A/N Hi people! This chapter isn't that exciting, but I want to introduce the main characters. It might be a little rushed, but this takes place a little after the proludge. Special thanks to all my reviewers! (I'll start answering reviews later on)

Also, about Forbidden Cinders... I'm really sorry about this, but expect updates to be a lot slower. It's not on hiatus, just slow movement for a few personal reasons I have to sort out first. Hopefully by the time I'm a little less then halfway thru this I'll have speedier updates. However, I'll be changing aspects to making this my main story, with normal updating time.

And before I forget, if you read the proludge when I first submitted it, Barrelkit was a tom. Now he's a she-cat, and no longer gender confused. Sorry for the confusion!

Please R&R.

Chapter 1

"An Idea"

I shouldn't be looking at her, but it's like I can't tear my eyes away from her. Her brown, lithe body is nothing compared to the crispness of her frosty-silver blue eyes. But I know I can't have her, and I know that she loves Root. I can still dream that Fade was mine though; Barrelkit can't distract me from that.

Barrelkit's my best friend, and she's one of the three cats that actually believe in StarClan. She's got a crooked smile and a long black tail that's always twitching back and forth. She's hyper too- something that repeatedly drives me mad. Sometimes she's the most annoying cat in the world, but her brother Saltkit doesn't actually enjoy her company, so I'm stuck with her. We're close, and at this moment she's jumping up and down, trying to distract me from my fantasies.

"Do you need any herbs?" Barrelkit asks excitedly, bouncing around until she trips over her paws. However, she gets right up again and pounces on my tail. I roll my eyes and turn away.

"Fablerose is out collecting watermint and Callingwhisper is collecting juniper. They left me here to sort the medicine and you're messing up the piles!" I say snappishly. Barrelkit's face falls, but she's happy again when a push her over. She grasps my paw and sinks her claws good-naturedly into my paw. She wants me to play-fight with her while Saltkit is being obnoxious, but I know that I can't while Tornclaw is in sight. He doesn't even know that Barrelkit isn't atheist, which he happens to be; he'd rip my fur out if he knew that we were as close as we were.

I smile at Barrelkit and put my tail on her head. She releases my paw and finally sits down, half calm and struggling to be only half hyper. Then she lies down and pokes half heartedly at a stray juniper berry. She presses to hard though, and the plump berry spurts juice into her eye. She squeaks, and I laugh and dab at her eye with a bit of moss I have lying around. She blinks gratefully and her tail begins flinching.

"Why doesn't anyone but us believe in StarClan?" Barrelkit asks innocently. I can't remember if she's asked me this before, so I shrug and stand up.

"I really don't know anymore. I want them to believe. I want StarClan to come and prove to them that they're real. But StarClan's what got me this awful name; maybe they're the only ones that can redeem me." Barrelkit looks at me like I just grew an extra tail.

"Go find them!" she tells me. I choke on my spit, and I stare at her with the same incredulous look

"I'm not going to find them. If they're real they'll come to me!"

"Don't say that!" Barrelkit snaps, twitching her tail irritably. "Lightningflower knows they're real. What if they want you to go and find them? It'll be an adventure! I'll go with you-"

"Wait a second," I say. "Who said anything about an adventure?"

"Me!" she exclaims overconfidently. "I'll finally show Saltkit that I'm worth something. Lightningflower could go with us!"

"You're still a kit. If I was to go somewhere, which I'm not, you couldn't come with me. Wildflower wouldn't let you."

"I don't care what Wildflower thinks," Barrelkit snuffs.

"Well I do. I like my face the way it is. End of discussion, ok?"

"But-"

"No." Barrelkit, for the first time that I've been her friend, looks absolutely crestfallen. I feel bad for her, I really do, but I can't jeopardize her health.

And then I realize that for a second there, I actually considered going to find StarClan. I shake my head though, because I know that's impossible. It's a crazy kit fantasy; I can't abandon my Clan like that.

Stop thinking about it, I finally command myself, and look to see that Fade has disappeared into the Sleeping Den. I'm a little mad that Barrelkit has made me miss watching Fade for just a little while longer, but I know that in my heart Fade and I can't be together. She'll never become a medicine cat for me, and she never looks at me. Sometimes I think that it's because of my name, but I know that I'm denying the truth that it's my religious beliefs. I want to find the right cat for me.

And then I realize that that may never happen if I don't take the journey. I shake the lingering thought from my head and look up to see Barrelkit teeter off to Lightningflower's den.

That kit will be the death of me, I scoff to myself. With a final sigh, I set my mind to concentrating on my medicine cat duties. Maybe I wouldn't mind being away from-

No. Not now. And then I smash my head against the ground just once, just to clear my head. I decide it's not worth it, and finally set the medical leaves out to dry. Maybe later I can think about it. Maybe just maybe I can get a new name...

But that's being a mousebrain. I can't leave, I can't leave, I can't leave...

I can't leave without a reason. If StarClan show themselves to me, that's reason enough. I can be Cherryfang.

I beg StarClan to come tonight.

Tonight, or never.

Not much, I know... I'm sorry. I'll get the next chapter up soon! Review and you get an... umm... a Barrelkit plushie!