Warrior Cats: The Four Clans

As soon as they were done grooming her, DapplePelt wished LeafKit good luck. She nodded, then trotted out of the medicine cat den, just as RainStar was leaping onto the HighBranch. Her call ran out across the camp, "Let all cats old enough to catch thier own prey gather below the HighBranch for a Clan meeting. We are going to make a few new apprentices today, and also, SongPool has accepted a kit to be her apprentice."

Every cat in camp came out of thier dens, or trotted over from their prey. RainStar continued, "SparkKit and EmberKit are a few days older than six moons. SparkKit, please come here."

SparkKit obeyed, and RainStar kept talking, using the formal words, "From this moment on, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be known as SparkPaw. ShadePelt? You were mentored by SharpFang, in his seasons as a warrior, and he did a good job teaching you. Do you promise to teach all of your skills and knowlegde to this young apprentice?"

"I do," ShadePelt replied, his eyes gleaming with ambition.

"Good... You are now SparkPaw's mentor. Teach him well," RainStar finished.

"Now, EmberKit, please step foreward."

SparkPaw jumped down from the HighBranch, after touching noses with ShadePelt, and EmberKit jumped up. "From this moment on, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be known as EmberPaw. DarkHeart? You have gone without an apprentice for several moons, and we all know that you want one. You were mentored by myself, and I hope you pass on everything I taught you to EmberPaw. Do you promise to teach everything in the Warrior Code to this young apprentice?"

DarkHeart jumped onto the HighBranch, nodded, then touched noses with EmberPaw. SparkPaw felt his excitement even from where he was. The whole clan called both of their names, "SparkPaw, EmberPaw, SparkPaw, EmberPaw!!!"

"Before we all get too excited for our new apprentices," RainStar broke in, "we have to welcome SongPool's newly selected apprentice."
 
SparkPaw was shocked. Who had SongPool chosen? Had she chosen LeafKit? "LeafKit is now six moons old. She and SongPool will travel to MoonCave tomorrow night, and LeafKit will recive her medicine cat powers. May they travel well," RainStar finished.
 
She glanced at her clan proudly, SparkPaw noticed, and let her sight linger on DarkHeart. What's going on between them? RainStar is a female leader- she can't have kits with him, or anyone! SparkPaw put the thought out of his mind, and padded over to EmberPaw to congratulate him. Then he stopped. He needed his mentor's permission! "ShadePelt? Can I go see EmberPaw?"

"Yeah. Be quick. I'm going to get in at least one lesson before the sun sets," ShadePelt answered.

SparkPaw trotted to EmberPaw, who seemed really popular with MudPaw already. They were talking, so SparkPaw sat right beside EmberPaw. "Hey, SparkPaw. What's up," EmberPaw asked.

"Just came to congratulate you for getting to be an apprentice. ShadePelt is gonna teach me something before sun down. See ya around," he said as he got up to run off.

As soon as he got back to ShadePelt, he was looking at him rather expectantly.

"I'd have thought you'd be a bit quicker. Come on."

SparkPaw followed ShadePelt to the training grounds, which were located right at the seashore, because the sand was very soft. No cat could fall and injure themself here, unless they twisted something. ShadePelt instantly crouched, crept foreward, and pounced. "That was how to sneak up on a mouse. Make sure your pawsteps light, and move slowly. Beware even the smallest twig, because if it snaps, then that mouse will hear it, then you just lost your dinner. You try," ShadePelt instructed.

After a single attempt, SparkPaw exactly copied ShadePelt's tracking technique. "Okay. Very good. Let's try it on a real mouse. Go hunt and bring be back three mice before sunset. I'll track you and see how you're doing. Think of it as an accessment," ShadePelt told him, then flicked his tail dismissively.

SparkPaw instantly ran off, with all the speed in StarClan at his paws. He stopped, scented the air, and instantly lowered himself silently into a crouch. He crept foreward, just as he had learned moments ago, then pounced, and finished the unsuspecting mouse off with a single bite to the neck. He buried the prey at a tree's base, then he crouched again. He saw a bird- a falcon- above him. He knew his fur didn't blend with the surroundings, so he crouched in a bramble thicket. But right before he got in it, the falcon saw him, and had almost latched it's talons in his back, as he turned upside down, and grabbed the falcon's talons. He brought it down to the ground, and bit it hard enough to kill it. He felt the feathered bird go limp, and he gazed silently, yet proudly, at his falcon. Not many cats caught falcons.

A moment later, he heard a sound in a nearby bush. He instantly pricked his ears, only to relax them as he saw his mentor looking at him proudly. "Well done, SparkPaw. A falcon is a truly respectable catch. You must show this bird to RainStar. She'll be pleased. By the way, I took your one mouse back to camp. We can retire for the night- this is more impressive than a clan's worth in mousetails," ShadePelt praised him.

SparkPaw picked up his falcon, and dragged it back to camp. Just as he walked through the clearing, he saw the whole clan eyes on him, burning into his pelt. They all gathered around him and started asking him a lot of questions.

"How'd you catch that?"

"Wow. How'd you manage to get that in your paws?"

"Isn't that falcon a bit tiresome to have to carry back here?"

He dropped the falcon for a moment. He heard the whole clearing become silent. He raised his voice, "I caught it during an assessment. It was over near the shoreline, where the six trees clear towards the streams."

He picked up his falcon, and dragged it proudly to RainStar, who was proudly looking at his catch. "Well done, SparkPaw. You spoke like a leader when the clan was questioning you, and you even caught an impressive looking falcon on your first hunt."