Crookedstar’s Promise

Crookedkit scanned the reeds, looking for a glimpse of orange-and-white pelt. The StarClan cat had come before. Would she come now to remind him of his destiny? Or was Oakpaw going to get that, too?

“Join in!” Crookedkit felt Brambleberry’s breath in his ear and realized he hadn’t called his brother’s new name.

“Oakpaw! Oakpaw!” he yowled to the wide blue sky. Oh, StarClan, let him be a great warrior! As the plea flashed in his thoughts, Oakpaw padded toward him.

“Thank you.” Oakpaw bent his head and rubbed his jaw along Crookedkit’s. “I hope we get to train together soon. You’re my littermate and I’ll always be there for you.”

Crookedkit purred, his jealousy melting. He loved Oakpaw too much to want anything less than the best for him. He just wished Rainflower loved them equally.

Oakpaw’s eyes shone as he turned back to Hailstar. “I promise I will train hard to become the best warrior I can be.”

Rainflower crossed the clearing. “Well done, my dear,” she purred to Oakpaw.

Shellheart pushed in front of her and touched Oakpaw’s head with the tip of his muzzle. “I’ll expect you to train harder than any other apprentice,” he warned. “I don’t want anyone saying I’m going easy on you because you’re my kit.”

“Neither do I!” Oakpaw puffed out his chest.

Shellheart glanced at Crookedkit. “There’s no reason I can’t show you some of the moves I teach Oakpaw,” he promised. Excitement fizzed in Crookedkit’s paws.

“Don’t be silly.” Rainflower sniffed. “He’s too small.”

Crookedkit stared at her, his twisted jaw gaping. He shut it quickly and swallowed. Was she right? He was eating as much as he could, and he had nearly outgrown his nest in the nursery.

Pelts brushed past his nose as Petalpaw and Volepaw crowded around his brother. “Well done, Oakpaw!”

Crookedkit backed away.

“Yeah.” Beetlepaw nosed past his littermates, his shoulders stiff. “Well done. Now I understand why I didn’t get Shellheart as a mentor.”

“Oh, Beetlepaw.” Petalpaw nudged her brother’s cheek with her muzzle. “Aren’t you over that yet? Just because you’re Hailstar’s kit doesn’t mean you get the deputy as your mentor. You know Hailstar matches us with who he thinks will train us best.”

Beetlepaw snorted. “Then why’d he give me Ottersplash?”

“Shhh!” Volepaw hissed.

Beetlepaw stared blankly at his denmates’ frozen faces. “What?”

Ottersplash had crossed the clearing and was standing right behind her apprentice, her white-and-ginger coat shining in the sunlight. “Maybe he thought you needed to learn a bit of respect?” she suggested.

Beetlepaw spun around, his pelt ruffled. “Sorry!”

Ottersplash looked steadily at him. “I think you’d better spend the afternoon cleaning out the elders’ den instead of learning battle moves.”

Beetlepaw’s face fell, but he didn’t argue. “Okay.” He padded away, dragging his paws.

Petalpaw hurried after him. “I’ll help!”

“Perhaps you should help, too,” Shellheart meowed to Oakpaw.

“My first apprentice duty! Great!”

Crookedkit watched him charge away, envy pricking. His mother’s sharp mew made him jump.

“Aren’t you going to thank me?” Rainflower was glaring at Shellheart.

Shellheart narrowed his eyes. “What for?”

“Who do you think arranged for you to be Oakpaw’s mentor?”

“You?” Shellheart blinked.

“Hailstar understood it made sense for the strongest warrior to train the strongest apprentice.”

Echomist’s anxious mew sounded in Crookedkit’s ear. “Why don’t you go and see if Oakpaw needs help?” She nudged him toward the slope. “Go on.”

He padded away reluctantly, glancing back at Shellheart and Rainflower as they faced each other, hackles high. If he’d never had his accident, they’d still be happy.

“Oakpaw?” Crookedkit stuck his head through the neatly woven entrance of the elders’ den.

Petalpaw looked up from Tanglewhisker’s nest. “Oakpaw went to gather moss.”

“I’ll go and help him,” Crookedkit offered.

“He’s outside

the camp,” Petalpaw told him.

“Oh. Then can I help you?”

A bundle of stinking moss hit him on the nose.

“You’ll just get in the way.” Beetlepaw was clawing through Troutclaw’s nest, his nose wrinkled against the stench.

“Why don’t you go and play?” Petalpaw mewed kindly. “We can manage here.”

Tanglewhisker was patting his nest back into shape. “He’s got to learn sometime,” the elder croaked.

“Well, he can come back and learn by himself.” Beetlepaw tossed another ball of moss toward the entrance. “This is bad enough without having a kit underpaw.”

Crookedkit bristled. “I’m only a moon younger than you!” he snapped.

“And four moons smaller,” Beetlepaw answered back.

Growling, Crookedkit ducked out of the den and stomped down the slope. Perhaps Piketooth and Shimmerpelt needed help. He’d gathered reeds two moons ago. There no reason he couldn’t do it now. He hadn’t shrunk.

“Can I help?” he called from the edge of the reed bed. The water lapped at his claws, cool and refreshing.

Piketooth backed out of a thick swath of reeds. “Don’t fall in!” he warned.