Musical is bitch. Sure, it's fun, but for the past two months I've been a zombie. At least it's over and it's spring break. This chapter took forever and it doesn't have much drama, but it's essential to the storyline, so it had to be written. The next chapter shouldn't take as long, but I make no promises. Reviews help me to keep going, and I really like them, so REVIEW!

Dawnpaw's POV

"Dawnpaw, guess what!"

Dawnpaw cursed softly as the vole scuttled away at Honeypaw's loud call. Rolling her eyes and straightening out of her hunter's crouch, she turned to see her tabby friend winding through the underbrush toward her, an excited gleam in her blue eyes.

"What," Dawnpaw began, her tail twitching agitatedly, "was so important that you had to scare my prey away? Sorreltail told me I had to catch enough for the elders tonight before we went back!"

Honeypaw snorted. "Right, as if you haven't caught enough by now. You've been gone from camp for ages, and that's why I had to come out here. I would have been here earlier if Berrytail hadn't-"

"Honeypaw!" Dawnpaw interrupted impatiently. "What were you going to tell me?"

"Oh!" her eyes brightened. "Sandstorm told me that my warrior ceremony will be after sunhigh! Right after Firestar makes Snowkit an apprentice first, of course.

Dawnpaw's ears straightened and swiveled all the way forward, Honeypaw's revelation capturing her interest. "Really? That's amazing! We'll finally have more room!"

"Hey!" Honeypaw protested weakly, though her eyes still shone in anticipation. "We don't take up that much room!"

Dawnpaw snorted and turned to another topic. "So," she meowed, her eyes glinting mischievously, "Will you and Berrytail be sharing a nest when you move in to the warriors' den?"

Honeypaw gasped and her eyes widened. Shoving Dawnpaw away with her paw, she retorted indignantly, "Hey! Don't be ridiculous, Berrytail and I won't be—"

"What?" Honeypaw jumped as the aforementioned cream tom appeared behind her, sliding out of the shelter of a fern bush. Dawnpaw snickered at the sudden panic that flared in her friend's eyes. "What won't we be doing?"

"Uh, I hear Sorreltail calling…so, bye!" Dawnpaw scampered away, laughter bubbling in her throat as Honeypaw yowled an insult after her. She ducked under a low-hanging tree branch and out of sight.

"Playing matchmaker with Honeypaw and Berrytail again?" Sorreltail prompted as Dawnpaw padded up to where she and Squirrelflight were sitting at the base of large tree stump. Two limp robins rested beside them, causing Dawnpaw to cringe at the reminder that she had yet to catch something. She'd been distracted all morning after another dream of her death.

"They brought it upon themselves," Dawnpaw defended herself, "Besides, I like to think of it as gentle encouragement."

Squirrelflight's whiskers twitched in amusement and she twitched her tail. "Let Honeypaw worry about her own relationships, while you worry about your own."

Dawnpaw tilted her head to the side, a bewildered frown on her face. "What are you talking about?"

Squirrelflight lifted her paw to place a nonchalant lick there. "Oh nothing, I'm just saying that when you do find someone you'll want your privacy, just like Honeypaw and Berrytail."

Dawnpaw narrowed her eyes. "Is that a subtle hint that I should get a move on and find a mate? I'm still an apprentice!"

"Not for long," Sorreltail reminded her. "You and your siblings are not much younger than my kits."

"Oh, not you too!" Dawnpaw shifted her gaze to her mentor.

"Dawnpaw, it won't be long before you become a warrior, and then you'll find your mate and fall in love…and have kits," Squirrelflight trailed off sadly, a far-away look in her eyes.

"You'd think that I'd know already if I've already met my mate," Dawnpaw muttered sardonically.

"It doesn't work like that," Sorreltail meowed.

"You don't automatically fall in love with them," Squirrelflight told her.

"You get to know them," Sorreltail continued, her eyes sparkling.

"In fact," Squirrelflight meowed, "I used to hate Brambleclaw when I was an apprentice back in the old forest."

Dawnpaw's eyes grew round. "You did?"

Squirrelflight nodded and Sorreltail snorted. "Oh yeah," the tortoiseshell laughed, "Those two went at it like two warring Clans. Sandstorm literally had to drag Squirrelflight away once. And then when they came home from their quest, they just…didn't fight anymore. At least, not until—"

Sorreltail was interrupted as a fluffy, dark ginger tail was stuffed in her mouth. Squirrelflight shot her a warning glance before looking back at an incredibly confused Dawnpaw. "Anyway," the ginger she-cat meowed, her eyes softening as she moved to press her cheek against her daughter's, who was almost as tall as she was now. "Just give Honeypaw and Berrytail some space for now. They'll be mates soon enough and I doubt they'll need any encouragement."

