RiverClan

Logstar-Leader- Tom- brown mottled tabby/hazel eyes

Grassfur-Deputy- She-Cat- black smoke/green eyes

Fruitclaw-Medicine Cat- Tom- black and white/hazel eyes

Whitepaw-Med. Cat Apprentice- She-Cat- white/blue eyes

Wavetail-Warrior- Tom- dark silver tabby/blue eyes

Redear-Warrior- Tom- orange tabby/yellow eyes

Nightfog-Warrior- She-Cat- black/yellow eyes

Shiverpelt-Warrior- She-Cat- light silver tabby/hazel eyes

Treeheart-Warrior- Tom- dark brown tabby/yellow eyes

Cloudsplash-Warrior- She-Cat- grey/green eyes

Mousetooth-Warrior- Tom- brown tabby/yellow eyes

Brightflame-Warrior- Tom- orange tabby/yellow eyes

Whispermist-Queen- She-Cat- blue tabby/green eyes

Lilypond-Queen- She-Cat- dark blue/hazel eyes

Fogpaw-Apprentice(Treeheart)- Tom- black/green eyes

Moonpaw-Apprentice(Cloudsplash)- She-Cat- blue tabby/blue eyes

Frogpaw-Apprentice(Mousetooth)- Tom- brown tabby/hazel eyes

Splashstream-Elder- She-Cat- blue/yellow eyes

Bristlefur-Elder- Tom- orange tabby/hazel eyes

Prologue

Whispermist was having kits! The entirety of RiverClan was excited for the special occasion. These were the first kits to be born in moons. The nursery was empty except for Whispermist and a recently-pregnant queen. Even the Apprentice's Den was emptying out. The tough medicine cat, Fruitclaw, kept the Clan out of the nursery as he helped Whispermist. His apprentice Whitepaw was helpfully standing with herbs in her mouth, ready to go.

Whispermist's mate, Redear, bounded in, exhausted. "I was fishing when Wavetail called me, now I'm here."

Fruitclaw just nodded, not turning around. "Put down those herbs and fetch some water, Whitepaw."
Whitepaw obediently ran out to the stream with a mossball and brought it back sopping wet.

Fruitclaw pressed the mossball to her mouth, squeezed it, then put a thick stick into her mouth. "Don't be afraid to bite down on it."

Whispermist nodded, breathing heavily. "Get ready," Fruitclaw warned. Soon, Whispermist was biting down on the stick and wailing. A kit slid into the large nursery nest. She was a beautiful blue tabby like her mother, with the same green eyes. Whispermist gasped at her beauty, even as wet and frail as she was. The victory was short-lived, however. Another kit came, a handsome orange tabby tom like his father, with his mother's green eyes.

"There's another," Fruitclaw said, holding his paw to Whispermist's stomach. "It's small, though." Whispermist was soon again biting the stick. She saw Fruitclaw looking concerned, but he couldn't do anything.

Fruitclaw sucked in a breath. "Whispermist," he said softly. Uh-oh. Fruitclaw never said things softly. "What?" Whispermist asked, scared. "The kit has a really small right front paw, and she's one of the smallest kits I've ever seen."

"Can't you do anything about it?" Whispermist gasped.

Fruitclaw just shook his head. "Shame," he said mostly to himself.

Chapter 1-The Different Kit

"Can't catch me!" Glintkit squeaked. He raced to the stream.

"Can too!" Rainkit squealed back, chasing him as fast as she could.

Smallkit sighed and shook her front right paw. It had been nearly useless since birth. Her right paw was half the size of her left. It was very difficult to walk correctly.

Whitepaw padded over. "Hey, Smallkit. You feeling okay?"

Smallkit just shrugged. "Sometimes I wish I'd never been born."

"Don't say that. Hey, you can still fish, you only need one paw. And soon you'll learn to fight with just one paw. Our Clan needs every cat it can get. If you want, you could help me sort herbs while your littermates are playing."

Smallkit nodded. "Sure."

Whitepaw helped lead her with her tail.

"Okay," Whitepaw said as they entered the den. "This herb is the easiest to remember: poppy seeds. They help calm the patient, and help them sleep." She rolled some around in her paw. "They go over here." She put them in a small crevice in a log.

"Smallkit!" Whispermist called in her beautiful voice.

"I have to go," Smallkit said, flicking her ears. "I'll come back tomorrow."

Whitepaw smiled and walked Smallkit over to her mother.

"Training to be a medicine cat?" Whispermist joked.

Smallkit smiled sadly. "I can't really play, so..."

Whispermist shooed Whitepaw away and walked her kits to their father. "Hello Redear," she purred. The three kits all pounced on him. Glintkit, easily the biggest, jumped up on his back. Rainkit went for his face as Smallkit softly bit his tail.

Redear let out a fake moan of pain and fell over. "You've beaten me!" He yowled. Glintkit jumped up and down on his father's back. Smallkit smiled but then lowered to the ground in fear as a huge cat landed right next to her. Rainkit had a similar look on her face, but Glintkit was all admiration.

"Hello, newest members of RiverClan," Logstar purred with satisfaction. He looked at Glintkit and nodded approvingly, looked at Rainkit, nodding again, then looked at Smallkit, sighing. "I'm guessing you'll be a medicine cat."

Smallkit immediately disliked Logstar. "No," she said defiantly. "I'm going to learn how to fight with one paw."

Logstar smiled, disbelief shining in his eyes. "Of course."