1A/N: Thank you, shnitzenhimer, for your review. Made me nice and happy! On a side note, I kind of rushed through things in this chapter. I want to get on to the good stuff, so, true to my nature, I mashed all preceding storyline into one chapter. Onward!

Disclaimer: Sure, I own the Warriors. In the same fantasy world where I have a pet dragon and keep live faeries in my garden.

Chapter Two

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Hightree for a Clan meeting!"

Lightningstar's deep yowl sounded throughout the camp. He stood on the immense fallen tree trunk, which was wedged in the fork of another tree. Near its base, the tree was scorched and blackened, looking as if lightning had struck it long ago and caused its fall. Not too far from the Hightree was the weeping willow that Lightningstar made his den under.

Cats poured from the shadows of the camp like liquids. Lithe bodies slipped out from under trees, hollowed-out logs, and bramble thickets. The setting sun cast a rosy glow around the gathering felines.

Sunkit, sitting in the nursery with her denmates, flicked her tail impatiently. Though this was not her naming ceremony, she was eager for the departure of two other kits. They were six moons today, and would shortly be receiving their mentors and joining the apprentices.

Shadowkit, a tom with short, black fur, was prejudiced against her. His mother had told him and his sister, Nightkit, that Sunkit was a traitorous, half-blooded cat. True, the half-blooded part was correct, but how could a kit, barely five moons, be a traitor? Sunkit hated it. While Nightkit, who was also black but long-haired, did not taunt her the way her brother did, she simply pretended Sunkit did not exist. To Sunkit, that was just as bad.

"We gather here this sundown," Lightningstar continued, once the Clan had assembled, "for the naming of two apprentices. Come forward," he called to them, flicking his tail.

Nightkit trotted forward eagerly, while Shadowkit followed slowly. With his head high, tail carried in a loose curve, and careful, deliberate steps, he looked almost arrogant as he walked towards the Hightree. Just this made Sunkit unsheathe her claws; everything about him infuriated her. Roseleaf saw this and nudged her daughter warningly.

"From this moment on," the back-and-white tom continued, "until they have earned their warrior names, these apprentices will be known as Nightpaw and Shadowpaw. Nightpaw, your mentor will be Waterdrip." The pale silver tabby she-cat walked up, touching noses with her first apprentice. "Shadowpaw," Lightningstar went on as warrior and apprentice walked to the side of he crowd, "you are to be mentored by Hawkclaw." Sunkit spun around, looking for the warrior just named. Hawkclaw was one of the forests' most powerful warriors. She spotted his dark, mottled, red-brown pelt as he rose and stalked through the assembled cats. As he too touched noses with his apprentice, Sunkit sighed as Lightningstar drew the meeting to an end.

"Mother," she said, twisting her neck up to look at Roseleaf, "when can we be apprentices?"

"In about a moon," answered the tortoiseshell, licking her kit behind the ears.

"C'mon, Sunkit," chirped Icekit, butting her with his head, "aren't you glad to be rid of Shadowpaw and Nightpaw? Even if it's only for a little while?" Icekit was one of Snowwind's litter. His pelt was neither long nor short, but somewhere in between. Like his mother, his coat was white, but Icekit's fur was tipped with silver so he shimmered like the frozen water he was named for. His eyes were deepest blue, like the sky at midnight.

"I never liked them much," murmured Rainkit. She was Icekit's sister. Her pelt was short and white, but her long tail was dark gray. Pale blue eyes shone in the gathering darkness. "Shadowpaw was mean and Nightpaw stayed away from us."

"Children!" Snowwind cuffed her son and daughter. "I know you don't much care for them, but be polite."

Brother and sister grumbled agreement. Sometimes Sunkit wondered what it was like to have a sibling. Icekit and Rainkit were her friends, but there was a closer bond the two of them shared. And they knew their father. A few moons ago, she had asked Roseleaf why her father was never in camp.

"Your father can't be here, Sunkit."

"But why not? Is he on a journey?"

"No. He just...can't be here. He's not a Clan cat."

"If he's not a Clan cat, then what is he?"

"Your father is a loner. Do you know what that means? It means he lives by himself. He belongs to no Clan."

"So can we go see him? He must be lonely."

"The Clan don't want you to see him."

"But why? Is he bad?"

Roseleaf sighed. "They think he is."

Sunkit had learned, without her mother telling her, that the Clan believed she could never be loyal. She was just a half-blood. She couldn't understand the ties of loyalty to a Clan. She would turn and leave if times became too hard for her to cope. This they believed.

They just don't understand me.

;-;-;-;

One moon later...

