[Fawn]

LIONSTAR

TreeClan || 36 Moons

It was in the midst of returning from his own training session with Featherpaw that his gaze wandered to the nursery; noticing the much too large kittens attempting to play and socialize inside the cramped space, the queens laying in the sun with their sides warmed from the heat, their patience wearing thin – Lionstar could've bitten himself for taking so long to notice. How many of them are ready to become apprentices? Clearing thoughts of the advancements Featherpaw had made in their short but productive training session, the golden tom studied the active kittens as they interacted with their environment and their Clanmates, scrolling through recollections to the moons when they had been born, doing his best to guesstimate their ages correctly. Lionstar's whiskers twitched, surprised. All seven! All seven were supposed to be apprentices! Wasting no time in approaching the Ancient Stump, the large well-built tom paused only to adjust his appearance, a good toss of the mane a direct result of him shaking his head as though it were leaf-fall, and the red and orange leaves had chosen to collect and catch against his ears. This should've been done sooner. Casting aside the criticism he had of his own negligence, Lionstar – muscles a bit tired, he realized, from the battle training he had endured against Featherpaw – sprang with all the feline grace a leader was seemingly entitled to, yowling to the congregated cats even as a few began to make their way eagerly to find the best seat. "May all cats strong enough to attend gather beneath Ancient Stump for a Clan meeting." Gaze befalling the nursery in particular, Lionstar locked eyes from his large, lofty perch above the converging TreeClanners, a curt dip of the muzzle signifying to the mothers that yes today would be that day at last. "As I am sure many of you have noticed," began the golden tom with a note of humor to his voice, preferring, these past few moons, to engage his family with more of a slightly casual tone, as if he were speaking for them only because they had asked him to, not because he had appointed himself for the job. "TreeClan's youngest all seem to have grown too big for their current surroundings. Wildkit, Wormkit, Wavekit," he addressed each kitten in turn, voice fanning out amongst the crowd, dissipating in power and volume only at the edges, where the cats were furthest from him. "Seedkit, Onyxkit, Crimsonkit and Copperkit. You have all reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you seven to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you each receive your warrior name, you will be known as Wildpaw, Wormpaw, Wavepaw, Seedpaw, Onyxpaw, Crimsonpaw and Copperpaw." He congratulated himself on firing off their names without growing short of air or tripping over his tongue, flowing over the names with practiced ease. Though he had been caught by surprise upon seeing all seven of them so grown yet still so young, he had not been caught completely with his 'fur covered in sap', and had actually taken the time to come up with mentors shortly after their fourth moon, the names easy enough to recall. And after his excursion with Grayowl and company to the Sparkling Brook, he knew exactly who would be best suited to each new apprentice. With only another heartbeat for pause, Lionstar called out the names of the seven cats who would be mentoring an entirely new generation; "Frostwind, Emberstorm, Grayowl, Bloodtalon, Sunstride, Daringheart." Those who were paying close attention would note that he had only named six warriors as opposed to the required seven, one of which was their very own deputy. Lionstar settled a firm, fleeting gaze upon each of them in turn, managing to keep his expression from turning to suspicion when it lingered upon Grayowl, or show too much favoritism when it found it's way to Daringheart. "All six of you have proven yourselves to be exemplary warriors, all capable of the honor and strength I wish for you to bestow upon your new apprentices. Teach them all you know, I will expect nothing less. Frostwind, you shall mentor Wildpaw. Emberstorm, you shall mentor Wavepaw. Grayowl, you are to mentor Onyxpaw. Seedpaw shall go to Bloodtalon, Crimsonpaw is to be mentored by Sunstride, Copperpaw will go to Daringheart, and I shall mentor Wormpaw." Lionstar almost smirked at the surprise - and slight disappointment - he saw upon the faces of the watching cats, those who had been chosen were padding forward to greet their new mentors, while some of those who had not were unable to prevent a small grimace from passing over their features. Perhaps next time. Stepping forward, Lionstar reached ground level in one fluid stride, mane shivering as though touched by a breeze from the impact of his paws upon the slightly damp soil. He approached Wormpaw with no sign of the awkwardness he had felt and been the victim of since their conversation at the edge of camp, leaning forward to touch noses with the young, bright-minded tom. To be completely honest, Lionstar had not been able to pick out a suitable match for the intellectual new apprentice, and it was his own desire to see how Wormpaw would face the world and the differing ideals within it that had encouraged him to take on a second apprentice. Hearing the slightly discombobulated chants of names as the Clan tried to keep some sort of pattern when cheering on the seven, Lionstar inwardly remarked that it was the most unusual after-ceremony approbation he had heard since becoming leader. The golden tom suppressed a grin. StarClan help us if they all become warriors on the same day. ~*~ So it was to be Grayowl. Gleaming golden eyes tore themselves from the aurelic visage of TreeClan's leader, nearly losing all of the awe he had inspired from his position upon the stump in favor of a not-at-all-unwelcomed revelation. Gaze seeking out the nearly apparitional feline of which his brother was so unusually enthralled with, rising from her seated position to greet him. Inside her chest, an ember of warmth had been set ablaze, a fire beginning to cackle behind those eyes of gold and that pelt of night, Onyxpaw stepping forward with a respectful nod that was almost counteracted by her mischievous aura. The kitten who was so fond of disruption and discord made no attempt to spoil the ceremony for the six other kits. Obtaining the mentor her brother had so desperately wanted was enough of an accomplishment, especially since she hadn't had to lift so much as a claw to do it. Grayowl was classified under her 'to be determined' list of cats, a very short list, in fact, the gray, eerie tom placing first now that he had become her mentor, displacing the LightningClan Medicine Cat, Rookfrost. Onyxpaw leaned forward to touch noses with him, resisting the urge to smirk. He was an extremely intelligent cat, perhaps a little manipulative if not used to controlling a situation perfectly? Though Onyxpaw's mindset was to disrupt control, she would behave herself, for the most part. The chaos wouldn't be able to continue if he punished her so severely that she fell behind the other six. It was going to be an interesting dynamic, the sadistic teacher and the pupil with a love for dissonance.

