My Kits, Now Apprentices

The Moss Rock was slick with ice, and harder to climb than usual, but despite her protesting bones Patchstar made the climb anyway. This was a special ceremony; her kits were about to be apprenticed! She wanted everything to be perfect.

Her kits, groomed and eager, waited patiently in the Nursery for her to make the announcement. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Moss Rock for a Clan meeting!"

Her six kits nearly tumbled over each other getting to the front of the group of cats who were slowly making their way from their warm nests and pockets of sunlight to the chilly camp air to gather in front of the Moss Rock.



"Today, we gain six new apprentices to the Clan." Patchstar announced, her own excitement rivaled that of her kits'. "Horsekit, Scratchkit, Frogkit, Scorpionkit, Creamkit and Whitekit, you have all reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you all to be apprenticed." She smiled at her kin.

"Creamkit," she called one of her daughters up first, who took a step forward delicately, though Patchstar could tell she was shaking with nervousness. "Creamkit, From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Creampaw. Your mentor will be Bravenight. I hope he will pass down all he knows on to you."

The tortoiseshell leader scanned over the crowd of gathered cats, until she saw the stunned-looking tom near the Nursery entrance.

"Bravenight," she addressed the tuxedo tom, "you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Mudcloud, and you have shown yourself to be loyal and hardworking. You will be the mentor of Creampaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

The newest mentor moved through the crowd to meet up with Creampaw, who stretched out her neck, ready to touch noses with her new training companion. Bravenight seemed a little lost until Creampaw whispered something under her breath, and the connection between noses was made. The Clan began to hail Creampaw by her new name, chanting it over and over again.

"Creampaw! Creampaw!"

The MoonClan leader waited patiently for the cheering to die down before calling on another of her kits.

"Scorpionkit," it was his turn, and he puffed out his chest proudly as he waited for his mother to continue. "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Scorpionpaw. Your mentor will be Screechstorm."

Mentor and apprentice touched noses as the Clan hailed Scorpionpaw's new name.

"Horsekit, step forward." Her son did as he was told, his brown fur shining copper in the unusually sunny day. His eyes were just as bright. "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Horsepaw. Your mentor will be Shimmerpelt. I hope she will pass down all she knows on to you."

"Horsepaw, Horsepaw!" The MoonClanners chanted.

Patchstar looked at her next kit. "Whitekit, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Whitepaw. Your mentor will be Shadewhisker, and I know she will pass on a great deal of knowledge to you."

Her white-furred son politely touched his nose to Shadewhisker's, if only for a brief moment, as the Clan chanted his name.

"Frogkit, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Frogpaw. Your mentor will be Jadesnow. Jadesnow, you are ready to take on an apprentice--I hope you pass all your training you received from Blazewhisker to Frogpaw."

Her second daughter squealed excitedly as she touched noses to her new mentor--Frogpaw had told Patchstar specifically how much she wanted Jadesnow as a mentor. "Frogpaw, Frogpaw!" her clanmates chanted.

Last but not least, Patchstar turned her gaze to her last son. "Scratchkit," her voice was full of love. "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Scratchpaw. Your mentor will be Waterfall." She turned to look at the beautiful she-cat. "You've proven yourself ready for an apprentice," Patchstar addressed Waterfall. "It is my hope that you will pass on all you learned from Jayspirit to Scratchpaw."

"Scratchpaw, Scratchpaw!"

With that, the ceremony was concluded, and Patchstar carefully climbed down off the icy Moss Rock. She smiled at her kits, who were all either chatting excitedly with their new mentors or with each other. The old leader looked up towards the gray sky through the barren trees, wondering if Dave was watching.

Are you watching, Dave? Look at how big our kits have gotten. The tortoiseshell purred to herself, though alone, she was not lonely. She felt Dave's presence beside her, and that of Fallenwish as well--she, however, did not feel Swiftfeather, Cloudstep or...Risingmoon.

Having been accustomed to the feeling of her departed family beside her, the emptiness was definitely unsettling.