Sparks of a Fire

Chapter 1

Kestrelkit jumped onto the top of the fern-coated nursery. She lifted her nose and tried her hardest to look like a regal leader instead of a tiny, fluffy kit.

"I, Kestrelstar, call all of you to a BreezeClan meeting!" Rookkit and Winterkit, her sisters, scrambled to attention, but Larkkit, her brother, just snorted.

"I should be the leader! You're just going to be a grumpy old medicine cat anyways!" Larkkit mewed rashly. Kestrelkit heard a hiss, and turned her attention to the left.

Leafcrackle, the Clan medicine cat, leaned out of his den and limped over to them. A tree-climbing accident when he was a kit had snapped his leg, leaving it broken and useless. Kestrelkit usually recognized him because of the lemony scent of herbs that followed him everywhere.

"I heard that, Larkkit!" he growled, fluffing up his dark red fox-like fur. Larkkit squeaked and ducked behind a berry bush. Luckily, Larkkit was saved from a cuff on the ears by Briardawn, the Clan deputy and Leafcrackle's aunt, who smiled and playfully cuffed Leafcrackle's ear instead.

"Be kind to them, they are your sisters kits!" the dark brown she-cat teased. Fawndapple, Kestrelkit's mother, had two brothers, Fernshade and Leafcrackle. Briardawn's sister, Echosky was their mother, but Kestrelkit didn't know too much about Briardawn's life, only that her littermates were called Echosky and Acornclaw, and that Echosky died a hero long ago, and Acornclaw died in the battle that Echosky helped end.

Briardawn didn't really have any kits, but she and her mate, Willowbrook, helped raise Rainfur and Frostwind when they were just tiny rogue kits that they found in the woods. So Briardawn was a very well-known and well-respected cat in the Clans, and that was just one of the many reasons she was the deputy.

Leafcrackle grumbled at Briardawn's words, but padded away, taking the lemon smell with him. Kestrelkit frowned, and licked her orange-and-white tabby paw. I wish I didn't have to have him as a mentor when I'm an apprentice! A rustling in the bushes startled Kestrelkit, and she jumped.

Fawndapple, her mother, was walking through the bushes with Springlight, a kittypet called Spring turned warrior, and Frostwind, a blind tom, each carrying a fat robin. Her mother had left tufts of her soft auburn fur in the bramble bushes behind her, which made the bushes behind her look like an overgrown fox. Kestrelkit stifled a giggle.

Fawndapple was not able to produce milk for her kits, so she had kept her warrior duties, and Jay, the mother of Thrushkit and Wolfkit, had nursed them. But now we are six moons old! she thought proudly.

Kestrelkit couldn't wait till Rosestar called a meeting to announce her and her littermates as true apprentice warriors of BreezeClan! But she would have to do something to pass the time.

She was about to ask Rookkit if she wanted to explore the territory, while Winterkit and Larkkit played mossball, but she was interrupted by Rosestar.

"All cats old enough to climb a tree, join beneath Highrock for a BreezeClan meeting!" Kestrelkit mewled in surprise, then trotted over with her littermates.

She squeezed past Barkmaple and Swiftstripe, and sat beside her mother, Fawndapple. Several moments later her three littermates joined her. Rosestar looked out at the Clan, her green gaze searching. It landed on Kestrelkit for a moment, and she blushed and licked her chest fur, self-conscious.

"Noble cats of BreezeClan! We gather here today for one of our most important announcements. The making of new apprentices!" Rosestar yowled. Winterkit squealed excitedly from beside her, and Larkkit bumped her flank playfully. Rosestar looked down at the four bouncing kits.

"Kestrelkit, Rookkit, Larkkit, and Winterkit, please step up to Highrock," she mewed. Kestrelkit dashed up to the top, trying to be in the front, but Larkkit was faster than her and beat her to the top. Winterkit was right after her, and poor Rookkit was last. Rosestar glanced down at the impatient Larkkit. She smiled at his large leaf-green eyes, which were widened in both nervousness and excitement.

"Larkkit, do you promise to listen to your mentor and uphold the warrior code?" she asked him, her voice steady and calm.

"Yes," he mewed, his fur fluffed up in anticipation. Rosestar smiled.

"Then, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Larkpaw. Swiftstripe," she meowed, pointing to the black-and-white tom, "will be your mentor." Swiftstripe happily padded up to Larkpaw and touched his nose.

"I promise to train Larkpaw to my best abilities," he meowed seriously.

Suddenly, a wave of nervousness shivered over Kestrelkit. She was next in line! Please don't let me mess up! she thought, both praying and pleading to StarClan. As she looked up at Rosestar's fluffy cream-and-brown face, she thought she saw a flicker of something in Rosestar's leaf-green eyes, but it flickered away far too quickly for her to judge.

"Kestrelkit, do you promise to listen to your mentor and uphold the warrior code?" she repeated. Kestrelkit nodded.

"Yes." Rosestar then spoke the words, just as Kestrelkit had dreamed of.

"Then, until you receive your full medicine cat name, you shall be known as Kestrelpaw. Leafcrackle will be your mentor." Rosestar mewed proudly.

Kestrelpaw expected to see hostility in the red cat's eyes, but she just saw kindness in their amber depths. He tapped her little soft kitten-petal-pink nose lightly with his rough pink-gray one. He looked up and nodded to Rosestar.

"I promise to teach Kestrelpaw everything I know," he mewed. Rosestar then named Winterpaw and Rookpaw, giving them Barkmaple and Fernshade as mentors. Kestrelpaw felt she might burst with happiness. I'm finally an apprentice! she thought, and padded over to the medicine den to start her training.