It may have been the middle of the night, but the camp wasn't silent. In the middle, five kits were wide awake, though their eyelids were starting to droop, and chatting excitedly in a circle of their own, but stayed as quiet as they could. Mostly because they had been already told off by Woollyfur, who was the guard for the camp that night, for making too much noise.
"I can't wait to be an Apprentice!" Longkit mewed, fidgeting in place, purring brightly.
"Stagstar won't make you an Apprentice if you've got ants in your pelt." Doekit scoffed in her bossy way.
"He won't make you an Apprentice if you keep ordering everyone around." Eaglekit challenged from her other side, making Doekit smirk evilly and playfully.
"I'll show you! I'd easily defeat you in a fight!"
With that, Doekit pounced at Eaglekit, sending the both tumbling around in a play fight. The other kits, however, ignored them totally, oblivious to the hissing going on around them.
"Who do you think our Mentors will be?" Nightkit asked calmly.
"Do you think Whiteblossom or Woollyfur could mentor us?" Longkit pondered, but nodded when Vixenkit shook her head. "You're right, kin doesn't usually mentor kin."
"What about Rosenose? She's quite nice. Brownfoot too."
"No, I like Owlfeather. He is very cheery and optimistic." Longkit murmured, his voice barely more than a whisper. "But, I like Snowfang too. He's quiet."
Vixenkit let them chatter. She hoped for one of the senior warriors as a mentor, like Bluewhisker, or a keen one like Mistspeckle. She also hoped for Bramblenose, but she knew the tabby would stay in the nursery while Petalpool still had her kits.
"I want Nettleclaw!" Eaglekit interrupted, being pinned on his front by Doekit right in front of his other siblings. "He's the best fighter in the whole Clan!"
"No, it's Darkfall!" Doekit protested, starting up another arguement between the two kits. Vixenkit silently rolled her eyes. She didn't understand how either of them still had energy at this time.
"When you've finished tearing each other's whiskers out, the sun will be up soon." Nightkit mewed, physically pushing them apart.
"Yes. We're all tired. We don't want to be tired for the ceremony tomorrow." Longkit added. Vixenkit added in a fake yawn for effect, which seemed to work as Doekit and Eaglekit admitted defeat, padding back to the Nursery and settling in their nests as quietly as they could as not to wake the other cats.
However, Vixenkit was just falling asleep as Longkit shuffled around. She glared at him, but it did nothing as he was facing away from her. She was just about to doze off again when she heard pawsteps in camp, her urge to spring up gone as she realised it was just Woollyfur. She curled back up as she watched him drop whatever he had in his jaws in front of Watersplash's Den and return to his place. Tiredness finally took over her just as she wanted to investigate, her eyes closing as she fell asleep.
It didn't seem long until Vixenkit was awoken again, but this time the disturbance was much larger, out in camp, right outside Watersplash's Den.
All the cats on the dawn patrol were there, Nettleclaw was stood to one side, the siblings Heatherblaze and Ashear behind him and Goldenfur was stood alongside a very sleepy looking Watersplash. She watched his eyes pop open as he examined what Woollyfur had left, before saying something to Nettleclaw, who nodded to Heatherblaze and she ran off towards Stagstar's Den.
"Why all the noise? It's only dawn." Petalpool drowsily mewed as the other cats in the Nursery began to stir too.
Vixenkit, however, continued to watch outside as Heatherblaze brought Stagstar to Watersplash and Nettleclaw took his patrol out. The two had a brief conversation before they went to the Leader's Den.
Knowing no better, Cherrykit and Yellowkit left the Nursery and tried to sneakily go over to examine it, the other Kits following.
"What is it?" Cherrykit asked, pawing it curiously.
"It's fur." Yellowkit replied, sniffing the pale fur. "But not cat fur."
"It's fox fur." Foxpaw mewed, matter of fact. "I heard Watersplash say it was an Omen from StarClan before he left with Stagstar. I don't think little kits should be touching it."
Cherrykit and Yellowkit slunk away, but Nightkit gave both of them comforting looks.
"Did he say what it could mean?" Eaglekit asked.
"He didn't." Foxpaw shrugged. "But, knowing them, it won't be long until we find out."
"Trust something exciting to happen today." Longkit grumbled. "We get made Apprentices today!"
"And Aspenpaw, Badgerpaw and I get made Warriors today too." Foxpaw visibly bristled at Longkit's complaining, stalking off with a hiss of contempt towards the Kits to join her brothers.
"Ignore Foxpaw. She's just a pain in the tail. Let's go back to the Nursery." Nightkit mewed to the two younger kits as he began to leave. Still tired, Vixenkit followed, feeling barely able to put one paw in front of the other.
She had barely put one paw into her nest when Stagstar slunk his way in.
"Vixenkit, Whiteblossom, may I speak to you in my Den?" He mewed, acting as if he was just inviting them for a friendly chat. Vixenkit's blood was ice cold as she followed the Leader and the Queen into the den, where the Medicine Cat was sat waiting, a strange look in his eyes.
"Watersplash? What is the matter?" Whiteblossom recoiled for a moment, but Stagstar gave her and her kit a warm look, saying nothing but motioning for them to sit down.
"I believe that fox fur that was found outside my den this morning was an Omen from StarClan." Watersplash started.
"We think StarClan wants you to be the next Medicine Cat of WindClan, Vixenkit." Stagstar finished.
Vixenkit looked horrified, motioning frantically to Woollyfur who was stood with other cats being assigned to hunting patrols by Silverbreeze.
"Woollyfur? What about him?" Stagstar mewed questioningly.
