1 moon later

My tail quivered with anticipation as Darkstar called me forward.

"Dawnkit, you have grown to be the largest kit we have ever seen in the clan at five moons old. From this day forward until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Dawnpaw. I expect great things out of you, especially since,"

I gritted my teeth. Who would be my mentor? The question shot through my head like a lightning bolt, spreading like a fire burning down a dry forest.

"I will be your mentor." Darkstar meowed leaping from the high rock.

His huge muscles rippled under his pelt as he bent down to touch noses with me.

Flamekit and Ashkit screeched in jealousy as the camp chanted my name.

"What about Flamekit and Ashkit?" I meowed.

"Their time has not yet come to begin training. Let's go."

I followed him out of the camp, my heart pounding.

I flew to the ground, sliding in the dirt as Darkstar rammed into my side.

I leaped to my paws spreading my legs out in a sturdy stance. I gritted my teeth as I examined my mentor's every move.

Darkstar was a fast cat. Speed was his advantage. Not only that, he was larger than me. I had no chance in this battle. Knowing this, just made me feel stronger. Urging me to fight on. I would win. To me, that was a fact.

"Use your surroundings, you should know this already." I lifted my ears slightly surprised.

What did he mean, 'you should already know this?'

I flattened my ears again, claws slipping out of their sockets.

I darted forward, zigzagging left to right in an attempt to throw off Darkstar's focus. I leaped at a tree, my claws skimming its rugged surface as I pushed off the trunk.

I was going fast, probably the fastest i've ever gone. With a large yowl of triumph I leaped.

Darkstar shifted to the side easily and wrapped his jaws around my left hind leg. He jerked to the side, easily tossing me towards a tree.

In mid air, I flipped jolting to the side. I slid backwards, landing on my paws perfectly.

That was something I picked up from some of my clan mates. Quite a usefull move if you fall out of trees, I just slightly adjusted its use.

Darkstar looked impressed he was sitting down, tail tip twitching up and down.

I bolted, leaping once, but keeping low and lifting my hind legs.

Darkstar shifted to his paws, leaning forward so he was balanced on his forepaws, and kicked out hitting me right in the nose with his hind paws.

I flew back sliding on my side.

I rubbed my nose and a small amount of blood was smeared against my black paw.

"Your persistence is tiring. Keep that up and you'll kill yourself." Darkstar meowed sitting back down.

"I'm willing to do what's necessary for my clan, isn't that what makes a good warrior?" I hissed.

Darkstar chuckled,"A good warrior fights, but not to the point of death. Yes, you are suppose to be prepared to die for your clan. How long do you think it would take for the clan to die out if every time we got in a fight over borders we fought to the death?"

I flattened my ears gritting my teeth,"So if a battle gets tough, you're telling me to just retreat like a coward?"

Darkstar shook his head with a sigh,"Dawnpaw, if you are about to die in battle, and you've fought as hard as you can for your clan, then yes, run. If you are about to die in battle period, run. I can't ask you to give up your life for your clan unless absolutely necessary. If you were to die in battle, it would do the clan more harm than good if you died in battle."

I nodded,"Okay, whatever. Teach me how to be a warrior. Isn't that a mentor's job?"

Darkstar sighed and then in a shocking moment, suddenly rammed into me sending me toppling. He then placed his huge paw over my chest.

"My job is to teach you, yes, but it is also my job to be your leader. If you want me to be your mentor, then you need to shut your muzzle and stop talking back. Or else your mentor will tell your leader. Understand?" Darkstar hissed right in front of my face.

I nodded and he slipped off of me. I shifted to my paws, my gaze meeting Darkstar's.

"That move you used when i threw you by your hind leg, when did you learn it?" Darkstar meowed swaying his tail side to side.

I shifted to a sitting position, thinking for a moment."When Featherclaw was mentoring Owlpaw. She taught him that move in front of the nursery." I explained looking the other way with a flick of my ear.

