" All cats old enough to swim join me to hear my words." A silky meow rang through the camp of RiverClan. It was inviting to all.

Is today the day?! The day I will finally be an apprentice like those sleazy other young cats like me? Wondered an excited bundle. He was a gray Tom cat. His eyes were alit with excitement, light green.

He skirted over there, his greedy siblings following in suit. Marigoldpaw and Melonpaw were there, whisker twitching in mockery of the kits with their: oh we're so older than you, teasing looks.

Riverkit tried to conceal himself. It was hard not to race around the camp in excitement, squishing the mud that had been made the day before in between his claws.

This gathering makes it exciting. I wonder who I will get as my mentor? There seem to be so little choices...between all the constant fighting that somehow is broken out between the clans, and the rogues that keep taking the lives of my clan mates. It's awful! They're aren't just killing them, they're recruiting them! How sad!

Deepkit and Wildkit bounded up behind him, Deepkit's white-and-Gray body quivering in excitement. She had already cleaned up, too. But Riverkit couldn't help bending his ears as his clan mates talked about where he came from.

I'm not a rogue! I'm not a kittypet! Chargefoot is all the proof you need! They were all just gossiping. His clan mates just liked talking.

Riverkit assumed they liked to talk about things going on outside of the clan. He also assumed he got his pelt color and eyes from his father. Deepkit also got her eyes and parts of her pelt from her father, but she got the fluffiness of it from her mother.

Chargefoot was purring in pride. She seemed oblivious to the chatter of their clanmates as she approached her kits, paw wrapping around Riverkit. She gave him a quick bath.

" That's enough." He squeaked, swiftly kicking his mother. It wasn't hard. He was just already tired of being treated a kit, even though he was still one until the ceremony.

" RiverClan has three new apprentices: Wildkit, Deepkit, Riverkit come forward." Lilystar ordered the three kits. Wildkit's orange-and-Gray pelt shook with excitement. He had amber eyes. They blazed with excitement.

So did Deepkit's green ones. Riverkit was also ecstatic for this. He hoped Lilystar wouldn't discard them like crow-food instead. They reached the view of the clan leader, and approached her even further, tripping over their own paws.

" Riverkit," Lilystar began, " You have reached the age of six moons, and it's time for you to be apprenticed." Riverkit trembled. I'm going to be an apprentice! I'm going to be an apprentice! He silently cheered to himself.

Lilystar opened her jaws once more to speak. " From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Riverpaw. Your mentor will be Iceclaw. I hope Iceclaw will pass down all that she's learned from the lately deceased Pinestorm."

"Iceclaw approached the leader and the new apprentice. " Iceclaw, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Pinestorm, and you have shown yourself to be agile and quick thinking. You will be the mentor Riverpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Riverpaw." Lilystar addresses Iceclaw.

Iceclaw bent down to Riverpaw's level. She touched her nose to his. Riverpaw's tail twitched. Iceclaw quickly retreated her nose from his.

So this is what being an apprentice feels like. It's nice. " Riverpaw!" The clan greeted and called as he walked to sit with his mother. Chargefoot licked him on his head in affection. Not in front of the clan, mother!

He ducked away, pelt hot in embarrassment. The ceremony continued with the naming of Wildpaw.

His mentor was Hotpool, the father of the apprentices Melonpaw and Marigoldpaw. Their mother had died a while back when they were kits—or that's what Riverkit-er Riverpaw had been told—and Chargefoot had to nurse them.

Good thing they were almost old enough to eat fresh-kill. Riverpaw thought with a purr.

The ceremony continued when Wildpaw and Hotpool touched noses, then Wildpaw sat with his mentor. That was so unlike what Riverpaw had done.

Riverpaw licked his chest fur in embarrassment. Guess I wanted to say good bye to my family before starting my training. His gaze went over to his mentor. She was looking at him in amusement.

I suppose it's okay then. Riverpaw thought shuffling his paws a little. He lifted his head up as his sister's name was called.

Deepkit strutted foward, chin high. Out of all of us, Deepkit is the most egotistical. I swear she watches the Twolegs, and gets it from them. Deepkit reaches Lilystar.

