"Wake up, wake up!" A high-pitched meow woke Shadowkit from his dream. Shadowkit opened one blue eye to look at who had woken him; it was Airkit, her white fur was bushed in excitement.
"What is it?" Shadowkit grumbled, covering his eyes with one paw. Airkit lifted his paw with hers and smiled when he looked at her again.
"Galestar has called a clan meeting!" Airkit squealed. Shadowkit felt a sudden bolt of energy surge through his body; the kit jumped up and shoved Airkit with his paws.
"Hurry, I wanna' watch!" Shadowkit squealed in excitement. Airkit and Shadowkit bounded into the heart of SkyClan's camp with raised tails and hurried paws, getting crude glances from a few warriors as they pushed their way to the front.
"I can't believe it!" Airkit whispered, gazing up at Galestar and his deputy Fallowfur. "They look so strong and honored…I want to be like that one day!"
"Be quiet Airkit!" Shadowkit hissed. The white she-kit curled her nose and looked up at Galestar again. Galestar whispered something in Fallowfur's ear before looking at the last few cats to join below the leader's stone; Fallowfur raised her tail for silence and waited for the cats' murmurs to die down.
"Cats of SkyClan," Galestar addressed. "I have gathered you here for important information!"
"Ooh, important!" Snickered Airkit in Shadowkit's ear, "I wander what it i-"
"Hush, Airkit!" Shadowkit growled, placing his fuzzy tail over her mouth. Airkit pushed him off and noticed Fallowfur giving them a warning glance as Galestar spoke. Airkit and Shadowkit stopped and paid attention.
"I have called you here before me with important information." Galestar called. "I have received news from Shortfoot and Flowertail that kittypets have been treading on our territory."
A few warriors inhaled sharply and murmured among themselves. Galestar raised his paw for silence and waited for the buzzing meows to fade away. Shadowkit's paws itched to be an apprentice and show those kittypets whose boss!
"I'll send a small patrol to fight off the kittypets…" The leader scanned his cats, Shadowkit shook with anticipation as the leader stopped on him. Galestar smiled slightly and kept scanning, Shadowkit felt like he had just been toppled by a larger cat.
He laughed at me! He hissed to himself. Shadowkit held a cross look on his face as Galestar picked his small group of cats.
"Wolfpaw, Hazestorm, Flowertail, and Scar," Galestar called. Shadowkit froze at the mention of his father's name. The kit swung his head around to look at his humongous father, his long gray pelt made him look even bigger and scarier! Shadowkit could see the scars across his face clearer as Scar came closer.
Shadowkit's father stopped a few tail lengths ahead of him and Airkit, but looked over his shoulder at the tiny black kit. Shadowkit froze and gapped open his mouth for a moment's notice before standing on wobbly legs and raising his chin and tail high. Scar looked Shadowkit over before turning around the leave with the others, Galestar leading the patrol.
"Wow…" Breathed Airkit as the other cats continued with their day. "Your dad sure is scary!"
"I know!" Shadowkit purred, liking the idea of having a scary father. Maybe when he grew older he'd look just as scary as Scar. Nobody will mess with me then! The kit thought.
Shadowkit saw Mistyfern eating at the fresh kill pile with Hook and Seedfur. The three where sharing words about raising kits to Seedfur while they ate their prey. Shadowkit began to pad over to Mistyfern but stopped when Airkit pounced on his tail.
"Let's play a game!" The she-kit squealed.
"You didn't want to play with me yesterday." Shadowkit pulled his tail free and turned to look at Airkit. The white she-kit shrugged and looked over her shoulders, crawling closer so that her muzzle was close to Shadowkit's ear.
"I was only trying to impress Rainkit." Airkit whispered.
"Why?" Shadowkit tiled his head.
"Rainkit does everything better than me!" Airkit complained. "I didn't want you to see me fail too."
Shadowkit hesitated but he wasn't in the mood to pass up friends, so he agreed to play with Airkit. The white she-kit jumped high and raised her tail; her blue eyes glittered with delight. Shadowkit crouched down and wiggled his tail.
"So what do you want to play?" The black kit mewed with a glare.
