"You don't know what you're doing, Birchstar, keeping her here." Olivekit drowsily woke up to voices whispering outside the nursery.

"I don't understand, Swallowwing. Even Olivekit's own mother wants her daughter to be chased out into the forest?" Olivekit immediately recognized her leader's and mother's voices. They're talking about me!

"Not in the way you think. Please, just let us live as loners. We won't bother ShadowClan; we'll go way beyond the Moonpool, farther than any cat has ever been." Her mother's voice was pleading, ragged with despair. Olivekit glanced at her littermates, unsheathing her claws and tearing them through her nest. She didn't want to leave her Clan behind!

"I can't let you do that, I'm sorry." Birchstar's tone was sorrowful. "No Clan cat should ever degrade to that type of life. You won't have anyone to watch your back, no one to hunt for you when your bones creak and gray starts showing on your muzzle–"

"Don't you think I know that, Birchstar?" Swallowwing snapped, the pine needles rustling as she lashed her tail against the ground. "Everyone here hates my daughter for a mistake she made. She can't live under the watchful eyes, always searching for the slightest slip-up. Everyone will expect her to be perfect when she obviously can't. Please, I'm begging you!"

Olivekit flinched at her mother's desperate tone. She never sounded desperate, the only thing coming close being annoyed or angry. Does she really believe running away is the only answer?

"Everyone, Swallowwing?" Birchstar's voice was a little pointed. "Besides, who will take care of Poppykit and Duskkit without you to nurse them?"

"Poisonflower will take care of them. She's close to kitting, anyway."

"No." Olivekit blinked in surprise at the sudden sternness in Birchstar's tone. "I hate to order something against a warrior's will, but I will not let you be banished from ShadowClan."

Swallowing scraped the ground, tearing through a pine needle. "For StarClan's sake, you never give up, do you?"

Olivekit slid out of the nursery, stretching her paws until her tail trembled. Yawning, she straightened and dipped her head to Birchstar. I must not let them know I heard them.

"Are you excited for the apprentice ceremony?" Birchstar meowed to her.

"I am," Olivekit answered truthfully. "The nursery feels so small!"

"Poisonflower kept me up all night, bugging me about how the three of you are blocking the whole nursery," Swallowwing purred. "It'll be a relief for both of us!"

Duskkit padded out then, squinting against the sunlight. "Can I be your apprentice, Birchstar?" he begged the light-brown she-cat.

Swallowwing turned angry amber eyes to her son, but Birchstar stopped her with a purr. "Leaders rarely teach an apprentice," she told the smoky gray tom. "But who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised."

As she padded away, Duskkit allowed himself to bounce excitedly. "I wonder who our mentors will be?" he mewed to Olivekit.

Olivekit scuffed the ground with her paws, flicking her tail from side to side. I've decided to be a medicine cat. She sighed quietly to herself. When she thought about being a warrior, excitement made her heart pound against her chest, but she choked up whenever she even thought about blood. How could she be a warrior then? The only solution is to be a medicine cat.

Poppykit padded out of the nursery, smirking at Olivekit. "She wants to be Wolfclaw's apprentice."

No way! She stared at her sister, shocked. "How did you know?"

"Oh, please." Poppykit rolled her eyes. "Warriors fight, and when they do, they spill blood." Olivekit flinched, remembering the metallic scent, the choking sensation, red... "You can't be a warrior if you can't stand blood." Her eyes gleamed ruthlessly at her black-furred sister. "Wolfclaw's gonna have to hide the deathberries before you actually kill someone!"

Olivekit's fur went hot with embarrassment. "Why did he have them in the first place?" she shot back. "I was only four moons old!"

"Relax, Olivekit. You're too tense." Poppykit flicked her gently on the shoulder with her tail. "Did you even talk to Birchstar yet?"

Guilt crashed over Olivekit, like she just dunked herself into the lake. "N-no."

"Well, go now before she talks to your warrior mentor!" She shoved her gray shoulder to Olivekit's, making her stumble forward, her paw-steps clumsy. "Did you think she was going to read your mind?"

That was Poppykit, always talking big. She padded towards the boulder, and behind that, the gap which led to the leader's den. She brushed her muzzle over the lichen covering it, trying to alert Birchstar to her presence. "Birchstar?"

