A small gray mouse squeaked in terror as a bigger animal began chasing it. Jaykit ran after the mouse, eager to prove to himself that he could be a warrior.

I will show Redkit I am a warrior!

His littermate - or rather, foster littermate - teased him that he should be a medicine cat apprentice instead of a warrior apprentice.

He had spotted Jaykit lingering around the medicine cat den, sometimes even entering the den when he is not sick.

It wasn't my fault that I was attracted to the medicine cat den! Jaykit growled to himself.

Somehow, the young light gray tom felt attracted to the medicine cat den ever since he was still a very young kit. He don't know why, but however attracted he was to the medicine cat den, he wanted to be a warrior.

Jaykit yowled in frustration as the mouse escaped through a hole. Mouse-dung!

"Jaykit! Wake up!" the voice of his mother shattered his dream.

Opening his eyes reluctantly, he turned to face Sparrowflight, his mother. "I was having a good dream!" he complained.

"Today is your apprentice ceremony, didn't you remember?" Sparrowflight purred.

"Lucky you!" Redkit mewed. "I have to wait for another moon!"

"It will past by quickly," Jaykit mewed. No matter how annoyed he can get with Redkit, he still cared for him as if he was his real littermate.

"Let all cats who are old enough to climb trees to gather under the Tree Branch for a Clan meeting!" Birdstar, the RookClan leader, yowled.

Jaykit brust out of the nursery, with Redkit following.

Their father, Rubbleclaw, padded over to them. "One of my kits is going to become an apprentice," he purred. "All of you are so old already..."

"Sorry, Birdstar is calling me!" Jaykit mewed, rushing towards the leader.

Birdstar smiled at him kindly before starting the ceremony.

"Jaykit has reached the age of six moons, and is ready to become an apprentice. From this moment on, you will be known as Jaypaw," she mewed.

"Stormjaw will be your mentor," Birdstar announced. Jaypaw nervously touched noses with him. The warrior's face was expressionless; he couldn't tell whether Stormjaw liked him or not.

"Jaypaw! Jaypaw!" the Clan chanted. Jaypaw turned to look at his brother, who looked happy that he was an apprentice at last. I'm glad he's not sulking about the fact that he can't be an apprentice until a moon later.

"Come on, Jaypaw," Stormjaw mewed flatly. "We are exploring the territory."

I doubt he likes me, Jaypaw thought. What kind of mentor uses that tone with his apprentice?

Stormjaw lazily led him towards one of the other Clan's border. Probably the WaveClan border, Jaypaw thought. I could smell their fishy scent.

"Intruders!" Stormjaw hissed suddenly.

Jaypaw quickly turned to face the border, but there was no intruders trespassing on their territory.

"Where-" he began.

"There!" Stormjaw snapped. "Walking as though they rule the forest! That piece of territory should be RookClan's!"

"But we are outnumbered," Jaypaw protested, but his mentor wasn't listening.

"What are you WaveClan cats doing here?" Stormjaw demanded, his lip drawn into a snarl.

"We are bringing our apprentices for a tour, Stormjaw. We are not invading," a sliver tabby she-cat mewed calmly.

"You seem ready to invade to me," he hissed.

Jaypaw looked nervously at the WaveClan apprentices. One of them had a crooked paw, and he looked smaller and more unbalanced than the other apprentice, a light gray tabby she-cat.

A big tom stepped forward. Watershadow, the name echoed in his mind. Rubbleclaw and Sparrowflight had mentioned that he was the WaveClan deputy, with a reputation of being a well-respected and powerful warrior.

"If you want a fight," Watershadow snarled, "now is not the time."

"But I think it is!" Stormjaw growled and he pounced onto the WaveClan deputy. "Jaypaw, find a patrol!"

"But..." his voice was drowned out by the yowls of the fight between Watershadow and Stormjaw.

Jaypaw blinked in surprise when the light gray tabby apprentice pounced at him. Unprepared, the WaveClan apprentice managed to bite his pelt.

He yowled in pain and tried to fight back by swiping at her. He heard a quiet gasp and he was afraid he struck her at her throat.

"Stop!" Jaypaw yowled. "I don't want to fight you."

She narrowed her eyes.

"I only became an apprentice today," he mewed. "We don't have to fight. It is not necessary."

The light gray she-cat let out a growled, unconvinced.

Jaypaw crouched in submission, hoping his plan to avoid a battle with her worked.

"I don't want to fight you," he repeated.

"Fine. But get out of our territory now," she mewed.

Jaypaw gave her a relieved look and ran off. Watershadow flung Stormjaw across the border. "Get out of WaveClan territory," the WaveClan deputy snarled.

Stormjaw glared at him before limping off.

When they returned to camp, Mistystream, the medicine cat, rushed towards them.

"What happened?" she demanded.

"Stormjaw picked a fight!" Jaypaw brust out.

Mistystream glared at him. "You even got your apprentice injured. Come into my den."

Jaypaw obeyed and padded into the den, breathing in the familiar scent of herbs.

He let out a sigh of relief as his wound no longer sting. "Have some rest and you will be fine," she mewed, dismissing him.

Am I truly supposed to be a warrior when I act so weak?  Jaypaw wondered. Is it really my destiny to become a medicine cat?