and sharing the news of the day. Others were lounging around grooming themselves, peering around with silent content.
“I thought for SURE I was going to catch that stupid bird!” one voice trilled.
“My mentor taught me how to pounce today,” another mentioned.
“-and then it stuck to my paw! Gross!” a drowned out mew crooned.
Naiyapaw looked around and cocked her head, wondering if every night these cats would sit around and avoid sleep. Before she could answer her own question, a familiar (and rather loud) cauterwail cut through the rest.
“NAAIYAAPAAaaaAAAaaaAAAaaawww!!” it screeched, and the new apprentice flinched away from the noise.
Every other cat within the den whirled around to glare at none other than the famous calico, Berylpaw, who was sitting stiffly with her chest puffed out and her mouth hanging open in a goofy grin.
“Look guys! It's Naiyapaw!! She's joining us tonight and EVERY OTHER NIGHT! WOOP!” Berylpaw shouted, causing many of the lounging cats to jump out of their fur.
Naiyapaw blushed violently and glanced down at her paws. Why Berylpaw, why...?
“Naiyapaw! Come sit with meee!” she demanded, and glanced over at the other cats who had joined her in the group. They were looking at her expectantly. “Uhh, and Vanillapaw, Tilapaw, and Cocopaw! Come sit with them too!”
Naiyapaw chuckled softly, combing a claw through her neck fur and trotting over to her friend. She avoided trampling over any nests that were in her way before sitting down between Vanillapaw and Tilapaw, who both seemed a lot like herself in many ways.
“Well, hello there, stranger!” Vanillapaw welcomed joyfully, her lovely deep grey eyes lighting up with glee, and her tan-colored fur fluffing up.
“Yes, greetings once again,” the white tabby cat Tilapaw chimed in, “It's nice to have you back here!”
Cocopaw nodded her fluffy brown head and blinked her hazel eyes, “Agreed. We honestly don't get a whole lot of new apprentices these days.”
Naiyapaw giggled softly and averted her colorful eyes, “Well, it's nice to finally be here,” she assured with a smile.
Berylpaw looked around at all of her friends and got down into a crouch, scouring every cat mischievously with her purple eyes. “How about we tell... mysterious stories..?” she asked, her brow twitching slightly.
Tilapaw laughed, her apprentice position already showing in her thick muscles beneath her white fur, “Mysterious stories? Like what?”
“Yeah, mysteries? In StoneTribe? As if,” Vanillapaw agreed, glancing over at the determined calico she-cat.
“There's plenty of mysteries in StoneTribe!” Berylpaw insisted, sticking out her bottom lip and pretending to pout.
She paused for a moment and raised a brow, peering over at the rest of the apprentices in the den, “Most of which the cats around here wouldn't want us to know.”
That caught the attention of pretty much every she-cat and tom. They all whipped their heads around and scuttled over to join the circle, huddling together to share warmth and comfort.
YOU ARE READING
Warrior Cats: The Omen of StoneTribe, Book 1 (The Essence)
Fanfiction"Beware the stone." Naiyapaw has grown up in complete solitude with only her mother and her fellow den mates to keep her company. After StoneTribe's noble leader apprentices her as a Jewel Collector, her world and her knowledge of the tribe grow bey...
