The next day Tiny woke when Feathertail began to stir.

Early morning sunlight weakly trickled through the overhead branches, and Tiny blinked sleepily, looking around him.

He hadn't noticed yesterday that tall green ferns rose up on either side of him, and continued out toward an obvious clearing, where he could hear and taste the scents of many cats.

Featherwhisker padded past. "You must be hungry." He meowed, pausing at the beginning of the fern tunnel. "I'll bring you back some fresh kill."

Tiny nodded, wondering what exactly fresh kill was, and then shook the thought off, instead taking a closer look at the back of the den, somewhere he'd ignored until now.

The first thing he noticed was the split rock. It rose up, with a great crack through it, just big enough for a cat to squeeze through. Tiny's paws itched with curiosity, and he glanced down with a look of disgust at his injured belly.

Cautiously, he stretched out one paw, feeling it tremble as he stretched. That didn't hurt, so he tried the other one. A little pain, but nothing he couldn't handle.

Tiny hesitated, and then shifted to get onto his paws.

Immediately a flash of fire burned through his stomach, and he dropped back to the way he was lying before, panting in pain. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, willing it away, and finally it died to a dull ache.

Tiny let out a breath, and pricked his ears as some bracken on the opposite side of the clearing rustled.

An unkempt light grey tom padded out, swinging his head from side to side as he muttered, blue eyes narrowed.

"Hello," Tiny said cautiously.

The tom obviously hadn't seen him, and started, eyes growing wide.

The hackles rose, and he rounded his back. "Starclan! Why is this abomination here?" He hissed, unsheathing his claws.

Tiny's heart started to pound, and he gave a desperate look to his injuries. Before he could move, or the wild looking gray tom could advance, Featherwhisker emerged from the fern tunnel.

He took in the scene, and quickly dropped the prey he'd been carrying, and stepped in front of Tiny subtly. "Goosefeather! I see you've met our newest patient, Tiny. Bluefur saved him when Tigerpaw was... A little too rough."

The mention of Bluefur seemed to interest the tom, and he stared almost uncomprehendingly at Featherwhisker for a moment. "I see." He grunted. "Keep that freak away from me." He hissed, and padded quickly toward the tunnel.

After he'd gone, Featherwhisker let out a sigh, swinging around to face Tiny. "Don't pay any mind to Goosefeather, kit. He's old, and sometimes that will turn your mind."

Tiny nodded, and Featherwhisker gave a cheerful purr. "Now, let's take a look at you. Afterward, we can eat."

He padded toward Tiny, and used a gentle paw to press him onto his side.

Tiny peered at him, eyes wide.

"I've got to change the wrapping or your injury will get infected," Featherwhisker explained, using a claw to pull the sticky covering away. He padded to the rock, and squeezed into its depths, returning a moment later with a mouthful of leaves.

Tiny watched, extremely curious.

"This is marigold," Featherwhisker explained, dipping his head to chew on it. A moment later he let the juice drip onto Tiny's belly. "It might sting."

Tiny hissed, flexing his claws slightly.

Featherwhisker leaned down and gently licked the pulp into Tiny's wound, before pulling a large leaf from the pile beside him, and gently patting it onto the deep scratches.

"Oak leaf for infection, and then cobwebs to seal it up." Featherwhisker murmured, seemingly to himself. He spread the sticky swathe across Tiny's belly, and sat up, a please purr rumbling from his throat.

"Alright, food time." Featherwhisker nipped a mouse up, and dropped it in front of Tiny, settling down with some sort of bird for himself.

"Thank you," Tiny mewed, looking down at the mouse. It was true, he was hungry. He took a delicate bite of the small rodent, and he gave a sigh of pleasure.

"Is it good?" Featherwhisker purred, with an amused look.

"The best food I've ever eaten." Tiny returned almost reverently to the mouse and continued to eat.

When he was finally finished, he licked his whiskers sleepily and let his head drop to his paws.

