Chapter 1

Wrestlekit launched himself at Angelkit. The yellow furball dodged quickly, and ran to Redsun. Redsun only sneered and padded away. Angelkit looked at Wrestlekit, who was looking at Shiningheart. Shiningheart only looked away, and nearly bumped into another cat, because her sadness was so great.

Dangerkit came, spitting, and he bowled into Angelkit.

"It's unfair!" He spat. "Unfair that Redsun disclaimed us, that Shiningheart ignores us. Silverflower is always looking at us like we're a piece of junk. Well, I tell you what, Angelkit. None of us are going to get treated badly once we are warriors, that's for sure. We'll be the best warriors of them all!"

Wrestlekit puffed out his chest. "I'll become the great Wrestlestar with nine lives!" he boasted. "I'll be just as good a leader as Dustystar!"

"I'll be deputy!" Angelkit meowed. "Dangerkit, you can be our guard."

"What are you doing?" Dustystar growled as he approached the kits. "Do you want to become apprentices or not?"

Wrestlekit and Angelkit sat down right away. Wrestlekit started to lick his paw, and Angelkit stared up with innocent eyes. Dangerkit, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes disrespectfully to Dustystar.

"We're kits, Dustystar, just playing like the others. I'm sure you said you were leader of the Dustyclan before you became Dustypaw." Dangerkit gave a dangerous snarl, but then padded away simply.

Dustystar growled at Wrestlekit and Angelkit. Then he ran to the nursery, and ducked inside. Moments later, Shiningheart appeared, a disappointed look in her eyes.

"Kits," she sighed. "You are almost six moons old. You should be more mature, or else Dustystar won't make you apprentices." Shiningheart placed her tail affectionately on Angelkit's shoulders. "I expect better from you."

Angelkit bowed her head and stalked angrily to the nursery. Wrestlekit, his head held high, sprinted further away. He could still hear Dustystar's disappointed muttering, but that didn't matter.

"Don't worry," Wrestlekit told himself as he slowed to a trot. "You'll be apprentices sooner than you think."

…

Wrestlekit had a terrible dream that night. He couldn't move in his dream, and he saw a small brown and black kit about his size. The kit was turned away, but his tail swished impatiently, and his front paw twitched.

Suddenly, the kit turned. Wrestlekit's heart stopped, and fear took over his body.

The kit's eyes were blood-red.

…

Wrestlekit awoke and poked Angelkit. The soft yellow cat groaned.

"What?" she moaned, her eyes still closed.

"Are my eyes red?" Wrestlekit's throat hurt to say it. He almost didn't want to know the answer, in case it was true. He braced himself for the reply, but it never came. Angelkit had fallen back to sleep! Wrestlekit sighed. The sun was already sighted, and so he bounded out of the nursery, where life was beginning to awaken.

Suddenly, something slammed into Wrestlekit. Something so big, it couldn't possibly be Dangerkit. Or any cat, for that matter.

Wrestlekit squirmed out of its grip, whatever 'it' was. When he whipped around, Wrestlekit realized what he was in for. A fox stood in front of him, and a female fox at that. The fox's teeth were bared, and it lunged once again for Wrestlekit.

Then Dangerkit appeared. The big kit grabbed the fox's neck, and then the fox's paws cuffed Wrestlekit's ears. Wrestlekit was unconscious in moments.

…

When Wrestlekit awoke, Dustystar was above him.

"Nice work," Dustystar mocked. "You got the fox to nearly kill you. Don't you remember I told the kits to stay in the nursery so the warriors would kill the fox? Foxes are dangerous, but I think Dangerkit's got more claws then that fox." Dustystar purred. "Your brother saved your life. He killed the fox."

Killed the fox? Dangerkit? Had Wrestlekit heard correctly?

"I'm not surprised," Wrestlekit heard himself saying.

Dustystar nodded. "Alright. Come on out here, I think Sharktooth is about to kick me out, especially if he realizes I've woken you up. Anyways, the apprentice ceremony is about to start. Surely you know by now…you're officially six moons old!"

A pinch of happiness took over the pain in Wrestlekit. "Great," he muttered as Dustystar left the medicine den. "Now Dangerkit's the hero, go him." Wrestlekit shook as he got to his paws, then padded slowly out of the den.