"I know!" Airkit meowed. The she-kit pounced on Shadowkit's back and rolled him over. "You are the kittypet invading our territory and I'll attack you."
"Okay!" Shadowkit meowed. He put an innocent look on his face and pushed a pile of small stones in front of his paws, trying his hardest to look like a soft kittypet. "Ooh, look at me…eating my kittypet food in the comfort of my Twoleg den!"
Airkit gave an excited giggle as she watched Shadowkit pretend to eat the pebbles lay before him while she peeked over her hiding spot behind a big rock. Airkit bounced on top of the rock and raised her tail high.
"A kittypet," She gasped, pretending to be shocked. "What are you doing on SkyClan territory?"
Shadowkit wailed playfully and arched his back, looking up at Airkit with scared eyes. "Oh, my, don't eat me!" Shadowkit wailed meekly.
Airkit pounced off the rock and rolled Shadowkit under her hind paws. The two kits laughed as they scuffled on the sandy ground, kicking up sand and flinging it in the apprentice's eyes. Rabbitpaw sneezed and scowled as the two kits continued to play in the sand. Cliffpaw stood and shook the sand from his eyes before bounding over to the kits.
"Do you mind?" Cliffpaw grumbled. "You're flinging sand in our eyes."
Airkit looked up at Cliffpaw and smiled shyly. Shadowkit squirmed from under Airkit's paws and looked at Cliffpaw and Rabbitpaw; the two apprentices looked slightly annoyed.
"Sorry Cliffpaw." Shadowkit mewed. "We were just practicing our fighting."
Rabbitpaw snorted but was quickly silenced by Cliffpaw; the dark gray-and-white tom placed his tail over her mouth. Rabbitpaw shook her mouth free and sat down on her haunches. Cliffpaw smiled as he looked back over at Shadowkit and Airkit.
"Well, you aren't too bad." Cliffpaw praised. Shadowkit sucked in a sharp breath of excitement at the older tom's compliment. "You just need to play near the nursery…not by the fresh kill pile where you can get the prey dusty."
"Yeah…" Rabbitpaw hissed. Airkit stuck her tongue out at Rabbitpaw as the older apprentice hissed at them.
Rabbitpaw screeched and raised her paw with gleaming claws. Shadowkit and Airkit squealed in fear and ran for the nursery with bushed tails and wide eyes. Airkit gasped for breath when they finally reached the nursery and scowled at Rabbitpaw over her shoulder.
"She's a jerk!" Airkit panted.
"Yeah…we were only playing." Shadowkit pouted. Airkit looked back at Shadowkit and the two noticed Rainkit had finally woke up, the silver kit was grooming her tail and didn't notice the kits where near.
"Rainkit," Airkit called. Rainkit jumped in surprise and narrowed her eyes at her sister. "You're awake!"
"Go away Airkit." Rainkit grumbled as her sister toppled on top of her. "I'm busy!"
"Aww, mouse-brains," Airkit whined. Shadowkit snickered and pushed Airkit off of Rainkit, the two falling in a heap of black and white fur. Rainkit huffed in annoyance and stomped away from the wrestling kits, Shadowkit and Airkit laughed and giggled until they had to gulp air to breathe.
"I wish I was an apprentice." Shadowkit mewed when the two had stopped playing. Airkit was lying close to Shadowkit, her head on his paws as he spoke.
"Me too" Airkit mewed, swiping at Shadowkit's whiskers. Shadowkit sneezed and shook his head to keep Airkit from playing with his whiskers.
"I hope my mentor is Hazestorm!" Shadowkit meowed.
"I'd prefer Flowertail…" Airkit mewed. "I just hope I don't get Shortfoot as a mentor! She's so stumpy and looks silly when she walks!"
"Shortfoot is nice!" Shadowkit placed his tiny paw on Airkit's nose. Airkit licked his paw and Shadowkit pulled it back in a flash. "Blach, you licked me!"
Airkit snorted and rolled onto her back, her long white coat covered her muzzle as she lay. Shadowkit rolled his blue eyes and watched as Mistyfern came over to them. Shadowkit bounded forward and rubbed his cheek with his mother's.
"Come one I have something to show you two."