~Chapter 1~
I opened my little eyes for the first time, blinking against the bright light shining into the Nursery. My mother, Nightflare, was curled up around my brother and sister and I, sleeping. I looked over at my brother, Swiftkit, who was starting to stir. He opened his eyes with a yawn. When he looked at me, he squealed.
"Your eyes are open!"
"Swiftkit? Your going to wake up the whole camp with your squealing!" Nigthflare meowed sleepily.
I looked over at my sister, Rainkit. "Rainkit?" I squeaked quietly.
"She hasn't opened her's yet. I opened mine 2 sunrises ago." Swiftkit boasted, puffing out his chest.
Rainkit mewled and snuggled closer to Nightflare.
"Get back to sleep, you can go out and play in a while when were all awake." Nightflare meowed.
"But it's morning, and I'm not tired anymore! I wanna go out and play!" Swiftkit whined, bouncing up and down.
"You guys let your mother and Rainkit sleep, I can watch you."
"Daddy!" Swiftkit and I squealed, climbing from the nest and running over to him. My legs were still wobbly, and I rolled off the nest onto the ground with an oof.
"Thank you, Lionfrost." Nightflare purred.
"Your welcome." he meowed, gathering Swiftkit and I with a sweep of his tail.
I bounced out of the Nursery entrance, eager to see the camp for the first time.
"WOAH!" I mewed, my eyes huge. "This place is so big!"
"RAWR!"
My nose hit the ground and I rolled head over paws as Swiftkit tackled me.
"Hey!" I squeaked, standing upright and rubbing my nose with a paw. "Mouse brain!"
"Don't play to rough, kits. Your mother would lose her tail if she found out you guys got hurt while I was watching you." Lionfrost meowed.
"Come on, Petalkit, let's play!" Swiftkit mewed, wiggling his haunches and getting ready to leap at me again. He jumped and spun around when he heard a yowling coming from behind him. Russetkit and Dustkit came tearing around the corner of the Nursery, Russetkit chasing her brother.
"Your gunna be crowfood!" she yowled to Dustkit.
"Will not!" he yowled back. He turned back around, and bowled over Swiftkit. "Oh hey, Swiftkit! Sorry!" he meowed.
Russetkit padded up to me. Her and Dustkit were Shadowflower's kits, they were both a few moons older then me. "Hello Petalkit, I see you opened your eyes!" she meowed. "It's about time, we need another cat to make the teams equal when we play battle!"
"That sounds like fun!" I meowed. I looked up when Lionfrost padded up to me.
"Would you like me to show you around camp, Petalkit?" he asked.
"Oh yes yes yes!" I squealed, bouncing up and down.
"Alrighty, follow me." he meowed.
Russetkit tagged along as I tried running to catch up. I tumbled ever so often, but I shook my fur out and got right back up. "Where we goin' first?!" I asked.
"I'll show you the apprentices den." he meowed.
We padded over to a clump a ferns beside a tree stump. Two apprentices were training outside the entrance.
"That is Cedarpaw and Pebblepaw." Lionfrost meowed. They both paused and looked over, nodding in hello, then went back to training. I watched their moves closely with interest.
The next stop was the Warrior's den. It was located under a big bush, and there was a nettle patch nearby. As we padded up, I peeked in the entrance curiously.
"Don't disturb the warriors, the ones who didn't go on morning patrols or hunting patrols are still asleep." Lionfrost warned.
I nodded and backed out. "Where too next?" I asked eagerly, my tail pointing straight up in excitement.
"Shall we stop by the medicine cat's den to see Moonleaf?"
"Oh yes!" I squeaked. I knew Moonleaf, for she often visited us in the nursery to see Nightflare and the other queens. She always gave them some leafy stuff that they ate.
Lionfrost lead the way to a tunnel of ferns, and with a flick of his tail he disappearing behind the leaves. I stopped hesitantly.
"It's ok, this tunnel leads to the medicine den." Russetkit meowed from behind.
I nodded. "Of corse." I slowly padded through the ferns. It was dark inside, but I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. I pelted towards it and came to a grassy clearing.
"Wow!" I shouted. There was a big rock with a crack in it, and a small pool towards the edge of the clearing. Beside the pool I saw a few big rocks, and herbs underneath them. I guessed that the rock was the den because Moonleaf poked her head out when she heard me.
"Oh, hello young ones, and Lionfrost!" she dipped her head to us. "Taking a tour around camp I see?" she asked.
I nodded eagerly.
"How nice." she smiled. "Would you guys like to taste some honey?" she offered, padding out.
