The Leaders Apprentice

Rabbitfrond prodded her three large tabby pelted kits as she emerged out of the nursery. Knowing that her first litter of beautiful and healthy kits were about to be apprenticed brought an immense amount of joy flowing fourth into Rabbitfrond's heart.

Stripedkit meowed to her mother "Stop it were not kits anymore mother. Were about to be warriors!"

Goldenkit glanced at her sister and chuckled, but her brother didn't find his youngest sisters actions amusing at all.

"You know, were about to be apprentices instead of warriors.What an utter mouse-brain. I feel like you should stay in the nursery if you're going to act like this." Emberkit sent a contempt filled gaze towards Stripedkit, much like the look an elder would shoot an annoying apprentice.

Brindlestar saw the little family of four emerge from the the Windclan nursery, lively with chatter.

He eyed the larger kits as they drew nearer, quickly doing a last minute appraisal of them in his head.

It had been a hard leaf-bare for Windclan, and only two set of kits were born within the past 6 moons. One set of three, and the other a set of four. However due to the shortage of food, three of the seven kits born hadn't been strong enough to make it to this new leaf.

They had recently lost two tunnelers lives in a flash flood, and a tunneler apprentice to a sudden cave in only a moon later. Worse yet two of their oldest moor-runner warriors would most likely be retiring to the elders den in the coming moons due to old age.

Brindlestar sighed to himself and lamented his clans prospects in the moons to come.

" Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey now gather beneath the tallrock for a clan meeting!" Brindlestar announced as he perched himself comfortably on the tall boulder located in the middle of their clan's camp.

Cats streamed out of the dens, and made their way to sit around the boulder.

Hawkfeather his deputy padded to sit down near the front of the gathering cats.

Brindlestar scanned the clearing briefly with his eyes before clearing his throat and speaking.

"Windclan, it is now time to announce the joyous occasion of naming new apprentices."

Emberkit, Goldenkit, and Stripedkit shuffled up to the front with looks of apathy, calmness, and excitement written on their faces.

"Stripedkit, step forth."

Stripedkit was shoved forward by her mother Rabbitfrond to greet the leader of their clan.

Brindlestar turned his head towards a certian spot where some of Windclan warriors, tunnelers and moor-runners, were gathered for the meeting before his gaze fell upon the kit in front of him.

A small dark brown kit, with faded black tabby colored markings that adorned her coat, paded forth. The she-kit that looked no bigger than 3 moons old greeted his view.

Holding back his slight misgivings, Brindlestar exhaled once before he began the appretinceship ceremony.

"Stripedkit you are now six moons old, it is time for you to become an apprentice, from this moment on until you receive you warrior name you shall be called Stripedpaw."

"Stripedpaw! Stripedpaw! Stripedpaw!" chanted the whole clan, the tunnelers especially hard.

"Every apprentice needs a mentor, and after careful consideration I have decided Sandfur shall be your mentor. Sandfur is one of our best tunnelers Windclan has. A warrior who is diligent yet also knowledgeable and quick-witted. It is my great hope for our Windclan that you too shall someday be one of the most knowledgeable and quickest tunnelers in the clans."

Sandfur got up from his spot near the front of the gathered tunnelers and stepped forward swishing his tail.

A average sized light brown tom-cat who always had a perpetual frown on his face, suddenly changed his usual expression and in place of it came a smile.

Stripedpaw leaned foward and touched noses with this warrior and introduced herself.

"I am Stripedpaw, I'll be in your care from now on, I can't wait to show you what a great tunneler I'll become!"

"Its good to see your eager, let's get out of your siblings way now." Sandfur said after briefly touching noses with Stripedpaw and turned around and marching off to a nearby corner of the camp, switching his expectant gaze on his new small apprentice to quickly follow his lead.

After cocking her head to the side in a questioning way, she heard Brindlestar from above her clear his throat.

"Ahem."

Suddenly getting the implication of her mentors gaze, and leaders rebuttal, she hastily made her way to her new mentors side and turned her attention to her leader once more.

Emberkit scoffed at his foolish sister and eyed the warriors nearby them, hoping to guess who Brindlestar had chosen for his mentor.

