(Instead of school I used warrior cats, mentors = teachers, apprentice = student, work = teaching apprentice. Thanks! Enjoy!)

It was sunhigh when Vixenshine looked at the sky full of shine. She sat down on sunning-rocks as she watched the apprentices play fight below her on the rocky soil next to the river. It looked as if Brackenpaw, Hollypaw, Jaypaw, and Berrypaw were all down there, including the love of her life, Birchshade. She hoped one day they might have kittens of their own, but that may never happen, for she was concentrated on her mentoring and trying to be the best warrior she could.

She jumped down to round up the apprentices, yet she was not ready for what she found. “I told y’all to play nice and fair!” She snapped as she looked around at all of them. Hollypaw had a torn ear and Berrypaw had scratches on his stomach. ‘I can’t believe this.’ She muttered to herself.

“All of y’all go to camp and get cleaned up! Y’all are all on moss duty and tick duty for 3 sunrises.” She said impatiently. All four apprentices jumped into the brambles and sprinted off for camp.

“And you.” She whipped around facing the handsome light brown tom “you heard what I said, didn’t you?”

“Y-yes,” he whimpered with his tail between his hind legs and his pale blue eyes wide with fear “will you punish me?”.

“Oh I can’t punish you with that face.” She meowed affectionately and rubbed against his muzzle.

Once they got to camp they could see the two other mentors looking for her and Birchshade. She trotted up to them and and apologized for the hurt done to the apprentices.

“It alright.” They murmured “just don’t let them get scratched up again” The two toms got to their paws and went over to the fresh-kill pile.

“I have to talk to my apprentice,” Vixenshine said as she cantered towards the medicine den. There was a leafy smell coming from the cleft in the rock. She crawled through the hole and saw her apprentice ,Hollypaw, sitting beside his friend ,Berrypaw.

“Y’all ok?” She meowed softly to the two apprentices. They both nodded and apologized. After she came out of the stuffy den and looked at the darkening sky. ‘Starclan, why can’t I choose? Please tell me!’ She yowled silently to the stars. Then she saw a small trickle of water running through her paws, there were two pieces of bark. One of them stayed near her and the other went behind her. She knew what this meant…the answer she has been asking for.

She looked around the clearing and saw Brichshades mother ,Thrushspeck, sitting a couple fox-lengths away. Vixenshine trotted up to her and meowed “Have you seen Birchshade?” But the she-cat shook her head so Vixenshine left and glanced into the warriors den. She found him and pushed through the brambles, purring as she got closer to him.

Her eyes were full of sorrow and her sand dappled pelt looked dim in the darkening light. “I’m sorry Birchshade.” She meowed fearfully “I…I have made my choice.”

“I only have one life for my clan and I would rather serve it without you.” She meowed softly and sorrowfully.