Warriors: Apprentice Quest 1

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Rockpile for a Clan meeting!” Mintstar’s voice rang out clear and confidant and made Silverleaf renew her frantic cleaning of all seven of us. Patchleg came to the nursery to guide us to our naming ceremony, and we walked/climbed/jumped over to the Rockpile in age order – the order we did most things – and sat as still as possible as Mintstar continued,
“Skyclan is blessed greatly to have Silverleaf and Patchleg’s kits reach their sixth moon without us losing any of them. Now it is my great pleasure to assist them in their next step. Thunderkit.” Mintstar surprised us all by calling the youngest forward, but Thunderkit padded forward solemnly until she was sitting in front of the Skyclan leader.
“You will be known as Thunderpaw from this moment until you have earned your Warrior name. Sandfire has shown great ferocity and courage, so he will mentor you.” Mintstar paused for a moment to allow Thunderpaw to pad up to a sandy colored tom with flecks of orange fur on his legs, who had looked awfully surprised to be given this honor. So that was Sandfire! Thunderpaw hadn’t stopped talking about him – as a grandfather figure – when we lived in the nursery… he touched his muzzle to Thunderpaw’s head, and then Thunderpaw licked Sandfire respectfully on the shoulder before Mintstar continued,
“Hopekit, from this moment until you have earned your Warrior name, you shall be known as Hopepaw. Heartsong has shown great endurance and determination and so will be your mentor.” Mintstar paused for Hopepaw to greet her mentor – a silver colored tabby tom – properly before calling,
“Fiercekit. From this moment until you have earned your Warrior name, you will be called Fiercepaw. Your mentor has shown much generosity and honor, traits I hope he passes on to you. Dragonfang will mentor you.” Several surprised murmurs came from this announcement, so Mintstar explained patiently that because there were so many new apprentices, some of the younger warriors were going to have to help mentor us. Once Fiercepaw and Dragonfang – a yellow colored tom with tufts of black hair sticking out like little ears all along his back and tail – had greeted each other, Mintstar went on,
“Tallkit will be known as Tallpaw from this moment on. Firestorm, who has shown great courage and honor, will be his mentor.” – Again a pause while Tallpaw met Firestorm, an orange tabby she-cat with red eyes, in the time honored tradition – then Mintstar surprised my whole family by skipping me entirely.
“Sunkit. From this moment on, you will be known as Sunpaw. Tailblaze, my dear temporary deputy, who has shown great loyalty and courage, will be your mentor. Silverleaf will resume her duties as Clan deputy now that you seven are out of the nursery. Tailblaze, please step down so that Silverleaf can resume her deputyship.” Mintstar paused as she waited for Silverleaf and Tailblaze, a white tabby tom with yellow eyes, to switch spots, and for Sunpaw to accept Tailblaze as his mentor. As soon as the cats had ceased moving around beneath the Rockpile, Mintstar continued once again,
“Violetkit. You will be known as Violetpaw from this moment until you have earned your Warrior name. Stormsand has already begun to show leadership skills and caring, and so will be your mentor.” Mintstar coughed a few times, a deep, rasping cough that left her nearly breathless and made me worry, both for her own safety, and that I wouldn’t get a ‘paw name. Songecho’s eyes went wide with horror and he jumped up next to Mintstar with amazing dexterity for such an old cat. While Songecho looked over Mintstar, Violetpaw padded up to another young she-cat, this one’s fur a dark brown with green eyes, and greeted Stormsand as her mentor. Even after Mintstar had finally regained her voice, Songecho didn’t leave her, so that when Mintstar announced,
“Mosskit has chosen a very special place in our Clan, and none too soon either. Songecho has agreed to mentor Mosspaw in the ways of a medicine cat before he has to retire to the elders’ den. Welcome, all seven of you, to Skyclan!” I had to climb/jump up to the Rockpile to greet my mentor. The second I licked his shoulder, the cats of Skyclan took to calling our names to the sky.
“Thunderpaw! Hopepaw! Fiercepaw! Tallpaw! Sunpaw! Violetpaw! Mosspaw! Thunderpaw! Hopepaw! Fiercepaw! Tallpaw! Sunpaw! Violetpaw! Mosspaw!”