Lilystar does the ceremony all over again. " Your mentor will be Moonshine." What?! She gets the deputy?! That's unfair!

But...no cat challenged her. Does this happen often? Or do they not care that one kit is getting treated better than the other two! Wildpaw and I should get the deputy! Better yet I should be an apprentice to Lilystar!

Riverpaw was just plain furious. " Lucky." Wildpaw hissed to their even more egotistical sister. Great. They're feeding her ego. How great for the clan!

Lilystar dismissed them, unknowing that this was unfair to the other apprentices. Iceclaw approached Riverpaw. " What are we doing?" He questioned.

If we are replacing the elder's bedding I'm going to jump and drown myself in the river! That's my name sake, though. It would be strange to....let's hope I don't have replace the bedding.

Iceclaw glances at him in amusement. What's so funny? He thought, getting angry. His mood lifted when she meowed, " We are not going to clean the elder's bedding. There are other things I'd like to investigate before we clear out the bedding for Plumeheart and Hairfur."

" Come. We are going to search for mangy trespassers. I swear that she and her daughter are going to return soon. I want to rid them. They won't stop coming over." Iceclaw meowed, confusing Riverpaw.

" Who exactly are we looking for?" Riverpaw questioned. Iceclaw sighs as she looks back at her new apprentice. " Traspassers. We'd know them by scent because they won't smell like RiverClan."

" Smell? You mean like...fish?" He questions her. He was very confused. " Yes, but they won't smell like fish; neither will they smell like the river." Iceclaw informs him.

This is all so confusing. He though as he sniffs the air, a whole lot of overwhelming scents hitting his scent glands all at once.

" Where do we begin?" He questions. Iceclaw pointed with her white tail, towards a weird Twoleg area with some weird mesh. It was hard to see it past the distance, and the trees.

Riverpaw squinted at it. " That is where she and her daughter hang. I wouldn't trust any rogues, kittypets, or loners. They're all just a bunch of trouble. Lilystar doesn't believe what I say about some of them. She thinks I'm delusional. I know it's them. Lilystar explained to us what happened that day."

Iceclaw looked deep rooted in memories.  What happened then? He wondered, pawing his mentor. Iceclaw blinked, green-blue eyes back from their dilated stance. Her ears folded as she turned to her apprentice.

" Sorry, Riverpaw. Just some bad trouble there. I would advise you to stay away from them if I were you." She told him. Stay away from who?! You didn't tell me who exactly I need to stay away! " Who?" He questioned.

She just sighed, and her head dipped a little. " Just don't talk to any cats who aren't RiverClan." She pointed her tail in the same direction.

" What's over there?" He questioned. " WindClan." She had snarled, venom seeping from her voice. Drool spattered the ground.

" WindClan?" He wonders, trying to figure why she was spitting about the clan of the winds. They live in moors, right? That moor where she is pointing her tail with malice?

" Yes," She hissed, " We are currently trying to make amends with them, but they won't listen! They're mad at us for apparently taking prey from their grounds. We haven't even taken a morsel! They're the ones taking our prey, not that we can't live without the birds in the sky, but that's besides the point. WindClan are sleazy prey thieves!" Iceclaw snarled.

Riverpaw tried to get used to scent of what WindClan smelled like, but he didn't know if what he was smelling was even WindClan. It smelled musty, and strong.

Whatever it was, it was overwhelming his senses until- suddenly a screech of pure terror rang out. That doesn't sound like any of the clanmates I know, but I don't like the sound of them- whoever they are- in pain!

With that, the two cats exchanged glances. Not before Iceclaw told him: " I will help. You will stay out of trouble. You don't know any fighting moves next. Well, at least we have something for you to work on sometime in the near future." Iceclaw panted as they raced among a small body of water that could only be a stream.
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Authors note: So here's the first chapter. I would pay close attention to some of the things that are mentioned here, because they're important. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this part. Let me know if there's anything I can work on, and remember what I told you in the prologue authors notes: Votes and helpful comments= being able to help me name a cat. Thanks for reading, and I hope to update this soon!