BloodmoonKit raised his head as he padded to the center of the meeting cats.

The last moon had been... well... the nicest way to say it was... rough.

HerbScent had been even more strict as they were getting older. She had been teaching them some fighting moves as though to prepare them. And... she had been getting a little anxious around Bloodmoon. He ignored it, as most cats avoided him... but from his own mother- no. From his own adopted mother... it was weird.

She had been meeting with StormStar way more often, and sometimes came back, saying things such as, "Bloodmoon, control your anger.", "I know you have powers, Bloodmoon, but use them for good."

He shrugged it off as well. Yeah, he had powers (them being weak mind reading and foreseeing, and also the ability to dreamwalk. Really, he only got visions and his mind reading only happened when the cat's thoughts got loud.) but he had never thought of using them for bad.

Well... only once. He had only once tried to use his powers. But that was because he felt a sense that he could do something bigger. Such as maybe make prey come running to his claws... something felt off.

He was thrown out of his thoughts as he heard HerbScent's loud thoughts zap through the crowd. 

He better control his powers. Her thoughts yelped. If he didn't, would I have to.. could I... kill him?

He pushed back a yelp of anxiety. She was already thinking of killing him?! He hadn't even done anything bad!

Let her try... A darker side of his brain whispered, stretching its long, dark fingers through his thoughts. Let her see where that gets her.

He was usually very good at pushing those dark thoughts back, but lately, it was getting harder too. It was as though... As though his mind wanted him to let them in.

"Cats of WinterClan." StormStar said, his low voice booming through the snowy hallow. "Today we celebrate the apprenticing of two kittens who have been with us since birth."

What an odd thing to say. Bloodmoon thought with a mental snort. Not suspicious at all.

Bloodmoon raised his tail, flatteneng his ears slightly. StormStar continued, and Bloodmoon glanced at his brother who's whiskers were twitching nervously.

Bloodmoon snorted, placing a gentle paw on his brother's shoulder. "Calm down." He said giving his brother a gentle smile.

CrescentKit took a deep breath, then smiled back at him, looking slightly calmer.

"BloodmoonKit." StormStar meowed, gazing down at the kit. "Until you earn your warrior name, you will be called BloodmoonPaw. Your mentor will be PolarBear." 

The newly named BloodmoonPaw gazed over at the large warrior who dipped his head. Bloodmoon trotted over to him, not taking too much time, but not looking too eager.

He put his nose on his mentor's shoulder. The cat yowled his new name, but Bloodmoon twitched his ear as he noticed HerbScent was not one of them.

BloodmoonPaw nodded gently to CrescentKit after he sat down by his mentor.

"And last, but certainly not least... CrescentKit." StormStar looked down at CrescentKit, flicking his tail.

Crescent looked up anxiously. 

"Until you receive your warrior name, you will be called CrescentKit." StormStar smiled gently. "And, due to special requests, your mentor will be SnowPile."

CrescentPaw couldn't hold back a gasp of surprise. Bloodmoon seen his brother's eyes glimmer in excitement, all his nervousness gone.

He trotted over to SnowPile, not even trying to hide his excitement.

Crescent put his nose gently on SnowPile's shoulder. Bloodmoon watched her mouth move as she whispered something. He was surprised to see excitement in the usually emotionless SnowPile's eyes.

The cats yowled CrescentPaw's new name, but once again, HerbScent did not. Bloodmoon watched his brother's expression fall. It must've hurt his brother more than himself.

BloodmoonPaw raced to CrescentPaw, looking as though he was congratulating his brother, which he was... but he whispered, "Ignore her." His whisper made Crescent blink. "If she doesn't care for us, ignore her. She will have to live in loneliness."

"..." Crescent hesitated then nodded.

They sat down, watching the cats cheer for them. It felt good, knowing that even though these cats avoided you, they still cheered.

As soon as the cheers faded and StormStar dismissed them, cats padded over, meowing congrats before going on with their day.

PolarBear and SnowPile trotted over to them when everyone else was gone.

PolarBear glanced up at the sky. BloodmoonPaw had told CrescentPaw a while ago that he had not cared what mentor he got, but now he felt the stir in his stomach as he realized he had hoped for PolarBear.

"Still a lot of sun left." The cat meowed, gazing down at the smaller apprentice with a smile. "Want to take a look of the territory?"

"Yes please!" BloodmoonPaw said, raising his tail and not caring if he sounded like a kit.

PolarBear nodded at SnowPile. "Do you have other plans with your apprentice or would you like to come with us?"

SnowPile glanced at Crescent then nodded back at PolarBear. "We'll come along."

Then they were off, trotting through the large mountain territory of WinterClan. 

BloodmoonPaw had never seen more trees, more snow, more anything in his life. The mountain was large and there were mini forests sprinkled through the snow, where loads of prey lived and thrived, getting fat for the cats to eat.

There was a large lake near the middle of their territory that they stopped at. "This is Crystal Lake." PolarBear said, lapping up some of its shining water.

It did look like crystals, maybe even stars. BloodmoonPaw sniffed it. It was cold and stung his nose. It was even colder than the blizzard that swept through the camp!

He lapped up some water along with PolarBear, feeling as though stars and crystals were sprinting through his veins. He looked up, whiskers dripping with icy cold water, and saw crystals and stars shining through the sky and forest. 

But when he blinked, they were gone.

"Did you see that?" He demanded at PolarBear, staring wide-eyed at the forest.

PolarBear chuckled. "Happens to the best of us. I remember my first drink from the lake. What a beautiful sight.." They gazed through the forest, as though memories were being reflected there.

"Huh.." Bloodmoon sat down. He missed that feeling already. It was as though he could do anything.

He looked at CrescentPaw, who looked to have seen the same thing.

Then the group continued through. BloodmoonPaw saw many animals he had only seen in the prey-pile, and some he hadn't! It was different, seeing the prey he ate walking around so peacefully.

It kind of felt.. wrong to eat them.

He shook off the feeling. Cats had to do what they had to do so they could survive.

After they finally arrived back at camp, BloodmoonPaw slumped into a fresh pile of snow by the entrance.

"I think I walked off my paws!" He complained, stretching out in the soothing snow.

PolarBear laughed, throwing a large snowball at his face. "You need better endurance if you want to be a warrior apprentice!"

BloodmoonPaw sneezed, shaking off the snow. "Oh give them a break." SnowPile chimed in, stretching. "It's their first day. I remembered a little someone doing the same thing as him on their first day." SnowPIle gazed at PolarBear, amusement glittering in her blue eyes.

That was the first time Bloodmoon had heard SnowPile joke! He blinked as PolarBear laughed and lashed their tail. "Okay, but so did you, Miss Perfect."

SnowPile threw snow in their face. She sat down with a roll of her eyes, but Bloodmoon could see the slight smile coming through the corners of her mouth.

"Okay, okay." PolarBear sniffed, shaking the snow out of their thick pelt. "Let's go eat then I'll show you both how to pick ticks out of the elder's pelts!" They grinned.

"Nooooo!" BloodmoonPaw howled, rolling in the snow.

Crescent snorted, rolling his eyes at his brother. "How immature." He teased, earning himself a tackle from Bloodmoon.

"Alright, alright." SnowPile said, her stern voice returning as she broke up the brother's play fight. "You both are apprentices now, stop acting like kits."

"Yes, ma'am." Both apprentices replied in unison, but before Bloodmoon got off of Crescent, he shoved his brother's face in the snow. Crescent hissed and shook off the snow, glaring playfully at Bloodmoon.

PolarBear walked into the camp, talking quietly with SnowPile. Bloodmoon stretched as CrescentPaw walked in after them.

Before Bloodmoon went back in, he saw glowing yellow eyes peek out of the trees.

"Hello, son."

END