I looked down at Skyclan, proud of my decision to serve them as the Clan’s medicine cat and saw pride in both Silverleaf and Patchleg’s eyes, and no malice in any other cat’s eyes – not even Tailblaze, who had just lost his deputyship to Silverleaf when Mintstar was so obviously close to leaving Skyclan for good. The calling of our new names and rejoicing in the promise of new Warriors didn’t last long, however, because after only getting each of our new names our twice, Mintstar started coughing uncontrollably again. Songecho tried everything he knew but Mintstar had given the last bit of energy she had in giving us our ‘paw names. With one last shuddering cough, Mintstar lost her last life. Songecho turned to my mother and Tailblaze.
“Silverleaf. Mintstar’s last act was to make sure you were the deputy when she died. You must name a new deputy before Moonhigh after you become leader and you must go to the Skyrock tomorrow night, after Mintstar’s vigil tonight to receive your nine lives. If you wish, I’ll come with you. Tailblaze. Mintstar still needs to be buried and we currently have no elders to prepare her body. Would you do the honors? Oh, and remember that Mintstar expects you to train Sunpaw everything you know. She trusted that you’d be able to do that without harboring any bitterness toward Silverleaf for retaking her deputyship right before she died. Perhaps you could teach all of the apprentices – mine included – how to prepare a body for vigil?” with that, Songecho leaped off the Rockpile – and me after him – so that Silverleaf and Tailblaze could jump up.
They worked together to place Mintstar’s body in the clearing underneath the Rockpile, so that the Clan could sit vigil for our leader. After her body had been moved, Tailblaze checked with Sandfire, Heartsong, Dragonfang, Firestorm, and Stormsand, to make sure they were all okay with what Songecho had suggested. Once he’d gotten permission from all of our mentors, Tailblaze took all seven of us to Mintstar’s body with mint and rosemary and showed us how to arrange Mintstar’s body so that her paws were under her body and the scent of death was partially covered with the scent of the herbs. Once we were done with that, Patchleg came up with his apprentice, a dark black she-cat with the bluest eyes anycat had ever seen named Skypaw, to show my siblings where they could sleep in the apprentice den. I started to follow my siblings – more out of habit than anything else – when the formerly lone apprentice started looking at me, embarrassed.
“Mosspaw!” Fiercepaw finally hissed at me, “you’ll be making your den in the medicine den now, not with us!” I blinked stupidly at my brother for several heartbeats before turning my paws away from my siblings and toward the medicine den with the Whispering Cave behind it. Songecho was waiting for me at the entrance to the medicine den.
“You and I? We’ve got a long few nights ahead of us. Silverleaf needs a medicine cat with her tomorrow night, but doesn’t think it would be smart for me to be there. She’s probably right – being exposed tonight will be bad enough for me for Mintstar’s vigil – I am NOT missing that – but I shouldn’t go a second night as old as I am. So, you get to go through your medicine cat apprentice ceremony right now – normally I’d wait until night, but I think Starclan will understand… you haven’t eaten anything today, have you?” after I’d assured Songecho that I hadn’t – I’d been too nervous to eat, and then Mintstar’s death killed whatever appetite I had left – Songecho continued to plan out our next two nights.
“Good. You can’t eat if you’re going to share tongues with Starclan. I think they’ll forgive us if we don’t wait until the quarter moon this time – though that is tonight…or was it last night? I get confused in my old age – we’ll go to the Whispering Cave now, sit vigil for the last member of the rebuilt Skyclan – Mintstar was just a kit when Firestar and Sandstorm came to rebuild Skyclan you know – sit vigil for her. Then get some rest - NO FOOD! – before I tell you kind of what to expect when Silverleaf goes for her nine lives. Come.” Songecho seemed to be in a hurry, so I followed him as best I could to the Whispering Cave, where he started the medicine cat apprentice ceremony,
“Mosspaw. Is it your desire to enter into the mysteries of Starclan as a medicine cat, to save lives of cats – no matter where they come from or who they swear loyalty to?”
“It is.” I was amazed that the rambling old cat I was used to had turned into Songecho – Skyclan medicine cat, clear-minded and sure of what he was doing.
“Then come forward.” Songecho waited for me to come closer to where he stood, both of us now almost touching the Shining Moss. “Skyclan cats gone to Starclan. I present to you this apprentice. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat. I pray you accept her as you once accepted me. Grant her your insight and courage so that she may understand you ways and heal her Clan in accordance to your will. Mosspaw, lie down here and touch your nose to the Shinning Moss.”
