Under the ever-shifting, dappled sunlight below a sea of fluffy white clouds, Lightstripe broke the silence between he and his apprentice first. Coming to a gradual halt, now amply distant from DawnClan camp, he turned, gentle and slow, to level with his young apprentice.
Ever since her ceremony, the previously energetic young she-cat had slowly sunken deeper and deeper into herself.
Now was no different.
Cautious and uneasy, gray eyes flickered only briefly to him before darting back away, studying the undergrowth.
"But," Lightstripe continued, slowly sitting down and curling his fluffy tail over his forepaws, "this kind of quiet is concerning. Care to tell me what's on your mind?"
Silent, contemplative, Sunpaw shifted uncomfortably, before she finally spoke.
In a tiny voice, likely a reflection of how small she truly felt, she spoke without ever looking at her mentor, as if afraid of seeing his expression.
"I feel... worthless," she murmured.
Lightstripe tilted his head.
"Why?"
As one of the deputy's daughters, Sunpaw had a better leg up in life than many cats in their clan. Yet even she seemed to be a victim of insecurity and the feeling of not being 'enough'--whatever that quantified to.
"It's obvious Brightpaw is better than me," she continued, frustration slowly bubbling up in her voice, lifting it higher in volume, "Why else would Darkstar choose to mentor her?"
Ah, well, that did deal a minor blow to Lightstripe's ego, but at the end of the day, he knew he couldn't compare in a young cat's mind when it came to their illustrious leader.
Humming in acknowledgement of her frustrations, he nodded, slow and thoughtful.
"Yes, I can see why you would think that."
Sunpaw's head jerked up, visibly stung by what seemed, to her, to be agreement, but she did not seem like she was willing to fight it.
Luckily for her, Lightstripe was nowhere near in agreement with her.
"But I don't think like that."
Getting back up, he slipped over to the young she-cat, and pressed his side against hers.
When he spoke next, it was in a softer, soothing tone, sympathetic to her emotional turmoil.
"Did Darkstar tell you directly that she chose Brightpaw because she thought Brightpaw was better?"
Sunpaw opened her mouth, hesitated, then quietly shook her head.
"Did Boulderfrost tell you she loves Brightpaw more?"
Again, Sunpaw thought, and then shook her head 'no'.
"It's hard not to get in our heads about these things, especially at your age. Darkstar may be our leader, but that doesn't mean Brightpaw is going to get any special privileges. She's going to learn what it means to be a fair, kind, and dedicated warrior, just like you, at her own pace."
Sunpaw, still looking unconvinced, didn't answer.
Not until Lightstripe bumped his head against hers, startling her into a meow of surprise.
"I may not be DawnClan's leader, but I promise I'll be the best mentor you could ever get. I'm gonna teach you so good that you're going to be the first apprentice to get your warrior name in under a moon!"
Unable to stop herself from giggling, Sunpaw could not maintain her gloomy energy with Lightstripe trying so hard to lift her spirits.
Purring, she bumped her head back against his.
"Thanks, Lightstripe."
"Of course, what is the best mentor ever supposed to do? Not comfort my apprentice?"
Leaning back to smile at her, the expression on the older tom's face soon became mischievious.
"Last one to the training grounds has to help pick ticks off the elders."
Without waiting for Sunpaw to reply, Lightstripe streaked off to the echoing call of an indignant 'hey!', their shared laughter ricocheting off of the tall trees as they raced.
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Ceremony days bore an infectious energy.
Slowly seeping throughout the camp, even the most exhausted elder and grumpiest warrior could not help but feel a lightness to their pawsteps, a birdsong in their heart.
Especially apprentice ceremony days.
It had been some moons since the tragic loss of Sunkit and Brightkit's kittypet mother, who had sacrificed herself in the name of her kits. Watching diligently over them, Darkstar felt satisfied in their growth under the wing of Boulderfrost.
Her deputy was the perfect kit of an adoptive mother to these kits.
Under her guidance, they flourished, and one would never think they bore soft kittypet blood.
These young cats were destined warriors, through and through.
"I am proud to call this Gathering today," Darkstar began, claws digging into the Great Oak at the peak of the camp to maintain her position, "to declare that we have two kits ready to graduate from the nursery, and begin their training as warriors."
From the collected group, there were yowls of excitement, cries of celebration for the two kits that they all knew were most deserving.
At the front of the group, framed by the midday sun, Brightkit and Sunkit sat with their mother, Boulderfrost.
Barely able to sit still, Brightkit visibly vibrated with her excitement, while Sunkit looked up frequently to check-in with Boulderfrost.
The pride on Boulderfrost's face warmed Darkstar's heart, and her eyes crinkled in a smile as she continued.
"Both now six moons, these kits have shown they are ready to join the clan."
With a swish of her tail, she looked down first upon Sunkit, who straightened considerably under her gaze.
"Sunkit, having reached the age of six moons, you are now ready to be an apprentice. From this day forth, until you are ready for your warrior name, you shall be known as Sunpaw. Your mentor shall be Lightstripe, who shall pass down his wisdom to you."
