Featherkit squealed with excitement and rolled around in the snow. Two of his den-mates had just received their apprentice names and he was next in line. He trotted towards the newly formed apprentices and their mentors. "Splashpaw! Mistpaw! Will you save room for me when I become an apprentice?" he asked eagerly.
"Of course we will." Splashpaw purred to him, ruffling the fur on his head with her paw.
"Don't leave me behind" he meowed sadly as he scampered back towards the nursery. Raincloud sat looking at him in observation.
"You look so skinny little one, almost like a WindClan cat." She meowed worriedly.
"Father says I need to look more like a RiverClan cat if I want to fit in. He always says mother wouldn't want me to look like the WindClan cats. Father also says that mother died the night I was born. That she died right after she gave birth to me and my litter-mates"
Raincloud nodded sadly. "We thought all the kits had died. Sunflower would've been pleased to see her kit is alive and looking like his father." She purred softly.
Featherkit sniffed the air and ran out of the nursery. "WindClan!" he hissed furiously.
An elder lifted her head and sniffed the air lazily. "You've got a strong nose little Feather" Berrytail purred. Suddenly Sparrowflight was in front of him and shoved him back towards the nursery.
"Go back to Raincloud now. I don't want you to see this" he growled giving Featherkit another shove. Featherkit stumbled into the nursery and sat at the entrance, only letting his pale blue eyes sparkle in the shadows.
He noticed a silver she-cat that matched his small body structure and had his eyes and tilted his head in curiosity.
"What do you want Stormheart?" A tom meowed as he appeared in the clearing
"Greetings Oakstar," The smoky grey tom meowed, dipping his head in respect. "I believe RiverClan has something of ours. We want it back" Stormheart growled.
Oakstar took a step back, startled at the accusation "I have no idea what you're talking about." He meowed, confusion glinting in his eyes.
The pretty silver she-cat stepped up, dipping her head. "About six moons ago I left my only kit in the care of his father, I want him back. I want him to know how running across the moor sets you free" she meowed softly.
"Thank you for the information Silverpool. But the only kit we have now is the son of Sparrowflight and Sunflower." He meowed confidently. Anger sparked through her pale blue eyes as she glared at Sparrowflight and backed away. "I will discuss it with my clan however. And we will find out next gathering whether to give up the kit or not." Oakstar meowed evenly.
"No! We can't give up my son like that!" Sparrowflight snarled at their leader. Oakstar silenced his father with a lash of his tail.
"For now Sparrowflight and Duskstorm will escort you to your territory" Oakstar ordered. Sparrowflight begrudgingly fell into step beside Silverpool as the two RiverClan warriors led the small WindClan patrol out of their camp.
"Raincloud," Featherkit meowed quietly, turning to the blue furred queen. "Were they talking about me?" he mewled. Raincloud sighed and layed in her nest,
"I don't know little one." She mewed in confusion, breathing softly. Featherkit watched as her swollen belly rose and fell. He curled up beside her, appreciating her thick fur.
A big paw prodded his side and Featherkit groaned in protest. And rolled over. The paw prodded him again. Poking his claws at his skin. Featherkit growled and sat up, ready to swat away the cat that was bothering him.
The kit opened his eyes and saw his father looming over him. "Sparrowflight? He murmured sleepily.
"Come, I'm taking you to your mother." He meowed flatly, walking out of the nursery. Dread snaked through Featherkit's body as he scampered out of the nursery.
He ran into his father and muttered sadly. "I thought mother was dead" Sparrowflight looked at him and shook his head, droplets of tinted water splashing on his nose.
"Your mother resides in WindClan. Her name is Silverpool. She came for you today and I've decided it's best you be with her instead of me." He meowed briskly. Featherkit followed his father as he padded towards the entrance.
"So I'm half-clan trash?" Featherkit wailed. Sparrowflight said nothing and continued to pad through the forest. He sniffed into the air and looked at the back of his father's head. "We're heading towards the gorge. WindClan isn't this way" Featherkit pointed out.
"I know that" Sparrowflight snarled as he stopped at the gorge's edge. He spun around and clawed at his son. Featherkit squealed in terror in pain and tried to run away, but his father's hooked claws sunk into his fragile flesh and tossed him over the edge.
Featherkit's head hit a sharp stone as he landed on a furry body. He looked as much as he could and saw the body of Silverpool. "I will not let you get in my way of being leader" he heard Sparrowflight growl. Then he heard his father wail in fake terror as he howled his name into the sky.
"Great StarClan my son has fallen into the gorge!" he cried in sorrow. His words began to fade out as Featherkit's vision grew blurry.
"Curse you… Sparrow... flight" Featherkit choked out before taking his last breath.
Featherkit opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. "Where am I?" he wailed loudly, cowering in fear. A starry, silver-furred she-cat appeared in front of him and purred softly.
"My son we both have been wrongfully killed and StarClan welcomes us warmly." She meowed, running her tail along his spine.
Featherkit looked up to the she-cat "Silverpool?" he asked out of curiosity and Silverpool nodded.
"I'm sorry we never bonded when we were alive, but I will change that here in StarClan." She promised as she nuzzled him.
"Mother… Can we go home?" Featherkit asked sleepily, leaning into his mother's soft fur. He felt her purr rumble through her body as she led the way to StarClan.