The forest was filled with sights, sounds and smells that Dragonkit had never even dreamed of. The world outside of the nursery looked even bigger when he was outside of the camp. The tiny black tom looked around at the huge trees in awe, his large ears flicking back and fourth at every little sound, his nostrils flaring and working overtime to take in all of the strange scents. He began to walk forward, his unsteady paws trembling with excitement at the feeling of the earth and moss beneath him. It hadn't been easy sneaking away from Foxtongue, but he had done it! And he was so glad that he had.

Foxtongue had told him that he was never going to be allowed to be an apprentice. That thought terrified him. Never to leave the camp or nursery? He didn't want to sleep in there until he was an elder! He wanted to explore the forest and enjoy it's wild purity, like the warriors of his clan he yearned to be like.

He had never been liked in the clan. From his earliest memories he could recollect, he was always looked at with cold or uncaring eyes by the other warriors. For reasons he didn't understand, they didn't like him. Of course, this upset the kit. He wanted to be respected, even at his young age. He wanted to grow into a warrior everyone in the clan would admire. He wanted to be an apprentice they admired...but, according to Foxtongue, he never would be. That thought terrified him.

So, he decided he'd sneak out of the camp, catch some prey and prove to his clan's leader, Flowerstar, that he was worthy of becoming an apprentice of DawnClan. He stumbled through the undergrowth, the grass up past his head. He bumbled through the ferns, making quite a bit of racket as he went. He stopped after a few moments, panting and looking around.

"Geez!" He panted, sitting down, his small, busy tail flicking back and fourth. "How long have I been walking...? Feels like forever!" He looked up to look for the sun, but was unable to see it through the canopies of the trees. Suddenly, his attention was pulled from the trees by a rustling in the grass.

His ears perked up and he sat up a bit straighter, peering through the grass. His greenish, yellow eyes widened when he saw a small mouse scurrying about, looking for food, its whiskers twitching on its muzzles as it sniffed along the ground.

The kitten dropped to his belly, his eyes growing even wider when the mouse came very close to him. The wind was blowing in his face, the scent of the mouse washing over him in the soft breeze. He stared for a moment at the mouse, waiting and waiting until its muzzle was almost in front of his. He gave a small bound, landing on top of the mouse, which squealed in terror. He sunk his sharp kitten claws into it and mouthed on its neck with his barely formed teeth. The mouse squealed and writhed beneath him before it finally died.

"I did it!" Cried Dragonkit, his eyes round with pleasure and his tail sticking straight up.

"Yes, you did."

He jumped and turned around, ears flattening and body lowering when he saw Blackpatch, the clan's deputy, towering over him, his amber eyes narrowed. Two warriors, Rippletide and Gingermoss, stood behind him, looking annoyed.

"What are you doing outside of camp?" Demanded Blackpatch.

"U-Um..." Dragonkit looked down at his paws, shoulders hunched.

"Scaring away all of the prey, that's what he's doing!" Spat Gingermoss, glaring at the mouse the kit had killed. "Hmph, bled to death." She glared at Dragonkit. "Thanks to you, all of the prey for miles has been scared away because of that thing's screaming! We won't be able to do any more hunting for a whole day!"

"I-I'm sorry..." Dragonkit squeaked, his skin burning beneath his fur in embarrassment. "I-I was just..."

"Enough," Huffed Blackpatch, glancing away from him. "Let's get you back to camp. Foxtongue's probably worried."

"I doubt it," mumbled Dragonkit.

"Watch your tongue!" Blackpatch scolded firmly. "Foxtongue didn't have to take you in, you know. You should be grateful to her." He grabbed the kit by his scruff and picked him up before heading back towards camp, Rippletide picking up the kit's kill and following, Gingermoss in toe.