I followed Songecho’s instructions and found myself immediately with a lush forest area behind me, with a view of what I assumed to be the Skyclan camp dropping away in front of me. The first cat to approach me was a gray tabby she-cat that I recognized right away as Mintstar, though much more vibrant than I’d ever seen her in life. She nodded at me, then beckoned another cat forward, this one a silver tabby she-cat with green eyes that I knew I’d never seen before, introduced the new cat as Echosong, the medicine cat Songecho had been named after, and then turned and padded away from me. Echosong hushed my fears and told me to look again – closer this time – at camp. I did so and was amazed at what I saw.
Violetpaw was addressing the Clan from the Rockpile, with Fiercepaw sitting in the place deputies usually sat and somebody – I had to assume it was me – sitting in the place of the medicine cat. I leaned in closer, hoping to be able to hear something and was suddenly within my own – much larger – body at the base of the Rockpile. Hopepaw was speaking and I stopped wondering about this new body long enough to listen,
“…but, Violetstar, the rouges, loners, and kittypets barely honor the full moon truce. They won’t welcome us going into their territories to ask them a favor. We’ve handled the rats on our own millions of times, surely this new threat can’t be as bad as that?” I turned to look up at Violetstar, who was considering what my sister had said carefully, then out toward the rest of Skyclan. Murmurs of assent had greeted Hopepaw’s statement and Voiletstar had to yowl louder to be heard.
“Hopefur has a point, but Mossshine has made it clear that Starclan wants us to work with the other cats in our area in order to survive this latest threat. Dragonfang, I’d like you to take Firestorm, Sandfire, and Hopefur on a hunting patrol. No need for Stormsand and Heartsong to go hungry while we wait for…” all of the sudden I was hearing less and less of the meeting until I was aware of being back in my own body and blinking awake inside the Whispering Cave. Songecho’s eyes glistened as I followed him out of the Whispering Cave and into the medicine den where I’d be making my nest for the rest of my life. As we entered, Songecho reminded me that I was to tell no cat what had just happened and showed me where I could sleep. I had just finished making a nest for myself when Silverleaf called the Clan out,
“It is now time for Mintstar’s vigil. Thunderpaw, Hopepaw, Fiercepaw, Tallpaw, Sunpaw, and Violetpaw – you’ve just been appointed as apprentices, but I’m going to give you a Warrior duty. Someone needs to stay and guard the camp, and I expect you six to do it. The rest of Skyclan can do as they wish, but it is time to start Mintstar’s vigil, and I expect most of Skyclan may want to sit vigil for Mintstar.” Songecho started toward the clearing where Mintstar’s body lay – now groomed – but when he realized I was following, he stopped me and told me to sleep now as I wouldn’t have the chance to do so the next night, so I headed to bed while my siblings guarded camp (me) on the Skyrock and the rest of Skyclan sat vigil for Mintstar. My dreams were troubled and few. Skyclan was currently without a Starclan-appointed leader and I’d only recently became a medicine cat apprentice, but was expected to do the duties of a full medicine cat the very next night.
I woke troubled and cold. For a while, I couldn’t figure out where I was or why I was so cold. Then I remembered our strange apprentice ceremony yesterday and realized I had slept completely alone for the first time in my life. I was used to having my siblings’ warmth to keep me warm, but now they would all be sleeping in the apprentice den with Skypaw. Standing up and stretching, I checked the clearing for the rest of my Clan. Mintstar’s body had already been moved, and all of Skyclan was gathered around Silverleaf and Tailblaze, who were sending out patrols. When they saw me, Tailblaze nudged Silverleaf and both pairs of eyes lit up. It made me nervous until I looked around for Songecho and found him stubbornly refusing to move. Nodding to my leaders, I padded over to my mentor, “…so, Songecho, you said today was going to be a busy day for us preparing me for tonight?”
Songecho’s head popped up, partially surprised but mostly (it seemed) relieved. “Quite right! Come with me back to the medicine den and we’ll get started.” I followed Songecho back to the medicine den and the rest of the day passed in a blur of medicine cat ceremonies, duties, and herbs and their uses. The next thing I was really aware of was Silverleaf, poking her head into the medicine den, checking to see if I was ready and Songecho shoving me out of the den and grumbling, “She wouldn’t be, if you were going any further than the Skyrock. Since that’s all the further you’re going, though, she’s as ready as she needs to be.”
