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Starblaze yawned, shuffling slightly, but being careful not to wake her kits. It felt a little colder, though, without Shadowkit with them, but she kept this to herself. She hadn't told the kits yet that Shadowkit's condition wasn't getting better. She hoped the young she-cat would get better soon, but Starblaze knew better than to keep her hopes to high, and all she could do is hope Starclan would show her kit some mercy.

Starblaze laid her head on her paws, her eyes shifting to Coonkit, who slept peacefully beside her. Despite what she had told Flamefur, she was actually worried about her kit. Would he be a good warrior? Would he be able to handle training? Could he handle battles? It troubled her greatly. She knew she had little to worry about with Talonkit, since he was ever the rambunctious kit, and was fairly large himself. Shadowkit had a flirting problem with Ravenkit and Firekit, but she was strong enough to hold her own, and Yarrowkit and Dark-kit were both capable toms. It was Coonkit who worried her the most.

He wasn't as strong, or fast, or seemingly brave as the other kits in the clan, and it worried her that he might not be able to be a good warrior. She talked it over with Blazestar, but it still worried her. She tried to clear her thoughts, but found it difficult. She glanced over at Skyheart as the she-cat woke up, and not long after, the other she-cats. From there the kits started waking up, Dawnflower's mewling waking up the last.

Starblaze got up first, walking her kits out into the early morning down, and stretched luxuriantly. Dark-kit and Talonkit instantly started wrestling, and were soon joined by Wildkit and Firekit. Coonkit was hesitant to leave her side, but she was happy when she saw Yarrowkit and Ravenkit invite him to play.

She didn't sit down, and decided instead that she felt like walking around. Looking around, she saw many were already awake, or just waking themselves. Smallclaw was with Whitestorm, getting breakfast as she walked over.

"Good morning, Starblaze." Whitestorm said to her, Smallclaw nuzzling the side of her head, before reaching into the fresh kill pile to snatch something for them. Settling down to eat, she was next to Smallclaw.

"We've been finding more traps, so we need to keep a look out." Whitestorm warned her. Smallclaw nodded next to her, and the three looked up as Shadestalker and Bluefire joined them.

"Tomorrow is the kit's apprentice ceremony. Have any idea on who their mentors will be?" Shadestalker asked Starblaze. Starblaze shook her head, as did Smallclaw.

"I have a general idea, having made some suggestions to Blazestar, but I am likewise in the dark about it. I know he'll make the right choice though." She said. Bluefire gave Starblaze a sympathetic look.

"I hope Shadowkit gets better by then." She said. Starblaze merely nodded.

"I need to get going, I'm on the morning hunting patrol with Turtleclaw and Bloodleaf." Shadestalker said, getting up. Starblaze nodded to him as he left. It wasn't long before he was replaced by Fernwill, who had finally emerged from the warrior's den. She sneezed once, not getting food for herself.

"You feeling all right? You were kinda warm earlier." Bluefire asked. Fernwill gave a small nod.

"Just a slight cold." She said, rubbing a paw over her muzzle and eyes. Starblaze gave her a stern look.

"Then go see Ravenfur, I'm sure she has something that can help. No sense putting up with it and getting the rest of the clan sick." she said. Fernwill nodded and got up, a little wobbly. Whitestorm got up and helped her, letting her lean against him, and helped her get to Ravenfur's den. Starblaze looked over at the kits, being watched over by Flamefur and Pantherheart. Coonkit looked like he was having a play fight with Yarrowkit and Nightkit, making Starblaze happy. At least he was finally doing something more physical. He seemed to even be gaining the upper hand on Yarrowkit, or it may be the yellow and black tom being nice and trying to instill some much needed confidence in the smaller tom. Smallclaw nuzzled the side of her neck as Snowfur walked up, getting something to eat herself, and setting herself down.

Her mate, the clan deputy, Braveheart, was on the morning patrol with Sandtail and Tigerstripe.

"Good morning." she said, nodding her head. Starblaze couldn't help but notice she seemed much older now. It never struck her, but the oldest warriors in the clan now were Sandtail, Tigerstripe, Snowfur, and Braveheart. Blazestar as well, if you counted him. It shocked her a little, to consider that many of them would be retiring soon.

"Good morning Snowfur." Starblaze said, nodding to her. Bluefire and Smallclaw, likewise, gave their greetings.

