Warriors: Rise of the Shadows (Book 1)

Chapter Thirty-Three

A full moon elapsed and life was terrible under Larchstar's cruel rule as leader of FireClan. Kits were apprenticed at 3 moons old, elders were killed when being unable to serve their Clan after being forced to hunt, and cats rarely eat without Larchstar's order.

Sweetscent got "special treatment" by her leader by being his second-in-command. The deputy was forced to agree with apprentices training with their claws unsheathed and slaughtering those who dare speak out against Larchstar.

Sweetscent rose to her paws, her fur fluffy and gleaming as she had just finished washing it only moments before. She padded out of her own den and looked around, seeing Podpaw and Graypaw speaking quietly outside the apprentice den.

Barkkit and Birchkit were wrestling just outside the nursery with Cloverbud watching closely. The two toms were due to become apprentices at any second and Sweetscent knew that it would most likely destroy Cloverbud if she saw her kits fighting when they should still be at the curve of her belly.

The deputy's ear flicked as Larchstar left his dark den and leaped onto the Tall Rock. "All cats old enough to kill, gather here now!" He called, waiting as his malnourished Clan gathered beneath the stone.

Sweetscent sighed and joined her leader on the ancient rock and sat down, refusing to meet the gazes of her Clanmates. 'StarClan help us all.' She thought, paws shifting.

"Barkkit, Birchkit, come forward." The tom commanded, looking at the two young kits who were much too small to become apprentices. "Barkkit, from this moment on you will be known as Barkpaw. Your mentor will be Owltalon."Barkpaw nodded nervously and tottered towards the white and towering she-cat and touching noses with her, having to rear on his hind legs in order to do so. "Birchkit, from this moment on you will be known as Birchpaw. Your mentor will be Nightclaw." Nightclaw was a black she-cat with indigo eyes and had joined the Clan along with numerous other cats after the battle. Larchstar called out another name, much to Sweetscent's surprise. "Goosepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Goosebreeze. Ryepaw, from this moment on you, will be known as Ryedust. Graypaw, from this moment on you, will be known as Grayoat. Podpaw, from this moment on you, will be known as Podheart." The tom stopped to take a breath and continued. "Willowpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Willowrunner. Lastly, Sharppaw, from this moment on you will be known as Sharpsnap." 

Sweetscent looked at the new warriors and apprentices as the tom dismissed the meeting and sighed. "My Clan will never be the same," she murmured and leaped down from her perch and began to assign the patrols.