Sunkit yawned and sat up. He looked down at his sisters — Moonkit and Starkit. He gave a loud fake cough, and then started growling increasingly loudly. When this failed to make a reaction, he yowled, "Wake up!" as loud as he could.
Moonkit stirred. "Is it morning already?" she yawned. Starkit, always the quiet one, sighed and turned over.
"Yes, Moonkit, it is morning, and Sunkit, you need to be quiet while cats are sleeping," their mother, Ivycloud, yawned.
"I want to go outside!" Sunkit yowled. "We're old enough to be apprentices now, so I might hear something about the ceremony!"
"Oh, I hope I get to be a medicine cat apprentice," Starkit purred. "I'd love that." Their current medicine cat, Dawnflame, had no apprentice...............yet. She had been showing interest in taking on an apprentice, and Starkit seemed the most likely candidate. She had always loved hanging around the medicine cat's den, asking which herb does what. She also seemed to have a special connection with StarClan. When she was a young kit, she had dreamed of cats with stars in their fur coming and visiting her in her sleep.
"Come on!" Sunkit yowled. "Coming, coming," Moonkit mumbled. "I don't see why you always have to be in such a hurry!"
"It's what makes a good warrior! Eaglefeather told me so," he retorted. "Anyway, come on!"
The three kits tumbled outside. They wandered around pestering the warriors about who their mentors would be. They pestered the apprentices about what it would be like to be an apprentice. When the dawn patrol finally returned, they ate (it took an eternity for them to eat — at least the kits thought so). Then, the deputy, Bearclaw, had to make his report to the leader, Miststar (that took another eternity and a half — to the kits). Finally Miststar leapt up onto the Highledge.
Miststar yowled the traditional call. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the Highledge. It is time for three of our kits to become apprentices." A surge of excitement swept through Sunkit. Beside him, Moonkit quivered with excitement. Starkit, always calm, looked up at Miststar quietly, waiting for what might come.
"Sunkit!" Miststar called. Sunkit bounced up to stand in front of the Highledge. On the way there, he almost crashed into Branchpaw. The apprentice groaned in exasperation (this had happened before) and moved out of Sunkit's way.
"From this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Sunpaw." called Miststar. The whole clan chanted his name. "Sunpaw, Sunpaw, Sunpaw!" Ivycloud looked on with pride as her only son became an apprentice.
"Eaglefeather!" The tabby warrior stepped forward. Miststar looked down at him from the Highledge. "You were Cherryleaf's mentor, and she is a credit to her clan. Now I ask you to prove your skills once again. You will be Sunpaw's mentor." Eaglefeather walked over to Sunpaw and they touched muzzles, and then stepped back into the crowd of cats.
"Moonkit!" Obviously trying to be more dignified than her brother, Moonkit stepped forward and looked up at Miststar.
"From this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Moonpaw." Miststar looked down at her kindly as she said these words. "Moonpaw, Moonpaw, Moonpaw!" chanted the clan.
"I have decided to take a second apprentice. Moonpaw, I will be your mentor." Miststar jumped down from the Highledge to touch muzzles with Moonpaw. Then, Miststar leapt back up onto the Highledge and Moonpaw stepped back into the clan.
"Starkit!" The little kit picked her way delicately up to stand in front of Miststar. "From this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Starpaw." Moonpaw and Sunpaw led the chant this time. "Starpaw, Starpaw, Starpaw!"
Although she appeared as serene as ever, inside, Starkit was trembling with excitement. Oh please please please please let her call........................ "Dawnflame!"
Miststar gazed down at her medicine cat. "Dawnflame, you have decided that you are ready to take on an apprentice. Starpaw is ready to become a medicine cat apprentice. May StarClan give your apprentice all the strength and wisdom she needs." They touched muzzles and stepped back into the crowd of cats.
"I am sure that ThunderClan will benefit from these apprentices in days to come. This Clan meeting is over."