Another motion of her tail beckoned Lightstripe forward, who, with chest fluffed out, met newly named Sunpaw to touch noses with her.
No longer did she look to Boulderfrost, instead gazing up at Lightstripe with thinly veiled excitement.
"As one of our clan founders, you bear a wisdom that is an invaluable resource. Pass down all that you know to Sunpaw, so that she, too, may become a part of the foundation of this clan."
Lightstripe bowed his head, and Sunpaw, freezing, soon followed suit before both cats stepped back.
Darkstar turned her head, and looked fondly upon the overexcited Brightkit.
"Brightkit."
Brightkit practically leapt to her feet, tail high in the air, copper eyes glinting in the sun.
"You have also reached the age of six moons, and are ready to be an apprentice. Until the day of your warrior ceremony, you shall be known as Brightpaw. And your mentor..."
The collection of warriors looked amongst themselves, as none could recall Darkstar explicitly seeking them out to discuss mentoring Brightpaw.
From the Great Oak, Darkstar crouched, before she sprung forward, landing back into the grotto's clearing.
"Shall be me, Darkstar."
Brightpaw looked nigh ready to faint, and Boulderfrost's eyes blew wide as well, surprised by the turn of events.
A murmur rippled through the gathering of cats, and unbeknownst to Darkstar, in the background, a flash of jealousy lit in Sunpaw's eyes, her visible excitement dimming from a flame, to a mere ember.
"I promise to pass all that I know to you, and teach you the meaning of being a warrior," Darkstar said, and Brightpaw, recovering, stood especially straight as she met her leader's gaze.
"May we have many fruitful moons together."
As she finished her words, her tail lifted, and with it rose the voices of the clan.
Sunpaw! Brightpaw! Sunpaw! Brightpaw!
The forest was filled with their cheers of celebration as they cried out the new names of the two apprentices, with Boulderfrost yowling the loudest of them all as she stood tall and proud.
As the cries of celebration slowly faded, in the distance, Sunpaw excused herself to the apprentice's den, citing feeling suddenly unwell.
As she left, a wayward glance was paid over her shoulder, and enviously, she stared as Darkstar and Brightpaw touched noses.
"We made it, Darkstar."
With a voice full of bright, hope, and an underlying current of excitement, Boulderfrost, with tail slowly swaying, looks to her leader. Her sage-green eyes, once exhausted and burdened by their long journey from the Highlands they once called home, found new life, and at this sight, Darkstar, wearily, felt her own heart lift.
The moons their journey took had been long, arduous, and painful.
Never had she foreseen that they would be chased out by clans they had once shared tongues with, communed in harmony at moonlit gatherings...
But, there was little dwelling on the past.
The future was now, and it was bright, hopeful.
Glancing back, from her vantage point atop the hill leading down to their new camp, she watched as the remaining numbers of their clan followed.
So many precious lives lost--friends and family alike, gone in a flash of teeth and claw over dwindling resources.
Broken as they were, she had hope. Hope that this new land would mend the still-open wounds they were all healing from.
"HillClan will thrive here, I'm sure of it," Boulderfrost continued, her tail swaying in excitement.
The new leaf breeze was soft, gently flowing through their fur.
As Darkstar diligently watched, Oatkit tumbled through the plush, dense grass of the forest grotto with Puddleleaf swiftly rounding back to nudge her back to her feet, encouraging her onward to join her sister, Duskkit.
Further back yet, Elmstripe and Rimebright laughed and joked, while Burnetpaw, the clan's sole apprentice, tried to jump in with her own quips.
When no one paid her much mind, she conceded defeat, dropping back to join her mentor, Lightstripe, and the slow-moving medicine cat, Alderrustle.
"... No."
At her correction, Boulderfrost froze, then looked back to Darkstar in confusion, brow furrowing.
"HillClan is no more," said Darkstar, her voice decisive and firm. She had thought of this long and hard, ever since they left their ravaged camp to salvage what remains of their clan were left.
"HillClan... It died with Thrushstar, and everyone who died trying to keep our territory. Their legacy lives on, but, we'll never be the same."
Burnetpaw, after a quick bow of acknowledgement to her leader, bounded past into the heart of the grotto, yelling in giddy excitement as she verbally mapped out where each den should go, and her thrill to have her own bed to sleep in every night.
Apologetic, Lightstripe murmured for Darkstar's forgiveness for his apprentice's wild antics as he quickly trotted onward to rein her in.
But that infectious excitement only lifted Darkstar's spirits that much more, her tail flagging high, feeling the wind pick up at her back.
"This is DawnClan," she declared, "for our humble clan will represent a new beginning. May the fallen stars of HillClan look upon us favorably."
A goofy little kid, she’s like the classclown in the apprentice group. She never paid much attention to grumpy Falconpaw, but had a good time with everyone else. Lightpaw tends to prefer the company of her older siblings, a part of her aspiring to be just like careful, inspiring Torrentstorm, and goofy, charismatic Slateclaw.
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another clan founder has bit the dust at 157 moons 😔
cannot get over how he was jumped by a badger just completely out of nowhere. poor man couldn't enjoy the weather without a side of murder.
