"Wake up! Wake up!"
Echokit opened her eyes to see Yellowkit standing over her.
"Guess what!" Yellowkit squealed.
"What?" Echokit asked sleepily, rolling back over in her nest.
"I'm going to be the next medicine cat! I'm going to be Goldheart's apprentice!" She let out a long pur.
"Really? Congratulations," Echokit meowed, not too enthusiastically. Yellowkit didn't notice Echokit's tone and just dashed out of the nursery.
Echokit pushed herself up from her nest and looked around to see that everyone in the nursery was unwillingly awake too. Their eyes were half-closed and they yawned every few heartbeats. It looked like Yellowkit wanted the whole camp to know she was going to be Goldheart's apprentice.
"She woke you up too?" came a voice behind Echokit. She turned around to see Whisperkit padding over to her.
"Yeah," replied Echokit, yawning.
"Well at least she's excited. I mean, I would be. Not many cats follow that path," meowed Whisperkit.
"Yeah, a little too excited is more like it though."
They both laughed.
"Want to go get some fresh-kill?" asked Whisperkit, "I'm so hungry I could eat a fox!"
"Sure," Echokit replied, purring with amusement.
As the two sisters stepped out of the nursery, Echokit realized that it was still dark out. The sun hadn't even come up yet!
"It's not even sunrise yet! Yellowkit!" Echokit sighed.
"I know. The dawn patrol hasn't even left yet. I wish we could go with them. I can't wait until we're apprentices!" Whisperkit squealed as they reached the old mossy log where the fresh-kill pile was. "We'll get to go on patrols, hunt for the Clan, and defend our borders!"
"And the best part is that we get to actually go to a Gathering and meet cats from all the other Clans!" Echokit joined in.
"I know! I can't wait to meet them! It'll be so cool!" Whisperkit meowed.
Echokit looked down toward her paws at the fresh-kill pile. She chose a nice big sparrow for them to share. They took their prey to the sunning-stones in the clearing, where they heard Yellowkit boasting to Aspenleaf and Prairiefoot, who were two younger warriors.
Echokit and Whisperkit glanced at each other and purred with amusement.
"Goldheart must have noticed my interest in healing and herbs, so he asked me if I wanted to be his apprentice and I said 'Of course!'" Yellowkit was bouncing with joy.
Aspenleaf purred with amusement and teased, "You'll have the whole camp know before sunrise, won't you?"
Yellowkit just beamed but said nothing.
Echokit sat down and watched Prairiefoot, his whiskers twitching with amusement as he listened to Yellowkit.
"I wonder if she woke the elders," Echokit meowed, "They wouldn't be too happy if she did."
"Yeah, Fogtail would be really upset she wouldn't have been able to sleep until the next moon!" Whisperkit joked.
"And Ferrettail would probably claw Yellowkit's ears off because she woke him up for something so 'unimportant'!" Echokit joked back and they both burst out laughing. "But I don't think Spruceclaw would mind, he's the friendliest of the three elders."
"Moonshine said it was because he only joined the elders a few moons before we were born," Whisperkit observed.
"Yeah, he hasn't picked up 'Elder's Disease' yet," Echokit purred with amusement.
"I hope you're showing respect for your Clanmates, all of them," meowed a voice sternly behind them. Both kits turned around and found themselves looking at their father, Rustypelt.
"We are," Whisperkit squeaked.
"Huh." Rustypelt looked unconvinced. "Now finish your meal. Then I want you to go back to the nursery where you won't cause any trouble," he scolded, "I won't have any cat, especially not my kits, disrespecting their Clanmates."
"Okay," murmured Echokit, avoiding her father's eyes.
Echokit and Whisperkit finished their sparrow in silence then got up and padded over to the nursery.
When they got there, they weren't surprised to see Yellowkit boasting loudly to Eaglepaw and Sparrowpaw that she was going to be the next medicine cat.
Echokit walked into the nursery and saw Cloverkit and Hailkit, looking relieved to see Echokit and Whisperkit coming back. "Thank StarClan!" meowed Hailkit, "We thought you'd never come back and that we would have to listen to Yellowkit telling us again that she was Goldheart's apprentice." He sighed with exasperation.
"Yes, we'll she's probably told the entire camp by now so she'll soon get over it." Cloverkit meowed.
"Let's hope so," muttered Hailkit. Then his ears perked up and he sniffed the air. "Seems like Eveningstar is awake, and he's talking to Twigfoot."
Echokit sniffed the air, and sure enough, she could smell Eveningstar and Twigfoot. "Wow, Hailkit!" she exclaimed, "you have a sharp sense of smell! I didn't even notice until you pointed it out! You'll be the best tracker DawnClan has seen for many seasons!"
Hailkit puffed out his chest, and then replied, "It's nothing, really."
They looked outside to see Eveningstar and Twigfoot in deep conversation. Then Twigfoot nodded to Eveningstar and joined Copperleaf and Twilightfoot, both senior warriors. The two warriors nodded to their deputy then sent their apprentices, Eaglepaw and Sparrowpaw, away to the apprentices' den looking confused but excited.
"What do you think they're doing?" asked Cloverkit.
"Well, Twilightfoot is Eaglepaw's mentor, and Copperleaf is Sparrowpaw's mentor; so maybe Twigfoot want to make them warriors!" whispered Hailkit, with a hint of jealousy in his voice.
"No, not yet," meowed Whisperkit, "Remember? Apprentices have to pass an assessment before they can be made warriors, and we would have known if Eaglepaw and Sparrowpaw had passed their assessments. It would've been around the whole camp by sunhigh, they would have made sure of it."
