C E

The sun shone brightly through the leaves on the trees and filtered into the ThunderClan camp. It was sunhigh, and as warm as it could get. Most of the warriors were spread out in front of their dens, sharing tongues and eating fresh-kill. Firestar looked around his camp and smiled. Now that the battle against BloodClan was over, all was well between the four Clans that lived in the forest, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Beside him, his mate, Sandstorm, stretched out on the grass. "Is it time yet?" she asked Firestar, looking up at the sky. "You know the kits won't wait forever."

Firestar nodded. Today was the day he would be naming Willowpelt's kit, Sorrelkit, Sootkit, and Rainkit, as apprentices. He licked Sandstorm's cheek. He had promised her that she would mentor Sorrelkit, so he knew she was especially excited. "You'll be a wonderful mentor." He whispered in Sandstorm's ear.

He leapt onto the highrock and yowled the ancient call. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock!" As the cats gathered around, Firestar beamed with pride. This was his Clan, ThunderClan; One of the four great Clans that had been around for many, many seasons. And now it was his to look after.

"Today is a very special day," he began. "By naming apprentices we show that ThunderClan is strong." He hopped down from the rock and beckoned the three kits with his tail. "Sootkit, Sorrelkit, and Rainkit, 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 will be known as Sootpaw, Sorrelpaw, and Rainpaw. Sorrelpaw, your mentor will be Sandstorm." He smiled at his mate. "I know she will pass down all her skills and courage on to you.

Sandstorm, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Whitestorm, and you have shown yourself to be courageous and loyal. You will be the mentor of Sorrelpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

Sandstorm purred happily as she padded up to Sorrelpaw and touched noses with her new apprentice.

Firestar repeated the process with Sootpaw and Rainpaw, giving Sootpaw to Longtail, and giving Rainpaw to his nephew, Cloudtail, to mentor. He figured an apprentice would do his wayward nephew some good.

Sorrelpaw bounced around Sandstorm excitedly once the ceremony was over. "Can we go see the territory? I need to see everything!" The little tortoiseshell seemed full of energy.

Firestar purred. He was glad to see how eager she was.

Sandstorm looked at Firestar. "What do you think? Should I show her the territory?"

"You're the mentor," Firestar meowed. "So if you want to, you can show her." He smiled at her, knowing he'd made the right choice making her a mentor.

"Okay then," she purred, looking down at her apprentice. "Let's go see the territory!"

"Yay!" Sorrelpaw exclaimed happily, racing toward the gorse tunnel that formed the camp entrance.

Sandstorm laughed. "Wait for me!" she called.

Firestar purred as he watched them go. Then he call over his deputy. "Graystripe!" he meowed. "Organize a hunting patrol please. Don't worry about who'll lead; that will be me." He breathed in the fresh air and stretched. He felt like he needed to get out more. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and it was quite warm, so prey would be plentiful. "And while you at it, you must as well put together a border patrol." He didn't want the other Clans taking advantage of the good weather.

Graystripe nodded. "Alright, Firestar." The deputy padded over to the warriors' den.

Firestar went over to the apprentices' den where his own apprentice, Bramblepaw, was fixing his nest. "Bramblepaw! We're going hunting; would you like to come?"

Bramblepaw shot out of the den. "Yes, Firestar!" he told him, licking his lips excitedly.

Firestar nodded happily. "Come on then," he meowed. "Let's go wait for the rest of the patrol."

The two toms sat by the gorse tunnel and waited. Soon, four cats gathered around them; Mousefur, Thornclaw, Brackenfur and Dustpelt. "Ready to go?" he asked them.

The cats nodded. "Yes, Firestar."

Firestar nodded back. "Then let's get going!" He bolted through the gorse tunnel, and the patrol followed.

Firestar took and deep breath as wind streamed through his bright ginger coat. He always felt so powerful when he was out like this; he felt like he could fight a million battles, and hunt until the world ended. He couldn't explain it, nor would he want it any other way. This is what makes me who I am, he thought. Why would I change it?

He heard a rustle in the branches of a beech tree and looked up. A fat squirrel leapt from branch to branch, not noticing him. Firestar signaled the patrol to stop.

"What is it, Firestar?" Mousefur asked.

"See that squirrel up there?" he looked up, pointing with his tail. "I'm going to knock it down. I need you to be ready to catch it."

"Are you sure?" Dustpelt asked. "That's quite high up."

"Firestar can do it!" Bramblepaw meowed. "We can pull it off!"

"We don't want him to fall." Brackenfur put in.

Thornclaw nodded in agreement.

Firestar was starting to get annoyed. "Just shut up and watch for falling fresh kill," he told them.

He shot up a tree as the squirrel was crossing over to it. As he got to the top, he surprised the squirrel and knocked it off the branch with a swift whack of his paw. "Here it comes!" he yowled to the patrol below.

As the squirrel fell, he saw Bramblepaw jumped up and grab it. Firestar slid down the tree trunk and landed on the forest floor as the apprentice crunched the squirrel's neck, killing it.

"Well caught," Firestar told him. "Couldn't have done it better myself."

Bramblepaw purred proudly, setting the squirrel down. "Thanks Firestar!"

"That was quite a plan," Mousefur commented.

"And it actually WORKED!" Dustpelt exclaimed, surprised.

"I told you it would!" The apprentice boasted, flicking his tail happily.

"We never said it wouldn't," Thornclaw said. "It was risky, that's all."

"I'll take this back to camp," Firestar said. "You guys go on ahead; I'll catch up with you." He picked up the fresh-kill and padded off through the trees. He flicked his ears, hearing an eerily familiar voice.

"Soon you will get what's coming to you. . ."

The flame-colored tom whipped his head around, but saw nothing except what he thought was a flash of dark brown tabby out of the corner of his eye. He shuddered. I must be imagining things, he thought. He continued walking, but couldn't shake the feeling someone was watching him. He sniffed and caught a dank, musty scent. Maybe it's a rogue, he tried to convince himself.

As he came through the gorse tunnel, he set the squirrel down and went to talk to Graystripe. "Did the patrol leave yet?"

The deputy nodded. "Yes, they did."

"Well when they get back, ask them if they noticed any signs of intruders." Firestar told him. "My patrol will keep an eye out as well."

Graystripe nodded. "Sure Firestar. But, may I ask, why?"

"I just noticed a strange scent while I was out." Firestar explained, only telling half the truth. He didn't like lying, but he couldn't figure out any other non-mouse-brained ways to explain.

Graystripe nodded again. Firestar knew that his friend didn't completely believe him, but he also knew that Graystripe probably wouldn't question it.

He turned around and went back through the gorse tunnel to get back to his hunting patrol.