'It's warm...it smells...milky, and like...ground?'

Soft paws pummelled her side, startling her out of her thoughts. Lifting her head, she opened her eyes to see what was around her. Her vision filled with brown and cream, the source of the milk scent.

"You opened your eyes!"

Whipping around, she saw a cream, brown, ginger, and white face grinning at her. "We can see the camp now!"

'Camp? There's more?' She looked around her, pulling herself into a sitting position. They were in a cave, on a nest of soft green stuff with a larger cat and three other kittens with them.

"Mama, we can see the camp now!" the other kit called. "Stormkit opened her eyes!"

The large cat turned to them, eyes alight. "Oh, finally, I was starting to worry!" she purred.

"What's a Mama?" she asked. "And a Stormkit? And a camp?"

The large cat laughed. "I'm your Mama, your mother, Sorrelheart is my name," she purred, tapping her nose to her head. "You're Stormkit, that's your name. Our camp is where we live."

"This place?" she asked, flicking her tail at the cave.

"No, this is the nursery, our den," Sorrelheart said. "The camp holds dens for the whole Clan."

Stormkit tipped her head to the side, ears sticking straight up. "Clan?"

"ShadowClan!" another kit, a ginger tabby with white points, said. "The fiercest Clan of them all!"

"That's Redkit," the first kit said. "I'm Owlkit, your sister. Thistlekit is the one with white on him, and Sootkit is the full gray one," she said, flicking her tail at each cat in turn. "They're your brothers."

'Sister, brothers, Mama, Clan,' she thought, flicking her tail. "Are there more brothers and sisters?" she asked.

"Yes, you have two more brothers and three other sisters," Sorrelheart mewed. "But not every cat is your brother or sister, little one. Only the cats that are my or your father's kits."

"Can I meet them?" she asked, hopping up and bouncing on her toes.

"Of course," Sorrelheart purred. "Follow me, and stay close!"

She led the kits out of the den into the camp. They all blinked at the bright sunlight. Stormkit stumbled and fell, crashing into something cold.

"Aah!" She struggled to free herself, pushing her paws against the cold stuff only to have them sink further in. Sorrelheart picked her up by her scruff and set her down beside Owlkit.

"That's snow," her mother told her. "Frozen water that falls from the sky when it's cold."

Stormkit shook her head, snow clumps flying off her fur. "It's cold," she said, teeth chattering. "Why's there so much of it?"

"Leaf-bare always brings snow," Sorrelheart said. "This leaf-bare has been especially long, so there's been a lot of it."

Stormkit nodded, walking back over to it and licking it. It melted in her mouth, turning to water.

"Weird," she mewed, going back to Owlkit.

"What's it like?" Owlkit asked.

"Touch it," Stormkit told her. Owlkit poked it with her paw, giggling as she did.

"Cold and wet!" she laughed.

"Kits, this way!"

They bounded through the snow, following Sorrelheart around the camp and meeting various cats. Stormkit didn't know how she would ever remember all their names and faces and scents - there were so many of them. Icefoot and Snowtail were identical, as were Hawkfeather and Eaglefeather. Frostfang was the only white tom, though, and Wolftail and Ivyleaf smelt like herbs, Cloverfur had a mangled leg, and Shadefrost was the only black cat.

Once they were back in the nursery, Sorrelheart pulled her tail around them as they settled down to sleep.

"There's so much," Stormkit murmured.

"So much what, little one?" Sorrelheart asked her, licking her between the ears.

"Everything," she breathed, falling asleep easily.


Stormkit woke up to a ginger face peering at her. Tensing, she batted at it with her forepaw.

"No need for that," the ginger cat said, rubbing his nose with a paw. "I was just curious. Everyone else had opened their eyes but I didn't see yours. I was waiting for you to wake up."

"Who are you?" she yawned, stretching her legs and tail.

"I'm Foxkit," he introduced himself. "And you're Stormkit."

"I know who I am," she grumbled, standing. Glancing around, she saw that everyone was asleep. "Shouldn't you be asleep right now?"

He waved a paw. "Psh. Night is the best time to look at the camp. Come on, I'll show you." He trotted out of the nursery, paws silent on the floor. Curious, she followed him.

"It's camp in the dark," she said, looking at the dens and the snow.

"No, it's so much more," he said. "Look up."

She did, gasping as she saw the sky. "What are all of those?" she breathed.

"Those are our ancestors," Foxkit said. "StarClan. Each star is a cat, looking over us from the sky. C'mon, follow me."

He led her up to the top of a rock near the mountainside, digging a hollow into the snow for them to sit in. "This'll keep the wind from getting to us," he said, hopping in and settling down. She followed, looking at the sky.

"There are so many of them," she whispered, huddling next to him. There were hundreds, more becoming clear the longer she looked.

"It's the new moon, so more of them are able to come out and watch us," Foxkit mewed. "Aren't they pretty?"

"They're beautiful," she mewed, not noticing him watching her.

He turned back to the sky. "Everyone goes to StarClan when they die. The leaders have 'star' at the end of their name to show that StarClan's approved of them and given them nine lives."

"The leader has nine lives?"

"So they may keep leading after they make a mistake and teach others from it," a new voice cut in. The kits turned to see a pale silver tabby behind them, smiling.

"I don't think I've met you," Stormkit mewed. "I'm Stormkit. This is Foxkit."

The tabby dipped her head. "It's nice to finally meet you, Stormkit. I'm Palestar, leader of ShadowClan."

Stormkit blinked. "You're our leader? You have nine lives and met StarClan?"

"I'm your leader, but my number of lives is kept between me, Leafspring, and Ivyleaf, since I've been leader for a while. I have met them." She moved closer, digging out more snow and looping her long tail around the two kits.

"What are they like?" Foxkit asked.

Palestar was quiet for a moment. "They're mysterious, but also helpful," she said carefully. "They lived in the Clans before passing and continue to watch over them, so they have much knowledge and wisdom to impart on us."

"Impart?" Stormkit asked.

"To give information, knowledge, to," Palestar explained.

"Can I meet them?" Stormkit asked, eyes bright and wide.

"Maybe one day," Palestar said. "But for now, as a kit, you should stay in the nursery at night and wander camp during the day. You never know when an owl will show up."

"What is an owl?" Stormkit asked. "Owlkit's named for them, but I don't know what they are."

"They're birds, large flying creatures, that hunt at night," the leader mewed, leaning down to pick up Stormkit by the scruff. "They like small creatures, like mice and voles, or kits, if they can get them." Foxkit gasped and darted to follow her, sticking close to her flank and glancing at the sky. Palestar set Stormkit down by the entrance to the nursery.

"Go on to your nests, now," she said. "And try to keep quiet."

They nodded, scampering into the den and settling into their nests. Since they were side by side, Stormkit went to the edge of her nest to peer into Foxkit's.

"Foxkit," she hissed. He shuffled to the edge of his nest, taking care not to nudge Sagekit or Flamefur.

"Yeah?" he whispered.

"What's beyond camp?" she asked, ears up.

"I don't know yet," he admitted. "We're not allowed out until we're apprentices. But when I find out, I'll tell you."

"Promise?" she asked.

"Promise."