Starkit had bounded over to the fresh kill pile to get something good out of the pile. He knew that just about every kit in the nursery would come sprinting to get the juiciest piece of fresh kill. Particularly, Eclipsekit didn't seem as hungry as she usually was. Starkit noticed that she walked over and clawed at one of the smaller pieces and started to chew it slowly. After seeing this distracted way she ate, Starkit knew something was wrong. Something was on her mind, and he was determined to find out what it was.

Starkit walked by her. Eclipsekit was eating a scrawny vole and she was only taking a few bites every dozen or so heartbeats. Now Starkit was really concerned. On a normal day she would eat her fresh kill in a couple swift bites and then go and play with Tawnykit and himself. Starkit shivered when he felt the warm embrace of the blazing sun ripple down his spine.

"Are you feeling alright?" he questioned, his lake-blue eyes filled with deep concern for his sister.

"Y-yeah. I'm alright" Eclipsekit meowed back, apparently the small cat was recovering from a shock that she had earlier encountered. Did she hear a fox at night? Starkit wasn't sure. "Are you positive? Because you don't seem to be as lively as you normally are." mewed Starkit. "Maybe you should see Mossfur. She has some herbs if you have a headache." Eclipsekit showed a pang of sadness in her eyes when she looked at him. "I'm fine. I just had a rough night," she hissed.

Starkit mewed "Oh, what happened? You seem shook."

"I don't want to talk about it," Eclipsekit mewed under her breath, so faint that Starkit almost didn't hear her mew at all. If Eclipsekit was hesitant to explain her reason behind.

Tawnykit and Frostkit completely froze on the crow they were brawling over and stood there looking at Eclipsekit, her eyes full of burning, everlasting fury. Starkit sniffed in dismay of his failure to get Eclipsekit to confess her problems."You are never like this!" Starkit desperately meowed. He stood there for a moment wondering what was wrong with his sister. They were so close, and now they were quarrelling.

"Who died and made you Clan leader!"

Eclipsekit's words felt like a warrior ripped out his heart and clawed it up like a moss ball.

"Fine, but if anything is bothering you and if StarClan manages to convince you to tell someone about your problems," Starkit hissed, he paused for a heartbeat, flattening his ears. "You have me." Then he picked up his squirrel and padded next to Tawnykit, Frostkit, and Runningkit.

"Hey, Starstar," Runningkit snickered, "Glad you joined us."

Frostkit giggled and Tawnykit burst out laughing.

"Let's hope nobody makes you deputy!" jeered Tawnykit.

"Or leader, for that matter!" added Frostkit.

The three kits fell to the ground laughing. Runningkit was choking on his own laughter. Starkit eyes glittered with annoyance as he cuffed Runningkit and over the ear.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Meeting Branch for a clan meeting," Starkit turned his head to see Dovefeather, and Starkit gathered his littermates to hide away so they could hear what was to be said.

From up on her spot on Highbranch Dovefeather said "Calm down everyone calm down. I have some news to announce" she cleared her throat "Sootstar has lost his last life and joined the ranks of StarClan."

"Why? He was such a great leader! He would have led ShadowClan to become the most highly respected Clan in the forest!" a cat shouted out from the crowd. It was Rabbitclaw, a light brown tabby cat. His desperate wails of grief for their leader lead to a whole chorus of cries and shouts.

"Quiet down!" Roseleaf yowled above the noise of the crowd "Let Dovefeather speak you mouse brained furballs! Now is not the time to be grieving for Sootstar! This is a meeting!" Eventually the noise subsided and Dovefeather could talk again.

"Thank you, Honeyflower," she said "Well, as I was saying Sootstar was killed by a collapsed bader set while on sunhigh patrol. We will hold vigil for him t-"

Cries and outbursts from the crowd started up and this time, they would not be quieted. Amidst all the chaos, Starkit and his littermates flattened their ears and crawled back to the nursery to dodge the chaos where they found Sparrowkit and Runningkit eagerly awaiting their return to drown them in their questions. Starkit, Tawnykit, and Eclipsekit filled them in, while Frostkit and Moonkit went to sleep. As Starkit padded to the nest with his other littermates, he thought about what would happen to the Clan now that Sootstar was dead.

Starkit opened his jaw as wide as it would go to lazily yawn when he woke up from his night's sleep. He took caution of his littermates sleeping around him and carefully stepped over them. Starkit padded outside to get a few breaths of some fresh air, the smell of ShadowClan flooded in his nose. Other Clans, mainly ThunderClan offended ShadowClan saying their scent is like a piece of fox dung, and Starkit cringed his nose in scorn when he witnessed something.

Dovefeather, the new clan leader, was in a dark corner of the camp talking in secret with none other than Scarface. Starkit felt sorry for Runningkit and Sparrowkit because Scarface was their father and everyone knew he was a lying piece of fox dung. Runningkit and Sparrowkit would have to try to get out from under his shadow their entire lives. Starkit ran back inside the nursery in fear that if they saw him that they'd think he was spying on them, and the last thing he wanted was Scarface thinking he had overheard something secret.

When he got inside he saw Lightningpaw whispering something to Mossfur as they passed by as he heard after hearing what Lightningpaw had told her started to run over to Dovefeather and Scarface. Starkit was worried at this but then remembered he must not be seen, so he darted back into the nursery.

Starkit had barely closed his eyes when he heard Darkfern yowl, "My kits! They are coming!"

Mossfur immediately rushed into the nursery with most of her herbs in hand. Darkfern was screaming in agony as spasms came and went.

"Relax, don't waste your energy on the spasms," Mossfur told Darkfern.

All of ShadowClan was up and outside of the nursery. Honeyflower shooed Starkit and his littermates out of the nursery.

It seemed like a moon before anyone spoke. Mossfur poke her head out and asked Toadleap to step inside. Soon after Starkit padded into the nursery to see Darkfern and Toadleap gazing warmly at their new kits. One was a gray tabby she-kit with dark brown flecks and the other was a beautiful long-furred brown she-kit with a complicated pattern of black stripes and spots along her coat.

"We'll call this one Tulipkit," Darkfern gestured to the gray tabby she-kit, then to the long-furred brown tabby. "And this one Applekit."

Starkit decided that he liked Applekit. The gray queen noticed that Starkit was watching. Starkit, suddenly feeling self-conscious, said, "They're beautiful, Darkfern, especially Applekit." She smiled and gazed at her mate in satisfaction.

"How about you, Toadleap? Do you like your new kits?"

"Why shouldn't I? They are the most beautiful kits in ShadowClan. You did well, my love. Thank you."