AN: So! This is my second story, and it's going to be being written alongside The Choice. I wanted to do something that had to do with the canon Clans, even if I didn't use canon characters.

I hope that this is somewhat enjoyable? I don't know. I tried to make it sound okay, but it's up to you guys, I guess!

"What's the first thing you're gonna do when you become a warrior?"

The voices of the other kits drifted across the clearing, as bright and cheerful as they always were. From where she sat, she could see them; Minnowkit, Maplekit, Duskkit, Smokekit, and Eelkit. Their fur was spiked in excitement as they looked at each other, curiosity burning in their eyes.

The first, Minnowkit, lifted her head and puffed out her chest in an attempt to look big and important. "I'm going to work on convincing Reedstar to give me an apprentice. I mean, I won't be the obvious choice, maybe, but once he sees I really want to do it…" She gave the kits gathered around her a wide grin. "I'll be the best mentor RiverClan's ever seen, and I'll be well on my way to becoming Clan deputy!"

Eelkit scoffed and rolled her eyes at the tabby. "You seem to think that Reedstar's just gonna give you the spot of deputy. As if!"

Duskkit nodded along with her words. "You have to earn it, you know!"

One of the queens, Rainfur, gave them both stern looks. "Stop being so rude! It's okay to dream big. Even if she doesn't get to be Clan deputy, there is nothing wrong with wanting to try."

"Rainfur is right." Said another, Dappleflower. "You'd do well to think like her. Being ambitious within reason can be a good thing!"

"See? Rainfur and my mother know what I mean!" Minnowkit purred, going to lay beside Dappleflower. The queen began to wash her daughter, who leaned into her soothing licks.

"Well," Eelkit began, "I want to patrol the borders as my first warrior duty - none of that yucky hunting business, please!"

Rainfur tilted her head at the younger cat, her whiskers twitching in amusement. "What do you mean by 'yucky'?"

"Oh, StarClan, no." Duskkit groaned, hiding his face in his paws. "Here we go!"

Eelkit shot a nasty glance at Duskkit before saying, "Well, I think it'd be awful to hunt first thing! I mean, I'm not a very patient cat, you know, and Daddy says that hunting takes a lot of patience."

"You're also very loud," said Minnowkit.

"And annoying. How could you even catch something like that?" Duskkit added, smirking at Minnowkit, who let out a giggle.

"Hey! That's mean. I am not loud and I am certainly not annoying!" Eelkit spat back, leaping to her paws. The fur along her spine fluffed up, and she looked crossly at him. "I just think it'd be really, really boring, that's all! And anyway, what would you know? You're just a stupid, arrogant furball!"

Hurt flashed in the dark gray tom's eyes. "I wasn't being serious, you know!"

"Oh yeah? It sure didn't sound like it." Eelkit grunted, turning away so that she wouldn't have to see the sharp looks the mothers stationed around her were giving her. Her gaze settled on where the sixth, final kit was watching from across the camp, and her eyes softened. "Hey, Minkkit! Come on, join us over here! You don't have to sit by yourself."

The light, tawny brown she-kit felt a thrill of shock. While she'd been watching them, it'd been in an absent-minded sort of way, and she hadn't been expecting one of the other kits to speak to her. She was happy to oblige, however, and she got to her paws and hurried across the sun-warmed sand toward Eelkit.

"Minkkit," Dappleflower purred, waving her tail to invite the kit to lay by her. She did so, stretching out in the warm sunlight that pooled around them and sighing contentedly.

"Did you hear what we were talking about?" Eelkit asked, coming to lay beside her. The others settled around Rainfur, allowing her to give them a quick wash.

"Bits and pieces," The light tawny brown kit said casually. "I heard what you and Minnowkit wanna do, and I think they're both good things!"

"Ha! At least one of my friends thinks wanting to be deputy is okay, instead of it just being my mother and another queen." Minnowkit mewed triumphantly. "No offense, Mother!"

"None taken, I suppose." Dappleflower said, flicking her kit's ear with her tail. "What about you, Minkkit? What's the first thing you want to do as a warrior?"

"She'll want to patrol with me, obviously! I mean, we're sisters, and we like doing stuff together, right? Smokekit would wanna come, too, wouldn't you?" Eelkit looked at her sisters hopefully, and Minkkit tipped her head to the side in thought. She did love her sisters, she really did, but if she had to be truthful with herself…

"I don't really know," She said, even as Smokekit nodded, somewhat timidly. The gray and white she-cat hated to be put on the spot like she was then. "It would be fun to come with you guys, but… I just don't know! I feel like I should do whatever is required of me."

"What do you mean?" Eelkit asked, looking somewhat saddened by what she'd said.

"I mean… I guess I mean that I just want to do whatever is enough for the Clan. If that's patrolling with you, then that's fine! If it's hunting or staying in camp to make sure it stays protected while everyone else is out doing something, that's okay, too." She took in a deep breath before continuing. "I don't really care if I ever become something as important as Clan deputy. It'd be pretty cool! It really would, but I just want to… I just want to be good enough, and my first duty as a warrior should be whatever the Clan needs me to do."

"Oh…" Her sister was quiet for several heartbeats, her tail swishing back and forth in the way that it did when Eelkit was deep in thought. Then, looking straight into Minkkit's eyes, she said, "That's a great thing to want! It isn't like we wont ever patrol together, so do whatever makes you happy, sister." She headbutted Minkkit's shoulder affectionately.

Minnowkit, however, was not so pleased with the other kit's answer. "How could you not want to be deputy? You could be leader one day! You could be talked about for generations! That would be so cool, wouldn't it?"

"Minnowkit." Dappleflower said warningly, her voice low. It didn't phase her, though, and she went on.

"That's okay, then. If you want to just be good enough, then you don't need to be leader in our games anymore. That's just more times for everyone else to be leader!" She spat, and Minkkit recoiled. Why was she being so nasty? Why was doing what she wanted to do so wrong?

"Minnowkit, why-"

"You seem to think that because you're only a few days away from being an apprentice that you're as mature as a warrior already. You act like you're so great, and like you're just… Just… Better than me! You talk like you're so cool! You aren't! I'm only a half moon younger. I think bigger! I try harder! I'm just as great, but everyone is still looking at you right now like you're a StarClan warrior!" Minnowkit was breathing heavily now, her blue eyes blazing in anger. She didn't seem to realize just how mean she was being until Dappleflower quite suddenly cuffed her roughly over the ears.

"Enough!" She yowled, causing other cats in the camp to raise their heads to look in their direction. "You are being unnecessarily mean right now, Minnowkit. Minkkit isn't trying to be better, or more mature, or anything you claimed. She isn't talking like she's 'cool', she's talking like a cat who's figured out what they want out of life - something that you need to figure out as well!"

"Mother, I've already-"

"No, I don't mean that. That's all fine. What I mean is that you need to figure out who you want to be as a cat. You can't go around being needlessly rude. You can't be like this just out of the blue. Doing things like this, it'll end up making you bitter, and I know that this isn't you. I don't know what's happened to make you this way, but…" She trailed off, her eyes softening as she looked at her kit. "You can talk to me. You can talk to your sister, or Rainfur, or Cindercloud, or any of your friends. Even the elders or other warriors! If you need help, we're here for you, okay?"

"Yeah, Minnowkit!" Maplekit squeaked, bouncing toward her sister and winding around her to show her love for her sister. "We might argue a lot, but I'll shred anyone's ears for you!"

"So would we!" The other kits chimed in. Minnowkit stared at them all, her ears flat against her skull, looking uncomfortable and out of place. Her eyes fell upon Minkkit and she looked even more sad. After several moments, Minkkit got to her paws and padded closer to the gray tabby. She wasn't sure - couldn't be sure - what exactly had made her react like this. She'd been speaking from her heart about what she wanted to do, as her mother, Cindercloud, had told her to do. She was being truthful. She didn't want to see her friend like this, though. It just wasn't right for the normally spunky, energetic little cat to be so upset.

"I would be, too."

Minnowkit's eyes widened. "I - really? Would you really be there for me?"

"Yes." Minkkit said firmly, leaning forward to nuzzle her gently. "I'll do my best to stand by you with everyone else. You are my friend!"

"I'm so sorry, Minkkit!" She whispered, backing away from her slowly. "I… I'll make this up to you somehow, I promise!"

Minkkit watched as she turned and darted away, heading for the nursery. Confused thoughts swirled in her head. She dearly loved her friends, and Minnowkit was no exception. She wanted to do something to help her, but for all her love and for all the things she knew, even as a kit, this was not something she was experienced in dealing with.

"Don't worry about it, dear." Dappleflower mewed, causing Minkkit to turn and look at her. "She… She gets a bit angry sometimes. She means well, but… Don't worry. Just continue being a good friend and you'll be alright."

That she would. It didn't matter what had happened, or what Minnowkit thought of what she wanted to do when she became a warrior. She would be a warrior and she would stand by her friends until her last dying breath. She would be good enough for them - she just knew.

AN: Did this sound alright? It's a little... Weird, I guess. I'll work on making it better!