" Wingkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it's time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on untill you recive your warrior name, you will be known as Wingpaw. Your mentor will be Stripefoot. I hope Stripefoot will pass all he knows to you."

     Wingpaw's paws tingled with excitment. Dawnstar flicked his tail for Stripefoot to come forward.

     " Stripefoot, your are ready to take on an apprentice. You have recived excellent training from Stormtail, and you have shown yourself to be Swift and Loyal. You will be the mentor if Wingpaw, and I expect you to pass all you know to Wingpaw."

     Wingpaw felt he was gonna burst as he touched noses with Stripefoot.

     "Dustpaw, Russetpaw, Wingpaw!" The clan cheered. Wingpaw burst up and ran over to his mother and father. His mentor stepped forward with Cherrynose and Rockclaw, Russetpaw and Dustpaw's mentors.

     Wingkit shivered as Rockclaw glared at him. His attention turned when Mistpaw walked up to him.

     "Finally im not gonna be alone." She says as she purrs. " Congrats!" She says excitedly.

     It had been a moon since she was apprenticed. He nods and walk over to the apprentices den. She follows
Him.

     "I am the nest in the middle. So stay away." She says and purrs as she curls up in her nest. " I was on a patrol. Im tired. Wake me up when it's time to eat." She says as she turns over and goes asleep.

     He passed out of the den over to his mentor. His mentor turned his head and flicked his tail. Him and Wingpaw passed over to the gorse tunnel where his sister and brother and their mentors were at.

     He saw Rockclaw flex his claws. Mabey he is just.....excited? He asked himself. But the gleam in his eye told him otherwise. They ran together out of the tunnel through the territory.

They stop at a area with sand on it. "Thats the sandy hollow where we will be doing most of our training." Stripefoot said as he turned to pad on. Dutpaw stood up and followed his mentor, same with Russestpaw.

     He spotted Mistpaw padding up with her mentor Petalfur to train in the sandy hollow. He was going to mew a hello when he felt a tail test on him. He looked up to see Stripefoot.

     He turned around and followed them. They padded untill cherrynose stiffend. "Whats wrong Cherrynose?" Stripefoot asked.

     She flicked her tail for them to follow. She sniffed the ground as they followed. Rockclaw whisperd to dustpaw," are we dogs now?" And Dustpaw snickered.

     Wingkit rolled his eyes as they followed Cherrynose. She bolts through the under growth. Wingkit could hear mewling. He followed after Cherrynose.

     When he got through the undergrowth he could see Cherrynose and stripefoot near a kit.

     "Its a she-kit. Windclan I presume. It smells like it." Stripe foot signals for yhem to follow him back to camp. "We will have to look at the terrirory later." Stripefoot says.

     When they arrive at camp they tell Dawnstar what happend. Dawnstar talked to Stripefoot, Cherrynose, Rockclaw, and his deputy, Dovenose.

     "Ok its dicided. We will take the kit back. Hopefully they dont think we took the kit. Its a newborn, so I dont think it could of got out on its own." Dawnstar said. He stood at the top of the rock. Heathertail comes out with the kit in her jaws.

     She nods her head in greeting to Wingkit. Dawnstar sits down and opens his jaws to say something. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the highrock for a clan meeting." Cats started swarming around the rock as the leader continued speaking.

     "Our new apprentices and their mentors have found a kit on the edge of our terrirory." The clan gasped as he announced the news.

     "I will take a small group of cats to take with me to the windclan territory. I will take stripefoot, Dovenose, and Heathertail. We will head out now. Lets go." He said as he signalled for the cats to follow him.

     They gathered around the gorse tunnle and headed through. While no one was looking he headed out to. He jumped onto a tree and tried to climb. He hadnt learned yet, so it was hard.

    
     He tried his best to vlimb it and he made it. He sat there panting. He followed them among the tree tops. He followed untill they stoped. He vould smell a smell. Its probably the windclan sent.

     He watched them as they sat there. He heard a rustle as a group of cats arrived. The cats turned around and bristled as they saw the kit in Heathertail's jaws.

     He could see the group of cats talking to Dawnstar. After awhile the cats fur flattend and they took the kit from Heathertail. The cats nodded and stalked away.

     Dawnstar turned around and led his group of cats back. Wingpaw headed back to camp and came in through the dirtplace. Mistpaw was the first to see him back.

