The past couple of sunrises, Greenpaw had been avoiding Seaheart and Twilightstar. Avoiding them had actually turned out to be a hard thing to do, for many reasons. Even though Twilightstar wasn't often in the camp, it seemed that when she was, the leader was keeping a special eye out for Greenpaw and her progress with her "mission." And the same went for Seaheart.

Greenpaw was beginning to feel another seed of guilty sprouting in her belly. Seaheart was a better mentor than she could have ever asked for, and here she was, pacing behind the nursery, out of sight and hopefully out of mind.

The time had come to apologize to Coralclaw. She'd made time to formally introduce herself to almost every cat in the Clan already, apprentice and warrior. Coralclaw was one of the few cats she had left. Greenpaw was putting it off by going over how her other conversations went.

Sharkpaw had probably been the worst. Greenpaw decidedly had not liked him from the first time he had teased her about being a kit, and her stiff introduction had not proved her distaste wrong.

"So the kit becomes an apprentice!" he meowed loudly as the moon rose in the sky. The sun was down, and the milky white wisps of the moon cast a light glow into the hollow. Sharkpaw and Tidepaw were sharing tongues outside of the apprentice den. Greenpaw had already chatted with Tidepaw, who she had her reservations about, but ended up liking okay. He was a very quiet and withdrawn cat, almost sullenly – but his eyes were watchful alongside his nearly muted tongue.

Tidepaw had eventually shared with her – probably just to shut Greenpaw's running mews up – about how he had lost his mam, too. It was Cliffland custom to send your kit out on their around around 6 or 7 moons, but Tidepaw visited his mam and sister very often, when they were alive. His sister, whom he was very close with, died of fever. His mam, shortly thereafter, died of shock. But not before giving birth to his two half-brothers.

"What happened to them?" Greenpaw mewed, shocked by the revelation. There were small hints of pain laced in Tidepaw's strange orange eyes.

"One of them died with my mam," he answered lowly, blinking the pain away. "But I still had the one left. I couldn't feed him. He was just a little sack of bloo and bones, his eyes unopened, his skin not even fluffy with kit-fur. I didn't know what to do. Then Beachflower found us."

"Beachflower?" Greenpaw gasped. "You knew Beachflower before the Clans came together?"

Tidepaw nodded. "It happened a short time ago. Bluekit is my half-brother."

Greenpaw was at a loss of words. Thoughts raced through her mind. So that's why Bluekit looked nothing like Beachflower, his blue-gray body so dark against her pale brown-flecked pelt. And how tiny he was! He wasn't hers!

While Greenpaw was trying to collect herself and formulate a decent reply, Sharkpaw had come lumbering into the apprentice's den on his large, slightly clumsy legs. There was a plump wren in his jaws, and the scent wafted toward Greenpaw's nostrils and made her mouth water. She hadn't eaten yet; Greenpaw was too engrossed in Tidepaw's story.

"Well don't you two look all cozy!" Sharkpaw had meowed loudly, plopping ungracefully into his nest, which was tucked into the far back of the small apprentice's den.

"Tidepaw has only been telling me the most amazing story," Greenpaw mewed hurridley. She did not stand for Sharkpaw's teasing very well. Maybe a sad story would shut him up. "Tell him, Tidepaw, tell him –"

"Yeah, Tidepaw." Sharkpaw mocked her. "Tell me! Tell me!"

But Tidepaw remained silent, dipping his head to them both before padding out of the den. Greenpaw watched him trot over to the fresh-kill pile, nosing around for his own dinner. Greenpaw felt herself deflate. She's met all the apprentices – now it was time for Sharkpaw, the big, burling brute.

"So the kit becomes an apprentice!"

Greenpaw quickly decided not to tell him about her "mission." Sharkpaw would never understand. Greenpaw hardly understood herself.

Sharkpaw attacked his dinner relentlessly, almost enough so to make Greenpaw's stomach curdle. Large muscles shone under his gray-and-white striped tabby pelt, rising and falling with his hacking breath between bites. Greenpaw racked her brain, trying to think of how to approach him.

Turns out, she didn't have to. "So, Greenkit." Sharkpaw taunted, looking up from his dinner, licking his muzzle with a teasing gleam in his yellow-green eyes. "I see you know Sunpaw pretty well."