Dustystar leaped onto the High Rock. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather around!" The elders came out of their den, and the warriors who were sharing tongues hurried to hear what Dustystar had to say. "We have three apprentices ready to be warriors!" Dustystar called. He pointed a paw at Angelkit. "Angelkit, come here."

Wrestlekit nodded to his sister and the yellow kit went up to Dustystar nervously.

"Are you ready to become an apprentice?" Dustystar asked. At Angelkit's nod, Dustystar continued. "Rainbowshine, you are quick and smart. I trust you will pass all your knowledge down to your first apprentice. Angelkit, you will now be known as Angelpaw."

"Angelpaw! Angelpaw! Angelpaw!" The clan chanted, Wrestlekit in the lead. As the chants died off and Angelpaw stepped to meet her new mentor, Dustystar called Dangerkit up.

"Crookedtail, you are strong and an experienced warrior. Now that Rainbowshine is no longer an apprentice, I trust you will pass all your knowledge down to your new apprentice. Dangerkit, you will now be known as Dangerpaw."

"Dangerpaw! Dangerpaw! Dangerpaw!"

Suddenly, everything slowed. Dustystar called for Wrestlekit. "Are you ready to become a warrior?"

"Yes," Wrestlekit nodded weakly.

"Oakheart, you are a great hunter and you have a quick mind, and you are quick to follow the Warrior Code. I know that you will pass down your knowledge to your apprentice. Wrestlekit, you shall now be known as Wrestlepaw."

Wrestlepaw rushed up to meet his new mentor, Oakheart. He barely heard the chants, as if they were in the backround. All Wrestlepaw knew was, he was no longer a stupid kit. He would be able to sleep in the apprentice den now, with all the others.

"We'll start training tomorrow," Oakheart mewed. He clearly seemed out of it. Wrestlepaw could only gape as the warrior limped to the warrior den. Jealousy creeped up on Wrestlepaw as Angelpaw and Dangerpaw went with their mentors to explore the territory for the first time.

Wrestlepaw hurried after them, and even though he was slow and panting, Angelpaw was slower, so he followed them easily. The territory was HUGE!

It was dark when they got home. Everything was silent, and Wrestlepaw collapsed in the middle of camp by the fresh-kill pile. His paws were sore, and he couldn't wait until he could make a bed in the apprentice den. First, he wanted to eat.

He bit into a mouse, and Oakheart bounded up. Oakheart growled, and took a vole, then hurried back to the warrior den. Mysteriously, his limp disappeared. Wrestlepaw stared at the mouse, and left it not even half-eaten.

…

In the middle of the night, Wrestlepaw awoke. His stomach growled, but he knew he shouldn't eat now. Desperate for sleep, Wrestlepaw went to the medicine den and grabbed some herbs he recognized to make him sleep.

Careful not to wake up Sharktooth, Wrestlepaw quickly went back to the apprentice den before the seeds made him sleep.

…

In the morning, Wrestlepaw heard a shriek. It sounded like Skypaw!

Wrestlepaw leaped to his paws. The herbs from last night had worn off. Wrestlepaw followed the sound to the medicine den, where Skypaw stood, shrieking. On the ground, where Skypaw was staring, Sharktooth lay.

At first, he seemed to be sleeping. But then, Wrestlepaw noticed something terribly wrong. Sharktooth wasn't breathing! Wrestlepaw stared harder, and he saw a pool of red on the opposite side of Sharktooth.

Skypaw's shrieks became silent as Wrestlepaw ran away. But Angelpaw stopped him from leaving camp. There was blood on the apprentice's claws.

"What?" Angelpaw asked, licking her bloody paws.

"YOU killed Sharktooth?" Wrestlepaw exclaimed.

"Of course," Angelpaw smirked. "How else could I frame you? As soon as I realized your scent was in the medicine den, I knew they'd frame you. After all, how could any warrior blame me?"

"Why would you frame me?" Wrestlepaw asked, shocked. "I'm your brother!"

As if Wrestlepaw hadn't spoken, Angelpaw said, "I'd like to see how you get out of this one, Wrestlekit."

…

WHY ON EARTH WOULD ANGELPAW KILL SHARKTOOTH?

Something's fishy…and wherever the truth is, it won't be revealed for a while.

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Next chapter will be up soon.

~VoleTooth