Chapter 10:
"Do you remember what this herb is?" Snowbelly asked Rosekit a few sunrises later as they were sorting herbs.
Rosekit gave the herb a sniff. "Dock?"
"That's correct!" Snowbelly said, and put the herb in it's hole. "Do you remember what we might use it for?"
"Helping scratches not hurt as much?" Rosekit answered hesitantly.
"Exactly." Snowbelly mewed. "You know, you'd make a great medicine cat apprentice."
"Do you think?" Rosekit asked excitedly.
"Yes." Snowbelly nodded. Her face took on a more serious look. "Would you like to become my apprentice when it is time?" she asked.
Rosekit nodded happily. "I think I would." Then a shadow crossed her face, and she looked crestfallen. "Do you think Dawnstar would let me after I sneaked out on a hunting patrol with Nightkit?" Uh-oh, she thought, what will Nightkit think? I hope he understands...
Snowbelly interrupted her worries with a mrrow of amusement. "You let me worry about Dawnstar, Rosekit." she touched her tail-tip to Rosekit's shoulder encouragingly. "Now," she mewed briskly, as if reading Rosekit's mind. "Why don't you go tell Nightkit?"
"I guess." Rosekit glumly backed out of the medicine cat den after dipping her head respectfully to Snowbelly.
Rosekit blinked at the bright sunhigh light. Swiveling her head left and right, she could not spot her brother. He had left to play with Beekit, Acornkit, and Sunkit before she had awoken. I hope he isn't still mad at me for sorting herbs with Snowbelly... she worried. Then, she spotted his tail peeking out from behind the Halfrock. After racing over and leaping on her brother's tail with all four paws, she declared, "I win!"
"Hey!" came the yowl as Nightkit yanked his tail out of her grip. "Are you done playing medicine cat yet?" he asked.
"Um, can I talk to you, alone?" she dodged the question, eyeing Heartsong's kits, who were listening in closely.
"Sure." he blinked, and led the way to the brambles beside the empty nursery. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Well...I'm not done playing medicine cat." Rosekit looked down at her paws. "Snowbelly asked me to be her apprentice."
"What?!" Nightkit gasped. "You can't!"
"Why not?" She lifted her head defiantly. "I think it's my destiny."
"Your destiny was for us to train together, Rosekit. As warriors." Nightkit's voice softened. "That's how it was supposed to be."
Rosekit shook her head sadly. "I thought so too, Nightkit." She looked her brother right in the eye. "At least maybe one day, we'll be leader and medicine cat."
Nightkit purred. "At least now we can stop arguing about who will be leader and who will be deputy!"
Rosekit nodded. "I'm glad you aren't mad at me anymore." She licked his shoulder, and Nightkit gave her ear a few rough licks, before padding out of the bush and back over to the Halfrock.
Rosekit was about to join him, when Dawnstar leaped up on top of the Highledge.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting." The ThunderClan leader announced.
Rosekit's ears pricked curiously, and she padded up beside Nightkit. I wonder what's happening? She wondered.
"Nightkit, Rosekit, come forward, please."
Rosekit and Nightkit gasped. I'm going to be an apprentice! she thought, her mind reeling. A medicine cat apprentice, no less. She added, as they padded up to stand at the front of the Clan. Her pelt twitched with excitement.
Rosekit looked over at Nightkit, and could tell he was just as excited and nervous as she was. Good luck, brother, she tried to tell him with her eyes. Nightkit seemed to understand.
"Nightkit, 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 Nightpaw. Your mentor will be Jaggedwing. I hope Jaggedwing will pass on all that he knows on to you." Dawnstar declared. "Jaggedwing, you are ready to take on another apprentice. You have shown yourself to have forethought and be skilled in battle. I expect you to pass on all that you know to Nightpaw."
Jaggedwing nodded, and Nightpaw touched noses with his new mentor, both sets of eyes shining.
"Nightpaw! Nightpaw!" ThunderClan chanted. Rosekit picked out the mews of Flowerstream and Owlpaw, and heard the tiny but shrill squeaks of Heartsong's kits.
Snowbelly jumped up beside Dawnstar on the Highledge and waved her tail for silence.
"Cats of ThunderClan, I will not be around forever. So it's time I took an apprentice. I have chosen a cat who I know will be wise and have great patience. Your next medicine cat will be Rosekit."
Dawnstar looked to Rosekit and mewed, "Rosekit, do you wish to accept the post of apprentice to Snowbelly?"
Rosekit gulped, then in a clear and strong mew, replied, "I do."
Dawnstar nodded, and continued, "Rosekit, 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 Rosepaw. Your mentor will be Snowbelly. I know she will pass down all she knows to you."
Snowbelly took over again, mewing, "Rosepaw, at the half-moon, you must travel with me to the Moonpool to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats."
"The good wishes of all ThunderClan will go with you." Dawnstar nodded, and both cats leaped down from the Highledge.
"Rosepaw! Nightpaw! Rosepaw! Nightpaw!" Rosepaw, with her eyes shining, picked out the yowls of all the cats most important to her: Flowerstream, Sharpeye, Nightpaw, Snowbelly, Beekit, Acornkit, and Sunkit... She thought. Where is Owlpaw? Her eyes scanned the Clan until she spotted him at the very edge. Why isn't he happy for me? She wondered, but her worried thoughts were pushed away as Nightpaw raced up to her, his face glowing.
"Isn't it wonderful?" he asked excitedly.
Rosepaw forgot all about her worries as she looked into her brother's eyes. "It truly is!" she declared.
