(Chapter 3)

Lionkit's tail flicked lazily as she laid sprawled out on the Sunning Rock, a large flat rock near the corner of camp where the sun hit it just right during sunhigh. She blinked and looked across the camp at Silentkit, who was sitting near the medicine den, listening to Blizzardstripe and Spottedstar discuss something. Yawning, she slowly turned her attention to the camp entrance. A fern quivered and Rabbitwing, Ambertail, and Quailface appeared, and something- or somecat- was following them. Lionkit straightened up and blinked a couple times. Spottedstar ended his conversation with Blizzardstripe and padded over in interest.

Lionkit stood up and jumped off the rock, then bounced over to her brother, who hadn't moved at all, but was staring at the patrol that had just arrived. "Who do you think that kit is?" He asked, and Lionkit cast one more glance at the cat that had followed the patrol in. She saw that the cat was indeed a kit, probably no older than her, and from where she was she could see they was a light gray color with a white underbelly and paws. She looked over at Silentkit. "Ugh, I can smell them from here! Maybe it's a rogue kit or something." She mused, and Silentkit tipped his head and nodded, his yellow gaze focused on the strange kit.

Splashwhisker slipped out of the nursery and padded over to the patrol, and Lionkit decided it would be all right if she went over. She was about to go scramble after her mother when Silentkit beat her to it. Once he got to the group, he turned and stuck his tongue out at her. Lionkit huffed, but it only lasted a heartbeat, and then she was bounding over.

"-found him near the border, coughing." Rabbitwing was meowing to Spottedstar when Lionkit came over. "Asked him what he was doing there, said his mother left him there after he got sick." His brown and white tail twitched when the kit coughed and sniffed. Lionkit gazed at the kit with sympathy. "If you go see Blizzardstripe, she might have a cure for your sickness. She's our medicine cat until we find a new one." She meowed, and the kit looked up, his green eyes sparkling. "You have a healer?" He sneezed again and blinked a couple times. "My mother and I used to be in a group like yours that had a healer!" Another sniff.

Blizzardstripe pushed through the crowd. "Back away, kits, you don't want to catch his illness." She meowed, glaring down at Lionkit and Silentkit. Silentkit turned and slunk away, followed by Lionkit. She cast one more glance at the rogue kit before padding into the nursery.

—

"Hey, you never told me your name."

Lionkit was visiting the rogue kit in the medicine cat's den. Blizzardstripe sat in the corner, sorting some sort of herb, paying no attention to the kits. Lionkit banked a couple times. "My name?" She meowed. "Oh, uhm.. My name's Lionkit."

"Lionkit!" The rogue kit said. "How strange. The big spotted tabby told me I would get a name like yours!" He paused and sniffed. "My name's Quartz, by the way."

Blizzardstripe pushed a bundle of herbs over to Quartz. "Enough about names. Eat this." She murmured, then pulled back, turning to the seemingly important herbs she was sorting. Lionkit stared at her as Quartz ate the herbs, and continued staring as Silentkit entered the den. He turned to Quartz. "Did Blizzardstripe tell you what was wrong?" He asked, studying Quartz. Quartz gulped down the last of the herbs and licked his lips. "Just a fever. She gave me this stuff called… Feverleaf? Fewfever? Featherfew?"

Silentkit's ear twitched. "Feverfew!" He exclaimed. Blizzardstripe, who appeared to have heard, looked up. "That's right." She meowed softly, and her gaze focused on Silentkit. "Spottedstar told me hew is going to make you my apprentice so you can take over when I have to go back to my can." She said.

Silentkit grinned, his tiny white teeth showing. Blizzardstripe let out an amused purr. "I'm guessing that means you want to be a medicine cat." She turned back to the herbs she was sorting. Lionkit turned to look at Silentkit. "You want to be a medicine cat?" She asked, frowning. "I thought we could be warriors together!" Silentkit simply shook his head. "I'm too small to be a warrior." He said, and flicked his tail to Quartz. "You can become warriors with him."

Quartz sniffed again. "What's an apprentice?" He asked, tilting his head. "It's a kit that's either six moons or twelve moons or in-between, they train to become a warrior." Lionkit turned, catching a glimpse of Silentkit as he left the den. "Or medicine cat," she added. Then, Splashwhisker stuck her head in. "Oh, Lionkit, there you are. Come on out, Quartz's ceremony will be soon." She meowed. Lionkit stood up and padded out, looking over her shoulder at Quartz. He smiled at her.

Lionkit pushed through the ivy vines that hung over the medicine cat's den entrance. She watched Spottedstar as he leapt onto the Speaking Stone and turned his attention to the cats gathering under him. Lionkit scrambled over and seated herself next to her father, Rabbitwing. Spottedstar cleared his throat and began the ceremony.