"Olivekit?" The ShadowClan leader sounded surprised. "Come in."

Olivekit slunk in, feeling like the size of an ant in the unfamiliar den. She never got to be in Birchstar's den before, and when she tried to sneak in with her siblings, she always got busted. "I wanted to talk to you about being an apprentice."

"Are you trying to speed up the ceremony?" Birchstar purred, wrapping her tail around her paws.

"No, no!" She was excited, but she would never try to hurry her leader. "Um, I was thinking about being... Wolfclaw's apprentice."

"Ah, you want to be a medicine cat, I see." Her leader's voice wasn't judgmental, but matter-of-fact. "If Wolfclaw agrees, I can arrange that."

"Oh, thank you, Birchstar!" Olivekit exclaimed, beginning to hop up and down. She couldn't help herself.

"You could've talked to me a bit earlier, though," Birchstar added. "I was just about to call your warrior mentor in."

"I'm sorry." Olivekit hung her head, feeling absorbed in the darkness with her black pelt. "I was just so nervous you would say no." Correction: she spent almost every moment of the day agonizing about this meeting. She never struck up the nerve before now, when Poppykit pushed her to it. Olivekit purred silently to herself–she was so lucky to have Poppykit as a sister.

"You are dismissed," was her only reply. Dipping her head, Olivekit backed out of the den and hurried to intercept her siblings.

Poppykit glanced at her and cocked her head questioningly. "So?"

"Birchstar said she would talk to Wolfclaw," Olivekit panted, skidding to a halt. "Have fun with your mentors."

"Have fun being stuck in the medicine den all day, memorizing herbs!" Duskkit teased.

"Take that back, invading ThunderClan warrior!" Duskkit purred as she leaped at him, knocking him to the ground. He pawed at her, claws sheathed, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

Swallowwing abruptly leaped to the rescue, jerking Olivekit back. "You two have an apprentice ceremony coming up!" she exclaimed, frantically licking her daughter's ruffled pelt. "I don't want my kits looking like they can't groom themselves properly!"

Shame burned Olivekit's pelt, but as she tried to wriggle out of her mother's reach to wash herself, Swallowwing pulled her back by the scruff and continued washing her fur for her.

"Being an apprentice is going to be so cool!" Poppykit went on, licking her paw and drawing it over her cheek. "Though I have to share a den with know-it-all Sunpaw." She made a face, pausing her wash. "She acts like she's deputy, even though she's not even a warrior!"

"Hush," Swallowwing warned, finishing Olivekit's pelt. She dashed out of the way as soon as she was released, heaving a sigh of relief. "Sunpaw may be your best friend someday, Poppykit."

Poppykit puffed out her chest. "Poppypaw soon," she corrected her mother. "And I don't believe it. I'd rather be carried away by a hawk than be friends with her!"

"Badgerpaw is pretty nice, even though he's trained by Frogleap," Olivekit remarked to her sister. "He seems like good friend material."

"So does Snowpaw!" Duskkit chimed in. "She seems gentle, not like Sunpaw at all."

"Ooh, do you like Snowpaw?" Poppykit teased him.

Duskkit shuffled his paws. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Just wondering." Poppykit cackled in Olivekit's ear, a mischievous gleam in her blue eyes. "Wait till I tell her!" she whispered to the shadowy she-kit.

Olivekit kneaded her paws in the ground, adrenaline coursing through her, so much like that day when ThunderClan invaded because of the severe lack of prey. "Don't spoil his ceremony, Poppykit," she replied absentmindedly.

Poppykit's eyes suddenly bugged. "Look! Birchstar is headed our way!"

As a matter of fact, Olivekit noted, she was. Birchstar meowed a greeting to her mother and siblings before turning to her. "Wolfclaw has agreed to be your mentor," she mewed. Olivekit unsheathed her claws and sank them into the soil, energy fizzing beneath her pelt. Yes! I won't have to fight other Clans! "So there's no reason to delay the ceremony any longer," she added, turning to Swallowwing. Her mother's eyes were shining with pride, and even... sadness. Why was her mother sad about her kits growing up? Olivekit shook her head. Mothers.

