Jayflight's Vision (UNDER EDITING)

Chapter 18

*above is my pfp btw* *ignore the black paw*

Jayflight licked her paw and drew it over her ear. The dawn light was just starting to trickle into camp, illuminating the dew that sparkled on the pines with a bright shimmer.

Today, she remembered, was-

"Our apprentice ceremony!" Heatherkit shouted as she and Blackkit bounded out of the nursery. "Finally!"

The kits trampled through the camp, and a few moments later, their mother, Lynxfur, grumpily came after them, still tired. "Come here you two! You can't be apprenticed looking like that!" 

Lynxfur grabbed Heatherkit by her scruff, and licked down the fur that was sticking up on her back. "Moooom!" Heatherkit whined. "Do we have to do this?" 

"You want to look good for the Clan, don't you?" Lynxfur said inbetween licks. After a few more complaints, Heatherkit gave up and sat, annoyed, with her mother until she was clean and Lynxfur moved onto Blackkit.

Jayflight chuckled, remembering how excited she had been as an apprentice. Absolutely bouncing off the walls- not much had changed. 

Jayflight stuck her front legs out in a stretch, and saw Ravenclaw come out of the warriors den.

As he padded out from between the small clump of trees and brambles where the warriors den was located, Jayflight dropped into a crouch, and when Ravenclaw turned around to head into the center if camp, she pounced.

She landed on top of his chest, and he made and oomph sound as she prodded him with sheathed claws.

"Aughh, he's down! Pssh pshh, bam bam, Jayflight takes the win with a killer blow!" Jayflight purred and imitated a crowd. "Woo woo! Yeahh!" 

Ravenclaw was still pinned, and he was laughing. Jayflight loved seeing her brother laugh, as it seemed rare these days. "This is why you are not a warrior."

"Come on, get up, I beat you, you can bow down and worship me and my amazing warrior skills later." Jayflight said, and Ravenclaw let out a snort as she lifted her paws from his shoulders.

The two siblings began to walk into camp where cats were beginning to gather for the oncoming apprentice ceremony that Heatherkit had made everyine aware of.

There was a large pine tree in the center of ShadeClan camp, and the lowest hanging branch on the tree was called StrongBranch, since it had never broken, through all the leaders that ShadeClan had that had made announcements on it, or the terrible storms that whipped the branches. 

Sunwatcher padded up to Jayflight and Ravenclaw. "Good morning, Ravenclaw." Sunwatcher adressed him. Ravenclaw nodded back as a greeting.

"Jayflight, can you collect some chervil? After the ceremony, of course. Swiftfall's bellyache really wore out our supply." Sunwatcher asked. 

A few cats away, Swiftfall, one of the Clan's young, bubbly warriors, shifted awkwardly. A few days ago, Swiftfall had eaten a stale piece of prey, and had had a raging bellyache for days. 

Jayflight dipped her head. "Of course." Right after she replied, Twigstar jumped onto StrongBranch, and meowed for the Clan's attention. 

Once everyone settled down, Twigstar spoke. "Today, we welcome two new apprentices into our Clan." Heatherkit and Blackkit were practically bursting with excitement at the foot of the tree. 

Twigstar flicked her tail for the two soon-to-be-apprentices to join her on StrongBranch. After the kits jumped up, Twigstar began, "Heatherkit, do you promise to learn the ways of the warrior and protect and serve your Clan?"

"I do." Heatherkit's voice was brimming with determination.

"Then by the poweres of StarClan, until you recieve your warrior names, you will be known as Heatherpaw. Your mentor will be Swiftfall." Swiftfall stepped out of the crowd, and jumped up onto StrongBranch. The branch swayed, but true to its name, didn't break.

Twigstar turned to Blackkit. "Blackkit, do you promise to serve your Clan through thick and thin and learn the ways of the warrior?" 

"I do." his reply was steady and firm.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, until you recieve your warrior name, I prounounce you as Blackpaw. Your mentor will be Driftbreeze." 

Well, that makes sense, since Swiftfall and Driftbreeze are sisters, Jayflight thought as she cheered the apprentices new names with the rest of the Clan.

As the new apprentices and mentors left the camp to go on their tour of the territory, Jayflight remembered that she had to go collect herbs. 

"Hey, Jayflight!" called the voice of Ripplemist. "Want to share this mouse with me?"

"Sorry, Ripplemist, I can't, I have to go collect herbs." Jayflight replied. "Maybe when I get back?"n th

Ripplemist nodded. "Sure." he said and trotted off to return the prey to the pile. Jayflight quite liked having her father in camp- he brightened things up for her.

When Jayflight stepped into the forest, the scent of pine trees filled her mouth and nose. She took herself down towards the edge of Clan territory, where chervil grew.

As she followed the path, Jayflight's mind began to wander. Her thoughts skimmed through things she often thought and sometimes worried about, such as Darkspirit and Ivythorn, and what their next move would be- she hadn't seen Darkspirit in a while. But she was almost positive that Darkspirit or Ivythorn had been the one who attacked Sunwatcher moons ago, when she was an apprentice. 

Once she got to the clump of chervil by the twolegplace, she bent over to pick some with her jaws. She had a huge pile and was about to pick it up when she heard a loud snap of a twig, and then something hiding.

Jayflight dropped low into a crouch, and peered through the bush to the territory past hers. What she saw and scented almost made her jump out of the bush.

It was the spotted, green eyed tom she'd seen moons ago!

Jayflight ducked back into the bush, hoping the tom hadn't seen her. She was on the verge of standing up and shouting something at the tom, but when she looked up, what she saw made her stomp her paw in frustration. 

He was gone.