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| - oa coldplay. link See, there was this itsy bitsy gap at the back of the medicine cat's den. We had discovered it one night when Lionpatch was tending to Daisykit's ill tummy. She had to sleep there so he could make sure she made a full recovery, so of course I slept there with her. The medicine cat's den had many grooves and cracks, which Lionpatch stuffed with herbs. He'd been running low on comfrey, though, and through the mostly empty crack I could see a bit of a tree trunk. I quickly realized that the crack ran all the way through the den, out to the woods. Outside the camp! Ever since then, whenever the two of us wanted to escape for a little bit, we'd sneak into the medicine cat's den and crawl out of the camp through the crack. I think Lionpatch knew; he had to have noticed that his comfrey was always falling out of its niche and being strewn all over his floor, and that it appeared to have been smashed by tiny pawprints. But we never went far; we always rested in the hollow just outside the camp, and occasionally I would hear the sound of Lionpatch humming and knew he was checking up on us. As long as we didn't stray too far, he did us the silent favor of not telling Ivyrose about our mischief. We lay in our grassy hollow one beautiful sunny day. Daisykit basked in the warmth while I lolled in the shade of a tree. I was in one of my brooding phases; even as a kit, I was a bit moody. There was no real reason to be unhappy, yet I felt a stone of unease in my stomach. "Do you ever think," I said aloud, "that your parents don't love me very much because I... I'm not theirs?" Daisykit was not broody or moody--but she was the type of cat who would be unhappy, just because I was. Her brow crinkled in concern. "Are they being mean to you?" "No! You know they're not! But sometimes I... I wonder why my parents had to die. I didn't even know them. And I know it's the way life works. Cats come and they go. It's what everyone's always said; they were good cats, they died too young... But it just doesn't seem enough." "You have me, Breezekit. You'll always have me." I finally smiled. "I know. And that's what matters most. You're my best friend." "Forever," she promised, smiling back at me. "Breezekit! Breezekit, wake up!" A tan blur the shape of a cloud bounded into the nursery. I let out a mewl of protest as my best friend plowed right into me. "Daisykit, go 'way," I grumbled, turning and burying my face in Ivyrose's thick fur. "M'trying to sleep." Letting out an indignant squeak, Daisykit hooked her teeny claws in my pelt and dragged me out of the warmth of the nest. "There's an apprentice ceremony today!" Instantly, I was alert and on my paws. "An apprentice ceremony?" Both of us fixed Ivyrose with radiantly expectant looks. "Are we gonna be warriors?" I demanded excitedly. "Don't be stupid," Daisykit scoffed. "We're not apprentices yet. Today we get our mentors! I hope I get Goldenburst." Amusement danced in Ivyrose's eyes as she watched us. "Neither of you are six moons old yet." "Yes, but Oakstar saw me kill that badger yesterday," I pointed out importantly. "Hey!" Daisykit batted my ear. "I helped!" "The badger? Was that the ball of moss or the strand of grass you were fighting yesterday?" inquired Ivyrose knowingly. Daisykit's fur puffed up till she resembled a fluffy porcupine. "Mother," she said dignifiedly, "I think your age has resulted in you losing your eyesight. It wasn't grass or moss, it was clearly a badger." I nodded vehemently in agreement. "A big one!" "I hate to disappoint you ladies, but it's Bluekit who's being apprenticed today." "Bluekit?" screeched Daisykit, enraged by the abomination of it all. I actually nursed a small--okay, not that small--crush on Bluekit, but I was just as mad as her right now. "He doesn't deserve to be an apprentice!" I exclaimed. "He's six moons old." "So? Phooey! Come on, Daisykit." The two of us marched out of the nursery, tails and chins held high in the air. Behind us, Ivyrose called out that we should be back in time to get groomed and cleaned up before the ceremony, but we ignored her. Honestly, the indignity of it all. If anyone in the entire Clan deserved to be apprentices, it was us. In fact, I deserved to be leader of the Clan. I looked at Daisykit, sizing her up, and wondered if the two of us could take down Oakstar between us. Which was totally not an overreaction at all. Unlike me, Daisykit's temper was mild and easily tamed. She was already losing her frown. "It's okay, Breezekit. We'll have our chance to be apprentices. And then warriors." "Someday." The ceremony, it turned out, was not just an apprentice ceremony. The Clan's current apprentices--Duskpaw, Shinepaw, Lilypaw, and Blackpaw--were given their warrior names, and became Duskwatcher, Shinecloud, Lilyshade, and Blackheart. Bluekit became Bluepaw, and he and Duskwatcher, who was his older brother, vowed to celebrate by partying hard after the latter served his warrior's vigil. The four new young warriors might be required to keep their silence, but we were not. All the kits were allowed to stay up late that night, as part of the celebration. We played tag with Specklekit, shrieking and running around the entire camp while Minkkit, my least favorite member of the nursery group, looked on with disapproval in her eyes. When we were too tired to run anymore, we collapsed smack in the center of the camp, lying on our backs and looking up at the star-strewn night sky. "The elders say that when we die, we become one. Each of us turns into a star," said Specklekit offhandedly. Daisykit's eyes were dreamy, awash with reflected starlight. "That sounds lovely. Imagine being a star." "It sounds awfully lonely. So far away from Earth, and from each other," I said doubtfully. "But beautiful, beautiful light." "Cold." I shivered involuntarily. She was right, of course. The night sky was beautifully picturesque, and I knew that for as long as I lived, I would not forget summer nights spent under a canopy of silver and navy blue lying next to my best friends. No matter how many moons passed, I would be able to close my eyes and be lying right here, and look to my right and see Daisykit shining softly beside me. "You would be celestial. Ethereal. Divine. Shining down on the world, making the night a little less dark." "How about being alive?" I protested. "I like being warm and real." "You make nights less dark already, Daisykit," said Specklekit. I wrinkled my nose and pushed both of them. "Gross. You promised to stop being mushy and weird in front of me." Giggling, Daisykit said, "You're just jealous that Bluepaw won't be around so much anymore." I sniffed, turning my nose up. "I'll be an apprentice soon enough." "But he'll be a warrior by then." "Oh, shut up, Daisykit." 'Cause you give me this feeling, this everglow
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