Chapter Text
It was strange not seeing Bluefur padding around camp like usual. Runningpaw’s mentor was changed to Windflight, and then everything was done. Everybody thought Thistleclaw, who was a candidate for deputy, would be made so, but instead Sunstar chose Leopardfoot. It was quite strange, and the black she-cat wasn’t quite confident at first. But she tried her best. Even Stormtail, Bluefur’s own father, didn’t even seem to miss her.
Mosskit didn’t know whether she should miss her or not. Naturally, she felt those little pangs of sorrow every time she thought about her, but then she remembered all the pain she’d caused and they disappeared. She just wished she could have spent more time with Bluefur before...all of that happened.
Sometimes Mosskit saw the elders or warriors whispering about Bluefur and Mosskit, but she could never catch what they were saying before Thrushpelt or Icykit distracted her. And all of her attention was thrown onto Robinwing’s new kit: Longkit, named for his extra long tail that seemed to stretch all the way around him. He was a cream tabby with dark black stripes like Fuzzypelt’s color.
It was odd to see a kit younger than Mosskit was. He was just so helpless and small. She wanted to play with him, but he wasn’t old enough yet. He just watched Icykit and Mosskit wrestle when his yellow eyes opened.
Of course, Robinwing was very protective of him. Whenever he ventured farther than a fox-length away from her, she’d go over and scoop him up. He was a very indignant cat as well, which made it even funnier to watch him mewl in protest whenever she brought him back to her ginger belly.
Mosskit was occupied with Longkit, sure, but she was more excited about her apprentice ceremony. It wasn’t far, and as another moon passed, she was getting antsy to become one. Icykit was, too. He’d try to sneak out behind the new warriors: Tigerclaw and Whitestorm. Once he got all the way to the place Tigerclaw had attacked him before they noticed him there.
Mosskit had always liked Whitestorm. He was a kind young tom, and he never bickered or fought with anybody. Thrushpelt said he was like his mother, Snowfur. Mosskit always heard about her. She knew Snowfur had been a kind, caring cat, but she’d been killed by a ‘monster’ on the ‘Thunderpath’. It sounded terrible. But Whitestorm came around to the nursery every so often to play with Mosskit. She always saw something in his warm yellow eyes when she spoke to him. She knew he missed Bluefur...more than anything.
And Mosskit decided she did, too.
“Ugh, that tuft of fur keeps sticking up ,” growled Icykit, pressing his paws down on Mosskit’s tail. “You can’t have frizzy fur during our ceremony.”
Mosskit watched the sunlight float into the nursery, dappling the ground with yellow. Today was their apprentice ceremony, and she was terribly excited. She wanted to shout to StarClan! “It’s okay, I can get it,” she said, licking down the tuft with her tongue. It stayed for the time being.
“Do I look fine?” Icykit said, turning around. “Is anything frizzy?”
“No,” Mosskit replied. “You’re good.” She got to her paws. “Oh, I can’t wait till our ceremony. It can’t be long now, can it, Thrushpelt?”
The tom shook his head. “Nope. Sunhigh was what Leopardfoot told me. Sunstar should call the meeting anytime now.”
Mosskit’s heart fluttered. She was so excited she could hardly stand it! She was going to be able to do so much now that she was a warrior. And now that greenleaf was coming around, there would be nice, warm weather to run around in. Suddenly, Longkit’s mews caught her attention.
“Can I be an apprentice today, too?” he said, coming up to them with his tail in the air. It went all the way up to Icykit’s scarred shoulder.
“Sorry Longkit, but...you’re not old enough.” Mosskit mewed, smoothing down his frizzy tabby fur. “You still have a little bit to go.”
“How long?” Longkit mewed. “Like...a couple days?”
“No,” Mosskit purred. “Like five moons.”
“Aww,” Longkit’s yellow eyes glowed with disappointment. Robinwing just chuckled and pulled him back to her, smoothing down his pelt a bit better than Mosskit had. Her eyes widened when she saw a flash of black fur outside of the nursery. Leopardfoot was coming. She felt Icykit press into her, a twinge of nervousness in his gaze. “I’m not ready,” he murmured. Mosskit nodded in agreement.
“Hello,” Leopardfoot said, light dancing in her green eyes. “Are you two ready for your ceremony? The Clan is gathering now.”
“Can’t we have a bit longer?” Icykit looked up towards the sky through the patches in the nursery wall. “There’s at least a little bit till the sun’s all the way up. Right, Mosskit?”
She nodded again.
“Oh, don’t be silly, you two,” Thrushpelt said, pushing Icykit forward with his nose. He stood up and stretched his long legs. “Come on. I’ll lead you out. Coming, Robinwing?”
“Yes,” the brown she-cat responded. She let Longkit scamper around her paws as Mosskit and Icykit hesitantly padded toward the front of the nursery. Mosskit’s heart was pounding. It was hard to believe that a few moons ago, she’d been lying in the snow, nearly dead. Now look at her. She wished her littermates and her mother could be with her...she missed them so much.
But her attention was quickly pulled away when Thrushpelt led her out to the open camp. All the cats had made a space for her and Icykit to stand, and they were all looking at her. She lowered her head in sheepishness, eyes glittering as she stared at Whitestorm. He nodded encouragingly, while Tigerclaw, who was sitting beside him, just glared at Icykit.
Mosskit then glanced up at Sunstar. The bright ginger tom was staring down at them proudly. “Cats of ThunderClan, today is a momentous day,” he mewed. “Two of our kits are being made apprentices. One, a kit who nearly died in the snow. Another, a simple kittypet wanting to live the life of a warrior. But they will both be accepted as apprentices of ThunderClan.”
Mosskit stared at Icykit. He was looking up at Sunstar, smiling with more confidence. She tried to lift her head higher. She didn’t want to seem scared.
“Icykit, please step forward,” Sunstar ordered. The black tom got to his paws and padded ahead. “From this moment on until you receive your warrior name, you will be called...Icypaw.” His gaze scanned the Clan. “You will be mentored by Lionheart. Lionheart, you have been a warrior for a few moons, and you deserve an apprentice. I hope you’ll pass your wisdom onto this young cat.”
The golden tom smiled, getting up and going over to Icypaw. The two touched noses, and Lionheart sat beside Icypaw, his tail resting on his new apprentice’s. Mosskit’s heart was beating faster now. Everybody was looking at her, and not all the faces (especially the elders’) were kind.
“Mosskit, please step forward.”
The gray kit got to her paws and did so, trying to seem confident. She could hear mutters, and her ears flicked, trying to drown them out. “From this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be called...Mosspaw. Your mentor will be Goldenflower. Like your brother, you deserve to teach an apprentice your skills. Goldenflower, I hope you will pass them onto this young she-cat.”
Mosspaw watched, relief flooding her heart, as Goldenflower got up from the crowd. “I’m so excited!” she whispered as she touched noses with Mosspaw. “You’re gonna do great.”
Mosspaw just giggled. She was so happy she got a cat she knew!
“ThunderClan, I hope you will accept and value these two apprentices until they become warriors.” Sunstar said, putting extra emphasis on the accept part. Mosspaw sighed, but Goldenflower just smiled at her. Then she raised her muzzle.
“Mosspaw! Icypaw! Mosspaw! Icypaw!”
Thrushpelt joined in, whole-heartedly, and then the rest of the Clan did too. Mosspaw closed her eyes, relishing in the sound of her new name. She knew she was going to be a good apprentice, and she was going to help her Clan. But she would also find the answers to the questions pressing on her mind…