Book 10 - Chapter 16

Nightblaze looked around at the cats staring back at him. Sparrowstar nods for him to go on. "I have always cherished the clan and I am honored that I was able to live and be a part of the clan. I have a secret, I will never be able to give the clan kittens, I will never be allowed a mate, or kittens of my own. So by letting me mentor the apprentices of the clan, you are letting me be responsible for a young cat, even if I will never be their true parent. I am allowed the experience of being responsible for a younger cat, a chance that I will never be allowed with a kitten. I wish more than anything that I could have a mate and kittens of my own but I never will be allowed to. I am thankful that the clan let me experience what it is like to care for another even more than you care about yourself. Someone you would be willing to die for. I never knew what that was like until I became a mentor and was responsible for a young cat's safety. I  can't explain how grateful I am to the clan and its clan leaders, for without them I really wouldn't know anything about caring for another cat. I believe that caring and loving and being loyal to your clan mates is what makes a clan strong. So without the clan, I wouldn't know what it is like to care or love another cat as family. Therefore I wouldn't be as strong or as loyal as I am today. The clan has made me who I am.  "Wait a minute I have an idea," said Skyleap. "As you know Mistkit and Dustkit are now eating prey instead of milk, and so is Mosskit, because they persuaded him to try it. Mosskit now likes prey over milk, he doesn't need me. Nightblaze would you like to raise Mosskit as your own kit, he doesn't need anything that you cannot get him?" Nightblaze looked at the tiny kit and Skyleap in surprise. "If Mosskit agrees than I would be more then willing to raise him." Mosskit nodded and the clan looked happy for the two cats, than they settled down for the night awaiting the next days stories.