Aspenkit danced around in the clearing. The sun had only just come up and the ground was still frosty from the night before. A dark tom emerged from a small, lichen covered cave. As he passed the kit, he cuffed her over the ear with a sheaved paw.
"Go to your den, little one. You have a big day today." The tom told the kit.
"But I can't sleep, and greyfeather didn't want me to wake sparrowkit. Or her kits, for that matter." The tom chuckled quietly in his deep, but quiet, voice.
"Just be patient, or the fox's will hear you. They'd love a nice, small meal like you." He joked.
When most of the other cats were awake, lynxshadow, the deputy of thunderclan, started organising patrols. Oakstar flicked her tail to stop her. "It is time." he told her simply. Lynxshadow dipped her head and stepped back.
"Cats of thunderclan!" Oakstar yowled louder, jumping onto the highrock, signalling the clan. "It is time for two of our kits, sparrowkit and aspenkit, to become apprentices. Step forward, you two." The two kits stepped towards oakstar, sparrowkit's amber eyes shining with anxiety. "sparrowkit! From this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be know as sparrowpaw. Leopardspark. I ask you to mentor this kit, and teach him the ways of our clan."
Lynxshadow looked up at the leader as he spoke, and whispered something to him once he was done, and sparrowpaw was touching noses with leopardspark. "Lynxshadow has requested to train aspenkit!" Oakstar announced suddenly. "She has mentored jaystorm and lionclaw before, and will do to give this apprentice the same training."
Aspenpaw jumped up, excitedly to touch noses with the deputy. "You'll do great." Lynxshadow whispered to her when she got close.
It was almost sunhigh, and Lynxshadow was organising patrols. "Come on, Lynxshadow! We should be training with sparrowpaw and adderpaw!" Aspenpaw whined.
"Oh, that's the down side of having a deputy as mentor. I suppose I could go on patrol myself and bring you. Hey, goldenmoth! Pineflower! petalstorm!" She called. "Come on patrol with me and aspenpaw. I need to show her the territory, and I thought the easiest way to would be a border patrol."
Aspenpaw jumped up, racing out of the forest tunnel. The patrol followed her. "Wait! Aspenpaw, stop!" Lynxshadow called. Aspenpaw didn't stop until she ran into a big, black creature.