[Insidious]

C R I M S O N P A W

One would be surprised that his light green eyes did not first seek out the face of Sunstride. It would have been far simpler to not gift Onyxpaw the satisfaction – allow her to so easily see his jealousy; radiating crystal-clear in the way he could hardly keep his legs from rattling with disapproval and annoyance. He assumed that Lionstar was trying to make him hate his sister; alongside the already blossoming dislike that pricked in his green gaze upon sparing a short glance toward the golden leader. Lionstar had been present at the Sparkling Brook. Therefore, he was likely aware of how obvious the match of Grayowl and himself would have been. Perhaps, there was a reasoning Crimsonpaw couldn't quite see that caused Lionstar to refrain from matching that particular pair up. Regardless, Crimsonpaw didn't care what reasoning he very well had. If he thought this would get in the way of him spending time with Grayowl, he was most certainly wrong.

A facade of genuine happiness was sported upon his red-black-spotted jaw with the twisting of his frame to pad toward Sunstride and greet his new mentor. There was no reason to allow himself to become enveloped by his inward hostility during the seven kits' apprenticeship ceremony. He would make the best of it, for everyone else's sake. His time to practically abuse Onyxpaw with rocket launches of verbal fury would be savored for a situation of more privacy. He wasn't angry simply about her receiving Grayowl for a mentor, no – it stretched beyond that. Crimsonpaw knew his sister well enough to know she would be feeding off his jealousy – tearing into whatever of it Crimsonpaw exposed to earn herself that mischievous advantage.

Wiping the thoughts off of his mind with a harsh flick of his tail-tip, Crimsonpaw tilted his chin upward to match gazes with Sunstride. He leaned forward to touch noses with the TreeClan warrior, no emotions – not a smile nor frown – lacing his hollow expression. He didn't know enough of Sunstride to persuade himself to be excited or painfully unwilling to train with him. Perhaps, after a session or two, Crimsonpaw could warm up to him if what he had to say was of interest. There was one thing that was clear-as-day for the newly announced apprentice, though. Sunstride was not Grayowl. He wouldn’t be able to possess such genuine awe and fondness for the warrior before him unless, over-night, he so happened to become a solid gray shadow with dark gold eyes.

G R A Y O W L

Not a flicker of the momentary surprise Grayowl felt was expressed within the bland stare his dark gold eyes exhibited – surprise toward mentoring Onyxpaw, as opposed to Crimsonpaw? Perhaps. Or, was it surprise toward the fact he was to be mentoring at all? Lionstar was far more surprising than Grayowl gave him credit for. His dislike for the golden tom standing atop the Ancient Stump was nearly matched by vivid curiousity toward his intentions. There was no denying the suspicious eyes Lionstar fixated upon him during their trip to the Sparkling Brook prior to this event. Surely, he did not sport such a look merely for the fun of it. There had to be a secrecy; an unknown reasoning – why would Lionstar place him into a mentor's role? And, why for Onyxpaw as opposed to any of the other six? Regardless, he was not complaining. Whatever reasoning Lionstar had, he had done Onyxpaw a rather grave favour.

