CHAPTER 2

On this day, there was a gentle breeze passing through the ShadeClan camp. The sun was peaked in the sky, casting bright light upon the cats. Today was warmer than the last few, and the cats were relishing in it, basking on rocks in the clearing or sharing tongues with friends. A soft murmur could be heard from the camp, and Pinestar was seated beside the Shade Pool, observing his Clanmates with a small smile on his face, his icy blue eyes glittering warmly. Tawnyfur was crouched beside him, her paws tucked under her chest. Deputy and leader were conversing in their own quiet tones; a friendly conversation. The general mood was good, and every member, from elder to kit, could enjoy the feelings while they lasted.

A scampering kitten was seen, his dark gray tabby tail waving after him, his yellow eyes focused on his hiding spot: Behind the bracken fronds of the warriors' den. He hid beneath the shadows, using them to his advantage, and narrowed his eyes to slits so their glimmer wouldn't catch much attention. He stifled a giggle as he saw his sister's pale gray head emerge from the entrance of the nursery and tucked himself further behind the warriors' den, though he didn't have much room with the wall of the camp at his back, and lowered until his belly fur was brushing the ground. Dovekit, Pheasantkit, and Darkkit were playing hide-and-seek, Lightheart keeping a keen eye on them. They were excited to leave the nursery today due to the warmer temperatures, and she had permitted it.

Darkkit strained his ears for the sound of Dovekit's approaching paw-steps and was glad not to hear them. He was nervous, though; the meows of the warriors could be blocking that from him. He closed his eyes for a few moments, taking a deep breath through his nose so that it was quieter, and opened them again, peeking out to see what was going on now. He caught sight of Dovekit and Pheasantkit and understood that she had found his brother and they were now searching together. The big red and brown tom seemed unaffected by his being found first, as Pheasantkit was typically passive and quiet. Darkkit saw his pale blue eyes starting to turn in his direction and ducked back behind the warriors' den quickly, praying he hadn't been spotted.

The tabby blinked as he felt his tail-tip twitch uncomfortably and scowled, realizing that an itch had appeared at the base of his tail. He clenched his jaw, hoping that he wouldn't be caught due to the noisiness of his tail brushing against the wall of the warriors' den and camp. Darkkit stared at a leaf of bracken, trying to make himself study it to keep his attention away, but the effort wasn't doing much for him. He nearly squeaked when a growl sounded to his right, "What are you doing back here, runt?" Darkkit looked up to see who it was: Applepaw, of course! He bared his teeth and stifled a hiss of frustration. With this huge black and brown cat standing by him, there was no way he was not going to get caught!

Sure enough, Dovekit's head appeared and she proclaimed, "Found you!" her tail lifting and a playful grin on her face. Pheasantkit appeared after her, giving Darkkit a sympathetic look.

Darkkit cast a glare at Applepaw, snapping, "Could you not give away my position next time, mouse-brain?" Applepaw stiffened, his nose wrinkling as his lips curled, barely keeping back a snarl, and Darkkit felt satisfaction course through him. Can't snarl at me when Dovekit is here, can you? he thought to himself and smirked at the apprentice.

As Applepaw opened his jaws to speak, Pheasantkit suddenly rammed into Darkkit, who gave a squeak of surprise. Darkkit pawed at him as he fell to the ground, purring playfully, trying to push his bigger brother off of him, who was practically squishing him. Applepaw took a few paces back when the scuffle began, and when Darkkit pushed Pheasantkit off, he found that Applepaw was looking away as if he was about to leave. Clever thinking, Pheasantkit, Darkkit thought to himself as he pulled himself to his paws, giving Pheasantkit an admiring look as his brother trotted toward Dovekit.

"Come on, Dovekit," Pheasantkit meowed, flicking his tail to his siblings for them to follow him. He nudged Dovekit gently out of the way so that he could move through the narrow gap between warriors' den and apprentices' den, not wanting to encounter any lazy warriors sleeping in the shade. Dovekit padded after him, and Darkkit was not far behind, smiling now. Applepaw had moved away from them by now and was disappearing into the apprentices' den. Darkkit glanced after him and caught sight of another black pelt. Applepaw was probably going in there to complain to his sister, Wingpaw. Darkkit's whiskers quivered in annoyance and he returned his eyes to his siblings, trying to turn his attention away from them.

