Thanks to all who reviewed! That was quite a surprise :) Here's chapter 6!

Chapter 6 - Soothing Words

Lionkit crept out of the nursery and padded to the medicine den to finish what he started. Since Leafkit, that worthless pile of gray kit snot, pulled him off Blackblaze when he was SO close to killing him she practically revealed his plans. Now he had to execute the last of his plans before anyone else figured him out. He stopped at the entrance to the den and pricked his ears listening for sounds within. Hearing none, Lionkit padded silently in and automatically glanced where he last saw his mother. Now Leafkit slept in the same moss nest snoring softly. He glanced to his left and saw a similar nest that Blackblaze was sleeping on. Anger made him tremble at the sight of his father, one of the people who wouldn't save his mother, but he knew attacking him would be worthless now. Everyone knew he had something against him. Instead of attacking the wounded calico tom, he padded farther into the medicine den and stopped at the soft scuffing of paws on the ground. Silverwing was still awake!

The small calico kit glanced around quickly and found a cleft in the wall that he could slip into. He had gotten his tail into the cleft right when the paw steps got louder and Lionkit saw Silverwing pass his vision unaware he was there. In the corner of his vision he saw her check Blackblaze then Leafkit before passing his vision again in the direction she came from. Lionkit listened for her paw steps to fade before slipping out of his hiding spot and following. His paws led him to another cleft much bigger than the one he had hidden in. Slipping through, he found that it led into a somewhat spacious room. Silverwing was curled up in a nest directly in the middle of it, eyes closed and breathing slow and even. He smirked and took a few paw steps forward. This was going to be easier than he thought.

"Are you sure you're doing the right thing?" a voice asked behind him.

He turned to find a mostly white she-cat with orange around her paws behind him. His jaw dropped open. "Mother?"

She padded to him and licked his forehead affectionately. "Lionkit."

"But you're…dead," he muttered, looking her up and down. At her paws there seemed to be stars.

Bloodclaw flicked her ears. "I am. I'm a StarClan warrior now," She laid her tail on his shoulder and continued, "And you shouldn't avenge my death on your father and ThunderClan's medicine cat. They both tried their hardest to save me."

Lionkit raised his head high. "How did you know I was going to attack the medicine cat?"

Her eyes dropped to his paws. His eyes followed and he noticed his claws were still unsheathed from when he had prepared to leap. "Oh, right."

His mother purred slightly then sighed. "Lionkit, you're going to be an excellent warrior one day, I just know it, but your temper prevents that from happening." He opened his mouth but her tail moved in front of it stopping his words. "Just listen. I'm not saying you have to change your personality. You have fierce pride, loyalty, and love. You're courageous, brave… I just worry your failure to the warrior code will prevent you from being the warrior you should be."

"You didn't know about the warrior code until you met Father," he pointed out.

"I know," she glanced back at the cleft through which he entered where Blackblaze was. "But I realize now the warrior code is something worth following. You're great now without it; with it you'll be incredible."

Lionkit studied his mother's face and knew he wouldn't attack Silverwing tonight or any other night to come. Bloodclaw believed he could become an incredible warrior as long as he followed the warrior code and he knew she wanted him to be that. And that was enough reason for him to do it although he couldn't promise he'd follow it completely. Rules were created to be broken after all.

Bloodclaw touched noses with her son. "I must go now. Try to be good for me."

"I'll try," he mumbled watching her disappear into mist then vanish all together.

"Lionkit?" a soft familiar voice said. He turned to see Silverwing stirring in her nest then sit up. "What are you doing in here? Are you okay?"

With a small nod, he answered, "Yeah, I'm okay. Good night, Silverwing." Not waiting for her to ask why he was in her den, he slipped back through the cleft and left the medicine den to head back to the nursery. He finally felt at peace after days of misery, heartache, and anger. His paws led him to the moss nest that was beside Leafkit's and he curled up thinking about his mother. Remembering her soft voice and stories she told, Lionkit fell asleep.