"Owlpaw?" Darkstar tilted his head,"Owlpaw is seven moons into training, and still hasn't been able to successfully accomplish that battle move. Yet, an apprentice just starting to train can? Im impressed. Although, disappointed that a kit with that skill level won't even try to use all her skills she learned from all those other clans." Darkstar lifted his paw, slipping the white claws out of their sockets and examining them intently.

My jaw dropped,"H-how did you-"

"I'm the leader of over fifty cats. I know how to keep an eye open while I sleep." He interrupted.

I flattened my ears closing my jaw. He'd known all along, and did nothing!

Darkstar slid his claws back in their sockets and placed his paw back down, giving me an icy glare.

"I can still teach you, you know. Just because you know battle moves from many clans, you still have things to learn."

I shifted to my paws,"then teach me." I meowed crouching down.

Darkstar looked at me with an odd admiration sparking in his dark green eyes.

"I want to show you the territory first. Then we will move into some Skyclan hunting techniques. If we have time, i'll teach you some battle moves."

I raised my head flattening my ears."Fine. Can we go to the lake?" I asked.

Darkstar didn't answer, he just took the lead.

I followed him through the thick forest. A tree branch slammed into my face, making my dry bloody nose sting.

By the time it was sunhigh, we had finally gotten to the border with Nightclan.

Darkstar nostrils flared followed by a lash of his tail.

I parted my jaw, tasting the air. The strong scent of Nightclan cats made me cough in disgust. I looked out from the thick undergrowth to see clear hills stretching out till thick pine trees speckled a ways back. Five figures were making their way up the tall hill.

I lifted my ears, slightly excited.

"Stay behind me and keep your mouth shut. Do you understand?" Darkstat hissed under his breath as his head whipped to look at me. His dead serious eyes seemed to blaze into my soul.

I nodded, not wanting to talk as he took a step in front of me.

I stiffened my legs standing straight trying to see the five approaching cats.

The leading one was a black she cat with a series of scars spotting her face and bright green eyes with a black nose. Two cats flanked her side, the one on the right was an orange she cat with multiple scars but one in particular crossed over her neck nastily leading on to her leg and ending on her paw. The one on her left was a gray tom with darker tabby stripes and ice blue eyes. One of the cats was smaller, obviously an apprentice. He was brown with a large scar on his flank. The last cat was a dark gray she cat with a black underbelly and forepaws. She looked like she was thirsty for battle.

"Darkstar! Brother! What a pleasant surprise." The leading she cat meowed joyfully.

I tilted my head in shock. Brother?

"Hollystar. I see you have some new battle scars." Darkstar muttered seeming annoyed.

"And who is this? An apprentice I presume? She is quite a large one. Six moons into training?" Hollystar asked ignoring Darkstar's retort.

I was slightly shocked, but then I realized how big I must seem. I was quite a large cat, even at five moons old.

"Actually, she just started training today." Darkstar flicked his ear, staring at the she cat.

"I knew it. She looks like a soft kittypet!" The apprentice hissed.

The dark grey she cat slammed her paw across the apprentices nose, giving him a cold stare with a curled lip and the apprentice instantly flattened his ears shutting up.

I curled my lip,"I would tear your pelt off you flea bitten mouse brain!" I hissed.

Darkstar whipped around his cruel forest green eyes and his curled lip an obvious warning to shut up or he'd rip my ears off.

I gritted my teeth and me and the apprentice glared at each other furiously.

"if this is her first day of training, how does she have that scar along her side?" Hollystar meowed glaring at Darkstar with interest.

"That doesn't matter. What do you want?" Darkstar growled.

I noticed his spine fur was sticking up on end and his tail was lashing side to side as if he was prepared to fight.

I slid my claws out. Just to be prepared.

"Nothing. Is it so wrong for me to patrol my own territory?" Hollystar hissed lifting up her paw and sliding out her claws.

She licked her paw, her pupils narrowing down to tiny slits.

Darkstar lifted his paw beside his massive head, unsheathing his white claws. They glinted like thorns as the sunlight trickled through the thick trees behind them.

"I won't hesitate to use these if you even think about calling your second patrol. Did you think I wouldn't scent their presence?" Darkstar snarled.

