ThunderClan! Those mange-pelts are invading ShadowClan, I have to stop them! Crouching low to the mossy ground, the red she-cat stalked behind the sleeping ThunderClan warrior. She raised her haunches and bunched up her legs. She paused, then leaped onto the silver-furred enemy, wrapping her paws around its neck and clinging on.
"Redkit!" Silverkit yelped from underneath her. Her sister squirmed to dislodge Redkit's grip.
"Surrender ThunderClan mange-pelt! Or suffer the wrath of a ShadowClan warrior!" Redkit growled. Silverkit's eyes brightened as she understood the game. She changed her expresion to one of rage and fear, getting into character.
"Oh, please no! Spare my useless life! Im nothing more then a pathetic lump of fur, woe is I!" Silverkit fell dramaticly to the ground and writhed in make-believe pain.
"Let this be a lesson to you: never tresspass on ShadowClan territory again!" Redkit hissed. Silverkit looked up at her with pleading eyes.
"I'll never come here again!" Redkit leaped off her sister and watched as she pretended to run out of camp (or just behind the nursery). Redkit gave a triumphant yowl as Silverkit's blue-silver tail dissapeared behind the den.
"Will you keep it down, dear? My kits are sleeping." Redkit turned to the gentle mew of Blackblossom.
"Sorry! We'll keep it down," Redkit apologized in a hurry as Silverkit appeared at the entrance. Blackblossom smiled at them before returning her gaze to her four kits, Shinekit, Darkkit, Beekit, and Sootkit.
Blackblossom was one of three queens currently in the nursery. Blackblossom was the oldest and most experienced queen, as she had two littersbefore her current one. She was also the gentelest, calmest, and most understanding out of the three. She rarely got mad at the other kits when they were being a nuisance, and she was always quick to forgive.
Turtleears wasn't just a new queen, but she was also very young. She had been made a warrior just two or three moons before she got pregnant. Her kits, Sheepkit, Nightkit, and Reedkit were six moons old now, and being made apprentices today.
"Redkit!" Dawnchaser's sharp mew distracted Redkit. "Why don't you and Silverkit go outside and play. You all are getting too big for the nursery!" Redkit lifted her tail in excitement.
"Okay! Common Silverkit, lets go do something outside!" she mewed as she raced out of the den. The camp clearing was glimmering with sunlight, yet cool wind still chilled thier fur. They had been born during leaf-fall, five moons ago. Now leaf-bare was beging and the cold was getting fiercer.
Whispermoon, the medicine cat, had told them this leaf-fall and leaf-bare would be even colder than normal. Redkit didn't know how cold leaf-bare normaly was, but this leaf-bare was definatly cold!
"Psst! Redkit! Over here!" Redkit turned to see a little shape wedged behind a bush next to the warriors den.
"Nightkit?" Redkit whispered back. The shape nodded.
"Come here!" Nighkit whispered again. Redkit's ears slid forward curiously as she crawled beneath the bush. Nightkit was crouching next to the den with his eyes trained on the mossy ground inside. "Watch this," he told her with a mischevious smile.
Redkit watched excitedly as Nightkit lifted his paw, unsheathed it, and smaked it down on a large tabby tail. Redkit recognized the startled yowl of Tanglebush. Nightkit gave the signal to be quiet as they watched Tanglebush charge out of the den and look around camp angrily.
"Who attacked my tail?" the tom growled. Some of the cats around camp shook as they tried to stiffle a mrr of laughter. Some couldn't hold it in. Tanglebush flicked his offended tail in annoyance.
"Serves you right for being lazy and staying in your den all morning long," Runningshadow scolded the younger warrior while his whiskers twitched in amusement. Tanglebush flattened his ears in embaresment.
"Why don't you join a hunting patrol with Stormfall, Yarrowriver, Ashfur, Coldpaw, and Softpaw," Smokecloud listed the names while looking around camp. The named cats formed a group and headed out of camp.
Redkit couldn't hold her laughter in any longer, as soon as Tanglebush's tail dissapeared out of camp, she and Nightkit burst into laughter. Runningshadow stroled up to their bush and looked at them with stern eyes.
Both kits stiffled their laughter and looked up at Runningshadow guiltily. But instead of scolding them, he leaned in and whispered, "get Suncaller next time." The kits nodded eagerly and the senior warrior walked away, whiskers still twitching in amusement.
Redkit turned to Nightkit. "Where did you come up with that?"
Nightkit smiled at her. "Browneyes showed me." Redkit gasped.
"Cranky old Browneyes? The same 'aye, kits! Always breaking the rules' mumble mumble grumble Browneyes?"