They arrived back at the camp in minutes, showing that Dragonkit really hadn't gone that far from the clan. The DawnClan camp was large clearing, one side surrounded by large, overhanging stones that cast a nice, shaded area where a large den entrance sat. A small waterfall fell from the rocks, falling with gentle trickles into a pond with a thin creek babbling through the clan. Lion Stone, the place where their leader addressed them, sat in the center of the camp, Flowerstar, the leader of the clan, sunning herself outside of her den. A large tree that was split open in the middle revealed a pretty silver she-cat as she went towards a moss covered den with lichen hanging before it. Two other dens sat to the opposite side, one made of brambles, thick ferns and branches and the other, smaller one built up of stones and moss.

Flowerstar's green eyes opened when she heard the rustling of the cats entering the camp. She sat up and stared at Blackpatch as he brought Dragonkit up to her. "So you found him," she mewed, staring at the gray kit as Blackpatch set him down. "What were you doing outside of the safety of the camp, Dragonkit?"

He shuffled his paws before him, hesitantly looking up at her. "I-I was hunting, Flowerstar..."

"You are not yet six moons old. You broke the Warrior Code."

"I know...b-but I caught a mouse!" He said with a bit of hope entering his eyes as he looked at the mouse that hung from Rippletide's jaws.

"So you did, but that does not excuse your actions," Flowerstar said sternly, making his face fall. "...Take that mouse to the elders," she commanded, "and then return to your nest. You're not to leave it for the rest of the day."

He looked at her in shock before looking at Blackpatch. He remained stoic, making the kit's heart drop. He sighed, mumbling; "Yes, Flowerstar..." before he turned and slowly went to Rippletide. When the tom dropped the mouse, he grabbed it in his tiny jaws and dragged it to the den shaded by the overhanging rocks.

He was about to enter the den when he heard voices from inside. Most belonged to the elders, no surprise, but he also heard his denmates, Petalkit, her brothers Lionkit and Goldenkit and his foster brother, Bearkit. Her slipped to the side of the mouth of the den, listening as he heard Bearkit's voice pipe up.

"Tell us the story about the giant lizard, Torn-ear!" He squeaked, Dragonkit hearing him bouncing up and down.

"Oh, you mean Dragon?" Breathed the gruff old voice of the elder Torn-ear. "That vicious beast...he came to the forest many, MANY years ago, back when Dawnstar first formed DawnClan. The ancient ancestors of our clan discovered him at Stone Cliff when he devoured three apprentices right before Dawnstar's eyes. He faced the great leader, the strange fans around his neck flaring out and cried, 'I am Dragon! I come from lands long since destroyed and am making this land my new home! You pitiful furballs had best clear from this land or else you will all end up in the belly of the great and powerful Dragon!'. So the four clans united together, StarClan at their sides, and fought the monster, for five moons straight, until he lay dead on the river bank."

"What's a dragon?" Inquired the sweet, soft voice of Petalkit.

"No one knows, my dear," Mewed Honeystream, another elder. "But it was what that wretched lizard called himself."

"Is Dragonkit named after him?" Pipped up Lionkit.

Dragonkit felt a stab in his heart and listened in to the conversation even closer.

"Well...let's keep this between us, kits," murmured Torn-ear, very quietly, though Dragonkit could still hear him. "Dragonkit's mother, Nightwing, always believed another version of the story that stated that Dragon's territory was stolen from him by the clans. That's rubbish, of course...but, she believed it so much, she told everyone that the first kit she had that was a tom she would name Dragonkit."

"So, is Dragonkit gonna be evil like Dragon?" Inquired Bearkit.

"Torn-ear?" Mewed Dragonkit, entering the den before Torn-ear could answer and making the other kits jump in surprise. Dragonkit acted like he hadn't heard anything they had said as he approached the elders and dropped the mouse before them. "Flowerstar asked me to give you this mouse."

"O-Oh..." Tornear looked awkwardly at the mouse. "Thank you, Dragonkit," he mumbled, whiskers twitching a bit.

Dragonkit nodded, glancing at Bearkit and the others before turning and leaving the den, hearing Honeystream huff; "Hardly big enough to fill a pebble sized stomach," as he went.

