Dandelionkit threw the moss ball at Frostedkit.
"Catch!"she squeaked.
Frostedkit lept up to bat it back, but Applekit intercepted it, hitting it over to Breezekit.
Breezekit grabbed it and wrestled it to the ground, tearing it up and nibbling on it.
"Aww...you ruined our game!" She complained.
Frostedkit rolled her eyes,"Toms,"
Dandelionkit was about to make a stinging retort when she noticed a familiar white pelt out of the corner of her eye.
"Starpaw!"she yelled. The white apprentice was carrying two mice into camp by their tails.
"Starpaw!"she shouted again.
Starpaw twitched her ears in her direction, angling for her to wait.
Yay. Starpaw's so nice!
Starpaw had moved out of the nursery one moon after Dandelionkit had been born, but she was still great friends with her.
"Ooh, Starpaw's gonna teach Dandelionkit how to hunt,"a sneer jolted her away from her thoughts.
Rashkit.
"Oh, no wonder. She'll need to train forever if those zigzags aren't going to alarm the prey,"Rashkit's brother, Kitekit hissed.
"She's not going to teach me to hunt..." she defended freebly.
"Of course she isn't. Rashkit, you shouldn't be so quick to judge,"Kitekit meowed in a gentlrle tone.
Dandelionkit jerked up in surprise.
"They'll be fighting. The enemy will see her coming ages away, so they're practising surprise attacks,"Kitekit continued.
"Oh yes. My mistake,"
She sighed and crouched low to the ground, their taunts echoing in her ears.
Oh StarClan, why do I have to have such odd markings?
"Get away from her,"another cat growled.
"Relax, Starpaw,"Rashkit meowed, stepping over to glance at her.
Unamused, Starpaw pushed him away,"Just because Dandelionkit's marks are different from your's and everyone's, dosen't mean that she should be bullied for it,"
"We aren't bullying her,"Rashkit meowed.
"Why don't I tell Underforge about this?"
"Shutting up,"Kitekit saluted.
The brothers walked away, leaving Dandelionkit with the gentle she-cat.
"Thanks,"she breathed.
"It's okay,"Starpaw gazed at her,"You know, you've got to start sticking up for yourself. I'm not always going to be there, and when you become a warrior, you don't want them still up to it,"

"I know, I know,"she sighed,"But I can..."
"Yay! Starpaw!"she broke off as Applekit lept on her friend.
"Applekit! Is that how you show respect to an almost-warrior?" Starpaw pretended to sound offended,"Remember, it's only one moon until I earn my name,"
"So? You're an apprentice now!" Frostedkit squealed.
"Okay, you guys win. I surrender," Starpaw gently cuffed her littermates' ears. Although she doubted it sometimes, Dandelionkit knew that she was Starpaw's favourite of the litter.
But what about when she becomes a warrior? Or when I become an apprentice? Hm...maybe she'll mentor me!
"Hey, Starpaw!"she was about to ask if the apprentice thought it was possible when Lightstar lept onto the Highrock.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"he belowed.
"Oh, I've gotta go. It's Goldenpaw's warrior ceremony!"Starpaw headed away to join the other apprentices.
Goldenpaw was Dandelionkit's kin. She was the only surviving kit of her father's brother Frostbitewhisper's only litter. Leafkit had starved in a brutal leaf-bare, and Stringpaw had fallen from a tree when catching a thrush.
"Nightfur, are you satsified that Goldenpaw has earned her warrior name?"Lightstar asked.
"Yes,"Nightfur meowed. Dandelionkit realised that him and Goldenpaw didn't have the usual bond between mentor and apprentice.
"Okay then. I, Lightstar, leader of ThunderClan call upon my warrior ancestors to look fown on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and I commend her as a warrior to you in her turn. Goldenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"as Lightstar spoke the words, Dandelionlit watched with bewilderment.
"I do,"Goldenpaw squeaked, ears flattening with embrassment.
"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Goldenpaw, from this moment on you will known as Goldenpod. StarClan honours your sympathy and courage and we welcome you as a full warrior of StarClan,"
"Goldenpod! Goldenpod!"the Clan cheered.
"That's going to be us up there soon," she whispered to Breezekit, who purred.
"Oh yes, it will!"her mother's voice took her by surprise.
"Just work hard and listen to your mentors,"Dotfur meowed,"You'll be great warriors,"
"Maybe,"Dandelionkit purred,"But I'm going to be the best warrior ever!"