Sundown

Chapter one(year one, moon three)

"Snipkit, wake up," a gentle voice meowed, accompanied by a soft nuzzling against his back.

"Not yet," he whined, pressing his eyes shut tighter and draping his white tail over his muzzle.

"Sweetheart, it's sunhigh. You can't sleep in all day," the soft voice meowed with a small laugh.

He begrudgingly opened his eyes, small rays of sun bursting through the bramble den, illuminating his snowy fur.

"Morning, Snipkit!" a black and dark ginger tabby tom mewed, bouncing over to him, his tail fluffed in excitement.

His sister, a small, gray marbled she-cat stood behind him, dragging her paw in the dirt. "You're going to be an apprentice soon."

"Yeah, he is! I bet he's excited!"

"Olivekit, what did I tell you about bothering your denmates?" asked a gray marbled she-cat with narrowed golden eyes, nudging him away from Snipkit.

"Not to," Olivekit mumbled, kicking a rock.

"Exactly. Now go lay down."

Olivekit trudged over to a nest and curled up, staring at the wall.

"Alright, well, want to go outside, Snipkit?" the silver ticked tabby asked, giving the top of his head a lick.

Snipkit gave a small shrug and trudged out of the den, the freezing wind nipping at his ear tips. "It's cold," he complained, rubbing his nose.

"It'll get warmer soon," the silver ticked tabby told him, giving his head a small, affectionate lick. "Why don't you go watch the warriors?"

Snipkit shrugged again and walked through the large clearing, the snow crunching beneath his white paws. As he settled down under the Meeting Rock, a messy furred ginger tabby tom tripped over him, slamming his face into the cold snow.

"I thought Woolymist cleared this place of all the stray rocks," the tom muttered, shaking his fur out.

"I'm not a rock," Snipkit stated, staring at the messy tom.

"Oh, it's a kit. You smell like snow."

"I'm Snipkit. Who are you?" Snipkit stared up at him, curious about this cat he'd never seen before.

"Lightpaw. The medicine cat apprentice," he muttered with an annoyed huff.

"You're the one failing to cure Parsleykit," the white kit stated, his tone nonjudgmental and passive.

"Who told you that?"

Snipkit shrugged.

A broad-shouldered, mottled blue-gray she-cat with striking amber eyes pulled herself sluggishly onto the Meeting Rock, the cold and lack of food clearly taking its toll on her.

"Let all cats old enough to hunt gather around the Meeting Rock." The mottled she-cat waited as cats gathered around, staring up at her, wondering what was going on.

Snipkit slid into the crowd and found the familiar silver fur of his mother.

"Today, we gather to celebrate the making of a new apprentice!" the leader meowed, her amber eyes locking onto Snipkit. "Snipkit, son of Mallowleaper, step forth."

Cats stepped aside to make way for the large kit.

"Snipkit, from this day onwards, you will be known as Snippaw and your mentor, if he accepts, will be Streambright. Streambright, your mentor Snipdusk taught you well, and I see it only fit that you teach the kit who bears his name. Do you accept this honor?"