Sunkit bounced around her mother's feet. Energy was pent up inside her, due to the rain that had fallen for three straight days and kept her in the nursery. Sunkit, Icekit, and Rainkit would be apprenticed that sundown, finally joining the other four apprentices. Excitement ran through their veins, even if it meant again sharing a den with Shadowpaw.

Sunkit drew a deep breath, enjoying the fresh newleaf air. Bright sunlight burst through the trees, warming her pelt and the sweetgrass beneath her paws. Scents of new earth and sweet buds on branch tips filled her nose. The golden-red kit gave herself a shake, reveling in the warm air.

"Sunkit, settle," Roseleaf scolded gently. The tortoiseshell queen had taken her kit to see the elders, but after two of the three had fallen asleep in the warm morning, she'd decided to take her kit elsewhere. "Look," the queen continued, "there's Icekit and Rainkit, why don't you go-?"

Sunkit was off before she could finish. Her legs, which were long even for her young age, carried her quickly across the camp. In one fluid motion, she sprang into the air and landed on Icekit's back. The white-silver tom yowled in surprise, twisting around to shake the weight off himself. Sunkit hopped lightly off her friend's back and took several steps sideways, her green eyes gleaming with fun.

"Come on, Icekit," she said, flicking her tail around, "why won't you play?"

"I play!" he said defiantly, meeting her gaze. "I just don't like it when you pounce on me like that!" He licked his paw and drew it over his ear.

"Sorry," Sunkit muttered. "I'm just excited." She looked at Rainkit who, as usual, sat quietly and shyly. "Are you sure your brother's a cat? Only he seems to think pouncing is unusual."

Icekit narrowed his midnight eyes and, wriggling his rump to find his balance, sprang at Sunkit. She dropped to the ground, causing the white-silver tom to fly over her head. Getting up, she shook the dust from her golden-red pelt as Icekit landed and turned around the heartbeat his paws hit the ground. Rainkit, never one to miss out on a game, trotted over, but before the three could continue play, a caterwaul sounded from outside the camp.

Cats' heads turned instinctively towards the noise, their eyes huge, their tails fluffing out. Two of the elders poked their heads out around the dense holly bush where they slept. Treeshadow, his tabby pelt bristling, hurried out of his den.

A black tom emerged from the thick overgrowth that bordered the camp. It was Darkcloud, one of ThunderClan's senior warriors. Sunkit felt a chill run through her, despite the warm air. Another body hung from his strong jaws, its tail and hind legs hanging limp and trailing on the ground. He lowered his head, placing the body on the ground at his feet. As the Clan crowded around him, their voices high-pitched and questioning, he raised his head. Sunkit felt the ground lurch beneath her paws as he cried out, "Ashfur is dead!"

She slowly turned her head to look at Icekit and Rainkit. Ashfur was their father. They both stood stock-still, their eyes fixed on the unmoving bundle of dark gray fur that lay before Darkcloud. Snowwind let out a low wail that made the fur on Sunkit's neck stand up. The long-haired white queen shouldered her way through the crowd to where her dead mate lay. Icekit and Rainkit followed, their heads low and tails drooping. She became aware of Darkcloud speaking.

"I was coming back from patrol with Lightningstar," he said, his voice dull. "We scented blood. His body lay under the Owl Tree."

"Where is Lightningstar now?" called Mudspeckle, the Clan's deputy.

"The reek of fox was all over the area. Lightningstar is scanning for any trace of where it might have its den so we know where to avoid," answered Darkcloud. Sunkit shivered. She had heard the elders and her mother speak of foxes: creatures larger than cats, with a long, pointed muzzle, black legs, red body, and a bushy tail. Sorrelflower, a tortoiseshell elder, had told her that foxes had teeth as long as a kit's body. Looking at the bloody gashes on Ashfur's throat, Sunkit could believe it.

Lightningstar emerged from the brush then. Twigs were caught in his pelt, and Sunkit could see a reddish smear on his nose; he must have gotten that from sniffing Ashfur's pelt. His loud yowl commanded attention, and all the Clan turned their attention to him. "The fox scent vanished at the far western edge of our territory," he said. "I was...unwilling to follow it any further. For now, it has left." Sunkit felt relieved. Her leader continued: "We will hold the burial at dawn tomorrow. Darkcloud, move Ashfur to the center of the camp."

The black warrior did as he was told, his amber eyes fixed on the ground. Snowwind and her kits followed slowly. Sunkit felt her mother draw her to her side with her tail. Walking close to Roseleaf's legs, Sunkit's belly twisted as she took in Ashfur's torn throat. She had not known the gray tom well, but the fact that he was the father of her two best friends made his death painful.

"Will they be alright?" she asked her mother, flicking her tail to indicate Icekit and Rainkit.

"Of course they will," said Roseleaf, but the cheeriness in her tone was dampened by sadness. "Just don't mention it to them. That makes the pain worse." Sunkit nodded.

