Bloodshed

Chapter Nineteen

"Hey Blurrypelt." Shadepaw muttered sleepily as he approached the gray tom. He'd just woken up, and like usual, he felt like he hasn't slept at all.
"Morning." Blurrypelt greeted. He was sitting outside the nursery, his eyes glowing with pride. "Have you heard?"

"Heard what?" Shadepaw sat down, confused.

"Flamekit and Owlkit become apprentices today." He purred. Shadepaw lashed his tail. Great. "I'm going to mentor Flamekit, Stripedstar said so herself."

"Congrats." Shadepaw forced himself to purr. "What about Owlkit?"

"Moonbeam wants to mentor him." Blurrypelt glanced inside, where Moonbeam was bathing the two kits. "But Stripedstar is going to mentor him until she can leave the nursery."

"The leader?" Shadepaw spat, "Seriously?"

"Yeah. I suppose it's normal, he is her grandson and all." Blurrypelt glanced into the nursery again.

"Blurrypelt?" Shadepaw questioned.

"What?"

"Have you ever wanted to be deputy?" Shadepaw asked. There was no way that he could approach this casually; he just flat out asked him.

"Well, I suppose I could be, now that I have an apprentice. But don't you think the leader would choose a better fighter?" Blurrypelt sounded uninterested.

"I know a way that you could be." Shadepaw offered, "I'm going to rule the island one day, and I'd make you my deputy."

"Really? That's some ambition you have, Shadepaw." Blurrypelt wasn't taking him seriously.

"No, really." Shadepaw leaned in close so that no other cat could hear. "I'm training in the dark forest to become a leader. I'm going to create my own Clan, ShadeClan."

Blurrypelt's eyes went wide. "Is that just some thing you tell any cat?"

"What?" Shadepaw spat, "No! I want you to be my deputy. You're my friend, and I trust you to keep my secret."

"I'll keep it." Blurrypelt stood up, "But I'm no traitor. I'm not interested in being your deputy."

"Who says that being my deputy would make you a traitor?" Shadepaw demanded. Blurrypelt padded away with an agitated flick of his tail. For a second Shadepaw was scared that Blurrypelt would tell Stripedstar his plans, but the gray cat simply sat down by the apprentices' den with Snowpaw and Redshade.

Flamekit tumbled out of the nursery, with Owlkit and Moonbeam close behind. His ginger fur was neatly groomed and his green eyes shined with excitement. "Come on Owlkit! Come on!" He dashed into the clearing as Stripedstar appeared from her den.

The leader scanned the cave as she summoned the Clan. Cats began appearing from the dens. Shadepaw made his way towards the apprentices' den to sit with the other apprentices.

"Today, my grandkits become apprentices." Stripedstar purred. "Coldstream, my son, was surely upset that his kits had to join our Clan. But they did the right thing, and we will gain two warriors thanks to him. I hope that they will stay loyal to MudClan despite their GreenClan origins, and wish their parents the same. Let's begin."

Flamekit mewed excitedly. Moonbeam shushed him, while Owlkit licked the fur on his chest. Both kits were clearly excited to become apprentices, though Flamekit was noisier.

"Flamekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Flamepaw. Your mentor will be Blurrypelt. I hope he will pass down all he knows onto you." Stripedstar paused to lick the fur on her shoulder. "Blurrypelt, please come forward."

Blurrypelt stepped away from where he was standing beside Redshade. His brother murmured something in his ear, and Blurrypelt flicked his tail dismissively.

"Blurrypelt, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have recieved excellent training from Eagletail, and you have shown yourself to be smart and a wonderful hunter. You will be the mentor of Flamepaw, and I expect you to pass down all you know onto him."

Blurrypelt bent and touched noses with the new apprentice. The cats around them began to cheer, "Flamepaw! Flamepaw!"

Once the cheering had died down, Flamepaw settled down beside Echopaw. Owlkit stepped forward and stared hopefully up at the MudClan leader. As she repeated the words, her eyes gleamed with pride. "I will be the mentor of Owlpaw." She finished, "Until Moonbeam and her kits are allowed to leave the nursery."