Let Me Hear You Roar [O]

Lionkit would lie against his mother for warmth. She would tell him each night why it was important to obey Starclan and the code like a prayer before bedtime. When he woke up, she would ask him to recite the code so that he knew it by heart long before he became an apprentice. It was the same thing for moons since he was born, the single surviving kit of his litter. Then one day... all of it vanished. His mother had fallen ill and was taken to the medicine den. Lionkit had no choice but to suckle from other queens in the nursery. Weeks passed without seeing her even once and he heard very little news of her. When the news finally came, it was to tell him his mother resided in Starclan now, as his father did. Lionkit didn't understand at first, but as the kit aged, he began to realize what that truly meant.

Lionkit's mother was in the stars now and the kit was alone.

The other queens were kind to him and raised him with their own kits, but it was never the same. Lionkit stepped out of the nursery, a kit now five moons old, and stared up at the sky as if Eaglesun would drift back down to him. There were no tears on Lionkit's face and no gasping sobs, but there was a deep sadness in his eyes and a longing in his soul for a mother that would never return. Maybe one day, I will be good enough to go where you have gone. The kit quietly thought, staring into the night sky just outside the nursery's entrance.

Graypaw carefully slipped from her nest, sitting outside the apprentice den with a quiet sigh. Unlike her brother it wasn't dreams that kept her tossing and turning, but instead it was... She wasn't sure it was anxiety, exactly, but with one mentor abandoning the clan and then being assigned a new mentor, and Falconmoon becoming a warrior... Graypaw had found her thoughts too occupied to find sleep. She wasn't jealous of Falconmoon, at least she didn't think she was. Her mentor had left her - and the clan - behind. Falconmoon had left her behind by becoming a warrior. She wondered which of her siblings would be next to receive their names, and Graypaw wasn't optimistic that it would be her. Sunpaw, maybe.

The silvery youth shook her head and sighed, gazing out into the dark camp. Guards sat near the camp entrance, not that she planned on going out, and the camp was mostly empty aside from them and a kit that sat in the entrance of the nursery.

"It's a bit late to be up... Not that I can talk, I suppose." She mewed softly, padding toward the kit. He looked... sad, she realized after a moment. Graypaw didn't really keep tabs on the nursery much, but she had seen the kit around once or twice, she thought. "What has you out here?" She asked, "I'm Graypaw, by the way."

Lionkit blinked away his somber expression and turned his attention to an older cat approaching him. He normally would have been excited for an apprentice to talk to him. He would normally have so many questions. He wanted to win, he wanted tips on how to be a good hunter and an even better fighter. Tonight was an off night for him though. It was one of those nights where he was restless and sad, wondering about the future and thinking about things that may or may not ever be. Still, he offered a soft smile to the apprentice and got to his little paws.

"I'm Lionkit. I stepped outside for some... air." He'd heard the queens use this phrase a lot and it seemed to let them get away with leaving the nursery. Maybe it would work for him too. Even still, he felt as if his heart dropped immediately after. It showed on his face, suddenly less friendly and more lonely. His mother had said that before too. "So, Graypaw," He began, snapping himself out of his sadness just for a moment. His heart still felt heavy. It ached. But he didn't want to talk about it either. "Have you been to the moonstone yet? Is Starclan... real?" He hoped they were. He hoped his mom would come see him. He missed her so much. If Starclan had her and they were taking care of her and she was happy, then he'd feel better. He would do everything he could to get there too.

The wind blew by, a bitter breeze that made Lionkit curl his legs into his body and wrap his little tail close to him. It was cold, but he could endure it for now. He'd rather let Graypaw distract him. Maybe he could forget about the heavy weight in his chest and be excited for his future.

Graypaw listened to the kit's answer, watching the expression he tried to hold falter and crumble. The question of Starclan made the sadness on his face make sense, however. He'd lost someone, she thought, and wanted reassurance.

"I have, and yes, they're real. Didn't say much to me, but then I guess I'm only an apprentice and not a medicine cat. Or anyone important." But if that were true, why had they spoken about something that seemed to be important to Falconmoon? "Still, they seemed... Nice enough. Not so bad, to meet them at the moonstone. If you can stand the horrible traveling herbs they'll make you eat."

"Horrible traveling herbs?" Yuck! Who would want to eat a mouthful of stinky leaves? He wrinkled his nose a bit, but he shrugged a moment later. "I'll do what I have to do." He said resolutely. He got to his feet, braving the wind that nipped at him and tried to make him shrink back down. He wouldn't let it.

"I bet it's hard being an apprentice, but it sounds more fun than being stuck in camp all of the time. I'd like to know what it's like. I want to learn to hunt and fight. I want Skyclan safe." His voice grew a bit louder as he allowed some excitement into it. "If you have any tips or advice I'd gladly listen. A head-start isn't cheating is it?"

He hoped not, because he was suddenly impatient to begin his training. He'd show Starclan he was the best. He knew the code by heart already. He'd never break it. Never.

Nobody enjoyed the traveling herbs, Graypaw was sure of it. They were horrible, absolutely horrible things. But at least Lionkit would have warning.

Then the inevitable questions started about being an apprentice. "Yeah, you have a lot more to do. Hunting patrols, battle training, border patrols... There's some days I feel like I don't step foot into camp unless it's to eat and sleep." That much at least was true. While her first mentor hadn't been there all the time, Thornstalker seemed determined that Graypaw would become a warrior like her brother had. "I can't really complain about it, though. Thornstalker seems like a great warrior. She's my mentor." And a better one than Yewfrost, though Graypaw still doubted her ability to shape her into a proper warrior. Through no fault of Thornstalker's.

"I wouldn't call it cheating, no." Graypaw managed a smile. "...I probably should have pestered the warriors for that more when I was a kit." She added, a bit rueful. "Wolfblossom is usually good at assigning mentors-" Usually, but not infallible, as Graypaw had learned, "-but your mentor isn't the only cat you can learn from or go to for help with training. Most warriors seem happy to help, and as an apprentice I know I'm glad to have someone else to practice with." Something she wished she had figured out a bit earlier.

"Hunting and fighting are easier than climbing trees, I think. I'm not as bulky as some cats in the clan but being able to climb still requires more strength than I realized it would. And hunting in the trees... It's what Skyclan's known for, but it takes so much practice."