Shadowkit sat outside of the nursery. Her paws itched with excitement for tonight. She was finally going to be an apprentice! She unsheathed her claws and dug them into the soft sand of the nursery. She could here the soft snores of Ivyheart. The silver tabby had her kits recently. They had come to early so Yarrowpelt would watch her whenever he could and feed her kits strengthening herbs.

Shadowkit heard her sister Skykit, grunt with annoyance as YarrowPelt crossed the large clearing, a small bundle of herbs in his jaws. "You okay?" ShadowKit questioned her sister as she could see her claws flex.

"Of course I am!" She snapped as she looked back at him, worry clouding her gaze.

Shadowkit nodded tartly as she felt her mothers tail brush her flank.

"You alright dear?" Applerain asked as ShadowKit realized her tail tip was twitching irritably. "Oh yeah um yeah." The words tumbled from ShadowKits lips as she turned her head to look at her mother. "Remember you can talk to me." She said softly as she passed the two she cats to the leaders den.

She heard tussles and turned around and was tumbled over from writhing balls of fur. Cedarkit held down his brother, Leapkit. he wiggled from the larger kits grip and Leapkit attacked his pack his dull claws urgently getting a good grip. Cedarkit yowled with a kitten voice and flung himself to the nursery wall. On the way there he knocked over a spotted she cat and the three cats smashed through the nursery wall as it began to collapse.

Applerain gasped and hurried IvyHeart out as the two cats gripped the silver cats kits. "Cedarkit! Leapkit!" Applerain yelled angrily once the nursery was nothing but a pile of bracken. As they stumbled through the large hole in the bracken followed by SpottedBrook. "What were you thinking!" The she cat scolded with rage as Ivyheart comforted her crawling kits with licks.

"Sorry!" Cedarkit panted his tongue lolling unusually.

Leapkit stuttered with confusion "it wasnt me!" He stuttered quickly as he tumbled over his paws to the ground.

Rushstar interrupted Applerain as she started another scold as he was walking to the kits. "Well, well, well." He said with amusement as he sat down and watched the kits through narrowed eyes. "I believe you should be on nursery duties for a week." He chuckled simply and flashed a look at Applerain as the kits groaned.

"But it wasn't me!" Leapkit whined as he played with a moss ball before Ivyheart grabbed it with her dew claw sharply.

"That's not my problem." The leader meowed and stood up flicking his tail to StormFrost. The gray tom nodded and shooed the kits to the front of highstone. RushStar called for a clan meeting as the cats gathered beneath ShadowKit and Skykit next to there brothers.

"The're so annoying." Skykit whispered to ShadowKit as she glared at her brothers.

Shadowkit didn't understand her sisters hostility to her two brothers as they just stared at Rushstar. "Dont say that." She whispered back.

Rushstar cleared his throat and the clearing went silent. "ThuderClan." He began a slight purr to his voice. "I have gathered you for the following kits apprentice ceremony- Skykit, Shadowkit, Cedarkit, and Leapkit, step forward." Rushstar meowed.

Skykits POV

The white she cat stepped forward with her sister while her gaze flickered from Rushstar, to Yarrowpelt. He met her look with fear and shrank slightly before looking away his fur bristling. Skykit smiled sweetly as Daisyspring looked at her with wonder.

"Skykit." Rushstar meowed clearly thinking. "Your mentor will be, DaisySpring." Skykit purred happily as Daisyspring marched towards her with pride until they touched noses.

"Daisyspring, your a young warrior that needs responsibility. Take care of Skypaw." He meowed kindly.

Daisyspring stared at him then nodded controlling her anger and led Skypaw to the side of camp guiding the apprentice with her fluffy tail. Skypaw sat down with happiness. She shot a look at Yarrowpelt who seemed shocked then nodded respectively.

Rushstars POV

Rushstar looked around the clearing clearly pleased of how the cats seemed to take himself as leader. A quarter moon ago there favorite leader, Sprucestar had died of green cough before Yarrowpelt could control it. The clan didn't seem thrilled of Rushstar being the new leader but are still gradually accepting himself.

He nodded to himself as the apprentice, Skykit was led to the side of camp with Daisyspring. He turned his attention to Shadowkit. her sleek fur was groomed nicely as her green eyes turned from excitement to anticipation. "Shadowkit." He said firmly quickly thinking of a mentor. "Darkheart will be your mentor." He seemed pleased with his answer but some of the cats looked around with question.

A large black tom stood up from the back of the crowd. His muscles ripped from his large pelt as he stalked through the cats to Shadowkit who seemed wary of such a scary looking cat. He bent down to sniff her then walked back to his place as the black kit stumbled after him.

"Leapkit, Cedarkit." He said instantly. "Leapkit your mentor will be Spottedbrook, Cedarkit you'll have Stormfrost." The new warriors seemed surprised there names were called and went to sniff there apprentices, there tails twined then slowly separated.

At once all the cats crowded around the four siblings with pride. "Skypaw! Shadowpaw! Leappaw! Cedarpaw!"

Rushstar purred to himself with happiness and backed off from the highstone. He slipped into his den covered by bracken and laid gently in his nest. His thoughts seemed to drift to nothing as his eye lids closed.

The tom convulsed at once shooting open his eyes to find himself at fourtrees. The great oaks towered before the slender tom as silence covered the air. Then he heard a crack in wood and turned to one of the trees covered in darkness. Large cracks slithered through the wood as the leave began to shrivel to dust. The tom watched in hororr as black liquid began to lap at the tree. He could hear distant screaming as his paws were quivering. He looked through the clearing as suddenly dozens of StarClan cats appeared. The bright sky began to close with clouds as the cats furs began to turn black with shimmering white eyes. Only one cat remained his brown tabby fur glowing brighter then when Rushstar received his nine lives. Sprucestar! Then a voice rang around the trembling cat like no voice he ever heard.

"Someone is dying Rushstar, only the darkness in the shadows can clean the sky..." As the voice echoed away the clearing turned to black and Rushstar was alone.

The tom screeched as he awoke his claws gripping the scattered moss and his fur hot and sticky.

'Someone is dying Rushstar, only the darkness in the shadows can clean the sky...'