"Wake up alder-in-leafbare, today you'll search the elders for ticks and gather some moss for your clanmates." Duskpelt meowed to the apprentice.

     Rabbitpaw groaned. "But I want to learn how to fight or hunt," He argued tiredly, haven been woken moments before.

"Another day, Rabbitpaw," Duskpelt sighed. "All apprentices have this duty, and it's time I show you how."

Rabbitpaw rose to his paws, stiff from yesterday's long walk through the territory. He looked at the still rising sun, then at his friend Moorpaw, who was softly snoring and curled up in a neat ball next to him. I wish I could be sleeping like him.

"Of course, you could let the kits be unhappy and mewling the night away while it was entirely your fault. But it's your choice," his mentor meowed causally.

"Ok, where to first?" He sighed.
Duskpelt motioned his tail towards him. "We'll collect moss first, then you can have a quick morning meal."
   
     Rabbitpaw padded along with Duskpelt rather slowly, not wanting to leave his nice, cozy spot in the camp. His mentor however passed out of camp and to an outcropping of rocks. On the rocks however were massive amounts of moss, more than enough for everyone in camp.

"Now, before you get too excited," meowed Duskpelt in a rather sarcastic tone, "You don't want to just tear off as much as you can. You must do it neatly and cleanly." He then walked up to the rock and placed a paw on the moss and carefully took off a medium sized chuck off. He put it down on the grass nest to him. "Like that. That piece will be good for one of the kits."

Rabbitpaw nodded. He stepped up to the rock and put a paw on the large growth of moss and tried as best he could to get a good piece. He put his on top of his mentor's moss, like he saw the apprentices do coming back from camp with the moss stacked in their jaws. He looked at his mentor for approval.

Duskpelt evaluated it for a brief moment, then meowed, "Good, but it's a bit on the small side for a kit."

    While Rabbitpaw tore off more moss, Duskpelt meowed, "Look, if you do a good job today I'll teach you some hunting tips." Rabbitpaw's sky blue eyes glowed.

"Really?" He meowed.

"But only if you do a good job. So get to it." Duskpelt strictly meowed.

This went on for what felt like moons. When he was done the smooth rock was stripped clean of its fresh moss it once bountifully had. The fat stack of moss would be plenty for the elders and kits.

"Alright, let's take this back to camp. So Rabbitpaw, I'll help you this time and show you how to bring all of them back." Duskpelt took half of the moss off the stack and divided that into two piles. He carefully put one pile into his jaws and the other under his chin. After the apprentice did the same, they set off for camp which while normally was a few minutes away turned out to be quite the challenge for a cat who was in the nursery two short days ago. He could only breathe through his nose, which was difficult for him. And he stumbled around, trying his hardest not to drop the moss. He guessed that if Duskpelt could speak he'd say, "You are the slowest WindClan cat in history!" Or something equally as sarcastic.

When they finally came back, Rabbitpaw rushed to the small tunnel used as the nursery and dropped the moss down, gasping for breath. Duskpelt dropped his next to Rabbitpaw's.

"Good luck," he half smirked, half serious. "I hear the kits will pester you all the way through." He causally waltzed away, leaving the apprentice to his duties alone.

"But I thought you said I could have some prey!" Rabbitpaw meowed in reply to his exasperating mentor.

"Go ahead, just don't let the kits play moss ball with it while your not looking!" Duskpelt trotted away. The apprentice groaned.

This is gonna be impossible!

Rabbitpaw sighed and figured he'd grab food later. His stomach growled painfully loudly and flinched at himself. He took two pieces of moss and crept inside the tunnel. He was instantly bombarded with kits rushing up to meet him.

"Hey, stop! I have apprentice duties to do!" He softly growled at the kits.

"Kits, come back this instant!" A familiar tortoiseshell cat strictly meowed.

"But Spottedtail, I wanted to say hi to Rabbitpaw," a small black she-cat whined.

     "Yeah, me too!" A white kit with brown blotches added.

"Can't see that he's trying to change the bedding, Nightkit and Muddykit?" Rabbitpaw's mother sighed. "You two can go play outside while he works." At that the kits rushed out to play.

     "Hi mama!" The apprentice meowed. He started to change the old bedding and replace the moss.

    His mother smiled and purred, "How are your first days of being an apprentice going? I've just been staying here, tending to the kits."

   But she hasn't done anything other than that....

     Rabbitpaw inwardly shook it off and replied, "It's going great! Yesterday I saw all of WindClan with Duskpelt and Quickstorm!"

      Spottedtail nodded. "Good for you, my kit. And Duskpelt, he's so much like your....." She faltered. Rabbitpaw awkwardly shifted towards the entrance of the nursery and collected more moss.

     I wish she wasn't so sad all the time about him. It would do her some good.

    After he finished putting fresh bedding in the nursery, he went towards the elders den with a much thinner stack of moss. He scooted inside the much larger tunnel and dropped the moss by the entrance. Two elderly cats were inside. One was Creamfur, a she-cat who's once rich cream pelt was now graying and slightly mattered fur. She was a sweet old cat. Beside her, a tom that had a gray tabby coat named Stonetooth laying cozily on the floor, with two pieces of prey next to him.

     Creamfur let out a raspy purr. "Hello there, little one. Are you here for the bedding or ticks?"

     "Both." He glanced at the den once more. "Hey, where's Hawkeye?"

    Hawkeye was a stubborn tom cat who had a knack for action. He retired to the elders den a few moons ago, annoyed he had to give up his duties.

     Stonetooth rose his head. "That rabbit brain is trying to catch us some grub. Next thing you'll know he'll be dead for one reason or another," the elder scoffed.

     As he started doing the bedding, Creamfur replied, "Oh, stop it Stonetooth! He's not helpless, you know!"

     Stonetooth snorted. "Well, he'd better watch out. It's not like he just became a warrior."

     Rabbitpaw finished placing the last piece of moss when his stomach growled loudly. He shuffled his paws in embarrassment. Then he noticed a bird at his paws.

      "I'd figure you might want that." Stonetooth meowed gruffly.

      "Really, well thank you," he said politely. Taking a modest bite from the prey, he meowed, "Ok, who's first for ticks?"

      "Can you do me first? There's a big one that I just can't reach," Creamfur meowed. "I think it would be best if you got some mouse bile from the medicine cat."

     Rabbitpaw nodded and took a quick bite of his prey before exiting, then proceeded to find the medicine cats den. Thankfully, he's never needed to be treated there.

     He trotted in, carful to not let his fur touch any herbs. The scent of plants and healing powders were sharp to his nose. A rather small white cat was in the corner, sorting though herbs he didn't know of. The she-cat's ears pricked once he entered, and she turned to greet the apprentice. Her amber eyes were illuminating with wisdom.

     "Hello, Rabbitpaw. Do you need something?" She said with a silky meow. Snowstep was enchanting to all of the cats she met.

     He asked for the mouse bile and was disgusted by the scent once she fetched it. The stuff was padded down onto moss, an she put it on an old stick that she kept in her den.

"Remember to bring the stick back!" Snowstep called out once Rabbitpaw left to den. He put the stick in his mouth so it was far away as possible from his clean white fur. He returned to the elders den and watched as Creamfur moved next to him. After a few moments of silence, Rabbitpaw, with his teeth clamped down on the stick, meowed, "Creamfur... Can you tell me about my father?"