Clouds passed over the bright shining sun in the sky, casting shadows down on the woods. Bird chatter filled the forest, a cardinal taking flight with the soft flutter of its wings, soaring over EarthClan's home below. Cats exchanged conversations as they milled through camp, the morning just beginning on a quite beautiful day.

"Are you excited?"

A pretty gray she-cat blinked down at her kit, orange eyes vibrant across her rather dull pelt. Pale red points dashed across her body, her plumy tail curled around her side. Though, her most noticeable feature was the mark that showed an orange cluster of flowers sprouting from her tail and resting across her back, looking like sunflowers blooming in the summertime.

Below her, a navy blue kit smiled back, his colored paws shuffling beneath him as he rubbed against her chest fur. His rather odd blue eyes closed, the red irises looking like sparks of flames against a blue sky. He had lighter blue, dark purple, and dark green speckles lining his socks, muzzle, back, and tail, a purr rumbling from his throat as he nuzzled his mother.

His mother. This pretty gray molly wasn't actually his mother. Long ago, much longer than Houndkit could remember, his parents had died and he was taken under the wing of his foster mother, Grayblaze, Sagestar making sure that he was well taken care of. Sagestar had been the sister of his blood mother, who's name was still a mystery to him, as was his father's.

Trying to push those thoughts away, Houndkit pulled away from Grayblaze, his lips peeled back into a smile. "I am." Being the only kit in the nursery had its pros and cons. No annoying cats to deal with, but also not anyone to really play with. However, now that he was going to be an apprentice, all of that would change!

Grayblaze drew her tongue over his head, pushing down the small navy hairs that stuck up. He let his foster mother groom him, blue eyes shooting open when he heard Sagestar's familiar voice ring through the camp: "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Highden for a Clan meeting!" Pushing down the adrenaline that pumped through his veins, Houndkit ducked away from Grayblaze and bounded out of the nursery.

He was truly amazed at the wonders of EarthClan. His Clanmates were a wide variety of colors, ranging from black to blue to yellow. Every warrior held a mark somewhere on their body that represented their personality, but also the element of the Clan they were in. Yes, elements, meaning powers. Every cat had a power. Even Grayblaze did! Apparently, apprentices had "a revealance" sometime during their training and would be granted a nature-related ability. Houndkit had been told there were two other Clans, but their names had slipped his mind; he had other things to worry about, such as leaving his foster mother and moving into the apprentices' den.

Houndkit flattened his ears as he tried to avoid the gazes of his fellow Clanmates. His heart pumped against his ribcage, his jaws slightly cracking open as he stepped in front of the whole Clan. Sagestar was quite an eye-catching cat; an elegant blue striped she-cat with darker blue dapples across her body, the same type of eyes that Houndkit held. White socks stretched up her legs and surrounded her muzzle, dashes and speckles of white around her eyes. She had a five-pointed star embedded in her chest, stuck in the middle of a vibrant green mark that covered her neck and shoulders, representing her being the leader of EarthClan. She looked a lot like Houndkit in a way; he'd either gotten his blue fur from her or from his mother... he supposed he'd never know.

"Today is a very, very special day," she began, her voice loud and clear as she spoke. "We have a kit becoming an apprentice; one of the most important steps to becoming a noble warrior of EarthClan." She flicked her tail, blue eyes flickering down to the small tom. "Houndkit, step up."

Feeling a shudder pass through his body, he trembled a bit as he stepped up, the adrenaline whizzing away as he met the eyes of his aunt.

"Houndkit, you have reached the age of six moons and it's time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Houndpaw. Your mentor will be Dawndapple. I hope she passes down everything she knows on to you." Sagestar flicked her tail, watching the regal she-cat pad up to Houndpaw. His eyes widened at the sight of her, a beautiful array of black and blues splattered across her pelt, splotches drenched over her back and under her belly, her amber eyes blazing against her bicolored fur.

She was an older cat, one that was greatly respected among the Clan. Her amber mark that stretched against her shoulder and down to her chest clearly represented the burning fire she held inside, the way she could topple trees over and destroy her enemies in mere seconds. Houndpaw had heard several stories from the elders and even from Grayblaze; he was greatly surprised to be apprenticed to her, but a spark of pride ran through his body. Houndpaw, having the great mentor Dawndapple? He'd be a legend among the Clans!

The rather short tom stood on his toes and touched his new mentor's nose, not being able to hold back the purr that wrenched from his throat. Houndpaw then remembered he was being watched by the whole Clan and felt his ears grow red, ducking his head and scrambling into the crowd.

