Here is chapter two for you all :) if you have any questions about the story, don't hesitate to PM me.

Chapter Two: Just Like Us


The ThunderClan camp was busy with activity since it was dusk. Warriors were chatting and lazily sharing tongues outside of a large bush, and I could spy a few apprentices tussling over by a log. A path of stones led up to a den in the rock wall, and I could hear other kits from a den built of sticks, leaves, and thorns. They sleep in dens? I thought incredulously. How weird! Don't they want to see Silverpelt? Nevertheless, the gray warrior, whom I had learned was named Stonepelt, carried me through the corridor of curious stares and into a small clearing. A cleft in the rock was the only thing visible in the failing sunlight, but I could smell the pungent scents of plants. It's just like Crowears' den! I felt cool grass beneath my paws as the warrior set me down.

"Dovestep!" He called out. Almost immediately, a soft, but fuzzy-looking, silver she-cat padded from the den. She had gentle green eyes and smelled of plants. I felt myself shrink into my pelt, wishing I was anywhere but the ThunderClan camp. Fleetfoot and Mapletooth were going to be furious when I was returned home. Nevertheless, the she-cat padded forward, and I could feel her curious, searching gaze roam over me.

"Stonepelt? Whose kit is this? What's wrong?"

"This is one of WindClan's," he replied gruffly. "She took a swim in the river on our border to escape a badger."

I felt the breath of the ThunderClan medicine cat tickle my pelt as she sniffed me over.

"Poor thing," she murmured sympathetically. "I can take her from here, go ahead and get something to eat."

The warrior dipped his head in respect and padded out back through the tunnel. I watched him go curiously, before turning back to Dovestep. Crowear had mentioned her once or twice when talking to Fleetfoot or Swiftstar. I didn't know anything about her, except that she had been the medicine cat for as long as Crowear had. Apparently they practically trained together.

"What's your name?"

She blinked in a friendly way before padding around me to part my fur.

"I'm Brightkit," I mewed, embarrassed.

"Well, Brightkit, what were you doing so far from home? Your clan must be worried sick over you."

My heart sank as I thought of Mapletooth frantically searching the camp, while Fleetfoot sent out as many patrols as he could. All to find me. I want to go back home! I wailed to myself.

"I- I wanted to catch a rabbit," I admitted. "To prove that I was just as ready as Rabbitpaw to be an apprentice."

The silver she-cat shook her head and withdrew into her den, beckoning me with her tail. I followed after her, unsure what she was doing. Inside it was larger than I had expected, and near a pile of mossy nests was a hollow with water in it. She flicked her tail towards one of the nests.

"You can sleep here for tonight. I'm sure Oakstar will arrange for a patrol to take you home tomorrow. Do you want a poppy seed to help you sleep?"

I was bewildered as to why she'd be so open to helping a WindClan cat, and nodded once.

"Ok," I ended up saying. She expertly snagged a poppy head and shook out a seed.

"Just take this when you're ready to go to sleep."

"Ok," I repeated, still nervous. "Why are you helping me? I'm WindClan," I stated unnecessarily, "and you're the ThunderClan medicine cat. Our clans don't like each other."

Dovestep gave a small mrrow of laughter.

"Every clan is responsible for keeping all kits safe, and medicine cats do not observe clan rivalries as the warriors do. We are loyal to our clans above all else, but we are also responsible for all cats, even if they are from other clans."

I blinked, trying to grasp the concept of aiding a different clan. It seemed almost traitorous to the code, but then again, Dovestep had said that medicine cats had a different view of rivalries. Shaking my head, I flattened my ears.

"What if it was one of my clans' warriors that got caught by that badger? Would ThunderClan still have helped?"

The fluffy she-cat flicked her tail towards the camp.

"I believe they would have. ThunderClan does not turn away those who need help, and badgers are the enemies of us all. Now, go to sleep, little Brightkit; you'll have a long walk tomorrow to get back to your camp."

Home. The thought caused my chest to ache. Nevertheless, I obeyed the kind medicine cat and lapped up the seed obediently. As I fell asleep, the whispering of the trees instead of the strong winds of the moors became my lullaby.

Birdsong woke me up the next morning, and I looked around, confused, before remembering where I was. I could hear the shifting of leaves and the soft sound of pawsteps close by. Figuring it was Dovestep; I let out a soft mew of greeting, not expecting a different head to pop from the cleft in the rock. It was younger-looking than Dovestep and had gray stripes on its face. As the cat slid out, I could tell that it was a she-cat, and she seemed friendly, if a little wary.

"You're Brightkit, aren't you? Dovestep told me to keep an eye on you. She went out to gather marigold. How do you feel today?"

I blinked slightly and shifted, stretching out in the mossy nest. I felt slightly sore, but not cold or sick.

"I feel fine, thank you. Who are you? When do I get to go home?"

"I'm Mintpaw," the small she-cat introduced herself, "Dovestep's apprentice. You'll be home when Oakstar can spare some warriors to escort you."

Who knew when that would be? Resisting the urge to let out a squeak of a complaint, I nodded wordlessly. The expression on the face of the apprentice softened.

"I'm sure it won't take long. Until then I can introduce you to some other kits if you like. I need to replace the bedding in here anyway."

I didn't really feel comfortable leaving the safety of the medicine cat's den, but if she needed to change the bedding…

"Well… ok," I agreed uncertainly, stumbling out of the nest. Stretching out slightly to relieve some stiffness, I felt Mintpaw brush past me. I quickly scrambled after her, following as she slipped through the entrance to the rest of the camp. Cats were clustered in a half circle around a well-muscled black she-cat who was issuing orders. Stopping to watch her for a moment, I listened to her instructions.