He hoped it was Houndchaser. An honorable and lithe looking moor-runner senior warrior who he heard about once in a nursery tale, that had once chased off a two-legs dog by himself earning him a nasty looking badge of honor. The badge of honor taking the form of a scar located on his neck that caused half his neck fur to be missing and never grow back.

Or perhaps the young deputy Hawkfeather.

Who was rumored among those in camp to have been the cat to have pushed the old Riverclan leader Fawnstar into the Gorge many moons ago as a newly appointed moor runner, during a bad prey and border despute near the Gorge.

They say the old leader of riverclans body wasn't found for half a moon, and was actually found in Thunderclan territory.

"Emberkit, come forth. It is time to recieve your apprenticeship."

Brimdlestar gazed down at the little orange tabby tom and did a cursory gaze at Rabbitfronds direction..

A long-faced dark grey she-cat with no markings, somehow gave birth to so many tabbie kits.

Brindlestar knew that the late tunneler Leopardtooth was their father, but the fact that they didn't have spots like him continued to perplex the Windclan leader.

'Nevermind, all that matters is that these kits become Windclans new strength...' Brindlestar thought to himself.

However, this young Tom who padded forth to become an apprentice was seemingly foul tempered, it seemed he would have to try and put this one where he wouldn't cause trouble like some bad tempered young Tom's he already knew.

Brindlestars gaze involuntarily wandering onto his deputy Hawkfeather for a few seconds, and the young deputy itmediately sensing his leaders gaze landing on his pelt.

Hawkwfeather understandably feeling abit perplexed, looked at his leader in slight confusion.

This only stoked Emberkits ego making the young Tom think that perhaps he was getting the deputy as his own mentor.

Brindlestar yanked his gaze from the deputy and back onto the young Tom in question.

"From today forth, until you get your warrior name, you shall be known as Emberpaw, may your heart, knowledge, and loyalty to our great Windclan burn bright in the countless moons to come."

The camp full of cats, seeing their leader add some extra words Emberpawa apprentice ceremony, called his name with great fervor.

Expecting him to become someone great in the future due to the leaders seemingly extra attention to the flaming colored tom-cat apprentice.

"Emberpaw!!! Emberpaw!!Emberpaw!!!!" yowled the clan in excitement.

Noticing the unexpected fervor, Brindlestar let out a internal groan.

"Due to many losses in out clan recently it is in our best interest that I name Shalepelt as Emberpaws new mentor. I know that this will not replace the late Goldenrodpaw, but I hope Emberpaw lives up to his legacy."

Emberpaws faze froze, hearing his leader name a tunneler as his mentor. This undoubtedly meant that Brindlestar intended for him to become a tunneler, instead of a moor-runner.

A few cats in the clan looked at Shalepelt sympathetically, while even more at her with abit of jealousy. Afterall, she had been assigned a new apprentice only last leaf-bare.

Shalepelt had lost the last most recent tunnelers apprentice excluding Stripedpaw, who was Goldenrodpaw. Goldenrodpaw died from a tunnel collapse a couple of moons before Rabbitfrond gave birth to Emberpaws litter.

Shalepelt looked at Brindlestar as if he was the genderbent reincarnation of Windstar, and happily padded up to Emberpaw and leaned down to touch noses with her new apprentice.

Said new apprentice on the other hand, froze up, and just had a dull look in his eyes.

Hawkfeather, as if sensing the young Tom's disinterest in becoming a tunneler, snapped at him to hurry and pay his respects to his new mentor.

"Emberpaw, it's rude of you to keep Shalepelt waiting!"

Snapping out of his funk, Emberpaw shook out his pelt and puffed it up, making him look bigger.

'I'll just have to show Brindlestar, Houndchaser, Hawkfeather, and the rest of the clan how great I am at tunneling, and then they'll think of making me a moor runner so as not to waste this future leaders talents underground!' Emberpaw was internally burning with determination to rise higher within the clan. This would mark the begining of his journey towards becoming a great warrior.

If Hawkfeather or any other cat he had mentioned by name in his inner monologs found out what the young apprentice was thinking, they surely would have assigned him to elder tic duty right away for the next few moons.