"Meeting dismissed," Sagestar finally announced, much to Houndpaw's relief, disappearing into the dark den that was carved into the stone wall. He looked up to his mentor, twitching an ear as anxiety brewed in his stomach, cats dispersing and returning to their pointless chatter.

"Would you like to take a tour of the territory?" she asked, closing her eyes as she purred. Houndpaw felt happy that she was actually nice; he'd wondered for a few seconds if she was going to be downright horrible to be around... but that didn't seem to be the case!

"Of course!" Houndpaw exclaimed, a little too loudly for his own comfort. Dawndapple laughed and draped her tail over his flank, nodding. "Follow me, then," she said, turning and padding out of the camp.

Houndpaw had never been out of camp. His ears perked as he scrambled after her, his blue eyes flitting around the forest. A gasp nearly left his jaws as he truly took in the nature around him; great oak trees towering far above his head; birds chirping and fluttering into the air; the river rapids able to be heard this close to camp. He smiled and quickly caught up with his mentor, excitement brewing in his chest like a storm.

"Welcome to EarthClan's forest, small one," she rumbled, the she-cat looking mighty next to his small frame. The tom twitched an ear and smiled, trying to catch up with her wide steps, his brows narrowing in determination. His kit fur still clung to his pelt, but he noticed that his pelt was growing more fuzzy and even raggedy. He hadn't really noticed this until now, but pride swelled through him at this knowledge and he couldn't help but puff out his chest.

Pants began to huff out of his small maw, his odd-colored eyes widening when he heard bickering somewhere off into the forest. Dawndapple cocked a brow but didn't say anything, continuing to walk and leave Houndpaw pretty far behind. The apprentice again attempted to catch up, but two certain cats in a clearing caught his eye. He halted, dust clouding the air, his eyes narrowing as he watched through the bushes.

A huge tom with green stripes cutting through his snow-white pelt was standing menacingly in front of a smaller cat, who seemed to be his apprentice. The warrior had flashing sky-blue eyes, darker crystals of blue embedded inside. Houndpaw could make out the brown splotch on his side, which closely resembled a stone.

Standing before the white warrior was a sleek reddish-brown tom, black markings adorning his body, his dark brown eyes flashing with fury. His white-tipped tail flicked back and forth, flecked with yellow and gray, and Houndpaw managed to make out the faint blue-gray spots on his back. Several scars covered his broad shoulders, and his legs seeming to even be longer than even Dawndapple's!

"No! You're doing it wrong, stupid," the white tom hissed, curling his lips into a snarl.

"Why don't you show me how to do it then?" the apprentice snapped back.

The warrior took a towering step forward, claws unsheathing as he glared at the other tom. "Brutepaw, I—"

"Houndpaw! LightClan, what are you doing?"

The warrior's ears perked and he swiveled his head to the small navy tom, who backed away into the forest path and raised his muzzle up to Dawndapple. The she-cat narrowed her eyes at him, her tail flicking back and forth angrily. "What are you doing? Come on, we have no time to waste."

"I—I was just watching—"

Dawndapple didn't finish listening to what he said, casting a curious glance in the direction in which Houndpaw had been staring. She huffed silently, ears pinning to her head. "Tabbystripe and Brutepaw are idiots. Come on, pay no attention to them." The she-cat whirled around and was back to trotting down the slope, tail whipping behind her, not bothering to wait for Houndpaw. The small navy tom growled and ran after her, pushing what he'd seen from Tabbystripe and Brutepaw away.

Tabbystripe, eh? Houndpaw mused. Sounds like a kittypet. Sure didn't act like one, though...

"WHOOP! WHOOP!"

A loud, shrill screech—sort of like a chanting—rang through the forest, causing Houndpaw's ears to flick back, his blue eyes narrowing as he swiveled his head in the direction of the noise, cocking a brow as he looked over at his mentor.

Dawndapple looked exasperated. Again. "It's just those troublemaking apprentices again, B—"

"BOOYAY! OH SH—"

Houndpaw let out a squeal of shock, his heart jumping through his chest as a larger body crashed into him, the tom rolling with the other cat. He ended up on the bottom, groaning as he let out a cough, clouds of dust spitting from his jaws.

"Oh! I'm sorry there, kit. Wait, what are you doing so far out in the forest? Shouldn't you be in camp?"

Houndpaw managed to make out the sleek pelt of a solid black she-cat, noticing the white markings swirling up her body, curling around her shoulders. Her curious navy blue eyes examined the tom for a while. She was still standing over him, and didn't seem like she was going to be moving any time soon.

"Moonpaw! Get off him, will you? It looks like you're trying to molest him." A voice farther off caught Houndpaw's attention. He let his gaze rest on an incoming chestnut she-cat, a black mask covering her face that gave the small tom the chills. However, the most noticeable thing about her were her cloudy purple eyes, lighter specks inside that made it appear as if he were getting lost in a galaxy.

