Arrowpaw felt exhaustion creeping into his paws by the time their group returned to camp. It was a little past midday at that point and Arrowpaw could see that some cats were already eating prey and sharing tongues. After telling them to get something to eat and to get some rest before training tomorrow, which would start at sun high, Littlebird and Dustcloud left the three new apprentices to their own devices.

The three cats headed over to the fresh kill pile, Goldenpaw making the decision for them that they were all starved, not that Arrowpaw and his sister would argue otherwise. Arrowpaw selected a squirrel from the pile while his brother and sister both took a mouse. They then made their way to the the Apprentice's Den.

The Apprentice's Den, as it was termed, was for apprentices. Apprentice's are cats that are training to be warriors or in some cases, Medicine cats. The den consisted of a multiple bush overhang where several vines were entwined at the entrance for passage to the spacious den in the center. The bushes on the outside were patched in with briars and thickets, keeping out the rain or wind at most any occasion.

Inside there were several patches of moss and feathers that served as nests for the in training cats to sleep in. Outside of the den was a fat tree stump that apprentices liked to eat at and on occasion wrestle around. Badgerstripe had told his children stories of the play fights he'd had with his bond brother, Dustcloud. The two eldest apprentices, Brackenpaw and Dawnpaw must have gotten back from their duties before them as they were already waiting by the stump for them.

Brackenpaw got to his paws when he saw Arrowpaw and his siblings coming their way. Dawnpaw remained where she was crouched in front of the rabbit she and her brother were sharing. Unlike her brother, Dawnpaw was more reserved. The pale she-cat is the apprentice to Vultureclaw. The war battered senior warrior is supposed to bring her out of her shell, so to speak.

"Hey guys! How was the first day?" He asked them.Nightpaw put her mouse down and replied with equal enthusiasm.

"It was great! We explored the whole territory!" Dawnpaw looked amused by Nightpaw's excitement, her whiskers twitching.

Arrowpaw always found his sister and Dawnpaw to be two very different she-cats. Besides the very obvious differences in pelt color, sleek black and pale yellow were two very different colors, the two she-cats were sometimes like night and day to one another. Nightpaw was always bold and clever, she could work her way out of most any tough situations. Dawnpaw was more quite but just as smart as his sister and she seemed to have the wisdom of a cat far beyond her years.

Goldenpaw and Brackenpaw were also opposites, but the same could be said for Arrowpaw and his brother too so he didn't feel the need to make that comparison. Instead, he focused on a height comparison. As Brackenpaw was older than Arrowpaw and Goldenpaw, he was taller by at least several inches. His bulky frame indicated that he would be muscular by the time his training was finished.

Goldenpaw seemed to have his own input on their first day out, his voice boasting proudly. "Yea. It was way better than what you guys had to do. Taking care of the elders on your first day must have felt like a whole lot of mouse dung." The golden furred tom told the golden-brown tabby. Arrowpaw was quick to cuff his brother around the ears for that less than savory comment.

"Goldenpaw that's not necessary." He sternly told him. "I'm sure they were more than happy to do whatever their mentors told them, just getting to be an apprentice should be a reward enough."

Goldenpaw looked a bit annoyed at him, but didn't go on to brag any more. Brackenpaw gave an amused chuckle at the brothers' exchange, seemingly unbothered by Goldenpaw's words earlier. Luckily, the older apprentice wasn't one to easily lose his temper. This is greatly appreciated by Arrowpaw.

Dawnpaw piped in, "You three are welcome to join us if you like and afterwards we can help you three make some nests to sleep in." Arrowpaw grinned at that.

"Thanks Dawnpaw. I think we'll take you up on that offer." With that the three new apprentices sat next to Brackenpaw and Dawnpaw.

Arrowpaw was happy to listen to the two older apprentices talk about what their day while his siblings regaled in what they had done. Brackenpaw and Dawnpaw had been apprentices for a little over two moons now so they were already going on patrols, today the two cats had went on a hunting patrol with their mentors and the Clan deputy Foxtail.

"Foxtail said he was impressed by all the prey Dawnpaw and I had caught! You should have seen the look on Vultureclaw's face when he found out Dawnpaw killed an adder! It was great! The big scary tom was speechless!" Brackenpaw explained. Dawnpaw was looking at her paws with a mixture of embarrassment and pride.

"It wasn't that big of a snake." She told them. "I doubt it would fill as many bellies as that rabbit you caught earlier at any rate." She told her brother. Brackenpaw shrugged.

"Sure, but no cat has caught a snake in the past three seasons. You should be proud." Brackenpaw said, his tail draping over his sister's back in a gesture of affection. Dawnpaw still remained a bit unsure she deserved such high praises and looked glad when Nightpaw decided to change the subject.

"So Arrowpaw," The black she-cat began, "why do you think Blossomstar didn't join us today? I mean you are her apprentice now so what could be more important than training you?"

Arrowpaw shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't exactly sure what business to Blossomstar counted as more important than training her new apprentice but he was sure that whatever it was it had to be important. It has to be...right? She wouldn't ditch me for nothing would she? Arrowpaw felt a glumness slip over him when he realized he couldn't truly be certain.

"Oh, that's right, you're Blossomstar's new apprentice. Congrats on that. How does it feel to be our clan leader's apprentice? She hasn't had one in ages so I'm somewhat surprised she decided to train you." Brackenpaw meowed.

Arrowpaw stopped taking mouthfuls of his squirrel and looked at his paws, they were black like just about the rest of him, though there was his pink paw pads that were somewhat brown now from all the traveling he had done today. Studiously, he licked them clean. The focus toward his paws left him with time to chose his words.

"I was surprised too." He started off slowly. "I'm not sure what kept her from training me today. Do you think she'll always be to busy to train me?"

Arrowpaw was a bit worried about that. Clan leaders weren't exactly the type of cat known to have a lot of free time, what if the light brown tabby had no time to train him. Will I ever become a warrior? The idea of remaining an apprentice forever frightened him a great length, a nervous chill radiating from his core.

Goldenpaw, ever the good brother, went to reassure him. "Nah, she wouldn't do that to you. Blossomstar deciding to train you herself has to mean she has big plans for you." Arrowpaw was happy to hear his brother's words, they undid some of the tension that was in his body.

"Goldenpaw makes a good point." Nightpaw agreed. "Blossomstar must think you're gonna be pretty special."

Having finished her mouse, Nightpaw buried herself into Arrowpaw's side, his slightly longer black fur mixing with her slim black coat. Goldenpaw took this as a sign to cuddle into his brother as well, his fluffy golden fur soft and comfortable.

This was what the three siblings would do for one another when they were feeling sad. When words of reassurance weren't enough, cuddling expressed what words could not. When the two oldest apprentices finished their meal they got to their paws. Dawnpaw stretched out and let out a yawn while Brackenpaw gestured to the other three to get up.

"Come on, let's get the three of you settled in for the evening." The three siblings went and followed Brackenpaw into the den, with Dawnpaw trailing behind them.

The setting sun was casting a warm glow into the entrance of the apprentices den, giving Dawnpaw perfect lighting to explain sleeping arrangements. The two eldest apprentices slept in the middle of the den as it was the driest spot to sleep in with the most warmth.

Off to the right of Dawnpaw's nest was a nest made for Nightpaw and on the left side of the den near Brackenpaw' nest was nests for Goldenpaw and Arrowpaw. The three young cats thanked their friends for making their nests for them and settled into them gently. Arrowpaw watched his two siblings dose off before he succumbed to sleep as well, as soft blackness covering his vision and mind.