"I heard Blazestar talking with Lionclaw. He was deciding on which warrior is going to mentor which apprentice. I didn't hear it all, but I do know who is going to mentor a few of the apprentices." She said. Starblaze nodded. It had come to a shock to her, when Palepaw, Snowpaw, Lightningpaw, and Smokepaw became apprentices.

Tigerstripe had been chosen as Snowpaw's mentor, and this shocked a lot of kits. Tigerstripe was known for being harsh, but Snowpaw's excitable temperament seemed to work in his favor during their training.

Whitestorm was chosen as Smokepaw's mentor, though Starblaze wasn't that surprised really. Whitestorm's calm attitude and attention to detail helped when it came to mentoring Smokepaw, who was rather shy around others, even more so than Coonkit, and didn't care for battling at all.

Fernwill was chosen as Palepaw's mentor. This came as a shock, since she was still recovering from losing Hawkpaw at the time, and she couldn't start any real training for Palepaw until a full week after, due to injuries. It worked out for the best, as Palepaw learned quite a bit from Fernwill, even if she still was rather immature still.

Lightningpaw's mentor is Duststorm, and Starblaze never felt sorrier for a warrior as much as she did for him. Lightningpaw was quick, just like lightning, and he was very unruly. Duststorm spent a lot of time just trying to get him to listen, let alone train. Starblaze wondered if this was another reason Lightningpaw wasn't a warrior yet.

"What do you know so far?" Bluefire asked. Snowfur nodded to her.

"Sunstream is going to mentor Dark-kit, Shadestalker will mentor Yarrowkit, and if I remember correctly, Wolfwind will mentor Bonekit." Snowfur said. Starblaze nodded, happy with those choices. Sunstream was a very patient tom, he rarely ever got excited, and act like an older brother to pretty much everyone, but he was also firm, in a kind way. He would be the perfect tom to mentor such a rambunctious kit such as Dark-kit. Shadestalker was still rather meek himself, and was easy to bully. A calm cat like Yarrowkit would be perfect for him to mentor for his first time. Wolfwind was ever the strong silent type, and was rather firm with things. He paid attention, and listened, but he also knew when to set a paw down. He would be perfect to mentor a rather rough and excitable tom such as Bonekit.

Starblaze nodded to Snowfur.

"Those are good choices. I knew I could depend on Blazestar to make the right ones." She said. Snowfur nodded.

"I wonder who will mentor Coonkit though." She said. Starblaze nodded. Coonkit would be a difficult case to mentor. He needed someone who could be firm, but not overly so. Someone who knew praise well, but also when and when not to give it. She would have recommended Willowpelt or Lionclaw, but they were retired now. Coonkit would need a very experienced warrior, but Starblaze wasn't sure which one.

Smallclaw shook his head.

"I'm sure he'll make the right choice. We just have to believe in that." He said. Starblaze nodded in agreement, as did the others, but that didn't stop the uneasy feeling Starblaze felt about it.

"Also, Palepaw, Smokepaw, and Snowpaw's warrior ceremonies will be soon." Snowfur announced. Starblaze gave a mewl of approval.

"That is good!" she said. Snowfur nodded in agreement, as did Smallclaw.

"I wonder what their warrior names will be." Starblaze wondered. Bluefire nodded.

"I wonder to. We'll have to wait though, till their warriors to find out." she agreed. Starblaze nodded. Snowfur got up, stretching lightly, before nodding to them and leaving. Starblaze finished her meal, and stood up.

"I'm going to check on Shadowkit." She told them. They nodded to her, and she padded to Ravenfur's den, peering inside.

"Ravenfur?" she asked, walking fully in. Ravenfur shifted from a smaller area in the den, a few crumpled leaves sticking to her paws. She nodded to Starblaze and walked to Shadowkit, carrying some kind of herb with her. She made Shadowkit eat it, before looking up at Starblaze.

"She should be well again by tomorrow" she said. Starblaze nodded, grateful

"Thank you, Ravenfur."

"I did nothing other than what a normal medicine cat would do." Ravenfur said, but the black she-cat nodded, and ran her tail against Starblaze's shoulder as she past.

"I need to get some more catmint, so I will be back soon." Ravenfur mewed. Starblaze nodded, and left the medicine cat's den with her. She looked up and saw that this time Coonkit was playing with both Yarrowkit and Wildkit. Feeling happy, she went and laid down next to Flamefur.

"Worried about their mentors?" Flamefur asked her suddenly. Starblaze shook her head.

"I trust Blazestar's judgment. I am sure he'll pick great mentors for them." She said. Flamefur nodded.

