Chapter Three

Dawn had arrived all too quickly. Blearily Skykit opened her eyes to find that none of the kits were in the nursery. Another few days had passed, marking her sixth moon. Which led to Skykit wondering where Redflower's kits were.

She looked around warily until she realized that the ceremony must be beginning soon. With one glance over her shoulder, she whispered goodbye to a sleeping Frostpelt before slipping into the main cave.

The whole Clan was gathered around a mound of rocks that made up the meeting place. Skykit looked up in awe as Shadestar stood on top. As Clan leader he could address everyone and had everyone's respect, including hers. Though he had never regarded her with nothing more than a glance every now and than, she still looked up to him.

"Now that I see everyone is gathered, it is time to hold the apprentice ceremony we've all been waiting for," Shadestar began. Leafkit and Brackenkit stood on either side of their mother. Skykit noticed how well groomed their fur was, and decided to wash her own fur. "By naming apprentices we show that our Clan will remain strong. Come forward you two."

All at once Skykit's uneasiness returned. How could Shadestar forget about her?

"Leafkit, until you have received your warrior name you will be known as Leafpaw. Burstripe, you are ready for your first apprentice. You have shown that you are a skilled warrior, and I expect you to pass on your skills to Leafpaw."

Burstripe's eyes burst with pride as he touched noses with Leafpaw. As Skykit watched she felt her fur bristling with outrage. Shadestar wasn't even going to bother naming her as an apprentice!

"Brackenkit, until you have received your warrior name, you will be known as Brackenpaw. Dustnose, you too are ready for your first apprentice. You are skilled as an hunter, and have shown excellent fighting skills. I expect you to pass this on to Brackenpaw."

As the new mentor touched noses with Brackenpaw, murmurs of unease rippled through the crowd. Skykit felt her chest swelling with hope when she realized they were whispering about her. Shadestar narrowed his eyes in annoyance as cats began to shoot him looks.

"You feel as though I have forgotten someone?" he demanded, voice raw with anger.

"Yes, you have forgotten about Skykit," meowed Silverfur. Skykit glanced at the young warrior gratefully.

"That little runt doesn't deserve to be an apprentice, just look at her fur!" sneered Duskfur.

"Yes, she would stand out like a mouse in the open," agreed Brownpelt. Skykit felt herself growing more and more frustrated with their comments. "Besides, no cat would bother being her mentor, she's just some rogue."

Skykit's eyes widened in horror. Brownpelt stopped himself short when Ferntail cuffed him over the ears. Without warning she suddenly ran out of the main cave, ignoring the yowls of protest that followed. She didn't care whether or not she was breaking the warrior code. What Brownpelt said, it suddenly all made sense with the way Redflower was treating her.

She didn't stop running until she had reached the forest. By now she was gasping for breath as she stopped by a huge oak tree. She had never run this far before. But for some reason she was farther away from the cave than she could ever imagine.

The forest was like nothing Skykit could have imagined. Most of the snow had melted by now, leaving behind patches of white that she could easily blend in. Ferns tickled her paws as she padded towards the snow pile. Birds were singing as the warmer air began to spread through the forest. Sunlight peered through the leaves, and Skykit loved every bit of it.

Out here she felt free. She never realized how much she longed for the freedom of the forest, where she could stretch her legs and didn't have to rely on anyone else. Yet the urge to return to the Clan kept coming back. She felt as though she had a responsibility to the Clan.

Eventually she found herself curling up in the pile of snow, ignoring the cold that pierced her fur.

...

"Skykit…. Skykit." A paw prodded her side, causing Skykit to wake up in alarm. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she saw that it was dark out.

"Ferntail?" She tilted her head in surprise when she realized it was Ferntail who had found her.

"Thank StarClan I found you," Ferntail sighed in relief. "The whole Clan was looking for you." Skykit only narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it," she retorted. "They want nothing to do with me. To them I'm just some rogue."

She found herself staring down at the ground. Finding out that she was a rogue made her realize exactly why the Clan treated her the way they did. Skykit wanted nothing to do with a Clan that hated her. But Ferntail only shook her head, looking sympathetic for the first time in moons.