He sighed once he was out of the den, shaking his fluffy gray pelt, his heart throbbing painfully at their cruel words. He stopped a bit away from the den, looking around the camp. He watched as Gingermoss went into the warrior's den, the large bracken covered den, giving her friend Hollythorn a friendly lick on the ear on her way in. The thin, pale colored warrior Longstride was talking with his pretty apprentice, Fleecepaw. Firepseck, a calico she-cat, was coming back into the camp with a mouthful of prey, the apprentices Elmpaw and Jacklepaw, following her with their own bulks of prey. Jacklepaw was greeted by a proud Blackpatch, who instantly complimented the apprentice on his kill, which was even smaller than the mouse Dragonkit had captured.

The down trodden kit was about to return to the nursery when he saw, out of the corner of his eye, Flowerstar leaping up onto Lion Stone, her silver and white fur glimmering in the sunlight. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here, beneath Lion Stone, for a clan meeting!"

Dragonkit watched as the clan slipped from the shadows, abandoning what they were doing to go to the stone and listen to their leader. He noticed one cat in particular. A young, pretty apprentice named Snowpaw came to the front of the group, her long, brown and white fur flowing in the sunlight as she sat down at the base of the rock.

She's becoming a warrior...Dragonkit realized, staring at her in awe.

"Snowpaw," meowed Flowerstar, staring down at the young she-cat at the foot of the stone. "You have trained long and hard beneath the mentor-ship of Sandscream and have showed yourself worthy of being a warrior of DawnClan. Do you promise to uphold the warrior clan and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Snowpaw mewed, her whiskers trembling with excitement.

"Then, by the power given to me by StarClan, I name you Snowfern. I know you will serve your clan well." The clan cheered and cried out the new warrior's name as Flowerstar leaped down from the tip of the stone and approached Snowfern. The newly named warrior bowed her head and gave a respectful lick to her leader's name as the clearing echoed with her warrior name.

He watched as Flowerstar spoke with Snowfern, telling her she'd have to sit vigil for the rest of the day and evening, silent, guarding the camp while everyone else slept.

Dragonkit slowly turned his eyes to the Lion Stone, staring up at the huge rock that cast a shadow over him. He walked towards it, hesitantly placing two paws on the sun warmed stone. He climbed up onto a small outcropping of stone and looked down, his eyes brightening as he did so. "L-let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here, b-beneath Lion Stone, for a clan meeting!" He squeaked, his tail and whiskers trembling as he said the words. No one heard him, but speaking those words made a fiery burst of energy surge through him.

Even though no one was looking at him, he felt like they were. He felt like eyes were gazing at him, all around, full of admiration and awe as he stood there, chest puffed out, power surging through his veins.

"Dragonkit!"

He jumped in shock, not even able to look around before teeth dug into his scruff and yanked him off of the stone. "What in StarClan's name did you think you were doing up there!" Snapped Foxtongue, dropping him on his rump and glaring down at him. "What makes you think you can sneak off into the forest, and then set a single PAW onto Lion Stone!"

Dragonkit pulled back some, lowering his head. "I-I'm sorry, Foxtongue...I-I wanted to help hunt...a-and I was just curious about the st-"

"You're not leaving the nursery for three days, you little scrap! Goodness! Why StarClan cursed me with caring for a badger like you I'll never know!" She grabbed his scruff roughly and carried him back to the nursery, dropping him into the nest before leaving.

He frowned, watching her go as his stomach grumbled. He huffed and laid down, burying his face in the moss of the nest before shrieking against it, filled with both anger and sadness. He was angry at everyone for treating him as they did. He had done nothing to them and they treated him like he was a plague cursed upon them. He was sad because of the overwhelming loneliness that filled his heart because of their treatment. He wished his real mother was still alive...she'd love him. Foxtongue didn't love him at all...she hated him.

He sniffled and curled up in a ball, trembling as cold began to seep into his fur. He closed his eyes, nuzzling into the thin moss and he wished for his real mother's warmth and love. He was only there for a few minutes before some thick, warm moss was suddenly put around him. He opened his eye a crack, looking in confusion for who had given him the moss. He saw Blackpatch's back exiting the den, his tail flicking behind him.

