*sigh* I wish that I could make Mousekit an apprentice, too....

CHAPTER 3

Mousekit

When Mousekit woke up, it was evening. She got up and stretched, and saw Reedkit and Pinekit stuck together in the nursery entrance, which was more or less a part of the tree, except some branches hung down in front of the wall surrounding the camp, and it created a room, which in this case was the nursery. There were little holes dug in the ground where the queens slept. Mousekit stopped thinking about the nursery and turned to Reedkit and Pinekit.

"Where are you going?" she asked sleepily.

"Dripstar has just called a Clan meeting!" Reedkit announced.

"Waterflower told us we will become apprentices!" added Pinekit excitedly.

"Wonderful." Mousekit yawned. "I still have a while to wait, but I'm coming with you."

"Okay!" Reedkit agreed. "The more the merrier!" Pinekit added, and the two kits squeezed out of the nursery. Mousekit followed them more slowly.

When she got outside, Dripstar was already talking.

"Making new apprentices shows strength, and we have two new apprentices to name today," the gray tom announced. "After that, two other apprentices will be made warriors."

"Reedkit," he said, beckoning to the brown tabby she-kit. Reedkit walked up, trying to be dignified, but gave a huge bounce instead. Dripstar's whiskers twitched with amusement, and he spoke again: "Reedkit, from this moment until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Reedpaw. Flamestorm, you have not yet had an apprentice. You will be mentor to Reedpaw."

Flamestorm walked up to his apprentice, and he and Reedpaw touched noses.

"Pinekit, come forward." Dripstar waited until the kit had come out, and began his ceremony as well.

"Puddlestep, you don't have an apprentice anymore. You mentored Stonestream well, and you will now be mentor to Pinepaw."

Pinepaw touched noses with Puddlestep had come up to him. He gave a little bounce. He was going to be the deputy's apprentice!

"Do well, young one," Puddlestep murmured in his ear.

The whole Clan cheered the two new apprentices on.

"Pinepaw! Reedpaw!"

Mousekit watched as the new apprentices were welcomed.

She watched Dripstar get ready to speak again. "I now have two new warriors to name."

"Pondpaw, come here." Dripstar flicked his tail for Pondpaw to come to the Branch.

"Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your Clanmates, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Pondpaw was quivering with excitement.

"Then by the powers of SkyClan I give you your warrior name. Pondpaw, from this moment you will be known as Pondtail. Use your strengths to guide your Clanmates and you will be honored." He stepped forward to rest his muzzle on Pondtail's head, and Pondtail licked his shoulder in return.

"Now I have the task of naming another warrior."

"Streampaw, come forward." Streampaw raced to the spot in front of Dripstar, where Pondtail had been sitting just moments before.

"Streampaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend your Clanmates, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Streampaw's voice was loud.

"Then by the powers of SkyClan I give you your warrior name. Streampaw, from this moment you will be known as Streamwhisker." Dripstar rested his muzzle on Streamwhisker's shoulder and she licked his shoulder, as the ritual was.

"Pondtail! Streamwhisker!" Their Clanmates cheered them on.

"Now, as according to ancient tradition, Pondtail and Streamwhisker must sit a silent vigil for one night. This ceremony is over." Dripstar leaped down from the branch and disappeared into his own den. Streamwhisker and Pondtail nodded to each other, and then took up positions in the middle of the clearing, where they kept silent.

Mousekit realized that she was very sleepy, but Hollyfrost and Liontail had just come back from patrol before the ceremony, and they had something interesting to report. Pinepaw, Reedpaw, Puddlestep and Beachpaw had already gathered around them, and more cats were coming up, too. Mousekit darted forward to sit beside Reedpaw and Pinepaw to listen.

"There was a tornado in CloudClan territory – big and twisty, and it funneled down out of a green cloud," Liontail explained.

"We hid in the crevice of a rock until it had passed, and then we went to CloudClan. The tornado could still be seen twirling around and around on the very distant moorland, but the wind had come back and was pushing it away," Hollyfrost said.

"You mean the wind goes away when a tornado twisty thingy comes?" Mousekit was surprised.

"Yes, Mousekit, it dies down until you can no longer feel it and the sky turns an eerie green colour. Then, it funnels down to the ground, usually on the moorland, and the cats who live there have to hide in a sort of stone den called the Stone Protection Den," Liontail explained.

"That is strange," Jaypaw remarked, and Mousekit jumped. She hadn't realized that he was behind her.

"I can feel your surprise, Mousekit," Jaypaw said, and she turned to look at the blind cat in awe.

"Well, anyway," Hollyfrost said, carrying on. "We got there and they told us that Spottedpelt had died! Runningkit was so upset, but then Longtail told us that he had picked up shreds of memory from Spottedpelt's dead body...."

"Only because I told him how to do it," Jaypaw interrupted rudely.

"And Clawface had killed her!" Hollyfrost finished.

"Her own mate? That's terrible!" Icewing called, and there were several collective gasps around the camp.

"Yes, I know. Longtail went to tell Swiftstar, and we left. Runningkit said good-bye to us," Liontail added.

"And now I should think that it's time to sleep!" Mousekit looked up. She had been so busy listening to Hollyfrost and Liontail speak that she had hardly noticed Waterflower come up behind her.

"Come on, little one," she murmured, and reluctantly Mousekit let Waterflower pick her up by the scruff and take her back to the nursery. Being only three moons old wasn't easy!

The cats started to drift away to their dens, and Mousekit got into her place beside Waterflower in the nursery and fell asleep.