4 moons 

Coldkit awoke. She blinked her pale yellow eyes, and noticed it was still dark out. Not almost dawn dark, but dead of night dark. What woke me up? Coldkit scanned the nursery. Everyone was asleep. Except one cat. Careful not to crinkle the bracken and give herself away, Coldkit lightly padded in a circle, so she was facing the center of the nursery. There, was Frostkit, wide awake. And he wasn't alone.

Coldkit's heart thudded in her chest, so loud she was sure Frostkit and the other cat could hear it. The cat talking to Frostkit was a ragged looking tortoiseshell she-cat. Her body was also transparent in some places, and although she was sitting down, her body wasn't making any imprints in the moss. And, she stank of rotting wood and dead things. Her presence radiated a dark power that chilled Coldkit to the bone, like something straight out of her nightmares.

Coldkit strained her ears to hear what the two cats were saying. "You want to be the best warrior of ThunderClan, don't you, Frostkit?" the tortoiseshell she-cat whispered. "Leader of ThunderClan?"

"Yes, I do," Frostkit replied, nodding.

"Then you will listen to me. I will guide your paws. Not StarClan. I will be the one to help you succeed," she hissed. Coldkit almost squealed.

StarClan. Where cats go when they die. This cat is clearly dead, a spirit, one of our ancestors. But they sound like they're not from StarClan. It even sounds like they don't like StarClan. So where are they from? Is there any other place cats go when they die? Or am I mistaken, is this cat not dead?

While thinking, Coldkit let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. The heads of the two cats snapped towards her. Coldkit ducked down, pressing herself into the moss. They didn't see me. They didn't see me. Coldkit tried to keep from trembling, as she heard the approach of paw steps. Just act like you're sleeping. Coldkit tried to make her shaky breath even, as she felt whiskers brush her back and the scent of Frostkit washed over her.

"No, we're okay, she's sleeping," came Frostkit's voice, as the paw steps retreated. Oh thank StarClan.

"Good. No one must know about this, Frostkit. No one must know I am speaking to you. Do you understand?" The she-cat asked.

"I understand," Frostkit responded. Coldkit heard paw steps, the squish of moss under paw and crinkle of bracken. Even after everything was quiet, Coldkit stayed pressed against the moss until she slipped into an uneasy sleep.

*******

"I, Cragstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn. Ivypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" The big brown tom asked the tortoiseshell she-cat.

"I do," Ivypaw replied. Coldkit watched the ceremony, only half listening. Is it possible I mistook the tortoiseshell in the nursery for a dead cat, when really it was Frostkit's sister Ivypaw? The memory of what happened during the night was fuzzy, like it was a dream already slipping away. No. The mystery cat was a full grown cat. Ivypaw is only becoming a warrior now.

"Brightsun, did Ivypaw pass her warrior assessment?" Cragstar asked. The ginger she-cat purred.

"She did. Ivypaw was an extremely hardworking and dedicated apprentice. She took her training very seriously, and rarely complained. So, I'm not surprised that she did very good on her warrior's assessment. She will serve our Clan well," Brightsun said. Ivypaw looked ready to burst with pride.

Cragstar nodded. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Ivypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Ivyclaw. StarClan honors your strength and dedication, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

"Ivyclaw! Ivyclaw! Ivyclaw!" The cats of ThunderClan cheered. Coldkit cheered too, but her heart wasn't in it.

"Hey, are you okay? You've been fidgety this morning," Poplarkit said, nudging her shoulder. She had recovered fully from her short illness, and was back to her perky self. Coldkit frowned. Should I tell her? The mystery cat told Frostkit nobody could know about them... but Poplarkit is my sister. I can tell her, right?

"Well, Frostkit..." Coldkit began hesitantly. Poplarkit's eyes widened.

"Did Frostkit do something to you? I'll tear him to shreds if he did!" Poplarkit hissed, crouching down. She wiggles her haunches, preparing to leap on the imaginary Frostkit.

"What are you two kits meowing about?" Fernfrost asked. "I hope it's not too important and can wait, because the Clan meeting isn't over yet." It's not? But Ivyclaw is a warrior now, what else is left?

"Oh, come on," Poplarkit growled. Coldkit followed her gaze, to see Frostkit standing beneath high ledge.

"It seems two cats of the same blood are moving their way up the ranks of ThunderClan today. Willowlight, Brackenfoot, you must be very proud," Cragstar rumbled. The gray she-cat curled her tail over her back happily, and Brackenfoot's eyes shone.

"Frostkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Frostpaw. Your mentor will be Leafblaze. I hope he will pass down all he knows on to you."

The cream and white tom stepped up proudly. "Leafblaze, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Frondpelt, may she run free in StarClan, and you have shown yourself to be strong and determined. You will be the mentor of Frostpaw and I expect you to pass on all you know to him," Cragstar concluded, as Leafblaze and Frostpaw touched noses.

"Frostpaw! Frostpaw! Frostpaw!" The Clan cheered. Coldkit couldn't tell if it was just her imagination, or she saw a flicker of a dark silhouette next to him.

"As tradition goes, Ivyclaw, you will sit vigil tonight, and Willowlight, you may resume your warrior duties whenever you are ready," Cragstar meowed. And with those final words, he leaped off of high ledge. Coldkit itched to sprint over to Frostpaw and demand he tell her who he was talking to last night. But now, looking at him, she felt he looked even bigger than she remembered. He still had a lot of growing to do, but between that and the way the she-cat talked to him last night, Coldkit had a feeling that this was a question that was going to go unanswered.