Dragonkit lifted his head, blinking, a bit shocked. He looked at the warm moss before sighing and cuddling into it, drifting off to sleep.


"Move, Dragonkit!"

The gray tom squeaked as Bearkit shoved him out of the way, blocking his way to suckle from Foxtongue. Dragonkit huffed and sat up, shaking his tiny body and fluffy fur with a disgruntled snort as Bearkit stuffed his face. He went to the edge of the nest and curled up, watching the sunlight that danced around from where it peeked through the lichen at the den entrance.

He glanced to the side as the other queen in the nursery's kits, Petalkit and her brothers, wrestled around on the ground. "I'm gonna get you!" Squealed Petalkit, flinging herself onto Lionkit and bowling him over. She rolled closer to Dragonkit's nest, sitting up and shaking her head. Her blue eyes met Dragonkit's yellow ones and, after a moment, she grinned, her tail lifting. "Hey, Dragonkit! Wanna play with us?"

"Petalkit, come here, it's time for your bath," Her mother said with a small snap in her face, dragging the kit away by her scruff and leaving Dragonkit alone again.

He narrowed his eyes and huffed, standing. It had been three days since his little adventure, so he was allowed out into the camp again. He trotted out into the open, squinting his eyes at the bright sunlight that blinded him for a moment before his eyes adjusted. He saw the clan abuzz with life as warriors and apprentices returned and left for hunting and border patrols. He saw apprentices fighting outside of their den and elders sunning themselves outside of the shade of their den. Snowfern was talking with the fluffy she-cat Gingermoss, her always silky smooth coat glowing in the sunlight.

Dragonkit's fur ruffled in excitement and he bounded over to the two she-cat's. "Hi, Snowfern!" He pipped up, making them both fall silent to look at him.

"Oh..." The young warrior looked awkward, her ears flattening some as Gingermoss snorted angrily. "H-hi, Dragonkit..."

"Your warrior ceremony was so cool!" Dragonkit told her, his eyes round and a grin on his furry face. "Flowerstar looked so awesome up on Lion Stone, and you looked so pretty and proud!"

Snowfern ducked down a little when Longstride and Rippletide, two of the senior warriors of the clan, snorted, shaking their heads. "T-thank you, Dragonkit...I-I need to g-"

"I can't wait to become an apprentice! It's going to be so-" Dragonkit fell silent when Snowfern stood and hurried off to talk with Firespeck and Sandscream. He stood there, heart falling. Sitting down, he lowered his head sadly. "Even Snowfern doesn't want to be around me..." he mumbled sadly. He felt eyes on the back of his neck and turned to see Blackpatch staring at him from across the clearing. He searched the tom's face, hoping for some kind of comfort. He was even sadder when he stood and walked off without a word or change in his icy expression.

Paws heavy with sadness and loneliness, Dragonkit stood and walked over to Lion Stone. He heard Flowerstar softly snoring from inside of her den. He sighed and sat in the shadow of the stone, staring up at it with admiring eyes.

"Flowerstar!"

He jumped and scuttled around the stone, hiding as Cederfur, Fleecepaw and a golden she-cat named Leapordshriek all entered the camp. Flowerstar emerged from her den, frowning at the upset looks on their faces. "What is it?" She demanded. "What do you have to report?"

"We scented ShadeClan cats on our side of the border!" Snapped the fiery Leapordshriek.

"What!" Hissed Flowerstar, the fur on her shoulders bristling in shock and anger. "How dare they cross the border!"

"Should we double the patrols?"

"Yes! I want double patrols along the ShadeClan border by Sunhigh tomorrow. Good job, you three. Go get something to eat."

They dipped their heads and hurried off as Dragonkit poked his head up from behind Lion Stone curiously. "ShadeClan?" He whispered, his fur standing up some. ShadeClan on their territory! Flowerstar was so angry about it, too...I bet if I found the cats trespassing, everyone would be so proud of me!