"Oh yes!" Russetkit squeaked.
We ran over to the three rocks and Moonleaf pulled out a leaf with a sticky gold liquid on it. Russetkit and I sniffed at it.
"Just take a lick. This is honey, it tastes really sweet. I use it to soothe sore throats." she meowed.
I cautiously licked up some of the honey with Russetkit. "Oh!" I squeaked, bouncing up and down. "It's delicious!"
Moonleaf chuckled. "Well you guys better be off now, I need to get back to work."
"Awwww!" Russetkit and I whined in protest.
"Come on kits, we don't want to bother Moonleaf too much! She's a very busy cat." Lionfrost meowed. "How about we go see the leader's den?" he asked.
We abruptly stopped whining and pelted towards the fern tunnel with our tails streaming behind us. "Awesome! Hurry up, Lionfrost!" we shouted back.
Moonleaf laughed. "Have fun!" she called after us.
We entered the camp clearing, seeing the big Highrock on the edge. That was where Fallenstar announced things to the Clan and had ceremonies.
"Under the Highrock is a cave that was carved out by an ancient stream. That is Fallenstar's den." Lionfrost announced.
The entrance was covered with lichen. "Can we see inside?" I asked.
"You would have to ask Fallenstar, but she isn't here right now. She took a border patrol out to the ShadowClan border."
"Can we go on a border patrol? Pleeeaasseee!" Russetkit and I pleaded.
"Not until your apprenticed." Lionfrost chuckled.
I pinned my ears and plopped down on the sandy ground, wearing a pouty face.
"Oh come on, it won't be too long from now." Lionfrost meowed, sweeping his tail across my flank. "Let's go see the elders."
The elder's den was in a big hollowed out tree stump. It had been a tree at one time, and looked as if it had been struck by lightning half way up the trunk and the top half was gone. Outside lay two elders. "This is Duskpelt," Lionfrost meowed, pointing his tail to a dark she-cat, "and this is Whiskerfang." he continued, nodding towards a gray tom.
"Ah, the young troublemakers." Whiskerfang stifled a purr, standing up. "Heatherpath is inside taking a nap and Brackenclaw is at the fresh kill pile." he meowed.
Lionfrost nodded in acknowledgement. "We just came to stop by, we are showing Petalkit around the camp."
"Show her around too well and she'll start causing trouble in all the dens and sneaking out of camp." Duskpelt mumbled.
"Oh they will be doing that eventually anyway." he meowed back, looking down at Russetkit and I who just smiled innocently at him. We looked at each other and giggled.
Heatherpath padded out of the elder's den.
"Hello, Heatherpath." Whiskerfang meowed. "How was your nap?" he asked.
"Fine, but my legs are aching. I'm off to see Moonleaf." she grumbled.
"She woke up on the wrong side of the nest." Russetkit whispered in my ear and fell over backwards giggling.
Lionfrost gave her a swift but gentle flick on the ear. "Respect your elders! Your lucky she didn't hear that!" he meowed quietly to us. "Alright, bye for now!" Lionfrost meowed to the elders and herded us off back towards the nursery.
The sun was setting in the sky as I lifted a paw to bat my brother on the face, the blow weakened by tiredness. I yawned and slumped to the ground. I was tired after the day of exploring camp and play fighting with my brother, Dustkit, and Russetkit.
Nightflare laughed warmly and swept my brother and I up with her tail. "Come now, kits. It's time for bed."
"But I don't wanna," Swiftkit paused as his jaws widened in a yawn, "go to bed..." he mewled.
"You can play more tomorrow," she reassured us, "and maybe then your sister's eyes will be opened." she added.
"Okay." I agreed and followed my mother into the nursery. I saw Nettletail was already asleep, and Shadowflower padded in with Russetkit and Dustkit just behind us.
"Tomorrow, we should go to the elders as ask if they will tell us some stories!" Dustkit meowed to us. "You need to hear the one about Tigerstar and TigerClan and Lionheart and..." he was broke off by a yawn.
"Yes, there are many stories that have been passed down for generations. You don't need to name them all before bed, Dustkit!" Shadowflower purred.
"Alrighty, off to bed before we wake Pettletail!" Nightflare meowed.
I climbed up into my nest and snuggled up with my mother and littermates. The warm nursery smelled sweet of milk like always, and I purred myself to sleep.
~Chapter 2~
"Trip him, Petalkit! That's it, Swiftkit, pin her down!" Lionfrost stood on the sidelines while Swiftkit and I wrestled each other, giving us tips. "I'm going to be the best warrior, and you won't stop me!" Swiftkit growled playfully.
