Owl woke up the next day to the sound of Silver meowing, "Battle training, Owl!" He opened his eyes with a groan. Ugh, he thought, my muscles hurt so much from last night's long walk.

"Do we have to?" he whined, sitting up and grooming himself hastily. Silver shot him a look from outside the den.

"Why are you so lazy?" she teased, flicking her tail.

Owl smirked. "Fine, then. Let's train." He padded out of the apprentices den and passed Sandy and Tiger Fang who were sharing a fish by the log.

"Panther and Sunfish are already at the training hollow. You slept quite late," Silver told Owl. He self-consciously licked his chest fur.

"Sorry," Owl mumbled. They passed Omega's den and he longingly stared at the piles of herbs Omega was sorting out in the morning sunlight. Later, he promised himself. Now, I've got to beat Panther in a fight. Silver lead the way to the hollow and when they got there, Owl's stomach rumbled embarrassingly loudly. Panther smiled knowingly; Owl was so hungry.

The training hollow was near camp, surrounded by bushes and a few pine trees. A small stream ran near by. The ground was soft with sand, and all sharp sticks and stones were removed from the clearing.

Sunfish padded forward, his amber eyes gleaming. "Panther has been an apprentice much longer than you, Owl, but we will try an advanced move. Is that all right?"

Owl stared at the tom, stunned. "But- but I didn't even… I didn't succeed in yesterday's training." His pelt burned with shame and embarrassment, but Panther shot him a reassuring look.

"Don't worry, Owl," Panther meowed. "We're fighting on land this time."

Silver stepped forward. "Yes," she agreed, her eyes sparkling, "Riverclan don't always fight in the water. Most rogues fight on land, and we'll need land moves to beat them. Land fighting might be different for you, okay? Just try!" Her encouraging words nearly convinced Owl that he would be okay, but he still felt a prickle of doubt.

Sunfish flicked his tail at Panther. "Panther will stand here, and you, Owl, will leap at him. When you jump, try to jump as high as you can, and land behind Panther. Panther will whirl around in surprise, but before that you'll swipe at his legs and tail, and when Panther turns, roll sideways while clawing his fur." He nodded at Panther, who hastily got into position.

Owl blinked, suddenly very nervous. He crouched down, and saw out of the corner of his eye Silver beaming at him hopefully. He couldn't let her down. He let her down enough, on the first day of training. Owl bunched his muscles and leaped as far as he could over Panther. Panther reared up, trying to tackle Owl midair, but Owl landed just in time to escape Panther's paws. Owl turned sharply and swiped Panther's haunches as Panther spun around to face Owl. Panther growled and lunged forward with outstretched paws, battering Owl's muzzle. Owl winced; although their claws were sheathed, the sheer force of Panther's attack hurt. Owl rolled, remembering Sunfish's words. Panther immediately changed the course of his attack and raked his paws down Owl's exposed belly.

"Pause!" Sunfish called. Owl sat up, shaking the dust from his ruffled pelt. He looked away from Silver, knowing that he'd failed once again. Panther stood straight, licking the grains of sand from his claws.

Silver nodded at Panther. "Your strategy was very good. I'm impressed." That made Owl cringe even more. She turned her blue gaze on Owl. "As for you, I'm impressed as well. Panther, as Sunfish said, is an experienced apprentice. You did what Sunfish told you and tried your best."

Owl couldn't help snorting in disgust with himself. "Yeah, right," he blurted. "I'm terrible at this!"

Sunfish blinked at him. "Owl, you shouldn't criticize yourself too hard. You've been an apprentice for only a half moon, maybe a little less."

"Right," Panther agreed with a flick of his tail. "You shouldn't be hard on yourself." He smiled kindly, but Owl was frustrated.

"I know I'm hopeless!" Owl exclaimed. "Last night, Tiger Fang boasted that he caught three fish on his first try on his first day as an apprentice. Sandy told me yesterday that she beat Vine Claw when he was an apprentice, and now he's one of Riverclan's best fighters. Don't tell me that it's only been a half moon! It won't comfort me." Silver opened her mouth to say something, but Owl ran from he training hollow, squeezing his eyes shut. He knew his unsuccessfulness was because of his weak, tiny form. Before he knew it, Owl found himself in Omega's den.

"Owl!" Omega said. "Are you here for training?" She looked closely at Owl's face. "Are you crying?"

Owl didn't realize he'd been crying. "No," he lied. "And yes, I'm here for training." He blinked quickly to get rid of the tears.

Omega nodded. "Okay. But first, we need an excuse for you to be here."

"How about you say that I sprained my paw during battle training? The mentors will believe it."

"Okay. Come here- we might as well start training with this." Omega had Owl sit down on a moss nest. She grabbed a strong, sturdy stick and laid it next to Owl's right front foot. Omega rummaged in the back of her den for nettle leaves and river reeds, and chewed up the nettle into a poultice before applying it to Owl's foot. She used the thick, dry river reeds to tie the stick to Owl's foot. She looked up. "Now. What did I do and why did I do it?"