Wow. Way to be cheesy, the tom thought, snickering to himself.

"Please do." Dawndapple's voice rumbled in the air as she pushed Moonpaw off of Houndpaw, his mentor allowing the navy tom to stand to his paws, shaking dirt off of his short pelt. "And get out of here while you're at it, will you? I'm trying to give this new 'paw here a tour of the territory."

"Woah! He's an apprentice?" the chestnut-furred she-cat exclaimed, her eyes dazzling with interest. "He a runt or something?"

"Come on, Barbpaw!" Moonpaw scolded, shouldering her friend. "Be nice to the kit."

"I'm not a kit," he huffed. "My name is Houndpaw. I just became an apprentice."

Dawndapple stared at the two cats accusingly. "Clearly you weren't attending. Where were you two, hmm? And I saw your mentors in camp, so don't even use that excuse again."

"Again"? Houndpaw thought with amusement.

"Uhh.... haha... yeah... a-about that—" Moonpaw began, exchanging a nervous glance with Barbpaw.

"We were practicing our powers and such," the larger chestnut she-cat proclaimed, puffing out her chest. "Trying to uncover Moonpaw's and everything."

"Shouldn't Eveningtooth be helping you out with that?" Dawndapple questioned, narrowing her dim amber eyes.

"Well Fogbreath doesn't think it's a good idea to work with Eveningtooth. He says she's too... I dunno, I wasn't listening," Barbpaw retorted, leaning over to scratch her ear with her back paw. "I'll tell you who the Fogbreath is."

"Humph." Dawndapple let out a snort, tail lashing back and forth. "Run along then. And don't get in our way again, or I'll make Eveningtooth and Fogbreath work together." The two she-cats smiled widely in excitement. "Not in a good way. Have fun washing mouse bile out of your fur for days."

Barbpaw's face twisted into a look of disgust, the chestnut she-cat rising to her paws. "Fine. Come on then, Moonpaw! Race you to the river!"

"You're on!" the black apprentice responded, thundering after Barbpaw, the two disappearing into the foliage. Dawndapple watched them go, letting out a heavy sigh and turning her gaze toward Houndpaw.

"Looks like we'll never finish this tour," she teased, a smile brightening her features. "Come now, little one. We still have many things to check out."

࿇ ༻༝ ✿ ༝༺ ࿇

"Are we... nearly... done yet?" Houndpaw panted, letting his legs give way as he flopped to the dusty ground. Dawndapple turned to look at him, releasing a sigh as she drew her head forward, grasping the newly-made apprentice in her jaws. His body swayed back and forth as she began to carry him back to camp, Houndpaw letting his tongue loll out of his jaws as a nice breeze hit his face.

"Yes. We're finished," the she-cat purred through a mouthful of Houndpaw's soft navy fur. "Unless there's anything else you'd like to see."

"Is there... anything else to see?" he inquired, his voice heavy and raspy. He really needed something to drink after that tour. His legs ached and his whole body hurt. He'd be getting a great night of sleep!

The she-cat shrugged. "Not really. I figured you might want to meet the other apprentices, but I'm sure you'd rather rest."

Houndpaw was about to respond, his jaws opening to speak but he stopped before any noise came out, his eyes widening at the sight of a very... interesting cat from far away. It was funny; she wasn't very colorful compared to his other Clanmates, but her black pelt stood out against the greenery—and her eyes! They were red!

"Who's that?" Houndpaw asked, his ears perking as he ducked under Dawndapple's chin to get a better look at the she-cat.

"Who?" His mentor managed to follow his gaze and twitched an ear, a laugh wrenching from her throat. "Why do you want to see Bloodpaw? Do you already have a crush?"

"Dawndapple!" Houndpaw groaned, looking away as his ears pinned back to his head.

"Sorry, sorry," she chuckled, "It's just that I used to do that with my little ones—" The she-cat broke off, her amber eyes clouding with sudden pain. She quickly set her apprentice down, nodding at him faintly. "Y-Yeah... go on. Don't be long though."

"I won't," Houndpaw murmured, trying not to pick up on the sudden emotional pain that seemed to cling to her body. He watched her go, feeling his heart drop in his chest. Had he done something wrong?

"Hey! You're the new apprentice, right?"

Houndpaw nearly jumped out of his fur, spinning around with wide blue eyes, coming face to face with Bloodpaw. She tipped her head to the side, dark red eyes having a curious tinge to them. The tom had been too focused on Dawndapple to even notice the other she-cat. However, he pushed the thoughts of his mentor away, a small smile gathering on his jaws.