"I'm worried about Firekit." She said suddenly. Starblaze looked over at her curiously.

"Why?"

"I'm not sure. Something about him just worries me." she said. Starblaze looked over at the kit in question, who was playing with Talonkit. He seemed like any other kit. His fire-red fur, from his mother, and black stripes from his father, he was play fighting with Talonkit, and it seemed perfectly normal to her.

"Maybe you are over worrying. He seems fine to me." She said. Flamefur nodded uneasily.

-

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey meet before the high rock for a clan meeting!" Blazestar's voice rang out as Starblaze gave Coonkit one final lick so he and his siblings were presentable for their apprentice ceremony.

Bringing them out, she felt a swell of pride that they would now be apprentices, and soon, warriors. All five of the kits look excited in some way, Shadowkit finally well enough that she could join. The five kits stood in the center of the group, waiting for Blazestar to continue. Blazestar nodded to Starblaze, who nodded back.

"Today we have the happy event of bringing new apprentices from our kits. Talonkit, step forward." Blazestar called out. Talonkit got up, his body shaking lightly, but his gaze determined. He took a few steps forward, and stared directly at Blazestar.

"Talonkit has finally reached six moons and is ready to become an apprentice. Talonkit, from today until you receive your warrior name, you shall be Talonpaw, train hard to learn the warrior code. Mistfrost, I ask you to mentor Talonkit, and pass on to him your courage and skill." Blazestar said. Starblaze felt happy at his choice as Talonkit and Mistfrost touched noses, before going to sit together. Mistfrost was perfect to mentor Talonkit.

"Shadowkit, step forward." Blazestar called. Shadowkit got to her paws a little uneasily, though her gaze was steady. She still felt a bit weak from the sickness she had, but she stepped forward.

"Shadowkit, you have finally reached six moons old, so from now until you become a warrior, you shall be known as Shadowpaw. Sandtail, I ask you to mentor this apprentice and pass on your wisdom and strength." Blazestar said. Sandtail nodded as she went forward, and Starblaze felt a wave of relief. There couldn't have been a better choice for Shadowkit's mentor.

"Dark-kit, step forward." as Dark-kit padded forward, Starblaze grew worrisome He still had an arrogant air to him, and it worried her to no end.

"Dark-kit, you are finally six moons old, so from now until you become a warrior, you shall be known as Darkpaw. Sunstream, I ask you to mentor this apprentice, and pass to him you determination, and your wisdom." As Sunstream and Darkpaw touched noses, Starblaze had a mix of worry and relief. All she could do now was hope Sunstream was the right choice.

"Yarrowkit, step forward." Blazestar called out. Yarrowkit got from his sitting position, and walked forward, eyes and body calm. It reminded Starblaze of her sister, Fernwill.

"Yarrowkit, you are finally six moons old, and so from now until you are a warrior, you shall be known as Yarrowpaw. Shadestalker, I ask you to mentor this apprentice and pass to him your loyalty and determination." It was nice how Blazestar didn't mention anything about Shadestalker still being bullied, Starblaze thought as Yarrowpaw and Shadestalker touched noses. Now, it was only Coonkit left, who looked up proudly, but uneasily. Starblaze shared his feelings.

"Coonkit, step forward." It seemed like the whole clan held their breath as Coonkit padded forward slightly, looking up at Blazestar with a mix of worry, hope, and determination.

"Coonkit, you are finally six moons old. I have been urged by some to let you stay a kit for longer, and others have voiced their worry about whether you would become a proper warrior, be it due to your temperament,"Blazestar's eyes gazed from Starblaze, to Fernwill and Smallclaw, who looked away guiltily, "to some who believe you should not be allowed that honor at all," This time to Tigerstripe, who didn't hide his disdain Coonkit wrapped his tail around one hind leg, his body shaking. Starblaze was about to stand, when Blazestar continued.

"I believe that in consideration of who your parents are, that you will make a wonderful warrior one day, if you do not outshine your fellow apprentices, Coonkit, from today forward, you shall be known as Coonpaw. Snowfur, I ask that you mentor this apprentice and pass unto him your wisdom and passion." He said. Starblaze felt a flood of relief that she saw was shared not just by Coonpaw and Smallclaw, but by Yarrowpaw, Talonpaw, and Shadowpaw. She gave a great full look to Blazestar as he ended the clan meeting, who returned her look with one that showed happiness. Starblaze still worried about Coonpaw though, especially since Snowfur wasn't exactly known for being a good fighter....

