Hello! Hope you guys are enjoying the first few chapters. So far you have met little Fawnkit, the runt of her litter, who is dealing with a mother that doesn't want her. Then you have met cute Sunkit, a rescued rogue kit that is trying hard to prove herself. Now I introduce to you our apprentice from Shadowclan.

~ Tangleflame

Sleekpaw

Chapter 1

"Can we go hunting by the Thunderclan border?" Sleekpaw asked his mentor as they left camp, slipping through the thorn tunnel. Sleekpaw shook his gray tabby fur, hating the way the brambles scratched uncomfortably at his fur.

Ivytail slid through the torn tunnel after him, unaffected by the thorns. "That sounds okay. We might see some squirrels over there."

Pleased that his mentor had listened to him, Sleekpaw let Ivytail take the lead as they headed through the pines. It was almost sun high, but the thick canopy of the pine forest cast dark shadows around them. Sleekpaw looked up and tried to cast a glimpse of the sky, but all he saw were the expanse of thick branches and pines. Disappointed, Sleekpaw turned his attention back to where he was putting his paws, so he could avoid the carefully hidden ditches throughout Shadowclan territory. The two cats padded silently through the pines until the trees started to thin out and the Sleekpaw could see the clearing through the trees.

The small tom pricked his ears and was pleased when the soft sound of rushing water met his ears. He longed to race the rest of the way and get to the stream, but he wasn't sure how that would look to his mentor. Shadowclan cats weren't supposed to like water, but Sleekpaw couldn't help it. Ivytail stopped suddenly, holding his tail high to warn Sleekpaw to stop and not move. Sleekpaw pricked his ears and heard the unmistakable sound of squirrel a few fox lengths in the trees. Ivytail gave his apprentice a quick jerk of his tail to let Sleekpaw know that the squirrel was his and that Sleekpaw should find something else.

Slipping quietly away, Sleekpaw headed towards the clearing. Breaking out from the trees, Sleekpaw relished the feel of the sun on his fur. Lifting his head towards the sky, he looked to the sky now that there were no trees blocking the expanse of blue anymore. Without wasting anymore time, Sleekpaw padded towards the stream that was nestled in the clearing. Sleekpaw was glad that the stream was in Shadowclan territory, even though they never had use for it. Those mangy Thunderclan warriors don't need it either. Sleekpaw didn't stop until the water was only a few mouse lengths in front of his paws. The slow rushing water of the stream was calming to Sleekpaw. The water didn't bother him as it did the other Shadowclan cats. Small flashes of silver came from the water depths and Sleekpaw longed to be able to catch one of the small fishes, but he didn't know how to fish. That wasn't something apprentices in Shadowclan learned.

A small scratching sound in the grass right next to the stream caught Sleekpaw's attention and the mouthwatering smell of a water vole reached him. It wasn't very often that the small creatures wandered around this small stream. Sleekpaw dropped silently into the hunter's crouch and tried to pinpoint the vole's exact location. In the patch of grass a few tail lengths in front of him, Sleekpaw caught small glances of the prey's small body. Flexing his claws, Sleekpaw leaped easily to the patch of grass and felt the warm body of the vole in his claws. With a quick bite to the neck, Sleekpaw stared proudly at his catch. He hoped Ivytail would be proud of him too. Picking up the water vole, the tabby tom headed back up the small slope and set his vole underneath some leaves next to a pine tree. He would have to catch more prey for Ivytail to be impressed.

Letting his eyes readjust to the shadows of the forest, Sleekpaw tasted the air for prey. It didn't take long for Sleekpaw to catch two mice before he headed back for his vole. When he arrived at his first catch, Ivytail was waiting for him. The gray and white tom had a fat squirrel and mouse at his paws. He took in Sleekpaw's catch with narrowed eyes.

