CHAPTER ONE

The milky dawn poured into the SkyClan camp. The sun's rays beamed through the leaves the hung over the cliff's edge. Some of the excessive light escaped through gasps in between the leaves; making dappled markings dance on the ground below. The golden sun crept slowly over the horizon. Soft colors of pink and yellow were painted in the ever changing sky. Twinkling stars faded silently in the brilliant morning light. A transparent moon descended with a steady pace; becoming fainter and fainter from the early morning scene.

"Come on Graykit, wake up already!"A soft white paw began to prod up the smoky gray bundle of fur.

Graykit groaned then turned the other way; his paws covering his small ears and his muzzle buried deep within the warm pelt that smelled of milk and security. He snuggled closer his mother, Cloudfur.

"Snowkit, be kinder to your brother. He has just woken up from his nap and isn't ready to venture out into the camp like you are."The gray-and-white queen chided to her other kit.

Graykit felt the rasp of his mother's tongue against his feathery fur.

'Give me a moment to get ready, Snowkit!'Graykit wished him could speak, but other noisily sounds came from his mouth instead. He shut his mouth quickly, hoping his curious sister did not hear him.

That same forepaw prodded his backside again."If you don't hurry and get up we'll miss out Scorchkit's and Smokekit's apprentice ceremony."The white she-kit mewed in a complaining tone.

Graykit popped one eye open to look at a snowy white muzzle. He hissed, if he could, but it came out as a wheeze. He nudged his annoying sister away with his own gray muzzle.

A purr came from another queen."Don't worry Snowkit; I'm sure Graykit will come around once he realizes he'll be meeting the Clan today." Silverleaf teased gently.

There was mewling heard from outside the nursery walls.

"Hurry up! We haven't got all day!"Smokepaw called to two particular kits.

"Yeah,"Scorchpaw added," let's look around the camp like real apprentices!"

'Meeting the Clan, and becoming an apprentice! I want to join in on the fun!'

Graykit got to his paws in an awkward manner before standing up straight.

Snowkit snorted,"About time. Now let's go!"

"Wait, I want to at least make sure you make it safely out of the nursery!" Cloudfur got up from her mossy next and stood beside Graykit.

He was shocked to see how small Cloudfur looked compared to Silverleaf he was twice her size. His mother was half the she-cat's size!

Meanwhile, Snowkit was already at the scrambling out of the gap; that was the only entry and exit of the den. The patches of her fur were being snagged by bracken and prickly thistle that protected the outside of the nursery. Deciding that the difference in size wasn't that big of a deal, Graykit turned his attention to Snowkit. She was already scrambling out the gap; which was the only entry and exit for the den. Patches of her fur were being snagged by the bracken and prickly thistle that protected the outside of the nursery. Graykit quickly followed behind his sister; determined to make a grand exit from the den he was so used to living in.

Thick brambles tugged at his fluffy fur as he wiggled his way out of the nursery. He bounced the rest of the way free but tumbled on the ground. He splashed in a small puddle; water went everywhere, including him. Cloudfur took him by the scruff of his neck and placed him carefully next to Snowkit; who jumped out of his way when their pelts brushed. Graykit's cold and wet brushed against hers.

Graykit looked up as a dark gray tabby tomkit approached. It was Scorchkit. The dark-furred tom flicked his tail,"You made it."

Smokekit, his brother, came from behind him,"Humph, 'bout time."

Smokekit was a tad lighter than his brother. He didn't have tabby stripes like him or their mother Silverleaf, just a plain solid gray pelt.

Graykit was amazed at how much bigger both Scorchkit and Smokekit compared to his puny size.'Are all of Silverleaf's family giant, or are we just small?'

Graykit tensed as the larger Smokekit moved closer to him, the older kitten giving Graykit a quick sniff. Almost instantly, Smokekit stepped away with his ears flat against his head. "He smells foul," he spat.

Snowkit twitched her whiskers in amusement."Don't worry, he doesn't mean it."

Graykit sniffed. 'If only I could talk! I would show this older kit!'

The familiar meow of Cloudfur came behind from the chattering kits,"play nicely you two and show a little more respect to the older kits. After all, today's the day they become apprentices."

"That's right,"Smokekit mewed,"then we'll be the ones going on real adventures."

Snowkit rolled her blue eyes while Scorchkit purred at how the white she-cat reacted to his brother's boasting. Cloudfur watched the conversation continue. Just the thought of how big the kits grown since their birth brought back the memory.

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"Push! Come on Cloudfur you're almost there!" Littlenose encouraged the queen.

Cloudfur let out a wail that ended in a low groan. A small, wet kit slithered onto the mossy next.

Littlenose nipped the sack open and began to lick furiously at the first born kit. But something was wrong. The kit wasn't breathing. The skinny tom pressed his paw gently on the tiny gray body; he frowned and moved his forepaw away.

"What's wrong," a squeaked came from behind the medicine cat.

A head popped into through nursery den. "Is she alright?"

"Can we see," the same kit voice from before asked.

