Splashkit took a deep breath. This is it! I'll finally become an apprentice!
Splashkit felt something wet on her neck. "Lakefern! Stop!" Her mother had started licking her on her neck and had moved down to her back. She's been in a way better mood since Frondcloud came back last moon. Her father had returned from patrol, unharmed, right after Mistflight's kits had come. Splashkit thought he had looked like he knew something, but Lakefern just curled right up to him that night and hadn't let go until Rapidstar had woken her up near sunhigh.
"You need to look your best," Lakefern scolded as Splashkit started to struggle again. Splashkit rolled her eyes and watched as her brother stepped in front of Rapidstar, his chest puffed out.
Frondcloud sat beside Dewkit and Lakefern, his eyes made of pride. Dewkit was patiently waiting for her turn to come. Lakefern stopped licking Splashkit, gave her one last affectionate glance, and sat beside her mate, nuzzling his ear.
"From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Silverpaw," Rapidstar was meowing.
Silverpaw's eyes gleamed as the RiverClan leader addressed him.
"StarClan, I ask you to guide this new apprentice. Set his paws on the path he must follow to become a warrior. Tawnyfang, you will mentor Silverpaw. May you pass down all you have learned from Whiteleaf to him."
Silverpaw stepped down to touch noses with the pale brown she-cat. Next was Dewkit, but before Rapidstar could say anything Bluemuzzle came up to him and spoke in a soft mew that no other cat could hear. Rapidstar looked at her and gave a small nod, and continued on.
"Dewkit. Step foreward." Dewkit rose in front of Rapidstar with glimmering excitement in her eye.
Then Bluemuzzle started to speak. "Cats of RiverClan, as you know, I will not be around forever. The time has come for me to take on an apprentice. Dewkit has shown patience and care, which are the virtues that will help her to be successful as a medicine cat."
"Dewkit. Do you accept the post of apprentice to Bluemuzzle?" Rapidstar asked.
"I do." Dewkit spoke with confidence and Splashkit knew this was what her sister wanted. But what do I want? She caught herself looking at Snowpaw, and Snowpaw smiled. Splashkit blushed and gave her chest fur a few licks.
"Then tonight, at half-moon, you must travel to the Moonpool to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats," Bluemuzzle told her. "You will not receive your apprentice name until StarClan has approved."
Dewkit nodded respectfully and followed Bluemuzzle back onto the ground. Splashkit took a deep breath. Now it was her turn. She climbed the willow tree stump where Rapidstar was and sat in front of him.
"Splashkit, from this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be called Splashpaw. StarClan, I ask you to guide this young apprentice. Set her paws on the path she must learn to become a warrior. I myself will mentor Splashpaw. I have not had an apprentice for many seasons, and it's time I take one on." Murmurs were born among Splashpaw's clanmates. Lakefern and Frondcloud were smiling so hard, Splashpaw thought their muzzle would fall off. Splashpaw locked eyes with Snowpaw in the crowd, and Snowpaw was nodding encouragingly. Splashpaw looked once again at Rapidstar.
"Splashpaw, I promise to try to pass down all I have learned from Mossflight." Rapidstar stepped forward and touched noses with Splashpaw, then stepped back.
"This clan meeting is over," he announced.
"So what do we do first?" Splashpaw asked her new mentor as all the other cats went back to what they were doing before the ceremony. She spotted Lakefern and Frondcloud sharing a fish by the fresh-kill pile.
"The elders need new moss for their nests, as do the queens," Rapidstar responded. Splashpaw's tail drooped. What did you expect? she asked herself. It's always the same thing when you start an apprentice-ship. I bet Silverpaw will come with us.
"Is anyone coming with us? Maybe... Silverpaw and Tawnyfang?" Splashpaw hinted.
Rapidstar shook his head. "Tawnyfang will choose what her apprentice does. We'll go on alone." Splashpaw sighed. She looked across the camp and saw Silverpaw leaving with Tawnyfang in the direction of the training grounds. Dewkit was following Bluemuzzle into the medicine den. Pebblepaw was leaving with Reedmouth to go hunting. And some cat was walking towards her....
"Splashpaw!" Snowpaw meowed excitedly. "You're an apprentice now! But, um, of course you know that." Snowpaw gave his chest fur a few embarrassed licks.
"Hi, Snowpaw." Splashpaw smiled.
"So, um, where are you going?" Snowpaw asked.
"Rapidstar is taking me to fetch moss," she explained. "But he said Silverpaw and Tawnyfang can't come."
"Can I come?"
"I... I'd love for you to," Splashpaw admitted, "but you'd have to ask Rapidstar and Eelstorm."
Snowpaw nodded. "I'll be right back," he told her, and rushed into the warriors den to find Eelstorm. Splashpaw watched him go, sadness glimmering in her eyes, knowing he wouldn't be able to go with them. She turned around and bumped right into her mentor.