Dark gold matched the lighter shade of sparkling amber once it neared. He processed the lack of emotion crawling across her features; the caging of her inward desire for disruption regardless of how well she hid it beneath a blanket of similar bleakness. He knew of Onyxpaw's intentions; he slept in the warrior's den she often targeted with thorns and other items of the prankster's mind when she had been a kit. Perhaps, she too knew enough of Grayowl to realize the uniqueness of their situation? There was potential for turning her mischievous mind to one where said mischief held darker fates for those she targeted. It would not be as easy as it would have been if he had, say, gotten Crimsonpaw as the smallest portion of him very well hoped. However, it was not entirely impossible – he was prepared to handle the challenge; to take advantage of the wondrous opportunity Lionstar had unknowingly gifted upon him. Should Onyxpaw be able to withstand the urgency not to crack... this would prove to be quite the match-up – not of mentor-apprentice, but of the game's host and the unlucky contestant that was called upon to participate in the unlawful, sadistic moons now stretched before them.

The game began with the brushing of their noses to finalize the deal.

Good luck, Onyxpaw. Know Lionstar as the one who offered up your sanity to the tainted realm of TreeClan's devil.

[Fate Admin]

Bloodtalon pushed his way through the gathering cats to claim a good seat for himself near the front when Lionstar’s call rang out through the camp, summoning the Clan for a meeting. The massive dark tabby cut an imposing figure that garnered little argument from those he displaced on his way to the fore of the Clan. He sat, tail curling around his paws, pale green eyes turned upward to where Lionstar stood, awaiting his announcement of why he had gathered the Clan. The tip of his tail twitched slightly, impatient. He sorely wished it was him calling this meeting, though he had nothing against Lionstar. He was a Clanmate and good warrior, but a bit too soft in Bloodtalon’s opinion. He had been likewise disappointed when the leader had made Daringheart his deputy.

Flexing his claws into the damp earth, Bloodtalon stilled his battle-hungry heart, his anger at NightClan’s continuous stealing of their prey and Lionstar’s lack of initiative to stop it. Sure they had caught some of the fox-hearted prey-stealers at it and given them a good thrashing but had they launched an attack meant to pierce directly into the enemy’s heart and show them they would not stand for it? No. His tail lashed once at the thought of sitting so idly by as NightClan stole their prey. Had he been deputy, perhaps he could have convinced Lionstar to DO something about it. As it was, he wasn’t sure either Lionstar or Daringheart wanted a full on battle with NightClan, for reasons Bloodtalon simply couldn’t comprehend.

Then Lionstar was speaking. Ah, so it was to be new apprentices. He glanced around at the young cats his leader named. They did seem about the right size for new apprentices. He knew little of any of them. He wasn’t one to frequent the nursery or play with kits; if he knew their names he felt he knew all he really needed to until they became apprentices. He was surprised that so many kits were being apprenticed today, but it made him swell up a little to think that TreeClan would have so many new warriors soon. They were becoming stronger. Perhaps with so many new apprentices, Lionstar wouldn’t be so hesitant to teach NightClan a lesson about the consequences of prey-stealing. His tail flicked lazily, satisfied by the idea.

