As Bearkit and Plumekit tumbled together in a play fight, Shiningkit was crouched down in the shade of a looming oak tree, listening to their mother, Sunstream, tell her a story. Plumekit had pinned Bearkit to the ground, while he looked around triumphantly.
"I win!" He called out.
"Not yet!" Bearkit sprang upwards, sending Plumekit flying. Right when Plumekit hit the ground with a loud THUD, Sunstream came trotting up to them. "Don't play so rough!" She scolded Bearkit.
"Plumekit is fine! Did you see how I got him off me, though?" Sunstream's gaze softened as Bearkit explained to her how he had gotten Plumekit off his back.
"It wasn't fair, though! I didn't expect Bearkit to jump up like that!" Plumekit trotted up to them, shaking dirt from his gray and brown pelt.
"Fish-brain!" Shiningkit put in, as she loped over too them from the cool shade of the tree. "How is that not fair?"
Plumekit sniffed. "Play fights aren't supposed to hurt! That hurt!"
Sunstream looked stern again and mewed to Bearkit, "What do you say to Plumekit?"
Bearkit's gaze drifted from his mother to Plumekit. "I'm sorry." Plumekit looked hopefully at Bearkit. "Will you show me how to do that?"
Bearkit smiled. "Okay. Maybe tomorrow."
The next morning, the three littermates were watching Sparrowflight, their father, trot up to Mothstar and Rainheart, the deputy, who were sharing tongues by a reed bed. The three kits were sitting just inside the entrance of the nursery, when Shiningkit whispered,
"Let's get closer so we can hear them!"
"But Sunstream told us to stay in the nursery!" Bearkit was not about to have to apologize two days in a row.
"C'mon! It'll be fun!" Plumekit urged.
"No! I don't want to get into any more trouble!" Bearkit backed away from the entrance of the nursery.
"It's alright if you listen in to what Sparrowflight's saying. He's already told me." All three kits spun around to see Sunstream's bright green eyes staring at them from the gloom.
"Thank you, Sunstream!" Shiningkit mewed gleefully.
As the kits ventured out of the nursery, they all tried their best to show their father how well they could use their stalking techniques. When they arrived within earshot, Sparrowflight was saying,
"Why Can't they be apprentices? We only have Ivorypaw, and he'll be a warrior soon!" Mothstar looked skeptical.
"Sparrowflight," She mewed calmly. "They are only three moons." Sparrowflight looked exasperated. "I know, but have you seen Bearkit and Plumekit play fight? Bearkit is a natural warrior!" Bearkit looked at his littermates smugly, while they all stared at their father, dumbfounded. He never openly praises us! Bearkit thought. I must be special.
"They are only three moons." Mothstar repeated.
"Three moons, six moons, what does it matter?"
"It matters because they could be killed!"
Sparrowflight flinched, and mewed slowly, "I'll make sure it won't happen. I swear to StarClan."
Mothstar's whiskers twitched and she mewed, "Why don't the kits in question come out of hiding and show us what they can do."
Bearkit's eyes widened. How had Mothstar known they were there? Sparrowflight raised his muzzle to the air and exclaimed, "Shiningkit! Bearkit! Plumekit! Were you listening to the whole conversation? How did I not scent you three…" Sparrowflight muttered the last part to himself as the kits slunk out of hiding, all three of them had a guilty look on their faces. Mothstar's expression turned hard as stone as she spoke.
"Plumekit, Shiningkit," She paused for a moment, looking at Bearkit. "And Bearkit, do you think you are ready to be apprentices?"
For the first time, Rainheart spoke. "Mothstar, are you serious? Surly-"
Mothstar cut him off. "I know what I'm doing, Rainheart."
The deputy dipped his head. "I'm sure you do."
"As I was saying," She continued, "Do you three think you are ready to start your apprenticeships, and become 'paws?" Bearkit's heart leapt. Mothstar was asking their opinions.
"Of course we're ready!" Shiningkit immediately replied.
"If you think so, show me what you do, right now." Mothstar smoothly slid into a fighting stance. "Attack me."
"Why would we do that?" Bearkit asked questioningly. "You're our leader. The last thing we should do is attack you!"
Mothstar looked thoughtful, and reasoned, "What if you imagine me to be an enemy warrior?"
Bearkit shook his head. "All I see is my leader and only my leader." Plumekit and Shiningkit, however, were pawing at the ground, eager to show off their skills to Mothstar.
"Alright, Plumekit, attack me. Don't hold back!" Mothstar deepend her fighting stance, so the two cats, leader and kit, were nose to nose. Plumekit immediately pounced on Mothstar's ears, claws unsheathed.
"Sheathe your claws! You don't want to shred your leader to bits, do you?" Sparrowflight was running over to where the cats were tussling, trying to pull Plumekit off Mothstar's ears.
"No," Mothstar grunted, swiping at Plumekit with a wide paw, with her claws sheathed. "I can deal with a few scratches."
Bearkit noticed that Mothstar didn't look angry, or frustrated, she only looked curious. After a few minutes of Mothstar trying to pull Plumekit off her head while he pulled and scratched at her ears, Plumekit suddenly toppled to the ground. Mothstar immediately jumped on top of the struggling kit, pinning him down by his shoulders.
"That was well fought, little one." Mothstar mewed, panting. Plumekit was panting too, but much harder.
Plumekit must've been holding on for his life, with Mothstar swiping at him and trying to shake him off so much.
Shiningkit trotted up to Plumekit, still pinned to the ground, and shoved her muzzle into his face.
"How does it feel to be pinned to the ground now?" she mewed.
Earlier that morning, Plumekit kept pestering Shiningkit to play fight with him. When he finally persuaded her, he immediately pinned her to the ground. When she challenged him to a rematch, the same thing happened. Now, Plumekit was the one struggling against paws much bigger than his own.
Mothstar let go of Plumekit, and she stepped back. "What I really want to see, is Bearkit fight me." Mothstar looked at bearkit again and mewed,
"Will you try it now, after you've seen Plumekit fight?" Bearkit shook his head.
"I would rather fight an enemy in a real battle."
"Well, if you don't show me what skills you have, I won't be able to make you into a warrior sooner. Also, when you begin your apprenticeship, you will have to fight your Clanmates in fake battles almost every day." Bearkit was a little bit frightened at the notion of fighting his Clanmates.
"But, what if I hurt my mentor or another apprentice by accident?" mewed Bearkit.
"Well, then don't fight with your claws unsheathed unless instructed to!" Bearkit looked at the sun. It was almost sunhigh already.
"I'm starving!" Shiningkit complained. "Let's finish talking and eat already!"