"Well done Sleekpaw. The water vole is an interesting catch, but it will still feed the clan." It was as good as a praise Sleekpaw expected from his mentor. The two toms weren't very close. Sleekpaw's mother had died during the kitting and Sleekpaw had to be nursed by another queen. Whisperingspirit, Ivytail's mate, had just kitted around the same time so she took him in. Ivytail hadn't been too keen on helping raise a kit that wasn't his own, though Whisperingspirit was more than happy to raise Sleekpaw. Then when Ivytail and Whisperingspirit's only kit, Stormpaw, had decided to become a medicine cat apprentice, Ivytail had been somewhat disappointed. He had wanted to see his only son raised as a warrior, and Sleekpaw wasn't that for him. Picking up his catch, Sleekpaw followed Ivytail back to camp.

Squeezing through the bramble tunnel, Sleekpaw dropped his catch on the prey pile in the middle of camp. Graypelt was next to fresh kill pile as Sleekpaw dropped his catch. The gray tom eyed his son in approval.

"Good catch Sleekpaw! You and Ivytail hunted well, Coalshadow's going to really enjoy this squirrel." Graypelt nodded towards Ivytail's squirrel at his feet. Sleekpaw dipped is head in response to his father's praise. They had grown apart since he had become apprenticed. For most of Sleekpaw's kit hood, Graypelt had been overwhelmed with the grief of losing his mate. It had left them both very close as Graypelt had momentarily abandoned his warrior duties to spend time with his only kit. Then the gray tom started to distract himself with warrior duties and in the process got very close with a she-cat named Coalshadow. The two warriors had fallen in love by the time that Sleekpaw had reached six moons.

Graypelt still cared for his son, but Sleekpaw knew that his father was secretly wishing to start over and have a whole family. It had been 2 moons since Sleekpaw had become an apprentice, and he had just heard that Coalshadow would be moving into the nursery soon. Sleekpaw knew that he should be happy that Graypelt had gotten over his grief, but the young tom wasn't looking forward seeing Graypelt father these kits. As Graypelt padded away with the squirrel in his jaws, Sleekpaw scanned the camp for Stormpaw. Sleekpaw enjoyed the company of the young silver tom, it was almost like he had a brother.

Sleekpaw found himself heading towards the medicine cat den to see if Stormpaw wanted to share the water vole with him, but when he reached the den, the scents of both medicine cats were getting stale. They must be out gathering herbs. Turning away, Sleekpaw decided that he would get fresh-kill later and headed out of camp. The young tom was feeling conflicted, he often felt this way after a gathering. Sleekpaw always behaved the best when a gathering was coming up, so he would be allowed to go. He enjoyed seeing the other clans, especially the Riverclan apprentices.

At his first gathering, Sleekpaw had been challenged by a Riverclan apprentice to get in the lake. The young Riverclan tom had assumed that no Shadowclan cat would dare get their pelt wet, but Sleekpaw had quickly proved him wrong. That gained the approval of the apprentice, and he had taken Sleekpaw to meet the other Riverclan apprentices. Sleekpaw couldn't help but let out a soft mrrow of laughter at the memory.

"Why are you staring at the lake like that? Scared that it might jump out at you?" A voice had sneered behind Sleekpaw. He turned to see a young brown tabby tom, contempt in his amber eyes.

"No. I'm not scared of the lake or the water," He growled at the tom. He figured this must be an apprentice because of his size, and Riverclan by the smell of him. The apprentice shot him a daring look.

"You'd never get in the water though. Shadowclan cats are heartless cats that live in the shadows and would never get caught in the water."

Sleekpaw wasn't going to let this Riverclan apprentice get away with the challenge, so Sleekpaw headed for the lake a few tail lengths in front of him. He prayed that the water surrounding the island shore wasn't deep because Sleekpaw didn't know how to swim but he also wasn't afraid. Without hesitation, Sleekpaw waded into the water and went as far as it took for the water to soak his belly fur. The water was cold, but it didn't feel unnatural as it should have. The apprentice had been right, no Shadowclan would dare get into the lake, but Sleekpaw was different. He met the steady gaze of the Riverclan apprentice and saw surprise in his amber eyes. Sleekpaw shook out his fur as he stepped back onto dry land.