His ears perked when his name was called among the named mentors for this new bunch and he paid more attention to hear which of them he would be training. Seedpaw. He looked around for the young she-cat he knew to go by this name and shouldered his way toward her, bending his head to touch noses with her lightly. Hm. The only thing he knew about her was that she was an only kit, no littermates to speak of. His green gaze searched hers with some interest and he wondered what it was about her that made Lionstar think he was the best mentor for her. He supposed he would find out soon enough.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:999999]Featherpaw[/smear:ffffff] and [smear:000000]Broken[/smear:ff6633][smear:ff6633]song[/smear:ffffff]
~~~~~~~

Featherpaw had entered camp trotting alongside her mentor, grin as wide as the moon on her face. When he stopped suddenly, gaze focused on the nursery, Featherpaw's trot faltered and she too froze, one paw lifted as she glanced back at her mentor. She followed his gaze, watching the seven kits tumbling about. She too noted that they had gotten big, and were probably old enough to be apprentices. She had parted her jaws to comment about it, but before she could utter a word, Lionstar had bounded away, to make an announcement it seemed. Her heart gave a little jump in her chest as she watched the powerful tom take his place, calling out to the rest of the Clan to gather around.

With a flick of her long black tail, she moved forward to take a seat. Soon enough, a familiar scent drifted around her, and she glanced to the side to see Brokensong, the beautiful tortoiseshell tabby, taking a seat beside her. Featherpaw wrapped her tail around her paws, dipping her head in greeting to the she-cat, to let her know it was alright for her to take that seat. The cats around them gathered, and soon both their gazes were set upon the leader as he began to speak. Her black tail waved behind her as she listened. She found that she couldn't possibly keep it wrapped around her paws. Others would simply have to deal with it.

As the silver apprentice listened, however, her tail froze mid-swing. He'd only chosen six mentors. Was that a mistake in his head, or was he....

It felt like a stab to her pride when he announced he was taking on another apprentice. She was his apprentice. Was she not good enough? There were plenty of other warriors who could take on an apprentice! Take Brokensong, for example. Sure, she was mute, but she could still be a mentor! It wasn't fair! She felt something soft lay across her shoulders, and somehow managed to move her gaze away from Lionstar, to glance beside her. The torbie sitting beside her had laid her tail over Featherpaw's shoulders, and was gazing at her with concern clear in the hazel-green eyes. She realized then that she had suddenly stopped breathing. Forcing her breath out in a soft hissing sound, her ears flicked slightly as the Clan's voices rose up together, chanting the names of the seven new apprentices. Weakly, she whispered their names, to at least give the impression she was crying out. How could you tell the difference, anyway? She was only one voice.

With a shrug of her shoulders, she dislodged Brokensong's tail, rising to her paws. Her black tail hung low, her ears swivelled back slightly. She muttered something about not feeling well to Brokensong, who dipped her head in concerned understanding. "See you later, Brokensong..." With that, the silver apprentice picked her way out of the crowd, moving with uncharacteristic slowness towards the apprentice's den. Finally, she made it to her nest, where she flopped down, curling herself into a tight ball, willing herself to fall asleep.

~*~*~*~

The torbie watched worriedly as the silver apprentice slunk away to her den. Brokensong knew that Featherpaw was Lionstar's apprentice. She was fairly certain the whole Clan did. With a tongue as sharp as Featherpaw's it was hard to miss her. She wondered how she would have felt in the silver tabby's place. If she had been Lionstar's apprentice, and suddenly he took on another one, without consulting her at all.. Brokensong herself might have found a reasonable explanation, but the torbie was able to recognize that she was not Featherpaw. The silver cat was a prideful young she-cat. It would have felt like a stab to her pride, that the tortoiseshell tabby was sure.

When the apprentice disappeared into the apprentice's den, Brokensong turned her gaze back to the front. Poor Featherpaw... She thought to herself, her soft tail wrapping around her paws. She made a mental note to go and check on the apprentice after the ceremony. She wasn't much good at using comforting words, all things considered, but she could at least be there. Perhaps all the apprentice needed was someone who would listen. And Brokensong was good at that.

With a silent sigh, she brought a cheery glint to her eyes, glancing around, wondering if she might be able to catch the attention of one of the apprentices. She might not be able to offer congratulatory words, but she could certainly give them an approving nod. She knew how exciting this could be to the young cats.

[Deleted]

A good day, warm and bright, Sunstride was moved from the Warrior's den as Lionstar's call sounded in his ears. With a sigh he shook out his white and ginger fur before meeting shoulders with his older brother, Adderstrike. The two found their way through the crowd of cats before sitting down, Sunstride took a moment to look around, catching sight of Gentlebreeze and then Moonshimmer. The calm tom flickered his tail and perked his ears to look up. With a yawn, Sunstride glanced over to view the seven kits that Lionstar named, giving them the appropiate -paw suffix and then call out the names of their mentors.


