The sun filtered brightly through the roof of the elders' den. Cats could be heard moving around outside and cheerful voices carried across camp. The elders Paleheart and Leafear sat in their nests, merrily chatting away about the weather and how things used to be back in their day. They were both quite enjoying themselves, when two small balls of fur and energy bounced into the den.

"Good morning, kits. What can we help you with on this fine morning?" Leafear asked.

"Hi Leafear." The larger of the kits replied, "Our mother told us to do something to keep ourselves busy because we were getting under every cat's paws. Pearpaw said we should visit Paleheart 'cause he might tell us a story if we're nice."

"Oh ho, now, is that true," Paleheart chuckled, "Well I might have a story to tell you two kits."

"Really!"

"Of course. How about the story of Lynxclan and Cougarclan? What do you think, Leafear?" the pale elder suggested.

"Yes, that's a good one."

"Who are Lynxclan and Cougarclan?" asked the smaller kit.

"Well, little one, you know of Lionclan, Tigerclan, and Leopardclan. They ruled over territories many forestlenths in size. Their rule was a time of great growth and prosperity. But after countless seasons, their reign ended. After the mighty clans fell, many smaller clans took their place, though none were as great.

"At one point, their large territories were split in two by a great river. North of the river was a deep, snowy forest. It was a long, harsh leafbare in those lands; there was never a true greenleaf. This is where Lynxclan ruled. Lynxclan were large cats, not as large as the three great clans, but bigger than any cat today. They were built for cold weather. Their thick fur and compact bodies saved heat and their broad paws kept them from sinking in the snow. They hunted the snow hares that lived in the forest.

"South of the river, on the other paw, was a rocky, treeless land. Greenleaf was hot and stifling, and snow was never seen. Cougarclan lived here. They had short, sandy coloured pelts, and their lithe and well-muscled bodies were well suited for the desert they lived in. The hawks and eagles that circled overhead were their prey-"

"Wait," one of the kits broke in, "how did Cougarclan catch the hawks if the hawks were flying?"

"Every bird lands sometimes," Leafear explained, "Now let Paleheart finish."

"Thank you, Leafear. Now where was I? Oh yes, I remember now. Even though they were so different, Lynxclan and Cougarclan were bitter rivals, and always sought to steal one another's land. The only time they were ever peaceful was during the gatherings.

"One gathering, the warriors of the two clans got into an argument over who would last longer in each other's territories. Lynxclan boasted that the heat of Cougarclan's desert wouldn't affect them at all.

Cougarclan countered saying that they couldn't be swayed by the cold of Lynxclan's snows. The argument grew until it was on the verge of battle-"

"But cats can't fight at a gathering!" the kits interrupted again.

"Hush, kits. Just listen"

"Ahem. As I was saying, the clans were on the verge of battle, when their wise clan leaders came up with a plan. They told the cats that, in order to prove who was better, they each send one warrior to the others' clan to live. When the rival warrior can't live in the territory anymore, his clan loses. Soon, the leaders chose the cats they were to send to the other clan, and the gathering was over.

"The Lynxclan cat's long fur made him hot, and he became exhausted. He also had a hard time hunting hawks; he would scare them away with the sound of his large paws. The Cougarclan cat's short fur made him cold in Lynxclan, and his paws sank into the snow and made him too slow to catch the snow hares.

"Exactly one moon later, at the next gathering, both leaders decided that neither cat could live in the other's clan. When they announced this to the warriors, the clans realized that they could never live in the one another's land. After that day, Lynxclan and Cougarclan ceased being rivals, and never tried to steal each other's land again. The End"

"Wow! That was a great story! I thought Cougarclan would win for sure!" the bigger kit exclaimed.

"Well, I thought Lynxclan would win! The smaller kit retorted. With that, she pounced on her bigger brother.

"Whoa, kits. Not in here! Go play rough outside." Leafear growled irritably.

"Kits, Leafear is right. It's almost sunhigh. Go find your mother before she starts to worry about you two." Paleheart told them.

"Thanks for the story Paleheart!" With that, the kits ran out of the den and off to their mother.

oooooooooo

Yeah, I know. Very cliché. But it's a kit story. They're supposed to be overdone.

Edit: Fixed up the grammar a little.