CHAPTERII

Spottedkit rolled over and batted half-heartedly at her brother's tail. "I'm so bored!"

"Not for long." Russet-tail ducked into the nursery and started cleaning Icekit. "Today's a very important day."

Spottedkit tilted her head. Then she realized it. They were six moons old! "Our apprentice ceremony?"

Icekit looked up. "Really? When?"

"At sunhigh, so you two need to look your best!" Russet-tail moved on to Spottedkit. She cleaned her for what seemed a long time. The she-kit ducked out of the way.

"Okay, I'm clean!"

"Good, because sunhigh is here." Spottedkit looked up to see her father, Swiftfoot, enter the nursery. His light tabby fur shone in the late greenleaf sunshine.

"Time to go!" Russet-tail purred. Her mate led the way out the entrance, followed by their kits. They walked to the Mossledge, a huge rock covered in the green stuff. The StormClan leader stood on top of it. "Let all StormClan cats strong enough to catch their own prey join below the Mossledge!" he yowled. The cats filed into the warm camp clearing, and Hailstar began.

"The time has come for two new apprentices."

The two current apprentices, Cherrypaw and Sprucepaw, cheered.

Hailstar's eyes glimmered with amusement. " Spottedkit, Icekit, step up." He leaped down off the rock. Spottedkit approached him, paws pricking with excitement.

"Do you two promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Spottedkit and Icekit said in unison.

"Then, until you receive your warrior names, you will be known as Spottedpaw and Icepaw." He placed his chin on their heads, and they licked his chest in turn.

"Spottedpaw! Icepaw!" the Clan cheered. Hailstar raised his long, grey tail to silence them.

"Dewpelt, step up."

The gray tabby tom looked around, shocked. But he stepped up.

"This is your first apprentice. You will be Icepaw's mentor. I expect you to pass on all that Smoketail taught you before she... Well, pass on your strength and kindness to your first apprentice."

Icepaw and his mentor touched noses awkwardly, then sat down.

"Cloudspot!"

The gray-and-white she-cat stood, pride in her amber eyes, and approached Spottedpaw.

"You will teach Spottedpaw. I expect you to pass on courage and tolerance to your apprentice. I'm sure Swiftfoot taught you well."

Spottedpaw touched Cloudspot's nose, and went to sit by her brother.

o.o.o

Spottedpaw sat under the fallen tree in front of the apprentice den, sharing a robin with Cherrypaw. The brownish-red she-cat was twice the size of her, but kind-hearted and fun.

Sprucepaw was teaching Icepaw basic pounces. Spottedpaw watched, amused, as her brother fell on his face.

"Spottedpaw! Icepaw!"Cloudspot padded up to them. "It's time to show you the territory."

Spottedpaw exchanged a glance with Cherrypaw, then leaped up and trailed along behind Icepaw across the clearing, where Dewpelt waited. Cloudspot followed. They started to cross the forest with ease, then stopped. They stood in a clearing, with bright green ferns surrounding it, and sunlight filtered through the trees.

"What do you smell?" Cloudspot asked.

Spottedpaw inhaled, closing her eyes. She smelled a rank scent, slightly cat-like.

"Is it fox?" Icepaw asked worriedly.

Dewpelt nodded. "Good."

"It smells old." Spottedpaw observed.

"Yes." Cloudspot purred. " Hailstar and Swiftfoot chased it away at the beginning of green-leaf. There's nothing to worry about."

"Let's keep moving." Dewpelt suggested.

The next stop was at a fast-moving river. Icepaw bounded up to it, Cloudspot and Dewpelt following more slowly.

Icepaw reached out a paw, batting at a fish. With a yelp, he tumbled in. Spottedpaw mrrowed with laughter, until she realized her brother was being carried away by the current. She ran up to the side, but Dewpelt shoved her away. He leaped in, grabbed Icepaw's scruff, and pulled him to the banks.

"Are you okay?" Spottedpaw asked. With the sun beating down on her, she was tempted to leap in as well.

"Yeah, I'm fine. If I had more time, I would have been able to swim out myself. Stupid fish!" he hissed, shaking.

"Nice job, but we're not BrookClan cats!" Cloudspot purred. Her voice became serious. "But never get too close to the river!"

"Okay!" Icepaw said.

"Dewpelt, you look more like Riverpelt!" Spottedpaw said. He had water streaming off of his thick pelt. The soaked tom flicked his tail, splashing her with water.

Cloudspot shouldered Dewpelt. "Let's head for the Boulders."

"The Boulders?" Icepaw asked.

"It's where the Clans gather. Let's go, before sun-down comes and goes!"

o.o.o

The Boulders were huge rocks in the middle of a grassy clearing. There were strange markings, looking like giant claw-marks gorged into the stone, at the bottom of each rock.

Cloudspot looked at the sky. "A storm's coming. We should head back." she said.

Dewpelt nodded. "We should take the river route."

"Are you sure? BrookClan hasn't done anything in moons. They might be hostile."

"We'll be fine."

o.o.o

As they walked along the river, it got darker. Cloudspot stopped. "BrookClan!" she hissed. Sure enough, three cats appeared on the opposite side of the river. It was just bright enough to see the cats.

The biggest one, a tall, sleek black tom nodded to Cloudspot. She nodded back. Spottedpaw met the eyes of a small grey-and-black tom, only a little bigger than her. She held his gaze until his mentor murmured something and led them away.

They made it back to camp as the storm started. Spottedpaw grabbed a slightly wet mouse and rushed to the apprentice den.