~*~ Chapter Three ~*~

Vixenkit was happier then she ever had been before. It was time to be made apprentices, even if Spottedkit was going to be one too. She was confident that she was going to be a better warrior than he was. Vixenkit was ready.

Even her fur was perfectly in place as she marched up to the Cave Mouth, her idiot brother in front of her. Patchkit was behind her, the shy kit breathing deeply. She knew he'd make a good warrior; Patchkit was such a sweet tom, defiantly her favorite brother. It had been scarcely a half-moon since Redpelt disappearance and the kits had been punished and rewarded long ago. It seemed that some of Redpelt's scent was around the Twoleg nest, and most the Clan were sure he was in with the strange cats.

The kits were all deemed apprentices and Vixenpaw was delighted to hear her mentor was Grayfire. Snowpaw's was Stormclaw, Spottedpaw's was Dawntail and Patchpaw's was a surprised Sootpelt.

Brightpelt was very proud of her four kits and it showed in her eyes. Vixenkit was glad that her mother was a good one, and even Iceclaw was proud of the kits.

"Dawntail, you're brother and us will go all on a patrol to see the whole territory tomorrow morning, alright?" Grayfire asked Vixenpaw. She was frustrated Spottedpaw had to come too, but she went against her thoughts and answered dipping her head, "Yes Grayfire."

The still limping Stonepaw showed her the apprentices' den (stupid furball, he thinks I've never been in camp before!) he and Flowerpaw were glad to have some more company in the den, and had made them moss nests already.

"You hungry?" Stonepaw asked Vixenpaw as they came out from claiming their nests. Vixenpaw shrugged, then went to the fresh-kill pile and chomped down a mouse then came back and answered, "No."

"Well, you should get some sleep if you're patrolling the whole territory tomorrow," Stonepaw laughed, and went to get his own mouse. Gingerpaw came over from eating with Sootpelt (usually it was an honor to eat with a warrior, but they did eat together a lot) and agreed with Stonepaw. Vixenpaw sighed, and did as they told her, snuggled next to her wonderful sister and tried to sleep.

***

"Wake up!" The four new apprentices awoke to the next dawn. Vixenpaw had never been awoken so early. She yawned from exhaustion and left the den, Snowpaw behind her. Why can't I patrol with her or Patchpaw? Vixenpaw thought sadly. Grayfire and Dawntail were outside the den waiting for the two sleepy apprentices to come out. Spottedpaw stumbled out drunkenly and asked miserably, yawning, "What is it? Why so early?"

"Because warriors get up early, and so do the prey. And we'll have more time to finish our patrol," Dawntail's look was serious but her whiskers twitched a little. It was her first apprentice, and she couldn't quite hide her emotions as well as Grayfire could.

"Let's go as soon as you two eat something," Grayfire said, and they obeyed him as soon as possible. Vixenpaw felt more awake now, but Spottedpaw was asleep on his paws. Stupid tom, Vixenpaw thought. Sootpelt, his father and their two apprentices were leaving camp, and Vixenpaw wanted to be with them. But she was stuck with Spottedpaw and had to bear it. Grayfire nodded and went briskly out of camp, Dawntail following. Vixenpaw was after them and Spottedpaw was yowling, "Not so fast! I can't keep up!"

They heard mrrows of laughter as they slowed their pace and allowed Spottedpaw to keep up. First they went to Bottomless Pond, where the cat Patchpaw was named after drowned. Spottedkit almost waded in, but Dawntail caught him by the scruff and yelled at him. The dead Patchpaw was her brother too. She should have let Spottedpaw drown, he isn't going to be missed that much, Vixenpaw thought as they continued on to the river. They were avoiding the old Twoleg Nest.

They had only made it to a little hill where they could see the two rivers meet in the distance and form their river, when Grayfire tensed, tasting the air. He whispered, "Twoleg."

Spottedpaw eagerly tasted the air, and Vixenpaw cautiously did so. There was border smell, both of her Clan and what must be OakClan, and the average prey smells, but there was also this ugly, unnatural smell that must be Twoleg.

"Hide kits," Dawntail meowed quickly, and Spottedpaw was about to yowl about not being a kit, but Vixenpaw angrily slapped her tail over his mouth, and went into a bush, then pulled her mouse-brained brother in behind her.

"We are not kits, we're apprentices, why will no one get that!" Spottedpaw began to whisper angrily, "We don't sleep in the nursery anymore, we're almost warriors," You'll never be if you don't shut up! "And everyone is still saying 'look at the cute little kits' and laughing at us and-"

He was cut short when he felt the ground shake. The strange yowling began and he began to tremble, forgetting all about his rave. It was coming from the direction of the Twoleg Nest. Dawntail and Grayfire had climbed trees, and were peering around for the Twoleg.

Then it came. It was a female kit; she was jumping around yowling something. She was wearing strange colors, like the sky at twilight with little stupid looking butterflies etched on them. She only had fur that was the color of tree bark on her head and her face was ugly and strange looking. Vixenpaw had never saw a Twoleg before and was terrified as Spottedpaw.

The Twoleg wandered around screaming for a while, when a muscular looking rock-gray tom padded lazily from the bushes, tensing as it neared the Twoleg, though it was not like the Clan cats. The cat yowled, "Stupid Twoleg, I'd rather stay out here. Do you want me to bite you this time?"

"Buckets!" The Twoleg shrieked the cat's name, and the cat yowled angrily as she picked him up, "My name is Razor!"

The Twoleg ran away then, happy with her find apparently, until she began to cry. The cat must have bitten her. After a few heartbeats of quiet, Grayfire and Dawntail climbed down and meowed, "You can come out, that was enough for today, we should go back to camp."

And with that news, they went back to camp to tell Spottedstar.