"Uh…" Owl examined his foot. "The stick to splint my foot so it doesn't move and make my sprain worse. The nettle to… either relieve the pain or reduce the swelling. And the reeds to secure the stick to my foot." He glanced at Omega.

She looked pleasantly surprised. "Very well done! Okay, now you've got to act like you're in pain while I bring some herbs for you to study. No one will know that I'm teaching you if they come in- they'll just think I'm making a poultice out of many herbs."

"Thanks, Omega. You're the best," Owl found himself meowing. Omega blinked, then smiled.

Soon enough, Silver came crashing through the reeds that grew outside the medicine den. Her fur was fluffed up and she was panting. "Owl!" she said. "Are you all right? I'm so sorry about training, I-"

"Silver," Omega interrupted, stepping forward. "Owl has a sprained paw, and I am still treating him."

Silver looked at her sister, then exhaled slowly. "Okay." The silver tabby turned to look at Owl, regret shining in her blue eyes. "Owl, I never should have agreed to let you do that advanced move."

Owl tried to shrug nonchalantly. "Yeah, no, it's fine," he lied.

"You're sure you're okay?" Silver pressed on, visibly concerned for Owl.

Owl nodded, forcing a bright grin onto his face. "I know I'm new as an apprentice, and I'll get better eventually," he mewed, trying not to wince as he told the lie.

Omega held up a pawful of herbs. "Silver, I know you're worried, but could you please step out while I give these to Owl?"

Silver dipped her head. "Of course. Feel better, Owl." She left the den, and Omega pushed the herbs toward Owl.

"Do you know what these do?" Omega questioned.

Owl studied them. They had small white flowers. "I've seen them in the forest, but I don't know…"

"That's fine. These are feverfew. They cool down a cat's fever," Omega explained. She nudged them aside and pulled a clump of bluish purple berries forward. "And these?"
Owl was relieved. Confidently, he said, "Juniper berries. They give you strength and ease stomachaches." Omega nodded and lined up a few more herbs.

Owl rattled off the names and properties of the herbs like he'd been training as a medicine cat for moons. Even he was surprised at his knowledge. Maybe he'd been paying attention and observing more than he thought, probably when he was a kit and was bored all the time. "Marigold for infections, water mint for stomachaches, coltsfoot for breathing, borage for fever and to help queens give birth, and yarrow for small cuts or to make a cat throw up."

Omega sat back on her haunches, her amber eyes wide. "Wow!" She swiped the herbs back into their places by the cave wall with a few deft flicks of her paw. "You're a really special cat, Owl."

Owl warmed at the praise. "Thank you, Omega," he purred, feeling for the first time ever that he could do something for his clan. He tipped his head to one side. "Hey, all this training… what will it do? I mean, for the clan, since they don't know about this."

Omega flicked her tail. "The time will come. If I ever need to be replaced, you will be the perfect cat." Her eyes darkened and glistened for a moment.

"What do you mean, replaced?"

Omega shook her head. "Don't worry about it. In a few moons' time, you tell me if this is really where your passion lies, and I will ask Mudstar about you officially becoming an apprentice."

Owl insisted, "This is my passion! I… I'm good at this. If I do this for the rest of my life, I can give back to my clan and not be a failure."

Omega dipped her head kindly. "I'm sure of that, Owl, but… my sister, Silver…"

"I'll try my best and try not to disappoint her. Oh, but she'll be hurt, won't she? I mean, I've only been her apprentice for literally two days, but… I care about her feelings. I'm her first apprentice ever!" Owl murmured guiltily.

"Why don't you go get some fresh kill and assure Silver that you'll be fine. Tell her you need to be confined in camp for two days, and, for Starclan's sake, act like your paw is killing you!" Omega nudged Owl forward, and he grinned before limping heavily outside.

Omega swept her plumy brown tail over the cave floor, clearing it of herb scraps. It was about sun-high, so she padded out of her den, brushing between the damp reeds that grew around her den. Omega grabbed a carp from the pile of fish in the center of the camp and settled down with it near the fresh kill pile.

"Omega!" Yellowbird was suddenly at her side just as Omega leaned forward to take a bite out of the plump, yummy looking fish. The pale ginger shecat's green eyes were glittering with hatred. "I have a headache. Fix it for me, will you?"

Omega bit back a sigh and pushed aside the fish. "What have you been doing today?" she inquired.

Yellowbird scowled. "I don't know. Hunting," she replied brusquely. "It hurts, so will you make it stop?"

Calmly, Omega meowed, "First I have to figure out what is causing it. Compare the pain of your headache to something else."

Yellowbird tilted her head. "A rock is constantly bashing against me."

Omega was worried. "All right… do you feel sick? Have you been coughing or sneezing?"

"No," Yellowbird said.

Omega started walking to her den. "Come with me." She left the fish there and Yellowbird trotted behind her. Yellowbird slumped down on a patch of moss in the den. "Does it hurt badly when you move?"

