Swiftstar's Prophecy - Unofficial version

Chapter Twelve

The big, mottled tom made his way to Swiftpaw. She only reached his stomach when the calico she-cat compared herself to her large mentor. He lowered his white muzzle, and she pressed her nose against his. Then the tom murmured nothing to her, and sat quietly down. So did she.

"Maplekit, from now on until you recieve your warrior name, you shall be known as Maplepaw. Blazestripe shall be your mentor." Maplepaw marched right up to the approaching flame pelted tom and touched noses, before he respectfully licked his shoulder.

"Ripplekit, from now on until you recieve your warrior name, shall be known as Ripplepaw! Thrush-heart shall be your mentor." The gray tabby tom looked down to Thrush-heart, and he touched her nose gently.

"Webkit, from now on until you recieve your warrior name, shall be known as Webpaw! Snaketail will be your mentor." The tiny she-cat proudly padded up to the deputy, and they touched noses. The look of amusement washed over Webpaw's eyes as Snaketail stooped low to touch her nose.

"Swiftpaw! Maplepaw! Ripplepaw! Webpaw!"

"Swiftpaw! Maplepaw! Ripplepaw! Webpaw!"

"Swiftpaw! Maplepaw! Ripplepaw! Webpaw!"

Swiftpaw heard Pricklepelt, Dovefeather, and Dapplefur calling the loudest out of all the cats. Swiftpaw puffed her chest out proudly, and lashed her tail. Finally, I'm an apprentice! She thought happily, and glared at the red leader retreating into the nursery for his new mate. Now I will show you what you left behind!

Blizzardtail lashed his tail at his apprentice, "Congratulations, Swiftpaw on becoming an apprentice." He spoke calmly, and already began to the camp entrance. She followed behind him easily and asked in an eager manner, "Are we going to see the territory first?"

"Why not? I was planning on showing you the best place to get moss," he remarked with a slight chuckle at the end. Swiftpaw blinked in slight confusion, before she brushed it off. "Can we find moss first, then? For Mousetail and Fogstorm," Swiftpaw suggested as they now left the camp. Blizzardtail looked back at her, this time he was confused. He stopped at where Swiftpaw had forked off to the Grand River when she was a kit, his paws resting on the wet grass path. "Huh, usually apprentices don't want to take care of the elders or kits first," he meowed. His tail flickered, and he made a sharp right and bore his way through tall reeds that loomed over Swiftpaw.

The calico apprentice followed, his large body making way for her to easily travel in the reed bed. She couldn't believe her eyes once they both emerged from the reeds into a small opening. Surrounding the clearing of pale yellow sand were short, willow trees with some uprooted roots and wildflowers blending in with the tall grass. "Oh, by the way, this is the Training Clearing, for training. Luckily, the sand here is soft for falls," Blizzardtail explained quickly, before he padded up to a fallen, much bigger willow tree, with moss spotted and covering the thick trunk. 

With ease, he leapt unto it, and motioned Swiftpaw to do so. She did with ease as well, and she could've sworn she heard him purr. "What?" she asked.

"I find it unique we both have powerful legs. Huh, maybe that's why Baydawn asked me to run for some herbs," he answered in half a murmur, before he set his large white paw unto a patch of moss. Lowering his snout, he snatched a mouthful of moss with ease, no mud at all. Swiftpaw observed how he used his paw for force but how quickly he grabbed the moss, so she went to imitate it.

"No, you're too tense," he murmured once she placed a ginger paw on a moss patch. She flicked her tail in confusion, and the white tom let out a sigh. "Relax, won't you? You're legs are way too tense." His paw swiped her hind leg, and she stumbled, nearly falling off the willow trunk. She yelped, receiving a chuckle from the old warrior. 

Not saying anything, she regained her position on the trunk and breathed in. Her tail uncurled, and she felt her paws go loose. Resting her ginger paw on a green moss patch, she observed where the moss would be easier to snatch from. Then, she opened her jaws and grabbed the moss. Pressing her paw down, she lifted her head, but only a piece of moss the size of (probably) Poolkit's paw was in her jaws.

