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Purring, Larkpaw watched as Shadowkit, Bramblekit and Mistkit jumped into the air again and again, getting in each other's way more than once. I can't even remember if Amberpaw and I were that excited at our ceremony.
"Hello there!" she meowed and ran over to them. "Today is finally your special day."
Mistkit stopped his prancing and sat up straight. "Finally," the dark grey tabby tom emphasised proudly. "It's pretty boring as a kit."
Larkpaw twitched her whiskers in amusement. "Sometimes it can be boring even as an apprentice," she warned.
But that didn't seem to lower the kits' spirits. With bright blue eyes, Shadowkit announced, "I can't wait to find out who my mentor is."
I already know that anyway.
"Neither do I," Mistkit added. "I hope it's not a stupid cat."
While Larkpaw was still thinking about which warrior Mistkit didn't think should be his mentor, Reddapple and Silversky suddenly appeared with them.
The torbie she-cat stuck her head out and pressed her nose into the younger cats' fur, purring one after the other.
Meowing in protest, Shadowkit dodged away. "Stop that," he complained. "We're not kits anymore."
Reddapple listened to his wish and stepped back, but the sparkle in her bright golden eyes remained. "Can't I be happy for you?" she replied mockingly. "As your big sister, I can't just ignore the fact that you're turning into 'paws today."
Shadowkit twitched his ears indifferently in response. "But don't embarrass us in front of everyone later."
"If you insist." Reddapple blinked amicably before turning her head to Larkpaw and whispering, "You'll have to make sure they don't do anything wrong."
Apparently the kits had heard her after all, because all three of them whirled around and fluffed up their pelts at the same time.
However, Reddapple pretended not to notice them. "We're leaving now," she meowed. "See you later!"
As soon as they had gone, Mistkit stood resolutely in front of Larkpaw. "Don't listen to her! We'll be very good!"
A snide snort sounded. "Let's see if you can hold out." Bramblekit flicked her tail.
"Tell me, are you really, really sure you want to become a medicine cat?" Shadowkit blurted out. The grey tabby tom's eyes were wide open.
For a brief moment, Larkpaw was sure she recognised uncertainty or even fear in Bramblekit's expression. The small, light brown ticked she-cat looked down at her paws dismissively. "That's been a foregone conclusion for moons. I have no other choice..."
It hurt Larkpaw's heart to see Bramblekit so nervous. She remembered how the young she-cat had told her about the dreams that made her believe she had to become a medicine cat's apprentice. Something like that is not right. I can see quite clearly that it's not her true wish.
