Thanks to stormikat, mynameistooawesome, NewProphecy, Meadowpaw, Cucumber Periwinkle, Nightshade07, and xXThunderspiritXx for reviewing! I loved reading your reviews!

Chapter Eight

Lighteningstar settled himself comfortably in his nest, gesturing with his tail to sit across from him. I did, a bit reluctantly. Was he going to punish me for going back to Twolegplace? Had I escaped the Agents of Death (aka Animal Control. I don't see why they were called in the first place. Was I doing something that needed 'controlling'? No.) just to die at the claws of another cat? My old hot-headed "I'm not going to go without a fight!" impulse was rising, but then, a tiny voice wondered what the point was. Sagepaw, Brightsong, the whole crazy Clan had betrayed me, I had no home, no one wanted me. What was there to fight for?

I listened to that voice in horror. Who was I and what had I done with the real Sara? No! I'm NOT going to back down like a…like a Stonepaw! Are you a cat or are you a mouse? The tiny pessimistic voice knew when defeat was inevitable, so it shut itself up, but I was on a roll now – I was not going to quietly lay down and wait for Lighteningstar to kill me! No way, José!

Just when I was all fired up and waiting for him to spring, Lighteningstar spoke up.

"I'm not going to bite," he chuckled, eyeing me in amusement, whiskers twitching.

I blinked, then shrugged uncomfortably. Wasn't he going to kill me?

"So," Lighteningstar continued, tucking his paws under his chest, "have you decided what you're going to do?"

Huh? I blinked in confusion. "Um, aren't you going to kill me for sneaking away?" I asked. The answer would be better than waiting for him to start clawing me.

"Great StarClan, no," he exclaimed. "What do you think we are, complete barbarians?" He glared at me in indignation.

I was about to say something along the lines of Um, aren't you, in a way? You eat dead animals, live in the woods, use musty old leaves for medicine, and kill each other for territory! but decided against it. If he wasn't going to all of a sudden start attacking me for trying to escape last night, I wasn't about to provoke him. I'd had too many near-death experiences now to throw my life away. I wasn't sure how you apologized to a leader, so I awkwardly ducked my head.

Lighteningstar sharply nodded once in acceptance. "Anyway," he meowed, reverting back to his original question, "are you going to join the Clan? We don't have room for an empty mouth, what with leaf-bare coming on. Every cat must pull his – or her – weight."

"I have no other choice," I muttered, to show him that yes, I would stay, but I didn't particularly want to. Just so that there were no secrets between us.

He purred in sympathy, so unexpectedly I jumped. "I know it must be hard," he said, "but I need you to work your best if you join. You must give your all to the Clan."

"…Okay." I'd never really worked hard in my life, since I hadn't had anything to work for (unless you count last night. Getting to Twolegplace had been hard work.)

Lighteningstar scrutinized me, making me feel like I was being X-rayed – but instead of seeing my bones like the vet did, he was seeing all my reluctance, my hatred for Stonepaw and his cronies, despair for my home, my hurt and betrayed feelings for Sagepaw, all those bitter emotions that gnawed at my heart. I fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Alright," he agreed finally. My breath whooshed out in relief. "We'll hold your apprentice ceremony at sunset. This is what will happen: I will call the Clan to a meeting from the top of the Highrock – you stand right under me, on the ground. Once all every cat has gathered, I'll give you your apprentice, or Clan, name. You will no longer be called Sara – you will be whatever name I choose to give you."

I gulped. Give up my name? My last link to my housefolk, my home? I wasn't fully sure I could do that, and I told him so.

"You'll have to, or the Clan won't accept you," Lighteningstar said flatly, although he still looked sympathetic. I felt a sudden rush of anger towards him – how could he possibly know or sympathize what I'd gone and was going through?! I slowly released my breath in a long, drawn out hiss, and I felt a gaping hole of sadness in my heart as the rage disappeared as quickly as it had come. Let's keep the mood swings coming, shall we?

Lighteningstar gave me a minute to have what he said fully sink in, then explained, "They won't trust you unless you truly become one of them, and that includes giving up your name."