Spitting out Squirrelflight's tail, Sorreltail sputtered, spitting ginger fur out of her mouth. "Thanks a lot," she glowered at Squirrelflight.

Dawnpaw blinked as she glanced between the two older she-cats. "You know, whenever I go on a hunting patrol with you two, something like this always happens. Maybe you should stop inviting me." She took a couple steps forward toward the two robins. "I'll take these back to camp."

With that, the golden apprentice left both warriors sitting and staring after her with shock written over both their faces, their mouths hanging open in disbelief. After a moment, they looked at each other and pulled together whatever thought processes they had lost in that momentary lapse in concentration. As one, they took off after the younger she-cat. "Hey!" Squirrelflight called after Dawnpaw, "Wait for us!"

Dawnpaw looked up at the Highledge, her nerves causing an uncomfortable flutter in her stomach as if there were a swarm of butterflies in there, battering at their enclosure. After her careful analysis of her vision, she still had no idea when it would happen, when she would die. All she knew was that it happened soon after Snowkit became an apprentice, which would happen all too soon.

Firestar's yowl called attention to the Highledge only a heartbeat later. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

Dawnpaw sighed and she rose to her paws, moving to join the other apprentices, all of whom had already gathered not far from their den, drawn together by the excitement of gaining another denmate and the graduation of three others.

Looking up, she spotted Firestar standing atop his perch. He appeared much healthier than he had been not long ago. She could still see the slight outline of his ribs, but he was well-groomed and his chin was raised proudly. The sun had broken through the cloud cover and had set his pelt aflame. His leaf-green gaze roamed over the gathering cats below him.

Dawnpaw glanced at the nursery just in time to see Ferncloud exit the den and move to sit beside Brightheart and her kits. Snowkit emerged from the den with his gray and white fur smoothed down neatly and his eyes shining brightly. He sat beside his adoptive mother.

Once everyone had settled comfortably in the clearing, Firestar began, "Cats of ThunderClan, after my long absence and the beginning of leaf-fall I believe we have need for celebration. One of our kits has reached a full six moons and is ready to become an apprentice."

He paused briefly, allowing his eyes to search the crowd. "Snowkit, come forward."

Snowkit padded the center of the clearing, his tail quivering in excitement. "From this day one, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Snowpaw."

The warriors without an apprentice leaned forward, eager to hear who would be getting the new apprentice. Dawnpaw's whiskers twitched. She already knew who Firestar would pick.

"Dustpelt, you be Snowpaw's mentor. You were an excellent mentor to Squirrelflight and Hazelsplash, and I hope you pass on all you know to Snowpaw."

Dustpelt started in surprise from his spot closest to Snowpaw. As he padded to his new apprentice and bent his head to touch noses with Snowpaw, Dawnpaw saw that he was pleased with Firestar's decision by the glimmer in his eyes.

As the Clan erupted in delighted cheers, Snowpaw puffed out his chest proudly and shifted his sparkling blue gaze travel around the clearing. Dawnpaw shivered, remembering this particular scene from her vision, but she forced herself to cheer just as loudly as every one of her Clanmates.

Once the cheers had faded into excited murmurs, Firestar continued, "I also think that it is time we name three new warriors as well; Cinderpaw, Honeypaw, and Poppypaw."

Dawnpaw shifted to the side to allow the sisters to pass by her and she caught Honeypaw's anxious gaze. "You'll be fine," Dawnpaw murmured to her. Honeypaw nodded and she hurried forward with her sisters.

Firestar leaped down the tumble of rocks leading down from the Highledge. He met the three apprentices in the center of the clearing. "I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn."

His head turned to where their mentors were sitting together only a few tail-lengths away. "Have your apprentices successfully completed their training and are ready to become warriors?"

As one, Cloudtail, Sandstorm, and Ashfur nodded. "Yes."

"Poppypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Poppypaw looked up at him, meeting his gaze. "I do."

Firestar nodded, satisfied. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Poppypaw, from this moment you will be known as Poppymist. StarClan honors your courage and skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Firestar rested his muzzle on top of Poppymist's head and she respectively licked his shoulder. She stepped away and Firestar turned to Cinderpaw.

"Cinderpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Cinderpaw lifted her chin. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Cinderpaw, from this moment you will be known as Cinderfrost. StarClan honors your determination and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Firestar rested his muzzle on top of Cinderfrost's head and she licked his shoulder. Cinderfrost joined Poppypaw as Firestar looked at Honeypaw.

"Honeypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Honeypaw's tail twitched. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Honeypaw, from this moment you will be known as Honeylight. StarClan honors your compassion and charity, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Firestar placed his chin on top of her head and she licked his shoulder before stepping away to sit with her sisters as the Clan cried out their names. "Poppymist! Cinderfrost! Honeylight!"

Dawnpaw bounded toward her friend. "Congratulations!" she exclaimed.

Honeylight gazed dazedly back. "I'm a warrior!"

"Oh my kits!" Sorreltail cried, trapping each of her daughters in a tight embrace, despite their protests. "All of you are grown up!"

"Mother!" Honeylight squirmed out of Sorreltail's grasp. "We're not kits anymore!"

"That's my point!" Sorreltail exclaimed sorrowfully. Behind her, Brackenfur rolled his eyes.

Movement in the corner of her eye caught Dawnpaw's attention and she turned her head to see Snowpaw shifting restlessly a few fox-lengths away, watching his Clanmates engulf the new warriors and congratulating them.

He looks lonely, Dawnpaw thought. She turned her head back to say something to Honeylight, but Berrytail chose that moment to appear at her side, successfully ensnaring her attention completely.

Shaking her head, Dawnpaw retreated, deciding to give the couple some space to celebrate in their own world together. She padded toward Snowpaw instead, feeling a little guilty that most of the attention was being placed upon the three new warriors.

"Hey, Snowpaw, do you want some help settling into the apprentices' den?" she asked, the guilt in her chest evaporating as his eyes lit up.

"Sure!" he mewed eagerly.

Dawnpaw's whiskers twitched as she started for the apprentices' den, glancing at Snowpaw as he padded beside her, an excited bounce in his step. She ducked into the den and made room so that Snowpaw could do the same.

"All of the nests in the center of the den are already used," she meowed, gesturing to the few nests of moss and bracken grouped together in the middle. "I guess you could use one of the nests Honeypaw, Cinderpaw, or Poppypaw used, but I suggest that you fetch some fresh moss for that. There are a few other nests around the edge as you can see. We don't usually use those, though, so you're free to use one of those."

"Thanks, Dawnpaw," Snowpaw meowed as he let his gaze travel around the den.

Dawnpaw opened her mouth to reply but the bramble tendrils of the entrance rustled as Redpaw poked his head inside. She groaned inwardly as he looked at her through narrowed eyes. "There you are. I was trying to find you. Sorreltail and Firestar want to do some battle training."

"Firestar's training you again?" Dawnpaw asked, interested. She knew that Redpaw would at some point resume his training with his real mentor, but she also suspected that Redpaw would just be saying that to get her away from Snowpaw.

"Yes, so hurry up. I spent ages trying to find you," Redpaw retorted sharply as he retreated. Dawnpaw rolled her eyes at Snowpaw, who was glancing between the two as if he expected them to fall into an all-out brawl.

"He's just grumpy because Cinderfrost's a warrior now and he can't hang out with her like he used to," she snickered and flicked her tail in farewell before ducking back into the clearing. Redpaw was sitting right outside, looking like he was going to rebuke her like a mentor would after his apprentice scared prey away.

Dawnpaw fixed him with a resentful glare. "Save it. I'd rather not hear you lecture me right now. Are we really going to battle training or were you making that up."

Redpaw didn't say anything, but he turned his head and Dawnpaw followed his gaze to where Firestar and Sorreltail were waiting for them. Dawnpaw's ear twitched and she brushed past her brother. "Well, come on then. Wouldn't want to keep them waiting."

What do you think of the warrior names? I didn't want to use the same ones as in the series 'cause I thought it would be too boring to do that. I hope that they're fitting. This chapter was all in Dawnpaw's POV so the next one should have lots more Redpaw in it for those of you who like him.

For now, I'll give you an update on Brook and Stormfur's kits! It's getting closer!

Lightningkit-broad-shouldered dark brown tabby tom with gray eyes

Stonekit-sleek dark gray tom with a striped tail

Juniperkit-long-haired silver she-cat with amber eyes

Featherkit-slender dark gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes