This is a lovely story that takes place a few moons after the Forgotten Warrior. I wrote this at the end of 2011, when Forgotten Warrior was the most recent book out, so if you are reading this in, say, a year's time, when the next however many books are out, don't complain that so-and-so doesn't so that, this doesn't happen, etc. Allegiances are in the previous chapter.

Full summary: 'I can't stay. I have to go, somewhere where neither the Dark Forest nor StarClan can see me,' She blinked her one eye at him and bowed her head. 'I've been kicked out.' 'So have I, and I'm coming with you.'

Birdkit had always known there was something wrong with her. Everything seemed dark, like her eyes were only half open even when she stretched them as wide as they could go.

She was half-blind.

But she didn't let it get to her. She knew she would become a warrior, maybe even leader if she tried hard enough. She wouldn't let something as simple as her eyes get in the way of her training. She didn't want to be a Medicine cat, as Jayfeather had rudely suggested. Just because he was a blind Medicine cat, didn't mean she had to give in to her disability.

No. She'd be the best warrior in the world.

In only one moon she'd be training in the forest with her den-mates, hunting for her clan, and then Bramblestar would have to make her a warrior, even if he believed she shouldn't train.

But for now, she was stuck in the nursery with Dovewing, Hollykit and all the other queens.

A small paw prodded Birdkit in the side. She rolled over, coming nose-to-nose with Thrushkit.

"Birdkit, come on! Cinderheart says we can ambush Lionblaze before his patrol and we need you and Hollykit to help us." Birdkit was instantly on her paws.

"Let's get going then!"

A few minutes later, the nursery patrol was lined up outside the Warrior's den, hidden behind brambles. Each of the five kits stiffened as Lionblaze padded to a stop right beside their hiding spot.

"Now!" On Graykit's call, she pounced onto the warrior's powerful shoulders, nipping his skin lightly and battering his ears. In the corner of her misty vision she saw her sister tumbling into his legs, and squeaking as their victim collapsed dramatically.

"We got you that time!" Birdkit squeaked, jumping away from Lionblaze as he dragged himself to his paws.

He purred. "I guess you did. Now shouldn't you be bothering your mothers? I have a patrol to go on." Just as the kits began to scamper back to the nursery, Briarlight emerged from the warriors den and dragged herself to the base of the high-ledge. Birdkit trotted after the deputy, bouncing around her feet.

"Is Bramblestar going to make me a 'paw soon? Is he?" Briarlight snorted, and pushed the kit away.

"Not for a moon, Birdkit. Why don't you go play mossball?"

Birdkit's tail drooped "Thrushkit won't let me. He says I can't see the ball well enough."

"Well, I'm sure you can think of some other game to play? Look, why don't you practice your pouncing on that stick over there?" Briarlight flicked her tail toward a long stick by the elders den, with twigs sticking out everywhere. Birdkit considered for a heartbeat, before calling to her den-mates.

For the rest of the day, the kits played with the stick, calling to each other to pounce on this leaf, or hit the stick from this line. As the day was drawing to a close, Fernkit turned to Birdkit.

"I bet you can't snap off that twig there jumping from this line!" The kit dragged her claw across the floor, making a groove in the sand.

"Bet I can!" Birdkit crouched to jump, wiggling her hindquarters as she focused on her target. She pushed off, sailing through the air onto the twig.

And her paws hit the ground beside it a heartbeat before the stick stabbed into her right eye.

A/N It wasn't my best piece of writing, nor my longest, but this was just the beginning, it'll turn into the real story from here on out.

I know that most people will be confused about the whole Briarlight as deputy thing, but I'm doing a oneshot sometime about it so watch this space.

~Willow