Silverleaf and I padded through the silent camp, going just fast enough for me to keep up through all of the jumps we had to make. We paused briefly where Starstorm – a dark blue queen heavy with her first litter – was guarding the camp from the Skyrock, to relieve her of that duty and for Silverleaf to send her to the newly emptied nursery. Then Silverleaf and I jumped up onto the Skyrock. We huddled together, mother and daughter, now soon-to-be Clan leader, and Clan medicine cat apprentice, the wind buffeting our fur while the moon raised higher in the sky until I guessed it to be about the appropriate height. I whispered,
“Now close your eyes and Starclan will come to us.” and closed my own eyes, not entirely sure what to expect. At first there was only darkness, then I grew conscious of Silverleaf shifting restlessly by my side. Eventually, she stilled; my heart quickened as I felt cold creeping over her, until she might have been a cat made completely of ice. When I opened my eyes, I was no longer on the Skyrock, but once again in that same area where I’d been last night, to be received as a medicine cat apprentice. The Skyclan camp was spread out before me with a lush forest area behind me. I looked around for my mother only to find her still asleep and cold. I lay one paw gently on her shoulder and breathed softly into her ear. My mother didn’t move – her ear didn’t even twitch. I was glad Songecho had warned me properly about this part, otherwise I would be certain my mother was dead. After several heartbeats that felt like a full moon each, Silverleaf sneezed and opened her eyes wide.
“What is this place? And where are the Starclan cats that are supposed to give me my nine lives? Maybe they didn’t want somebody who had children so recently to raise the Clan…” Silverleaf whispered (to herself), obviously both awed and confused.
“This is where Starclan will meet you, Silverleaf. Have faith.” I told my mother, and for the first time ever, actually sounded and felt like a medicine cat. As if my words were a signal, the stars above us began to swirl together into a silvery spiral toward us. We waited until the spiral slowed and the cats of Starclan stalked from the Sky. There were more cats there then I could possibly count in all nine of a leader’s lifetimes. I looked around at the cats gathered there and recognized a few of them, beginning with Mintstar, and ending with Echosong, wondering who my mother knew. Then there was one clear mew theat seemed to ring with every voice any cat had ever known and loved,
“Welcome, Silverleaf.” Silverleaf bowed her head, seemingly not knowing what to say. Then, out of the ranks of Starclan, Mintstar padded up to give Silverleaf her first life,
“With this life, I give you endurance. Use it to keep going and strengthen you and your Clan when you feel as though all hope and strength have left you in times of trouble.” Mintstar pressed her nose to Silverleaf’s head and I saw Silverleaf’s limbs spasm and her jaws gape in a soundless wail of agony as the life Mintstar had given her went through her.
Next, a powerful warrior came. A dark gray tom with pale blue eyes who introduced himself as Skywatcher. The honored Skyclan ancestor I’d hear stories of – along with Firestra, Sandstorm, Echosong, and Leafstar – growing up in the nursery touched noses with my mother, “With this life, I give you hope. Use it well to guide your Clan even when the darkest nights loom before you.”
Silverleaf barely breathed as the next cat – a tortishe-shell she-cat, whom Echosong (who had come to sit next to me for the ceremony) told me was Cherrytail, Silverleaf’s mother (which made me wonder who Silverleaf’s father was) strode up. Cherrytail touched noses with Silverleaf as she said, “With this life, I give you love and protection. Use it well to cherish your Clan as you cherished your kin, for now they are all your kin and look to you for protection.” Silverleaf was totally unprepared for the piercing agony that came with this life. Her limbs went rigid and she dug her claws into the ground, clenching her teeth on a screech of pain. I left her gasping, trembling on her paws. I wanted to do something for her, to ease her pain, but Songecho, and now Echosong, had told me there was nothing we could do.
But when a pale gray tom with white patches and very pale blue eyes introduced himself as Cloudstar, the Skyclan leader who had been driven out of the forest, Silverleaf straightened up, obviously honored that this cat would chose to give Silverleaf her fourth life. He touched his nose to Silverleaf’s head and said, “With this life, I give you tireless energy, humor, and faith. Use it to judge your Clan wisely, and to believe in your Clan and yourself. Know that you know the right path to take. You will know when to use humor for your Clan.” Silverleaf seemed to glow from the inside out as Cloudstar gave her his life.