"U-Uh, yeah," he stuttered, feeling his ears heat up as he ducked his head. LightClan, what was going on? "Dawndapple just gave me a tour of the territory. I'm pretty worn out."

"Aww! You're so cute!" Bloodpaw purred. "I remember the first time my mentor showed me around. I was so exhausted! You sound just like me." This made Houndpaw blush furiously.

"Who's the new idiot?" an annoyed voice hissed from the treeline. Houndpaw lifted a brow and watched as a pretty simple-looking tan she-cat emerged from the bushes, looking lazily upon the tom.

"Houndpaw. Remember?" Bloodpaw answered, sweeping her tail around the navy apprentice and pulling him closer to her body. Houndpaw wanted to crawl out of his skin, anxiety tearing his insides apart.

"Oh. Yeah." Her sky-blue eyes didn't even cross over Houndpaw again, the female looking away as she rolled on her back, stretching her feet into the air. "What's he doing here, then?"

"He was just coming to say hello," Bloodpaw chuckled. "Can't you be a little friendlier, Ochrepaw?"

"I'll be however I please, thanks," Ochrepaw snapped.

"Ignore her," Bloodpaw huffed, stepping back from the navy tom and shuffling her paws. "Sorry. I know, no sense of personal space. I'm on it!" She took a few more large strides back, smiling widely. "That good?"

Houndpaw didn't even want to respond, sort of feeling like he was going to throw up. His head spun, his claws digging into the ground to balance himself. "Uh.... yeah. Thanks." He knew he was still flushing, but tried to ignore it the best he could. Hopefully Bloodpaw and Ochrepaw didn't notice.

"You look like a FireClan cat," Ochrepaw suddenly spoke up, much to Houndpaw's despair. "Why are you so red?" She leaned her head back, staring at the newly-made apprentice upside-down.

"I—I—" Houndpaw gulped, not being able to think of anything to respond. He blushed even more at her comment, ears flicking back.

"He's just a little scared, that's all!" Bloodpaw growled. "Just be nice for once, Ochrepaw, please."

"You're so bossy," the tan she-cat snarled, leaping to her paws. "Have fun with your new boyfriend, Bloodpaw. And don't say I didn't warn you! Cause I did! Or, I am now, at least!"

"Ugh!" Bloodpaw voiced her frustration, turning back to Houndpaw as her friend left the clearing with thundering pawsteps. "Don't mind her. She's always sort of a grouch, so it's not personal or anything..."

"Oh..." The navy tom nodded in understanding, feeling a wave of nausea pass through his body. "U-Uh, yeah. It's alright. But I—I really should be getting back—"

"Oh, no worries!" Bloodpaw exclaimed, leaping forward and touching her muzzle to Houndpaw's cheek. He began to blush again. "Now you can tell everyone you're officially friends with Ochrepaw and me! Even if she doesn't think so, you are, trust me." She smirked, eyes twinkling. "I'll even let you into our friend group!"

"Friend group?" Houndpaw echoed.

"Yeah." Bloodpaw shrugged, bouncing in a sort of circular motion. "You know, me, Ochrepaw, Moonpaw, Barbpaw, Firmapaw, Quakepaw—not Brutepaw though, stay away from him."

Brutepaw.... Houndpaw recalled seeing the scary tom and his mentor training earlier, or bickering, whatever they were doing.

"Yeah... I'll steer clear of him..." the apprentice muttered, flicking his tail and feeling a little more comfortable now. Still sort of sick, though.

"Okay! I know, I know, I'm keeping you back, sorry!" Bloodpaw purred once more, almost as if she was on a never-ending motor. "I'll see you around, alright?"

Houndpaw smiled a little, nodding as he ducked his head. "Yeah...! Definitely. I'll see you around, Bloodpaw."

The black she-cat smiled back. "I'll see you around, Houndpaw."

A/N: Finally, after about 3 weeks of trying to figure out how to write this and find the motivation to complete chapter one, I finally have succeeded! I'm really proud of this and I thought it was quite fun to write!

Just wanted to give a big thank you to all the people that helped create some cats for the allegiances! Those users will be tagged a little farther down to be credited for their characters.

Anywho, I really do hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feedback is quite welcome. I love reading every comment, and votes mean a lot to me as well! I'd probably expect every chapter to be around 30-40 pages. I think they're more fun for me to write and are a good practice on getting into detail...

Aside from that, I'm going to start working on chapter two! Up next, we have a little adventure between Bloodpaw and Houndpaw, but something dangerous happens and the two are left wondering what on earth is going on... (sorry bad pun I know)

FACT: Houndpaw is an empath.

PUBLISHED
[ 6 / 27 / 17 ]

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