It was a moon later, and the Gathering was tonight. The sun shone high in the clear blue sky, promising a clear night sky tonight, as the warriors of ThunderClan basked in it's light in the camp clearing. Birdsong sounded in the trees, the fresh kill pile was full, nothing could get better then this. "You two be careful." Nightflare warned as my brother and I rolled around the clearing. "Don't be getting under any cat's paws."
"We won't." We both said and pulled apart from each other.
"What do you want to do? I'm getting bored of play fighting." Swiftkit asked.
"Maybe Rainkit should join in." I suggested, looking over at my sister who seemed to be zoned out, prancing after a butterfly. As soon as Swiftkit layed eyes on it, he rushed passed me, almost knocking me over. "Watch it!" I growled.
Swiftkit leaped up and caught the butterfly between his paws. "Got it!"
"Hey, I was playing with that!" Rainkit protested.
"Well you took to long to catch it." Swiftkit retorted, prancing to Nightflare with the prize.
"Great catch!" she meowed. "You'll make a wonderful warrior."
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather under the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Fallenstar's yowl rang throughout the clearing.
"A Clan meeting! Maybe we are being made apprentices!" Swiftkit gasped.
"Oh please, your only nearly 2 moons old." Dustkit scoffed as he padded up. "I bet me and Russetkit are becoming apprentices."
"In another moon." Shadowflower meowed, padding up to her two kits. "Your only 5 moons old."
Dustkit pinned his ears stubbornly.
"Can we go to the meeting?" Rainkit asked, padding up.
"As long as you guys are quiet." Nightflare warned.
"We will, we will!" we chorused, jumping up and down.
"Very well." she meowed.
We all padded to the clearing, sitting down in the back of the group of cats. I looked up at Fallenstar, my eyes as wide as moons.
"Tonight is the full moon, and I have chosen the cats who will come to the Gathering." she announced.
"You think we will get to go?" Swiftkit whispered.
"Shh." Nightflare scolded, flicking her tail over his muzzle.
"Suntail, Moonleaf, Stoneclaw, Thorntail, Lionfrost, Ferntail, Spottedsong, Berryheart, Ravenpaw, Cedarpaw, Pebblepaw, Whiskerfang, and Duskpelt." he announced.
"Mouse-dung." Swiftail cursed, and Nightflare gave an annoyed flick of her tail to silence him.
I rolled my eyes, and turned my attention back to Fallenstar as she carried on with the Clan meeting.
"Everyone ready?" Fallenstar asked.
"Can you please take us, Lionfrost?" Swiftkit and I begged our father. The moon was climbing the sky, almost time for the Gathering.
"You two sure do love to complain, it's mostly just you, Swiftkit." Nightflare flicked his ear with her tail. "Why can't you be quiet and observant like your sister, Rainkit?" she meowed warmly with a smile.
"I'm not complaining!" he retorted.
"Yes you are." I meowed.
"Are not!"
"Are too!"
Lionfrost slapped his tail over Swiftkit's muzzle. "Shush. You can't go until your an apprentice."
"Fine." Swiftkit gave up, his mew muffled by Lionfrost's tail.
The Gathering patrol took off, and the camp was left quiet. Except for the kits rolling around like mad cats. With so many cats gone, they could run around the whole clearing and shout as much as they wanted.
"Lower your voices!" Nightflare giggled as the kits chased each other. "Some of the cats went to bed already." Just as she said that, Heatherpath padded out of the elder's den. "What is all that racket?!" she growled.
"I'm sorry!" Nightflare meowed, jumping up.
Nettletail padded out of the nursery, her belly swollen with kits. "You can't expect Nightflare to watch all these kits and keep them under control on her own." she meowed. She and Shadowflower had been sleeping in the nursery, and Nightflare had offered to watch the 5 kits. "I've had my rest, I can help you watch them."
"Thanks." Nightflare meowed in relief, pulling back Swiftkit from tackling me.
"Where's Rainkit?" I asked, looking around the clearing. Nightflare looked up, realizing she was gone.
"Rainkit? Rainkit!" Nightflare called.
Rainkit poked her head out of the fern tunnel that lead to the medicine den. "Yes?"
"What are you doing in there while Moonleaf's out!?" Nightflare hissed.
"Nothing, just looking around..." she meowed.
"Sneaking honey?" Swiftkit accused.
"Of course not! Moonleaf needs that for sore throats!"
Rainkit always spent a lot of time in Moonleaf's den. Petalkit figured she would be her next apprentice.
Will finish later.
Omedeto! (Congrats!)