His whiskers trembled in excitement at that thought. Everyone would respect him if he found the invaders and turned them over to Flowerstar. He may be only a kit, but he knew if he found them, he'd be able to fight with the strength of the entire clan!

"Dragonkit!"

He sighed in aggravation when he heard Foxtongue calling for him. He turned and went back into the nursery, getting a firm scolding from the queen while Bearkit watched in amusement. He was allowed to suckle for a few minutes before Bearkit took over, banishing his foster brother to the edge of the nest yet again. Dragonkit sighed as he curled up by himself, staying there the whole day until it was night and the clan was silent. Everyone was asleep. He lifted his head and stared yearningly out of the den, wanting to head on out on his adventure.

He sat up and looked around, seeing Bearkit fast asleep, curled up beside his mother. He heard Miragestep and her kits snoring as well. After a small hesitation, he slowly stood, inching towards the den entrance.

"Dragonkit...what're you doing...?"

His fur bristled and he whipped around to see a sleepy Petalkit staring at him, her pretty golden fluff glowing in the moonlight. His eyes widened and he quickly shushed her. She stared at him in confusion as he turned his back on her and scurried quietly out of the den. He thought she'd gone back to sleep until he heard paw steps behind him.

"Petalkit!" He hissed, turning to face her as she came out of the den. "Go back to bed!"

"Where are you going?" She repeated, approaching him.

"None of your business! Now go to bed!" He turned and started towards the tunnel, glad the warriors protecting the clan tonight were on patrol.

"B-but...Dragonkit, wait! You can't go into the forest! It's dangerous!" Petalkit hurried after him only to be knocked over when Dragonkit stopped.

"Will you hush!" He snapped, turning to her. "I'm gonna go find the ShadeClan cats that have been invading our territory!"

"What!" Her blue eyes widened in shock. "W-why would you want to do something like that? You'll get yourself killed!"

"I'm brave and strong!" He declared, puffing his chest out and standing up straight. "Everyone will respect me when I do this! Flowerstar will make me an apprentice and then I'll become the greatest warrior DawnClan has ever known!"

"But you could get hurt-"

"A few scratches are nothing compared to the respect everyone will have for me once I do this!" Dragonkit glared at her. "Now go back to bed!" He turned and hurried off, running through the forest, his tiny paws crashing through the plants. He glanced over his shoulder and was relieved to find Petalkit not following him. He finally had to stop running when he came to a large fallen tree. He was gasping for breath, trembling. Cold was beginning to seep through his fur, the air stinging his lungs with every needy breath he took.

He bristled frightfully at hearing an owl hoot in the distance. He had heard the elders talking about owls, saying they could pick up a kit in a single swoop and kill one in seconds with their razor sharp talons.

He crawled into the broken log, hiding in its darkness as he heard the owl screeching overhead. He shivered and backed up, sighing. He'd wait here until the owl was gone, then he'd continue towards the border.

"If I just follow the smells of Cederfur and his patrol," he mumbled to himself as he crossed his tiny paws, "I'll find the border."

He stayed where he was for quite awhile, only poking his head back out once he no longer heard the owl. When the night was silent except for the croaking of spring toads, he climbed all the way out of the log and shook his fur in relief. He then resumed his bounding towards the border, his bright yellow eyes focused on the ground in front of him. He tried not to make enough noise to alert a predator. He moved as quietly as he could, being as inexperienced as he was.

He was passing a small, smoothly flowing creek when he heard a small sound behind him. Whipping around, he stared at the ferns flanking him, his eyes wide as he searched for any kind of predator. When he heard nothing else and smelled nothing, he dismissed it as a mouse and continued walking.

Only a second later, though, he heard a faint rustling at his tail once again. With a jump, he turned and faced the ferns yet again, growing frightened. He hissed in shock when the ferns waved in his face, something moving about them. He saw a glitter of eyes before a figure pounced out from the shadows and knocked into him, bowling him over.

He squealed in fright and pain as teeth dug into his shoulder and sheathed paws batted at his head. "You mouse brain!" Snapped a familiar voice.

