"C'mon, Silverkit! Play with us. I'll let even you be clan leader this time. Grr!"
Silverkit flinched as she felt her brother's small paws pummel into her side, her eyes opening. She let out a weak growl and rolled onto her back, trying to shove the bigger kit off of her. Her hind paws battered at Nightkit's stomach and suddenly his heavy weight was lifted off of her. She blinked in surprise at her victory and jumped to her feet, ready to pounce. But Nightkit was already on the nursery floor, pinned underneath Stonekit. She coughed as dust was kicked into her face as her oldest brother Hawkkit charged past her and into the play fight. Her tail drooped as she watched her brothers wrestle, clearly having forgotten all about her. Again.
"Stop that! If you're going to be that rough, go outside." Scolded Dawnfeather as Stonekit nearly rolled into one of her tiny kits, who had been born only a few sunrises earlier. Her tail curled protectively around the two kits as she watched Silverkit's brothers chase each other out of the nursery.
Stumbling after her brother's vanishing tails, Silverkit called out to them to wait up but by the time she made it out into the camp her brothers had disappeared. Frowning, she pressed her nose to the ground, trying to pick up their scent. She sneezed, falling back onto her haunches, her legs trembling slightly. Even though she was almost six moons like her brothers, she was barely half their size and not much bigger than Dawnfeather's kits. Her father affectionately called Silverkit his little miracle, because she had been so close to going to Starclan so many times. Her earliest memories were in the medicine cat's den, full of pain and sickness. Defying the odds, she had somehow pulled through it, surprising everyone in the Clan. Though she had overcome the worst of her sickness, she was still smaller and weaker than her brothers.
"Silverkit!" Her ears pricked up as she heard her father's familiar mew.
"Get back into the nursery now. Was that a sneeze I heard? I don't want you coming down with a cold now." He gently scolded, picking her up by the scruff despite her protests.
"But I want to go play with Nightkit and Stonekit and –", She protested.
"Stormstar." Dawnfeather looked up from her nest, looking half amused and half irritated at her leader. "She'll be ready to be an apprentice soon enough. She and her brothers have been driving me half-mad in this nursery."
Stormstar set Silverkit down, his tail twitching. "Oh no she won't, not if she's still too sick. She'll stay in here until she's well enough to leave!" He hissed, and then murmured more quietly, "I won't lose her too."
Silverkit's ears flattened. He never let her have any fun! He never fussed over her brothers like this. They were always getting to go outside and play while she had to stay inside with boring old Dawnfeather. "I'm ready to become an apprentice!" She spat, "You just don't want me to grow up! I won't stay in here for the rest of my life while Nightkit and Hawkkit and Stonekit get to go out and have fun adventures without me!"
With that, she scampered out of the nursery, only stumbling once. Her father let her go, looking at her with a sad expression. "Her mother was just as determined. They look so alike…" He murmured. Dawnfeather let out a soft sigh, standing up and resting her tail on her leader's shoulders.
"I know you miss Breezewing. But hiding away Silverkit isn't the answer. She's only going to resent you if you keep holding her back." She reminded him quietly, her tone suggesting as if this wasn't the first time they had this conversation.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Silverkit."
The small she-kit stirred, looking around for the source of the voice. Who was there?
"Silverkit."
A soft scent washed over her, a scent that was overwhelmingly familiar yet she had no idea who it belonged to. "Silverkit." A glimpse of dappled silver brushed in front of her sight, disappearing into the darkness. She began to run, hearing her name called over and over again, getting quieter the faster she ran.
"Who are you? Come back!" She cried.
"Silverkit!" A paw jabbed her in the side sharply. She opened her eyes, the strange scent still sharp in her noise, warm and comforting but leaving her feeling unsettled.
"What?" She mewed crossly, looking up into the wide blue eyes of her brother. She had always liked Nightkit the best of her three brothers – Hawkkit and Stonekit liked to tease her and put beetles in her nest – but she was about ready to claw him for waking her up. She had been so close…
"You were mewling in your sleep. Plus, it's almost time for our apprentice ceremonies!" Her frustration at her brother melted away, replaced with excitement. Their apprentice ceremonies! She sat up, rapidly beginning to lick her fur into place. How could she have forgotten? Just last night Dawnfeather had hinted that today would be the day that they had started training.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the Highledge for a clan meeting!" She heard her father's yowl echo through the camp and a fresh wave of excitement washed over her.
