Berry bounced around their little home with Mouse and Mint. Their mother and father, Feather and Black, watched from a few tail-lengths away.
"I got you know!" Mint yowled as she surprised Berry from behind.
"Oh no you don't." Berry turned around to see her sister lunge at her.
Berry quickly jumped out of the way, causing Mint to crash into their brother Mouse.
"I'm going to get you for that!" Mouse howled as he sprang at Mint.
"Hey don't leave me out!" Berry yowled as she jumped into the tussle. She scratched Mints flank, careful not to draw blood and stain her sister's white pelt. Then she dodged away for safety.
Mouse jumped at Berry from behind and nipped her ear a little, then he saw Mint's tail wide open for target. He jumped and bit her tail just enough to make her scream.
Mint felt her brother bite her tail and, after screaming, swung her tail back and forth to shake him off, "How dare you!?" she hissed playfully.
The kits were interrupted by their father saying, "Come on its meal time." He dragged over a rabbit for the kits and a thrush for Feather and himself.
"Yes! I'm so hungry!" Mouse mewed and tucked into the rabbit.
"You're always hungry." Berry teased before beginning her part of the rabbit.
Mint joined and soon they were three very full little kits.
"Ok kits time for bed." Feather said calmly.
"Ahhh…… but we want to stay up longer." Berry whined.
"Hush Berry it's time for bed so you can get up early tomorrow and have enough time and energy to play." Black said soothingly.
"Oh, ok dad." Berry said. With that Berry curled up in her little nest and fell asleep next to Mint and Mouse.
Feather got up and padded out of the den closely followed by Black. "It's beautiful tonight." She whispered leaning against her mate.
"Yes it is." He whispered back and rubbed his muzzle along her cheek.
"Did you hear that?" Feather asked, pulling away from her mate, her ears shooting up.
"No. It's probably just the wind." Black said a little confused.
"MRROOWW!!"
"I did hear that. It's coming from Half-Mountain. I'm going to investigate." Black got up.
"Oh ok." Feather said
Berry overheard the conversation because she just couldn't fall asleep. She decided to investigate so as soon as her father had disappeared into the darkness, she padded out of the den and sat down. "Mom I couldn't sleep. Hey wait where did dad go?" she pretended like she really wanted to know.
"He went for a walk." Feather half-lied.
Black reached the top of Half-Mountain quickly,
Half-Mountain is a mountain that was cut in half kind of by two-legs. It was now a place that stray cats gathered and met with others.
Black saw a small group of cats all gathered together in the middle of the clearing. So Black you came." Said a voice from behind him.
Black spun around and saw his long-time enemy, Claw. "What do you want? I know that was you who yowled." Black growled.
"Of course it was me." Claw lept onto a large boulder and then continued. "Cats I have gathered you here to announce something I have come up with. I shall not tell you now but tomorrow night I want you to come here with you whole family and we will discuss this new idea." Claw jumped off the boulder and padded away.
Black was worried so he raced home as fast as his paws would carry him.
After a suggestion from her mother, Berry was soon back in bed and fast asleep.
"Feather something has happened." Black exclaimed as he came crashing back through the bushes. "Claw has come up with some crazy new idea. He didn't tell us what it was, he is waiting for tomorrow. All he said was bring our families. Do you think we should go?"
"I think we should. If we don't show up he might hunt us down and try to kill us." Feather was thinking the worst.
The next night the five cats padded up the slope to half-mountain. None of the kits asked any questions as the sat down and waited for Claw, who was up on that boulder again, to speak. "Cats I have gathered you here this full-moon to tell you something important. As loners we live fighting and hoping that we will live to see another day. As one we will know we can count on each other to survive and thrive." Claw began, "We should join together so we can survive our enemies, whether they be illness or badger, fox, or dog, we must stand together.
"Ya and who is going to lead this clan? You I hope not." A cat named Fire exclaimed, "I think we should divide into four groups because of the four main areas in this forest. I shall lead the stalkers who stalk their prey through the thick undergrowth. Who is willing to lead the swimmers, the runners, and the night hunters?" Fire then jumped onto the boulder and shoved Claw aside who, in turn, fell over and lay winded.
"I will lead the runners," said a lithe brown she-cat named Heather, "I have run all my life and have a natural leadership quality.'
"I can hunt deep into the night and my name is Night. I should lead the night-hunters." She was a large, black she-cat.
"And I love to swim," I large grey tom said, "My name is Water and I should lead the rivers and streams."
By this time Claw had woken up. "Well I think you are all idiots. Having four separate clans is a waste." With that Claw padded down the slope never to return.
"We will separate by our strengths and start our new lives together." Fire jumped off the boulder and walked over to one corner. The other new leader's did they same and soon the large group became four smaller groups. Feather, Black, Berry, Mouse, and Mint joined Fire and his new FireClan.
The four clans are FireClan, HeatherClan, WaterClan, and NightClan. The family's warrior names are Feathereyes and Blackpelt. When the kits grew up and became warriors their names became, Berryleaf, Mousetail, and Mintfur.
END