Nightkit woke up the next morning by being rammed by Lilykit.
"Nightkit! Nighkit! Wake UP!" She screamed. Nightkit rushed to her paws, expecting to see the camp on fire or being attacked, but everything seemed completely normal. The only difference was the identical ecstatic looks on Lilykit and Frogkit's faces. Nightkit stared at them with confusion. She couldn't figure out what had gotten them so excited. However, she didn't need to ask. Her denmates seemed to think she couldn't answer anything on her own.
"We're going to become apprentices today!" Frogkit gasped breathlessly. Nightkit's jaw dropped. She was 6 moons already? She had never known- of course, she never socialized with the older warriors there either. She wouldn't have heard anything about an apprentice ceremony. Nightkit dug her paws into the mossy floor of the nursery and imagined them sinking into the soft earth of the newleaf forest. Opening her eyes, she noticed that Lilykit and Frogkit seemed to be imagining similar things, Lilykit was in a hunter's crouch and Frogkit was swiping at the air in mock battle moves.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the dark alder!" The familiar summons rang throughout the camp, and rustles from nearby told Nightkit that the warriors were emerging from their den. Lilykit let out a gasp of excitement and started forward, but jaws suddenly clamped around her scruff and pulled her back.
"Not yet, Lilykit!" Cedarsong announced, her voice muffled by her furious daughter. She cast a stern look at Frogkit, and averted her gaze back to Lilykit as if Nightkit was nothing more than a bit of stray moss. "You both need to be looking your best when you become apprentices! If you go out there looking like rats, it'll make a bad impression!" She placed Lilykit on the ground and started to clean her with repetitive licks. Frogkit wiggled slightly in annoyance as he waited for his turn.
Knowing Cedarsong would not clean her, Nightkit started to smooth her fur with furtive rasps. Her fur was stiff and tangled after moons of neglect, and as she struggled with a particularly large knot, she heard Cedarsong say, "Come along now, my dears!" Nightkit cast a resentful look toward her still ruffled fur and followed Lilykit, Frogkit, and Cedarsong outside.
The clan leader, Dawnstar, was standing on a particularly thick branch of the dark alder, her creamy brown fur sleek and smooth. Her green eyes surveyed every cat in the clearing with a penetrating gaze, and as it finally settled on Nightkit, a shiver rolled up the kitten's spine. Dawnstar was staring at her with slightly widened eyes, and her claws had been unsheathed, the tips peeking out of her fluffy yellow-orange pelt. She stared at Nightkit for what felt like an eternity, and then looked away. Nightkit still stared at Dawnstar. That was the same look Molepelt had given her.
"Today we are here to welcome three new apprentices." Dawnstar's voice rang out through the camp, and the few cats that had been talking fell silent at her words. The camp is blessed to tw-three such wonderful kits-"
Frogkit sneered at Nightkit.
"-this newleaf. Now they have reached six moons, and are ready to learn what being a warrior is all about. These kits' lives will be full of trials and suffering, but we can be sure that they will pull through will flying colors." Nightkit thought it was odd that Dawnstar mentioned "trials and suffering".
"Come forward." Nightkit's heart skipped a beat. Frogkit bounded forth, and Lilykit tottered after her brother. Nightkit, however, walked ahead slowly, having trouble putting each paw in front of the other. Every eye seemed to be trained on her, only her, nothing but little Nightkit, who couldn't possibly be able to become a warrior...
Nightkit could feel her eyes watering and started to break into a trot; the walk to the dark alder seemed to take forever, even though it had only taken several seconds in reality. Coming to a halt, she stared up at Dawnstar with the two other kits, fear in her eyes. Dawnstar fixed her gaze on Lilykit, and Nightkit heard her denmate take a shuddering gasp.
"Lilykit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Lilypaw. Your mentor will be Ashblaze." A gray speckled she-cat with fiery amber eyes stepped forward, and Nightkit noted that Lilypaw's cheeks were bulging like a chipmunk's with the effort of holding in her excitement. "Ashblaze, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Mousetail-" A brown tom with a pale tail dipped his head. "-and you have shown yourself to be brave and patient. You will be the mentor of Lilypaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."
Ashblaze was so tall that Lilypaw had to strain her neck to brush noses with her new mentor. The two then stepped aside to allow Frogkit to leap forward in excitement. His green eyes were fixed on his clan leader, and he was clearly ready to hang onto her every word.
"Frogkit, you have also reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Frogpaw. Your mentor shall be Raventuft. Raventuft, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Sundapple and you have shown yourself to be intelligent and gallant. You will be the mentor of Frogpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him." A large black-furred tom with a white tuft of fur on his chest stepped forward to touch noses with Frogpaw. His apprentice touched his nose with ease, being larger than his sister.
Finally, Dawnstar looked down at Nightkit, and though she didn't do the same thing as before, there was something new in her eyes:
Fear.
