Next chapter! Okay!

Yes, I am aware that the last chapter was really SUCKY, but I wrote that in like ten minutes, so… yeah. This one is SO MUCH BETTER! I love drama XD

Two moons. Mintpaw marveled that it had been that long, but clearly it had, because Ivyshine had allowed him out of dawn patrol to watch the ceremony.

"Firekit, Moonkit, Beechkit, step forward."

They did, Moonkit her silver pelt shivering, Firekit, her big eyes even wider than usual, Beechkit, looking calm. Nothing fazed that kit.

"Moonkit, step forward."

She did so. When she was older, she would certain attract a lot of toms. Her eyes were gorgeous, sparkling amber, and her fur was a beautiful shade of silver. Everyone liked her.

Was Mintpaw imagining it, or did she shoot a resentful glare towards Robinpaw?

Beside him, Newtpaw sighed. "She's so…"

Mintpaw didn't answer, though he stiffened slightly and stepped away from his brother.

"Moonpaw, your mentor will be Poppystorm. I know she will do all she can to train you well."

They stepped up and touched noses. Mintpaw must have been imagining it, but the longer he looked, the irate gleam in Moonpaw's eyes became more pronounced.

"Firekit, step forward!"

Mintpaw jerked his gaze over to his friend. Firekit bounced forward, her pale eyes shining.

"Firepaw, your mentor will be me. I will do my best to pass down all I know onto you."

Mintpaw's eyes widened, but he cheered his friend's new name. "Firepaw! Firepaw!"

She bounced up to him, radiating cheerfulness. "Can you believe it? The leader! I'm so lucky! I might even get to train with you!"

"Yeah!" he purred, but he couldn't pretend jealousy didn't worm it's way through his heart a bit. Why couldn't he have gotten the leader as a mentor?

"Beechpaw, your mentor will be Darkbreeze. I hope he will pass down all he knows onto you."

Mintpaw cheered Beechpaw's name with the rest of the Clan, but his attention and gaze was fixated onto Moonpaw. She was glaring at Robinpaw. Why? Had she wanted to become the medicine cat?

But it didn't matter. He turned to his brother, and realized that Newtpaw was staring at her too. "Newtpaw!"

He jumped. "What?"

"Stop mooning over… Moonkit!"

He flashed MIntpaw a sheepish smile. "Sorry. I know, I can't let her distract me from apprenticeship."

"She just became an apprentice, you know. Don't weird her out."

"I won't! I'm not going to do anything until we're both older… And besides, she's only a few moons younger than me! You didn't wait very long to start mooning over Dapplepaw."

"What?!"

Newtpaw shrugged. "I'm just saying, it's not like some giant age difference—"

"I don't moon over Dapplepaw!"

Newtpaw rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Anyway—"

"Newtpaw! Mintpaw!"

"I don't," Mintpaw hissed to his brother, and turned to face Pineheart.

"Yes, you two! Come along. We're going with Ivyshine to practice battle moves with the new apprentices."

"And Darkbreeze and Poppystorm and… Tawnystar?"

Pineheart rolled his eyes. "Yes. And Darkbreeze and Poppystorm and Tawnystar."

Mintpaw gulped and hurried after his brother's mentor, Newtpaw on his heels. Firepaw, Moonpaw and Beechpaw joined the entourage.

"Feels like border patrol," Mintpaw mumbled to Firepaw. She giggled. "Yeah. We're warriors, just going on patrol!"

Mintpaw purred, the light kind that only Firepaw could draw out of him. "With our apprentices, Pinepaw, Poppypaw, Ivypaw, Darkpaw, Tawnypaw." He trailed off. "This is a huge group."

Firepaw lifted her head, her eyes scanning the cats. "Ten." She shrugged. "A lot for a training session, I guess."

"Mintpaw!" It was Moonpaw, panting, her eyes sparkling in that weird way that her's did. "Can you teach us any moves before we get there?"

He purred again. "You won't need them." Newtpaw's gaze suddenly burned hot on his neck, and he said quickly, "Poppystorm's a great mentor."

"I know, right?" She was keeping up with him easily, despite the fact that she sounded breathless. "She's so nice. She's your kin, right?"

"Yeah… She's Antshine's sister."

"That's so cool! And Ivyshine's a great mentor."

Suddenly self-conscious, Mintpaw scratched at his ear. "Well, she's a new warrior… But yeah, she's… good."

"No need to be modest, MIntpaw!" Moonpaw purred, shot him a mischevious glance, and then flounced over to Newtpaw.

"She is…"

"Crazy," Firepaw muttered.

"Maybe not quite what I was going for. But… it works."

Firepaw laughed. Mintpaw was happy.

"Okay, we're all going to pair up. Moonpaw and Newtpaw, Mintpaw and Firepaw, and Beechpaw, you'll practice with me. The other warriors will watch."

Firepaw brightened considerably. "Cool! What are we doing, battle moves?"

"Let's get down a basic hunting crouch first." He couldn't help shooting a look over to Moonpaw and Newtpaw, who looked like they were doing more talking than training. But whatever. It wasn't his business.

"Okay!"

Mintpaw whipped his attention back to the ginger tabby. "All right. Crouch down like this." He demonstrated, sliding into a crouch with his front paws out slightly, his tail straight, his belly fur brushing the ground.

Firepaw cocked her head, wrinkled her nose, and slid into something similar, but her tail wouldn't stay still and she seemed to be losing her balance.

"Come on, just slide out your front right paw…" Mintpaw coaxed gently.