-

Starblaze slept a little uneasy next to Smallclaw, waking up every now and then. It felt strange all of the sudden, not to have Coonpaw and Yarrowpaw pressed against her side, Darkpaw, Shadowpaw, and Talonpaw near by, Talonpaw making light squeaking noises every now and then. It gave her a sense of emptiness to look down and not see her kits. She sighed, and scooted closer to Smallclaw, who nudged her with his nose lightly, having woken up again due to her restlessness, but didn't complain. He did move closer to her, and rested his tail across her, in hopes of quelling her unease at not having her kits near.

Starblaze felt happy at the gesture, and entwined her tail with his, before falling asleep again.

-

Starblaze opened her eyes, feeling colder on one side, and looked to see Smallclaw, and the warrior's den, gone. She shook her head and looked around. She was at Small Land. She got up, expecting to see possibly Moonflower, or another ex-Sunclan cat, it wouldn't be the first time Starclan spoke to her, though it had been quite a long time, but so far, she hadn't seen anyone. She took a few steps, towards the high rock, and suddenly her surroundings shifted, and she was in the middle of Sunclan camp. She looked around, hearing, and smelling nothing.

"So this is your clan." She heard, and swirled around, meeting a familiar tom.

"Jayfeather." She said, sitting down. Jayfeather took a few steps until he was in front of her, and sat down.

"I tried to probe into Earthwing's dreams, to find out where he was, and instead got yours. How strange." Jayfeather said. Starblaze looked at him oddly.

"I was unaware a medicine cat could do that." She said. Jayfeather shook his head.

"Not all medicine cats, just me. Part of a prophecy, actually." He said. Starblaze looked at him uneasily.

"Who is Earthwing?" she asked. Jayfeather looked around again.

"A warrior of Thunderclan, one of Cloudtail and Brightheart's newer litter. Firestar sent him to retrieve a kit, part of some prophecy a bunch of medicine cats got from Starclan, about a warrior of the stars. I tried, like all medicine cats in our area, that it wasn't about our clans, Starclan themselves clarified it for us at the last Gathering, but Firestar still sent Earthwing out, who had only recently been made a warrior at the time." He said. Starblaze nodded. She'd heard of a similar prophecy.

"There are other clans?" She asked. Jayfeather nodded.

"Did you think your six are the only ones? There are clans, tribes, all manner of groups of cats living together in a similar fashion, much like there is more than just Starclan, there is the Tribe of Endless Hunting as well, among others." He said. Starblaze nodded, somewhat confused, and somewhat over whelmed by the idea of there being possibly hundreds of clans out there, though it did make sense.

"Where is Earthwing now?" She asked. Jayfeather shook his head.

"No idea. Last time I got into his dreams, he said he was near a clan called Sun-Drownclan, and Highstones." Jayfeather said. Starblaze thought about it for a moment.

"I could go check on him." She offered.

"You are a Sunclan cat, not a Sun-Drownclan cat. You'd be attacked." He said. Starblaze nodded. After ripping his ear off, Longstar still had a grudge against her, so she knew it wasn't the smartest of ideas.

"I'll see if I can hear anything off him." She promised. Jayfeather gave her a bored look.

"Do what you like. I'll see if I can check in again in a few days. You got your warrior name now, right?" He asked. Starblaze nodded.

"I am Starblaze. Warrior of Sunclan." she said. Jayfeather nodded.

"The name fits." He said, getting up. Starblaze nodded. She blinked, but this time, when her eyes opened, it was to the warrior's den, Smallclaw sleeping peacefully beside her.

-

Starblaze made a careful paw step, eyes ahead of her. She saw the mouse, and was about to pounce, when Talonpaw struck, and got to it first. She gave a mewl of approval, coming from her hiding spot, and shocking Talonpaw a bit. He recovered quickly, and gave her an almost gloating look, before showing off his kill proudly to Mistfrost, who gave a mewl of amusement.

"Catch a squirrel as it runs up a tree, or a bird in mid flight, and THEN you can be proud." He mewled, but he showed Talonpaw how to scuff dirt over it to hide its scent from other predeters, and gave a nod to Starblaze. She nodded back and went on her way to find something else to hunt.

