Featherstar's Destiny

Chapter 4

"Mintnose is your mentor",  Flickerstar meowed to Stormpaw. 

The two kits had reached their sixth moon. Silvercloud had woken them up earlier that morning so that they would be ready for their ceremony. 

"You need to look presentable for when your ceremony later", Silvercloud had meowed. 

"Lionfur is your mentor", Flickerstar told Featherpaw.  Featherpaw shook her thoughts away and padded up to where her mentor was waiting for her with an amused amber glance. 

"You don't seem thrilled to be an apprentice," he rumbled.

Featherpaw dipped her head, " I'm just nervous."

"Well don't be," the golden tabby tom mewed softly.

Tawnykit and Patchkit sat side by side as Thornkit yowled the new apprentices' names. Smokepaw padded up to the two apprentices and welcomed both of them warmly. Featherpaw jerked back with a grunt. Stormpaw nudged her to calm her down. She blinked gratefully at him before turning her head to look at Smokepaw.

"You are welcome to have Willowclaw's and Mintnose's old nests", Smokepaw told the two new apprentices. His amber eyes were looking towards her with warmth and happiness.  Featherpaw felt surprise rush through her and she looked at her paws. 

"Come on Featherpaw", Lionfur called. Featherpaw looked up and saw that her mentor was waiting impatiently for her. Stonepelt and Mintnose were pacing beside the golden tabby warrior.   Mintnose looked almost as excited as Stormpaw who was shifting his paws nervously. Featherpaw felt warm fur brush against her flank and she looked up to see Smokepaw pad past her and looked back at her with wide, warm amber eyes.  He padded up to Stonepelt with a sigh and sat down beside him. Stonepelt had watched the scene with a calm and  expressionless amber stare. 

"Why can't we go?", Thornkit asked Dawnmist with wide eyes. 

"You three are only a few moons old", the orange queen meowed and flicked the kit's flank affectionately.  Thornkit shrugged his shoulders and padded over to where Patchkit and Tawnykit who were tussling beside  Mistcloud. The dark she-cat sat and watched the kits with an interested look across her face. 

"Let's go",  Lionfur meowed to the patrol who was still waiting beside him. He flicked his tail for the patrol to follow him.  As the cats padded through the trees,  Featherpaw saw that Smokepaw had fallen into step with her. 

"How did you sleep last night?", he asked Featherpaw.

Stormpaw spoke up before Featherpaw could have a chance to answer.  "We were too excited to sleep last night", he meowed with a glance at Featherpaw.  

Mintnose flicked his tail for Stormpaw to come and walk beside him. The dark gray tom slowed his pace so that he could catch up with his mentor. Once Stormpaw was out of sight,  Smokepaw spoke up. 

"So, Featherpaw how's your day been?", Smokepaw asked.

"Great", Featherpaw muttered.

Before Smokepaw could reply, a movement in the bushes made Lionfur flick his tail. The patrol halted and watched as Lionfur sniffed the air. 

A brown-and-white tabby face poked out of the bushes. When her eyes spotted the patrol, the slender mottled tabby she-cat padded gracefully out of the bush and up to the border patrol. 

"Hello",  the tabby mewed softly. 

Before the OakClan patrol could say a word or lift a claw, a voice called out in a hiss.  A silver tom stuck his head out of the bushes and narrowed his eyes. He slid out and stood face to face with the mottled tabby she-cat. 

"You should have waited for me before rushing off,  Softpelt",  the silver tom hissed.

"I'm sorry Wingfeather", Softpelt sighed.  "Sootflame, you can come out now", she hissed over her shoulder and a lean black tom padded up to the cats and sat down beside Softpelt. 

Wingfeather flicked his silver tail. "I'm sorry about that", he meowed apologetically to the OakClan patrol. With a flick of his tail, he meowed,  "Come on ShadeClan." 

On the other side of the set of borders, a brown she-cat was fishing beside the stream with a small silver apprentice.  A dark brown tom appeared beside the two fishing cats and hissed at the OakClan cats. 

"It's okay Otterfur", the brown cat meowed.

"Streampaw put your fur down", a dark gray tom hissed.

"Let's go", Lionfur called.  The golden tabby was waiting patiently with his tail over his paws. Featherpaw and Stormpaw raced past Smokepaw and Stonepelt once Lionfur gave the signal to leave.  After showing the two new apprentices the territory and its borders with ShadeClan and StreamClan, the patrol went hunting. 

"That crouch is perfect",  Mintnose told Stormpaw.  The dark gray tom had dropped into a crouching position and was stalking forward slowly.  Featherpaw heard a rustle in the undergrowth.  Dropping perfectly into the hunting crouch, she stalked forward carefully.  With a huge pounce, she landed on the mouse and killed it with a swift bite to the back of its neck.  Suddenly, another mouse raced out of the undergrowth.  Featherpaw slapped it with her paw and killed it.  Lionfur looked in surprise as  Featherpaw pranced back to them with her catch.

"First catch ever!", Featherpaw mewed with pride in her blue eyes. Stormpaw's eyes widened in surprise. 

"Great job", Mintnose purred. 

A purr rumbled in her throat as she followed the patrol back to camp, her plumy tail high in the air.