Later, Icekit and Rainkit joined her as she lay outside the nursery. They lay down on either side of her. The white-silver tom rested his chin on his paws and stared at nothing. Rainkit tucked her small paws under her belly with her head bent. Sunkit wrapped her tail around Icekit and pressed her cheek to Rainkit's, not knowing what else to do.

She could feel their pain seeping through her fur, an invisible rain that chilled her and made the sun grow dimmer.

;-;-;-;

The next morning dawned damp and chilly, the pleasant warmth of the previous day chased away by thick rain clouds. Sunkit stirred, and slowly pushed herself to a standing position. Arching her back, she remembered with a thrill what today was: her apprentice naming ceremony. She looked over at Icekit and Rainkit, only to find them still deep in sleep. Snowwind had her tail curled protectively around both of them. Sunkit noticed the white queen twitching and mewling in her sleep. She wondered if she dreamed of fighting the fox that had slain her mate.

Ashfur would be buried by Lightningstar, the elders, and Snowwind once the sun broke the horizon a little more. Kits did not attend burials. Rainkit had stayed with Sunkit outside the nursery once she had said her farewells to her father; Icekit had gone inside and had not come out for the remainder of the day. Sunkit had been told by Roseleaf to let him be.

"If Icekit needs to mourn alone, let him," Roseleaf told her daughter. "If he wants to be with you or his sister, he will come to you."

Sunkit knew he would. She knew her two best friends' personalities. Rainkit needed to be with a friend, so she had stayed with Sunkit. Icekit wanted to be alone, so she would not go to him. If he needed any cat, he would go to them.

Movement caught Sunkit's eye. Icekit lifted his head groggily. His eyes, gummed with sleep, were clouded for a few seconds before he blinked and intelligence flooded into them. Slowly, as though he were in physical pain, he stood and stretched each leg in turn. His movements woke his sister, who rolled onto her belly and pushed herself up.

Sunkit trotted over to them. "Ready for the ceremony?" she asked. Both nodded, knowing she was creating an excuse to distract from yesterday's events and feeling grateful for it. Rainkit prodded her mother awake. Snowwind uncurled and, touching her nose to each of her kits, walked out of the sheltered area and into the camp.

The patrol for Ashfur's burial left soon after. No one spoke. The silence said all that needed to be said.

;-;-;-;

That evening, Sunkit could barely sit still. She wondered who her mentor would be; obviously, a warrior who did not think she would betray the Clan because of her heritage. She, Icekit, and Rainkit had held a long discussion over possibilities for each of them.

"It's time!" hissed Icekit, seeing Lightningstar leap onto the Hightree. Sunkit had gotten her friends to play a little during the day, and their spirits had lightened considerably. The weather was better, too. By sunhigh, the clouds had dispersed, though the slight chill lingered. The three apprentices-to-be waited with their mothers a little ways off from the crowd as Lightningstar called the familiar summons.

"Come forward," he then called to them, beckoning with his tail. Sunkit trotted forward, tail in the air. Rainkit and Icekit followed more slowly, but excitement glimmered in each pair of blue eyes.

"From this moment on, until they have earned their warrior names," Lightningstar went on, "these apprentices are to be known as Sunpaw, Icepaw, and Rainpaw.

"Sparrowbeak," he continued, "you will be mentor to Rainpaw." The she-cat, her fur streaked brown and white and with a long, pointed muzzle, rose from the crowd. Her amber eyes were gentle as she touched noses with the white apprentice. They turned as one and went to the back of the gathered cats.

"Jaywing," Lightningstar went on, "you will be mentor to Icepaw." The eyes of both remaining apprentices widened. Jaywing was known throughout all the Clans for his unmatchable skill in combat. His short blue-gray coat gleamed in the setting sun as he touched noses with Icepaw. Sunpaw felt a prickle of both envy and excitement; her friend would be trained by the best fighter in the whole forest!

But this left her feeling terribly alone in front of the Hightree. Her pelt and the sun shone in identical colors, and the trees seemed to be waiting for Lightningstar to announce the mentor for the final apprentice.

Sunpaw felt a lick of anger as she noticed about half the Clan now looked uninterested. They considered her unworthy of their attention as she took the first step to becoming a warrior? She noticed Shadowpaw yawn openly, and his dark orange eyes glinted malevolently at her. Flame rose inside her, but she pushed it down. One day, she would prove she was a cat as skilled and loyal as they. Lightningstar's voice brought her back to the moment.

"And Sunpaw," the black-and-white tom said, his brilliant eyes glinting in the dimming light, "I will be your mentor."

;-;-;-;

What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expect generally happens.

–Anonymous