"Cats of Hollow Clan, as you know, we found a rogue kit near the border a few sunrises ago. We have decided to take him into our Clan."

There was silence following his words. Fishclaw looked up at Spottedstar from where he sat at the foot of the Speaking Stone. "There are no objections. You may continue."

Spottedstar flicked an ear as Quartz padded up to the Speaking Stone, led by Ambertail. "Quartz, since you are going to join our Can, you will now receive your Clan name." The leader paused, staring off into space for a moment, then nodded to himself. "You will now be known as Skykit. May StarClan approve of my choice."

The formerly quiet crowd exploded into noise. "Skykit! Skykit! Skykit!"

Spottedstar waited until it quieted down. "Splashwhisker will take care of him." He said and turned his gaze to the blue-gray queen, who dipped her head. Skykit bounded over and sat next to her.

"Clan dismissed." With that, Spottedstar leapt down from the Speaking Stone and disappeared into his den. The cats in the crowd broke apart from each other, going their own ways, and Lionkit went over to Skykit, who blinked softly at her. "Blizzardstripe says I have to stay in the medicine cat's den until my sickness goes away." He sniffed. Lionkit huffed. "She's so strict! It's just a little fever, it probably isn't even contagious!"

Skykit shrugged. "When I was in my other group, we always had to listen to our Healer, so I don't think it would hurt to listen to your medicine cat for a bit." His ear twitched and he trotted over to the medicine den.

Lionkit frowned and looked up at the sky, just to have something white drift down and land on her nose, then dissolve. She jumped back in surprise. "What is this?" She exclaimed, her eyes wide as more white things floated down and landed on the floor of the camp. The warriors didn't seem fazed at all, but Fishclaw was frowning and staring up at the sky. He turned to Mapleclaw, who was seated beside him. "It's snowing way to early," he said, "and the prey shortage we're having isn't helping at all."

Mapleclaw looked up and murmured something Lionkit couldn't hear. Fishclaw drew back, as if Mapleclaw had said something offensive. "That's mouse-brained!" He practically shouted. Lionkit flinched and continued watching the white stuff flow down, attesting to dodge it as it came. Silentkit's meow of amusement sounded nearby. Lionkit looked over at him, squinting. "What are ya laughing at?"

Silentkit shifted on his paws. "Just the way you're dodging the snow," he snorted, "you look like a badger; big but clumsy!"

Lionkit huffed. "At least I'm not a tiny little beetle I can squash under my paw, like you!" She fluffed her fur up, and after a moment it fell flat. "Snow? That's what the white stuff is?" Silentkit snorted again. "Obviously. What else would it be?" Lionkit walked over to him and cuffed him on the ears. "You're so…" She paused, searching her mind for an insult. "You're such a… Uh… Pain in the tail!"

Silentkit turned and leaped onto Lionkit. "Oh, yeah? For that, I'm gonna shred you into mousedust!" Lionkit grabbed Silentkit and they tussled, play-fighting. They rolled around in the snow, and after a while, Lionkit sat up. "This snow is cold!" She exclaimed, her wide eyes staring down at the snow piling onto the ground. Silentkit nodded. "Yeah, let's go into the nursery, where it's warm." With that, he dashed off and disappeared into the entrance of the nursery. Lionkit bounded after him.

As the kits entered the nursery, Splashwhisker's eyes widened at the sight of them. "StarClan's kits! Look how messy you two are!" She pulled Silentkit over to her and lapped at his head. "You two are almost apprentices, you mustn't go around dirtying yourselves up. A proper warrior should make sure they're clean."

Silentkit managed to squirm away. "Warriors have to do much stuff." He muttered. "Stay clean, fight for your clan, go hunt, go on patrols, maybe even become leader… But all medicine cats have to do is find herbs, sort the, use them to heal their clanmate's wounds, talk to StarClan, go to the Starstream, get prophecies… Oh, wait, that's more stuff." Lionkit tried to scramble away as Splashwhisker started cleaning her. "Easy stuff. When you want to get a cool prophecy, all you have to do is drink some water and fall asleep!" Lionkit retorted, and Silentkit stiffened. "Sacred water. The water from the Starstream is special! Blizzardstripe told me so. And she's a real medicine cat."

Splashwhisker pulled Silentkit back. "Stop arguing about medicine cats." She meowed softly. "It's disrespectful to them and StarClan." Silentkit once again broke free of her grassland scrambled to the nest he and Lionkit shared. He said nothing. Lionkit padded over and laid down next to him. She blinked, studying the entrance of the nursery, until Daisypelt came through, purred at Lionkit and Silentkit, then settled down in her own nest.

Beside her, Silentkit stretched and yawned. "I'm gonna take a nap." He murmured. Lionkit nodded, saying nothing, and closed her eyes. She soon fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Whoop dee doo