Dovekit's green eyes were sparking with thought. "What should we do now?" she asked her brothers, turning her head to gaze at them, and the three paused nearby Dustfur and Olivetail, who were sharing tongues. They exchanged glances between one another, uncertain, and then, after a brief moment of thinking, Darkkit glanced toward the thorn tunnel that led out of the camp. He knew what he wanted to do, but he doubted his siblings would be okay with it, seeing as it was against the warrior code.

Fortunately, Pheasantkit had a better idea, and he suggested promptly, "Why don't we ask Father if he will tell us a story?" He looked toward Ratstorm, who was laying on a basking rock, his head rested on his paws and his tail tucked neatly to his side.

"Sure!" Dovekit accepted it and bounded toward Ratstorm, filled with new energy with an agenda. Pheasantkit and Darkkit followed after her more slowly, sharing amused looks. When they were, all three of them, at Ratstorm's side, Dovekit immediately requested, "Daddy, can you tell us a story?"

Ratstorm's normally sharp eyes turned soft and warm, and he nuzzled his daughter, purring, "Of course, Dovekit." He pulled his head away and sat up, his gaze switching to his sons, his expression changing. Darkkit was startled to find that the yellow eyes were not so kind, and he resisted the urge to flatten his ears. "Robinpaw wants you two."

Darkkit exchanged yet another look with Pheasantkit before replying, "Okay. I didn't really want to sit around, anyway." He twitched his tail, uncomfortable underneath that sharp stare, and walked toward the light brown tabby tom, who was standing by the nursery with fresh moss in his jaws. Lightheart was watching him just outside of it, having seen her kittens by Ratstorm, and sternly telling him that he was doing something wrong.

Darkkit was about to question what it was that Robinpaw wanted them for, but the apprentice replied, "Sorry, Darkkit, Pheasantkit, but I'm cleaning out the nursery for you. It'll have to wait." He cast the kittens a sympathetic look. "Maybe you two can visit Blackfeather and see if he wants any help." He turned his attention back to Lightheart, calmly protesting her accusations, while Darkkit and Pheasantkit strode away.

Darkkit fluffed up his fur as the breeze increased in intensity for a few moments, then relaxed as it petered out. Pheasantkit's tail was low, and he looked upset by something, his face creased. Darkkit felt a flutter of concern for his brother and nudged him gently. "Don't worry, Pheasantkit. We can do better than listen to a boring story, or visit Blackfeather and help him with smelly herbs!" He glanced around for a moment and waved his tail. Pheasantkit's face hadn't changed much, and Darkkit hoped that he could help with that. "Follow me." He led his brother toward the wall of the camp, hiding by the nursery. "Dovekit's not around," he whispered to him. "I think we can sneak out of camp, now."

Pheasantkit quickly frowned, not seeming to like the idea. "That's against the warrior code, Darkkit. You know that," he responded, shaking his head slowly. "Mom and Dad would be very angry if we did that." He glanced toward Ratstorm. "It seems we've already made Dad upset enough."

Darkkit snorted, "We're plenty old enough, now, Pheasantkit. We can show everyone that we can take care of ourselves!" He then smiled as his brother heaved a sigh and agreed with him, probably knowing that Darkkit wouldn't stop pestering him until he got his way. Darkkit purred in satisfaction and led his brother confidently through the shadows, soon escaping out of the camp. The two pushed their way through the dirtplace ferns and came into a clearing between pine trees. Darkkit stifled a gasp of excitement when he saw how huge the forest was. He could hardly contain himself, and his legs trembled as he led Pheasantkit through it eagerly.

The two young kittens cut their way through ferns, and the two could only stare in awe at all of the scenery. The sound of the branches rustling overhead was serene, and the ground was soft with pine needles and lush grasses. They came across a swamp and avoided it, finding the ground was soggy and wet, and kept on moving. There was the sound of birds twittering and mice scuffling, and the scents were amazing to their untrained noses. "Where should we go?" Pheasantkit asked him quietly, sounding flabbergasted by all that met his senses.

For a moment, Darkkit wasn't sure how to respond. He paused for a moment, blinking, before finally remembering a story of MistClan that Lightheart had once told them about. "Let's head toward the MistClan border," he meowed, making his way through the bushes to reach it. He couldn't hardly remember the story, but he hoped that he would see what she had been talking about when she described their territory. The smell of water hit Darkkit's nose, and the air was growing foggier, humidity increasing and causing their fur to feel as though moisture was clamping upon it. A dull roar of lapping water reminded Darkkit of a stream, as he had heard one before, behind the camp, but it was too loud to be one. A river, he thought to himself when they broke their way out and saw the fast-moving waters. He bent down, licking it out of curiosity, and Pheasantkit followed his lead.

