Chapter 2

Starrykit's heart beat faster than ever. It was three moons later, and she was next to be apprenticed and assigned a mentor. Everyone was calling out Squirrelpaw's name as she joined her mentor Dustpelt beside Leafpaw and her mentor Cinderpelt. Leafpaw was taking the path of a medicine cat.

Firestar lifted his head higher to silence the crowd. "Last but not least: Starrykit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be called Starrypaw. Your mentor will be Graystripe. I trust he will pass down all he knows to you."

Graystripe stepped forwards, and Starrypaw struggled to stay calm. Her mentor was the deputy!

"Graystripe, you have proven to be loyal and courageous. Starrypaw will be your apprentice, and I expect you to pass all you know to her."

Starrypaw took a deep breath and stepped up to the gray tabby. He looked down on her with pride, and when they touched noses, a shiver went down her spine. Not because she was cold, but because Starrypaw was thinking of all the great things to come.

Everyone chanted her name as she sat by Graystripe and the other new apprentices and their mentors. Many other cats trotted up to congratulate everyone.

"You know, Starrypaw, if you become a clan leader, your name would be Starrystar," Cloudtail said as he greeted them all.

Starrypaw rolled her eyes but smiled. Cloudtail would never really grow up. His daughter, Whitepaw, trotted over followed by her mentor Brackenfur.

"I'm so glad you're all apprentices now too!" she said.

The three youngest warriors, Sorreltail, Rainwhisker, and Sootfur came over as well. Starrypaw sat with pride and joy, and she found herself wishing it was bedtime so it would be the next day.

That night, Starrypaw couldn't sleep. It wasn't because she was in a new den, but she just couldn't stop thinking about the next day when they'd all began training.

She tossed and turned, until finally she opened her eyes. With a gasp of surprise she shot up. Squirrelpaw, Shrewpaw, Whitepaw, and Spiderpaw were all gone. I must have slept for real! she thought as she bolted out of the apprentice's den.

But when she emerged, the camp was entirely empty, enveloped in darkness. The only source of light was Silverpelt shining dimly above. Starrypaw flattened her ears against her head and flicked her tail anxiously.

Suddenly, the camp rushed away, and in it's place was a row of twoleg nests. A dense fog surrounded her. The fur on Starrypaw's neck rose as she heard the sound she hadn't heard since her dream when she was a kit. The horrible wailing of a cat echoed across the empty nests.

"Where are you?!" Starrypaw yelled out into the mist. "WHO are you!?"

"Starrypaw!"

Starrypaw shot up to see the apprentices den full again. Standing over her was Squirrelpaw, and she looked angry.

"I've told you a million times that no one can sleep with you yowling like a twoleg! We have a long day tomorrow so be quiet!" Squirrelpaw curled up angrily across the den from Starrypaw.

Starrypaw stood and stretched long, her fur finally beginning to flatten. Why had she had another strange dream again? Trying to put it out of her mind, she curled up tight in her bedding and drifted off to an undisturbed sleep.

"Of course, it's instinct to crouch and creep up when you hunt, but there's specific crouches and such for specific animals," Graystripe explained.

Starrypaw nodded in understanding. They were in the training hollow, and Graystripe was showing her hunting skills for the first time. She'd not been able to contain her excitement earlier that morning, and she had pretty much pranced the whole way there. It was disrespectful, she'd realized, but luckily Graystripe was softer than some other warriors.

Graystripe showed her the positions for hunting mice, birds, and voles. All of them were different because each animal had its own defenses. Finally, he gave her chances to try it for practice, and then, they looked for animals to try for real.

"What can you smell?" he asked her as they trotted through a wooded area.

Starrypaw raised her nose. A faint smell of rain was on the air.

"Rain coming later," she replied promptly.

Graystripe nodded. "Right, and anything else?"

Starrypaw gasped. "Mouse!" she exclaimed quietly.

"Yes. Wanna try for it?"

Starrypaw remembered the crouch for hunting mice, keeping her pawsteps light so it couldn't feel her vibrations through the ground. She spotted the mouse ahead, scuffling through the underbrush, and she crept closer and closer.

Finally, she got close enough to pounce, and leaping upwards, Starrypaw swatted the mouse towards her. Upon landing, she killed it in a quick bite.

"Well done!" Graystripe padded up behind her and gave her a praisful swipe with his tail. "There you go. Your first prey. Wanna take it to the elders?"

Starrypaw nodded and carried her mouse proudly to the camp. Graystripe stayed close behind. When she entered the gorse tunnel, she saw Squirrelpaw eating with Whitepaw. Starrypaw purposely passed Squirrelpaw to show that she'd caught something before bringing her kill to the elders.

After she'd eaten, Starrypaw shared tongues with Shrewpaw, and he praised her for her first kill.

Suddenly, Squirrelpaw came trotting up.

"Yeah, nice catch, Starrypaw. Even though it was pretty small. I wish you could've seen mine," she said as she passed them.

"Ignore her," Shrewpaw said, "you did great." He gave her a reassuring lick behind her ear.