Dragonkit jerked his head up and turned it to see Bearkit holding him down, his green eyes narrowed, his dark brown fur puffed up angrily. Behind him, Dragonkit could see a concerned Petalkit as well as Goldenkit and Lionkit.

"W-what are you guys doing here?" Demanded Dragonkit, throwing Bearkit off of him.

"I could ask you the same thing!" Spat Bearkit, his tail in the air, his small teeth bared. "Petalkit woke me up in a panic, saying you'd ran away from home!"

"I didn't run away!"

"Then what're you doing out here?" Asked Lionkit, his green eyes wide, his pale golden coat fluffed up against the cold breeze. "It's dangerous at night! And it's so cold..." he added with a shuffling of his white paws.

"What if an owl had eaten you?" Goldenkit asked, looking as equally frightened as his brother.

"I saw an owl, actually," Dragonkit mewed, sitting down and holding his head in the air.

"You did?" Petalkit breathed, eyes widening.

"Yes," Dragonkit stood and began to circle his den mates. "It was HUGE...Bigger than Rippletide and Flowerstar put together! It was circling over me, screaming! It wanted to eat me, but I outwitted it!"

"How could you outwit an owl?" Snorted Bearkit, shaking his head slowly.

"Because I have a brain!" Hissed Dragonkit before he straightened up, shaking himself. "Now, you lot should go back home before that owl comes back. I need to continue with my mission!"

"What mission?" Lionkit inquired, looking very curious. "A mission from Flowerstar?"

"T-that's right," Dragonkit said, nodding.

"Don't give me that! You're just a kit! Why would she send you?" Bearkit asked challengingly.

"I-I don't need to explain myself to you!" Dragonkit quickly defended. "J-just go home before you get in trouble for interfering with a warrior mission!"

"You're not a warrior!" Pressed Bearkit. "You can't be on a warrior mission!"

"Says you!"

"Says the Warrior Code!"

"Hush!" Petalkit leaped between them, her fur bristling, her eyes round. "Did you guys hear that?"

They all sat very still and silent, listening. In the distance, Dragonkit could hear a faint murmuring of voices and could smell an unfamiliar tang in the air that made his body quiver with fear. "Cats," he hissed. "C-cats not from DawnClan..."

"Intruders!" Gasped Lionkit. "We...w-we need to get back to camp! Tell Flowerstar-Dragonkit!"

Dragonkit was already bounding towards the voices, being even more wary about where he stepped. He heard a frustrated curse from Bearkit but, when he looked back, saw the four other kits following him. "Okay, okay, you guys can come!" He whispered over his shoulder, "But be quiet!"

Lionkit nodded, Petalkit looking at her brothers anxiously before she nodded as well. The five kittens ran along together, the voices growing louder and louder until they sounded like they were right beside them. Dragonkit stopped, making the other four stop behind him. "Get down!" He hissed, lowering himself to the ground, the others lying down and cuddling up close to him. They peered through the ferns with wide, curious eyes.

Dragonkit's breath hitched in his throat at seeing three cats sitting in a circle together, their heads bowed as they spoke. He didn't recognize any of them. One was a thin, handsome brown tom with a very long tail. The other two were also toms, one dark brown and the other dark gray and black.

"Have you heard from Shadowstar yet?" Murmured the long-tailed brown tom.

"No...he said to wait here until he arrived," huffed the gray tom, swinging his head. "This is so aggravating...what if a DawnClan patrol catches us?"

"They won't," another brown tom assured him. "As long as we stay by the border, we're fine. We can jump over if they come and say we were hunting. I-"

"Shh," the long-tailed tom suddenly he hissed. He pricked his ears and looked around. Dragonkit felt Petalkit and Bearkit cuddle closer to him, their breathing quickening. He swallowed, though his mouth felt like a desert. He stared up with round eyes at the brown tom as his narrowed gaze scanned the forest.

"I smell fear-scent..." he murmured slowly. "I also smell DawnClan..." His gaze slowly swept to the ferns where the kits were hiding.

Dragonkit's eyes widened in terror as the tom stood and came towards them.

They were so dead!