Shadepaw and Stormpaw, two toms, pad past Oakkit and me, but not before they glance my way, just long enough to run their gazes over my pale blue-silver fur and brilliant blue gaze. I sigh inwardly. Ever since I was kitted, almost every cat considered me a rather beautiful cat. It really gets annoying after a while.

I force myself to look away and pad past them in silence.

Oakkit shakes out his reddish-brown fur as he pads alongside me, a little confused. "What happened?"

I turn my narrow, triangular, feminine blue-silver head to face him. "Nothing." Oakkit shrugs, then follows me toward the edge of the clearing in the ThunderClan camp. He narrows his eyes.

"Why are you heading toward the medicine den?" I shrug in reply. Oakkit nudges me affectionately. "You're not planning on becoming a medicine cat apprentice, are you, Skykit?" He pauses. "That definitely would upset half the toms who are padding after you."

I swipe playfully at him. "Of course not!"

Oakkit stumbles back, yowling "Attack!", as I swipe at his face. I purr in amusement as he slips on the cool, moist grass and lands on his back in a shallow dip in the ground. I twitch my whiskers in amusement, then jump back in surprise as he surges up and joyfully hurles himself on top of me. I roll over, then throw him off, falling back with the effort, leaving both of us lying on the grass clearing, purring.

I jump to my paws as he stops purring abruptly, and his clear amber gaze is fixed on something beyond me. I turn to see two she-cats, mentor and apprentice, pad out of camp. "What's wrong?" I tease. "You padding after someone?"

To my surprise, Oakkit looks uncomfortable.

"You can tell me," I mew. "I won't tell a soul."

Oakkit stares at his paws without moving, and his amber eyes cloud over a little. For less than a heartbeat, his gaze shifts up to meet my eyes. "Well... sort of... Rowanpaw." That takes me by surprise. I never thought that my brother had liked any cat, really. "She's nice... I guess..."

"Don't worry. I won't tell her." I stroke my tail over his back.

Oakkit nods quickly. "How about you?"

"What?"

"You've got loads of cats padding after you. Have you thought twice of any of them?" I shake my head. It's the truth. I honestly try to ignore toms as much as possible - that is, except for Oakkit and Graystorm. Oakkit narrows his eyes in a sort of teasing way. "Really, tell me!"

"I really don't!" I mew, trying hard to keep the anger out of my voice.

But I think my annoyance must have shown, because Oakkit lowers his gaze and takes a step back. "Sorry." Instead of replying with words, I use my beautiful, long, feathery tail and run it over his back gently, and purr, touching my nose to his.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting!" A she-cat's voice sounds outside the nursery, and I realize that it must be Lilystar. Dawnshade licks my cheek, then Oakkit's, affectionately. Her dark red tail flicks out, then, with a graceful, swift motion, sweeps us closer to her.

Our mother rasps her tongue over my pale blue-silver fur, slicking it down a little, leaving it darmp and flat. She nuzzles me for a heartbeat, then pulls Oakkit closer and grooms him as well, running her tongue over his red-brown fur.

Her green eyes gleam, as she bends her head to our height. "Remember, you furballs, because you're apprentices now, I'll miss you two even more. Now, go on." Today was our apprentice ceremony, and the two of us have been looking forward to this day for moons now.

Lilystar is already on the Highledge by the time we pad into the clearing, and most of the clan is already gathered. The clan automatically separates a little, forming a ragged circle around the two of us.

Lilystar, a pale gray she-cat with green eyes and an unusually long tail, blinks warmly. I have never met Lilystar in person before, except for the first day Oakkit and I were out of the nursery, and she greeted us. I press against Oakkit for a heartbeat, then pull away as the leader begins to speak. "Today, we gather for a very important ceremony in the lives of two six-moon-old kits." Her green gaze rests on first me, then Oakkit. "Skykit and Oakkit have both reached the age of six moons and are ready to become apprentices."

I resist the urge to whisper to Oakpaw yet again about who he thinks our mentors will be.

"Skykit, step forward." Swallowing my nervousness and breathing slowly, I pad forward to the base of the Highledge, looking up into the warm green eyes of the ThunderClan leader. "From this moment onward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Skypaw."

Skypaw, I repeat in my head. It is a nice name.

"Darkfire, you received excellent mentoring from our lost friend Whitesong, and you have proven to be a brave and wise deputy. Please pass on all you know to Skypaw." The surprised gleam in my eyes matches the startled look in his as he bends down to touch noses to me.

"I'll do the best I can!" I promise, in a whisper.

"And I'll make you the best warrior possible," he returns.

I turn my attention back to Oakkit. "From this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Oakpaw." I blink encouragingly at him, and he flashes me a shaky smile. "Redstorm, you received wonderful mentoring from myself, and Oakpaw will be your first apprentice. Pass on your skill and courage to this young apprentice."

I watch as my littermate stretches his neck to touch noses to the dark red tom, who whispers something to him and lets out a purr.

Meanwhile, I puff out my pale chest, my blue eyes shining as the clan yowls out our names. "Skypaw! Oakpaw! Skypaw! Oakpaw!" Stormpaw and Shadepaw, the two dark gray littermates, pad over to me to mew a warm congratulations to me and Oakpaw. Rowanpaw pads over a few heartbeats later to congratulate us, and she whispers something to Oakpaw that makes him purr.

When the cheering has died down, I turn to the deputy. "What will we do first?"

"What do you want to do?" the amber-eyed, dark gray tom replies, flicking his tail as he speaks.

I shrug.

"Do you want to explore the territory?"

I nod eagerly, then freeze for a heartbeat. "Will Oakpaw come?"

"Why don't you go and as Redstorm?" Darkfire suggests, purring as I bound toward the dark red tom. I press against Oakpaw for a heartbeat, then turn to face Redstorm, who was a muscular, green-eyed tom, who blinked as I opened my jaws to speak.

"Can Oakpaw and you come with Darkfire and me to explore the territory?" I ask, and beside me, Oakpaw brightens, his eyes wide.

Redstorm dips his head. "Of course."

Darkfire pads over to us, then beckons with his tail for us to follow, and together, the four of us pad through the thorn tunnel and out of camp.