"I hope you're not going to sleep," Featherwhisker meowed. "Sunstar wanted to see you."

Tiny blinked his eyes open wearily. "O-okay. Now?"

"After we'd eaten." Featherwhisker stood and flicked his tail over Tiny's ears. "I'll send someone to fetch him." He padded to the end of the tunnel and called out a name. "Thrushpelt, could you tell Sunstar that the kit is awake?"

Tiny heard an affirmative meow, and Featherwhisker rejoined him, curling his tail around his paws. "Sunstar is our leader. He's to be respected." Featherwhisker fixed Tiny with a stern eye, and Tiny nodded quickly, head hobbling in an effort to show that he understood.

There was a rustle at the end of the tunnel, and Featherwhisker stood. "In here, Sunstar." He called.

A big ginger tom padded from the tunnel, and Tiny's eyes widened. He had seen other fully grown cats before, but none compared to this muscled tom, not even the three he'd met yesterday.

"Greetings, kit." Sunstar stared down at Tiny with cool yellow eyes.

"Hello, Sunstar. I'm Tiny." Tiny held his breath, glancing at Featherwhisker out of the corner of his eye. The silver tom kept a neutral face, the only movement the occasional twitch of his tail.

"I must say, I was quite surprised when Bluefur came through the camp barrier, carrying a bleeding kit." Sunstar rumbled, tucking his tail around his paws.

Tiny didn't know what to say to that, and stared down at his paws.

"How old are you, kit?" Sunstar asked.

Tiny thought for a moment, scrunching his nose. "Mother told me I was three moons." He said earnestly.

Sunstar and Featherwhisker shared a look, and Tiny blinked, still sleepy.

"You're welcome to stay here to heal, and when you've recovered, we will decide what to do." Sunstar meowed, standing.

"Thank you for coming, Sunstar." Featherwhisker mewed, dipping his head respectfully.

Sunstar face a farewell flick of his tail, and left through the tunnel.

"Whew!" Featherwhisker blew out a breath. "That's over with. You can sleep now-" he turned as he spoke, and saw Tiny, stretched out and fast asleep.

Tiny rose from sleep, ears twitching as he heard a different set of voices in the den.

"He looks normal." Someone mewed.

He blinked open his eyes to see a- cloud? No. A cat, with bright blue eyes.

"Hi!" The cloud meowed. "I'm Whitekit. You must be Tiny."

Tiny shifted slightly, peering around Whitekit to see two other kits, a white she-cat and a brown striped she-cat.

"This is Frostkit and Brindlekit." Whitekit said, tail straight up in the air.

Tiny glanced between them, a little overwhelmed. "H-hi there."

"Tigerpaw says you're a kittypet." Frostkit said, with a wondering look. "Are you?"

"What's a kittypet?" Tiny asked, drawing his paws toward himself.

"The kind of cat who lives with twolegs, y'know." Whitekit answered, plopping down on the ground.

Tiny glanced between them. "Sorry... What are twolegs?"

Whitekit raised an impatient paw, then paused. "Well, all we've ever heard is stories. But they're giant, and they have no fur. And they live in those giant nests."

"Oh, housefolk?" Tiny asked with surprise. "Of course I lived with housefolk. I wasn't a street cat." He gave a short purr of amusement, but stopped when the three kits gave him uncomprehending stares.

"Anyway," Tiny went on, giving his chest a few embarrassed licks. "Yes, I was a..." He hesitated slightly. "Kittypet."

"Why aren't you one now?" Whitekit asked first, curious.

"What were you doing in the forest?" Brindlekit piped in.

"Are you staying here?" Frostkit joined the chorus.

Just then, Featherwhisker swept in, pausing slightly as he saw the kits. "Shoo!" He scolded, using his tail to sweep them out of the den. "Tiny is still recovering and needs his rest."

As the three kits tumbled out of the den, Whitekit meowed over his shoulder. "When you're all better, come play with us!"

Tiny half raised himself up, trying to see where they were going. "I will," he called back.