"Mom!" A young kit giggled as his mother cleaned up his pelt. "I'm not that dirty!"

"I know, dear, but I want you to always look your best. Especially with your ceremony coming up soon!" Tinystorm purred as she looked down at her newly cleaned kit. Redkit looked up at her with a big grin.

Tinystorm wasn't the biggest cat in the Clan, but she made up for it with her speed and agility. Her calico pelt was always clean and neat for she never liked the thought of having others see her in such a messy state. Her amber eyes represented fire itself, showing warmth and love and her feisty attitude. Tinystorm was always protective of her family, especially her younger brother Russetpaw. She was always there for him when he needed someone to talk to, and he looked up to her. She was his inspiration to become strong for those he cares about, and he was her inspiration to have fun and be happy. She never would've mated her mate if it wasn't for him.

Unfortunately, that changed when Russetpaw had been killed by a fox. Tinystorm didn't find out until she saw two other warriors drag in what was left of her little brother. As she gazed upon the still form of Russetpaw, she felt something die in her. She couldn't imagine feeling happy again without seeing his bright smile. She couldn't imagine having fun without him there to drag her to a game or something. She had failed to protect the one cat who meant the most to her. The final straw snapped when her mate died in a skirmish with another Clan. She lost her family.

She didn't know that her mate left her something wonderful before he died.

When she was told by the medicine cat that she was pregnant, she didn't believe him. It wasn't possible for her to have kits after her mate had died. The older tom insisted that it was true, that she had been pregnant before the death of her mate. Tinystorm had called him a liar that day.

Until Redkit was born. When Tinystorm first laid eyes on her son, she felt a small ache of pain in her heart. Redkit looked just like Russetpaw with his russet colored tabby pelt and his soon to be revealed yellow eyes. She didn't know how to feel about having a son who looked like her dead brother, but when Redkit had curled up against her belly she knew that she would love him with all of her heart and protect him so she never would have to lose him. She promised herself that nothing was going to make her watch the vigil of another dead family member.

Tinystorm had inserted herself in everything that had gone on in Redkit's life. She would keep him away from other kits and apprentices who she had deemed to be no good of influences on her kit. She made him follow her to visit wise and cautious warriors instead of the warriors who would rush into danger without a thought. She would tell Redkit to always be smart and always flee before he got killed when he was in danger.

Everyone, but Redkit, noticed that Tinystorm was shaping her son into the cat she wanted him to be instead of letting him be himself. The only thing he had learned was how to play it safe and to run away if things got out of control. She didn't let him play with the other kits, so he never learnt the skills that would help him in his apprentice training. She kept him away from the stories of previous battles, so he wasn't prepared at all if he ever went into a fight. Her need to keep him safe and alive had isolated him from the things that would be crucial for him to learn and know for being a part of the Clan.

Tinystorm's ears perked up as she heard Splashstar's call. She picked up her kit, insisting that it was to make sure his pelt didn't get dirty, and carried him over to where the rest of the Clan was gathering.

Splashstar was a wise tom, having lived through seven of his lives. His white and dark gray fur was speckled with gray, and his dark blue eyes were filled with exhaustion and sickness. He was going to lose his eighth life soon due to an illness, but that didn't slow him down from his duties as an leader. Being old has made him wiser about his Clan and the cats in it. He wasn't blind to how Tinystorm sheltered Redkit from harm, and he never blamed her. Despite how wrong her actions were for the growth of the kit, he knew that Tinystorm's life was filled with loss and sorrow. Still, the kit needed a mentor who would show him life beyond that of Tinystorm's influence.

"Today, a kit will have the chance to earn his apprentice name and train to someday become a warrior of MeadowClan. Redkit, please step forward."

Tinystorm purred as she placed her son down, watching as he padded up calmly to recieve his new name.

"Redkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Redpaw. Your mentor will be Driftblaze. I hope Driftblaze will pass down all he knows on to you."

Everyone was about to chant out the new apprentice's name when a frantic voice shouted out. Every pair of eyes turned to face Tinystorm, the small cat's neat fur bristling as her eyes shone angrily. She marched up to stand beside her son, glaring up at Splashstar. "Why would you choose Driftblaze of all cats to be his mentor? He is reckless and can't keep his stupid temper under control! I refuse to have my son mentored by a cat who would get him killed!" Driftblaze, a ginger tom with black mackerel stripes, narrowed his dark green eyes as he heard Tinystorm's outburst.

