Wake up, sleepyhead!" came Deerpaw's voice. Icepaw's eyes fluttered. She gaped her jaws in a mega-yawn. The dream left her without any rest. Deerpaw watched, with her large green eyes, as Icepaw got up. Then she turned to her.

"What time is it?" Icepaw asked.

"Nearly sunhigh!" Deerpaw exclaimed. "Come on, you don't want to be late for your apprentice ceremony..."

"Apprentice ceremony?" Icepaw nearly yowled. One- she was already an apprentice. And two- why were they accepting her so well? Deerpaw attempted to drag Icepaw out of the den. The blinding sun hit her eyes, and Icepaw winced as Deerpaw dropped her on the ground.

"Oops! Sorry. And of course, apprentice ceremony!" Deerpaw giggled. Icepaw's head spun.

"But I just got here! You guys are accepting me so easily?" Icepaw said, repeating her thoughts.

Deerpaw shrugged. "What Burntstarsays, goes." And what Burntstar says is probably what his advisor says- his medicine cat. Sparkfoot.

Icepaw decided to just go with the flow. "Ok, but PLEASE let me try to clean my fur. It looks like yarn," she purred.

"What's yarn?" Deerpaw said, cocking her head.

"Loner thing," Icepaw made up. Deerpaw nodded. She was relieved- future Swayclan's innovations fit very well with her loner act.

"Hey, um, Ice!" called Coolpaw's voice. Icepaw raised her eyes (do cats have eyebrows? :P). "Coolpaw, loner or not, Icepaw's my name." she purred. Coolpaw was in a good mood today.

"Oh ok." he purred back. "Do you think that Burntstar's going to call you Icepawpaw or something?"

"I hope not," Icepaw gave a mrrw. Who was this Burntstar- she wanted to meet him by hereself. Deerpaw turned her head as a cat called something to her.

"Oh, I have to go, Whispervoice wants me to do something about moss and water. I don't know what. But it's something like that... see yah, guys!" she sped off, her long, striped tail flying behind her. Icepaw immediately started to groom herself.

"Need any help?" Coolpaw offered. Icepaw frowned in her mind. Last time she shared tongues with anyone, she traveled back in time. But heck. "Sure, thanks!"

Coolpaw started to wash the back of her neck. Icepaw closed her eyes. His tongue felt nice, and his smell, it was warm and sweet... Icepaw shook her head. What was she thinking?

Coolpaw stepped back. "What?"

Icepaw blinked. "Uh..." she wildly thought for an explanation for her shaking-of-her-head. "A bee landed on my nose."

She seriously needed to get better at lying. But Coolpaw went for it good enough. "Ok, but it's better not to move. If you do, youll entice it to a fight."

"OK," Icepaw agreed.

"All cats, young and old, gather to Rock-Tree!" that never gets old. Well, not old, as this IS the olden version of it, but... you know what I mean... the same gathering call.

Coolpaw's eyes shone. "You're going to become an official Swayclan apprentice! Whooh!" Icepaw smiled. Official Ancient Swayclan apprentice.. something that doesn't happen everyday in present Swayclan.

Icepaw and Coolpaw turned around to see a bunch of cats (there weren't a lot of them) bundled in a group. Many eyes and ears flickered towards, her, then looked away. According to Talonsong, these cats have been through so much nothing moved them from the inside anymore... I can tell that she's right. There's basically no reaction to me. It's like I'm just another speck of dust in the air, Icepaw thought.

"We have a special apprentice ceremony to come to," a large black tom said. This must be Burnstar! He looked nothing special, but then Icepaw saw his eyes. There was something deep and elderly (as in experienced x.x) about those eyes. More cats looked toward her. Icepaw gulped.

"Icepaw, come here," he said gently. Icepaw obeyed, feeling the gazes of about 13 cats on her. What they could be thinking... was it that they thought that one of the other clans gave her as a gift? Or that they kidnapped her. But she seemed calm enough. Must be a gift.