Echokit nodded and watched the warriors once more and saw that Copperleaf and Twilightfoot had left Twigfoot and were heading back toward their apprentices. Eaglepaw had a look of determination spread all over his face and Sparrowpaw looked scared but sure of herself.
"Yep, they're definitely having their assessments today," Echokit agreed enviously.
"Lucky furballs!" muttered Hailkit, "And we're not even apprentices yet! We have to wait three more moons!"
"It'll go by faster than you think," Whisperkit meowed, trying to cheer them up.
"Yeah, I don't know about that," Cloverkit sighed.
There was a silence.
"Look, the sunrise! I've never seen one before," meowed Echokit, gazing at the lightening sky. It was turning a shade of orange, and it looked a bit like Yellowkit's pelt. She looked around to see that not many other cats were enjoying the sunrise. They must have seen a lot of sunrises in their lifetime, especially when they go on dawn patrols, she thought. Lucky furballs.
"Come on," Echokit heard Twigfoot meow and she turned to see him talking to a group of warriors, "the dawn patrol is a little late." And he headed out of camp with Prairiefoot, Rustypelt, Aspenleaf, and Moonshine.
Behind them, Twilightfoot and Copperleaf were leading their apprentices out of camp to do their assessment. Sunfur, their mother, wished them luck and licked their heads before they left. Both apprentices trotted with heads high as they left the camp.
Eveningstar, the leader of DawnClan, padded over to Sparktail, who was sitting with two other warriors, Bronzepelt and Gravelpelt. "Sparktail, you can lead one, and Bronzepelt, you can lead the other. Pick whomever you like." And he leapt off the High-stone and padded over toward the fresh-kill pile.
"Okay," Bronzepelt meowed. I'll take Gravelpelt and Sunfur." Bronzepelt nodded to his patrol.
"And Creekfall and Meadowheart," Sparktail meowed to the two younger warriors, "you can come with me."
Echokit blinked as she watched the warriors bustle about and sighed, longing for the day she could join them.
"Hopefully I'll be able to lead a patrol one day," meowed Hailkit, puffing out his chest.
"I'm sure you will," Cloverkit meowed, nudging her brother playfully.
"Hey!" Hailkit yowled.
Cloverkit had just pounced on her brother and was tackling him to the ground. They tussled and rolled in the grass, kicking up dust. Echokit and Whisperkit burst out laughing.
"Can I play?" meowed Yellowkit, racing toward them.
Cloverkit and Hailkit stopped immediately, and Echokit and Whisperkit stopped laughing and turned to look at Yellowkit.
"Done enough bragging yet?" growled Hailkit, getting up to face his sister, "Going to pay attention to us again?"
"I was only excited," murmured Yellowkit, staring at Hailkit, looking shocked at his tone.
"You didn't think that the Clan would find out when Goldheart announced it?" Hailkit asked.
Cloverkit stared at her paws. It was obvious to Echokit that she was never really upset about Yellowkit's bragging. It looked as if Cloverkit thought Hailkit was overreacting. Echokit thought Cloverkit was right, and that Hailkit was jealous that Yellowkit got a special place in the Clan.
"I-I'm sorry, I told you, I'm really excited. I just wanted to tell everyone. I-I didn't mean to brag or anything," she meowed quietly, meeting Hailkit's eyes with determination.
"Yeah, we know, Yellowkit!" meowed Cloverkit, finally looking at her with a gleam of amusement in her green eyes, "I forgive you." She glared at Hailkit with a forgive-her-or-I'll-claw-your-ears-off look.
"Oh alright! I forgive you, but next time something exciting happens, don't go bragging to the whole camp and wake up every cat do doing it!" Hailkit grumbled, a hint of envy still in his voice.
"I won't," Yellowkit promised, "Now, can I play?" she asked again.
"Oh alright. Echokit! Whisperkit! Are you playing too?" Hailkit meowed.
Glad that their argument was over, Echokit replied, "Sure! What are we playing?"
"Hailkit and I could be NightClan warriors!" exclaimed Cloverkit, "And you three could be from DawnClan, and... and there's a battle over prey!" She nodded to Yellowkit, Echokit, and Whisperkit.
"Cool! Let's battle!" Hailkit yowled, racing toward Yellowkit.
Echokit looked around raced toward Cloverkit and bowled her over. She squealed then rolled on her belly and Echokit jumped on her. Then, Cloverkit unexpectedly kicked Echokit's stomach with her hind legs, launching her off.
Echokit turned and saw her own warriors being pushed into a corner by the NightClan warrior, Hailkit. She raced to their side and hit Hailkit's muzzle with her paw. Hailkit turned to face her and jumped onto her back. Echokit thought quickly and rolled over, crushing Hailkit. But it didn't work. When she stood back up, he was still on her back. Then, all of a sudden the weight was lifted.
Whisperkit had knocked him off of her! Echokit turned around to face Cloverkit again when she heard the sound of many pawsteps running toward the camp entrance. Echokit turned, waiting to see what had made the racket. Cloverkit stopped and got up, worry in her green eyes. Echokit sniffed the air and realized the dawn patrol was coming back.
They're back too early, she thought in worry. She recognized Moonshine, and Prairiefoot, and Twigfoot. But where was the rest of the patrol: Aspenleaf and Rustypelt?
The three warriors raced into the camp, each with claw marks on their pelts and dried blood crusting in their fur. Every cat in the camp turned to see what was happening, their ears perked in worry and surprise. Then Twigfoot halted abruptly and looked around.
"Eveningstar!" he yowled.