Warriors #6: A Kittypet's Destiny

Chapter 4

Lilypetal's POV

I could hear quiet purrs of amusement behind me as I let out a long yawn. I then closed my jaws and shook out my fur before turning and meeting the humored gaze of Emberkit just beside me.

I gave her a teasing flick on the ear with my tail, then bending my head down to smooth over the fur on her head. "Alright, back to it!" I meowed in between licks.

"Again!" Emberkit exclaimed, rolling her hazel eyes. "I've lost count of how many times you've stopped to yawn!"

Lightningkit, who had been sitting next to Wrenkit by the nursery entrance, shook his head slowly as he padded up closer to Emberkit and me. "I feel like you've done more yawning then grooming - for Wrenkit and me both!" he purred, lashing his tail.

Wrenkit followed closely behind his brother, his pale blue eyes full of annoyance. "Aw, come on," he murmured. "She did just wake up - give her a break!"

Feeling a twinge of affection, I looked up and gave my son a grateful look. "Thank you, Wrenkit," I purred to him. "But they're right - I'm sorry that I'm so drowsy. I'll be wide awake by the time that your apprentice ceremony starts!"

I then paused in grooming Emberkit once again, but not because I needed to yawn this time. Great StarClan... apprentice ceremony! I thought, feeling more and more baffled with each time those words came to mind. It's finally here, and it feels as unreal to me as if I were becoming an apprentice myself!

I then let out a long sigh before continuing to lick along Emberkit's neck fur, which seemed to be sticking out in every possible direction.

I also felt another yawn coming on, but I held it in as best as I could. I hopefully will be feeling more awake once I'm watching the kits receive their names, but I would have liked to be able to right now. I hope they know how excited I am for them!

But my dreams were making that pretty gosh darn difficult. It was the reason that I felt like I needed to let out a yawn every single heartbeat. Last night's dreams hadn't caused as much of a fiasco as the night before, but they had left me awake, tossing and turning for what had felt like moons.

And unfortunately, now the dreams were becoming especially weirder and unsettling. I continued to receive many flashbacks of my time as a kittypet - me laying by the fireplace in my old Twoleg home, playing in my yard... And looking out to the forest from the top of my fence had been something that managed to never be left out.

And this weirdness was always followed by... darkness - darkness in some form, whether that meant a dark forest, or just... darkness; blackness in every direction. But through that darkness, in whatever form it came in, there was always something that was consistent.

Those frightening, familiar blue eyes, I thought to myself, a shiver running down my spine as I gave Emberkit one final lick on the ear. "All done!" I tried to meow more enthusiastically in order to shake off my thoughts. "That didn't take too long, did it?"

Emberkit let out a purr of amusement before touching her nose briefly to my cheek. "No, it didn't - it was just fine," my daughter replied, her eyes now sympathetic. "I'm sorry I teased."

I purred back and licked Emberkit's cheek. "Oh, never mind that," I meowed softly, then nodding to my yellow-eyed son. "Lightningkit, your turn now!"

With a nod, Lightningkit then excitedly padded up to me. And as I began to smooth out his already very sleek fur, out of the corner my eye I could see the golden tabby pelt of Thornclaw entering the nursery.

Emberkit let out a squeak of excitement at the sight of her father. "Hi, Thornclaw!" she purred, nuzzling her head into his flank.

"Hi!" Lightningkit then mewed, Wrenkit then simply giving a kind nod.