Summary: As Willowkit grows up, a frightening prophecy follows her that only grows worse with each passing moon.
StoneClan
Leader: Lightningstar - brilliant orange tabby tom with orange eyes
Deputy: Tigerlight - skinny brown tabby tom with orange eyes
Medicine Cat: Wormfur - old, naked tom with pale, blue eyes
Warriors:
Beestripe - light gray she-cat with black stripes and orange eyes
Ringtail - dark gray tom with stripped tail
Feverhead - ragged brown tom with blue eyes
Grassshine - pretty pale brown she-cat with light eyes
Brightface - white-and-ginger she-cat with yellow eyes
Longfur - thick furred brown tabby tom with yellow eyes
Apprentices:
Harepaw - pale brown tom with green eyes
Petalpaw - gray-and-brown she-cat with blue eyes
Nightpaw - handsome black tom with orange eyes
Stripepaw - dark gray tabby tom
Queens:
Darkflower - pretty gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes (Kits: Frostkit - pretty white she-cat, Willowkit - dark gray tabby she-cat)
Elders:
Losteye - white she-cat with one blind eyes
Badfang - black tom with a crooked jaw
RainClan
Leader: Waterstar - silver she-cat with blue eyes
Deputy: Silverfur - silver tom
Medicine Cat: Quailfeather - pale tabby tom with orange eyes
Warriors:
Sandleg - ginger she-cat with darker legs
Fishtail - gray tom with stubby tail
Rosepool - ginger she-cat with blue eyes
Stoneclaw - big, gray tabby tom
Cloudfoot - white tom with big paws
Ashwhisker - gray she-cat
Apprentices:
Tallpaw - white tom with green eyes
Skypaw - silver tabby she-cat
Queens:
Dawnstripe - pale brown tabby she-cat (Kits: Onekit - pale tabby she-cat)
Elders:
Scarnose - black tom with scared nose
Wishpelt - brown tabby she-cat
RunningClan
Leader: Birdstar - pale brown tabby tom with yellow eyes
Deputy: Robinwing - ginger she-cat
Medicine Cat: Softpool - pretty cream she-cat with green eyes
Warriors:
Ravenpelt - dark gray tom
Redfoot - white tom with red paws
Poppyheart - brown tabby she-cat
Windfur - white tom with blue eyes
Speckleface - brown, speckled tom
Squirrelstripe - ginger tabby she-cat
Apprentices:
Sootpaw - gray tom with blue eyes
Longpaw - long legged tabby she-cat
Queens:
Blackwing - black she-cat with green eyes (Kits: Smallkit - white tom, Birchkit - brown tabby tom, Starkit - black she-cat)
Spiderfang - brown she-cat
Elders:
Coldheart - gray tabby tom
Dewwhisker - cream she-cat
Sisters
As the sun broke through the bramble den, Willowkit grumbled with aggravation. It seemed as if she had just fallen asleep. The sun shouldn't have been raising this soon. The tabby she-cat flicked her tail, covering her eye with it to block the sunlight out. She wanted to go back to her dream, the one where she was a warrior, running through the forest with her sister close behind, the both of them laughing and giggling as the long grass tickled their whiskers. Willowkit's nose twitched as she began to lull herself back to sleep with the pleasant dream, but she was pulled back to the day from a sharp bite on her ear.
"Wake up," Frostkit squeaked, pulling on her sister's ear. Willowkit yelped as her sister pulled again and flipped to her side, pushing the white she-cat away. "Willowkit, wake up! Come on, today's the day Nightpaw said he'd show us some hunting moves!"
At the mention of the handsome tom's name, Willowkit's eyes flew open, blinking rapidly to get use to the sudden sunlight in the den. Her mother was still asleep, her side raising and falling with gentle breaths. Frostkit giggled, closing her pretty blue eyes as she trotted out of the den. Willowkit sprung up, following quickly. She nudged her sister before running to the great willow tree that stood in the middle of the camp. It's mighty branches rose high above the camp, shading the cats and their dens. Willowkit followed the shadow of the branches on the ground, taking careful paws steps as Frostkit jumps from one patch of sunlight to the next. The two sisters laughed as they raced across the dirt, only to begin pouncing on each other and ruling around. Willowkit tugged on the white cats ear as Frostkit pushed her paw into Wilowkit's face.
"If you want to catch prey," a voice called out from behind them, "I'd suggest using a different technique."
"Nightpaw!" The sisters cheered, turning around to face the black tom.
"Good morning," Nightpaw purred, sitting and curling his tail around his paws. His orange eyes were filled with amusement as he watched the two quickly shake the dust from their pelts. "How was your night sleep?"
"Great!" Frostkit chirped, her tail flicking happily. "I had a dream that I was the Leader! Do you think that could happen, Nightpaw?"
"Who knows. Willowkit?"
"Oh," she said, looking to the side to see Wormfur walk out of his den, "I don't know. I feel like I went to sleep only moments ago."
"Well, then you should nap later," Nightpaw purred with amusement. Willowkit nodded and Frostkit began going off on how excited she was to become an apprentice. Tomorrow was their big day, and two would finally move out of the nursery and into the apprentice's den. Willowkit was excited to see who her mentor would be. The warriors were all nice, and Willowkit just wanted tomorrow to come already. She looked over her shoulder to the warrior's den as it rustled and Brightface came out. The white-and-ginger she-cat stretched, yawning as she woke up. She blinked her yellow eyes to get rid of her tiredness before nodding to Nightpaw and going to the fresh-kill pile.
"Are you two ready to learn?" Nightpaw asked suddenly, flicking Willowkit's ear to catch her attention.
"Yes please!"