"I can't believe we didn't do this before," Darkkit purred to him, then remembered that they were at a border. He quickly swiveled his head around to look into MistClan territory at just the right time: a patrol's hazy figures were appearing, now. Darkkit snatched Pheasantkit and pulled him a little, and they scampered into a thorn bush. Pheasantkit gave a soft hiss of pain, struggling to stifle it, and Darkkit turned to him quickly, worried. Pheasantkit lifted a paw and Darkkit spotted a thorn upon it, which Pheasantkit began to lick, his sapphire-blue eyes wincing. The dark gray tabby attempted to help his brother pull it out, but Pheasantkit nudged him away, picking it out after a few more licks. Darkkit gave a contained purr, feeling a glow of admiration for his brother's ability to care for his own thorn.

The sound of voices met their ears: A MistClan she-cat was speaking, "Troutwater, calm down. We're going to get water for Snowsong." She paused for a moment. "I'm certain we have the time to fish for her a little, too." Darkkit and Pheasantkit peered out at them and saw that she was a mottled brown, and her green eyes were turned on the river. A gray tom stood at her side, and his blue eyes turned to her.

"I just don't want Snowsong to die like Smokesplash," Troutwater sighed, his tail swishing back and forth and his eyes filled with anxiety. "He died before the kits were even born. If they lose their mother, too…"

The she-cat twitched her whiskers, looking back up at him for a moment. She nudged him comfortingly on the shoulder before looking over hers. "Addertooth! Thrushblaze! Are you two coming, or what?" she called, exasperation laced in her voice. A brown tabby she-cat and a black and white tom appeared, both carrying moss in their jaws. They dipped their heads and dropped the moss on the ground so that they could speak.

The tom meowed defensively, "Thrushblaze and I were just talking about Snowsong, okay?" He exchanged an irritated glance with Thrushblaze, who looked just as annoyed.

"It's alright, Addertooth, Thrushblaze. We're all worried about Snowsong," Troutwater reassured them, glancing at the two. "Brindlepelt feels the same. She just wants us to hurry on back." Each cat began to grab a piece of moss to soak it in the river water when he finished speaking. The tension in their voices stayed in Darkkit's mind as they did so, but his thoughts evaporated when Troutwater's head jerked up sharply and he dropped the moss. "Smell that?" he hissed under his breath to the others.

Brindlepelt lashed her mottled tail, and each cat dropped their moss on the ground. "ShadeClan!" she growled, baring her teeth in a snarl. The MistClan patrol bristled, each glaring into the forest before them. Darkkit's heart sounded in his ears and his breathing quickened. Could they have scented the kittens? Darkkit looked at Pheasantkit frantically, hoping his brother had an idea of what they should do, but the big red and brown tabby tom looked just as frightened as he did.

Addertooth's words didn't help with their fear: "If any ShadeClan patrol dares set foot in our territory, I'll flay them alive!" The MistClan warriors hissed their agreements, looking as if they meant it. Pheasantkit pressed close to Darkkit for a few moments before they both scrabbled away from the thorn bush, eyes wide in terror.

Darkkit could hardly hear over his pounding heart as he raced blindly through the forest. Twigs snapped under his paws and pine needles lashed his face, but he didn't care. He was dimly aware that Pheasantkit was at his heels, his main focus on escaping the enemy. Those MistClan cats had been terrifying! Darkkit and Pheasantkit were both scared out of their wits, and the forest suddenly didn't seem so friendly. Dark clouds were gathering on the horizon and the trees loomed with shadows. Thorns, brambles, and burrs clung to their fur, which was standing on end.

Darkkit didn't even notice the shadowy-gray form of Poolshadow until he rammed into her. He gasped, falling to the ground, trying to regain his breathing, but his lungs didn't seem to be working right. He flailed, his eyes closing tight, and finally began to slow down when his breathing returned to normal and he realized it had only been his Clanmate. He sat up, beginning to feel relief, but when he looked up into Poolshadow's pale blue eyes, his ears tucked back and he felt full of guilt. She glared at the kittens angrily, her tail lashing back and forth. "Sneaking out of camp, huh?" she growled ferociously, and they shrank away, pressing against each other like they were one-moon-old kittens.