Firepaw did so, frowning with concentration. But her shorter leg wouldn't cooperate, and she toppled to the side. "I'll never get it!" she wailed, shaking her bad paw. "If it wasn't for my stupid leg…"

"Don't say that. You'll get it eventually. I wasn't any better than you my first time."

"How long did it take you to get it right?" Firepaw asked dryly. Mintpaw scuffed his feet. "A couple tries. You get more than one, too!" he shot back.

She lifted her shorter leg miserably. "If it wasn't for this stupid leg…"

"Don't say that. How strong are your other legs?"

Firepaw shrugged. "Like normal legs."

"No, they're—" He broke off with a sigh. "Never mind. Just try again. Put your longer leg out farther than your other."

Frowning in concentration, she did so, except this time, the difference balanced out her two front legs.

"There, now straighten your tail, and lower your body."

She purred, but was cut off by her sister.

"I got it!" There she was, in a perfect hunting crouch. Whatever. Mintpaw was about to turn back to Firepaw when he was distracted by a rustling in the bracken.

A mouse exploded out of the foliage and skidded right in front of Moonpaw, who gave a start and pounced. She nipped it's neck quickly, and Dapplepaw exploded from the bracken right after her, and skidded to a stop. Applecloud was hot on her heels.

Dapplepaw frowned as she saw the new apprentice with her first catch swinging from her jaws. She opened her mouth, presumably to hiss something, but then she noticed the nine cats watching.

"Sorry for interrupting," she mumbled, dipping her head, mostly to Tawnystar. "I was chasing a mouse, and I didn't realize I was almost by your guys's training session."

Tawnystar smiled. "It's fine, Dapplepaw. Continue, please."

Dapplepaw dipped her head, and Mintpaw flashed her a smile, but she only stared at him like she couldn't quite figure him out before padding away.

"Mintpaw?"

He turned back to Firepaw. "Yeah, so you pad forward softly… Remember the leg thing…"

She did so, keeping her legs level. "Good!" Mintpaw applauded. "You're a natural, see? And you have really strong hind-legs. Use those!"

"Okay!" She smiled at him, bunched her muscles and sprang. She landed two tail-lengths away.

"That was awesome!" But it wasn't Mintpaw who'd said it. It was his brother, congratulating Moonpaw. "I can't believe you caught that mouse!"

She looked at her feet. "It ran right into my paws," she said modestly.

"It was still a great catch!"

"Mintpaw…"

"Hmm?"

"You're distracted," Firepaw accused, a tinge of resentment in her voice.

"Sorry, sorry… Where were we?"

Firepaw pounced on his tail, nipping it softly. He jumped in surprise, and she sat up, wrapping her tail around her paws. "I think I've got the hunting thing down."

"Do you want to try it on real prey?" Tawnystar had padded up to them and was standing next to Mintpaw, but he tried to ignore her.

Firepaw purred. "Doesn't your tail count as real prey?" she giggled.

"Yeah, yeah… Taste the air, try and find something. Don't go too far, thuogh, or Cedarheart'll have my hide!"

"Oh, she wouldn't!" But she opened her jaws and trotted off.

"You will be a good mentor." Tawnystar's voice came like a whisper from far away, a cobweb stuck in his ear. "Thanks."

His leader only flicked an ear.

"Tawnystar, can I ask you a question?"

"Hmm?"

Mintpaw glanced at the retreating form of Firepaw; the extra effort she took to walk, the way her front right leg was shorter than the others. "Why did you take Firepaw as an apprentice?"

"Did you want me to be your mentor?"

"Yes, but that's not really why it occurred to me…" He flashed a brilliant green gaze to Moonpaw, who happened to be staring back. They both looked away quickly, abashed.

"You're thinking of Moonpaw."

Mintpaw stared at his feet, embarassed. "Well, kind of."

"Moonpaw did not want me as her mentor. She did not want Poppystorm as her mentor."

Perplexed, Mintpaw looked up. "Really? But she said that—"

"Moonpaw has other things going on. Don't meddle, Mintpaw. You have a complicated enough future as it is."

"What?"

Tawnystar ignored him, and stepped away into the middle of the cats, just as Firepaw came sprinting up to him, slightly off-balance with a small thrush hanging from her jaws.

"That's great, Firepaw!"

Firepaw purred and dropped it at his feet.

"Better give that to Tawnystar." She nodded and picked it back up, trotting over to her mentor. But Mintpaw noticed her pale gray eyes as they shifted over Moonpaw's plump mouse.

It didn't matter, of course.

It was hard to sleep in the apprentice's den that night. With Mintpaw, Newtpaw, Stormpaw, Frostpaw, and Dapplepaw, it had been crowded, but with the arrival of three new apprentices, it was downright stuffed. Mintpaw was crammed between Firepaw and Dapplepaw, and as he lay awake, the moon reflecting off of Moonpaw's silver fur, he thought about them. Firepaw, the cheerful orange and white tabby, Dapplepaw, the trustworthy calico, Moonpaw, the mysterious silver beauty.

What had Tawnystar meant?

Who likes Newt/Moon as a pairing? Mint/Moon? Mint/Dapple? Mint/Fire? Vote, sil vous plait! I think you'll be surprised for what I have in store for one of those cats… MWAHAHAEVILLAUGHTER

I'm proud of myself. Two chapters in one day. Of course, the Willow one was wimpy and terrible, but whatever, you know?

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Okay. If you've written stories, you KNOW how much you want reviews. Indulge me. If you HAVEN'T, get to work, you lazy #$. Just kidding., you know I love y'all! :)

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