As they headed back to the gorge, Leafstar noticed how jumpy he was, leaping into the air at every rustle from the undergrowth. He was almost as spooked as Shrewtooth. Maybe he’s been hurt by a Twoleg, too?
“Why did you change your mind about joining us?” she asked, trying to make her tone unthreatening.
“Well… er… it just made sense,” Egg stammered, still sounding as if the question bothered him.
At that moment they arrived at the top of the trail, and there was no chance for Leafstar to question him any more. Egg followed her down the trail; glancing back over her shoulder from time to time, Leafstar saw his eyes stretch with interest as he saw the activity in the camp: Lichenfur and Tangle washing themselves on a rock; Tinycloud and Rockshade dropping prey on the fresh-kill pile; other cats crowding around Sharpclaw as he sorted out more patrols.
By the time Leafstar and Egg reached the bottom of the gorge, Sharpclaw was heading toward the training area with Petalnose, Waspwhisker, and their apprentices. He paused, his ears pricked, as Leafstar padded up to him.
“This is Egg,” Leafstar announced. “He’s decided that he wants to join SkyClan. Egg, this is Sharpclaw, the Clan deputy.”
Egg dipped his head politely.
“We’re glad to have you!” Sharpclaw’s green eyes glowed. “We’re just going for some battle training. Do you want to come with us?”
Egg’s tail shot right up in the air. “Great!”
“Come on, then.” Sharpclaw led the way up the gorge.
Leafstar was about to follow when her deputy looked back and gave his whiskers a dismissive twitch. “We’ll be fine, thanks.”
At first Leafstar began to bristle, her claws flexing in annoyance. Am I Clan leader, or has Sharpclaw taken over? Then she figured that her deputy probably didn’t want her breathing down his neck the whole time. He was perfectly capable of handling a training session.
I think I’ll ask Sharpclaw to mentor Egg, she thought as she turned back toward her den. I know Egg is more than six moons old, but he’ll need to go through an apprenticeship to learn all the ways of the Clan.
In spite of a spatter of rain in the air, she felt warm as she padded back to her den. She was happy to have such a promising new addition to the Clan, especially when he had inherited the powerful legs and jumping skills of the old SkyClan. Letting her gaze travel around the camp, Leafstar watched Lichenfur and Tangle fluff up their fur against the rain and snatch a piece of fresh-kill before plodding back to their den; Echosong was returning with a mouthful of herbs; Fallowfern’s kits protested loudly as their mother tried to herd them back to the nursery.
And Billystorm will be back soon… Everything would be perfect if he decided to live here all the time.
Chapter 25
Leafstar dozed in her den until sunhigh. By then the shower was over and the sky had cleared; the rocks steamed as the hot sunlight sucked up the rain. Looking down into the gorge, Leafstar saw that most of the cats had returned from patrol. Sharpclaw and Egg were sitting together near the fresh-kill pile, talking with their heads close together as they ate. Stick and Cora were with them, too.
Egg seems to be settling in well, Leafstar thought.
She ran lightly down the trail into the gorge and jumped onto the Rockpile. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Rockpile for a Clan meeting,” she yowled.
Most of the Clan were already there, glancing up curiously at Leafstar poised on top of the rocks. Tangle and Lichenfur emerged from their nests, their fur rumpled with sleep. Echosong appeared from her den and padded up to listen.
“We have a new Clanmate,” Leafstar announced, angling her ears to where Egg sat beside Sharpclaw. “Egg has decided to join us, and will become an apprentice today.” With her tail she beckoned Egg forward until he stood alone at the foot of the Rockpile. “From this day forward,” she went on, “this apprentice will be known as Eggpaw. Sharpclaw, you are a brave and skillful warrior, and I know you will pass on these qualities to your apprentice.”
Sharpclaw showed no surprise in being named Egg’s mentor. He dipped his head to Leafstar, then padded over to Egg and touched noses with him.
“Eggpaw! Eggpaw!” the Clan cats yowled, crowding around the new apprentice to congratulate him. Sparrowpelt and Rockshade looked particularly pleased, pressing up close to him and burying their muzzles in his shoulder fur.
Leafstar spotted Billystorm on the edge of the crowd; he had called out Egg’s name to welcome him, but he still looked slightly doubtful. Leafstar reminded herself to ask what was worrying him when she had the chance.
As the yowls of welcome died down, Egg looked up at Leafstar where she still stood on the Rockpile. “Er… Leafstar, Eggpaw’s an okay name, but if you don’t mind I’d like to stay as Egg. Stick said that’s what he and his friends did.”
Leafstar’s tail-tip twitched. She didn’t like the way that Stick and the other newcomers didn’t think that warrior names were important, and she was even more annoyed that they were spreading their opinion throughout the Clan. Names matter. They’re part of who we are as warriors.
The Clan waited in tense silence for their leader to make her decision, while Egg gazed up at her, blinking cheerfully as if he had no idea that he had said anything wrong. With an effort Leafstar hid her irritation. There was no point in putting Egg off right at the beginning of his apprenticeship. Maybe when he’s been with us for a while he’ll be ready for a warrior name.
“If that’s what you want,” she replied evenly. She was relieved when none of the Clan cats argued, though she saw Snookpaw lean over to say something to Billystorm, and she caught the young cat’s murmur. “I think Egg should be proud to have his apprentice name!”
Leafstar’s paws were itching; she jumped down from the Rockpile and made her way over to Sharpclaw and Egg as the crowd around them broke up. “I missed out on hunting this morning,” she meowed. “Do you want to come out with me now? Ebonyclaw, you and Frecklepaw can join us.”
“Good idea,” Sharpclaw replied, while Egg kneaded the ground in front of him in excitement. “Egg will get an idea of how SkyClan cats hunt.”
Leafstar headed for the bottom of the trail, weaving a path through Fallowfern’s kits, who were wrestling together near the foot of the Rockpile. But before she had gone more than a few paw steps, she heard Echosong calling her name, and waited for the medicine cat to catch up to her.
“Can Frecklepaw help me find herbs this afternoon?” Echosong puffed. “There’s no cat in the medicine den right now, and I want to build up my supplies for when Clovertail has her kits.”
Trying to ignore the eager light in Frecklepaw’s eyes, Leafstar shook her head. “Echosong, we’ve already discussed this,” she meowed. “Frecklepaw is Ebonyclaw’s apprentice, and she needs to keep up with her patrol duties.”
“But I need an apprentice,” Echosong protested, her ears flicking back in frustration.
“Well, then, wait until Fallowfern’s kits are old enough,” Leafstar suggested. “It won’t be long.”
“What?” Plumkit sat up suddenly, twitching her tail away from Rabbitkit. “I don’t want to be a medicine cat!”
“Neither do I,” Nettlekit agreed, scrambling to his paws from where he had been rolling Creekkit in the dust. “It’s stinky and yucky!”
“And boring!” Rabbitkit added.
“We’re going to be warriors,” Creekkit announced, scrambling to his paws and drawing his lips back in an attempt at a fierce snarl. “I’m going to be Clan leader.”
“No you’re not, I am!” Plumkit hurled herself at her brother.
Creekkit dodged and ran off; his littermates followed him, squealing at the tops of their voices. Leafstar sighed. None of them will ever make a medicine cat, she admitted to herself.