"Briarkit!" Bluekit prodded the sleeping kit with a forepaw.
"What?" the sleepy kit asked groggily, opening one eye.
"Shh!" Bluekit whispered. "Let's go explore!" Briarkit shot a quick glance at his mother, Ferntail, to check that the queen was still asleep.
"Willowfur and Leafkit and Rosekit are asleep," Bluekit assured his friend. "So are Silvertail and Whitefeather." The two moon-old tom kits crept cautiously out of the warm nursery.
"Briarkit! Bluekit!" The two kits froze at the sound of another cat's hushed voice. Bluekit whipped around.
Orchidkit, Briarkit's sister, stood behind them. "What are you doing?" she hissed reproachfully.
"Exploring the camp," Bluekit said, puffing out his chest. "We've got to check that no OakClan warriors are invading."
"But Ferntail said -"
"We're not hurting anything!" Bluekit insisted. Orchidkit's eyes opened wide with horror and she flattened her ears against her head. "What's wrong?" he blue-furred kit asked. Briarkit nudged his friend, and Bluekit turned around.
"Shouldn't you kits be asleep?"
The three kits were face to face with Windystep, the Clan deputy, and Bluekit's father.
"We aren't -" Bluekit trailed off. For once, he could find nothing to say.
"We're sorry," Briarkit mumbled.
"It was their fault!" Orchidkit protested. "I was -"
Windystep cut her off. "Briarkit, Orchidkit, go to bed. Bluekit, I want to speak with you."
The other two kits meekly padded back into the nursery. The tom looked at his son, while Bluekit studied his paws, ashamed. If Bluekit had been looking, he would have seen a mixture of love, amusement, grief, and sternness in his father's blue eyes. Bluekit was the spitting image of his mother, Rainfall, who had died along with the rest of her kits, during the delivery.
"Bluekit," Windystep said softly, causing the kit to look up and meet the deputy's eyes. "I understand that any kit gets in trouble sometimes. But try not to give Ferntail too much trouble, alright? It was very kind of her to take you in after... after your mother...." Windystep trailed off, fighting down his raging grief at the loss of his mate.
"I know," Bluekit said, looking at his paws again. "But Orchidkit and I balance each other out."
Windystep gave a mrrow of amusement. "Who told you that?"
"Willowfur," Bluekit said innocently. The tabby tom briefly brushed his muzzle against Bluekit's.
"Run along now. I have to go lead the dawn patrol." He watched fondly as his kit scampered toward the nursery.
"Bluekit!" called Windystep. The kit stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I love you."
Leafkit growled and leapt upon her prey. It squirmed and wreathed under her, but Leafkit held on.
"Ouch!" Whitespot, a large tom with long brown and white fur looked up from his game of batting a ball of moss around with Rosekit. "Leafkit, get off of my tail!" The kit reluctantly sheathed her tiny claws.
"Are our kits causing trouble?" Willowfur asked from where she lay in the sun with Ferntail.
"This one," Whitespot joked, indicating Leafkit, "is your kit right now." Willowfur purred admiringly.
"Graystar!" Ferntail, scenting her mate, opened her eyes and sat up. The leader of PineClan was walking toward them, a plump mouse in his jaws.
"Here you are, Ferntail," said the dark gray tom, dropping his prey at her paws. "Where are the kits? I want to say hello to them before I go hunting with Cedarheart."
"Aren't they playing over there?" Ferntail asked, looking over at a spot between the nursery and the elders den.
"I don't see them," Whitespot said.
"Ferntail! Ferntail!" Orchidkit came barreling out of nowhere toward her mother.
"Orchidkit! What's wrong?" the queen asked, looking very worried. "Where are Briarkit and Bluekit?"
"They're in the elders den and they're bothering Runningbelly and Shreddedear!" Ferntail visibly relaxed, but Graystar looked annoyed.
"I'll go fetch them," the leader growled. He stalked toward the elders den.
"Ah, Graystar," Runningbelly rasped as the tom entered the cool den. "Come to fetch the kits?"
"They're not doing any harm," Shreddedear, a tom with an ear that had been severely clawed in a battle long ago against CliffClan, said. He rose from his position next to Kinkedwhisker, the oldest cat in PineClan and also Graystar's mother, and padded over. He gazed affectionately at the little toms, who had been play-fighting a moment ago.
"Hello, Graystar," Briarkit said shyly.
"We were pretending that Briarkit was a warrior from MoorClan and I was driving him off of our territory!" Bluekit exclaimed, tail waving happily in the air.
Graystar gazed sternly at the kits. "Briarkit, Bluekit, didn't Ferntail tell you to stay by the nursery?"
"The elders den is by the nursery," Bluekit shot back. Briarkit, who had been hanging his head, shot a horrified glance at his friend. Graystar studied the kit his mate had taken in, the son of his trusted deputy.
"Come," he said, turning to go. Briarkit humbly followed the gray tom into the sunshine of newleaf.
"Bye!" Bluekit called to Shreddedear and Runningbelly, then bounced out after the father and son, totally unabashed.