Holecloud jumped high in the air landing steadily next to his opponent. He pinned him down immediately seeing the round surprise in his eyes, as his opponent wriggled to fight his way out.

"Heatherpaw! Concentrate!" Holecloud snapped at his apprentice, his neck fur rising. Suddenly, the white and brown tom hissed, rolling around and getting out of his mentor's firm grip, causing holecloud to fall on his side, letting out a shriek of surprise. Before the deputy could get up, he was pinned by his own apprentice, and bit gently on his neck.

Holecloud thought in agony for a way to get out of his grasp, but could find none "well done heatherpaw" he murmured into his apprentice's ear and heatherpaw loosened his grip on holecloud, getting up slowly. As holecloud stumbled to his paws, heatherpaw dipped his head respectably murmuring a silent thanks to his mentor.

"You could go and work with the other apprentices" holecloud suggested, and heatherpaw nodded hastily then ran to the apprentice's den, his tail high.

He sighed then looked up at the sky, sending a silent prayer to starclan when a scrap of brown fur shot passed him, brownpaw? he thought. Then, without warning, a ginger she-cat jumped on holecloud.

Holecloud couldn't help hissing "you were stalking me!" But the kit was already scratching his leg, claws sheathed. When holecloud was about to take her back to the nursery, brownkit jumped on him.

"Brownkit! Stop it!" Holecloud hissed, but he half-consciously let out a purr of amusement. "No I'm brownstar!" The brown kit yelled, in a deep voice. "And I'm blazeshadow" the ginger kit said "the wise deputy of hawkclan"

Blazekit took holecloud's hind leg, spitting furiously. Brownkit took a back leg. "We need help!" He yelled. Oh no! Holecloud thought as more kits stumbled out of the nursery yelling and hissing.

(OMS)

A black and white tom, smokekit, yelled orders as the other three kits ran to holecloud. Two of them took a hind leg and back leg whilst smokekit and rosekit, with sheathed claws, started scratching holecloud's side, causing him to fall. And the kits yelled triumphantly.

"Did we do just like you taught us holecloud?" Brownkit said

"you did very well brownkit, and all of you too" holecloud answered

"I told you, I'm not brownkit, I'm brownstar! And this is blazeshadow, smokeripple, roseflight, flowermoon, and molepelt!" Brownkit snapped.

"Ok ok, enough, you did great" holecloud answered hastily.

"Does that mean we can come fight the dark warriors" blazekit yelled happily

"No" holecloud snapped and the kits looked down at their paws sadly.

Suddenly, larchstar emerged from behind the willow tree, fixing his steady gaze on the kits "but" he said in a gentle tone "if the dark warriors come in camp, you will be able to finish them off, and protect your mothers"

The kits nodded slowly and holecloud dipped his head saying thoughtfully "but you will become great warriors someday"

Or maybe not he couldn't help thinking, for they might not stay alive