"From this day forward, until you are a warrior, your names will be Dapplepaw and Hawkpaw." Sunstar called.
"Dapplepaw, Hawkpaw!" the clan cheered.
Dapplepaw raised his head high and proud,but Hawkpaw shyly smiled and ducked her head away.
"Cougarfoot, your sharp temper and exellent hunting skills will teach Dapplepaw how to be the best warrior, will you be his mentor?"
The tan she-cat smiled in pleasure and bowed her head, touching her nose to the small tom's head.
"Ravenclaw, will you teach the ways of hunting and fighting to Hawkpaw, she is shy, but with you as a mentor she'll serve her clan well."
Ravenclaw exidedly ran to his new apprentice and nosed her head. Hawkpaw licked his shoulder in return.
Sunstar ate a fat starling beside Frostfern and watched as the clanmates ate there share.
They needed more warriors if they were going to avenge their territory from Windclan.
Those mangy fleabitten furballs have been stalking around Wolfclan terrirtory for a moon now.
Cougarfoot suggested we fight, but with little warriors, Sunstar couldn't risk a battle.
"I can't wait to start my battle training!" Dapplepaw mewed to Cougarfoot. The tan she-cat licked vole blood off her black paws.
"Who said anything about waiting." Cougarfoot playfully hissed.
"Really?" Dapplepaw jumped up exitedly.
"Oh,oh, Ravenclaw can we battle train to?" Hawkpaw mewed shyly.
The black tom purred and pressed his muzzle to hers, "Anything you want."
The silver tabby she-cat purred and rolled over.
"Cougarfoot, teach Dapplepaw how to defend and Ravenclaw, you teach Hawkpaw how to attack on her haunches."
The mentors dipped their heads and began to teach the apprentices in the Sandy Hollow.
Bugeye, a grey she-cat, shook with a spasms of coughing.
"Mousetail, check Bugeye, she might have White Cough." Sunstar called to the grey she-cat in the medicine den.
Before Mousetail could fetch some herbs, Nightkit bounded over to Bugeye and dropped feverfew at the she-cat's paws.
"This'll make you feel better." The black tabby tom mewed, his yellow eyes glowing with pride.
"Very good Nightkit, but next time tell me when you go digging through my herb pile!" Mousetail joked.
The little tom giggled and ran after his sister, Owlkit.
"Looks like you'll have an apprentice soon." Mewed Sunstar.
Mousetail sighed and gathered the feverfew that lay on the frozen grass.
"Yeah, Nightkit will be a good apprentice." Bugeye coughed again. "Here, eat these and go to my den."
The grey she-cat nodded and ate the herbs with a screwed face.
Glimmerwhisker padded into the clearing with Horestail and Crabheart.
A fat rabbit dangled from her jaws.
Crabheart carried a finch while Horsetail carried a fat squirrel.
"Nice, eat your sare, we need to be strong if we are to fight Windclan." Sunstar mewed.
Crabheart dropped his prey beside his leader's paws, "For you." he mewed, his brown ears flicking shyly.
Sunstar pressed her muzzle to the young tom's head, "Thank you, Crabheart." She purred.
The orange tom purred and trotted to the fresh kill pile, tail held high.
Moments later, Cougarfoot returned with Dapplepaw.
The tortouise shell and white tom looked exuasted.
Ravenclaw returned soon after with Hawkpaw. The silver she-cat looked pleased with herself.
Sunstar noticed Hawkpaw eyeing her vole, "Here, i'm not hungry."
Hawkpaw smiled and began to chew the vole.
"Sunstar, are we really going to fight?" Frostfern's anxious mew sounded behind Sunstar.
"Soon, we need to defend our territory." Sunstar meowed.
"That's music to my ears!" Cougarfoot hissed. The tan she-cat flicked her tail in delight.
Sunstar ignored the she-cat's sappy retort and turned to her deputy, "Check the borders again."
"Crabheart, Liontooth, Glimmerwhisker!," Frostfern yowled, "border patrol!"
The four cats left the forest on silent paws.
Maybe Windclan will learn to keep their paws on their own land.