Prologue

"Three kits!" Firestar exclaimed, licking his mate's ears lovingly.

"I know," the she-cat sighed.

"What are their names?" Firestar asked.

"The pale ginger one is Squirrelkit," the leader's mate meowed. "The tabby is Leafkit, and the dark ginger one is Kitekit."

"Coming through!" Cinderpelt, the medicine cat meowed as she pushed her way into the medicine den with another mouthful of herbs for the ginger queen. "How are you feeling, Sandstorm?"

"Fine," the queen replied. "How do the kits look?"

Cinderpelt inspected the kits as Sandstorm downed the herbs. "The dark ginger kit doesn't look too good," she meowed. "I'd give her two days to live, at the most."

"What's wrong with her?" Sandstorm demanded.

"It's nearly impossible to tell with newborns," Cinderpelt sighed. "Especially one as small as her. I'd say breathing problems, but I wouldn't want to kill her with the wrong kind of herbs. All we can do is wait."

XXXX

It had been two moons since the birth of Sandstorm's three kits. Squirrelkit and Leafkit were doing exceptionally well, but Kitekit was extremely ill. Cinderpelt, try as she might, could not figure out what was wrong with the dark ginger she-kit. Kitekit mostly spent her days curled up by her mother's belly, sleeping or eating.

One night, a mournful wail came from the nursery. "She's not breathing!" It was Sandstorm. The frantic queen darted into the medicine den, dragging Kitekit's limp body with her. Cinderpelt bent down and sniffed the kit.

"I'm sorry," she mewed. "Kitekit is gone."

Sandstorm let out a mournful wail.

"We will sit vigil for the kit tonight."

XXXX

Kitekit opened her eyes and surveyed the area. She was in the clearing in the ThunderClan camp. To her right, she could see the nursery. To the left, the dens for the older cats. But how had she gotten here? She couldn't remember a thing about the day. Her mother, father, her sisters Squirrelkit and Leafkit, and the medicine cat, Cinderpelt, lay in front of her, fast asleep.

What are they doing here? Kitekit thought. She hauled herself to her paws and wandered out of the camp, longing to explore. She trudged through the forest until she came across a warm, smooth black surface. Large, shiny creatures with bright eyes darted across it. The dark ginger kit drew back at the stench of the monsters, her ears flattened. Timidly, she placed a tiny paw on the surface. It felt warm. If the path didn't reek so badly, Kitekit might have curled up and fallen asleep on it. Instead, she turned away from the path and plodded on.

Soon, she came across a row of strange, square nests, surrounded by high fences of light, smooth wood. Kitekit tried to jump over them, but she only got halfway up before falling back down again. There must be another way in, she thought. Then, she saw a hole in the bottom of the fence a few tail lengths away. She padded over to it, sniffed it cautiously, and wriggled her way through.

Inside the fence was a lush garden. There were all sorts of flowers and plants Kitekit didn't even know the name of. She crawled under a leafy green bush, curled up, and fell asleep.

XXXX

"What are you doing here?" The call made Kitekit sit straight up and look around frantically. Just outside the bush sat a dainty tabby she-cat. "What's your name?"

"I...I'm Kitekit," Kitekit replied. "Where am I?"

"Why, you're in my garden!" the tabby replied. "And what's a kit like you doing away from her parents?"

"I don't know," Kitekit replied. "I'm lost. Do you know where ThunderClan is?"

"ThunderClan?" the tabby mewed, her eyes widening. "I've heard stories about them. Aren't they the wild cats that live in the forest and eat housecats?"

"What's a housecat?" Kitekit asked. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure we don't eat other cats."

"Well," the tabby meowed. "My name's Tabitha. I live here. I'll bet you're starving. Would you like something to eat?"

"Do you have any milk?" Kitekit asked.

"I'm sure my housefolk could get you some," Tabitha replied. "Now, come on, let's get you inside."