Cedarkit had always been an adventurous tom, and it was no surprise to his mother, Maplefang, when she woke up to find his brown tabby pelt missing from the heap of purring dappled fluff tucked into the curve of her belly. Probably gone off after the dawn patrol, she thought with an exasperated sigh, better go and find him. Maplefang heaved herself out of the nursery and found Sparrowfall, the Clan deputy, padding sleepily from the warriors den, probably on his way to the dirtplace. "Sparrowfall!" she called as the tom jerked his head around and looked expectantly at her, "Has the dawn patrol gone out yet?" Sparrowfall looked surprised, "Maplefang! It's just past moonhigh! have your kits obliterated your sense of time?" Maplefang looked up, Sparrowfall was right! She turned back to the deputy and mewed urgently, "Have you seen Cedarkit tonight? He fed with the others at sundown, but I woke up and he was gone!" Her desperation must have convinced him for he looked utterly awake, " don't worry," he mewed calmly, "we'll find him." He led the way into the forest with Maplefang hard on his paws. Don't worry Cedarkit, Mama's going to find you if it's the last thing I do.
"Good job Cedarkit!" Pebblecloud purred, "That'll be great for Smokefoot's aching joints! You go apply it while I go talk to Sparrowfall about insulating the elders den." Cedarkit's heart swelled with pride, Pebblecloud had praised him about his poultice! Surely that meant she thought that he'd make a good medicine cat, didn't it? He shrugged, all that mattered right now was that Smokefoot's joints were treated. "Cedarkit?" His mother poked her head into the den, "It's bedtime little one," she purred, Fox dung! he thought, "Mama, I need to apply this on Smokefoot's aching joints first." Maplefang bristled angrily, "Pebblecloud is our medicine cat! NOT YOU!" she spat, "I don't ever want to see you in this den again! Do I make myself clear?" Cedarkit shrank from her fierce glare, "Yes Mama." he mewed wearily. Maplefang gave his ear a brisk lick and herded him back to the nursery.
An owl hooted somewhere in the distance, Cedarkit sat bolt upright. His paws were weary from his work in the medicine den, but his mind fizzed with anger, How dare Maplefang tell me off for not wanting to be a warrior! An idea suddenly fell into his head, as if sent by StarClan, She thinks I'm not fit to be a warrior! Well! I'll show her! Cedarkit carefully eased his way into the clearing and checked that the coast was clear before bolting out of camp.
At first, rage that Maplefang didn't think that he was good enough to be a warrior fueled his paw steps, but his confidence failed as he heard heavy stomping in the clearing next to him. A rank stench rolled over him and Cedarkit turned to look into the clearing as a broad black head with a dazzling white stripe turned a cold glare on him through tiny berry bright eyes. "Mama was right!" he whimpered as the badger lunged for him. Cedarkit tried to run but he was frozen in terror and could do no more than howl helplessly as the lumbering animal carried him away.
After a while, Cedarkit's panic had ebbed and he found the steady rhythm of the badger's stomping paws oddly soothing, and it wasn't long before sleep crashed over him. When Cedarkit woke up, he found that he was lying in a heap of black-and-white fur, The badger must've taken me to her set! no one's gonna believe that I slept in a badger set. he thought regretfully. Cedarkit lifted his head, "Up already?" asked a black she-cat who looked remarkably like a badger who looked kindly at Cedarkit who stared at her, puzzled, "Who are you?" he questioned fearfully, half expecting her to attack him like the monster she so resembled. Far from being angry, she purred with laughter, "I'm Stripes, my father wanted to call me 'Badger' but my mother said it would cause too much panic if I got lost," she gave a mrrow of amusement, "can you imagine running through the forest, trying to find your kit, and screeching badger!" she let out a sigh, and continued, "well, now you know my name, but still don't know yours." she looked expectantly at him and he decided to answer cautiously, "Cedarkit of ShadowClan, I was collecting herbs for Pebblecloud when the ba- sorry, when you found me." Stripes looked at him with horror in her eyes, "You mean to tell me that I've stolen a warrior's kit?" her tail trembled, and Cedarkit's ears burned, "Not exactly," he mewed quietly, staring at his shifting paws, "My whole family are warriors, but I don't wanna be one. My litter-mates treat me like a two headed fox because I spend more time helping out in the medicine den than trying to sneak out to spy on apprentice training sessions. I want to know the best cure for snake-bite while they want to know how to rip the throat out of a fox. My father won't look at me, and my mother always begs the other queens to trade kits with her." he looked sadly at Stripes, "When you found me, I was trying to hunt down a real badger," Stripes cast a sympathetic gaze on him, and he continued, "My mother thinks I'm to pathetic to be a warrior, I-" Stripes cut him off, "proved her wrong. You might not have fought a real badger, but when many cats would've panicked and died trying to fight their way out, you took the situation calmly and peacefully talked your way out. That's something that not many cats can do, and something you can tell your mother about when you get home. We'd better be quick, but I can get you to the place that I found you by sun down." They stood and started out going back towards his home, when something odd happened. Two shapes approached them, at first Cedarkit was sure that they were some rogues, but then he recognized them. He raced forward as Maplefang and Sparrowfall appeared.
To make a long story short, Stripes left him with his mother, Sparrowfall asked Stripes why she had Cedarkit in the first place, everyone became ok with Cedarkit the medicine cat, and they all got eaten by badgers, the end :)