Chapter 1

Stormkit yawned drowsily. She had been up since moonhigh because her tiny brother, Volekit, had been stolen! She sighed. Now she had no one to play with. She started to name off names of the kits in her head. Riverkit and Rainkit were too young; Dewkit was too old, (His apprentice ceremony was tomorrow, and he acted like he was too old to play with foolish kits.) And Lakekit, Shellkit, and Wavekit were no fun to play with. She rested her head on her paws. How boring RiverClan seemed now…

"Hi Stormkit. Wow, you sure look bored!"

Stormkit's ears pricked up. She had forgotten all about Flarepaw!

Flarepaw was discovered outside of the camp the night she was born as a tiny kit a moon old. Most RiverClan cats believed he was kin of the great Firestar, because of his flame colored pelt, but Flarepaw had just shook his head, saying that his father dumped him. They asked him who his mother was, but he said he didn't have a mother. The two had become close friends. His apprentice ceremony had been this morning, but Stormkit had dozed through the whole thing.

"So," he meowed, "What's new?"

"Oh, nothing much." Stormkit meowed sarcastically. "My brother got stolen and I have no one to play with, but other then that, life is great!"

"I'm sorry about Volekit." Flarepaw meowed.

Stormkit sighed. "Well, one good thing about this is that I'm going to be an apprentice and probably a warrior before him!"

Flarepaw laughed. "I've got to go now. Battle training!"

Stormkit watched him disappear through the reeds. Flarepaw was lucky, first day as an apprentice and he was learning how to fight! But she couldn't…She sighed. RiverClan was boring again…

A long way from the RiverClan camp, Volekit bounced against Darkshade's legs as his capturer carried him toward the ShadowClan camp. He squealed as a particularly large thorn scratched him.

"Be quiet Volekit." Darkshade mumbled, trying to sound as mean and ferocious as he could. "Or else I'll leave you here for the rats!"

Volekit quieted down as Darkshade began to pick up speed. Suddenly he burst into what seemed like the ShadowClan camp.

"Darkshade!" A smoke colored she-cat bounded up to her. "What's that?"

Darkshade cuffed her around her ears. "What does it look like furball? It's a kit!"

A crowd began to form around Darkshade, until a cream colored she-cat shoved her way through the crowd.

"Be quiet!" She yowled. "Let Darkshade be heard!"

Darkshade dipped his head. "Thank you Fogstar." He turned his attention to the crowd. "Found the little guy by the Greenleaf Twolegplace."

Fogstar nodded. "Ashpaw, take him to the nursery."

The smoke colored she-cat nodded, picking him up and carrying him toward a bush by the edge of the camp. As Volekit dangled from Ashpaw's jaws, he heard Fogstar meow; "You seem to find lots of kits lately. Good job."

Ashpaw plopped Volekit by the bush and shoved him under. "Be good and stay here." She hissed.

Volekit realized that he could recognize a watery scent, probably RiverClan, and a leafy scent, most likely ThunderClan. But why were these scents in a ShadowClan nursery? Many small shapes, most likely kits, began to move towards him. Volekit stiffened, but they were all around him. One kit barged through the circle surrounding Volekit.

"My name is Eaglekit, and I'm from WindClan." She announced. "Who are you, and where are you from?"

"I'm Volekit, and I'm from RiverClan." He stuttered.

Murmurs were passed around. "The first RiverClan…"

"Why are you here?" Volekit squeaked. "How many of you are there?"

Eaglekit counted out how may kits were here. Five from WindClan, six from ThunderClan, but he was the only kit from RiverClan.

"How did you get here?" Volekit questioned.

"It's that horrible cat!" Eaglekit snarled. "He pretended to be my dad, but then he snatched me up and brought me here!"

The other kits murmured their agreement.

"We have to get out of here!" Volekit mewed fretfully. "My mom is going to be so worried!"

Eaglekit shook her head sadly. "You don't know how many times I've tried that. They guard this place constantly."

Volekit put his head on his paws. "My sister…"

"Will probably be joining us soon." Leafkit, a ThunderClan kit, interrupted.

Volekit looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"I've got it figured out." He meowed. "That cat targets one Clan, then moves to another. Most of your friends will be joining us soon."