"Did you hear, did you hear?" exclaimed Berrykit as she almost tripped entering the nursery. Leafkit and Lionkit looked up from tossing a ball of moss across the nursery. The dark gray she-cat tumbled to her sister's side and mewed, "We're becoming apprentices today!"

Leafkit's jaw dropped. "What?" It had been a few days since Lionkit had attacked his father and her at night. She knew the apprentice ceremony would be coming up soon as the moon started to become almost full like her mother said for the past five moons, but with her back scratched up from her fights with Lionkit she didn't think the ceremony would happen so soon or happen with her in it.

Berrykit nudged her sister. "We're becoming apprentices!"

"Even despite…" The pale gray she-cat discreetly glanced at Lionkit who seemed to not be paying attention at all as he batted the moss ball around. Berrykit nodded. "That's great! Hey, Lionkit! We three are going to be apprentices soon!"

He looked up and blinked. "Okay." His eyes dropped back down to the moss ball. The two she-cats watched him in silence as he batted it to and fro.

"How long has he been like this, Leafkit?" asked her sister softly. To her the calico kit was unusually subdued.

Leafkit shrugged slightly. "I think since yesterday. Maybe Silverwing gave him something."

"Maybe." The two she-cats turned at a rustling at the entrance of the nursery and Bluefeather entered. She gestured with her tail frantically. "Come, kits, come! It's time! You too, Lionkit!"

The three kits followed the dark blue queen out of the nursery and followed her to the front of the growing crowd of cats. She made them sit side by side and quickly licked each kit's fur until it was clean and straight. Smokefoot joined the small group and made his mate sit with him. Leafkit, Berrykit, and Lionkit looked up at the Highledge where Oakstar, ThunderClan's leader, stepped out and regarded his Clan.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" he yowled. The elders left their den made of elder bushes and sat outside the entrance. Once all the cats where gathered Oakstar jumped down from the Highledge and stood before the three kits.

"As leader of ThunderClan, I am about to perform one of my favorite duties. Berrykit, Leafkit, and Lionkit have reached the age of six moons and it is time for them to be apprenticed."

Berrykit glanced at Leafkit and the two sisters shared an excited look. The leader nodded to the darker of the two and said, "Berrykit," She stepped forward and Oakstar continued. "From this day, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Berrypaw. I ask StarClan to watch over you and guide you until you find it in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior."

The leader looked up and glanced over at a tortoiseshell she-cat. "Spottedpelt," He stepped forward. "You've done well in training Ivyfrost and I am sure you will pass on your knowledge of the warrior code to Berrypaw."

Spottedpelt and Berrypaw touched noses and Oakstar turned to Leafkit. "Leafkit, from this day until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Leafpaw. I ask StarClan to watch over you and guide you until you find it in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior."

He looked up and glanced to a dark blue tom. "Stormpelt, you are ready to take an apprentice now. You have shown yourself loyal and intelligent and I expect you will pass on all you know to Leafpaw."

Leafpaw padded up to Stormpelt and touched noses with him. He flicked his ears, and they turned to see the last of the ceremony. Oakstar was looking at Lionkit now. "Lionkit, from this day until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Lionpaw. I ask Starclan to watch over you and guide you until you find it in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior. I, Oakstar, will be your mentor and pass on all my knowledge to you."

"Berrypaw, Leafpaw, Lionpaw! Berrypaw, Leafpaw, Lionpaw!" the Clan called out. Leafpaw padded up to her sister and mewed, "We're apprentices!"

"It's great!" she exclaimed. Her tail waved excitedly but stopped when Lionpaw came up. Berrypaw glanced at him before muttering, "I'm going to go see what Spottedpelt wants me to do."

Once she left, the calico tom sat beside the pale gray she-cat. "Leafpaw, I'm sorry for everything that's happened in the past few weeks. You're a great cat."

Leafpaw's pelt burned. "Thank you. Uh, you're a great cat too."

He nodded. "Thanks. Um… See you around then?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," he mewed, brightening some before running off. Leafpaw watched him stop to talk briefly with Oakstar before the pair left the camp and she wondered why was she wishing she could be with him.