CHAPTER ONE
Dracokit was so excited, he felt like he would explode. He sat on the Highrock next to his mother and siblings behind the Clan leader. At last, the moment was here! He had almost thought this day would never come.
It seemed like hours until it was finally moonhigh. Eveningstar called out to the Clan, "All cats who are old enough to catch their own prey, gather below the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Within seconds, nearly every cat in the FrostClan camp had come together to hear her speak. She turned her head to the three kits behind her. "Step forward," she mewed.
Songkit walked forward shyly, head bent in submission. Her pretty blue-gray coat sparkled in the light reflected from the icy walls of the cave. Batkit gave a bolder approach, his head held high. Then it was the enthusiastic Dracokit's turn. He bounded forward, nearly slipping off the icy rock. Eveningstar pushed him back gently with her tail. The yellowish brown tom dipped his head in embarrassment as his brother snickered.
Eveningstar shot a warning glance at him before continuing. "You three are all six moons old and ready to begin Warrior training. Songkit, you will now be known as Songpaw. Your mentor will be Gallopingbreeze." A pale brown tabby picked his way out of the crowd below and climbed to the top, touching noses with his apprentice. "Batkit, your new name will be Batpaw. You will have Whitesand as your mentor." A black-and-white tom did the same for him. "And Dracokit," the young tom couldn't help but hold his breath as Eveningstar said his name, "You will be called Dracopaw. You will be taught by Silvermist." A sleek grey she-cat was making her way toward him. He was so happy by the time she got there that their noses collided with a painful thud. "Ouch," Silvermist giggled, "Watch it!"
The cats below cheered, shouting the three's new names. "Songpaw! Batpaw! Dracopaw!"
The warriors led their apprentices to their den. "Training begins tomorrow," Gallopingbreeze said, "Get some rest. You'll need it."
"Dracopaw. Hey, Dracopaw. Dracopaw! WAKE UP, YA LAZYBONES!!!" His eyes burst open as he was jolted awake by Batpaw. "Good. You're up."
Sunlight streamed into the apprentice's den. Batpaw kept talking, not caring whether or not Dracopaw was listening. "You almost overslept and got us all in real trouble. All the other apprentices are up already. Songpaw, Stagpaw, Talonpaw, Shellpaw, Amberpaw… All six of us were up at the crack of dawn. But you weren't. Not that you were missed or anything, but…"
"Oh, Batpaw, would you quit your yapping? Our mentors will be here any second!"
The irritated voice belonged to Amberpaw, a she-cat who had gone into training moons before they had. She was almost a warrior, as were her sister and two brothers. And she was right. It wasn't long before the seven mentors came. It was time to begin training.