I Want To Be An Apprentice Too!

[Crane]

Pantherkit !

Been there, done that, messed around
I’m having fun don’t put me down,
I’ll never let you sweep me off my feet

A black blur streaked across the WindClan clearing. Pantherkit raced across as fast as she could, hoping to escape before her mother of one of her siblings found her. Her heart raced. Today was the day she was going to catch her first prey. Oh, but she was hungry... She paused, staring at the food pile longingly. No, not until she found something for the Clan.
Pantherkit took off, paws hammering the dry ground. She reached the edge of the camp, absolutely thrilled. She'd never been this far without being caught.
She hesitated, but then placed her paw down. Her first step out of camp! She took another, until she was fully out of the camp. She giggled, and, true to her kit nature, dropped to the ground and rolled around in the grass.
No, wait. She wasn't meant to be getting distracted, so she scrambled to her paws and walked slowly on her way, glancing around every few seconds in case someone was coming.

[Silver]

Rainpelt opened one eye as she felt someone slip past her. She spotted no one in the chilly clearing, but a soft, sweet, milky scent lingered in the air. With a sigh, Rainpelt rolled over, onto her paws. Yawning, she stretched out, relishing the faint Leaf-fall sun. She breathed again, inhaling the scent. Pantherkit. Rainpelt almost groaned aloud. Quickly, she hurried into the nursery, squeezing though the narrow entrance. Breezefur was curled up in her nest, Dapplekit and Eaglekit snuggled against her. The black kitten was no where to be seen. Eaglekit stirred, before blinking up at the she-cat sleepily. "Can you do me a favor? If Breezefur wakes up, tell her its alright. I'm just taking Pantherkit out for some exercise," she murmured to her miniature twin. The tom nodded, before closing his eyes. Rainpelt noiselessly slipped out of the den, trotting across the clearing.

She didn't go far. As soon as she scrambled out of the hollow onto the flat, open moorland, she spotted Pantherkit rolling about in the short grass. Sighing, Rainpelt pressed herself to the ground, hiding behind one of the bushes that sheltered the camp. Pantherkit picked herself up and looked around, before trotting off, tail held high. Silently, Rainpelt followed the young kit, careful to stay out of sight.

[Crane]

The warm sun felt nice on Pantherkit's back as she trotted through the long grass. The swishing sound it made as she passed through was delightful! She giggled to herself and continued on her way.
Pantherkit started humming to herself when she suddenly remembered why she had come out here in the first place. To hunt! Her whiskers quivered with excitement as she glanced around, searching for a rabbit. She saw a white tail flash in front of her and smiled, her pearly white teeth flashing in the sunlight.
She started to step forwards, one paw at a time, trying to be sneaky. As she got closer, she realised the little rabbit was just a baby. It still has a milky smell about it, like what Pantherkit could smell on her siblings. There! Pantherkit was close enough! She jumped towards it, tiny claws snagging in it's cloud-like tail.
The rabbit took off. Pantherkit squealed. She was being dragged along the ground, the dirt and stones scratching her soft belly. And her claws were stuck - there was no way to escape. She kept squealing, hoping someone would hear her.

[Silver]

Rainpelt chuckled as she watched Pantherkit swagger confidently toward the young rabbit. She had to admit though, the young hare noticed nothing until she sprang. Rainpelt watched as the tiny claws snagged itself in the white fur, the rabbit bolting for safety, Pantherkit squealing helplessly. Leaping from her hiding spot, Rainpelt charged after the odd pair. It was easy to catch them, for Panthekit's bulk slowed the hare down. Rainpelt swiped at the small creature, stunning it. She quickly delivered a killer nip, silently thanking StarClan for the swift kill. Carefully, she extracted Pantherkit's claws from the soft fur. "What do you think you're doing out here on your own?" she demanded, glaring down sternly at the kitten. The poor thing looked so startled, covered in small pebbles and dust, studying her tender claw. Rainpelt suppressed a sigh. Kits!

[Crane]

Pantherkit squealed even louder as a dark shape smacked the rabbit. Fox! Ah! Oh... wait. She recognized the smell. It was Rainpelt! Phew. Rainpelt helped her get her claws out of the rabbit's tail.
The black kit frowned as she examined her sorest claw. Meh, it'd be fine soon. She couldn't wait to tell all her friends about what had happened! None of them had ever had such an exciting adventure, she'd bet!
She looked up at Rainpelt to thank her... But Rainpelt didn't look happy... Oh no.
"What do you think you're doing out here on your own?" she asked loudly. Pantherkit crigned.
"I'm s-sorry, Rainpelt!" she mewed honestly, "I want to be an apprentice and catch prey too!" Aww, she was going to be in such big trouble... Now her story wasn't going to be as good.

[Silver]

Rainpelt's gaze softened as she gazed down at the cringing black kit. A sigh escaped her, and she gently cuffed Pantherkit's ears. "You need to learn patience. The Clan is still getting used to Bluestar's retirement. It doesn't happen that often, you know," she scolded. Though Rainpelt tried to keep up her angry demeanor, she couldn't summon up the strength to yell at the naive kit. She glanced at the rabbit, before prodding it toward Pantherkit. "Here. Take this with you and listen up," she instructed, turning toward camp. She kept a careful eye on the kit, in case the mischief maker tried to run off again. "I will talk to Spicefur and Breezefur about making you apprentices. You have reached your sixth moon, and it is time to make yourself useful around camp, as you tried today. However!" Rainpelt paused a moment, waiting for Pantherkit's smaller legs to catch up. "However, if you want to go out, hunt, and train like an apprentice, you must be punished as an apprentice as well. Leaving camp without someone to watch you was a serious thing. What would have happened if the rabbit dragged you straight to a fox, hmm?" Rainpelt let her words sink in, suddenly aware of how close they were to camp. Rainpelt stopped and gave Pantherkit a swift lick between the ears. "We have rules to keep you safe. The sooner you learn that, the better. Now go take that to the elders; I'm sure they'll want to hear all about how you caught such a fine creature!" she purred, her voice soft with affection. Though it was true that Pantherkit and her siblings were not her own, they had grown on her, and she treated them as if they were kin. Which made sense, seeing as Breezefur was as close to a sister as Rainpelt would get.
Rainpelt would never quite realize how close those thoughts came to the truth.