She kept her mouth open, breathing evenly, and taking in the scents around her, glancing around occasionally to see if she could spot anything. She found herself at the bridge that led to Small Land, and followed the river, hoping she might catch something there. She saw fish in the river, their silvery bodies temptingly out of her comfort zone. Fish was a Riverclan thing, she thought, and continued on. She came to the junction between Riverclan, Sunclan, and Sun-Drownclan and stopped, looking into the small patch of forest in Sun-Drownclan. She wanted to continue on, and see if perhaps, she might find Jayfeather's missing Earthwing, but knew she couldn't. Shaking off the feeling, she started walking along the river that separated Riverclan and Sunclan. She looked up as she heard a noise, and saw a Riverclan patrol led by Greenfrost, the new Riverclan deputy. He nodded respectfully to her, and Starblaze nodded back.

"Greenfrost? I have something I want to ask." She said. Greenfrost looked at her for a moment, before telling the other cats in his patrol to go on ahead. After they had left, he nodded to her.

"I haven't been at the last couple of Gatherings, but do you know if Sun-Drownclan is having any problems with any loners or rogues recently?" she asked. Greenfrost looked at her oddly.

"Nothing that Longstar would have brought up, why do you ask?" He asked her. Starblaze shook her head.

"I was just a bit worried, is all." She said. Greenfrost nodded.

"I understand, it is natural, I suppose, for a cat to worry about all the clans, after one was attacked, especially since you couldn't see the updates yourself at the Gatherings, but why didn't you ask a fellow clan member?" He asked. Starblaze sighed.

"Some cats in my clan still question my loyalty, since I am technically not clan born. If these same cats took notice that I had taken an interest in a loner, they'd use it against me." Though it was mainly Tigerstripe who had spoken against her now, she had no doubt that he could take this information against her, and spread the seeds of doubt in the clan, and she didn't want that. Greenfrost nodded in understanding.

"I hope you find what you are looking for." He said, padding off. Starblaze nodded to him, and continued on her way. It was after she had caught a mouse by the river, that some water splashed on her paw. She shivered lightly from the cold, and noticed she could see her breath. Leaf Bare was steadily approaching, and she knew any day now the snow would begin to fall. She shivered lightly, and looked for some more prey, hoping to catch some more, and then get cozily warm next to Smallclaw back at camp.

She shook her head again, and walked on.

"You could always ask a Sun-Drownclan cat." Starblaze looked around. A cat she was unfamiliar with was standing near the stream. It smelled similar to Jayfeather though.

"Who are you?" She asked. This cat looked oddly familiar, and it took her a second to realize he looked a lot like Fernwill, the same light gray fur and green eyes, only he has a white front paw. He looked up at her, his eyes kind and gentle.

"Mistytalon. You may know me better as your milk-siblings father." He said. Starblaze knew the name, once when One-Ear told her an old clan story, he had mentioned a tom named Mistytalon, who died, taking down a badger single handedly to defend the clan. His injuries were to great, and he bled to death before the medicine cat, Dawnpath, was able to treat him.

"A Sun-Drownclan cat?" She asked. He nodded.

"You are familiar with at least one, are you not?" He asked. Starblaze thought about it, and realized she did. Patchpaw, now called Patchpelt. She nodded to him, thankful. Mistytalon nodded back, and when Starblaze blinked, he was gone. Shaking her head again, she continued on hunting.

-

Starblaze shivered, and moved closer to Smallclaw. It was so cold that night, she was surprised that when she looked at the den's entryway, she didn't see snow. Smallclaw scooted closer to her, to help her get warm. Fernwill snuggled close her her side, and Bluefire on the other side of Fernwill, it was getting to cold for all the warriors to sleep apart. Even Blazestar had left his den at some point, and went in with the rest of the warriors for warmth. Starblaze could just see his golden orange pelt among the other warriors.

Fernwill sneezed, and Starblaze nuzzled her. Fernwill had just gotten over her cold, but it seemed like another might hit if the air gets any colder. Starblaze looked up when she heard a noise at the entrance,and saw Ravenfur sneak in. She nodded to Starblaze, and took a place next to her brother, Smallclaw. Starblaze sighed lightly, and shivered slightly. She hoped that Leaf Bare would end quickly.

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Chapters are becoming increasingly and increasingly longer huh?

Anyway, next chapter is a sort of 'Coonpaw POV' chapter. It will also contain Coonpaw's first experiance with snow, and his first Gathering. Starblaze will be going off in her journey soon after that, maybe.

Wildkit and Firekit will also become apprentices soon :3

Feel free to ask me questions and stuff, I really LOVE reviews and would LOVE it if you would review (please?)