CHAPTER SIX

Morning sunlight filtered through the nursery's entrance. Flamekit blinked open his eyes before stifling a yawn. Beside him he could feel Lilykit squirming as their mother groomed her. Today was their all important apprentice ceremony. Excitement coursed through Flamekit as he thought of who his mentor would be. There were so many choices to choose from. Stormshadow was brave and loyal to the Clan, but Shademask was one of the best fighters in the Clan.

Maybe Petalstar would let the kits choose who their mentors would be. Flamekit doubted that was the case, but he could always hope. His claws sheathed and unsheathed as he studied the nest that Roseclaw had built for her kits. She was always trying to find new nesting material to keep them warm from the biting cold that leafbare provided.

Flamekit had never minded the cold – he always told himself that enduring the cold was the warrior's way. Besides, he wasn't in any mood to listen to his mother fuss over the fact that he was letting himself get too cold. She fussed over Shrewkit and Lilykit enough times for him to know that was the last thing he wanted.

"Flamekit, you're tearing up your nest," Roseclaw meowed after Lilykit managed to get away.

"I just wanna get this day started!" Flamekit muttered.

His ears flattened in annoyance when Roseclaw grabbed him by the scruff. She refused to let her kits be seen without getting a proper grooming. The last thing Flamekit wanted was to make his pelt looked clean, but Roseclaw's grip was strong. Beside him Shrewkit was stifling his laughter while Lilykit watched in amusement. They were fully aware of Flamekit's annoyance towards being fussed over by their mother. But Roseclaw had none of that behavior. She was going to fuss over them whether they wanted it or not.

"There we go," Roseclaw purred once she was finished. Flamekit groaned in annoyance before bounding away from his mother. Roseclaw's eyes narrowed into tiny slits when she watched him. "Come on now, we should-"

She was cut off by Petalstar's gathering call.

"Let all cats old enough gather around the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Flamekit's ears pricked forward when he heard those words. Excitement suddenly coursed through him as he bounded out of the nursery's entrance, nearly pushing Lilykit out of the way. "Three kits have reached their sixth moon, and they are ready to become apprentices." Petalstar paused as the three of them stumbled towards the clearing. "Come forward you three."

Her tail waved towards the three of them.

Flamekit exchanged a look with his littermates. This was their chance to prove themselves once and for all. His tail waved in the air as he stepped forward, careful not to trip as he did so. Oakfire watched them proudly from within the gathered crowd. Flamekit lifted his chin and tried to look his best in front of his father. He knew this was a big day for any kit. But to him, it was the best day he could possibly think of, other than becoming a warrior.

I want to make you proud, he thought after catching his father's eyes. StarClan, he wanted to make the whole Clan proud of what he was capable of! He planned on doing just that when he finally became a warrior that the Clan could depend on.

"By naming apprentices we show that our Clan will remain strong. Lilykit, until you have received your warrior name, you will be known as Lilypaw. Stormshadow, you are ready for an apprentice. You have trained Foxfur into a warrior we are proud of, and I expect you to do the same with Lilypaw."

Lilypaw's eyes widened when she touched noses with her new mentor. Jealousy coursed through Flamekit as he watched. That left him with Shademask, one of the stronger of the two cats he'd wanted as a mentor. He tried not to show the annoyance within his eyes when Petalstar continued.

"Shrewkit, until you have received your warrior name you will be known as Shrewpaw. Shademask, you are ready for your first apprentice. You have already proven yourself time and time again by defending our borders. I expect you to pass on what you have learned to Shrewpaw."

Shrewpaw's tail flicked with happiness when he touched noses with the younger warrior. Flamekit glared after his brother as he was led back into the crowd. He was already annoyed enough that Lilypaw had gotten such a good mentor. But Shrewpaw had taken the one mentor that he really wanted for himself!

"Flamekit, until you have received your warrior name you will be known as Flamepaw. Robinwing, you have not yet received an apprentice. You are a strong and able-bodied warrior, and I expect you to pass on what you know to Flamepaw."

Flamepaw's eyes widened in disbelief as he touched noses with the brown and white tabby.

Of all the cats to be paired up with! Flamepaw's ears burned with embarrassment when Robinwing led him back to the gathered crowd. Shrewpaw shot him an odd look before grinning back at Lilypaw, whose tail flicked in contentment.

"I would also like to announce that Stormshadow's patrol has spotted rogues lurking near the border's edge this morning," Petalstar added when the Clan settled down. "No apprentice is to go out into the forest on their own until we understand the situation."

Petalstar dropped the meeting with those final words. Flamepaw's tail lashed from side to side when he was left in the clearing with Robinwing. The brown and white tabby looked at him uncomfortably. He seemed to notice the tension rising between them. Flamepaw tried to hide the fact that he was annoyed with Petalstar's choice in mentors. He knew it wasn't entirely Robinwing's fault that they had been placed in this predicament. He just wished that they had been given a choice to choose which mentor they wanted.

That would have made our lives a lot easier, he thought bitterly.

"Why don't we begin training by exploring the territory," Robinwing suggested after fighting back a cough.

Flamepaw rolled his eyes and rose to his paws. At least they would be doing something useful. Despite his distaste for his mentor, Flamepaw knew that they needed to get started now. Flamepaw padded after Robinwing as the older cat led him through the thorn tunnel entrance. It was his first time going through the thorn tunnel as an apprentice.