Splashstar let the she-cat rant. There was a reason he chose Driftblaze to mentor Redpaw. The warrior would be the one to show the apprentice that there is more to being a warrior than caring about your own survival. You must also care about the survival of your Clan before yourself. Driftblaze had proven himself, despite his reckless behavior, that he would lay down his life for the greater good of the whole Clan. He only hoped that Redpaw would see that the whole Clan is his whole family in a way, not just his mother.

While the Clan watched the three cats, Ivypaw, a black she-cat with a dark gray chest and underbelly and light green eyes, padded up to Redpaw. She motioned for him to follow her, and out of curiosity, he allowed her to lead him out of camp.

Tinystorm was in a panic. It had been hours since Redpaw's ceremony, and her son was still nowhere to be seen. What if he had gotten hurt and was suffering from the pain? Her pelt bristled. She was about to zip right out of camp to find her son before both Ivypaw and Redpaw entered cam, both of them smiling brightly towards each other. Tinystorm narrowed her eyes, storming up to them and picking up her son. She glared down at Ivypaw as she stalked away.

Redpaw was not allowed to see Ivypaw again.

Ivypaw laughed as she watched Redpaw try and chase down a squirrel. It kept giving him the slip, causing Redpaw to hiss in frustration before giving up for good once he got a face full of flowers after tripping over his paws. He pouted as he walked back to his friend. "I couldn't get it…"

"Don't worry about it," Ivypaw purred. "There is still some need for improvement. You've only been an apprentice for a moon, after all. It is natural to still miss some prey. By three moons in, you'll get it down to perfection!"

Redpaw looked up at Ivypaw with wide eyes. "You think so?" Ivypaw nodded. She had been an apprentice for four moons now, so she knew so. Redpaw grinned. "Thanks, Ivypaw!"

Ivypaw smiled. "No problem. Let's go before Tinystorm comes looking for you."

"Yeah…"

Ivypaw yelped as she was shoved to the ground. It had been two moons since Redpaw's ceremony, two moons of Ivypaw and Redpaw sneaking off to hang out with each other without his mother's notice. Her light green eyes looked up in fear as Tinystorm padded closer, fangs beared in a snarl. The older she-cat looked like a wild rogue that had come for blood. She leaned close to the apprentice's face, hissing.

"Do you think I am blind to the fact that you have been hanging around my son?"

"I-"

"Quiet!" Tinystorm yowled, scratching Ivypaw's cheek. The young cat flinched back. "I notice how he stares at you. How you stare at him. How everytime one of you has left camp, the other one isn't in camp either. He looks up to you, he adores you. He loves you. I've done too much to protect him to let you take him away from me. I will not let you hurt him because the only love he needs to keep him safe is the love of his mother."

Ivypaw shook her head. "That's not true!" She yelped as she felt fangs grip onto her neck. Tinystorm growled, tempted to teach the runt a lesson, but she didn't need her blabbing away to the Clan.

"Go. Leave. If I see you around my son or the Clan again, I will end you." She let go and watched the dark form of the apprentice dash away.

Redstar watched over the Clan, his mouth firm and gaze stern. He had grown during since his apprenticehood, and here he now stood as leader. Tinystorm had died moons ago, her body not being able to fight of greencough. It didn't matter to him anyway. While he may have loved his mother, the love he had for Ivypaw had opened his eyes to see that Tinystorm's love wasn't healthy for him, or for herself. He denied her the need to protect him, saying that he needed to learn himself on how he wants to grow up and learn as a warrior. He had avoided her to show his new independence, and he could see how that had crushed her. It was a couple of moons after he gained his warrior name when she told him the truth of Ivypaw's disappearance. That was when he snapped at her and made her face the errors of her actions. Everything she did in the end did not protect him, but push him away from her.

He sighed, staring up at the sky. He missed Ivypaw. A commotion down in camp made him shift his gaze and his heart paused for a moment in disbelief.

A lean, black she-cat padded into camp, her head raised high to show off the dark gray chest and underbelly, her light green eyes shining proudly. There were excited whispers among the older Clan members who recognized her, and confused ones from younger cats who had been born after that time.

Redstar leaped down from his perch, quickly padding up to the she-cat. He slowed as they approached, the both of them smiling at each other as they stared into each other's eyes. "Ivypaw…"

Ivypaw grinned widely, having noticed the authoritative aura coming off of him. "Redstar, I'm assuming?" Redstar laughed.

"You assumed correctly." He leaned over to nuzzle her cheek, smelling the scent that he had missed for so long.

"Welcome back."