Chapter Text
The cats of the four clans weep, distressed. The sky cries thick droplets. Many retaliate, but all in vain. A glimpse of the last star that shined brought tears as it slowly dulls. The Dark Forest stood victoriously, basking in their own egos.
Among the woes of many comrades, a tiny, black-furred kitten meows out for his mother, who lied still while curling her cold body around him, as if an attempt to protect him from the harsh world he was born in.
Eleven moons have passed since then, and the cats of the clans now act under a new code that the Dark Forest requested.
“LuminousPaw?” A hoarse voice calls out; anger covering the little concern in their tone. “Here! Here!” A black-furred tomcat with cerulean-colored eyes and a light brown splotch around his left eye to his left ear chirps, gulping down a bit of a wood mouse he had hunted.
“Ey! I was worrie’ sick! What were ya thinkin’, runnin’ out without a word?” The large warrior yowls with a huff. He stomped his mitts with a loud thump, which intimidated the much smaller cat.
The warrior’s dark blue fur shone under small patches of moonlight that struck the inside of the den. His jarring and sunken-looking face was littered with healed scars, and one long scar that went from his right cheek to his torso. “I’m sorry, DuneHowl…I was just out hunting! Look, caught a mouse in the moors!”
LuminousPaw nudges the half-eaten body of a rather fat mouse toward DuneHowl’s legs.
Instead of taking his share, the warrior shoves the mouse out of the way and slams the apprentice onto the ground. DuneHowl marched to the apprentice, whom backed away uncomfortably from the towering warrior.
With a mopish expression, his strident voice pierced through the echoey den. “Are ya outta yer damn min’?!” His fierce glare and penetrating deep-emerald eyes startled LuminousPaw heavily.
“DustyStar woulda been at my throat if I couldn’t find ya! What were ya thinkin’, not tellin’ a soul o’ yer endeavors?” The mangy tomcat hissed, despite his attempts to calm himself.
“I-I’m ss-so-rry…” LuminousPaw winced; leaves soaked from the downpour of rain crunching under his pawsteps as he hit the back of the covert Apprentice Den. “Now sorry ain’t gonna cut it!” He spat.
The warrior shook his head and turned away from the apprentice with a slight stumble. “Follow.” He sternly ordered, though his tone seemed to have lowered from the aggressive yelling he previously spoke with. LuminousPaw cowered behind DuneHowl as they slowly strut out of the den.
Before leaving, DuneHowl grabbed the remains of the mouse. In the clearing sat a beautiful white she-cat that watched two kits rough-housing near the Nursery.
“SoftGeode! How are ya faring?” DuneHowl’s demeanor suddenly changed as he lowered himself beside the she-cat; dropping the mouse and gently prod it toward the queen.
“I’m doing quite well; how about you?” The queen spoke with a subdued voice that almost sounded like whispering. LuminousPaw sat on the other side of SoftGeode, basically distancing himself from his mentor. He felt awkward around him after their scuffle.
“That’s great ta hear! I’m doin’ fine, just had a little incident with this mouse-brain. Say, have you seen StormKit?”
The tomcat looked around the camp, and then back to SoftGeode with a stumped gaze. “Ah, StormKit? I believe she went to sleep after playing with those two-“ the lady was interrupted by the yelps of the kittens. “Hey! You two better not be hurting each other. HeartyYearn will have to patch you both up.” She pestered as the kits halted.
“Sorry!” They both yelled back before continuing, though much more careful. “Right, as I was saying, she’s back in the nursery after getting tired from all the playing. Why do you ask?” She meows, fixating on her mitts.
“Well, ya seem qui’e tired havin’ to deal with three kits every day. How ‘bout takin’ a break and lettin’ this fella,” the tomcat gestures toward LuminousPaw, “take care of ‘em for ya? Just for a bit. Ya deserve a break.” DuneHowl advised with a smirk.
That cheeky warrior! LuminousPaw screamed in his head things he wouldn’t dare for even the Dark Forest to speak of. LuminousPaw snarls and continues with his silent protests as DuneHowl continues his speech.
LuminousPaw stares at the sky and with a puff, rises with caution. He attempts to jolt off before the two take notice, but then before he could even make it past the Fresh-Kill Pile, DuneHowl put his tail in-front of LuminousPaw’s hind-legs, causing the sprinting apprentice to trip and lunge forward with a sharp turn.
