Wow! A lot of reviews right now! At least for me. I feel amazing knowing that this story is well-liked. I think we have one more chapter before Frozenkit and Lionkit become apprentices. So hang tight in there! Enjoy this next chapter, and leave a review when you finish reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors

The day was unusually warm for leafbare. Newleaf was drawing close. The snow that had fallen was now gone, leaving behind sleek, wet grass. Frozenkit laid in the cool sunlight outside the nursery, daydreaming about her apprenticeship. It had been now about three moons since she had first met Hailblaze and was less than a quarter moon away from being a 'paw.

Since then, everything had carried on as it had always. Oakshade came to the nursery every other day to see Lionkit, except now, Frozenkit didn't feel any will to impress him. Snowshine was still trying to skip around the questions Frozenkit asked her about her future, but Frozenkit was beginning to just give up.

She had attended Whitepaw and Stormpaw's warrior ceremony. They were now Whitefur and Stormshade. Rabbitpaw had not become warriors with them. Frozenkit remembered seeing him bent over in pain, coughing and coughing. She had not seen him since.

She was so close. So close from being free from all the neglect and ignorance; so close from proving that she should be seen for more than just her size; so close from being looked upon with doubt of her strength.

She was going to be a good warrior. Loyal, strong and true. Pure like the color of her fur.

Across the camp, she saw a light brown tabby she-cat surrounded by a group of ThunderClan warriors. The gray to she recognized as Stonepaw's mentor, Beetletooth was sent away with the apprentice and three other warriors. Another patrol, led by a tabby tom was soon to follow them out of camp.

Patrols, thought Frozenkit, and one day, I'll be part of them. One day I'll be leading them, with my apprentice. She noted the small size of the light brown tabby she-cat. The deputy. What did Snowshine say her name was? Oh yes, Mousewhisper.

She looked away from the patrols and continued searching around camp. I've got to become familiar with everything before I am apprenticed. I will show Oakshade and Snowshine that I can be a good warrior!

A familiar gray shape was slouching at the entrance of the apprentice's den. His amber eyes drooped heavily with sleep...or was it boredom? Frozenkit realized that it was Nettlepaw. She hadn't spoken to the tom since the day before his ceremony. He wasn't gaining any enthusiasm from the training, and remained particularly silent. When cats walked by him, they'd speed up, shooting him a half confused, half uncertain expression.

Suddenly, Nettlepaw met her gaze and Frozenkit flinched. She averted his eyes and stared at the sky, trying to avoid speaking with him. She could hear his paw steps as he drew closer, and she held her breath.

"Good, morning...Frozenkit."

She looked at him, and looked away again, up close, she could see an odd madness in his gaze that made her pelt bristle. She didn't respond to his greeting.

"I hear that in a half moon, you'll be becoming an apprentice."

"Actually in a quarter moon and six sunrises," she hissed. "I'm not talking to you. You're weird."

Nettlepaw didn't appear at all insulted. "Don't be immature." His voice was very blank, tipped with not even the slightest amount of edge.

"What's the matter with you? Are you sick or something?"

"No."

"Have you gone insane?"

"No."

"Well then, you have to at least be weird."

Nettlepaw smirked. That surprised Frozenkit. For as long as he was apprenticed, Nettlepaw had been completely mood-less. "I am not any of those things. I am lost."

"Lost?" asked Frozenkit. "But you're right here. How can you be lost?"

"The life of a Clancat isn't what I expected it to be. I guess I'm just not cut out for these kinds of things," Nettlepaw replied. "This isn't who I want to be. It makes me feel wrong."

Frozenkit tilted her head and wrinkled her nose. "You're aren't even trying to like it, Nettlepaw. You were a kit when you decided it. You barely knew what it would be like, so you just went ahead and-"

"Made assumptions," he finished. "Yes. And I found those assumptions to be true. I am not made for all of the territory protection, and battle training. It's not who I am."

Frozenkit looked at him. He used to be such a happy and hyper little kit, and now he was some kind of, peculiar, lazy, despised cat that no one wanted to talk to, herself included. "Yeah, you're weird. Bye."

Before Nettlepaw could respond, she turned tail and disappeared inside the nursery, where Snowshine was grooming Lionkit's thick fur. If she had noticed Frozenkit, she didn't greet her.

Hello, I'm right here, is what Frozenkit wanted to say, but she knew that there was no point.

As she climbed into the nest for a nap, Snowshine peeled away from Lionkit and admired his pelt. "Oh, my son," she purred. "You're so handsome. You will be the father of many strong kits some day!"

Lionkit looked away in embarrassment. "I don't know about that. But I know I will be an amazing warrior! One day I will be leader of this Clan!" He shredded some bracken on the nest with his claws. "I talked to Stonepaw earlier. He's going to be my deputy."

But I'm going to be leader, Frozenkit thought. We can't both be one right? She flicked her tail and said, "I am going to be an amazing warrior too," she said. There was no need to start an argument over the leader subject. She knew what side Snowshine would take anyway.

