Chapter 1
"What's going on?" Tigerkit meowed, peering over the side of the nest. He was promptly tugged back down again, getting only a glimpse of Snowfur lying in her nest, with cats standing or crouching around her.
"Hush. Snowfur is kitting. Soon you'll have more playmates. But you have to be quiet now."
"She's making kits? How does she do that?"
Leopardfoot stifled a purr. "You'll see when you're older."
"Is that why she was so fat before?"
He was rewarded with a gentle thwack from his mother's tail. "Don't be rude! That's how I was before I had you."
"Sorry," he mumbled. Then after a moment, he asked, "When I'm older will I have kits like that too?"
With a muffled snort of amusement, Leopardfoot purred, "No silly, only she-cats can have kits." Then seeing his crestfallen look, she added, "Don't worry. You'll have your chance to be a father."
Tigerkit didn't reply, but peered over the side of the nest again. His mother tugged him back down again by his tail. "You're as nosy as a squirrel! Why don't you go outside and see if you can find Lionpaw?"
"Okay!" The tabby squeaked happily. He had come to look up to Lionpaw and his sister Goldenpaw as the siblings he had never had. "Watch out! Coming through!" He darted out through the entrance, brushing under Featherwhisker's belly as the other cat was coming in.
As he bounded off to the apprentice den, he heard the medicine cat remark, "That kit gets bossier by the day. I know he's the only kit in ThunderClan, but I wish everyone would stop indulging him. He's starting to act like a little leader!"
Tigerkit purred to himself. You have no idea!
Spotting the tell-tale ginger pelts by the nettle patch, he trotted over. When he got close enough, he dropped to his belly, and sneaked along the ground. Pawstep by pawstep, he drew closer, until he was perfectly positioned. Then he wriggled his rump, and leaped.
There was a yelp, and the tail whisked out of the kit's grasp. "Tigerkit! I didn't hear you come up!"
Tigerkit sat up and puffed out his chest. "Of course not!" He mewed. "If you were a mouse, I would've had you a heartbeat!"
Lionpaw purred. "As if you need more mice to eat. You're as round as a hedgehog!" He poked the kit's plump belly. "Now let's see that hunting crouch of yours."
Obligingly, the kit dropped into a crouch, remembering to keep his tail straight, and his belly just off the ground. Carefully he placed one paw in front of the other, scooting forward. He paused, focusing on a stray leaf that had blown into camp. He paused, eyes narrowed intently. He was about to pounce, when a paw came down on his tail. He gave a small squeak, and sat up. "Hey! What was that?"
Goldenpaw's whiskers twitched with amusement. "With your tail straight up in the air, prey would have seen you coming from the other side of the forest! Come on, try it again."
Grumbling, Tigerkit did so. This time he completed the pounce, batting the leaf up into the air and catching it on his claws.
"That was great!" Meowed Goldenpaw.
"Just remember to keep your tail straight and still, and you'll catch enough fresh-kill to feed the whole Clan in no time!" Lionpaw added.
They practiced hunting crouches for a while, stalking invisible squirrels, rabbits, and the like. Then Lionpaw tried showed him a battle move he had just learned in training that day.
"See, pretend I'm a great big ShadowClan warrior, and I'm much stronger. How would you fight me?"
"Like this!" Tigerkit leaped up into Lionpaw's back, flattening him to the ground.
"Uhff, get off me you great furball! How are you ever going to learn if you don't listen to your elders?" Although Tigerkit was big for his age, Lionpaw was also. He stood up, and shook himself, sending the tabby kit tumbling to the ground. He jumped right back up, not fazed at all.
"Well if that doesn't work, what does?" Tigerkit asked, bouncing around the ginger siblings.
Goldenpaw purred. "If you settle down, we'll show you!"
Reluctantly, Tigerkit sat, wrapping his short spiky tail around his paws.
"Okay. You watching?" Lionpaw asked. "When they rush at you, you step to side, and rake your claws along their side. Then while their off balance, you just shove them away from you, like this." He and Goldenpaw demonstrated, keeping their claws sheathed.
Tigerkit watched eyes with excitement. "I want to try! Let me try!"
So they practiced that move for another long while. When the sun was high overhead, Goldenpaw flopped down. "Enough, enough. You have more energy than us. We elders need a break."
Lionpaw stretched out beside her, and began to wash his chest. Tigerkit yawned, and curled up next to Goldenpaw. She looked down at him, and began purring. Wrapping her tail around him, she ran her tongue along the kit's ears. Slowly, his eyes began to close. A small rumble came from his throat, and he rested his head on his paws.
"Hey Goldenpaw," he murmured after a while, "you or Lionpaw's gonna mentor me when I'm an apprentice, right?"
Goldenpaw's whiskers twitched, and she purred louder. "We'll see about that. After all, It's for Sunstar to decide, not us."
Tigerkit rolled over, and made a face. "But what if he makes Thrushpelt or Stormtail my mentor? I don't want to get stuck with someone boring."
"Hush, you!" Lionpaw rumbled, cuffing the tabby good-naturedly. "Don't be rude. Thrushpelt and Stormtail are loyal warriors, even if they don't let you hunt badgers like you want to. Now why don't you run along, I bet Snowfur is done kitting by now. You ought to go meet your new denmate. And Goldenpaw and I ought to be out hunting."
The kit brightened. "Oh yeah!" He meowed, jumping to his paws. "Bye Goldenpaw, Lionpaw!" He dashed away across the clearing, and scrabbled into the nursery.
"Is it over?" He asked excitedly, peering into the nest. Then he frowned. "Where are the others?" He turned questioningly to his mother.
"That's the only one."
Just one? Huh? He cocked his head. "That's all? But it's white! It'll never be able to hunt with a pelt that color. They prey'll see him coming tree-lengths away." On the other hand, he thought, it would be good in the winter when most of the Clan members had trouble catching prey.
Leopardfoot twitched her tail, and climbed out of her nest to nudge Tigerkit away. "He'll be a fine hunter like his mother," she said sternly, nosing him into the nest.
"Not as good as me!" he chirped.
He mother flicked him with her tail. "If you want to be in here, you'll have to sit and be quiet," she said in a softer voice. "Snowfur is very tired."
Tigerkit grumbled halfheartedly. He was a bit tired after playing with Goldenpaw and Lionpaw, and the nest was soft and warm. He found himself sinking into sleep, imagining all the fun he could have with his new denmate.
