Warriors: A Twisted Path

Chapter 8

  Gingerkit grumbled as Flamepelt began to wash her pelt. Gingerkit could barely contain her excitement. She was becoming an apprentice today!
  As soon as Flamepelt finished grooming her, Drizzlestar yowled for the clan to gather.
  "This is it!" Gingerkit bounced around her mother. "We're becoming apprentices!"
Fuzzykit was beside Lightkit and Darkkit, and he looked up as Drizzlestar began to speak.
  "Four kits are of age to become apprentices." She started. "Gingerkit, Fuzzykit, Lightkit, and Darkkit, please step forward."
  Gingerkit looked at Wolfrunner as she stepped beside the others. He was looking at them with pride, and nodded to Gingerkit as he met her gaze.
  "Gingerkit," Drizzlestar beckoned to her with her tail. Gingerkit took a step towards the Hightree, her eyes wide. "From this moment on, you will be known as Gingerpaw. Leapfrost, I know you are ready to have your next apprentice. Pass all of your skills and knowledge to this young cat."
  Gingerpaw touched noses with her new mentor. She couldn't believe that she was the deputy's apprentice!
  "Gingerpaw! Gingerpaw!"
  Gingerpaw watched the rest of the ceremony, waiting patiently for her first assignment. Fuzzypaw was with Breezetail, Darkpaw with Redclaw, and Lightpaw with Doeheart.
  Two small kits ran out of the nursery, over to the new apprentices.
  "Wow! You're much cooler now that you're apprentices!" One of the kits said, a golden and spotted she-cat.
  "Yeah!" Agreed her sister.
  "Leopardkit! Sorrelkit!" Moondusk ran over to her one moon old kits. "What did I tell you about leaving the nursery?"
  The spotted kit, Leopardkit, sighed. "We have to ask you first."
  "Don't worry, Moondusk." Gingerpaw mewed. "They weren't causing any trouble."
  "Well that's good. These two are so full of energy, you could believe that they're already apprentices!" Moondusk purred.
  "Come on Gingerpaw! Our mentors are calling us!" Darkpaw growled.
  "Coming!" Gingerpaw said bye to the kits before racing after Darkpaw.
  Leapfrost, Breezetail, Redclaw, Doeheart, and Wolfrunner were waiting for them at the camp entrance.
  "Wolfrunner will be coming with us to help out." Leapfrost explained. "We're going to show you around the territory, and if we have time we might do some training."
  Gingerkit's eyes brightened. "Hunting?"
  "Maybe." Wolfrunner said with a flick of his tail.
  Leapfrost led the way out of camp, and everyone else followed. Gingerpaw walked beside Fuzzypaw and Wolfrunner. Darkpaw was in the lead with his father, Leapfrost. Lightpaw's mentor had her tail on her flank to guide her.
  They first stopped at a small river. Gingerpaw looked left, then right. It seemed to go on forever. Across the river was a small cliff, with a cave under it. She remembered when Wolfrunner had brought her here, almost a moon ago. That's when they also found Bluefeather. Her wound had healed pretty quickly and now she followed Wolfrunner almost everywhere, except for today.
  "This river runs through FireClan territory." Leapfrost explained. He pointed at the cave on the other side of the river. "It is forbidden to go in there, we don't know where it goes or what's inside."
  "I wasn't planning on it." Fuzzypaw whimpered.
  "Look!" Darkpaw yowled, crouching down by the river. "There's something silver swimming around!"
  Gingerpaw looked at the water. Darkpaw was right. There were a few specks of silver here and there.
  "Those are minnows. Not enough for a for meal, but for a snack..." Breezetail mewed, licking his lips as if he could taste the fish already.
  Leapfrost jumped across the river, and beckoned everyone else to follow. The warriors jumped across first, Doeheart had carried Lightpaw across.
  Gingerpaw and Darkpaw jumped over, landing on the other side. Fuzzypaw had stumbled a bit, but soon regained his balance.
  Gingerpaw followed the others as they walked through the forest. They stopped at The Giant Oak, which Leapfrost explained was named after FireClan's first leader, Oaklight.
  "I climbed to the very top of it once," Leapfrost had also said. "When I was an apprentice with Drizzlestar and Blackstar."
  After that, they went to the WindClan border, then to the ShadowClan border. Finally, they stopped at the training hollow.
  Leapfrost turned to look at the patrol. "We have just enough time to do some training. How about we do some basic hunting practice?"
  The other mentors nodded and Leapfrost looked at Wolfrunner. "You can help train Gingerpaw with me."
  Wolfrunner gave a brief nod, and Gingerpaw couldn't help but feel excited. Wolfrunner was an amazing hunter, and he was going to help train her!
  "I already know she can do a hunting crouch, but why don't you just show Leapfrost what you can do?" Wolfrunner asked Gingerpaw.
  Gingerpaw immediately dropped down in a hunting crouch. She smiled in satisfaction as Leapfrost nodded approvingly.
  "Very good." Leapfrost flicked his tail towards a leaf not too far away. "Try stalking that leaf without making a sound. Keep your tail away from the ground."
  Gingerpaw started forward, putting her paws gently on the ground. She made her way to the leaf silently, then got ready to pounce. She sprang forward and pinned down the leaf, lashing her tail.
  "I did it!" She exclaimed.
  "She might be ready to hunt real prey." Wolfrunner said to Leapfrost.
  Leapfrost nodded. "Yes, but let's save that for when everyone is ready."
  Gingerpaw frowned. She didn't want to have to wait for everyone else to be ready! She was ready now, and she could catch real prey if they would let her!
  Gingerpaw looked at Fuzzypaw as he struggled to get the hunting crouch right. At this rate, she would never be able to hunt.
  "I know what you're thinking," Wolfrunner said from beside her. "But it won't be long before you can hunt. The others will get the crouch down soon."
  Gingerpaw sighed. "Okay. I just want to make everyone proud."
  Wolfrunner purred with amusement. "You already did, and I'm sure our clanmates would agree."

  Gingerpaw followed Leapfrost into camp, the others behind her. They had been training until nightfall, and now she could finally eat and rest. On her way to the apprentice's den, she grabbed a mouse.
  She lyed down in front of the den beside the other apprentices.
  Once she finished her meal, she lyed down in her nest beside Fuzzypaw, and closed her eyes, thinking about hunting as she slowly drifted to sleep.