There was a faint rustle near the neatly weaved walls. Silverleaf appeared behind her kits with a gasp.

"Kits," she meowed sternly, "get away from there. You aren't allowed inside!"

Smokekit's hissed, irritated that his mother found him out.

"Aw but mom, we want to see if Cloudfur and the kits are doing okay," Scorchkit mewled innocently.

"If you ask me they shouldn't be kitted anyway."Smokekit muttered under his breath.

Silverleaf inhaled a mouthful of air into her lungs at the words Smokekit had spoken. She shooed them away. Mewls of protest were fading as the family moved further away from the den.

Littlenose concentrated back on his work. "This one," he pointed with his tail tip," didn't make it."

Cloudfur wanted to wail a mournful cry but another spasm rippled through her. The pain turned her cry into a yowl. Littlenose meowed soft words to the exhausted queen as she gave birth to her second kit. Littlenose tore away the sac that incased the kit and licked vigorously. He sighed in relief as the white little scrap began to squirm and squeal with high pitched mewls.

"A live she-cat," Littlenose took the kit and placed her by her mother's belly. Cloudfur sniffed at her first live kit and purred.

Littlenose checked on Cloudfur once more. "There's one more kit left."

And once he spoken those words Cloudfur yowled as the last born kit fell beside his front paws. The white tom quickly ripped the sac and rasped his tongue over his tiny body. It was a tom. Cloudfur twisted her neck to see her last kit; praying to StarClan above that he would survive like his sister.

Littlenose worked carefully: he opened the kit's mouth dipped out, mucus and cleared his nostrils. Littlenose pressed a firm paw on his flank and started to massage his lungs.

Cloudfur became impatient, "Is he alright?"

Littlenose did not answer as the moss in front of the kit began to move forward and then back. The tom didn't let out any noises at all like his littermate, but he was alive. The medicine cat noticed that the kit was deformed on the front of his leg, and He had very punt ears compared to his sister's.

"They're all lovely," Cloudfur purred, wrapping her fluffy tail around her adorable litter.

"Would you like me to get the father?"

Cloudfur shook her head, "no I can handle naming them myself."

Littlenose was a little suspicious as to the way she had responded to his question, but he changed his mind set as the gray-and-white queen began.

"This one with the light gray pelt will be Stormkit." Cloudfur mewed, touching her first son's still flank with her white tail tip. She flicked her tail to her middle kit. "She will be Snowkit and he…" she trailed off at her last born. Calm happiness glittered in her misty eyes. "He will be Graykit," she decided.

Littlenose nodded at the names that were given. "Wonderful names, I leave you now to tend to them." He meowed pushing a small pile of herbs to her.

"Borage leaves to make your milk come easier," he dipped his head and turned away, swishing his tail along the sandy den floors. He climbed out of the den but not without a quick glance at the family bonding. The kits suckled at their mother's belly. He was sure to return to bring out the dead one's body. The small white tom nodded for Silverleaf and her five moon old kits to return into the nursery.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Mother!"Snowkit meowed loud enough to rouse Cloudfur from her daydream.

Her little she-kit gave a rambunctious leap into the air. "It's starting! It's starting!" Before Cloudfur could reply her kit was scampering over to the gathering cats, some just waking up from their night's sleep.

"Cats of SkyClan," Hawkstar began, "we are here for one of the most important ceremonies that could happen in our Clan; the making of new apprentices." His pale amber eyes gleaming in the rising dawn's light. "They have reached their sixth moon and are ready to start their warrior training…"

Murmurs of appreciation came from the surrounding cats. Snowkit shifted her small frame back and forth, angling her muzzle up to her littermate's ear."That will be us one day Graykit, just you wait and see." She whispered as Hawkstar called for Smokekit to stand before the RockPile.

The leader's eyes scanning through the ranks of his Clan, pinpointing the cat that was surely ready to train this young cat.

"Mistynose, I trust you will mentor Smokepaw, and pass down all of your excellent skills and patience upon him."

The silver she-cat stepped away from the crowd of cats. Her short legs carrying her over toward the two toms, but her green eyes fell on the apprentice. She turned to Hawkstar dipping her head, eyes twinkling.

"You can count on me," She trotted up to Smokepaw and pressed her nose to his.

Curiosity played on her features as the two withdrew into the circle of watching cats. The golden-brown tom then called forth Scorchkit then named Scorchpaw and Whitebreeze was given an apprentice.

The white tom bounded over to him, and they completed the ceremony by touching noses.

"Smokepaw! Scorchpaw!" Every cat in the Clan yowled the names of the newly made apprentices, and acknowledge their presence with a brief congratulations.

Cloudfur stood up to stretch each limb as the meeting was coming to an end. Giving her pelt a good shake. Then an important thought crossed her mind.

"Would you look at that!" Cloudfur exclaimed drawing attention from both Snowkit and Graykit.

Her voice became soft, "It's time for a morning baths!"

"Oh no," Snowkit squeaked, preparing for the worst.