Chapter Two

Skykit groaned. She could feel someone prodding her in the side. She forced her eyes open to see one of the other kits ; Pinekit. He looked angry.

Skykit stiffeled a yawn and forced herself up, she could see he was relieved she was at last awake. "No one told me you were immposible to wake up, or else I would have let your sister do it. Come on, There's going to be a warriors' ceremony." He meowed excitedly, whirling around and running off.

Skykit took a moment before it registered in her head that today, Owlpaw would become... Owl...whatever it was she got. But Skykit also remembered that the snobby apprentice had been sevrely injured by a dog, and had missed a moon or two of training, putting her behind in becoming a warrior.

Skykit's own father had planned all this ; They were going to give her her warrior ceremony at long last, just before they went to the gathering.

It was almost sunset, which was very early for Skykit and the rest of the Clan.

Skykit wandered around the camp for a while, until she finally stumbled upon Cloudkit, one of Pinekit's brothers. Cloudkit gave her a small smile and headed off.

Across camp, Skykit could see her mother and sister, sitting, looking excited. Skykit walked over, smiling at Driftkit, who's blue and green eyes where shining. "Calm down, it's not like this is our ceremony. It's just for Owlpaw."

Driftkit shrugged, turning her attention to her tail as she stupidly chased it.

Snowdove sighed. She was glad Owlpaw was finally getting the recognition she deserved, but she hated that fact that it was her mate that spoke up for the tan tabby.

He had claimed she desreved it, he had pruswaded Wavestar to think twice about making Owlpaw wait any longer, and he had succeeded. Shellfang was also the one who was distracting Owlpaw at the moment.

Snowdove couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy that her mate was the one doing all this for a diffrent she-cat. Owlpaw wasn't even his kin, which had Snowdove worked up. Was Shellfang going to leave her?

He had and still was very proud of Skykit, which had to mean something, didn't it?

Snowdove tried to calm herself as she awaited her mate's arrival with Owlpaw. Sunset turned to Dusk and she could start to hear their voices as they approached.

The rest of the evening was a blur, up until the moment where Owlpaw was made a warrior.

"Owlpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend this clan, even at the cost of your life?" Wavestar asked. The entire camp was silent as they awaited for the 'I do'

"I do." Owlpaw replied. "Then by the power of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Owlpaw, from this moment on ward you shall be known as Owl-leap. Starclan honors your loyalty and speed, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Shadowclan."

"Owl-leap! Owl-leap!"

Snowdove cheered like any other clan-mate. Once the cheers died down however, Owl-leap ran up to Shellfang and practically exploded with purrs,licks, and thanks to Snowdove's mate.

Snowdove couldn't take it any more. She just couldn't. Who was Owl-leap to smother her mate? Shellfang had said he'd loved her over and over, before that Owl-leap was even born.

"Empty words and promises. Innocent until proven guilty mum. To me, that, is guilty." Snowdove's eyes turned to Skykit, who was sitting down, lazily looking at her father and Owl-leap. Snowdove felt pride for her daughter ; Skykit was young, but she was wise beyond her years.

Not even Snowdove herself had ever been so truthful.

Skykit waited a little longer. It had been at least ten minutes since the cats chosen to go to the gathering had gone. She took another glance around camp. She was not going to be a cowrd and back out, there was no WAY she would.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and sprang out the entrance while Moleclaw, who was on guard duty at the moment, wasn't looking.

Skykit blindly leaped and ran, fallowing the scent trail left by her clan-mates. She knew the risk ; If she was found sneaking into a gathering, she would be in huge trouble. She would be grounded till she was apprenticed, or worse yet ; not apprenticed at all.

But the thought of going to a gathering at only three moons old nagged at her. She would be the first kit to do it.

When Skykit finally got to the lake and island, she couldn't cross. The tree that made a bridge between the island and land was too high up for her to cross. She cursed herself for beign so stupid as to forget the tree.

This made her entire plan, not so fool-proof.

Straining her ears to hear something, she couldn't. Letting out a small sigh, she turned around, only to be met with light brown tabby fur.

Skykit let out an 'ooph' as she stumbled back, her head snapping up to meet cold grey ones.

"What's going on Mossfur?" a tortis-shell tom asked, padding up to the light brown tabby infront of Skykit. He looked very thin and frail. Mossfur pushed Wildpelt away. "I found a kit that's all." he meowed sternly.

Wildpelt pinned his ears behind his head. Mossfur was one of the toughest Thunderclan cats around. He couldn't anger him. Mossfur turned back to the kit. "Your name?" he asked.

Skykit puffed her chest, forced her ears up and stood tall and proud. "I'm Skykit." She meowed defensivly. Mossfur snickered, bending down and picking Skykit up by the scruff.

"Put me down, right now! You ignorant...what clan are you from?" she asked, stopping in her insult.

Mossfur rolled his eyes. "Thunderclan." He mumbled through her fur. Skykit noded, or manged to, and went back to her insult. "You ignorant useless, waste of space, good for nothing..." Taking a deep breath, she continued. "Thunderclan FREAK!" she screamed.

She could feel eyes burning through her pelt, and opening her closed eyes, she saw a clearing full of cats, frozen to their spot at what she'd just said.

Skykit felt her face flush with emmbaresment as she was put down onto a patch of grass by Mossfur. "Anyone lose a Skykit?" He asked, his voice deep with irritation.

"Skykit!"

Oh no. Thought Skykit. Owl-leap padded up to her. "Thank you, Mossfur. I don't know what could have happened to her if you hadn't gotten to her."

Skykit resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the newly made warrior. Mossfur merely nodded his head.

Skykit saw Snowdove pushing her way through the crowd. "Skykit, what in the name of Starclan are you doing here?" she asked, giving Owl-leap an icy stare telling her to back off.

Owl-leap bent her head slightly and turned away, mumbling something under her breath.

"And you seriously got to stay?" Driftkit asked excitedly as Skykit wooed the kits in the nursery of her adventure. "I want to be just like you." Rowankit, a ginger tom-kit meowed. Cloudkit was nodding eagerly for Skykit to continue while Pinekit was rolling his eyes.