Greenpaw was thrown off by this introduction. "Yeah, I do…" she answered, instantly suspicious. "So what about Sunpaw?"

"So what about Sunpaw, she mews." Sharkpaw mocked her, taking another bite from his wren. He had finished the bird in record time, Greenpaw noted. What a wolf. "What do you mean, what about Sunpaw? She's pretty hot; let's be honest, here."

Greenpaw was gobsmacked. Sunpaw? Hot? Excuse him? She was, again, at loss for words. A completely foreign state of mind for Greenpaw, but quickly growing. "I…I…you…you absolutely mink-breathed raccoon!"

Sharkpaw looked unimpressed. "What?" he asked, his great, big stupid face completely unabashed.

Greenpaw felt hot anger prickle over her skin. Her ears began to burn, and her fur bristled. She darted out of the apprentice den, loping around the camp, looking for Sunpaw. As if Sunpaw would be at all interested in him!

She finally spotted Sunpaw sharing tongues with her mentor, Shellstream, outside of the warrior's den. Greenpaw didn't process what an honor it was for Sunpaw to be invited onto the warrior's side of the camp, completely blinded by her fury.

Greenpaw skidded next to her friend, claws digging into the ground to hold herself down. She was panting, slightly, between the quick sprint over, her empty belly and the anger still burning through her veins. She was unable to get words out.

Shellstream instantly looked very alarmed, her hackles rising. "Greenpaw," she mewed quickly, guarded. "What is it?"

Sunpaw's sunny yellow eyes peered up to Greenpaw's shaken state, and Greenpaw could sense the unease wafting from her.

"It's –" Greenpaw coughed, the night air suddenly seeming smothering. "It's…Sharkpaw. Sunpaw, you don't like the great big ugly brute, do you?"

Sunpaw looked utterly confused, and Shellstorm bewildered. "Sharkpaw?"

"Sharkpaw." Greenpaw repeated, finally catching her breath. She dropped down to the lightly sanded ground beneath her without invitation. "Sharkpaw. You don't like him, right?"

Shellstream's hackles instantly dropped. "Oh, dear."

"Sharkpaw." Sunpaw's mew sounded doubtful. "What's all this about Sharkpaw? What should it matter what I think of him?"

Greenpaw was coming to realize exactly how crazy she must have just seemed. For one, her irate jealousy seemed very misplaced, at Sunpaw's objection. And secondly, Shellstream and Greenpaw had shared lovely words as Sunpaw's mentor shared about being separated from her sister, Stormrush, an exotic looking blue and cream tortoiseshell. They had been separated for so many seasons before being reunited in SaltClan that they had almost forgotten what each other looked like, smelled like. Coming to SaltClan reuinited the little family.

Now, Shellstream was gazing at Greenpaw with something of disbelief and amusemengt in her eyes. 'Oh, dear' was right.

So after embarrassing herself in front of Sunpaw, Shellstream, and Froglegs, a black-and-brown tabby tom with simple green eyes, and Sandflame, a striking ginger-and-brown tortoiseshell she-cat, who had both been inside the warrior's den at the time of Greenpaw's rapid approach, Greenpaw was still unsuccessful with getting to know Sharkpaw.

But she figured she would definitely have to get to know him sooner than later, anyway. The two were sharing sleeping quarters, and Greenpaw had seen Seaheart and Hollowclaw, Sharkpaw's mentor, sharing words more and more often now. She was more than likely to train with him sooner than later. She could make it up later.

And now, Greenpaw only had a few cats left on her list. She wanted to share tongues with Pearlpelt. She was really looking forward to this – an old cat she may be, but after training with Seaheart for the past sunrises, she was excited to sit down with the old cat and hear her story. She also had to hunt down Riverpaw, which she had been sulking about ever since she was assigned this mission.

She was hidesouly aware of the intense jealousy she felt regarding Twilightstar taking Riverpaw as an apprentice instead of her. While she was very happy with Seaheart as her mentor, and had been feeling a little let down by her leader's abrasive and growingly secretive and detached behavior, she was still hoping Twilightstar would remember the adventure they had had when the Nighttime cats first approached the island. But lo and behold, Greenpaw was sent to the nursery and Riverpaw got her as a mentor.

