Moonpup couldn't sleep that night. She tossed and turned beside her mother. She was tired, but despite her best efforts, she couldn't seem to catch her sleep.
Rolling over, she accidentally kicked her brother making him wake up with a startled glance. "Who's there?" He yelped waking up Fangpup and their mother.
"Sorry, I just can't sleep." She shook her head, looking down ashamed.
Timberpup yawned and her mother gave her a quick lick on the forehead.
"Too excited to sleep?" She asked with a comforting smile.
"Yes. I Want to be an apprentice now. Sleep can wait." She barked, getting up with a quick jump.
Her mother put her tail around her, settling herself back down. "You need sleep or else you'll be too tired. You have a long journey tomorrow."
She looked back down at the ground and nodded. "I guess you're right." She sighed.
She looked over at her brother to see him sleeping so easily. She couldn't understand how he wasn't jumping with excitement like her. She then turned her head to see Fangpup staring at her,but he quickly turned his head away, hiding it under his til when their eyes met. She let a snort of anger, reminded of how he had always treated her. She decided, that it would be best just to try again and curled next to her mother once more.
It still took a while, but eventually, she succumbed to sleep.
***
The dawn sun shone through the entrance of the nursery and made the snow on the ground twinkle. 5 pups would be made apprentices today. Forestpup, Blackpup, Timberpup and Moonpup all raced out of the nursery, bounding for the High Ledge in a fit of excited giggles. Snow was sent flying up and falling back down as Blackpup skidded to the halt and falling to her face. Fangpup walked slowly behind them sending a glare at his sister.
"We are becoming apprentices today and you're still acting like pups. How does that show good behaviour." He snarled.
"We're just excited." Timberpup retorted back.
He let out a low growl and turned his face away. Moonpup looked around and saw that barely any of the wolves had woken. They would still have to wait a bit before the ceremony would begin. Not even her father had left his den. She sat down giving a disappointed look to the ground and digging a small dip in the snow with her paw.
"It will be soon." Primeroseheart nudged her. "I'll go get Crowstar." She said, walking past into the leader's den.
Blackpup snuck up behind her and flung a heap of snow at her with her muzzle covering her head in the shimmering, white, cold powder.
"Hey!" She barked, shaking off the snow and turning to her den mate. " What was that for?"
Blackpup giggled shaking the leftover snow off her muzzle. "To pass the time." She responded.
A smile crossed Moonpup's face. She backed up and with a howl to the Sky, she ran, diving into the snow, sending a wave of it to Blackpup, turning her sleek black pelt into a white mound. Moonpup was sent into a laughing fit, rolling on the ground.
"Now that's not fair." She growled, shaking away the snow from her head.
Crowstar then rose from his den with his mate beside her. They said one last thing to each other before he jumped up onto the High Ledge. "I hear that we have all been waken up early because some pups are too excited to wait." He started down at the five pups playing in the snow. His tone and look was playful, but Moonpup still looked down feeling a bit guilty.
Crowstar cleared his throat and shook off the last traces of sleep. "Can all wolves old enough to catch their own prey please gather around." He called out, his words echoing off the walls of the empty camp.
Quickly, the clearing was filled with wolves eager to watch the ceremony and some wishing to still be asleep, their looks giving away their complaints. The 5 pups lined up below the leader's gaze. Moonpup was in the middle, Blackpup on one side and her brother on the other. She looked at each one of her den mates lined up with her and was met with a hostile glare from Fangpup as their eyes met. Why does he seem so jealous? He is sitting here with us for the same reason. She growled to herself returning the hostile glare.
"Today we have 5 pups starting their warrior training. 2 different litters born on the same day being able to enjoy the ceremony together. In my whole life, I've never seen this happen, but I am so grateful for what StarPack had planned. Many apprentices are good for the pack." He looked down lovingly at his children. "I know you will all be great warriors." He nodded to them.
Moonpup looked up to her father with admiration in her eyes. She liked knowing how he thought she would be a great warrior. She knew she would work hard to prove it to him and everyone around.
He addressed them all, looking at each one as he said their names. "Forestpup, Blackpup, Moonpup, Timberpup and Fangpup. You have all reached the age of 6 moons and you are ready to become apprentices. Forestpup, from this day on until you have earned your warrior name you will be known at Forestpaw. Your mentor will be Rowanwing. I hope she passed all she knows down to you." He turned his head and nodded to the ginger she-wolf that sat below him. Rowanwing walked towards, him touching their noses together before going off to the side and sitting together.
Moonpup felt a little jealous that Forestpaw got to get his mentor first and that he was given the beta, but with each passing second, she shifted excitedly, waiting for her time.
"Blackpup, from this moment on until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Forestpaw. Your mentor will be Froststep. I hope he passed all he knows down to you." A light grey speckled wolf walked toward her and they touched noses before following to the place where Forestpaw and Rowanwing sat. "Moonpup," he started gazing down at her." From this moment on until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Moonpaw. Your mentor will be Rockslide. I hope she passes down all she knows down to you."
A grey and brown spotted wolf walked over to her. As the gap between them closed, she felt the she-wolf's cold wet nose on her's sending a small tingle down her body. She gazed up at her eyes excitement still filling her body.
"I'm glad to be your mentor, Moonpaw." Rockslide turned motioning her to where the other new apprentices sat.
She gushed with pride as she heard another wolf say her new name. The ceremony went on, her brother was given Jaggedclaw as his mentor and Fangpaw...
"...Your mentor will be Clearhope. I hope he passes everything he knows down to you." Fangpaw was given his father. It wasn't that they were short on warriors to mentor them because it could be anyone else. Fangpaw hated his father, she knew that and maybe that's why he was given his father as a mentor.
Fangpaw ignored his father's touch with a growl and he quickly whipped his head away from him. He didn't completely that part of the ceremony, but as they walked to the side, the crowd still cheered out their names like no one had noticed how upset Fangpaw was, staring daggers into the snow.
