Lurkingkit glared at the smirking golden tom. "Oh, poor kit" he said, grinning maliciously. "Is big mean Lionbreeze being rude?" He flicked his tail, eyes glinting as her did what he loved to do.

She held her head high. "Yes, you are, actually." "Are you scared?" He said in a high pitched, mocking voice. "No." She replied, a sly look in her eyes. Wow, he's dumb. She thought.

"Yes you are. I can see it." He said, smiling. Then he gasped as Littlekit and Stormkit, her brothers, leaped onto his back. "Lionbreeze! And you being mean to the kits again?"

Lionbreeze's mate, Snowclaw, glared at him. "Whenever we have kits," she warned him "you will not treat them like this!" She hissed angrily. Then she looked apologetically at the three kits. "I'm sorry for his," she growled this word, "behavior." She finished.

Bluebreak approached them. "Lionbreeze! Do NOT talk to my kits that way! Ever! No! No! No!" The golden tom backed away from the angry she cat. There was a look of slight fear in his eyes. She wanted to laugh out loud, but managed to contain it.

Littlekit and Stormkit stood beside Lurkingkit. "You ok?" Stormkit murmured into her ear. "Yeah, I'm fine. That mouse brained, fox hearted, piece of half rotten crowfood doesn't scare me." She told her brother loudly, so that her voice echoes across the stone camp.

Lionbreeze's head snapped to face her. He stomped over to Lurkingkit, so that he towered over her. "How dare you? How stupid can you get? What is your problem?" He demanded.

"Answers to your questions. One, I dare cause I don't care. Two, I'm as stupid as I will ever be, better than anything you can take credit for. My problem? You. Here is some advice. Apply cold water to that burn." She said smoothly.

Deepstar's voice rang out around the clearing. "All cats strong enough to land on their feet, meet in the gorge for a clan meeting!" She looked around, shocked, at her brothers and mother. Then excitement coursed through every molecule of Lurkingkit's body. "Are we going to be apprenticed?" She asked her brothers.

"I think so" answered Littlekit in a quivering voice. "Let's go!"

They moved slowly toward the crack in the ground. Lurkingkit jumped in bravely first, and landed strongly on her feet. She angled her tail to balance herself, and she padded confidently to the bottom of the gorge. Littlekit, who's jump was farthest and faster, landed with barely a thud. Stormkit, however, made a higher and larger jump, and landed last.

"Cats of gorgeclan, it has been six moons sense Bluebreak's kits were born. Today, we celebrate the apprenticeship of them. Lurkingkit, step forward." The toms deep voice was approving and his amber eyes gleamed.

Trembling, she took a paw step forward.

"Lurkingkit, from now until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Lurkingpaw. Please step forward, Goldenstorm." The gold and cream she cat moved forward."You have shown loyalty and kindness. You will be mentor to Lurkingpaw." She touched noses with Goldenstorm. The gold and cream she cat's eyes were shining with happiness.

As she stepped back, Goldenstorm mewed "I am honored to teach Lurkingpaw, and I will show her everything I know."

Deepstar nodded. "Stormkit, step forward." Trembling with excitement, her brother stepped closer to the leader. "From this moment onward, you will be known as Stormpaw. Redstorm, come forward."

With a look of slight surprise, the red and white tom padded up to his new apprentice. "You have shown strength and courage. You will mentor Stormpaw." The tom rumbled.

Redstorm raised his head. "I would be happy to mentor Stormpaw, and I will show him all I have seen and more." He vowed, and stretched his neck out to tough noses with the cat he was assigned to mentor.

"Littlekit, come forward." Shyly and slowly, her smallest brother took a single paw step in the leader's direction. "From this moment onward, you will be known as Littlepaw. Leapheart, come forward." The brown tom limped forward, eyes proud. "You have shown perseverance and effort, and I trust you to be a good mentor to Littlepaw." He said, his amber eyes approving. "I will do my best to teach Littlepaw, and I will tell him all that I remember." He promised, and touched noses with his apprentice.

"Littlepaw! Lurkingpaw! Stormpaw!" The clan called, and she raised her head in pride.

"Bluebreak, you are once again a warrior."

~~~~~~~~~

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-Whisper✌