And last but not least, Greenpaw had Coralclaw to speak with. She did a quick calculation of unwillingness in her head, and decided to talk to Coralclaw first, Riverpaw next, and Pearlpelt last. She would save the most unappetizing conversation for first, and then have a buffer with Riverpaw before ending on a good note with Pearlpelt.

But now that she was here, hiding behind the nursery so she could chalk up the nerve to apologize to Coralclaw without Seaheart wondering why she hadn't already. It really was a drag, Greenpaw thought to herself, pitying her situation. Coralclaw was not going to be a quick fix.

Greenpaw jumped high, startled, as a flurry ball of sandy-colored and ginger fluff pummeled into her. "Greenpaw!" a high-pitched mew – more like a squeak – exclaimed.

Greenpaw settled as she realized it was only Rosekit. She was still a tiny young thing, her kitten fluff soft. She had recently found her vocals, well before her adoptive brother had. "Rosekit," Greenpaw purred, licking the kit between her ears a few times like Greenpaw's mam had to done to her so many times before her early passing. "Where's Beachflower?"

Rosekit opened her mouth to answer, but an anxious yowl answered Greenpaw's question. "Rosekit!" Beachflower exited the nursery in a hurry, her fur bristling. Bluekit followed behind carefully. He was still rather weak on his paws.

Rosekit huffed as Greenpaw called her mam over. Beachflower turned in a hurry behind the nursery and scolded her young daughter. "Rosekit," she scolded. "You know much better than to wander out of the nursery without me!"

"I could smell Greenpaw," Rosekit mewed proudly, sticking her fluffy chest out. "I only wanted to say hi, mam!"

Beachflower shook her head, exasperated. "You'll keep me young and give me gray fur, all at the same time, little one."

"But that is an impressive nose!" Greenpaw added, licking Rosekit's head again as Rosekit's kit-blue eyes shone with pride. Greenpaw could relate to the young kit so well. "Even through the nursery bracken and all of the sea lavender?"

Rosekit wrinkled her nose. "The sea lavender is so annoying. I don't understand why Pearlpelt makes such a big stink about it."

"Rosekit," Beachflower scolded again. "Pearlpelt is your elder! And your medicine cat. You should respect her!"

Greenpaw couldn't help but feel a hint of warm pride in her belly. Rosekit reminded Greenpaw so much of herself. She did some quick math, and suddenly sent a hope up to StarClan: perhaps she could become Rosekit's mentor, when the time came!

"And besides the smell, Coralclaw is an old grump. She never lets us near Shrimpkit, not even for a little sniff!" Rosekit complained, scrunching up her nose. Greenpaw was suddenly very happy Rosekit had gained use of her voice.

Beachflower sighed, shaking her head. "Come, Rosekit. We need to get some herb's for your brother's stomach ache."

Rosekit rolled her eyes, giving Greenpaw one more admiring stare. "You'll come see us soon, Greenpaw? And tell us more stories?"

"I will," Greenpaw promised, purring. "I'll tell you all about how I tackled Seaheart!"

The story would be amended, of course – it was actually Seaheart who tackled her. But what the kits didn't know wouldn't hurt them. She watched Rosekit bounce after her mam, shooting off a string of questions like Greenpaw had once done, only a short while ago. But Seaheart was fast curbing and channeling her curiosity in other, more productive directions. Greenpaw was much more relaxed than she used to be.

Greenpaw realized that with Beachflower and the kits gone, there would be a perfect opportunity to speak with Coralclaw. Her nostalgic mind was soon heavily laced with dread once more. She sighed. It was well past sun-high, but the sun still shined with a nice heat, a pleasant breeze sweeping through the hollow via the cracks of the Dune bushes that encased them. It was now or never, Greenpaw decided. Suck it up now, or forget about it forever.

Greenpaw sighed. She padded slowly to the entrance of the nursery, took a deep breath, and ducked into the dark, milky atmosphere of the nursery.

Whisker Sage: Thank you so much for all of your reviews! :) I already can't wait for Book 2 ;)