Chapter 7: Six Moons Old at Last!!
The day is here at last!!! My sisters and I turned six moons old today!! Our apprentice ceremony will be held at sunhigh! I can't wait!! I wonder who will be my mentor. I won't know until the ceremony takes place. Just then Mother walked over to me and my sisters and said, "My kits, it is time for you to become apprentices. Follow me, please." The moment has come! We are going to be apprentices now! We followed Mother out into the clearing, where we saw Firestar on the Highledge. Just as I looked at him he yowled the words I had only heard from the nursery, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting." Everyone then came out into the clearing, more cats then I had ever seen before! I had never seen the whole Clan all at once. Firestar then started to say the words I had heard from the nursery, "We have gathered here to give four kits their apprentice names. I will start off with Fernkit." Fernkit padded up to Firestar, trembling from head to tail. Firestar then looked down at her and said, "Fernkit, from this day on until you receive your warrior name, you will be Fernpaw." He then called out into the crowd of cats, "Ferncloud!" Ferncloud walked up onto the Highledge, and Firestar said to her, "I have experienced a bond between you and Fernpaw that makes you seem like the perfect mentor for her, so you will be mentor to Fernpaw. I hope you will pass on all the skills you have learned onto Fernpaw." Everyone called Fernpaw's new name, the loudest coming from Cloverkit, Rainkit, Mother, Father, and me.
Firestar then continued, "Cloverkit!" Cloverkit then padded up, also trembling from head to tail." Firestar went on, "Cloverkit from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be Cloverpaw." He called another name out into the crowd, "Spiderleg!" Spiderleg has really long legs, so he was up there really fast! Firestar then went on, "Spiderleg, your mentor was Mousefur. You were mentor to Mousepelt, and he is a good warrior. I hope you will pass on all the skills you taught him to Cloverpaw." Everyone then called Cloverpaw's new name, the loudest once again coming from Rainkit, Fernpaw, Mother, Father, and me.
Firestar then called, "Rainkit!" Rainkit then ran up to Firestar, not scared one bit. "Rainkit, from this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be Rainpaw." He then called out into the crowd, "Cloudtail!" Cloudtail then came up onto the Highledge. "Cloudtail, I hope you will pass on all the skills I taught you onto Rainpaw." Everyone then called Rainpaw's new name, the loudest once again coming from Fernpaw, Cloverpaw, Mother, Father and me.
I then realized that he was going to call me next! I prayed to StarClan that I would get a good mentor. Firestar then called, "Wildkit!" I quickly padded up to him, realizing that tonight in the apprentices' den I could sleep beside Rippedpaw. Firestar then looked me straight in the eye and said to me, "Wildkit, from this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be Wildpaw." Here it comes. When he calls out into the crowd, the name he calls out will be my mentor! Firestar looked toward the crowd and then yowled the name, "Squirrelflight!" Yes! Squirrelflight! Who could have asked for such a great mentor! I realized why I had been thinking, Squirrelflight had come up onto the Highledge. Firestar then continued, "Squirrelflight, your mentor was Dustpelt. This will be your first apprentice, but I know that you will be a great mentor." Everyone then called my name! I can't believe my sisters and I are apprentices at last!
After that, everything is a blur to me. The next thing I knew, I was in the apprentices' den! I started to look around for an empty nest. As I was looking, someone prodded me in the side. I turned around, and I saw Rippedpaw standing behind me. "Wildpaw, do you want to sleep next to me tonight?" he asked. Rippedpaw asked me to sleep beside him! Me, even when he could have asked one of my sisters or one of the older apprentice she-cats. I realized that Rippedpaw was staring at me now, waiting for an answer. "Yes," I said to him, "I'd like that a lot." He then stared at me with his big amber eyes, and I stared at him with my blue eyes. Then he said, "You can have the nest next to mine, then. It's that one right there." He pointed at the nest I was standing in front of. Rippedpaw then left the den, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I still can't believe he asked me to sleep beside him! He must love me as much as I love him! When he looked at me with his big amber eyes, with that gaze of his…