Birchstar leaped up on the branch overhanging her den, where she usually made announcements. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather for a Clan meeting!"

Cats milled around the clearing below, searching for a good place to sit. Sunpaw sat besides her mentor, Snakebite, her nose in the air; Smallpoppy, a small dark tabby, settled beside Jaywing and Snowpaw, and Olivekit's father, Ivystem, bounded to his kits.

"I can't believe you all are six moons old already!" he purred, nuzzling Duskkit's head. Swallowwing released a noise of annoyance before licking the ruffled fur back down, glaring at her mate playfully. Ivystem didn't visit his mate and kits often, though even the smartest cat would never think that by the proud glimmer in his eyes.

Poppykit smoothed her whiskers down nervously, staring at her father. "Will you mentor one of us?"

Before the black-and-white tom could reply, Birchstar's yowl rang across the clearing. Her warm amber eyes were blazing happily as she spoke. "This has to be one of the greatest moments of being a Clan leader, making a kit an apprentice and watching young cats grow into marvelous warriors." Her eyes locked onto Duskkit. "As you know, Swallowwing's litter is ready to be apprenticed. Duskkit, come forward."

Duskkit padded below the branch, his eyes shining as his gaze met his leader's. Go, Duskkit! Olivekit cheered on her brother.

"Duskkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, until you have received your warrior name, you will be known as Duskpaw. Your mentor will be Blossompetal."

Blossompetal's eyes stretched wide. She obviously was awed by having an apprentice, even though she already knew she was mentoring Duskpaw.

"I hope Blossompetal will pass down her knowledge to you." Birchstar beckoned the tortoiseshell she-cat forward. "Blossompetal, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Moonmask, who we lost due to the harsh leaf-bare." Her eyes clouded with memories, but they quickly cleared as she continued, "You have shown yourself to be optimistic and determined, so you will be mentor to Duskpaw, and I expect you to pass all you know to him."

Mentor and apprentice touched noses, and Olivekit led the chant of "Duskpaw! Duskpaw!" Lifting his dark gray tail, chin held high, Duskpaw walked over to his family, though his eyes betrayed his excitement.

Poppykit was Poppypaw, and she was given Smallpoppy as her mentor.

Now, Olivekit reflected uneasily, it was her turn.

Wolfclaw stood up and trotted beneath the Highbranch, dipping his head to his leader before speaking. "Birchstar, I wish to mentor an apprentice."

Gasps of surprise erupted from the crowd. Obviously, they had not expected Wolfclaw to take an apprentice. Wolfclaw waited patiently for the noise to die down before speaking words that were created long ago. "Cats of ShadowClan, as you know, I will not be around forever. So it's time I took an apprentice. I have chosen a cat who has shown compassion and bravery. Your next medicine cat will be Olivepaw."

Olivepaw shivered in delight at the sound of her new name, and she padded forward to stand beside her mentor. However, deathly silence fell over the camp. All eyes were swiveled on her. She shrunk under the stares of the whole of ShadowClan. What's wrong?

"Olivepaw, do you accept the post of apprentice to Wolfclaw?" Birchstar. Olivepaw lifted her head, trying not to let the stares daunt her.

"I do," Olivepaw meowed, hoping her voice was calm and respectful like she hoped it would be.

"Then at the half moon," Wolfclaw meowed, "you must travel to the Moonpool to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats."

"The good wishes of ShadowClan will go with you," Birchstar finished.

Olivepaw highly doubted that. The whole Clan was staring at her, and not in a good way. No one chanted her new name like they did with Duskpaw and Poppypaw. She could hear the dried pine needles crackling underpaw, and the scratching of leaves against each other, creating a whispered song.

After a few heartbeats, Swallowwing yowled, "Olivepaw! Olivepaw!"

ShadowClan followed her lead, but not as loudly or as confident before. Olivepaw touched noses with her mentor uncertainly, feeling the air radiate with disapproval.

"Just ignore them," Wolfclaw, to her surprise, murmured. "I have faith in you."

But ShadowClan didn't have faith in her. What had she done wrong? Olivepaw followed Wolfclaw to his den. At least they won't turn on me in the battles.