A/N: Here we go, first chap!

So, I'll admit, I'm fairly excited. I know it's strange; this is just a update-when-I-want-no-schedule-fic, and there's no set sizes for chapters, but I think I'm gonna have a lot of fun with this one.

Now, even though it's irrelevant, I'll tell you the real names of the cats who are actual cats, but not the kits. Shadow (Shadowmist) [died recently at almost 15 years of age/ approx. 180.7 moons]; Periwinkle (Sandpaw) [disappeared; presumed dead]; and Snickerdoodle (Viperpaw) [given a new home].

All apprentices and kits at this time have warrior names planned; but I may do little question games and let you make up a kit for pregnant she-cats. Let's see how this goes.

Also, the territory is VERY diverse and doesn't make sense; I tried to revise it. Earthclan lives next to a mini-fall with various caves and a small pool that goes off into a river. There's one tree with a den at the bottom (apprentices). Grassclan is in a dip kinda like the quarry. Caveclan is cliché-ly inside a "mountain", and Mistclan is in a grassy/marshy area. That's the basics.

Thank you to the two who favourited/followed; it's a great motivator. Hope you – and anyone else reading – enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: I have no ownership over the warriors series despite there being six authors. I only own or have been given permission to own/use all characters or clans in this fic. EVERYTHING in EARTHCLAN belongs to ME.

The Earliest Ceremony

Spottedstar padded out of the leader's den and down the sloping stone on the cliff face. The sky grew darker in the twilight, melding into night. She could feel the starry warriors beginning to show, gleaming on the water and her pelt. She stopped about halfway down, and carefully made her way across the interconnecting damp stone sloping downwards a bit to another den, her gray fur turned dark from the spray. The pass under the waterfall had left her chilled. Whiskers quivering, she leaned her head into the warm den – Earthclan's nursery – and glanced at the four small shapes huddled together.

In the back of the den, a white she-cat looked over her swollen side to her leader. Her yellow eyes bored into her as she whispered, "You don't regret your decision, do you?"

Spottedstar shook her gray head. "Of course not, Whitemist. Kits are a blessing to the clan, wherever they come from. I only worry about how Shadowmist is handling all this."

The dark-colored tom she spoke of had found the kits, the body of their mother torn apart by a dog, and their brother dead from who knows what. Shadowmist had brought the kits back, begging Spottedstar to take them in, offering to care for them himself. Her heart had melted at the site. Of course she wouldn't leave these kits to die.

Whitemist's meow brought her back to reality. "I'm sure he'll be all right. He's a strong cat."

Spottedstar sighed. "I know that. It's just, he was so protective of them. He wouldn't let Nightshade and Bluepaw look at them, for Starclan's sake!"

Whitemist let out a purr. "He's just heartbroken over how he found them. What cat wouldn't after finding a mother killed so brutally? And those poor kits. You know you would have felt the same way, Spottedstar. Besides, you don't have the same condition as him." She pointed out.

Spottedstar let her gray-blue gaze sweep over the four half-starved kits. It was probably true; any cat would have acted the same way, and Shadowmist couldn't have kits. She couldn't help but feel compassion for him.

Leopardheart wouldn't have cared…

She shivered at the thought. The cruel she-cat was long gone, but she still creeped into Spottedstar's thoughts once in a while.

Whitemist had noticed her start, but made no comment to it. Rather, she asked, "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you'd be curled up with Rushingriver by now."

Spottedstar gave a laughing purr. "I would, but I promised Shadowmist that I'd meet him, Hawkface, and Nightshade here. We want to give these kits names."

Whitemist nodded. It was a good thought – Clan leader, deputy, medicine cat, and the one who found the kits gathering to name them. It would make them more a part of the clan. And it would cheer Shadowmist greatly.

Time passed and the sky grew to be that impossible blue-black of night before any arrived. Shadowmist was the first to come; then the brown she-cat and Deputy Hawkface; then lastly the medicine cat – a small, raggedy gray she-cat with a bob for a tail – Nightshade squeezed in.

Seeing they were all there, Spottedstar felt it was time to begin. "You are all aware of why we're meeting here. These kits need names if they're going to be a part of our clan."

Nightshade snorted. "Couldn't this have waited until morning? That daughter of yours chewed me out for not getting some sleep."

Hawkface muttered quietly, "At least somecat is."

"What was that?"

Shadowmist intervened. "Now is not the time. Kits should be named in their first moon, and these are almost three moons old. It's only proper that we name them as soon as possible."

Spottedstar nodded; Shadowmist was right. The kits' eyes were already beginning to turn from their birth blue to their true colors. She looked at the four kits; two ginger she-kits, one a heftier, darker color and the other a paler cream; the other two black-and-white she-kits with ginger patches, one with less ginger and a more defined black. They were all very pretty, and would grow into fine cats.

She was mused out of her thoughts as Whitemist peeked over at the kits and lightly tapped the cream-colored one, saying, "This one is almost honey-colored. What about Honeykit?"

Shadowmist purred. "That's a great name. I think the torti-tabby with less ginger should be Skitterkit; everything made her jump when I brought her here."

The medicine cat snorted again, but Spottedstar ignored her as she stared at the darker ginger she-kit. She was starting to get thick neck-fur that was almost main-like, but Lionkit didn't feel like the right name. "How about Redkit for this one?" She nodded towards the ginger she-kit. "Her fur will get darker and richer as she grows older."

"That's one of the most sensible names I've heard all night," Nightshade muttered as the others gave their consent.

Hawkface looked at the last kit, but turned to Nightshade and said. "You can name her then, since you will probably pick a more sensible name."

Nightshade hissed lightly, but didn't comment as she looked over the last kit. The ginger patches had light tabby markings and blazed palely against her black-and-white fur. "Marigoldkit," she finally said.

"Of course an herb…", Whitemist muttered.

Shadowmist looked pointedly at the pregnant white she-cat and meowed, "Well I think they're all fine names. And they'll become even finer warriors."

Spottedstar looked around. "So that's it? We're agreed?" All the cats nodded. "Then by the granting of Starclan, we have named these stray kits, and may they become as much as clancats as my own."

"Redkit," she tapped the ginger she-kit lightly with her nose.

"Honeykit," she purred lightly in her sleep at the touch.

"Marigoldkit," the patched kit didn't stir.

"And Skitterkit," the dark she-kit mewed in her sleep.

"Now that we've agreed, we can go to bed," Nightshade grumbled and all the cats left, except for Shadowmist and the pregnant queen.

As Spottedstar came out, she slowly followed Hawkface. Her deputy had softly hopped up onto the small branch-like log spanning the small pool in the middle of Earthclan's camp when she called out softly, "Hawkface! Will you talk to me tomorrow about possible mentors?"

Her deputy dipped her head. "Of course – but for now let's get some sleep."

Spottedstar watched until her deputy entered the warriors' den, then went back to her own nest. After all, Rushingriver was waiting, and anything she had to say could be discussed tomorrow.