Clint sighed and stared into the river, his reflection looking back. I'm useless to ThunderClan, he thought. The memories played in his head.
"Why's there a KITTYPET in ThunderClan!?" a cat yelled out.
"Shut up!" Elkstorm hissed.
"Enough!" Firestar yowled. "Elkstorm, why have you brought him here?"
"He wants to be a Clan cat. He's persistent. Kept coming to the forest after Smokepaw always failed to drive him off."
"Hey!" Smokepaw growled.
"And Firepaw, you came when you were a kittypet, why can't Clint?"
Firepaw seemed to think it over. "Alright, but if he does not respect the Warrior Code, then he is out."
Firepaw leaped onto the High Rock. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, meet under the High Rock for a Clan meeting."
All the cats were already there.
"I ask my warrior ancestors to look down on this cat. He has shown intelligence and determination. He will now be known as Hawkpaw, in honor of his sharp senses. You will be mentored by Elkstorm."
Hawkpaw and Elkstorm touched noses. Then Elkstorm showed him the apprentice den.
Four other apprentices bounced up to him.
"Hi, I'm Ironpaw!" said a dark ginger cat. He had yellow linings around his body and face.
"I'm Hulkpaw," said another, an odd green cat. "There was a medicine accident that made my fur go from brown to green," he explained.
"Oh."
"I'm Blackpaw," said a black-and-orange she-cat.
"I'm Captainpaw." The cat had white and blue fur. "Medicine accident, too."
"Furypaw."
"Hillpaw."
"Hawkpaw, at your service," Hawkpaw said sarcastically, making a little bow. They chuckled.
Hawkpaw leaped on the vole, and carried it to the pile in his mouth.
"Nice catch," said Ironpaw.
"Thanks. I caught the scent of a pheasant, wanna go hunt it with me?"
"Sure! I've never caught a pheasant!" Ironpaw said excitedly. The apprentices ran off to catch the pheasant.
Hawkpaw hid in the bushes, the pheasant unaware of them. "Ironpaw, you're clear," he whispered up to his friend, who was in a low tree, ready to pounce. In a flash, the pheasant was done, Ironpaw's teeth sunk into it's neck.
"Score!" Ironpaw exclaimed as Hawkpaw came over.
"Let's take it back."
"I wonder what the warriors will say when we bring this back!"
;.;
Because Ironpaw was carrying it, he got the attention. The warriors and apprentices ignored Hawkpaw, except for Blackpaw.
"I don't think Ironpaw was the one to track it," she said suspiciously.
"I was the one who tracked it, Ironpaw made the kill," Hawkpaw grumbled, drawing in the dirt with a claw.
"Well, all that counts is that you got better at hunting."
"True," Hawkpaw agreed, and he stalked down to the river to think.