"Well, you've proved me wrong Shadowclan cat. My name is Volepaw," The brown tabby tom, Volepaw, introduced himself.

"I'm Sleekpaw. Did I pass your little assessment?" Sleekpaw muttered, shaking a leaf off of his wet paw.

"I honestly didn't think you'd do it, but I'm glad you proved me wrong. Want to come meet the other apprentices? They'll never believe that I got a Shadowclan apprentice to get into the water."

Sleekpaw hesitated to join the other apprentice. What would Shadowclan think if he joined the Riverclan apprentices? Well Graypelt had told him to make friends, and this was a gathering after all. Sleekpaw nodded for Volepaw to lead the way, and the tom gave a little hop of excitement. Sleekpaw rolled his eyes, but he was also starting to like this cat. They walked through the throng of clan cats until Sleekpaw noticed them approaching a group of smaller cats. They were no doubt all apprentices, three of them. There was a beautiful, long haired silver she-cat sitting next to a dark gray she-cat, and their other side was a black tom. They all watched Sleekpaw warily as Volepaw joined them.

"This is Sleekpaw, I dared him to get into the lake!" Volepaw announced, taking a seat next to the black tom. The dark gray she-cat's blue eyes narrowed.

"And you did it?" She directed the question at him.

"Why not? Just because I'm in Shadowclan, doesn't mean that I'm scared of the water." He retorted.

"Interesting, but now you're all wet," meowed the pretty she-cat, shuffling closer to the other she-cat. Sleekpaw's pelt heated up, and he fluffed out his fur wishing it would dry faster.

"Anyway. Sleekpaw, this is Cloverpaw, Riverpaw, and Silkpaw," Volepaw introduced the apprentices, pointing his tail to the black tom then the dark-gray she-cat and finally to the silver she-cat seated next to him.

"I'm Sleekpaw."

That had been Sleekpaw's first gathering 2 moons ago. The tom was sitting a few fox lengths from the lake, reminiscing in the memory. It had been important to Sleekpaw, because since that night, he couldn't stop thinking about them and the life in Riverclan. They had intrigued him. Sleekpaw had always felt just slightly out of place in Shadowclan. He didn't like the damp, dark pine forest. Instead, he had always enjoyed the feeling of the sun on his fur, and the view of the lake. It had always drawn him in.

When he met the Riverclan apprentices, he enjoyed their company. After proving himself to Volepaw, the two toms had become friends. Sleekpaw has run into the Riverclan tom a few times at the border they shared, and Sleekpaw had continued to sit with Volepaw and the other Riverclan apprentices at gatherings. Sleekpaw also often thought of Silkpaw, even the thought of her was enough to warm up his ear tips and make his pelt heat up.

At the gathering two night falls ago, Volepaw and him had exchanged some battle moves and Volepaw had told him that one day he teach Sleekpaw how to fish. Sleekpaw had found himself looking forward to learning how to fish. He knew he shouldn't feel so drawn to Riverclan, but he couldn't help it. And it didn't help the feeling in the back of Sleekpaw's mind that he didn't belong.

"There you are Sleekpaw. Ivytail was searching camp for you," Sleekpaw turned to see Whisperingspirit, the silver and gray she-cat was standing behind him, her blue eyes round with worry. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, yes Whisperingspirit, I'm fine. I just needed to get out of camp to think," He responded. Whisperingspirit still looked after Sleekpaw, even after he was apprenticed. The elders had told Sleekpaw that Whisperingspirit and his mother, Nettleshine, had been good friends. It comforted Sleekpaw that Whisperingspirit had been the one to take him in.

"I understand that, though I don't want you to upset Ivytail by missing battle training practice," She laid her tail gently across his back as he stood next to her.

"We better get going then, thanks for coming to find me," Sleekpaw mewed and the two cats headed back into the shadows and towards the Shadowclan camp.