Every good friendship starts off as a seed

Primrosepaw padded cautiously across Riverclan camp to where she hoped there nursery was. It was taking a long time for her to be a accustom to the sheer amount of cats in such a small space, and, combined with her unfamiliarity with the area, she often struggled to confidently walk around alone. I don't need help though. Is what she had told herself many times. Silentwhisper had told her to ask for help when she needed it, but surely this was just a little issue that she could solve herself? Practice would definitely help her, and that (among other reasons) was the reason she had left her usual spot in camp to explore the nursery and possibly meet some of the kits.

She was probably a few tail-lengths from the den's entrance when a small, fluffy something crashed into her legs. Or someone. Unsure of whether she had just tripped over the kit, or if it had accidentally tried over her legs, she bent down to check that they were alright. "Oh! I'm so sorry! Are you ok?" I should be much more careful, she thought, especially around the nursery. Luckily, the kit she had bumped into was a little older, so they weren't in danger of being squashed by her.

Judging by the scent of her pelt, she guessed that this was a SkyClan she-kit. But something else lay deeper than simply the clan scent, something that reminded her of the Twolegplace that her clan had stayed in. Of course! She must be one of Redfall's kits. Primrosepaw's own mother had sort of taken them under her wing, as their mother was nowhere to be seen and Redfall seemed to have no interest in them.

 THIS TOPIC IS DISCONTINUED FOR THE MISSING KITS PLOT 

Maple had tottered sleepy and sleep-ruffled out of the weaving of reeds and right into the paws of one of the clan cats. “O-Oops,” she breathed, staggering back a little and dipping her head apologetically, a bit anxious. But the she-cat bent down to her kindly.

“I’m okay… that was my fault! I wasn’t looking where I was going,” Maple replied, admiring the cream stripes around the she-cat’s face – so pretty – everyone here seemed to have a unique coat. Maple couldn’t tell by scent if this she-cat was from SkyClan or RiverClan, the scents of the two clans blended together to her, and her little nose twitched as she scented more carefully.

Her scent seemed a little like Smokefeather – family resemblance stood out when almost everyone was a stranger. “Are you Primrosepaw?” Maple guessed, kitten-blue eyes shining up at the she-cat’s. “I’m Maple… kit.” Her first introduction!

It had taken Maple some time to realise the she-cat’s blue-green eyes were blind, and she was a bit grateful for it as she smoothed down her sleep-ruffled fluff.

Taken a little aback by the ease the kit had guessed who she was, Primrosepaw smiled and laughed slightly in surprise. Of course, Smokefeather was caring for this kit and her siblings, so it made sense that she picked up the familiarity in her scent. "Wow, you guessed that quickly!" she exclaimed. "Well hello Maplekit," the apprentice greeted, taking note of how she paused before the -kit part of her name. It was understandable: her and her siblings hadn't always been part of a clan, and they would take some time to adjust to their customs.

Knowing that she had to continue the conversation, Primrosepaw searched her mind for what kit enjoyed talking about. Of course! Apprenticeships and training. Kits always seemed a bit restless, waiting for the time when they could finally leave the camp. "Are you looking forward to your apprenticeship? I promise you, it's really fun!" But being an apprentice wasn't all fun and games. Hardships, worries and chores accompanied it. She hoped that Maplekit would still make the most of it though.

 THIS TOPIC IS DISCONTINUED FOR THE MISSING KITS PLOT 

"Smokefeather told me about her family last night, when I couldn't sleep," Maple mewed shyly in explanation, apologetic at the one-sidedness of the introduction. Then added, "She said you're an apprentice, I'm glad it's fun!" hopeful it would make her next question sound less ignorant. She shuffled her paws awkwardly.
"What, um, is an apprenticeship?"

"It's simple really. I'm an apprentice, which means I'm training to become a warrior with Smokefeather's help. She's my mentor, along with my mother," Primroselight explained, but quickly added on the end, "And your mum too, I guess." It felt weird for her to share her mother with other cats that weren't her littermates. But Smokefeather and Wrenspring had adopted the kits, as Redfall didn't seem to give a mouse tail about them and they needed someone to care for them. 

She was still a little annoyed at the fact she wasn't yet a warrior. What else could she do to make her ceremony happened sooner? She had trained hard, despite everything that had happened. Maybe I'll just have to wait a little longer. "You won't become an apprentice until you're six moons old, because it says in the warrior code that you have to be over six moons to start your training." She scanned her mind to think of what she had missed. "Oh, and instead of having -kit on the end of your name, you get -paw. Like my name, Primrosepaw, or Beechpaw or Dustpaw. You would become Maplepaw. And then, once you become a warrior, the end of your name changes again. For example Smokefeather - she used to be Smokepaw, but then she trained really hard and earned her warrior name." Like I will soon hopefully, she thought a little bitterly. She didn't enjoy feeling that way, but even the sweetest of cats had the end of their patience. Hoping that she had made sense, she finished her explaination. "Do you, uh, have any questions?"