The apprentice groaned in pain, grabbing at a small scratch from a stick that scraped his cheek.
His head spun from the rough fall. Slowly, he drifted unconscious. Thinking the two’d help him to the Medicine Den, he gazed at the older WindClan cats with heavy eyes. Instead, he watched as DuneHowl called for SoftGeode to follow. They seemed to be headed in the direction of WoodenHeart, the deputy.
The shut-eye would’ve felt better if it weren’t for the poking. His eyes scanned the area with blurred vision. A small red blotch in his vision. Is it blood? Oh Dark Forest…Please no! He squinted, trying to clear his eyes.
Upon his vision rushing back to him, he realizes that “blood” splotch in his view was a kitten. In fact, it was one of the kittens SoftGeode was looking after. Though, now it’s LuminousPaw that must watch over them.
“Are you dead?” The kit questions, poking the apprentice’s nose with an unsheathed claw.
With a startle, LuminousPaw jumps up, and may’ve accidentally whacked the kit in the jaw in the process. The red kitten propelled to the back of the- “The Nursery? Why am I here?!” LuminousPaw scoffs before staring at the kit. “You. What happened? Why am I here and not the Medicine Den?” The apprentice probed.
He then realized what he had done. “Ah—I didn’t do that, right?” He spotted a bit of blood coming from the kit’s mouth. “You sure did!” The kit spat, licking up the blood that rolled down her muzzle. “I-I’m so sorry, I-” Then,
WHAM!
The kit jumped into the air, jamming at LuminousPaw’s snout. Tumbling down, he felt his nose for any blood. Luckily, the one who dealt the blow was a small kitten.
“Payback! I don’t appreciate being hit like that, and then interrogated right after!” The kitten scowled with a mighty grin. “But to answer your question, that scary blue cat brought you in here and said that you didn’t deserve being treated with herbs. What’d you do to upset him like that?”
The kit shivered as LuminousPaw spiraled up, stumbling on his paws from getting hit right after awakening. “Now then, I’d say we’re pretty even now…” She declares, circling around the apprentice which really didn’t help the doubles of her that he saw.
“Introductions are in order!” The kit stopped at the center of the den, facing LuminousPaw with a valiant grin. “I, am the great, the one, theeeeeeee onlyyyy…CIDERKIT! Firstborn of SoftGeode at 5 moons old, and well-known as the future leader of WindClan!” She proudly blurts out, reeking of self-confidence and ego.
Not the good kind either.
“Right. Never heard of you until now. Anyways, I’m LuminousPaw.” He’d deadpan.
“Ugh, you’re one of those cats. Stop trying to act cool! Cause you’re so not!” CiderKit pouted, strutting closer to LuminousPaw.
“I’m almost as tall as you despite you being over double my age. How does that work?” She baits, seemingly to try to gouge LuminousPaw’s personality.
“Guess I just don’t grow as quickly as others.” He’d pull away from her, staring over at the clearing.
CiderKit followed his gaze and saw a hunting patrol returning from the area. “I’m getting hungry…mind getting me one of those mice?” She complains.
“I do mind. Go get it yourself.”
“I wasn’t asking I was ordering! I am the future leader, I’ll have you know! I’m hungry from all this talking, so go get me some food plebeian!” CiderKit pouts with curled ears.
“Spoiled fox-dung…” He’d mumble under his breath, but then remembered the words of DuneHowl.
“Fine! I’ll go get it, ‘Leader’.” He begrudgingly nods, scampering to the Fresh-Kill Pile that the warriors had just left. He stared down at the pile and a single, scrawny wood mouse stared back at him. “I’m sorry?” He’d look around at the warriors that just left the pile.
“Were they not a hunting patrol…?” LuminousPaw decided to just take what was left.
Before he could do anything, however, a gray tabby walks up to the pile with a strut of confidence. “Ah, did WoodenHeart not send out patrols at sunrise?” The tabby she-cat sighed before spotting the apprentice.
“LuminousPaw? DuneHowl was looking all over for you! Have you seen him already?” She smiled.
LuminousPaw was taken aback by a sense of warmth and tranquility overtaking his once irritated persona. “DustyStar! I uh…yes, I did meet up with DuneHowl…he sure wasn’t happy, to say the least.” He chuckled, glimpsing at the leader in shock.