"Let's go!" She mewed excitedly to her brother, scampering out to join her other two brothers, who were already waiting at the bottom of the ledge, looking freshly groomed and just as thrilled as she was.
Traditionally, their mother would have groomed them and sat next to them as they were made apprentices, but their mother Breezewing had died just shortly after kitting. Silverkit had no memories of her and though she had often pestered the elders and her father for more information on her mother, she had only gleaned that she was a brave and kind warrior.
"Stonekit, Hawkkit, Nightkit, and Silverkit…" Her father addressed each of them in turn, his amber eyes glowing with pride, "You have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed."
"Stonekit." The largest kit stepped forward, his dark gray pelt neatly groomed, the only sign of his excitement in his blue eyes, his head held high. "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Stonepaw. Ravenstorm, you are ready for your first apprentice. Your mentor was Rockclaw and I hope that you will pass down all the fighting skills and bravery that he taught you to Stonepaw."
Ravenstorm stepped forward, touching noises with the newly named apprentice. Silverkit was glad that he wasn't her mentor – she remembered on her first day out of the nursery, she had accidentally stumbled into the young black warrior and nearly gotten her ear shredded. He was known to be cross and bad-tempered, getting along with very few cats but his sister.
"Hawkkit."
The black tabby tom bounded forward, whiskers quivering. "From this day onward, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Hawkpaw."
The clan called out his name. Once it was quiet again, Stormstar called out, "Grayheart."
The large dark tom blinked his eyes in warm surprise. "You have mentored Raintail and he is a credit to his clan. I hope that you will pass on the same courage and patience to Hawkpaw."
The clan cheered again as the two pressed noses. Silverkit heard the older tom murmur to her brother, "I will teach you all that I know, young warrior."
"Nightkit. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Nightpaw. Fernheart, you too are ready for your first apprentice. Your mentor was Morningsky and I hope that you will pass down the skills she taught you to Nightpaw."
Silverkit purred, calling out her favorite brother's new name as he eagerly touched noses with his new mentor. She liked Fernheart – she was much friendlier than her brother and had always been kind to Silverkit and her littermates.
There was a pause, as Stormstar's eyes landed on her. For a moment, fear clenched at her heart. He wouldn't hold her back from becoming an apprentice, would he? He hesitated several long, painful moments before calling out her name,
"Silverkit."
Letting out her breath, she scampered forward, eyes wide with excitement. She was going to be an apprentice!
"From this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Silverpaw."
Silverpaw eagerly glanced around, standing on the tips of her toes, trying to figure out who her father had chosen to be her mentor.
"Goldenfrost."
The pale golden warrior stepped forward. A shiver ran from the tip of Silverpaw's nose to her tail. Goldenfrost! Though young, he was easily the best fighter in the clan. Windflower had told Silverpaw stories of his grandfather, Lionstar, who had been a descendant of one of the greatest Thunderclan leaders ever to live, Firestar. Rockclaw was certain that he would be their next deputy, as Emberclaw was close to retiring because of a persistent cough that had never gone away when he had caught greencough last leaf-bare. He so was noble and kind and handsome… and he was to be her mentor!
"You are ready for your first apprentice. I was your mentor and I trust that I leave Silverpaw in good paws and hope that you will pass down your determination and courage onto her."
Goldenfrost's eyes shone with pride as he stepped towards his apprentice. Silverpaw was so excited that she thrust her nose a little too harshly into his, making their heads bump together and her eyes water smartly. Hot embarrassment ran down her fur, but Goldenfrost's whiskers merely twitched with amusement.
"It's alright. I tripped over my own paws, I was so excited, when I first made an apprentice." He whispered and suddenly she didn't feel so mousebrained. She let out a grateful purr and touched her nose to his again shyly, this time more gently.
"Stonepaw! Hawkpaw! Nightpaw! Silverpaw!"
She was a real apprentice of Thunderclan!