Darkkit hissed, trying to move away from Poolshadow when she bent down to grab him, but he couldn't run. She snatched his scruff in his jaws and managed to fetch Pheasantkit, too. He struggled for a few moments, but to no avail, and soon the two kittens went limp like they did in their mother's jaws. Poolshadow carried them back toward camp, or, as Darkkit and Pheasantkit saw it, their imminent doom. "I knew we shouldn't have sneaked out," Darkkit's normally passive brother growled under his breath, and Darkkit winced, realizing that it had been his idea all along, after all, and therefore all his fault. Poolshadow came to the thorn tunnel and hurried on inside.

"My kits! Oh, my kits!" Lightheart cried, bounding toward them, her eyes stretched wide. She skidded to a halt beside them and Poolshadow set the two down before her. Darkkit lowered his head, ears drooping with shame, and stared at the ground. All of the Clan was watching, and Darkkit wanted to disappear so that he wouldn't have to worry about their staring eyes. Lightheart was sniffing at them, and her eyes narrowed with anger, preparing to scold them, but Pinestar appeared, and he looked eager enough to beat her to it.

"Darkkit! Pheasantkit!" Pinestar hissed, his eyes glaring down on them like two blazing suns. Darkkit whimpered softly upon seeing his role model so angry and he shrank beside Pheasantkit, pressing against him. Pinestar sniffed them and growled, "Decided to go for a swim, did you?" Pinestar's snarls were like scalding water to Darkkit, and he wanted to escape to the cool dark of the nursery, as it had grown all too hot, sitting in that spot. "I have enough to deal with to appease the Clan than to have kittens breaking the warrior code like this!" His tail lashed back and forth, his neck fur standing. His voice was condescending as he added, "Why don't you wait until you're apprentices before you go out into the forest like that, hm?"

Lightheart stepped in front of him, and Darkkit felt relief surge through him. He was glad to no longer see those blazing blue eyes. "Thank you, Pinestar. I will punish them appropriately," she promised, her tail sweeping Darkkit and Pheasantkit after her toward the nursery. Darkkit kept pressed against his brother's side, frightened of what that punishment would be. When they arrived inside of the nursery, he could tell it wouldn't be good by the air of it all. "You have embarrassed me!" Lightheart snapped at them. "How dare you run off like that? You two are staying in the nursery for a week! Do you know how worried the Clan was? Applepaw demanded that he be able to scour the territory for you!" There it was again. Applepaw's "saint-like" actions.

Darkkit stifled a huff of anger and waited until she turned to tend to Dovekit before walking toward the far side of the nursery, sitting down with his back turned to the others. He stared at the wall, his yellow eyes narrow. Applepaw? Worried? He doubted that. He was absolutely certain Applepaw had never been worried. Pheasantkit's voice broke into his smoldering, "Mom? What's Dovekit doing?" He sounded frightened, and Darkkit turned his head, ears lifting to listen.

Lightheart was laying in her nest, Dovekit standing beside her. Her head was turned to the side, away from Pheasantkit, and she wasn't letting him settle down beside her. "Go and sleep with Darkkit over there," she rejected him, sounding disgusted to even be speaking with him.

Pheasantkit's mouth opened in shock and he looked up at Lightheart, hoping for a sharp remark at Dovekit, but the pale gray cat said nothing in his defense. Instead, she snapped, "Listen to your sister, Pheasantkit. You two can sleep in the nest I made for you." Pheasantkit's ears flattened back and he turned away, walking over to his brother and sitting down beside him. Understanding his brother's feelings of hurt, Darkkit touched his nose to his shoulder, hoping to comfort him, but Pheasantkit seemed none the better for it.

They curled up together on the nest shortly after, and Darkkit felt somewhat comforted by Pheasantkit's soft pelt pressed against his. "At least we didn't get punished too badly, huh?" he attempted to cheer up the big red and brown kitten, who was staring at the dark wall. When he got no response, he paused for a moment, then added, "Don't worry, Pheasantkit. We'll be happy. We'll always have each other, even if the whole Clan is turned against us." Pheasantkit didn't speak but gave a tiny nod, accepting this statement, and Darkkit closed his eyes. He tried to shut out all that was going on, but it didn't work well. Both kittens were awake late into the night before sleep finally came.