Prologue
"Kits, leave. Go play by the fresh-kill pile," mewed Brightpelt. She nudged her three-moon old kits out of the entrance of the nursery.
"But Brightpelt!" Sunkit pleaded. "Can we see? Please? Frostheart won't mind!"
"Yes, she will, Sunkit. You may see her kits later, after they're born. Okay?"
Sunkit snorted. She whispered to her brothers, Mudkit and Loudkit, "We are so old enough to see, right?"
"No, we have to listen. C'mon, let's go play," Mudkit replied.
"Mousebrain."
They walked over to the fresh-kill pile. While Mudkit and Loudkit pawed a mouse ear back and forth, Sunkit crept away, toward the nursery.
I've got to see the kits being born, she thought. She crept past Stonenose, the new kits' father, and Hawkeye, her father.
When she crawled into the nursery, almost immediately Sunkit was spotted by her mother, Brightpelt. As Brightpelt started to push her out, she stopped and leaned down to whisper something to Sunkit.
"Just this once you can stay here, got it?" she said. Sunkit nodded eagerly.
Mintclaw, ThunderClan's new MedicineCat, rushed into the nursery. Mintclaw had been very nervous after the Clan's last MedicineCat, Thistlenose, had passed away.
Frostheart was in the corner wailing. Mintclaw rushed over to her. Mintclaw's towering frame blocked Sunkit's view, but pretty soon, everything was over. Mintclaw moved out of the way, chuckling about nervous fathers as Stonenose flew in.
"OH, MY GOSH. FROSTHEART, ARE YOU OKAY?!" he yelled. Stonenose seemed more nervous than his mate. Then he saw his two new kits, a white girl and a black tom. "Wow, they're beautiful," he whispered in awe. "What will you name them?"
"I'll name them… Snowkit, for the girl, and… Darkkit, for the tom. Is that alright, Stonenose?" Frostheart mewed.
"Absolutely," replied Stonenose, affection sparkling in his eyes.