" Mommy!", yowled Stonekit, "Spottedkit's playing to rough again! OW! That hurt!" "Spottedkit! what did I tell you about your claws!" Ottertail mewed sternly. " To not to use them on my brother. But it's not my fault he's not tough enough to handle my LeopardClan strength claws!" she looked up at her mother's angry face, " I'm sorry Mommy. " , appoligized Spottedkit. "It's not me you should be appoligizing to, it's your brother." " Sorry, Stonekit." said Spottedkit.

" Your only 4 moons old and your claws are already as sharp as a fox's fangs!" exclamed Ivyleaf, her kit, Herbkit was the last kit to be born in the nursery and is only 2 moons old, but he still acts like he is the same age as the rest of the kits.

Later that day, a patrol came back with Willowclaw, Reddust and his apprentice, Flowerpaw, and Swanpelt. Flowerpaw had caught a water vole, so had Willowclaw. Reddust had caught a carp, and Swanpelt had caught a trout. " Ooh ooh!!!" squealed Talonkit, Ravenkit, and Spottedkit. " We want the vole!" called Ravenkit and Talonkit. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm going big! I want the CARP!!!"

" Whoa there! How about we split the carp together, that way we both get to eat and you don't get to fat and I don't get to skinny! " joked Cloudreed. " Ok, Cloudreed!" meowed Spottedkit excitedly. She loved Cloudreed. Actually, she kinda thought of him as the father she never got to grow up with. " I'll be 5 moons old in a few sunrises! That's 1 more moon closer to being an apprentice, Cloudreed! I hope you get to be my mentor!" meowed Spottedkit hopefully. Hoping Cloudreed would pick up the hint to ask Thislestar if she could be his apprentice. " I hope Thislestar picks you to be my apprentice, too." said Cloudreed as they finished off the carp in a few hungry mouthfuls.

~~~

The next day Heronpaw and Flowerpaw got their warrior names, Heronfoot and Flowerheart.

A few sunrises past of the warriors hunting and fighting, the kits playing , elders grumbling, and apprentices training. So everything going as usual in the clan. Leopardpaw got his full Medicine Cat name, and in a few weeks the kits will be apprentices.

***

" Now that Heronfoot and Flowerheart are warriors there are enough warriors for us to have mentors!" shouted Barkkit. " We're 6 moons old!!" squealed the kits. " I wish I was as old as them." whimpered Herbkit. " It's ok darling, you only have 2 more moons!" meowed Ivyleaf.