I blinked back tears, swiping my paw over my whiskers to hide my expression while I got it under control. I wasn't going to act like a complete kit in front of the Clan leader. "What will my name be?" I asked, proud that my voice was steady. Despite myself, I was actually a little bit curious as to what I'd be named. I hoped it was something good.

Lighteningstar smiled. "Whatever name I choose to give you," he repeated.

Oookay. Why thank you, Mr. Informative. Was everyone in this forest trying to frustrate me until I snapped? 'Cause let me tell you, it was working.

"I'll then say the name of your mentor - the cat who will teach you our ways, how to hunt, how to fight. He – or she – will step forward, and you will touch your nose with his or hers," Lighteningstar continued. "The Clan will normally start to call out your new name, and will congratulate you and your mentor, but-"

"-since I'm not one of them, they probably won't," I finished for him - it wasn't surprising, really. Did I even want them to accept me? I had no answer to that question. "Who will my mentor be?" I asked.

"Whoever I choose to give you."

Grrrr. Would it hurt to be a little more specific? I mean, seriously! Everyone who wants to keep Sara in the dark, raise your paw! Oh, it looks like everybody did!

Lighteningstar stared at me. "Do you understand? Will you become an apprentice?"

I hesitated. What I said now would determine the course of my whole life.

No pressure.

I knew what I had to say, but that didn't make it easy. I still had a chance to back out…No! You know what you've got to do, so suck it up and do it! "Yes," I finally said.

Lighteningstar nodded. "Welcome, then." What he said next shocked me again, although you would think I would've gotten over being constantly surprised.

"ThunderClan is lucky to have you."

* * *

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Lighteningstar stood straight and tall on top of the big boulder so originally named the "Highrock." The setting sun lit up his white and black fur, making it gleam, and he looked just how I would've imagined a leader would look like. I was sitting right below it, trying hard to flatten my nervously bristling fur.

Sagepaw and Brightsong hurried out of their den – I guess they'd returned while I was with Lighteningstar – and Sagepaw looked really down. A spark of resentment flared up at the sight of him, but at the same time I was glad Stonepaw hadn't hurt him. Larchpaw padded up, too, thankfully looking none the worse for wear – a little tired, maybe, but not like a cat that a vengeful, arrogant apprentice had beat up. Whew. Stonepaw and Russetpaw stalked to the middle of the camp, shooting furious glares at Larchpaw and then at me when they realized I was there. I glared right back, barely holding back a snicker when Stonepaw looked away, unable to hold my gaze.

As the rest of the Clan gathered, some shot me hostile looks, some glanced at me curiously wondering why I was underneath the Highrock, but most ignored me. I was never one to back down – I sat up straight and tall, meeting the eyes of every cat who looked at me. What did I care about how they felt about me? They didn't define who I was.

"Sara has been living in our camp for a moon now," Lighteningstar meowed, beginning the meeting. "She has nowhere else to go, and has asked to join ThunderClan as an apprentice."

There was an instant outbreak of protesting yowls. Lighteningstar waved his tail for silence, and reluctantly the Clan quieted down. A lot of them were openly glaring at me now.

Lighteningstar plowed right on. I guess he thought that if he left it too long, the Clan would flat-out refuse and throw me out. "I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this cat. She would like to become a warrior of ThunderClan, but must first become an apprentice. Sara, from this day forth, until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Mothpaw, because your coat is like the pale flash of a moth's wing." Mothpaw….at least it wasn't something dumb, like Bumblepaw, or Rabbitpaw. You know, I actually liked it.

A little bit.

I felt all weird inside, though – I was no longer and would never be Sara ever again. Who was I now? Not the naïve kittypet I'd been when I was first brought to the Clan. Who was I?

"Brackenfoot, you will train Mothpaw. Whitefoot was your mentor. I hope that her patience and quick thinking will pass through you to your new apprentice."

A golden-brown she-cat stepped forward reluctantly, looking a little insulted at having to train the injured kittypet, and all of a sudden my mind went blank. Uh…….What was I supposed to do now, again?

