Warriors: Lurking Darkness

Chapter 4

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the high branch for a meeting!" Fallenpaw hears Daisystar's voice call from inside the apprentices' den. Fallenpaw gets out of her nest, noticing that Stonepaw is already outside.

How long did I sleep? Fallenpaw thinks. Well, my dream was interesting.

In her dream, ShadowClan was being led by a corrupt leader, Brokenstar, who led to the deaths of kits and drove WindClan out of their territory.

That ShadowClan territory was nothing like the one today though. It must've been very far in the past then. I wonder why we moved away from that marshy area. Fallenpaw thinks. She then quickly heads out of the apprentices' den so she doesn't miss the Clan meeting.

Once she walks out, she spots Plumnose and quickly pads over to her, sitting down beside her. She watches as Lilydawn exits the nursery, Hailkit, Sweetkit, and Spiderkit following closely behind her.

Yay! I hope they're becoming apprentices. I miss them, they were always nice to me. Fallenpaw thinks as she watches the kits follow their mother out into the clearing.

"Today, three young kits have reached the age of six moons, and are ready to become apprentices," Daisystar announces.

"Hailkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Hailpaw.  Your mentor will be Cinderlight. I hope Cinderlight will pass down all she knows on to you," Daisystar says, her half-blind gaze looking down at the white-furred apprentice, but then it shifts over to a silver tabby warrior. "Cinderlight, you are ready to take on your first apprentice. You have received excellent training from Nettlebreeze, and you have shown yourself to be a kind and courageous warrior. You will be the mentor of Hailpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."

Fallenpaw watches as Hailpaw pads over to Cinderlight excitedly, touching noses with her. The clan cheers. "Hailpaw! Hailpaw!"

Then, Daisystar's gaze shifts right over to Sweetkit.

"Sweetkit, you have also reached the age of six moons, and it is also time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Sweetpaw. Your mentor will be Nettlebreeze. I hope Nettlebreeze will pass down all she knows on to you," Daisystar says, her gaze shifting over to Nettlebreeze. "Nettlebreeze, you are ready to take on another apprentice. You have received excellent training from Marshshade and Ivyleaf, and you have shown yourself to be a loyal and skilled warrior. You will be the mentor of Sweetpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Fallenpaw watches as her friend pads over to the warrior, touching noses with her. "Sweetpaw! Sweetpaw!" The clan cheers. Daisystar then looks down at Spiderkit

"Now, Spiderkit, you have also reached the age of six moons, and it is also time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Spiderpaw. Your mentor will be Bournfrost. I hope Bournfrost will pass down all he knows on to you," Daisystar says, her gaze shifting over to Bournfrost. "Bournfrost, you are ready to take on your first apprentice. You have received excellent training from Ivyleaf, and you have shown yourself to be a strong and skilled warrior. You will be the mentor of Spiderpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."

Fallenpaw watches as Spiderpaw pads over to Bournfrost, touching noses with the gray tom. "Spiderpaw! Spiderpaw!" The Clan cheers.

"The clan meeting is now dismissed," Daisystar meows, leaping down from the high branch.

I wonder how Daisystar was blinded in one of her eyes. It doesn't look like she was born with it, she has a scar. Fallenpaw thinks. Her thoughts were then interrupted by Sweetpaw.

"Hey, Fallenpaw!" The tortoiseshell meows. Fallenpaw snaps back into reality.

"Oh, hey Sweetpaw. Congratulations," Fallenpaw meows to her kithood friend.

"Thank you, I can't wait to train with you and Stonepaw!" Sweetpaw meows cheerfully. "I missed you in the nursery."

"I missed being in the nursery, warrior training is hard," Fallenpaw admits, looking down at the ground.

"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it eventually," Sweetpaw meows. "We can help each other if we need it!"

"Yeah, that's nice of you to say," Fallenpaw meows. Sweetpaw was always the cat who was there for Fallenpaw when no one else was. She was always there to calm Fallenpaw down when she's frustrated with Fawnbriar or having a panic attack. Her and Lilydawn were cats who were always nice to her and she's grateful for that. She missed seeing them all the time.

"Sweetpaw, let's go!" Nettlebreeze meows, trying to get her apprentice to go with them to tour ShadowClan's territory.

"I gotta go now," Sweetpaw meows. "See you later!" She meows before dashing off towards her mentor, her littermates, and their mentors.

"Goodbye," Fallenpaw meows, watching as her friend dashes off.

"Fallenpaw, are you ready to go practice your pouncing again?" Plumnose then asks her apprentice.

"Sure," Fallenpaw meows, even though she didn't really feel like going.

"Okay, let's go then," Plumnose meows, leading the way out of camp and into the surrounding territory.