"You grabbed too loosely," Blizzardtail meowed, and he lowered his muzzle to grab hold of the moss. "Like this," he instructed, his mouth full, before he let go of the moss. That's when Swiftpaw yanked the moss. Now it came off successfully, and she let out a purr of joy. Her mentor's blue eyes shone in amusement, before he murmured, "Good job, apprentice."

After collecting enough moss for the elders' and the nursery, they both padded back to camp. Blizzardtail held a more smaller piece of moss while Swiftpaw carried the rest. Her nose picked up the familiar scent of TideClan camp and her ears perked when she heard Pricklepelt's voice, "Swiftpaw!"

She turned her head to the brown tom and he purred. He ran up to her, forgetting all about his border patrol consisting of Mothnose, Fallowpaw, Alderstalk, and Mosspelt. "Wow, look at all that moss! For the kits, I suppose?" he asked her, his yellow eyes beaming with pride. Swiftpaw held back a loud purr just so she wouldn't choke on her moss.

Swiftpaw realized how much more of a father Pricklepelt was to her than Redstar ever. Even after Echoflower's... Pricklepelt always watched out for her and her littermates, just like his own kits. She admired his kindness, and gave her a slight reason why not to be very bitter towards anyone other than family.

"Yes. Surprising how eager she was to taste soil and vegetation," Blizzardtail muttered to him, and the two toms exchanged small chuckles. "Redstar picked a great apprentice for you, Blizzardtail. I just hope you can deal with her fits," Pricklepelt muttered the last part jokingly, before he darted into camp. Swiftpaw heard him and she yowled, "PRICKLEPELT!" But her heart was overjoyed, and she didn't run after him.

Once she and Blizzardtail entered the camp, the sun already began to set. "Take the moss and distribute it to the elders and kits," he ordered her, "And get some rest. At dawn we will go around the territory."

Her ears perked in excitement and she hurriedly went to the nursery with the moss. She didn't realize she left Blizzardtail with the last piece of moss until he called her back again. On her now final run to the nursery, she was about to enter when an all to familiar pelt slid out of the nursery. She recoiled back in anger, but also in fear, as the large leader brushed past her without a word, but his green eyes were proud, something Swiftpaw didn't see for moons. She wondered why, until the scent of blood hit her nose.

Lichenface has given birth! Swiftpaw adjusted her stance, no more hunched shoulders or an arched back, and breathed calmly. Something didn't feel right in her heart, but she marched on anyway. The first thing she saw was Briarkit bouncing to her, but next her amber eyes moved over to the gray queen.

Lichenface was nested near the front of the nursery. Her back wasn't turned on her, and she lay, staring at her three kits tiredly, her green eyes full of love. Swiftpaw laid her eyes on the three red-brown kits, all toms. Baydawn sat beside the queen, and his small paw nudged two of them gently. Realizing that the two toms were dead, Swiftpaw's heart ached for them, despite them being the result of her own father's affair. 

"He's the only survivor," Baydawn purred positively at the youngest, smallest kit, who suckled Lichenface's teat hungrily. The queen chuckled, and curled her body around all of her kits, whether dead or not. "Before they go, I want to name them, Baydawn."

"Name them?"

"Yes. My two older sons, and of course, my youngest." Her tail-tip rested on the smaller, but (older) dark tom, "He will be Antkit," Her tail moved to the bright-red tom nestled next to him, "Bumblekit." She stared at her only son, and lowered her muzzle to give him a generous lick on the ears. "And this one will be Flaxkit."

Something stabbed Swiftpaw in the heart. She didn't know what, but she just dropped all the moss in her mouth and left as quickly as she entered.

I'm so sorry for not updating in so long! School and finals are coming up! Ugh, STRESS! Then laundry tomorrow, I'm not feeling good... *sighs* Man, writing this was my only break. xD Thanks for reading and waiting!

-Morgan