"Lightningkit, do you promise to listen to your mentor and uphold the warrior code?"
Duskstar's mew rang across the StormClan camp. Badgerpaw, already apprenticed to Rockblaze, was staring proudly at his sister. Starlingpaw's and Foxpaw's gaze reflected the same pride as the little gray-and-black she-kit mewed confidently,
"I do." Duskstar smiled at her kit.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, until this kit has become a warrior, she shall be known as Lightningpaw. Dappledawn will be your mentor. Dappledawn, you are quick-witted and brave. I hope you will pass your skills on to Lightningpaw." The brown dappled she-cat dipped her head gratefully.
"I promise to teach this fine young cat all I know." She padded up to Highrock and tapped noses with Lightningpaw. The Clan rose their voices to Silverpelt as they cheered.
"Lightningpaw! Badgerpaw! Lightningpaw! Badgerpaw!" the two young cats lifted their heads in pride, the amber sun behind them making the two young cats look like brands of flame in the new morning light.
The cheering died down.
"Clan meeting dismissed," Duskstar meowed. Lightningpaw and Badgerpaw ran towards Starlingpaw and Foxpaw.
"Wasn't that great?" Lightningpaw mewed excitedly. Her gray fur standing up on her back, her black tail fluffy. Lightningpaw had always been as energetic as her name suggested, while Badgerpaw was more chill and relaxed and kept his three energetic, feisty apprentice friends in check. Foxpaw nodded enthusiastically, her red fur just as fluffy.
"Yeah! Now we can all be apprentices together!" Starlingpaw tipped her head to the side, thoughtful.
"I wonder why Duskstar didn't just make us all apprentices at the same time. I mean, we're only a moon apart." Badgerpaw shrugged and licked his white paw.
"I don't really know. All that matters to me, is that we're all apprentices!" he mewed happily. Starlingpaw bounced in her seat a little. Foxpaw's eyes sparkled with mischief as she leaned towards Starlingpaw.
"You've got something on your face," she giggled. Lightningpaw and Badgerpaw glanced over to see.
"Yeah, you've definitely got something on your face," Badgerpaw agreed, fluffing out his fur.
"Totally," meowed Lightningpaw, wincing a little and flattening her soft black ears.
Starlingpaw batted at her face self-consciously.
"What is it? Where? Is it big?" she chattered. She thought she saw a gleam of mischief in Foxpaw's amber eyes, but it was gone too quickly for her to tell.
"It's this!" Foxpaw swatted her nose and sprang back, rolling over with laughter.
"Ahahahaha! Your face!" Foxpaw crowed. Starlingpaw flattened her ears, gathered her paws under her fluffy belly, and pounced on her. The two apprentices tussled for a moment before Starlingpaw eventually pinned Foxpaw down.
"Ha! I win!" she cheered. Foxpaw purred and stuck her tongue out in mock death.
"Fine! I give in! Just get off me, you big lump of fur!" she laughed, scrabbling with her paws to get out. Starlingpaw rolled her bright yellow eyes and padded off the russet she-cat. Off to the side, Lightningpaw and Badgerpaw were stifling their giggles. Starlingpaw sighed at the three of them.
"Whatever. I'll let you three do what it is you want to do. I'm going to go exploring." She stuck her chin in the air. Foxpaw squealed and jumped up.
"Can I come with you?" she asked her. Starlingpaw considered this, then decided to let her. Why not? Foxpaw was her best friend, after all, and what better fun to have then to explore the very best Clan with her very best friend?
"Sure! Does anyone else want to come?" Starlingpaw asked the two other apprentices. Lightningpaw shrugged.
"I don't think so. I think our mentors want to do some 'first day as an apprentice' thing." She said. Badgerpaw nodded in agreement. Foxpaw nodded.
"Makes sense. Okay, well, see you at sundown!" Foxpaw called as she and Starlingpaw set out for the right of StormClan territory.
"See you!" Badgerpaw called back, and the two apprentice groups split up.