"Don't worry about him. You won't be replacing him." Watersplash told her, but Vixenkit saw the alarm in his eyes. Like his world was about to fall apart.
Growing angry because they wouldn't take her seriously, Vixenkit motioned to the ground where Woollyfur had been sat when he was on guard and then to the "Omen". She wished she could scream her lungs out and tell them the truth. She didn't want to be a Medicine Cat!
"Vixenkit, Woollyfur will still love you the same if you became a Medicine Cat." Whiteblossom's voice was harsh, almost angry, and it scared the kit into submission. She had never heard the queen like that before. In all the trouble that her siblings had gotten into, she never once got angry or even started to loose her patience.
"Will you become Watersplash's apprentice?"
Stagstar's voice drowned out all the other noise around her and all she could see were the three expectant faces of the three cats in the Den around her. Her heart heavy, she knew there was no way to get out of this. She gave one single nod.
Whiteblossom burst into proud purrs, ushering her out the Leader's Den to leave the two toms in peace and take her back to the Nursery, where they were quickly met by her littermates.
"What did Stagstar say?" Bramblenose asked, smiling brightly when she saw Whiteblossom's face.
"That Vixenkit is going to become a Medicine Cat." Whiteblossom replied brightly, bur her siblings fell silent.
"Is that what the Omen was about?" Petalpool asked, both Whiteblossom and Vixenkit nodding their replies.
"Wow! StarClan chose you?" Doekit's eyes sparkled as the kits mobbed her, asking her all kinds of questions. But Vixenkit didn't want to answer any of them.
"Let all cats of WindClan gather below Tallrock for a Clan meeting!"
Vixenkit padded out with her siblings, half hiding behind them from the rest of the Clan. To her relief, Aspenpaw, Badgerpaw and Foxpaw were also near the front of the crowd with their Mentors, looking as excited as the kits.
"Today, the life of WindClan progresses strongly with the creation of new Warriors and new Apprentices. Step forward, Aspenpaw, Badgerpaw and Foxpaw."
The three Apprentices sat below Tallrock as the Leader continued.
"I, Stagstar of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these Apprentices. They have trained well to understand your noble code and I commend them to you as Warriors in their turns. Do you all promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do." The three cats mewed together.
"Then I give you your Warrior names. Aspenpaw, from this day forward you will be known as Aspenface. StarClan honours your Determination and Loyalty. Badgerpaw, from this day forward you shall be known as Badgerpatch. StarClan honours your forethought and Strength. Foxpaw, from this day forward you will be known as Foxstrike. StarClan honours your Skill in Battle and your Enthusiasm. We welcome you all now as Warriors of WindClan."
"Aspenface! Badgerpatch! Foxstrike!" The Clan chanted as each cat licked Stagstar's shoulder and he placed his muzzle on their head. As happy as she was for them, the meeting dragged on. As the new Warriors joined the crowd, Whiteblossom nudged her five kits forward, looking on proudly, as did Woollyfur who was sat beside her. Vixenkit sat on one end of the line, knowing full well what was coming.
"You have all reached six moons old and it is time for you to become Apprentices. Doekit, from this day on, until you earn your Warrior name, you will been known as Doepaw. Your mentor will be Nettleclaw."
The grey tom cat moved froward from the crowd, his green eyes proud and determined. Doekit's eyes glittered in glee.
"Nettleclaw, you are ready for another apprentice. I hope you pass down your Skill in Battle and Bravery to Doepaw."
The two cats touched noses and moved back as Nightkit came forward next.
"Nightkit, from this day on, until you earn your Warrior name, you will been known as Nightpaw. Your mentor will be Goldenfur."
The golden she cat came forward excitedly.
"Goldenfur, you are ready for your first apprentice. I hope you pass down your Energy and Intelligence to Nightpaw."
The Mentor and Apprentice touched noses, each clearly as excited as the other. The attention soon turned to Eaglekit.
"Eaglekit, from this day on, until you earn your Warrior name, you will been known as Eaglepaw. Your mentor will be Mistspeckle."
The grey she cat strode calmly out, her head held high.
"Mistspeckle, you are ready for an apprentice. I hope you pass down your Patience and Courage to Eaglepaw."
Mistspeckle took everything in her stride as she touched noses with Eaglepaw, but her gaze was kind which made Eaglepaw happy. Longkit padded forward only when the new Apprentice and Mentor were away.
"Longkit, from this day on, until you earn your Warrior name, you will been known as Longpaw. Your mentor will be Brownfoot."
The strangely marked brown tom padded forward, evidently suprised.
"Brownfoot, you are ready for an apprentice. I hope you pass down your Independence and Initiative to Longkit."
Brownfoot pushed the feelings back as he touched noses with Longpaw.
Stagstar nodded to Watersplash, who sat before the crowd.
"Cats of WindClan, StarClan has shown me that it is time for me to take an Apprentice. Your next Medicine Cat will be Vixenkit." He mewed.
"Vixenkit, do you accept the position of Medicine Cat Apprentice?" Stagstar asked.
Even though everything told her not to, Vixenkit nodded.
"Then until you earn your Medicine Cat name, you will be known as Vixenpaw." Stagstar stated.
"Then tonight you will travel to Moonpool to be accepted before StarClan." Watersplash said.
"The best wishes of WindClan go with you." Stagstar mewed.
"Doepaw! Nightpaw! Eaglepaw! Longpaw! Vixenpaw!" The Clan chanted as Vixenpaw and Watersplash touched noses. She saw the joy and hope in the Medicine Cat's eyes. She felt ashamed to be as upset as she was.
Almost.