Snowshine scoffed with disbelief but nodded in agreement. Frozenkit knew what she really thought. Lionkit shrugged his shoulders. "I know you are, Frozenkit, but you are small. It's going to be hard for you to keep up with everything." He shook out his pelt. "Oakshade is excited to see my training. He wants to partner up with my mentor so he can teach Smallpaw and I together. He is really interested in what I have to learn."

"How do you know that?" asked Frozenkit.

"He told me," Lionkit answered nonchalantly.

"Did he say anything about me?"

Lionkit stiffened. "Oh...uh...I don't think I should tell you, Frozenkit. He said it would be best if we kept it between us."

"And why would he say that?"

"He doesn't have to answer if he doesn't want to," Snowshine warned Frozenkit. "If it should only be shared between the two of them, than it is nothing that you should be concerned about."

Frozenkit felt her blood seethe. Without thinking, she snapped. "Of course it's my concern! Because it's about me! I have the right to know!"

Snowshine seemed utterly surprised to hear her daughter speak to her that away, but it was just as quickly replaced with anger. She opened her mouth to scold Frozenkit, but the white kit didn't give her a chance.

"Tell me what he said, Lionkit," she threatened. She had to admit that she sounded powerless. There was traces of fear and uncertainty in her voice that spoke louder than her words.

Her brother swallowed. He obviously ignored the sound of her voice. "I didn't want to tell you, but you're right, you deserve to know."

Snowshine hissed through gritted teeth. "You'll regret asking, Frozenkit."

You know? Frozenkit ignored the question and turned her attention back to Lionkit.

"He said that...well he said something like...he said that you'd be better off in the jaws of a badger than learning the ways of a warrior..." his voice trailed off. Yellow eyes flickered to look into green before they averted. "I wanted to defend you, but Oakshade said that it would be best if I just let it be."

Frozenkit stared blankly at her brother, still trying to process what she had heard. There was no way that Oakshade-her own father-said that about her. He had to believe that she would be a good warrior. He just had to.

Snowshine sighed. Maybe it would seem that Frozenkit should be happy that her mother was upset that her daughter had been insulted, but the sad truth was that she just sat there, saying nothing to comfdaughter or deny it. She let Frozenkit suffer in the pain knowing her father didn't care about her anymore than he cared about dirt.

"He'd rather have a fox as a daughter than me," whispered Frozenkit.

No one tried to change her mind. She looked at her mother and her brother, waiting for them to say something, but they each ed just stared at their paws, silence hanging heavily in the air. And yet it all felt...

Empty.

Frozenkit thought about everything that had happened in the past five in a half moons of her life. Her denmates not wanting to play with her; her brother treated with more worth than her; her mother forbidding her from pretty much everything except breathing; her father ignoring her to abandonment. It was clear that they all looked upon her with shame, just because she was smaller than normal would be. She wasn't as beautiful or as friendly as other cats so she was tossed aside. Her introversion placed a part in it, but it was her size that took it all.

Her mother had longed denied her ability to become a warrior, and covered it up with excuses that no one bought, not even Frozenkit when she was two moons old.

And what her father thought was evident now.

StarClan existed somewhere up in the sky. Snowshine, Leafpelt and just about everyone would say their prayers to them before sleep. They watched out for omens, Frozenkit knew. There was no use in believing that it wasn't a sign from StarClan that she was taking the wrong path on being a warrior. It was either that or her ignorance, whatever it was she didn't know, and from where she stood now, she was too vulnerable to take the risk to find out.

She knew that there were other options. There were other ways to make her family proud. But that way was not as a warrior, not as long as she was too small and insignificant.

Frozenkit looked up with eyes that gleamed with dejection. "Well, then. I guess I will spare him the disappointment." She glared coldly at Snowshine. "I'll spare you all."

She winced. A kit wouldn't have said that. Not a normal one anyway. But she wasn't a normal kit. She was a loner all out on her own.

Frozenkit padded up to the medicine cat den, trying not to let tears spill over her face. She was more than shocked at her decision, she was devastated. But there was no other choice. She didn't want to just be a warrior. She wanted to be a warrior who was looked upon with pride and approval-and not just by any cat. By her family. But that wasn't going to happen.

Snowshine hadn't stopped her from going beyond her limit, and now as she stood at the small gap that led into the tunnel of the den, everything was much bigger than normal.

She poked her head in and was immediately struck with scents of bitter leaves, sweet berries, mild seeds and all kinds of flowers. Herbs were stacked and in piles everywhere. Hailblaze sat in the middle of the den, wrapping something in a large leaf. His ears flicked, indicating that he had heard Frozenkit come in.

"Uh...Hailblaze?"

The medicine cat grunted and looked up from his work. When he spotted her, he narrowed his eyes. "Ah, it's you. I have to say, it's been a long time since I've spoken to you or your brother. What is it you need?"

Frozenkit inhaled, and the air stung her throat. Her vision was blurry, fuzzed by the tears that she held back. "Well, I'll be six moons in a little bit, and...I think I'm going to be your apprentice."

Noooooooooo! Why is she so immature! Why?

*Ahem* Well, it seemed like the right decision, especially after everything she has gone through. I don't care if you didn't like it, that is where the story has to go or else I'll never get it where I need it! Aside from that, please, please, please review!

~Destiny