I thought she was with WoodenHeart!
LuminousPaw then dove down to get the mouse. “Sorry, but that uh…CiderKit wants some prey. I can go out hunting if need be…” The apprentice’s voice is muffled by the prey, though not by much due to how skinny it is.
“Yes, yes that is perfectly fine. Also, you can just go on dusk patrols. If you’re hungry right now, you can hunt. However, I do not need you to get prey for me. I’m perfectly capable without a tomcat.” She chuckled, then gesticulating as a way to say goodbye.
LuminousPaw turned back to CiderKit, and dropped the mouse in front of her. “Ew.” She scrunches her nose.
“Just eat it. Dawn patrols weren’t sent out today so there’s not much in the pile. Just be grateful it ain’t crow-food.” The apprentice scoffed, sitting down on one of the nests in the nursery.
Before CiderKit could make any snarky remarks, a slightly smaller kit barreled into LuminousPaw. The kit pinned their weight onto the apprentice with a slight snicker.
Acting fast, LuminousPaw got some snow that was beside the moss bedding he rested on and threw it in the kit’s eyes, and then turning himself for his hind-legs to line up with their underbelly. He banged his still-hurting head on the kitten’s chest to knock them off-balance and then finally using his hind-legs to push them off all the way.
This fella was pretty strong, especially for a kit.
“Hah! You’re real good for an apprentice. Let me guess, you’re LuminousPaw? The apprentice to DuneHowl, the greatest warrior WindClan has ever known?” The new kit surmised, brushing off specks of dirt from their fur.
“Uh—yeah, how’d you know that?” LuminousPaw cautiously replied, licking his wounds except for the one on his cheek.
He’ll need to get HeartyYearn to cover that one up.
“Oh, come on now! You’re supposed to learn the name of every clanmate of yours before your warrior ceremony! It’s basic clan etiquette. How old are you again? Eleven moons old? Eesh!”
The kit kept digging into bad territories more and more. It was hard to control himself, but he held on, knowing what would’ve happened if he purposefully attacked a kit, especially with how bad he did with DuneHowl previously.
Must watch over them…
“Well, I’m DapperKit. Not like you’d know.” The tom-kit blared; his sleek, white fur shining under the sunlight.
“Mhm…got it.”
Great. We got an egotistical brat and a know-it-all. What clichés.
“Well, I believe I overheard DuneHowl saying you’re meant to be taking care of us. Like our servant! Ooh, like a kittypet!” DapperKit chuckled with CiderKit joining in soon after.
“Oh, why am I now a kittypet? Wouldn’t I be a two-leg? You’re my kittypets then!” He’d fuss. “Because you sure ain’t an apprentice,” he gestured at the den they were in, “or a two-leg!” DapperKit pointed to his four legs.
“I mean, I found you sitting in the Nursery. Did you get demoted back to kit for being too stupid?” DapperKit pried.
“No, I’m not stupid. I’m stronger than you’ll ever be.” LuminousPaw hoped he sounded cool. He really just strung a bunch of words together in hopes it was a good comeback.
The two kits looked at each other, horribly attempting to stifle their laughs. They immediately start hollering at the statement.
“Yeah-yeah whatever you say, muscle-for-brains!” DapperKit scrambled to CiderKit’s side as a call can be heard in the clearing.
The two kittens quickly pranced out of the nursery. “See ya later; beat you there!” CiderKit called out as they sprinted to the gathering of clanmates.
LuminousPaw knew that he would be ashamed to speak of being DunHowl’s apprentice if he lost to two kittens.
He scurried behind the two kittens, following closely behind the two seeming to wait for the opportune moment.
Then, as they almost made it to the semi-circle that was forming under the TallRock, LuminousPaw slid between the two and shoved them out of the way.
“Hah! You mouse-brains couldn’t dare defeat an upcoming warrior such as myself!” He howled, confidently strutting to the clearing.
Victorious!
“Hey! I’m still the future leader! Show some respect!” CiderKit yelps, spitting out some dirt she may’ve eaten after hitting the ground.
“And you won’t beat us next time!” DapperKit added on.
“Yeah!”
They rallied each other up as they brushed it off and awkwardly creeped into the open area so that they could join in on the meeting. What annoyances.