"Shadestar wants to discuss the matters of your apprentice ceremony," Ferntail explained. "What he did was wrong, and most of the Clan agrees with that."

Skykit narrowed her eyes, wondering if Ferntail was telling the truth. Eventually though she decided it was better not to argue. Ferntail would easily outrun her even if she decided to run. Besides, it would be nice to become an apprentice like she had always dreamed of.

Luckily Ferntail led the way back instead of carrying her by the scruff like she usually did. Skykit's paws were burning with exhaustion by the time they reached the cave. There wasn't anyone out in the main camp, and for a moment Skykit wondered why.

The light brown tabby warrior led her into Shadestar's den, which was closest to the medicine cat's den. Skykit had never been in this part of the cave. She felt herself growing more and more uncomfortable as she followed Ferntail.

Shadestar was waiting for them like Ferntail had said. Skykit's eyes narrowed with annoyance when she saw Brownpelt sitting there as well as Marshfoot, the deputy of CaveClan. Nonetheless Skykit sat beside Ferntail, careful to avoid Brownpelt's glare.

"Now, I have gathered you all here because of a matter that involves one of our kits," Shadestar began.

"A kit who deserves to be an apprentice," Ferntail reminded him.

"Nevertheless, I want to understand why you feel it is important that a rogue becomes an apprentice of our Clan."

Skykit refused to flinch when Shadestar said that. Instead she locked gazes with the leader, remembering how much she had respected him at a time. Now she hated him for what he was doing.

"This rogue will be nothing more than an extra mouth to feed," Brownpelt complained. "Why are we wasting our time with this?"

"I believe that Ferntail is right to say she deserves a chance," Marshfoot meowed with a dip of his head.

"I agree with Marshfoot," Ferntail added. "And if no one else will mentor her, than I will."

Shadestar narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at Ferntail. For a moment Skykit was afraid he would argue. Instead he nodded in agreement after giving it some thought.

"Very well," he sighed in frustration. "Skykit, until you have received your warrior name, you will be known as Skypaw. Ferntail, I expect you to pass on your knowledge to Skypaw. If you do not, you know what will happen next."

Her heart was pounding with excitement as she touched noses with Ferntail. Even though Ferntail could be snippy at times, she was still a friend. Skypaw didn't realize how much she could rely on her new mentor.

"What does he mean by 'you know what will happen next'?" Skypaw asked as they left his den. Ferntail looked down at her before flicking her tail.

"I'm afraid you're too young to understand," she sighed. For a moment they just stood there as Skypaw waited for her to say something else. She half expected to be shown the territory right then and there. "Why don't you get some rest, find a nest in your new den. I'm sure the other apprentices will be eager to meet you," she suddenly added.

Skypaw looked at the apprentice's den doubtfully. After the reaction Brackenpaw and Leafpaw had given her, she doubted they would treat her with the same respect they once had. Windpaw and Whistlepaw might be different though.

She took a deep breath before padding towards the den. Brackenpaw and Leafpaw were fast asleep, curled up in their own nest. She spotted Windpaw sleeping nearby with Whistlepaw sleeping next to him. There were no other empty nests.

Her tail drooped when she realized what that meant. With a sigh she padded over to the nearest empty spot and curled up, wrapping her tail over her paws. She hoped it wouldn't always be this way. But something told her that it would.

AN: Was anyone expecting that? I'm definitely having fun writing this ;) Updates will probably happen early in the morning today. I'm going to be busy at work and at the Swimming Special Olympics, which means busy busy busy... so, yeah.

StarclanIsWithUs - Thank you!

Wyldclaw - Yeah! She's a good mother :)

Zarina El Tigre - Yep, it's about time she does. Redflower was never the motherly type towards her...

Foreststar of WindClan - XD I don't blame you for that. They're definitely not the most popular right now. Although you may change your mind later in the story about Leafpaw. Brackenpaw... not so much :P

boscyboo - Yeah, she didn't do anything wrong. But being a rogue puts her in a bad position, sadly :(

TheGreatDerpsty - Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying this!