The wise tomcat' ginger ears perked when in fact his name was called. He could hardly believe that Lionstar had wanted they fresh warrior to become an apprentice. With green eyes bright, Sunstride trotted over to meet his new apprentice. Crimsonpaw. The calm tom paused to look into the young cat's eyes, supprized that there was no excitement in his eyes. Sure, when Sunstride became an apprentice, he was calm and collected but there was a bit of excitement that lingered in his eyes. In this cat's eyes there was nothing. The ginger and white tom shifted forwards to bend his neck down and touch noses to the young cat infront of him.


"Congragulations Crimsonpaw." Sunstride offered in his flat tone, the older tom was known for his older than age acting and even his voice portayed that as well. The newly announced mentor stepped to the side to let the other apprentices and mentors touch noses and get to know who they would be mentoring. Sunstride caught Gentlebreeze's eye and she gave him a happy nod.

---

Seedkit's ears pricked up, she had been sitting outside the nursery, watching the other kits play and mess around. She had kept her distance from them as she watched in slight disgust. They wouldn't let her play Seedstar. Who did they think they were. She'd show them later. Her devilsh green eyes brightened as she realized that Lionstar was calling the meeting for her... well for the others as well, but the spot light would be on her. She pulled away from Underbelly's quick licks before pushing forwards infront of all the kits and puffed her chest out.


Seedpaw, the name rang off Lionstar's and her own tongue perfectly, she was now an apprintice of Treeclan and before long, she would rule as Seedstar, just you wait and see. Her tail lashed as a name formed in her ears as they left Lionstar's mouth. Bloodtalon. So this was to be her mentor. She looked around and saw said tom's form push through to meet her.  Her devilsh eyes gleamed with mischive and other things. He seemed big and capable of training her. He would do... for now.

[Phoenix]

As he tilted his head upward, craning his neck at a rather uncomfortable angle, Wormkit mused that he had never realized that Ancient Stump was that tall; with its additional height, Lionstar seemed to tower over them even more than usual. Perhaps part of it was his presense, which practically dripped with the charismatic confidence that every leader seemed to have. Not that he had met any other leaders in his time, but he had always imagined them as these almost otherworldly felines, even if they spoke as conversationally as his own. Yellow-green eyes left the golden tom for the briefest of moments, averting their gaze and flicking to the excited figures of his denmates when his name was mentioned. Hunching slightly under the weight of the gazes, he shifted his paws uncomfortably as his fur prickled, and the new apprentice could not express the gratitude he felt that there were seven of them and not just him and his siblings.

Ears flicked, and their owner turned his attention upward once more. His head tilted slightly to the side as he forced his limbs to remain still. There were seven of them, right? Quickly, he counted in his head, and he could feel his expression morphing into one of confusion. Which evolved into shock a few moments later. An odd sensation spread through him, working its way down to his paws with surprising speed. Numbing his body, something like dread - though not nearly as bad - seeped through his veins as the memory of that day rose to the surface of his consciousness, unbidden and unwelcome.

Small paws carried him a few pawsteps behind the other six, his eyes falling to the hindpaws of the cat in front of him while they walked. In spite of his own personal feelings toward his new mentor - he was Wormpaw now! - he could not prevent that smile from breaking out across his features. The day had finally come, the one that everyone had been waiting for and anticipating for the last few moons. All of them had good mentors too, though admittedly, he did feel a little bad for Onyxpaw and guiltily thankful that she had filled that spot instead of him. A moment later, he regretted that that thought had ever crossed his mind.

Now that Lionstar was on the ground, he did not seem nearly as tall or intimidating. The striped apprentice reached his head up, gently touching noses with the leader. Lionstar was his mentor! Excitement began to return, having refused to be kept at bay for very long in such a high-energy environment. Even with their previous interaction, it was not every day that someone became their leader's apprentice. Yellow-green eyes rotated forward to meet the steady, golden gaze for a moment before their owner stepped back. Out of habit, he glanced around at the gathered cats, and his heart lurched at the sight of another feline leaving the scene, her head low and tail drooping. Featherpaw? He had never known the she-cat beyond her name, but he had always thought that she would be a nice cat to know. What could have made her so upset?

A moment later, once his memory kicked in, he had his answer. He swallowed, refusing to look back up and meet his new mentor's gaze. His stomach churned, and he felt a little sick.

[Deleted]

W A V E K I T P A W

