"Are you ready?" My mother, Iceriver asks startling me from my thoughts about catching frogs. Confused I look at her, suddenly realization dawns on me. Today was the day.

"Y..e.....s???" I manage to say. Was I even ready? How had six moons passed by so quickly?

"Shhh." Iceriver meows. "It's time for your bath."

"Awww. No!" I squeal and try to escape her grasp. I had no luck there she held me firmly down and started licking. Ick. My fur was going to be so wet for the ceremony. What if she changed who she picked to mentor me? What if my mentor was Quicktalon? That would be so bad. He was so fast and made it his goal in life to hunt. That's why everyone in the clan calls him the hunter. Iceriver stops licking my fur and decides that it is clean enough and pushes me out of the den and into the center of camp. Looking at my surroundings I find myself searching for Adderkit. He was one of my best friends.

Suddenly I feel myself being pushed forward by my mother, Iceriver. Today was going to be my apprentice ceremony. The day was finally here, the day I felt like I had been waiting here for all my life.

"Today we are gathered here to make two new apprentices. Dapplekit step forward." Dawnstar meows sweeping her gaze across the clan, her gaze lingering for longer on me. Had I done something? This was not the way I had imagined that it would go. Hesitantly I take a step forward and then another. Soon I find myself directly in front of her.

"Dapplekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Dapplepaw. Your mentor will be Blackflame. I hope Blackflame will pass down all he knows on to you." Dawnstar calls up Blackflame.

"Blackflame, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Fogstep, and you have shown to be loyal and determined. You will be the mentor of Dapplepaw, and I expect you to pass down all that you know to Dapplepaw." Dawnstar meows loud enough for the whole clan to hear and the gathering is over.

"Dapplepaw" Hazelpaw and Shadepaw meow at the exact same time as they walk towards me. This was so much, being greeted by practically the whole clan. "We have much to show you." They keep talking waiting for me to respond. I don't and when it's clear that I'm not going to they walk off.

"I'm so glad that's over." I meow tiredly. I didn't want to answer a whole bunch of questions, and especially not if I was going to have to do training as well.

"Really? I think you liked hurting their feelings." Someone meows from behind me. Great, another cat to lecture me on how to live my life.

"You know I can do fine without all this lecturing." I meow and turn to glare at the intruder. It was no other than my mentor, Blackflame.

"Sure you could." He meows threatening me and begins to circle me. "Do you want to end up like Maskedflower?" Blackflame asks stopping, looking dead serious.

"Who's Maskedflower?" I ask my voiced edged with curiosity.

"Was." Blackflame corrects and continues on. "Some secrets are better left in the shadows." He meows cryptically and walks away from me. "You know you are guarding camp tonight?" He asks. He was hiding it, I knew it. Why couldn't he just tell me?

I nod my head as confused as ever. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Dawnstar padding towards me. She stops in front of me.

"Can you keep a secret?" Dawnstar asks narrowing her amber eyes at me. Apparently she was waiting for a response and I wasn't sure if I could give her one. At least not the right one, secrets are hard to keep. Why was she even asking me that question? She begins to circle the me, it was common knowledge that the she asks each new apprentice that question. That's when I completely froze up and became unaware of what was going on around me, barely able to focus. I gulp for air trying desperately to manage to get a yes out. It was going to be hard, but not impossible to do so.

Anyway I knew I had to say yes. Summoning up all the courage I had I shift my gaze away from Dawnstar. "Yes" I meow confidently. I wondered if she believed me or if she could tell I was lying. I shift my paws and think that tonight will be a long night.

"You can't keep a secret." Dawnstar meows her amber eyes sparking with rage. "The last time you were told a secret the whole clan knew about it within a day. That's not a secret if you tell everyone." She meows slightly less annoyed. "Iceriver is going to have more kits."

"Woah really?" I ask in excitement. The clan was going to have more kits! This was wonderful news, I have to tell someone. I'm probably the only cat who knows this, I have to spread the great news. Who should I tell first? Adderpaw or Blackflame? I had to get news out about this somehow.

Dawnstar looks down at me and say. "Now, I bet you were thinking about telling Adderpaw and Blackflame."

"Hey, no fair. I was going to tell them." I meow indignantly.

"Dapplepaw, you are missing the point. What if Icyriver told you to keep that a secret? Then the whole clan would find out about it and it would be a complete disaster." Dawnstar meows. I am going to announce at the next gathering for cats not to tell you secrets.

"No please don't." I meow raising my voice. She had to understand. I couldn't let the whole clan find out about this. "I'll do anything."

"I'm going to, until you can prove that you can keep a secret I will make sure that no one ever tells you another secret for as long as you are alive." With that Dawnstar leaves. Leaves me to guard the camp and I have a sinking feeling in my stomach. This was going to be a nightmare. Dawnstar was going to use this to ruin my life.