Hollystar tilted her head,"Do you take me for a fool? We grew up together. Of course I knew you'd scent them. And you should know me." Hollystar meowed, her patrol didn't seem worried, or even ready to fight.

I flicked my ear, listening closely.

Darkstar slightly chuckled,"Well, good luck fighting Riverclan."

Hollystar gave a slight smile,"Why thank you! If you'd like to join us, you're welcomed to." She teased.

Darkstar slightly smiled as well,"I'd rather keep peace with Riverclan as long as I can."

"Well, that's too bad, your apprentice looks like she's itching to join us."

She was right. I wanted to fight. I wanted to rake my claws down flesh.

"All apprentices want to fight, it's in their blood the moment they set paw out of camp." Darkstar meowed giving me a side glance.

As we headed down the border, I heard the roaring of water and spotted the river that signaled the border between Riverclan and Skyclan.

"I want to teach you how to fish-" I leaped over Darkstar, plunging into the water, dipping my jaws into the shallow part and clenched my jaw on something slimy. I flew my head back releasing the slimy scales and heard a slap on the shore. I leaped around and pushed off the pebbly water landing on the shore behind a flopping fat fish.

I licked my whiskers collecting the water drops.

Darkstar looked slightly surprised, his paw was still in mid air as if he was going to take a step before I leaped over him.

"Impressive." he meowed as the water slipped from my fur.

"Riverclan was my favorite clan to train in." I meowed.

Darkstar nodded.

"Do I even need to teach you anything?" he asked tilting his head.

"I have no idea how to catch birds. They are way too fast. How do you do it? If you make one wrong move they fly away."

Darkstar laughed."You can do everything else, except catch birds? The one thing your clan is specialized in catching."

I flattened my ears,"It's the one clan I haven't trained in." I snapped.

Darkstar flicked his tail as we continued walking. I picked up the fish holding it in my jaws.

We came up to the border with Stormclan. There was honestly not much change between the territories. RIght now, me and Darkstar were just exploring the borders, but Skyclan territory had everything a clan would need. It was a large territory, and even had a tiny lake. We had thick undergrowth in some places, and others were clear fields. Stormclan had thick undergrowth, a couple of small rivers here and there, nothing much honestly. Both the territories have caves.

The big difference between Stormclan and Skyclan are the skills we have. Skyclan is the best, in my opinion, because we have skills in all kinds of areas, since our territory has so many of them.

We are the largest clan, do to the fact we have the largest territory. Before, we were the weakest clan, tossed out of our territory. But when the clans moved, Skyclan joined them, with only seven cats.

Now, we have over fifty and are the most successful clan in the history. All the other clans changed their names, wanting to start over. Skyclan didn't change their names for some reason.

Although we still had all the main clans, their names just changed, we had two new clans. Moonclan and Mountainclan. They live a ways away, taking the mountains for their territory.

I looked over to see Darkstar, starting to run as we came up to a fallen tree. He leaped onto the tree, and leaped again when he landed.

I tilted my head slightly and leaped onto the tree, but nearly fell off as I flinched back with fear.

My paws shuffled backwards as some dead bark chipped off, falling down into the huge ravine that lay before me.

I felt my fur bristling as I looked down, hearing the clattering of bark hitting the unscene ground many heart beats after it vanished.

I wanted to go around the ravine, but it went on into Skyclan territory as far as the eye could see. I looked over at Stormclan territory, same thing.

"You have to jump. There is only one way to avoid the ravine, and it's the camp entrance." Darkstar's yowl from the other side echoed against the ravine.

"Are you serious? Do you make all apprentices do this on their first day? What happens if they fall?" I screeched in terror, imagining a small, un trained apprentice slip and fall to their death.

"They die." Darkstar meowed, and sat down, licking his paw as if he didn't care.

I jerked back in disgust,"And you don't care? You let them jump and possibly die?"

"It's only happened once. And if you don't make it, you won't survive training. Leaping through trees is dangerous." Darkstar meowed as he lifted his tail and started grooming it.

I felt my tail fluffing up more than usual. I was… unsure what to do."

"Sc-?"

I leaped.