And Icepaw, in a way, was a gift to Swayclan.

"From the eyes of our warrior ancestors," Burntstar said, his golden eyes on her. As by ancestors, you mean yourselves. :3 "Icepaw, you will train under an apprentice in Swayclan. From now on, you will keep your name, and will be apprenticed under Twigclaw."

Twigclaw, who Icepaw could tell was a dark brown tabby tom, beamed. "You have trained Ospreyglint well. May you pass your knowlege on Icepaw."

He nodded, bounded up next to Icepaw, and she touched her muzzle on his shoulder. Twigclaw whispered, "I wonder, Icepaw, I wonder." and that was all he said. Icepaw pulled back and saw Deerpaw and Coolpaw chanting her name. Soon the rest of the clan, though slightly uncertain, joined in. Icepaw had the same feeling she did when she was first made an appretnice swell inside of her, though she didn't know who she was trying to impress. Weird.

"Moorclan! Attack!" Icepaw growled. She had been in Swayclan for 3 days and nearly forgot why she was here. It was like her old life, but without all the cats she loved... but it was Hazelpaw-free, and Icepaw could nearly live with that. But she was going on well.

A dark gray tom about her side suddenly butted his head into her flank. Giving a hiss of pain, Icepaw doubled up and rolled over as he leapt, clawing at his underbelly, which was unprotected. Betcha didn't see that one coming, did you, Icepaw hissed in her head.

"Stonepaw!" Icepaw looked around to see a silver tabby racing towards her. Stonepaw rolled off the floor and ran away, tail tucked. Icepaw gulped. It wasn't fair- a cowardly apprentice running away and for his older and more experienced clanmate to fight.

"Oh no you don't, Icestorm," growled Twigclaw, then he came out of nowhere. Icepaw managed to slip away as the two cats tumbled down the meadow, moonlight flickering on it. Icepaw turned and saw Coolpaw battling two younger cats, hissing. Icepaw then tackled one of them on the back. He yowled and slashed out his hind leg to trip her. But Icepaw was one step ahead. His pelt's too ginger. It stands out in the moonlight. He'd probably expect me to do something like tackle him, with the judgement of his IQ. Jumping up and landing on his other side, Icepaw then rolled under him. Surprised, the tom's legs buckled from under him and he collapsed. Icepaw then rolled on top of him- now her underbelly was touching his, but soon her legs propelled her up. The tom's eyes, green and wide with defeat, ran away.

Coolpaw was winning against the other cat, a dark gray tabby she-cat. Coolpaw made a gash in her shoulder, not deep, but enough to send her running for her mother.

"Nice one, Coolpaw!" Icepaw purred.

But Coolpaw stood gaping at her. "How'd you do that?" he huffed. Icepaw was surprised. "Do what?"

Coolpaw blinked rapidly. "Do that rolling thingy with the tom. How'd you..."

Icepaw shrugged. "I don't know, natural... let's go, I think that Twigclaw needs help with that silver tabby."

"Icestorm," Coolpaw breathed. They watched in awe as she tripped Twigclaw with a forepaw, then taking another paw and pressing it to his chest. As Twigclaw tried to trip her back with his hind legs, Icestorm then jumped, forcing her full weight on his chest and swiping it. Icepaw, boiling with rage, ran to the two with full force, but Icestorm saw her snowy pelt miles away. Icepaw thought, as she was flung in a pile of leaves, Now my IQ is even lower than that tom's...

Soon, Twigclaw's face came to her view. For a split moment, she thought that they were both in Starclan, but then it was not as comfortable as Talonsong described. WIth this week's past events, Icepaw fully believed in her now. Plus, she noticed that Icestorm had purposely just swiped a very shallow cut, but went for the fright.

Coolpaw's face also poked in view. "Wow," he said, "are all cats with the first name of "Ice" gifted in the art of battle or something?"

Icepaw couldn't help purring.