I open my eyes to Smokekit prodding me in the side with a soft paw. "We get to meet the other kits today, Ravenkit!" He chimes. "They're outside! Let's go!" Smokekit speeds out of the nursery, and I follow, bursting with energy. About seven other kits are outside, not including me and my siblings. I can tell which litter the kits belong to by their colors and body builds, all three queens rest and supervise nearby. A white she-cat with very light patches of gray introduces herself and her kits. "I am Palemist ," she meows kindly. "And these are my kits, Bluekit, Silverkit, and Mintkit!"

The three she-kits seem nice. Bluekit is a blue-gray kit, with gray eyes. The silvery fur and light eyes fit Silverkit's name perfectly, and Mintkit is white, with a dark gray splash on her pink nose. A creamy tan queen with a few stripes of dark brown gives her introduction. "Hello, young ones. I am Daisyheart. My kits are delighted to meet you!" She purrs sweetly. She waves her tail for her kits to introduce themselves. A tom-kit that looks like his mother, but with hazel eyes instead of green, pipes up. "I am Pebblekit!"

A second kit, a black she-kit with pretty green eyes introduces herself as Pantherkit. The third, a brown and white she-kit, meows, "I'm Fawnkit."

The last kit to speak his name catches my eye. He looks strong for such a young kit, a dark brown tom with even darker, almost black stripes, and striking bright green eyes. His shoulders are broad, his body thin and quick-looking. He looks me in the eyes with a piercing yet friendly glare, and purrs with a friendly voice, "Hello, I am Tigerkit. I have looked forward to meeting you."

I approach the tom-kit and breathe in his scent, like fresh pinesap with a hint of earthiness. I almost shout, but instead I speak coolly, "Hi, I am Ravenkit! Nice to meet you!" I twitch my tail nervously, hoping that Tigerkit doesn't reject me as a friend. Thank StarClan, he nods approvingly. He turns and dashes into the nursery, and for a heartbeat I am afraid he ran away, but he returns to the clearing with balls of moss clamped in his jaws. He drops them, and mews, "Wanna play mossball?" I look at him, confused. I tilt my head and ask, "How do you play?"

The sturdy kit chuckles a bit and waves his siblings over with his tail. "Watch and learn," he instructs.

Pantherkit lets out a yowl of excitement, and the game begins. Tigerkit tosses the ball of moss into the air with a thrust of his head. The ball soars in the air for just a second, and then Pantherkit rears up on her hind paws, batting the ball back up with a front paw. The ball slices to the right, and Pebblekit jerks his head to keep the moss in the air with his nose. The ball flies back to Tigerkit, who tosses it to Fawnkit, and the cycle goes back again. After a few more tosses, Tigerkit yowls, "Next round! Someone toss in another ball!"

Mintkit, who is watching from a few tail-lengths away, fetches a second wad of moss and throws it in to the game. Tigerkit tosses both balls, one going to Pantherkit and one soaring over to Pebblekit. The moss flies and is passed through the air several times, and when both balls find themselves again to Pebblekit, he bats out with his paws, but he misses them by a whisker. The moss balls land on the ground. Tigerkit purrs, "Good try, Pebblekit, but you're out." Pebblekit purrs and steps out of the game. Pantherkit glares at her littermates with a look of challenge and playfulness. "Now it's the three of us, Fawnkit and Tigerkit!" She bellows excitedly. She waves her tail, and Mintkit retrieves a third ball of moss. Pantherkit lets out a little squeak, pummels the moss, and they shoot into the air like a startled crow. One of them makes its way over to Fawnkit, while two fly to Tigerkit, who hits the balls with front paws, rearing up on his hind legs. They keep batting at the moss until eventually, Fawnkit drops two of the balls and is called out. She goes to sit and watch the game as Mintkit tosses in a fourth ball, and the two start the next round. Pantherkit aims and the balls fly, both kits tossing the balls with great accuracy. After a while, Pantherkit throws the moss at Tigerkit, and he leaps up to bat at them, but misses all but one of them. He snickers at his own clumsiness, being a good sport. Pantherkit yowls triumphantly and helps her brother up with a nudge. "Good game," Tigerkit comments. "Great job, Pantherkit!"

The black she-kit mews in delight and accepts the praise. "So basically," Tigerkit looks at me. "You have to keep the moss in the air, and if it falls on the ground, you're out!" I nod in understanding. We try a few games, and I have much trouble, but after a lot of practice, I get the hang of the sport. After a long time that feels like just heartbeats, we are tired and panting, all kits happy. We don't have to be called in, we all just tumble into the nursery, where we drink our fill of milk and cuddle up to our mothers. I smell and feel Tigerkit inching closer to me from his nest. He whispers, "That was a fun day! I like you, Ravenkit. You and me, we're gonna be good friends!" And with that, his head droops after a few seconds, and I feel my own breathing slowing and my head going dark as I fall into pleasant sleep.