Nightpaw chuckled and then went on to tell them how to hunt. He crouched down, mimicking the way they'd do so when hunting. Willowkit stuck her tongue out as she crouched, copying him. Frostkit giggled and swatted at her sisters tail before crouching as well, stalking forward a few steps. Nightpaw corrected her, flicking her tail with his to tell her to lay it flat so the prey wouldn't see it. He purred happily when she did so and then looked to Willowkit, praising her.
"Teaching my kits already, Nightpaw?" A gruff voice came from the side and all three young cats looked to see Lightningstar walking over, his pelt as bright as fire as the sun shone on it.
"Lightningstar!" Frostkit purred, running to her father and wrapping herself around his legs. "Nightpaw was teaching us how to hunt! Of course, he learned it from the best, though. That's you!"
Lightingstar purred with amusement and licked his daughters ear before looking back towards his apprentice. "Nightpaw, care to go on a hunting trip with me?"
"Sure thing!" Nightpaw sprang up, flicking his tail to the two she-cats as him and the leader made their way out of camp. "Bye Frostkit! Bye Willowkit!"
"Bye Nightpaw!" Frostkit looked after the tom with stars in her eyes, purring loudly. "I think I'm in love, Willowkit."
"Ew, gross," Willowkit scrunched her noise up, nudging her sister with her shoulder, "Save all that lovey-dovey mouse dung for later. Come on, let's go see if Wormfur needs help."
"But that's boring." The small she-cat whined, tackling her sister down and going limp on top of her so she couldn't move. "What, do you want to be the next medicine cat or something?"
"No, not even a little! All the smells in his den make my nose itch." As if to prove her point, Willowkit sneeze and twitched her whiskers. Frostkit giggled and nuzzled her sister.
"Okay, Sneezekit. I guess we can go."
"Hey! If I'm Sneezekit, then you're Snorekit."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Willowkit, Frostkit, what are you two doing?!" Hissed their mother from the nursery. The two looked over with wide eyes at the pretty she-cat who's fur was bristling with aggravation. "You two are covered in dust!" Darkflower trotted over, licking both of their heads roughly. "That is no way for you two to look, especially if you're to be apprentices tomorrow!"
"Darkflower, we were just play!" Willowkit whined, slouching as her mother began to throughly lick her fur clean of dirt and dust.
"No more of that! I want you two to rest up! I heard you playing late last night, you must be exhausted."
"I'm hungry, though." Frostkit nudged her way between the she-cats paws, looking up to her mother with her wide, beautiful blue eyes. "Can Willowkit and I eat something first?"
Darkflower sighed and nodded, turning and going back to the den as her kits ran off to the fresh-kill pile. They nosed through the kills, Frostkit curling her tail in disgust when Willowkit suggested sharing a squirrel. The two settled on a mouse, digging in right away. The two finished their meal as the camp began to wake up. Brightface met Longfur in the middle of the camp, the two waiting for Longfur's apprentice, Stripepaw, before going on a boarder patrol. Tigerlight, the deputy, was sitting at the mouth of Lightningstar's den, chatting with Wormfur who had come out of his den early. The older, naked tom was hunched over, ears flicking as he listened to the tabby, but his eyes were trained on the two kits who shared a mouse.
"Wormfur, are you even listening?" Tigerlight hissed, glaring at the tom.
"Yes, yes. I'll make the bundle of traveling herbs for Lightningstar." Wormfur grunted, flicking his boney tail around. "I'm focused on something lee at the moment."
Tigerlight looked at the tom, then to the kits who had now finished their meal and were batting the mouse tail back and forth. "Ah, yes. Darkflower's kits. They're going to be apprentices soon. What about them? Do you want one to be your apprentice?"
"No, no. It's nothing you need to worry about." Wormfur wheezed as he stood up, stretching and grumbling as his bones cracked. "Tell Lightningstar to come to my den later. I'll have the herbs ready. Also, I need to go out soon to get some more poppy seeds."
"Will do." Tigerlight nodded to the tom before standing up and joining the rest of the warriors who were standing outside of their den to tell them their duties for the day.
"Willowkit! Frostkit! Come along now!" Darkflower called from the den. "If you too listen, I'll let you visit Badfang and Losteye later."
"Yay! Come on Frostkit!" Willowkit bounded across the clearing to the den, giggling as Frotkit tackled her into the nest. The two kits curled up and dozed of gently, tired out from playing and learning. Darkflower sighed and sat down, grooming herself. She watched as Petalpaw and Harepaw bounded out of their dens, the two young apprentices giggling as they went to their mentors. Ringtail flicked Petalpaw's ear with his striped tail before nodding to the freshkill pile. The gray and brown she-cat trotted over to it, grabbed a robin, and then made her way to the nursery.
"For you and the kits, Darkflower!" The she-cat purred, her tail flicking happily.
"Thank you. The kits ate, but this will be just fine for me." Darkflower accepted the robin and began to pluck the fathers out as Petalpaw went back to her mentor. Darkflower quickly finished her meal before stuffing the feathers to the side. She waited for a while longer, sitting at the lip of the den as her kits slept. When Lightningstar returned, two mice hanging from his jaw and a blackbird in Nightpaw's, she flicked her tail at him. The orange tom dropped his kill in the pile, let his apprentice go off, and then walked over to her. "I want Tigerlight to be Frostkit's mentor."
"What?" Lightningstar was was taken back by his mates words. "But, I was going to make Feverhead-"
"Tigerlight. I want out kit to be taught by one of the best."
"What about Willowkit."
Darkflower looked over to the she-cat, eyes eyes icy and unemotional. Lightningstar knew his mate did not like Willowkit as much as Frostkit. The she-cat looked too much like Darkflower's brother, whom betrayed the clan and ran away. Willowclaw, his name was. Darkflower scoffed, telling him to pick whomever he wished before licking his ear gently and turning around to go back into the den.