Violetkit blinked open her icy blue eyes for the very first time. She sat in a den with her mother Moondust and her sisters Palekit and Snowkit, who laid curled up tightly at their mother's warm belly. In the next nest over was Olivedapple, a cream colored she-cat with pale ginger speckles, dappling her soft, fluffy pelt, and her kits Snakekit, Spiderkit, Owlkit, and Screechkit who were three moons older than Violetkit and her littermates. On the other side was another queen, Littlepool, her belly slightly swollen with kits to come.
Violetkit glanced at her sisters proudly seeing that she had been the first to open her eyes. "Snowkit, Palekit" she mewed excitedly poking at her litter mates with her small white forepaw. "Come on open your eyes there's so much to see!" Snowkit rolled over half asleep and blinked open her identical pale blue eyes. "Violetkit," she groaned, "we opened our eyes yesterday." Palekit nodded in agreement blinking hers open, and tiredly rubbing the sleep from them with her pale gray forepaw.;" "But they were closed." Violetkit protested disbelievingly. "We were asleep." Palekit groaned, which turned into a half yawn. "Until you woke us that is."
"Violetkit you finally opened your eyes!" Screechkit mewed happily excitement sparking in her eyes, which were beginning to turn a pale shade of green. "Yeah I guess." She replied, her excitement faded after learning she was actually the last one to open her eyes. "Now me and Owlkit can give you guys a tour of camp." Screechkit's eyes lit even brighter up as she spoke, and Violet started to smile a bit, slightly cheered up by Screechkit's excited and optimistic attitude. The calico she-cat padded over to her bother poking him in the side. "Wake up sleepy." She teased. "It's time to show Moondust's kits around camp." Owlkit rolled over lazily before finally standing up. "Ok let's go." He meowed yawning wide.
Screechkit and Owlkit padded out of the nursery, and Violetkit and her sisters followed, excited to be out of the nursery for their first time. The five kits padded out into a large clearing surrounded on all sides by large rocks and pine trees, except for a tunnel leading to the outside. There was a stone ledge up in the air, with a small cave in the rocks behind it. "That's Shadowstar's den." Screechkit meowed flicking her orange and black tail towards the cave. "And that ledge in front of it is where he holds meetings." Owlkit added.
"What's Shadowstar like? Is he a good leader?" Asked Snowkit curiously. "Very good." Replied Screechkit, earning an approving nod from her brother. "He's kind, loyal, wise-" "And don't forget really brave." Owlkit cut her off. He sounds great!" Violetkit mewed excitedly. "Yeah." Palekit agreed. "He is." Screechkit mewed glaring at Owlkit annoyed at him for interrupting. "But, one day I'm going to be leader and I'll be even better." She boasted. "Will you now?" A dark brown tabby tom asked, and the kits spun around to face him. "Of corse I will Nettleleap!" Screechkit mewed confidently. Violetkit had heard Olivedapple talk about Nettleleap before in the nursery, and she recalled her saying that he was her mate, and the father of Screechkit and her litter mates. "We're showing Moondust's kits around camp." Owlkit told his father. "It's their first time out." Nettleleap nodded and left them to their business. "Don't get into too much trouble." He purred as he padded off.
Screechkit lead them to a large den with thick bramble walls. "This is where the warriors sleep." She meowed and Owlkit flicked his short black tail to a small cave at the base of the rocks. "And that's the apprentice's den. Outside of the apprentice's den there were a pair of tom's tumbling on the ground practicing battle moves. One was a pale golden tom with white paws, the other a dark ginger tabby tom. Another apprentice, a gray tabby she-cat snuck up behind them, pouncing on the ginger tabby knocking him off his paws. "Good one Dewpaw!" Screechkit called to the apprentice. "Thanks Screechkit." Dewpaw called back. "No fair!" The ginger tom grumbled kicking at the dirt. "I was supposed to be fighting Sunpaw, you came out of nowhere." "Stop being a sore loser Foxpaw." The golden tom, who Violetkit assumed to be Sunpaw, said.
"Bye guys." Screechkit called out to the apprentices as she lead Violetkit and her sisters to a slightly larger cave that smelled of herbs. "This is the medicine den." She explained. A dark brown tabby tom with a white muzzle poked his head out of the den. "Are these Moondust's kits?" He meowed. "Yep Darkpaw." Screechkit mewed. "We're showing them around." The kits said goodbye to Darkpaw and Owlkit explained that he was the medicine cat apprentice. Next the saw the elder's den, an old fallen tree with brambles, twigs, and pine needles woven into thick walls and a roof.
"Hey Swiftpool!" Owlkit purred happily greeting the elder. She was a petite she-cat with shaggy gray and black fur that stuck out at awkward angles. Her eyes were a faded shade of amber and her belly, paws, and muzzle were all a dusty off white color. Violetkit imagined that Swiftpool was probably once a beautiful she-cat, with sleek glossy fur, but now in her older age, her looks were beginning to fade like the once bright amber of her eyes.
"How are you?" Screechkit mewed in a friendly tone. "A little stiff," she replied, her voice was tired and raspy as she spoke, "but otherwise I'm fine." "I can go ask Dapplesong to get you something for your joints." Owlkit volunteered flicking his stubby tail towards the medicine den. "That would be really helpful, thanks Owlkit." The old she-cat purred as she watched the small black tom bound off towards the medicine den.
"Now are these Moondust's kits?" Swiftpool meowed acknowledging the three tiny pale colored she-kits. "Yup." Violetkit mewed excitedly. "This is our first time out of camp. My name's Violetkit. Can you guess why?" She turned around so that Swiftpool could see the long gray-purple stripe that ran down her back. The elder looked at the marking on Violetkit's fur for a minute before finally saying. "Hmm suits you well."
Swiftpool turned to Palekit and studied her pale gray and white fur. "Why you look just as beautiful as your mother." She purred and Palekit smiled brightly, her blue eyes shining. "Thank you." She purred loudly in response. "I'm Palekit." Snowkit bounced up to Swiftpool annoyed that Palekit was getting all the attention. "My name is Snowkit." She purred sweetly. Violetkit gazed over her shoulder and saw Owlkit bounding up to them, herbs hanging from his jaws. The dark hued tom tripped clumsily over a rock and tumbled straight into Snowkit, knocking the tiny white she-kit over. He dropped the bundle he was carrying and the leaf spilled open, scattering berries across the camp floor. "Dapplesong said to give you fennel for your joint pain and some juniper because she heard you coughing earlier and she said that it would help with that." Owlkit quickly as Snowkit brushed dust off of her white pelt. "What did she say to give you for your clumsiness?" She spat. Owlkit flattened his ears embarrassed and backed up a little bit before quietly sitting down.
"Sorry about her." Palekit mewed apologetically to no cat in particular, she's a little irritable cause Violetkit woke us up early." "Am not." Snowkit pouted flipping on her belly, her short legs splaying out to the side
"Maybe you all could use a rest." A tom meowed from behind them. Violetkit whipped her head around quickly and came nose to nose with a muscular black and white tom with golden eyes and a twisted forepaw. "But Brokenfoot we're not tired." She whined yawning loudly in the middle. "Sure you're not." He purred affectionately licking his daughter on the head. "Come on girls, it's been a long day, you better go back to your mother and get some rest." "Ok daddy." Snowkit purred sweetly bounding up to Brokenfoot. Palekit rolled her eyes at her sister and then followed after them. Violetkit padded after her sisters reluctantly, wishing she could have had more time to explore.