     "Where were you Wingpaw?" She asked as she ran up to him. He shuffled his paws back and forth. "I-i was just, you know, making dirt." She stared at him for a moment. Oh starclan let her belive me.

     "Oh well duh. Im such a mouse brain. Thats why you were in there." She said as a purr started to rumble in her throat. "Well you wanna get fresh-kill?" She asked him. He nodded and stood up and padded after her twoards the pile. She grabbed a vole.

     "Wanna share this with me?" She asked as she set it down and laid down next to it. He nodded and laid down next to her. He bit into the vole. He hadnt relized till then how hingry he was.

     Mistpaw purred as she ate while watching Wingpaw eat like he hadnt eaten in his entire life.

     When they finished eating he saw Stripefoot pad over to him. "Lets go explore the territory now." Wingpaw nodded and stood up. He thanked Mistpaw and padded over to the gorse tunnel.

            *********************

     They arrived back to camp just in time to eat again. Wingpaw headded over to grab some fresh-kill. He grabbed a finch and headed over to where his siblings were at. He sets his pret down and flops down beside them. He bit into his finch and spat out feathers. I should have grabed a mouse. He thought.

     He looked up to see Dustpaw glaring at him. Dustpaw caught his eye and stood up and walked into the apprentices den, leaving the half eaten mouse there. Wingpaw felt himself loose his appetite. He stood up and headed over to the medicine cats den. He walked in to find Heathertail sorting her herbs.

      "He Heathertail?" He asked. She looked up and set the herbs in her mouth down." Yes Wingpaw?" She responded. He walked forward and sat down. He looked up and sighed.

     "I think something's wrong. Like something bads gonna happen. Dustpaw gave me this look. Its hard to describe." He said sounding worried. Heathertail sighed and rested her tail on his shoulder. She grabbed some poppy seeds and set them near him.

     "Lick these up. They will call you down and help you sleep. Head to the apprentices den and rest." He nodded and licked them up and left the den. He walked into the apprentices den and laid down in his new nest. He could feel someone staring at him.

     He saw someone come in. He felt them lay next to him their fur pressed up against his. He could smell the sweet sent of Mistpaw. He drifted to sleep.

              *******************

     He woke up to hear a coughing for coming from one of the dens outside. He stood up and shook the sleep from himself. He sat down and started to groom his fur.

     He heard a rustle coming from the entrance of the den. He looked up to see Russetpaw. She looked worried. "Come quick. Its oir mother. She is sick with Greencough." She said. He stood up and ran past Russetpaw.

     He ran into the medicine cats den. "Leafpelt. Leafpelt. Mom, Are you okay?" He asked as he saw his mom. His mom coughed and looked up at him. She struggled to force out a purr but just started to cough and sputter.

     He went to step closer but a tail blocked his way. He looked up to see Heathertail. She shook her head, "Dont get too close. I dont have enough herbs for you to get sick too." She said. He lowerd his head and looked at her. Heathertail went into her herb store as Dovenose came in and told his siblings that they are going on a border patrol.

     He stared at his mom as she was trying to sleep. He was gonna turn to head out when he saw a black smokey figure come out. He looked at it as it put black smoke into his moms mouth. She started to cough more.

     He looked and saw Darktail in the back ground. He was smiling. He stood there in shock. He felt his pelt bristle and his pelt hit winth anger. He lunged at the ghostly figure. He scratched at it. His paws just went through it.

     He looked up to see that Darktail's eyes were glowing. He was controlling the smokey figure. He launched himself at Darktail. He scratched at his eyes. The smokey figure disappeared. He scratched at Darktail's throat but Darktail doged it. He scratched along the side of Wingpaw.

      He scratched his wings in the process. Darktail flung himself at Wingpaw but Wingpaw doged it and sliced Darktail's ear. He lunged and bit down on Darktail's hind leg. He held on as Darktail yoweld in pain and tried to shake him off. He disappeared as he he heard voices.

     Wingpaw sat there his wound bleeding. Heathertail and a tortishell she-cat came rushing in."Wingpaw what happend?" The she cat asked. Heathertail grabbed some herbs when she saw the scratch on his side. "A-a cat attacked me Birchtail." Ge said. She asked him who but he shrugged." I dont know?" He said

     He flinched at Heathertail put some pulp on his wound. When she was done she had him leave. Ge went into the apprentices den and laid down. I dont want the ones I love to die. I will protect them with my life. He thought as he drifted to sleep.