The hazel-eyed she-cat, who seemed to be the leader of the Clan, narrowed her eyes at Pavlova, already distrusting her. Pavlova felt her belly lurch—what if the leader wasn't going to accept her? She didn't really care about Eliza being accepted. Besides, Eliza was adorable and unhateable.  

"Have you come to take over my Clan?" the dark torbie hissed, her fur immediately raising along her spine. Now Pavlova was confused. Why had she come to take over the stupid Clan? Of course, if she wanted to, she could, but she simply had no interest in ruling it. That was how it worked, right? 

"Wha—?" she began to question before she was cut off with more hissing from the leader.

"Well, I won't let you; you can't have SkyClan!" the she-cat spat at Pavlova. 

"I don't want to take your stupid Clan, hissy cat," Pavlova mewed, rolling her amber-green eyes. She immediately knew that wasn't the right thing to say. "My friend and I want to join this SkweyClan, or whatever you call it," she mewed quickly right after.

Two kits had bounded up to the three cats and began to pounce on Pavlova's fluffy tail. It didn't take long for Pavlova to notice and snarl at the kits, making them run back to their mother in fright. 

Eliza winced, seeing the kits run off. They looked so scared! She had always adored kits and wanted to raise some one day. She shook her head and stepped in front of Pavlova before she could say anything else to the already on-edge leader.

"It's SkyClan and why do you even want to join us?" the leader mewed, her hazel eyes piercing Pavlova's gaze (she simply ignored it, cursing the kits in her head). 

"Well, we thought it would be fun, besides, groups can always use a set of extra paws, right?" Eliza chirped happily. Something about the way she stood made the torbie smile. So innocent, that cat, but she didn't let her guard down.

"This is a Clan, not a group but we do always need more cats." The leader sighed, looking at the rocky ground, and then back up at Pavlova and Eliza. Her gaze shifted between them both. "I guess you two could join if that one stops harassing our kits." 

Pavlova didn't even look up until Eliza nudged her softly, snapping her out of whatever she was doing to those kits. "Oh yes, sorry," Pavlova apologized. She didn't really feel sorry for the kits or to Robinstar, but whatever got her accepted was fine by her.

"I guess let's get on with the ceremony. Then, we can have some of our other apprentices show you around," Robinstar shrugged, exiting the SkyClan den and leaping onto a high rock above every other cat. He called her Clan to gather beneath it. Eliza and Pavlova leaped up after him. 

Once the Clan cats had gathered, they all looked up at the leader and the two outsiders. "Today we have two kittypets who want to join our Clan!" she announced. Something had just occurred to Robinstar; Pavlova could tell. She wondered for a few moments and realized what Robinstar had remembered: she forgot to ask them their names before coming up here. How thought. She had to bite her tongue to restrain a scornful comment.

Robinstar took a few deep breaths before continuing. "Do you two promise to uphold the warrior code and your Clan, even if it costs your life?" she asked, not even asking for either of them to step up. 

Pavlova hesitated a bit. Was she really going to risk her life for a bunch of cats she didn't know or for die for a stupid code she didn't even know? She sighed. She didn't actually have to tell the truth. 

"I do," she and Eliza mewed, dipping their heads. 

"Then you," Robinstar mewed, looking at Eliza. "You will, for now, and forever. Until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Wrenpaw," Eliza nodded, almost purring with joy. "Dustwatcher, I trust that you with your wisdom and skill will pass that down to Wrenpaw," Dustwatcher nodded happily at the fact she would be able to train another apprentice, as her previous one had recently become a warrior. Robinstar whispered something to the newly-named Wrenpaw (though she will always be thought of as Eliza to Pavlova because name-changes were too much effort to master) and she and Dustwatcher touched noses. 

The torbie-colored leader turned her hazel-eyed gaze over to Pavlova. "And you will, for now, and forever. Until you receive your warrior name you will be called—" Robinstar was cut off by Pavlova, making the Clan cats shifting uneasily.

"I want my name to stay Pavlova. I don't want to have a Clan name," she meowed. Did they really expect her to change her name for cats she didn't even know? Gasps rippled throughout the Clan cats and they all broke into little groups, whispering to each other. 

Robinstar shook her head a bit disappointedly, but took another deep breath and continued. "That's alright, you will be known as Pavlova. Mossclaw, I trust that you will pass your skills and wisdom down to Pavlova, like you have with all the other fine warriors you trained," she mewed watching the brown tabby leap up on the rock with delight. "Touch his nose," Robinstar whispered into Pavlova's ears. 

'Touch his nose?!' she thought. Why would she have to touch his nose? Before she could react, Mossclaw touched his nose to hers before pulling away, causing Pavlova stagger back in surprise. Physical contact was not something she supported.

Robinstar dismissed the cats of the Clans and pulled Eliza (Wrenpaw) and Pavlova aside, calling over a reddish-colored she-cat with hazel eyes, just like Robinstar's. "Adderpaw, I want you to show our two new apprentices around," she ordered before returning to her den. 

Pavlova saw Adderpaw's eyes light with indignance. She could tell this cat was a stubborn one, and she probably wouldn't like her.

"Ugh, the Skyrock is over there. The nursery is over there," Adderpaw began pointing her tail at each feature.

"Aren't you gonna show us around? Like, take us places?" Eliza asked excitedly. Pavlova already knew that answer, but she just let Adderpaw crush those hopes.

"What? You expect me to take you places?" Adderpaw snapped. Eliza simply looked down with hurt in her eyes. Pavlova just tuned them out and went to explore herself, leaving Eliza and Adderpaw to each other, knowing that it wouldn't end well. 

After searching she found a den with Adderpaw's scent coming from it as well as other young cats, so she assumed it was the apprentice den. She found a nest that looked empty and curled into it soon falling asleep. She was going to have much fun with this Clan.

I hope this isn't too bad

~Dusky