AVOS Rewritten: Apprentice's Quest

Chapter One

Cats milled lazily throughout the Thunderclan camp as the sun began to set, sending pink and yellow rays across the stone hollow. Brightheart was carrying a large vole to the nursery where Ivypool was sprawled with Fernsong, her belly heavy with their kits. Alderpaw's mentor, Lionblaze, and his mate Icecloud lay sharing tongues just outside the warriors den, while his own parents, Squirrelflight and Shrewclaw, dozed a few tail lengths away from them. His sister Sparkpaw stretched her jaws in a gaping yawn.
"It hasn't been this warm in moons!" She murmured. Alderpaw distractedly nodded his agreement. His mind was far off, playing the day's earlier training session over and over in his thoughts.

"Try again," Lionblaze commanded. There was irritation in his mew, and Alderpaw's fur ran hot with embarrassment. He'd messed up the move multiple times already, despite all of his practice.
He crouched down again, preparing to spring at his opponent. Sparkpaw stood a few tail-lengths away, cleaning the dirt from between her claws. Though her bright orange pelt was ruffled and slightly battered from their training, she almost looked bored. His sister's expression sparked fury in his chest, and Alderpaw lunged for her blindly, forgetting completely about the move he was supposed to be practicing. She avoided him easily, simply dodging his attack and sending him plunging into the bracken.

Alderpaw turned to lick a sore spot on his pelt where the bracken had dug into his fur.
"You should go see Jayfeather," Sparkpaw murmured gently.
Hearing his sister fret over him brought back his feelings from the training hollow, and he just grunted in response, worried he might say something cruel to her if he spoke.
She doesn't mean any harm, but she doesn't understand.
He let his tail drag on the ground as he trudged across the hollow to the medicine den. Behind the curtain of ivy and vines, Jayfeather had his ear pressed to Briarlight's chest as she did her exercises.
"Really, I'm fine!" She complained.
"It's a miracle you didn't catch greencough this season, I want to make sure it stays that way."
Briarlight spotted Alderpaw then, her blue eyes brightening.
"Alderpaw! What can we do for you?"
Alderpaw felt his bad mood melt away at her cheerful greeting. Briarlight had been acting as Jayfeather's assistant in the medicine den since Leafpool had joined starclan, wanting to help but not necessarily wanting to become his apprentice. Her gentle energy was a comforting parallel to the medicine cat's stoicism.
"Im just sore from battle training," he meowed. Jayfeather let out a sarcastic mrrow of laughter.
"We heard you got shredded by Sparkpaw and some undergrowth!"
Briarlight flicked his flank with her tail, and Alderpaw felt a new surge of shame and embarrassment. Had Lionblaze told all of Thunderclan what a failure he was?
"Here, Alderpaw." Briarlight rolled a few small seeds onto a leaf and pushed it toward him. "These will help you get some good sleep tonight. Hang in there okay? You'll get it eventually!"
Alderpaw murmured his thanks and carried the bundle of seeds to the apprentice's den. He padded beyond his nest next to Sparkpaw's and settled on an empty patch of moss at the back of the den. His chest felt heavy, as if it was full of stones. Why did Sparkpaw have to be better than him at everything? She beat him in every training session, caught twice the amount of prey he did, even cleaned the dens and replaced moss bedding faster than him. Even the grumpy elder Cloudtail seemed to enjoy her company.
Every cat seems to think she's Firestar reincarnated! He thought bitterly. Then, he had another thought that made his stomach drop.
What if Sparkpaw was the normal one, and he was just a terrible apprentice?