Smokewing's Promise

Chapter 3

The moons to come were bland, empty. Nothing much happened to Smokekit, and she grew ever restless. Her paws twitched every time she slept, waking her. Her dreams were filled with scenes of blood and relentless attacks that would leave her shaking every dawn when the warriors would leave.
The warriors, oh how she wanted to be one. The kit let out a small sigh before sliding back into her tiny, damp nest. I bet they don't have mothers who ignore them, she thought resentfully. Tawnypelt was growing ever distant these days, hardly giving attention to any of her siblings.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here by the Tall Branch!" Blackstar howled weakly. Everyone agreed he was getting too old for leading. He could barely walk without tripping, and he seemed to be loosing it. He couldn't leap onto the branch, so he was forced to be at ground level of all the cats.
"I am here to announce new apprentices," The old tom wheezed. "Swoop-paw, your mentor will be Kinkfur. Nightpaw, you will be mentored be Toadfoot. Oakpaw, your mentor will be Crowfrost. Smokepaw, you will be mentored by Pinenose. Meeting dismissed..." The tom croaked before retreating to his den, followed by her mother. Tawnypelt had been made deputy after Rowanclaw, he father died from injuries inflicted after the fearsome battle of which she had learned about. The Dark Forest trained cats against their own clan, without them knowing. The thought made her shiver in fear.
"Freak!" Darkpaw's voice suddenly rang out above the clan's noise. His hateful green gaze glared to the nursery, where one of the kits had just emerged. The red she-kit shrunk down as the rest of the crowd turned to look at her and Darkpaw. The kit was tiny for five moons, and many had mixed feelings. Of course, it must be because she had wings, right? Smokepaw turned her head away, looking to Pinenose to begin training, whatever they could do today.