Mosskit, a dark brown tabby she-cat with green eyes, hooked up a ball of moss with her claw and hurled it at her sister, Rainkit. Rainkit, a black tabby she-cat with green eyes squealed and leaped on it. She battered at it with her front paws. Mosskit stared in surprise at the torn mossball. "I guess we'll have to get another one..." Rainkit nodded. "Sorry. I'll get it. Rainkit hopped away and grabbed another pawfull of moss, but her sister had gone into the nursery, where her mother Hollystem lay. Hollystem lifted her head drowsily and looked at Rainkit. "You should get some sleep; your apprentice ceremony is tomorrow." Rainkit stared in surprise at her mother. "My apprentice ceremony?" She echoed. Then she remembered. "I'm going to be Rainpaw tomorrow!" Rainkit bounced around the nursery, Mosskit following. It seemed she had forgotten about her anger. "Were going to be apprentices!" Mosskit squealed. Rainkit bounced again gleefully. "I hope we train together!" Mosskit nodded in agreement. "I hope we do, to!" Rainkit stared happily at her sister. She was the best! Rainkit padded gleefully over to her mother and lay down. She tucked her tail over her nose and fell asleep with a great effort. In the morning, Rainkit and Mosskit were awakened by a soft paw prodding them in the side. Mosskit blinked open her eyes and stared at her mother, who gazed proudly at them. Mosskit gave an excited jump as she watched the clan gather around the fallen pine tree, what the clan called the highlog. Nightstar, the leader, and Redstripe, deputy of Foxclan, stood on top of the highlog.
"Mosskit and Rainkit, step forward." Nightstar announced, motioning with his tail to the two kits. Mosskit padded over to the leader with Rainkit at her tail. Nightstar touched noses with each of them. "Mosskit, Rainkit, do you promise to defend Foxclan, even at the cost of your life?" Mosskit's mew shook as she said, "I do." "Then, by the power of Starclan, from this day forward you shall be known as Mosspaw and Rainpaw. Mosspaw, your mentor will be Duskfall, and Rainpaw, your mentor will be Nightbreeze." As the clan cheered the new apprentice's names, Duskfall and Nightbreeze leaped onto the highlog, looking surprised and pleased. Duskfall touched noses with Mosspaw and she licked him behind his ear. The cheering slowly died down and Mosspaw and Duskfall jumped off of the highlog. Rainpaw jumped off next to them. Rainpaw stared happily at Mosspaw. "I hope we can train together." Mosspaw nodded in agreement, and Rainpaw turned to her mentor, Nightbreeze. "Can we train with them? Please?" Nightbreeze shook her head. "Sorry, but no. We have to go hunting; the freshkill pile is getting pretty low." Rainpaw nodded happily, but inside she still wanted to train with Mosspaw instead of go hunting. Rainpaw hurried after Nightbreeze into the pine forest. Nightbreeze walked over to a river with fish swimming inside it. "Want to see how to catch a fish?" Rainpaw nodded and sat down a little ways off from the river. Nightbreeze crouched at the side of the river. "Okay, so first you make sure your shadow is not hanging over the water, then you be veery quiet..." Nightbreeze paused, waiting for a fish to swim by, then she slashed out a paw, claws sheathed, and brought a fish out of the water. It lay, squirming, on the ground until Nightbreeze killed it with a quick nip. Nightbreeze buried it to collect for later.. "That was awesome! Can I try?" "Not today. Right now were going to practise catching prey on land, like squirrels and mice and voles." Nightbreeze and Rainpaw padded further into Foxclan territory. Once they were deep enough in the pine forest Nightbreeze stopped. "Can you smell anything?" She asked. Rainpaw sniffed the air and almost instantly smelled squirrel. "I smell squirrel." Nightbreeze nodded slowly. "Where is it?" Rainpaw flicked her tail to a clump of leaves. "In there. Do you want me to catch it?" "Yes." Rainpaw dropped into a crouch, her tail flat on the ground and ears flat back. Nightbreeze studied her crouch. "Make sure your tail doesn't brush against the grass. It might startle the squirrel. And...lift your belly off the ground a bit." Rainpaw did as she said and began to creep forward. Once she was two tail-lengths away, Rainpaw leaped forward, missing the squirrel by a whisker. "Fox-dung!" Hissed Rainpaw. Nightbreeze padded to her side. "Its okay. I wouldn't expect any apprentice to catch some prey on their first day." Rainpaw shrugged. "Maybe tomorrow I'll catch a bird to make up for it." The two cats padded back to the camp and set their catches on the fresh-kill pile. As Rainpaw walked over to the apprentices den, Mosspaw bounded over to her. "I caught a rabbit!" Rainpaw tried to look happy as she meowed, "Thats great!" Mosspaw blinked. "What did you catch?" "Nothing." "Nothing?" Mosspaw looked sympathetic. "Thats okay. I'll bet tomorrow you'll catch the biggest, fattest, rabbit ever!" Rainpaw smiled. "Thanks." Mosspaw padded into the apprentice den and lay down in her nest. "Good night, Rainpaw." She meowed, blinking sleepily. "Good night." Rainpaw settled into her own nest and closed her eyes, falling asleep a heartbeat later.