The silence seemed to stretch on for years. Brackenfoot looked more and more awkward and embarrassed as the seconds went by, and I still had no idea what to do next. Come on, think!

"Touch noses with her," came a quiet whisper from my right. I blinked and glanced over in that direction, and Larchpaw gave me an encouraging grin.

I scrambled to my paws, trying hard to hold on to my last shreds of dignity, and reached up to touch my nose to Brackenfoot's. She bent her head down at the same time, and our noses collided – painfully. My eyes watered with pain, and I saw Brackenfoot's eyes tear up, too. I sure hoped first impressions didn't count for much with the Clan, because I was now sure that I had looked like a stupid, scatter-brained squirrel.

Lighteningstar, Brightsong, Sagepaw, and Larchpaw all started cheering my name, and a few other cats followed their lead – one or two sounded friendly, and like they actually didn't want to bite my head off, but most were grudging, growling my name under their breaths or spitting it out like it was poison.- two certain apprentices among them. Stonepaw looked even more furious, Russetpaw appalled, at Lighteningstar's accepting me into ThunderClan. Prideful, arrogant grouches. Being born in a Clan isn't everything, you know! I surprised myself by actually wanting to prove myself to them, if only to shatter their stupid stereotypes. Let's just see who the better cat is!

As the Clan 'cheered' for me, I whispered my name under my breath.

"Mothpaw."

I was Mothpaw now.

* * *

Brackenfoot showed me to the apprentices' den (a big patch of ferns) and disappeared. What a helpful mentor I'd gotten. Okay…what do I do now? I hesitantly padded inside.

Stonepaw, Russetpaw, Larchpaw, and a pale tabby she-cat were already there, curling up on moss beds, washing, or, in the case of two certain individuals, holding an angry-sounding whispered conversation that I was positive was about me and shooting death-glares in my direction. I growled softly. I was going to have to share sleeping space with those two nutcases? Great. Just great.

I stalked past them and tried to find a comfy, sheltered, slightly apart nesting place. I finally found one, towards the back. But how was I going to get moss for a nest? I decided to ask the pale tabby. Larchpaw would help, I was sure, but I didn't want Stonepaw to get mad at him again. It would be nice to have a roommate who wasn't out for my blood or was targeted for a beating-up if I spoke to him.

"Hi," I said, padding up to her. "Um, where's the moss?"

The pale tabby jumped and looked up at me in a weird mixture of terror and admiration. "Just grab some of the unused stuff," she whispered, looking back at Stonepaw and Russetpaw so much it looked like she had a twitch.

"Okay…thanks. What's your name?"

"Brindlepaw," she mumbled.

"Okay. Thanks, Brindlepaw. What's with the jumpiness?"

"Stonepaw and Russetpaw hate you," she muttered. "And nobody messes with Stonepaw and Russetpaw unless they've got a death wish."

"Oh." Lovely. Looked like my roommate had a deathly fear of my other roommates. This was going to make for an interesting den.

"Except for you," she added.

"What?"

"You stood up to them, and you didn't get pummeled," she explained, staring at me in wonder. "I wish I was as brave as you."

I shrugged uncomfortably. How do you reply to that? "Uh…thanks."

Brindlepaw nodded.

I snagged some moss and dragged it over to my chosen sleeping area, making a comfortable nest for myself - after carefully inspecting it. I wouldn't put it past Stonepaw to sneak some thorns or ants in my bedding.

I washed myself, the fuzz over my burn tickling my tongue, and curled up, wriggling to get comfortable. I couldn't blame Brindlepaw for being so afraid. If Stonepaw and Russetpaw were her roommates ever since she was born (according to Sagepaw, apprentices were usually denmates as kits, too), no wonder she was so terrified. Maybe once I got to know her better, she'd loosen up a bit. I hoped so – she seemed nice, just really jumpy.

Sigh. My time as an official apprentice of ThunderClan hadn't gotten off to a good start, to say the least.

Review! Like it, hate it, love it?