"Sorry, Rapidstar," she apologized. Rapidstar looked at her and nodded, implying it was fine. His gaze flickered to the warriors den, then looked back at Splashpaw questioningly. "Uh, Snowpaw asked me if he could come with us, and I told him he should ask Eelstorm. He said he'd be right back and then ran into the warriors den."
"I understand you'd like friends on your first day," Rapidstar began, "but there are some things you have to do on your own. Snowpaw's mentor is Eelstorm. Silverpaw's mentor is Tawnyfang. Dewpaw's mentor is Bluemuzzle. Mentors decide what their apprentices do; not the apprentices, nor the leader." Splashpaw nodded. If I'm good at the tasks, and show Rapidstar I'm responsible, then maybe we can start doing hunting! Splashpaw realized. Or border patrols! Or battle moves! And whatever I do, maybe I can do it with Snowpaw.... She shook her pelt and followed Rapidstar out of the camp. Just as she looked back, she found Snowpaw watching her with his sparkling green eyes.
. . .
Splashpaw dragged the large fish across the RiverClan camp and towards the nursery. After she had returned from fetching moss with Rapidstar, her mentor had told her to bring the moss to the elder's den and make them new nests. Then she was told to pick out their ticks. Splashpaw was glad to get out of there with her ears still attached to her head after listening to Puddlestripe's stories for what seemed like a whole season. As she had escaped the elders, Bluemuzzle snapped at her to find something for the queens and deliver it to the nursery. Her paws dragged by now; it felt like she had walked to the Moonpool and back.
"Splashpaw!" some cat called from behind her. Splashpaw yelped, dropping the fish. She turned around quickly, hissing furiously, hackles raised.
Snowpaw jumped back. "Hey, it's just me!" Splashpaw immediately stopped her hissing and lowered her hackles.
"Sorry, you startled me." Splashpaw shifted her paws uncomfortably. "Listen Snowpaw, I'm sorry about earlier. I had no control over who could come with me and who couldn't."
"Oh... it's fine, but I was going to tell you something else. I-" Snowpaw stopped as he saw Splashpaw lean to pick up her fish.
"Sorry," Splashpaw mumbled, dropping the fish once more. "I have to take this to the queens. Can we... can you wait here?"
"Yeah, I guess." Snowpaw set his attention on a leaf stuck in some mud on the ground. Splashpaw grabbed the fish and padded towards the elders den, when Dewkit jumped in her way.
"Guess what! I get to go to the Moonpool with Bluemuzzle tonight! I wonder what StarClan will look like. Maybe Maplestar will come to see me! Remember how Lakefern told us-" Splashpaw threw the fish on the ground.
"Dewkit! Get out of my way!" she snarled. Dewkit's smile faded away and she glared at her sister.
"Well, fine then! Be like that! I just that you'd want to know," Dewkit hissed, and stormed back to the medicine den, not looking back. Splashpaw grunted and picked up the fish again. Can't she see I'm busy? And that I'm already cross enough? Littermates are so annoying.
Splashpaw arrived at the nursery entrance just as Mistflight's kits woke up from a nap.
"Hi, Mistflight," Splashpaw greeted. Mistflight nodded politely.
"Splashpaw!" Swankit squeaked. "Have you come to play with me?"
"Mouse-brain!" Stonekit swatted at his sister's ear with his tail. "Splashpaw came to play with me!"
"Stonekit, be nice," Mistflight scolded. "Splashpaw has brought fresh-kill for me so I can feed you. Say thank you."
"Thank you!" Swankit mewed, sitting on the ground and looked up at Splashpaw.
"Thank you," Stonekit squeaked as his sister left the ground and pounced on him. Splashpaw smiled and left the nursery just as Mistflight started to shush her kits. Her paws took her towards Snowpaw, now gazing at a beetle on a tall strand of grass. The white tom looked up as she sat in front of him.
"So..." Splashpaw started awkwardly, "what did you want to tell me?"
"Well, uh, I was talking to Silverpaw, and then he brought up a random topic." Snowpaw's gaze flitted to where Silverpaw was resting in the apprentices den. "He said that when you were a kit, you used to sneak out of camp." Anger flashed through Splashpaw. How dare Silverpaw give their secret away! Then she remembered that one day Silverpaw had ever been mean to Splashpaw instead of Dewkit. Hatred started to consume Splashpaw. I know what he told Snowpaw...
"He started to tell a story, but then Tawnyfang took him away to do something. He told me to ask you, and he also said you would know what he's talking about. So, would you mind telling me?" Snowpaw looked at Splashpaw expectantly. Splashpaw shook her head.
"I'm sorry, I can't. I don't want to," Splashpaw responded. As she was about to turn away, Snowpaw's tail brushed her flank.
"Please?" he pleaded.
"Well..." Splashpaw was hesitant. She didn't want to give away a secret shared only with her littermates, but Snowpaw could be her future mate. If she couldn't trust him, she wouldn't be friends with him.
"Okay." Splashpaw took a deep breath. "I was searching for fish with Dewkit...."