Next came a light brown tabby she-cat who Echosong told me was Fawnstep – her mentor and Cloudstar’s medicine cat. She touched noses with Silverleaf and said, “With this life, I give you certainty and a life of healing wounds caused by words and rivalry.” Fawnstep’s life seemed to calm down the glow left over from the life Cloudstar had given. Silverleaf let out a purr of pure delight and looked around to find the next cat.
It was a dark ginger tom who next walked up to my mother – Echosong told me that was Sharpclaw, Leafstar’s deputy while he was alive – and told her, “With this life, I give you nobility, pride, and determination.” Silverleaf accepted this next life with caution, but it seemed to be a nearly painless life to receive. Her muscles bulged and I could tell she was willing to fight anything that might threaten her Clan for as long as necessary. To be perfectly honest, she scared me once she was done receiving the life Sharpclaw gave her. I knew I never wanted to meet this cat in a battle.
Leafstar – a brown-and-cream tabby she-cat with amber eyes – came next, and touched her nose to Silverleaf’s head, “With this life, I give you trust, loyalty to what you know to be right, wisdom, justice, and understanding. Use it to listen to ALL members of your Clan, from the smallest kit to the oldest elder, for all have insights you do not. Even the smallest kit has very valid worries, and your elders have lived longer than most cats. Listen to your deputy and your medicine cat – they were given these positions for a reason. Remember this when you start to doubt them.” This life seemed to confuse Silverleaf greatly and she turned her head many different directions as if actually hearing many different voices and considering what each one had to say.
The next cat to come up was a dark brown tabby tom, introduced only as Hutch. “I have been privliged to walk these skies even after returning to my kittypet life. My Warrior name was Shortwhisker, and I’ve been given the honor of giving Silverleaf, the daughter of one of my other kittypet friends, her eighth life. With this life, I give you sympathy and compassion. Use it to judge those who do not embrace the Warrior way of life. Skyclan deals with many kittypets, loners, and rouges – some of whom eventually join the Clan – at the time of a gathering, mainly because that was the only time we could talk to my Skyclan Warrior friends without getting our fur ripped out. They respect the full moon truce only as long as you do. Cats outside the Clan way of life will respect you as the Skyclan leader, and may even come to you to help settle their disputes. This life is for those times.” Hutch touched his nose to Silverleaf’s head, filling Silverleaf with the life he had given her. Silverleaf purred a little with this life as well, then looked about for the last cat who was to give her a life.
To my surprise, it was Echosong who left my side to give Silverleaf her ninth life, “With this life, I give you courage, patience, mentoring, selflessness, and faithfulness. Use them to bouy up your spirits when you feel all is lost. Life will go on, and things will work out for the best.” Echosong seemed to be trying to get a lot of meaning in behind as few words and in as little time as possible. The two she-cats touched noses and you could barely tell that Silverleaf was getting a new life this time, the encounter was so brief. Echosong went on, “You will now be known as Silverstar and Starclan welcomes you as the next leader of Skyclan.”
Echosong started up the chant, and all of Starclan joined in, “Silverstar! Silverstar! Silverstar! Silverstar! Silverstar! Silverstar! Silverstar! Silverstar! Silverstar! Silverstar! Silverstar!”
The next thing I was aware of was Echosong’s lingering promise to help me throughout my medicine cat apprentice training, and blinking awake next to Silverstar in the pale early dawn light. Tailblaze and Sunpaw were waiting for us when we jumped down off of the Skyrock. Silverstar just nodded at the two of them and headed for the Leader’s den to get some sleep. I jumped the rest of the way down to the medicine den sleepily, nodded to Songecho, and curled up to get some much needed sleep. I had just started to sleep when I heard Silverstar, her voice still thick with grief, call the Clan to a meeting. The Clan gathered around the Rockpile, and Silverstar yowled words new, yet, familiar to me,
“I say these words before Starclan, that the spirits there may hear and approve my choice. Tailblaze will be the new deputy of Skyclan.” Tailblaze, from his perch on top of the Skyrock with Sunpaw, nodded his agreement and flicked his tail toward the leader’s den, indicating that he’d perform as Skyclan’s deputy so long as Silverstar agreed to go get some rest. Songecho came out of seemingly nowhere and sent me off to bed as well. I curled up and was quickly greeted by a dreamless sleep.