"He said he was an expert at it when he was younger!" Nightkit told her. They both took a moment to imagine Browneyes batting at warrior tails when he was a kit. Redkit just couldn't see it.
"Hey, Im about to become an apprentice! What if I teach you all the moves I learn untill it's your turn to be an apprentice?" Nightkit suggest, eyes bright.
"Yeah! That would be so fun!" Redkit agreed eagerly. She batted at Nightkit with her dark-red paw-and-white paw. "But I don't think I'll need it."
"Oh yeah?" Nightkit grinned. He launched himself ontop of her and she shrieked in delight. They tumbled out of the bush and into the clearing. Redkit was clinging onto Nightkit's back when he jumped and fell onto his back.
"Hey! Get of you great lump of fur!" her mew was muffled by Nightkit's black-and-silver speckled fur. She kicked him off with her hind paws and leaped at him again. He grabbed her shoulders with his big black paws and pinned her to the ground.
"Ha! I win!" he declared, his blue-violet eyes glowing with the excitement of thier fight. Redkit gave up her struggling and surrendered to the bigger tom. Some of the cats in the clearing had turned to watch their little fight. Some congratulated Nightki t playfully. They told him he would make a great apprentice. He was beaming at all the cats.
"Nightkit!" Nightkit turned to see Turtleears looking at him in annoyance. "Your apprentice ceramoney is any moment now and look what you've done to your pelt!" It was true, Nightkit's pelt was covered in dust and dirt and his fur was poofed up thanks to the excitement of their fight. "Honestly, I should've named you Dirtykit!" Turtleears sighed.
"See you later, Dirtykit!" Redkit's teasing earned her a playful bat on the ear from Nightkit as he ran to Turtleears. "I'll be chearing your new name the loudest at your ceremoney!" Redkit called after Nightkit. Nightkit turned to look at her with a friendly gaze.
"Just wait 'till your ceremoney! I'll scream your name so loud every-cat will go deaf!" he called back at her. Redkit watched as Turtleears scooped him up and carried him to the nursery.
"Redkit! There you are!" Redkit's chest filled with dread as she turned to see Dawnchaser lashing her tail behind her. "The ceremoney's about to start and you're a mess!" she growled exasperated. "I need to give you a thorough bath!" Redkit flattened her ears against her head.
Silverkit appeared from behind Dawnchaser. "Hurry, run while you still can!" she shouted. But before Redkit could run more than a few mouse-lengths away, Dawnchaser had her by the scruff and was carrying her to the nursery. "Nooooo!" Silverkit said dramaticly. "I'll save you!"
Silverkit leaped onto Dawnchaser's leg and started batting it with a sheaved paw. Dawnchaser simply ignored her as she set Redkit down in her nest and began to lick Redkit's dusty fur.
~.~.~
Redkit sat next to Silverkit and Whispermoon as she watched Nightpaw and his siblings step forward.
"Sheepkit," Lionstar rumbled. The silver tom stepped forward, his aqua eyes glowing. "From now until you recieve your warrior name you will be known as Sheeppaw. Your mentor will be Stormfall. Stormfall had a wonderful mentor in Runningshadow and I know she will pass down everything she knows to Sheeppaw." Stormfall stepped up to Sheeppaw and the two touched noses.
"Reedkit, from now until you recieve your warrior name you will known as Reedpaw." The shy tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes stood tall and proud as Lionstar continued. "Your mentor will be Blackeyes. Blackeyes has been a loyal warrior for many moons and I know no better cat then him to mentor this young apprentice." Reedpaw looked a little intimidated by the large tom as she stepped forward, but he whispered something into her ear that made her crack a shy smile.
"And finally, Nightkit." Redkit watched excitedly as her friend stepped forward confidently. Will I be that confident when it's my turn? Redkit wondered to herself. "From now untill you recieve your warrior name you will be known as Nightpaw! Your mentor will be Runningshadow. Runningshadow has trained many apprentices and they all have turned out to be excellent warriors, I know he will continue his streak with Nightpaw." Nightpaw stood infornt of Runningshadow beaming with pride. They touched noses and the clan cheered for the newest apprentices.
"Sheeppaw! Reedpaw! Nightpaw!" Redkit hollared Nightpaw's name the loudest and the night-pelted tom turned to her, tail raised high in the air. She recalled his words from earlier, "Just wait 'till your ceremoney! I'll scream your name so loud every-cat will go deaf!" It wouldn't be long now. Soon Redkit would be able to sleep in the apprentices' den and train along side her two best friends, Nightpaw and Silverpaw. She couldn't wait.