Starlingpaw and Foxpaw walked a ways without saying much, which was rare. The two cats were usually full of words, like how Fallfeather had a crush on Moonfire, or how Sandburr was secretly a spy for StormClan long long ago, dumb gossipy things like that. But the two were in so much awe of their beautiful territory that they barely said a word.
They passed some tall thin gray pine trees and a sunny clearing with a surprised light brown dappled doe resting in it. The skittish deer stood up and ran away from the two little cats as fast as it could go. The pair watched in fascination. They turned to each other and giggled. As they were walking, Starlingpaw noticed a long flat stretch of hard sun-warmed rocky land in front of them. She turned to Foxpaw and grinned.
"Race ya to that tree!" she challenged. Foxpaw winked at her and grinned back.
"Oh, it's on! Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked her teasingly. Starlingpaw smiled.
"Absolutely." They grinned at each other. Foxpaw started the countdown, her amber eyes gleaming.
"5... 4... 321 gooooo!" she yowled, and Foxpaw shot ahead. Starlingpaw let out a yowl of anguish.
"Hey! That's not fair!" she cried. Foxpaw was a quarter of the way there already. It just wasn't fair!
Then, she felt something grow inside of her, like energy, or a snake that's been coiled up inside for moons and was ready to burst out of her. She felt an uncanny relationship with this energy, as if she's been using it her whole life. Starlingpaw narrowed her bright yellow eyes into slits and bunched her paws under her fluffy belly. Then, she shot off, fast as a bolt of lightning.
She was at the tree in less than a second. Halfway behind him, Foxpaw screeched to a halt, dust flying around her. She dashed over to a little bit behind Starlingpaw. Her flame-coloured eyes were wide and confused.
"Wha- how did you do that? You were like a blur, you ran so fast. It was... like, I've never seen any cat run that fast before, not even Spiderweb or even Flowerleaf, and they're like the fastest cats in the whole Clan, and you're only an apprentice who just started training. Am I rambling? Sorry. I ramble when I'm nervous. Or confused. Or- hey, are you okay?" Foxpaw stopped her rambling and inspected Starlingpaw.
Her heart was pounding a million miles an hour, or that's how it seemed to her. Her whole body was shaking and trembling. Then she noticed Foxpaw talking to her, and she laughed a little, a bit startled as to what was happening.
"Ah, yes. Yes. I mean, no. I didn't- I don't- I don't know what's going on." She shook her head in disbelief. Foxpaw gave her a weak smile and licked her forehead affectionately. Starlingpaw smiled and let out a rough purr. Her heart was calming down, and she felt immensely tired, more than usual. She turned to Foxpaw.
"So... what did I do? What happened?" she asked her. Foxpaw frowned.
"I'm not completely sure. You were just crouched back there," she nodded to the starting line of their race, "and then you shot out to the tree in like, less than a second! It was amazing!" she finished, doing a little bounce in happiness. Starlingpaw purred. Foxpaw examined her in surprise.
"Hey, your eyes are blue too," Foxpaw pointed out. Starlingpaw blinked.
"Huh. Cool! So anyways, does that mean I have... superpowers?" she asked. Strarlingpaw meant it as a joke, but Foxpaw nodded seriously.
"Y'know, Starling, I honestly think you do. And it's... super cool!" she exclaimed. Starlingpaw grinned, thinking of all the awesome things she could do with super speed. She could catch the most prey, win the most races, and be the best warrior ever! Then she looked up at the slowly darkening sky.
"Aw, Fox, it's almost sundown. We should get back to camp." She mewed sadly. Foxpaw nodded, and the two young cats set off. Foxpaw looked at her.
"Oh, one more thing. Let's not tell anyone about this, okay? It'll be our secret." Starlingpaw met her gaze and nodded. Foxpaw purred, her amber gaze sparkling.
"Now that's out of the way, did you know that tonight's the Gathering? I bet Duskstar's gonna take us an' Lightningpaw an' Badgerpaw!" she meowed. Starlingpaw laughed, and the two best friends chatted and talked all the way home.