ALLEGIANCES

DuskClan

Leader Sunstar - orange tom with amber eyes eyes (father too Squirrelkit and Flamekit

Deputy Dawnpelt - pretty black she-cat

Medicine Cat Birchwind - brown tom with orange eyes

Warriors (toms and she-cats without kits)

Graywing - gray she-cat

Nightpelt - black tom with dark grey chest (father to . . . . Dewkit, Cinderkit and Echokit)

Mapleshadow - dappled brown she-cat

Shadowfur - black-grey tom

Sparrowpelt - black-grey tom

Apprentice, Littlepaw

Tigerfur - tan tom with dark brown stripes

Mousetail - brown she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice, Cloudpaw

Gingerpelt - orange tom with white paws

Larksong - grey she-cat

Apprentices (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

Cloudpaw - white she-cat with green eyes

Littlepaw - small brown tom

Queens (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Morningpelt - dappled brown she-cat (mother to Dewkit, Cinderkit and Echokit)

Poppycloud - pale brown she-cat (mother to Squirrelkit and

. Flamekit)

Elders (former warriors and queens, now retired)

Icestorm - white she-cat

Talonclaw - gray tom (oldest cat in the clan)

Cats Outside Clans

Shrew - black tom

Raven - black tom with a torn ear

Moth - pretty golden she-cat (sister to Tadpole)

Tadpole - grey tom (brother to Moth)

Chapter 1

Echokit woke up. Her older sisters were prodding her with their tiny paws.

"Finally," exclaimed Cinderkit. "You woke up!"

"We've been waiting forever for you to wake up!" added Dewkit.

"Sorry," replied Echokit. "Why don't we get Squirrelkit and Flamekit to play with us, now that we're all awake."

"Hey!" said Dewkit, pretending to be angry. "I was going to say that!'

"You're too old and slow now," teased Echokit to her sister.

Dewkit hissed at her sister playfully and cuffed her ears.

"Ahem," coughed Cinderkit to get there . "While you two were arguing, I was being smart and got Squirrelkit and Flamekit!

Echokit looked behind Cinderkit to see Squirrelkit and Flamekit.

"Do you wanna place 'Mouse'?" Echokit asked.

"Sure!" everyone but Flamekit said. He just looked at them. "I'm too old to play kit games!"

Dewkit snorted. "Uh huh, sure. Like you're older than me!"

"So? I can't see why I can't be apprenticed." Flamekit started. "I'm almost as big as Littlepaw!"
I looked at Littlepaw in the clearing. The small brown tom was taking some fresh-kill from the pile.

"Of course your as big as Littlepaw!" Echokit and Cinderkit mewed. "Littlepaw was named from his size!"

"Hmph," mewed Flamekit.

"So, will you play?" asked his litter-mate, Squirrelkit.

"Fine!"

They decided that since there were five cats playing, there should be two mice.

"Why do I have to be the mouse?" complained Echokit.

"Because," her older litter-mate, Dewkit said. "You're brown like a mouse!"

"But, mice can also be gray! And your gray, so you should also be the mouse!"

"Fine!"

Later the kits went to bed, worn out of their little paws.

Morningpelt was cleaning her pelt. Dewkit, Cinderkit and Echokit nursed for a while and quickly fell asleep.