Starrypaw licked him back to show she agreed, but she still couldn't help wondering what it was that Squirrelpaw had against her.

"Okay," Graystripe began, "for the evening patrol I want Sorreltail, Brambleclaw, and one apprentice."

Starrypaw was sitting in the entrance into the apprentice's den and stiffened as Graystripe looked up at the setting sun to think.

"Spiderpaw."

Starrypaw sighed, but then plucked up courage when she thought about her first prey. Her courage dissipated though as soon as she heard her sister's voice.

"Why would you have been chosen?" Squirrelpaw hissed in Starrypaw's ear as she passed her into the den.

Starrypaw felt the need to spit back a rude remark. It wasn't like Squirrelpaw had been chosen either. However, she was an apprentice now, and even if Squirrelpaw chose not to act like one, Starrypaw would.

She decided to go see how it was going with her other sister, and she trotted to Cinderpelt's den. When she passed through the gap in the rock, she could see Whitepaw lying splayed out while Cinderpelt showed Leafpaw what to do to help.

"Hello, Starrypaw," Cinderpelt greeted without looking up. "Something bothering you?"

Starrypaw hesitated. She badly wanted to say Squirrelpaw, but she wasn't there to pour out all her troubles.

"No," she finally replied. "I just wanted to see how you were getting along, Leafpaw. What happened to Whitepaw?"

"It's nothing really. I just cut one of my pads on a rock during our hunting patrol. Brackenfur's the one that wanted me to come get it patched up," Whitepaw explained.

"Yes well we don't want you bleeding out in the apprentice's den, although that's unlikely," Cinderpelt said as she gathered some cobwebs. "It's good training for Leafpaw though."

Leafpaw watched intently, and only flicked her tail every once in a while to show she was listening.

"Well, see you in the den, Whitepaw, and see you other two tomorrow." Starrypaw padded back to the apprentice's den grateful to see that Squirrelpaw was already curled up.

She kneaded her bedding until it was comfortable and then splayed out across it, but as soon as she closed her eyes she heard it again. The upset cat was wailing except this time, it was much louder, and the cat's scent was nearby. When Starrypaw opened her eyes again, she was no longer comfortably laid out in the den, but now she was standing on the edge of a twoleg fence, looking down into a yard. The moonlight shone down onto the soft grass, and the air was eerily still.

"Hello?" Starrypaw leapt down into the yard lightly, desperate to find the cat that was seemingly in horrible grief.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a blinding light errupted out. Starrypaw ducked behind a bush, and squinted to make out a figure emerging from the twoleg nest. She gasped when she could tell it was a cat.

Starrypaw began to creep out, wondering if she should go up to it. Suddenly, she felt something pounce onto her back, and she struggled to get free.

"Wake up you noisy kit!"

Starrypaw pushed up, and realized she was back in the den again. All the other apprentices were awake and staring at her. Standing behind her was Squirrelpaw. She looked angry yet again.

"I have half a mind to make you sleep outside!" she spat.

"Squirrelpaw! Cut it out!" Shrewpaw said. "Are you okay, Starrypaw?"

Starrypaw shifted her paws uncomfortably. She didn't want to tell anyone about the dreams before she spoke to Cinderpelt.

"Yes just...a bad dream.."

"What? Did you dream you actually slept quietly for once? StarClan forbid that ever happens!" Squirrelpaw said hotly.

Starrypaw stood and shook. "I'm going to get a drink."

She could hear the other apprentices telling Squirrelpaw off as she exited the den and headed for the stream close to camp. The sky held a little over half-moon, and Silverpelt shone dimly behind thin clouds that drifted slowly, reminding her of her dream the night before. The air was still and thick. It was still nearing mid greenleaf, which meant lots of heat, and less water, but luckily, the dry point of the season hadn't arrived yet.

After taking a few laps of water, Starrypaw jumped at a voice behind her.

"Starrypaw? What are you doing awake?"

She turned around to see Cinderpelt limping towards her. Her eyes were slightly shadowed with worry. Starrypaw padded up to her.

"I was just getting a drink."

"Everything okay?"

Starrypaw took a deep breath. "Actually, not really."

She explained her dreams and about the familiar scent of the wailing cat.

"Do you understand it?" she asked once she'd finished.

Cinderpelt stared up at the sky where clouds were forming more thickly now. Finally, she met Starrypaw's gaze, and Starrypaw thought she saw a flash of sorrow cross her eyes before returning to her wise, peacful look.

"I don't, but I believe I understand why you have had them. Even so, I don't think I can explain it to you. Not yet."

Starrypaw felt her spirits drop, but she knew that Cinderpelt knew what she was doing. She was their wise medicine cat, and she was guided by StarClan.

"Well, thankyou, Cinderpelt. Goodnight." Starrypaw dipped her head and then trotted lightly back to the den.

Bright flashes of lighting followed by rumbles of thunder only made her drift into sleep much more ominous as Starrypaw replayed the sound of the cat over and over in her head. Why couldn't she know the meaning of these horrible dreams?