Apprentice Queen

Prologue

They were in the cavern.

Smokepaw looked at Rushingpaw, her one true love. Three simple words whisked out of her mouth.

"I love you."

"Me too." Rushingpaw purred back. His dark gray pelt glimmered in the moonlight.

"But- we're only apprentices!" Smokepaw protested, stretching her long, silver body.

"It doesn't matter. Just because Reedstar won't let us become warriors doesn't mean we're not old enough..." Rushingpaw looked serious.

"Mates, then?" Smokepaw asked, scared to death but with a strong voice.

"Mates. Forever."

Rushingpaw's words faded away as the two apprentices settled down on the warm, mossy floor of the secret cavern.

Sleep.

Chapter 1

Smokepaw was on a rock in the river. A frog croaked. She sunned there peacefully.

Suddenly, the usually calm river started to rush. The clear water turned white as the fast water washed over the rock.

Smokepaw was swept away. She struggled to keep her head above the water.

What are you doing? You're a RiverClan cat! Swim! A voice inside her mewed impatiently.

Smokepaw could do nothing. She fell underneath the water, and slipped away...

"Smokepaw!"

StarClan?

"Smokepaw!" A paw prodded her side.

Just a dream.

She opened her eyes to see Mossyfur, her mentor, shaking her awake.

She was in the apprentice's den, after sneaking back at a time close to dawn from the cavern.

"Battle training!"

Smokepaw sighed. It was always battle training!

Ever since Reedstar, their leader, started to find fish scales on WindClan's side of the border, he could think of nothing else, even the making of new warriors...

She was lost in thoughts as she and Mossyfur wandered to the clearing near the cavern. Every time this happened Smokepaw prayed to StarClan that no one would find it. Her prayers were luckily answered every time.

"We're training with Rushingpaw and Graymist."

Mossyfur pointed with her brown-and-white tail to Smokepaw's mate and his mentor.

Oh, no! the silver apprentice thought. I have to battle my mate!

She looked swiftly at Rushingpaw, and thought she saw him mouth the words,'It's only training'.

The two circled each other for a few long moments.

"Smokepaw, get past him already!" her mentor yowled impatiently.

Smokepaw gave a scared mew and leaped at Rushingpaw. Claws sheathed.

They tussled for a moment. Smokepaw swiped at him with a soft but firm blow; Rushingpaw fought back with a not-so-hard back kick.

Even so, Smokepaw ended up on the floor, sprawled out.

She struggled to her feet, hitting her mate with a few half-hearted blows. Rushingpaw winked and fell to the ground.

"You can do better than that, but I'm impressed with you both- sort of," Graymist sighed, licking her chest fur. "Tomorrow, we'll try against a warrior. You might have felled each other, but you two are both as weak as saplings! Step up your game!"

With that Rushingpaw and Smokepaw were dismissed with instructions from Mossyfur: "Catch your own meal!"

Chapter 2

Smokepaw veered away from the clearing. She was disappointed with herself: she was getting so slow and clumsy!

She ran all the way to the river; she needed time to think.

The apprentice splashed into the water, creating a wave. It washed onto the reeds, submerging some plants.

She hopped out with some difficulty, but balanced somewhat precariously on a rock.

Skillfully scooping a fish from the river, she ate it in one gulp. Something squirmed inside her belly. Probably indigestion! she thought. She looked at her stomach. It does seem a little bit bigger than usual... maybe I should get some watermint from Willowshine...

Suddenly she heard a rustle in the bracken. A familiar scent came over her as a silver tabby she-cat stepped out from behind a tree, with watermint in her mouth.

"Hi."

"Hey, Willowshine." Smokepaw greeted the medicine cat.

"Smokepaw, there's something I have to tell you, I think..." she started.

"What is it?" the silver-gray apprentice asked.

"I-I think you're going to have kits...and I don't know what you should do..."

Chapter 3

"Kits?" Smokepaw gasped. Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no!

"Yes. Smokepaw, I don't think this will be a problem, as it isn't in the warrior code..." Willowshine replied.

"But- how..." the apprentice stuttered. She took a deep breath. "How many?"

"More than three."

"How will I tell Rushingpaw?" Smokepaw was dazed.

"Rushingpaw? He's the father?" Willowshine asked, padding towards the rock Smokepaw was sitting on. "Just tell him gently. He'll take it well, I think..."

"Thanks for your help and news, Willowshine. I really wish I was a warrior now..." Smokepaw sighed, and got up from the rock.

She raced back to the RiverClan camp. She was breathing heavily by the time she got to the apprentices den.

"Is Rushingpaw in here?" she asked Snakepaw and Lilypaw, two littermates resting in the den. The two gray tabbies were a ball of fluff, apprenticed in the last moon.

"No, I haven't seen him." Snakepaw rolled over to look at Smokepaw.

"I think he went hunting near the ShadowClan border!" Lilypaw piped up.

"Thanks!" Smokepaw mewed.

She ran out of camp as fast as her paws could take her. She reached the Green-leaf Twolegplace and looked wildly around for her mate.

There!

She spotted a solid dark gray pelt underneath a tree. Then she realized that ginger fur was mixed with it. Smokepaw vaguely recognized the ginger apprentice as one of Ivytail's kits, Flamingpaw.

Rushingpaw and Flamingpaw were sharing tongues.