#s://i~ibb~co/LNJMjvY/swan~jpg

In one moon's time, Swankit would be an apprentice. One moon would come as surely as the queen's promised newleaf would bring a melt to the frost. As surely as the sun would rise the next morning, even if its light was dulled by the grey stretch of clouds that blocked out the sky.

Cloudkit would be an apprentice too, of course. But it was easier to imagine them in the apprentice's den, socializing, training, challenging everyone around them to be better. It was even easy to imagine his other siblings in the den. Less skilled, perhaps, but still having a place within the clan.

Swankit's place was in Cloudkit's shadow. And how long could he rely on them?

...Well, probably forever. Or for a long time, at least. Cloudkit was pretty reliable, at least to him. But being Cloudkit's brother wasn't going to be enough for his future mentor and it wasn't going to be enough for the other apprentices already among MistClan's ranks.

Maybe he was jealous.

Or... maybe he was just hungry? Getting to his paws, Swankit decided it wouldn't hurt to embrace the chill for long enough to take a mouse from the fresh-kill pile. A decision he second-guessed the moment the cold wind hit him as he stepped out of the nursery, but that didn't deter him from making his way toward the fresh-kill in search of a snack.