Chapter 1: Talk of Kin on a Rainy Night

Tigerkit woke up to the sound of rain pounding on the ground outside of the Nursery. Every other cat was asleep in the ThunderClan camp, except for Whitestorm, who was just made a warrior, the big white tom was keeping vigil while the others got a good night rest.

The little tom-kit looked up at his mother, Lighttail was a big tabby, and however strong she was, right now she was sleeping like an angle.

He crept over her tail and found himself face-to-face with his sleeping brother Runningkit. He smiled and then trotted out of the nursery.

The rain had softened up to a lighter rain and Tigerkit knew that in the morning, there would be more then enough dew on the leaves.

Tigerkit sat down under the overhanging so he wouldn't get wet, and so Whitestorm wouldn't catch him. The kit smiled as he saw Whitestorm's white pelt,

I know I'm going to be a apprentice soon, I just can't wait!

The little tabby tom finally yawned a yawn so loud that Whitestorm tilted his head and then spotted him,

"What are you doing?" He came closer to the kit and recognized him,

"Tigerkit, what are you doing?"

Tigerkit put on a small snarl,

"It's none of your business what I'm up to Whitestorm."

The warrior stood back a step,

"Excuse me Tigerkit, but I believe I am a warrior and you are a kit, that is no way for a kit to act to a warrior like me!"

Tigerkit leapt up,

"Just a kit? I'm almost an apprentice! I'm expecting to become an apprentice tomorrow!"

Whitestorm just shook his head,

"Why don't you go back in to the Nursery now?"

Tigerkit didn't want to be messed with, but the cat he was fighting with wasn't another kit, he was a warrior, his mentor had been Boldstar, the ThunderClan leader.

As much as he didn't want to, Tigerkit sulked back into the Nursery thinking, I'll have to tell Boldstar what his perfect little apprentice is like! As he curled up next to his mother and brother, he thought a horrible thought, what if Whitestorm became my mentor! He dug his unnaturally long claws into the soil with a mew of frustration.

Lighttail woke up to her kit's mew,

"What is it Tigerkit? Why aren't you sleeping?"

Tigerkit was startled and he looked into his mother's green eyes,

"Uh, I was," he thought quickly and formed a lie,

"Was awoken by the heavy rain." Then he paused,

"Mother? Who was my father?"

Lighttail swung her head round to meet her son's amber eyes,

"Your father?" She hesitated then smiled,

"Well, his name is-was, um Wingtail. He was, is a strong warrior with great long legs and a wonderful brown with black stripes pelt with amber eyes!"

Tigerkit turned his head in a confused way,

"Mother? Why do you keep switching between is and was?"

Runningkit crawled over some moss as his kin kept chattering.

Lighttail smiled and twitched her long tabby tail,

"Well, because we aren't sure whether he died or he is still living."

"Oh. Mom-"

His mother cut him off,

"Now shush Tigerkit, we should all be getting some rest. Let's go to sleep."

Tigerkit mumbled an 'OK' and curled up again, twitching his tabby tail anxiously through the moss.

Runningkit looked through the Nursery's entrance and looked into the stormy night, he yawned and closed his green eyes.