TO BE CONTINUED
"Mosskit and Rainkit, step forward." Nightstar announced, motioning with his tail to the two kits. Mosskit padded over to the leader with Rainkit at her tail. Nightstar touched noses with each of them. "Mosskit, Rainkit, do you promise to defend Foxclan, even at the cost of your life?" Mosskit's mew shook as she said, "I do." "Then, by the power of Starclan, from this day forward you shall be known as Mosspaw and Rainpaw. Mosspaw, your mentor will be Duskfall, and Rainpaw, your mentor will be Nightbreeze." As the clan cheered the new apprentice's names, Duskfall and Nightbreeze leaped onto the highlog, looking surprised and pleased. Duskfall touched noses with Mosspaw and she licked him behind his ear. The cheering slowly died down and Mosspaw and Duskfall jumped off of the highlog. Rainpaw jumped off next to them. Rainpaw stared happily at Mosspaw. "I hope we can train together." Mosspaw nodded in agreement, and Rainpaw turned to her mentor, Nightbreeze. "Can we train with them? Please?" Nightbreeze shook her head. "Sorry, but no. We have to go hunting; the freshkill pile is getting pretty low." Rainpaw nodded happily, but inside she still wanted to train with Mosspaw instead of go hunting. Rainpaw hurried after Nightbreeze into the pine forest. Nightbreeze walked over to a river with fish swimming inside it. "Want to see how to catch a fish?" Rainpaw nodded and sat down a little ways off from the river. Nightbreeze crouched at the side of the river. "Okay, so first you make sure your shadow is not hanging over the water, then you be veery quiet..." Nightbreeze paused, waiting for a fish to swim by, then she slashed out a paw, claws sheathed, and brought a fish out of the water. It lay, squirming, on the ground until Nightbreeze killed it with a quick nip. Nightbreeze buried it to collect for later.. "That was awesome! Can I try?" "Not today. Right now were going to practise catching prey on land, like squirrels and mice and voles." Nightbreeze and Rainpaw padded further into Foxclan territory. Once they were deep enough in the pine forest Nightbreeze stopped. "Can you smell anything?" She asked. Rainpaw sniffed the air and almost instantly smelled squirrel. "I smell squirrel." Nightbreeze nodded slowly. "Where is it?" Rainpaw flicked her tail to a clump of leaves. "In there. Do you want me to catch it?" "Yes." Rainpaw dropped into a crouch, her tail flat on the ground and ears flat back. Nightbreeze studied her crouch. "Make sure your tail doesn't brush against the grass. It might startle the squirrel. And...lift your belly off the ground a bit." Rainpaw did as she said and began to creep forward. Once she was two tail-lengths away, Rainpaw leaped forward, missing the squirrel by a whisker. "Fox-dung!" Hissed Rainpaw. Nightbreeze padded to her side. "Its okay. I wouldn't expect any apprentice to catch some prey on their first day." Rainpaw shrugged. "Maybe tomorrow I'll catch a bird to make up for it." The two cats padded back to the camp and set their catches on the fresh-kill pile. As Rainpaw walked over to the apprentices den, Mosspaw bounded over to her. "I caught a rabbit!" Rainpaw tried to look happy as she meowed, "Thats great!" Mosspaw blinked. "What did you catch?" "Nothing." "Nothing?" Mosspaw looked sympathetic. "Thats okay. I'll bet tomorrow you'll catch the biggest, fattest, rabbit ever!" Rainpaw smiled. "Thanks." Mosspaw padded into the apprentice den and lay down in her nest. "Good night, Rainpaw." She meowed, blinking sleepily. "Good night." Rainpaw settled into her own nest and closed her eyes, falling asleep a heartbeat later.
TO BE CONTINUED