Ancient looking trees towered above Flamepaw's head when they reached the forest. Squirrels were just beginning to rise from their nests as warmer air began to take over. Newleaf was coming, but the snow had not yet melted. Patches of the white stuff still covered most of the ground.

"We're reaching the WindClan border," Robinwing warned Flamepaw. "Careful, they like to pick fights with those who get too close." Robinwing gave Flamepaw an odd look before they reached a clearing with groves of oak trees. Flamepaw could hear a stream running nearby. "WindClan patrol."

Robinwing's hiss caught Flamepaw off guard.

His claws unsheathed instinctively when he heard a twig snap. Robinwing's fur bristled slightly until a cat stepped forward. It was a lithe-shaped tortoiseshell and white she-cat with piercing green eyes. Beside her was a scrawny looking dark gray tom with amber eyes. His lips were drawn in a snarl when he spotted the ThunderClan cats. Unease swept through Flamepaw as he watched the patrol warily. He knew that they could have easily started a battle if they thought they were crossing the border. Luckily, it seemed as if Robinwing had the situation under control.

"Leafshine, how is the prey running in WindClan?" Robinwing asked in a formal voice.

The tortoiseshell's green eyes glowed with something other than hate. Flamepaw tilted his head in confusion when he noticed the odd exchange. Even the dark gray tom looked confused. Though he did his best to mask his confusion as he continued glaring in Flamepaw's direction.

"The prey keeps us fit," Leafshine replied with a dip of her head. "My sister's kit is going to have her apprentice ceremony tomorrow," she added with a small twitch of her ear.

"Is she now?" Robinwing sounded wistful as he listened to the news Leafshine had to share.

Flamepaw stared at her in disbelief. Why was she giving away information about another Clan? It sounded as though Leafshine was more than a friend to Robinwing. He could tell that the dark gray tom felt the same way.

"Don't we have more territory to explore?" Flamepaw demanded after glaring at Leafshine.

"Don't be rude," Robinwing muttered. "Enjoy training your apprentice, Leafshine," he added with a dip of his head.

The tortoiseshell dipped her own head in response before turning away with what Flamepaw guessed was her apprentice. His tail flicked in annoyance as he watched them disappear.

"What was that about?" he growled once they were gone.

"Leafshine, Larksong and I are kin," Robinwing explained with a shrug. Flamepaw gaped at the brown and white tabby before realizing that there had been similarities between Robinwing and Leafshine. They had the same muscle build and strong shoulders, and Leafshine even had faint tabby markings like Robinwing. "Our mother is from WindClan, and our father passed away before we were born."

That's why the Clan treats him differently! Flamepaw realized. He'd noticed the odds look cats gave him when they passed. Robinwing seemed to take it in stride every day. Flamepaw couldn't imagine what it would be like to have a father or mother from a different Clan.

"Come on, there is still much to see," the tabby meowed.

Flamepaw tried to shake off the uneasy feelings that churned in his stomach as Robinwing led him across the territory.

"Here you'll be doing most of your training," Robinwing told him when they reached a hollow in the ground.

Flamepaw's whiskers twitched with envy when he saw that Hazelpaw and Oakfire were already there. He wished that he could train alongside his father. Hazelpaw was the luckiest apprentice of them all. One day they would be fighting together. Then he could really prove to his father just how strong he really was.

"Robinwing, how is your first day as a mentor going?" Oakfire had suddenly shoved Hazelpaw aside, eliciting a huff of annoyance from the older apprentice.

Flamepaw simply grinned at her before looking back at his father.

"We need to keep going, there is still much to see," he replied with a dip of his head.

The ginger-brown warrior nodded and returned to training with Hazelpaw. Flamepaw glared after them before trotting after Robinwing. It didn't take long for what appeared to be an abandoned Twoleg nest to take Flamepaw's attention. His eyes narrowed into tiny slits when they reached the abandoned nest.

"This is where our medicine cat collects as much catmint as he can," Robinwing explained. "Twolegs used to grow it here before they abandoned the place. Now we find good use of the herbs."

Flamepaw remembered that more than once Dusknose had saved the Clan from greencough during the harshest parts of leafbare. A shudder coursed down his spine as he remembered watching sick cats come and go in Dusknose's den.

"What's that stench?" he asked when his nose wrinkled in disgust.

"That would be the ShadowClan border," his mentor replied with a snort of amusement. "They always make sure that their scent is strongest here. The clearing itself is the border."

The stench of ShadowClan made Flamepaw's nose wrinkle once again as he tried not to think about it. He gazed at the bushes and ferns that grew along the other side of the clearing. His eyes widened when the ferns began to shiver. A breeze had picked up, ruffling his fur. He shivered from the sudden rush of cold air that swept through him.

"We should go before we're spotted," Robinwing suddenly murmured. The apprentice couldn't help but nod in agreement. The shivers that swept down his spine didn't cease until they were far enough away from the clearing. His shoulders sagged in relief when the stench faded away as well. "Be thankful you didn't come across a border patrol," Robinwing sighed once they were far enough away. "ShadowClan has retained their reputation as the sneakiest cats in the forest."

More like downright terrifying, Flamepaw thought with a shudder. The last thing he wanted right now was an encounter with the ShadowClan warriors. But when he received the proper amount of training, he would ensure that the warriors stayed as far from the border as possible.