Lionstar’s call for a clan meeting used different words than the standard, Wavekit noticed critically. After another heartbeat, the words sunk in enough for the kit to realize the words were different so that he (and the other kits) could join the meeting! Instantly, any negative thoughts disappeared, and the silver tabby eagerly walked over to the Ancient Stump, making sure to sit up straight and struggling to sit still from the excitement. There was only one reason kits would be included in a Clan Meeting, and that was to be made an apprentice! Finally! The middle brother was getting stick of staying in the nursery, and even in camp, but he knew kits weren’t allowed outside of camp until they were apprentices, and unlike some of the other annoying kits he had no desire to try and break that rule.

…Okay, that was a lie. Recently, it was becoming more and more of an effort to go by the Warrior Code, especially the part that didn’t let him leave camp, but with his apprenticeship so close he could almost taste it, it didn’t matter so much. Anticipation built in his pelt the more Lionstar spoke, until the Leader of the Clan finally spoke his new name. Wavepaw! The 6-moon-old cat’s body trembled from the effort to contain his excitement, and he barely heard Lionstar call for the other cats. At the word ‘mentor’, however, the young tom’s ears focused again on the leader. While most of him was interested in having a mentor and learning how to be a real warrior and being a better warrior than his brother, somewhere deep in his mind hissed at the idea of having to obey another cat’s every command. This part of him immensely frustrated the orphaned kit, as it offered proof to him that, despite remarks from the elders and other queens how well-behaved he was, he wasn’t really, and all it would take was one slip of this part of him and everyone would start whispering again that he and his brothers, found on the NightClan border, weren’t real TreeClan cats. I am, though. Show them prove them wrong.

When his mentor was named as Emberstorm, the new apprentice couldn’t help the sigh of relief. The she-cat had been with Lionstar when they had found him and his brothers, so it wasn’t like he was getting a random cat. Hold on, he said six warriors… And there’s seven of us… Before he could figure the puzzle out, Lionstar named himself as Wormkit’s mentor, and wide olive eyes stared at his brother as their owner of them was torn between amazement and jealousy. How did the runt end up with the leader of the Clan as his mentor? Admittedly, Wavekitpaw knew less about his younger brother than his barely older one, but that’s because the runt was always skulking about the shadows and on the edge of everything instead of right in the middle where he’d rather be. A shy, small kit was hardly worth their leader’s time, wasn’t he? Still, at least Lionstar didn’t pick to mentor Wildkit instead. His brother would have become truly unbearable then.

Lionstar had hopped off the Stump, which Wavepaw guessed concluded the ceremony. All the cats trying to chant seven names made a terrible ruckus, but the new apprentice ignored it in favor of hunting down his new mentor, Emberstorm. After slight difficulty in the swarm of six other apprentices meeting their new mentors, he finally spotted the ginger she-cat, and quickly bounded over to her, lest he lose sight of the warrior in the crowd. “I’m glad you’ll be my mentor,” the young tom confessed easily, reaching out to tap noses as tradition had them do. Usually, it was done on the Ancient Stump, and the break of tradition today had bothered him a bit.

[Deleted]

Wildkitpaw

This was the day that Wildkit had been looking forward to for moons; the day he became an apprentice. For the last couple of sunrises, the pale grey tom-kit had been keeping himself in tip-top condition for his ceremony and was in the process of smoothing down his pale grey tabby chest fur when Lionstar called the clan together. With his mother dead he had learned to care for himself and he had only just learnt how to groom himself like his mother would have.
Quickly brushing over the rest of his pelt, he rose to his paws and walked calmly over to the ancient stump where Lionstar stood tall and proud. I’ll be up there one day, not Wildkit, but Wildstar, leader of TreeClan,he promised himself silently.
Ears pricked, he listened intently to every word Lionstar spoke and when the golden tom mentioned his name, he suddenly sat bolt upright. He puffed out his pale grey chest fur in an attempt to look as almighty as possible and waited for Lionstar to continue speaking.
” From this day on, until you each receive your warrior name, you will be known as Wildpaw, Wormpaw, Wavepaw"- the pale grey tom stopped listening at that point.
Wildpaw! Apprentice and future leader of TreeClan, he thought to himself gleefully, dark green eyes burning with ambition. He would be leader one day and he didn’t care what stood in his path.

The time came for Lionstar to announce the seven new apprentices’ mentor. Wildpaw managed to sit tight, hoping with all his heart that he got a good mentor, like the deputy, Daringheart, or perhaps even Lionstar!
But when he heard the name called and it wasn’t Lionstar, or even Daringheart, he let out a hiss of annoyance. His chosen mentor wasn’t even an experienced warrior, simply Frostwind, a newly made warrior who was only about six moons older than himself.
The thing that upset him even more, however, was that his youngest brother, Wormkit, the runt of the litter and the weird one in Wildpaw’s opinion, got Lionstar as a mentor.
He almost yowled out in protest, but he just about managed to hold his tongue. I’ll speak with Lionstar later, he decided, And I’ll ask him if I can have a better mentor.
Feeling a little better about the whole thing, he forced a smile upon his face and padded forward to greet his new mentor. As he had seen the others had done, he forcedly touched noses to the fluffy white tom, muttering, ”I’ll do my best to be the greatest warrior the forest has ever seen.”