Chapter 13

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"Birchkit, where's Petalkit?" Gingerpelt wondered. Her kits were over five moons old and would be apprenticed soon.

"I don't know." Birchkit shrugged. "Probably out with Mothwing again."

"I really wish Mothwing would wait until Petalkit's an apprentice to take her out of camp." Gingerpelt growled. "She's still a kit. She shouldn't have left camp yet! Maybe if Mothwing really cared about her kin, she wouldn't want to make them medicine cats like her! She just wants an apprentice! I bet she lied about the dream and made Petalkit choose to be a medicine cat!"

"Is Gingerpelt complaining about a great achievement again, Birchkit? I'm sorry you and my own kit had to listen to that." Cinderclaw mewed, sleepily pushing her single kit, Badgerkit, closer to her. The tiny tom looked exactly like his father so Cinderclaw named him after the brave deputy who had died before his kit was born.

"Badgerkit sure is growing fast." Birchkit quickly changed the subject, not wanting his mother, Gingerpelt, to say anything she might regret.

"Yes. He'll be the size of his father by the time he's apprenticed at this rate." Gingerpelt mewed, trying not to sound rude.

"Yes." Cinderclaw agreed. "He'll probably be deputy one day!"

Birchkit took a pawstep forward, and opened his jaws to disagree and say that he'd be deputy, but Gingerpelt knew what he'd say so she brushed her tail across Birchkit's face and pushed him back to his nest.

"When you leave the nursery, Birchkit, will you miss Gingerpelt's tail? It's constantly in your face." Cinderclaw mewed jokingly.

"Actually, no." Birchkit replied. "I hate her tail! It's too fluffy!"

"You'll be an apprentice soon" Gingerpelt mewed, changing the subject. "And Flametail doesn't have an apprentice yet."

Birchkit's ears twitched in curiosity. "Do you think he'll be my mentor?" Birchkit wondered excitedly.

"Possibly." Gingerpelt lay down, exhausted, in her nest.

One moon. One more moon and he'll be apprenticed. I won't have to worry about him wandering off. I'll just have to worry about the battles he'll fight.

Gingerpelt tried hard to swallow the fish Birchkit had gotten her.

The only time he'd be sent into battle, would be after he's trained for moons. No cat would ever send an untrained apprentice into battle.

Swallowing the fish, Gingerpelt drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

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