"Yes," Yellowbird panted, squeezing her eyes shut. Then she suddenly snapped, "Don't just stand there and do nothing, like you did when I was kitting!" Her eyes flew open and they were a blaze of angry fire.

Omega flinched. "I'm assessing the situation, thinking of how I can treat you," she explained mildly. She blinked back tears, images of the two dead kits floating into her mind. She then walked over to the ginger shecat, pressing her nose to Yellowbird's head.

"Ouch!" Yellowbird gasped, jerking her head away.

Omega backed away. "How have you been sleeping?"

Yellowbird shrugged. "Why do you want to know?"

"I want to see if you are in good health or not," Omega said patiently. Her stomach growled, and she longed for that fish.

Yellowbird sighed. "Not too well. I keep waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep. And I find it hard to fall asleep in the first place anyway." She looked uncomfortable sharing her weaknesses with her nemesis.

Omega looked through her storage of herbs, pawing through borage and juniper. She finally got to chamomile, known for soothing a cat's nerves, and feverfew, to help with headaches. She stripped the leaves from their stems and turned toward Yellowbird. "Is your appetite okay?"
Yellowbird confessed, "Some days I have none at all, and others, I eat too much. I don't think that's normal."

Omega rummaged through her herbs and found sorrel, to help balance a cat's appetite. "Okay, Yellowbird. These herbs will help with your headache, appetite, and to soothe you to make it easy to rest."

"Thanks," Yellowbird muttered reluctantly. She lapped up the herbs and promptly got up to leave.

"Come back if anything happens!" Omega called after her.

Yellowbird hissed, "I'm strong. I'll be better. I don't need your help anymore after this, you know that, right?" Then she disappeared. Omega knew Yellowbird must have been feeling pretty physically terrible to push aside her grudges and come to Omega for help.

Omega padded outside and sat down to eat her fish. She was glad for the peace, the quiet bustling of the Riverclan camp, the cool breeze that ruffled her fur, the gentle flowing of the small stream that ran along the edge of the camp. The stream… her ears pricked suddenly, and Omega shivered. She remembered…

Omega looked around. She wasn't in the Riverclan camp anymore; she was in a dark, marshy place filled with strong-smelling pine trees. A muddy stream ran through the camp, leading out. Omega was in the past again.

"Mallow?" Omega's past self asked timidly. "Where'd you go?"

There was a snicker, a harsh laugh. A skinny brown shecat slid out of the shadows, her baleful amber eyes shining too bright, like she was feverish or something. She sneered, her voice raspy, "Mallow brought you?" She laughed once more. "I was expecting someone more…"

Mallow suddenly burst from a bush, snapping his jaws at the skinny, sickly shecat. "Beryl. Have some respect," he snarled. He unsheathed his claws threateningly.

Beryl whined, "That kit is so weak! Look at her. How's she gonna help us, er, have equal rights as Riverclan?"

Omega bristled at her insult and hissed, "First of all, I'm not a kit. I'm an apprentice. Second of all, I'm smarter than you think."

Beryl snorted skeptically, but slinked away when Mallow bared his teeth at her. Mallow brushed up against Omega, a purr rumbling deep in his throat. "Hi, Omega." He smiled sweetly at Omega, and her heart nearly melted. "Why did your parents even name you 'Omega'? You deserve a prettier name."

Omega shrugged, her cheeks burning up. "It's not like I can change my name."

Mallow grinned, his eyes crinkling. "Yes you can. Anything's possible when you're here." He touched his nose to hers. "Let's think of a new name for you, okay? What do you want to be called when you're with my group and me?"

Omega resisted drowning in his gorgeous sunset-colored eyes and managed to breath out, "I don't know. You can choose."

Someone spat behind them. Omega whirled around, blushing after realizing Mallow's whole group was gathered on the marshy ground. The cat who spat said, "Lovebirds. Go somewhere else so you won't stink up our camp with your sappy love-y stench."

Mallow spat back at the cat. "Have you forgotten that I am your leader? I'll do whatever I want here." He ignored the cat's grumble about him not being worthy of leadership, that someone older should have been chosen.

Omega suggested softly, "Let's take a walk, Mallow."

Mallow brightened up. "Let's choose a name suitable for you, my dear."

They walked out, their pelts brushing, each touch sending a spark up Omega's spine. We reached the fork in the stream and sat back on our haunches. Omega asked, "So, name?"

Mallow purred, "Something beautiful for a beautiful shecat like you. How about a flower?"

Omega purred loudly. "Rose? Lily? Daisy?"

Mallow offered, "Or something else. Dawn, maybe? Or Moon, or Star… 'cause you're my star."

Omega laughed at the cheesiness of his words. She replied softly, "And you're my lovely night sky."

Mallow perked up. "How about Sky for your name? How 'bout it, Omega?"

"Sky?"

"Yes, that's perfect. Do you think so?"

"Anything you think is perfect, Mallow." Omega smiled at him and when he smiled back, Omega knew they will love each other for the rest of their lives.

Omega blinked, and she was swept back into her real world. She sighed and dug into her fish.

She really must have been in love with that rogue Mallow.