Apprentice

File:Swiftpaw.pngBook Definition of an Apprentice: More than six moons old, in training to become warriors

 ^Click Above to See a Picture of an Apprentice ^

An apprentice is a Clan cat that is at least six moons and training to be a warrior or sometimes a medicine cat. All apprentices' names end with the suffix '-paw', which symbolizes the path their paws are on, until they receive their warrior name.

Education
Apprentices train with their mentor whenever their mentor takes them. In the Forest, ThunderClan apprentices would train in the sandy hollow, but now they train in the mossy hollow by the Lake. As an apprentice, a cat learns fighting moves including: Front Paw strike, Front Paw blow, Back-Kick, Belly-Rake, Upright Lock, Leap-and-Hold, Teeth Grip, Scruff Shake, Play Dead, and the Killing Bite. Some of these moves are executed with sheathed claws, and others with claws unsheathed. Also, a mentor will teach his or her apprentice how to hunt, which includes the hunting crouch in ThunderClan.

Tasks
In the Forest, apprentices would have to make a trip to the Moonstone with their mentor, but now that the Clans have moved to the Lake, the tradition died out. Apprentices go on hunting and border patrols with other cats of their Clan. They cannot eat until the elders and nursing queens eat, unless they have special permission. Apprentices must look after the elders as well, such as making sure they have clean bedding and fresh-kill. Apprentices cannot leave the camp without the permission of their mentor or another warrior. If an apprentice breaks a rule, they usually have to go through punishments by searching the elders' pelts for ticks, and if they find any, they must rub foul smelling mouse bile on the ticks to make them drop off. After apprentices complete their training, they go through their Warrior Ceremony and keep a silent vigil and guard the camp overnight. They must be silent and can't fall asleep.