Chapter 2

                                    

                                          
"From this day forward, you will be known as Larkpaw. Your mentor will be Frostclaw."
                          
Stormstar beckoned the pale-furred tom over with a sweep of his thick tail. 
                          
Frostclaw rose from the assembled warriors and trotted up to his new apprentice, touching noses with her. 
                          
Thunderpaw and Foxpaw stood a few tail-lengths away. They had already been assigned to Minnowleap and Oakpelt. 
                          
Hollykit watched the apprentice ceremony from the nursery entrance. Sunflower and Sharpfang were sitting at the front of the crowd, watching their kits with prideful eyes. 
                          
Hollykit couldn't help but feel jealous. The only kin she had in PineClan was her mother Duskflight, her uncle Hawkflight, and her grandmother's sister, Icerose, who was the medicine cat. 
                          
Duskflight had told Hollykit several times that she looked exactly like her mother Heronwing and had almost named her Heronkit. But she didn't have any siblings...or a father. Her father? Hmm. She hadn't really ever though of him much. She had once asked her mother about who he was but she would just look away and say he'd moved on. 
                          
Hollykit guessed this meant her father was dead, watching her from StarClan. She lifted her amber gaze to the sky and wondered if her father was surveying the camp now. 
                          
"Is everything okay, little warrior?" Duskflight muttered in her ear. 
                          
She was roused from her thoughts and brought back to the present. The meeting had split up and now Larkpaw, Thunderpaw, and Foxpaw were heading out of camp with their mentors. 
                          
Hollykit nodded reassuringly to her mother. "I'm fine," she mewed. 
                          
Hawkflight suddenly came walking in their direction, his gaze warm. He approached his sister and brushed muzzles with her before placing a big lick on Hollykit's forehead. 
                          
She backed away a bit from her uncle's touch. She had always hated getting groomed—of course, that was normal for kittens but she seemed to despise it more than most did. 
                          
"Would you like to get something from the prey pile, Hollykit?" Hawkflight asked. 
                          
Hollykit perked up at this. She sprang to her paws and wove herself around the dark tabby's legs. She was five moons old now so she was pretty much half his size so he wobbled a bit above her. 
                          
"I'd love to!" she purred when she emerged from underneath him. 
                          
Hawkflight blinked affectionately and swished his tail. 
                          
Duskflight sat back on her haunches and sighed. 
                          
Hollykit glanced up at her mother. "Are you not coming with us?"
                          
The brown tabby she-cat looked at her, surprised. "Oh, n-no, I'm not hungry. Go along now."
                          
The white and black she-kit narrowed her eyes. She didn't think her mother looked right but decided to forget it. 
                          
She hurried after Hawkflight as he was already halfway across the clearing. 
                          
Before she could take many more steps, a yowl split across camp. 
                          
"Help! Help! Oh please help!"
                          
Thornheart and Stormstar, who had been sitting under the big pine tree, both swiveled their heads quickly in the direction of the voice. 
                          
Hollykit followed their gazes and saw Ashstripe just outside the nursery. The heavily-pregnant queen had fallen onto her side and was screeching in agony. 
                          
Thornheart sprang up from his place and dashed across the clearing. Hollykit remembered he was Ashstripe's mate. 
                          
The golden tom slipped into the medicine den and disappeared. 
                          
The other warriors had stopped what they were doing and were watching Ashstripe in panic. 
                          
Thornheart and Icerose emerged from the medicine cats' den, Shadepaw following behind them. 
                          
"Everyone out of the way!" Icerose hissed. 
                          
The PineClan cats parted to let the elderly she-cat through. She halted beside Ashstripe and began nosing her into the nursery. 
                          
Thornheart tried to follow her inside but she stopped him. "No, she needs space. Wait outside," she growled. "Shadepaw, get me a stick!"
                          
"I-isn't there anything I can do??" Thornheart mewed fearfully. 
                          
"Get me some water!" Icerose sighed. She ducked back into the den. 



                          
After what seemed like moons, Icerose and Shadepaw appeared back outside. 
                          
At the same time, Thunderpaw, Foxpaw, and Larkpaw slipped into camp with their mentors. 
                          
"What's going on?" Oakpelt called. 
                          
Stormstar leaped down from the lowest branch of the big pine tree where he had seated himself and explained to the senior warrior that Ashstripe had just given birth. 
                          
"Two she-kits and a tom!" Icerose called. "All three of them are healthy!"
                          
The Clan looked relieved. 
                          
Hollykit was happy she wasn't going to be the only kit in the nursery after all. And even better, Larkpaw and Foxpaw get to be bossed around by Applepaw and Leafpaw! They're no longer the oldest!
                          
Thornheart rushed into the den to see his mate. 
                          
Hollykit lifted her gaze to see what Duskflight thought of this whole thing. But her mother was still looking distant, as if she had not been paying attention to anything for hours. Did she even realize Ashstripe had just kitted? 
                          
The young she-cat gently approached her mother and nudged her shoulder. 
                          
Duskflight jumped a little, looked at Hollykit, then rose to her paws. She slowly trotted back towards the nursery without even glancing back at Hollykit or telling her to follow. 
                          
Hollykit could only frown in confusion as Duskflight walked away.