"Snowpelt! Take Icepaw and Stonepelt and re-mark the ShadowClan border. Make sure no cat has crossed the scent line. Deadtail reported a faint ShadowClan scent on our side of the border the other day. Grayfur and Swiftwater, both of you pick a hunting patrol of two other cats and take the abandoned twoleg nest and near the WindClan border. You can remark it while you're there."

I felt a tail flick over my ears, and Mintpaw motioned towards the nursery. Outside there were four kits. Two of them – a black one and a gray one – were wrestling around, while a brownish kit and a creamy spotted kit watched. The creamy kit let out a yowl of approval as the black kit pinned its opponent down.

"Good job, Blackkit! Way to show that WindClan fleabag why ThunderClan is the best clan!"

For a moment I stopped and blinked in surprise. It wasn't unlike the game Wolfkit and I wanted to play yesterday. Suddenly, I felt shy. ThunderClan and WindClan were NOT friends, and these other cats probably would probably hate me for being WindClan.

Mintpaw had no such reservations and lead me over unwaveringly. The kits spotted her and immediately stopped, flicking their tails excitedly as they launched themselves at the apprentice.

"Mintpaw, did you bring us some more honey?" Blackkit, a tom, asked eagerly. "Frostkit ate almost all of it last time!"

"I did not!" The gray tom protested, shoving the darker kit. "Loudkit and Leopardkit got the bigger shares."

Mintpaw purred softly.

"That's because Loudkit and Leopardkit had sore throats. But if I brought more honey you'd have to share even more for our guest."

The gray-furred apprentice stepped aside, and I felt shyness bubble up in force as the four kits finally caught sight of me. Mewing a small greeting, I looked them over in more detail. Blackkit and Frostkit were clearly older than Loudkit and Leopardkit. I could easily guess why Leopardkit had gotten her name with her spotted fluff of a pelt, and the other brown kit had to be Loudkit. Mintpaw blinked at me reassuringly.

"This is Brightkit. She's visiting from-"

"Windclan!" Loudkit exclaimed. I flinched slightly at the volume. Almost on signal, their eyes all grew wide as moons as they turned to look at me. Then they crowded around me, all asking different questions.

"Do you really eat rabbit bones?"

"Is it true you don't sleep in a den?" One of them squeaked in near horror.

"I heard some of the warriors say you almost got eaten by a badger and that you tried to go swimming! How did you outrun it?"

"You sure don't SMELL like a rabbit-muncher."

Backing out of the group, I tried to process what to say.

"WindClan doesn't eat bones. At least, not whenever I've seen Mapletooth or Fleetfoot eat. I sleep in a den right now since I'm so small, but when I'm an apprentice we sleep in nice, cozy nests of moor grass and heather."

The other kits seemed to grow even more shocked for some reason.

"You mean you don't sleep with MOSS? Do you HAVE moss? Do you know what mossball is?"

Leopardkit's barrage of questions had me tilting my head.

"We don't sleep with moss. We use it for water, and I've seen Crowear use it on scratches and stuff before. He sometimes allows us to have a bit of moss to play with, but we usually use it to pretend we're playing Rabbit Hunt. What's mossball?"

"We'll show you!" Leopardkit yowled, charging into the thick den. She came bounding out a couple of moments later with a ball of moss between her small jaws, and from behind her came a larger cream-colored she-cat. She looked down at me, curious and somewhat affectionate.

"You must be Brightkit then. I've met Mapletooth before. She was a decent cat to talk to at gatherings."

Leopardkit puffed up proudly.

"Morningcloud is my mother, and Oakstar is my father."

I raised my head just as proudly, stretching my legs to be a bit taller.

"Mapletooth is my mother, and Fleetfoot, WindClan's deputy, is my father. But… you liked Mapletooth, Morningcloud?"

How confusing. It was hard not to hear bad talk about ThunderClan back in WindClan. But Morningcloud was freely saying that she thought Mapletooth was decent to talk to. Weren't ThunderClan and WindClan supposed to hate each other? Dovestep had said that clan rivalries didn't matter to medicine cats, but did they really matter to normal cats too? Was their rivalry with ThunderClan not even worth a mousetail? It was troubling, but my thoughts were interrupted as Morningcloud replied.

"Oh, she was polite enough for a WindClan cat. We were both expecting kits at around the same time, so we bonded at gatherings. When you return to your clan, tell her I said hello."

"I will," I nodded vigorously. Leopardkit poked my side.

"Mossball? We'll show you how to play, and then you can play. Or we can play WindClan versus ThunderClan for real!"

I felt a little excitement stir in my belly. I could show these ThunderClan kits that WindClan wasn't so easy to pushover!

"Ok! I'm Brightlion of WindClan!"

Leopardkit stepped forward and dropped into a crouch, tossing the moss ball aside.

"WindClan mouseheart! You'll never beat Leopardstar of ThunderClan!"

"I'll show you!" I squeaked, leaping towards the creamy spotted she-cat. Crashing into her, we tumbled to the ground, sheathed paws batting at bellies and cuffing ears. Leaping back, I shook my head to clear it from a particularly well-placed blow. I'm a WindClan cat! I'm speedy, and ThunderClan gets fat from the prey in the forest! Fleetfoot told me so! I need to be fast!

Lashing my tail from side to side, I waited as she prowled towards me, her teeth bared in a snarl of snorts. When she finally leapt towards me, I hopped to the side and tackled her as she landed, pressing a paw to her neck.

"Do you surrender, Thunderclan fleabag?"

"Never!" she spat in reply. "ThunderClan, attack!"

At once I heard a rush of paws as I was carried off of Leopardkit and pinned down by Frostkit and Blackkit.

"No fair!" I wailed. "I don't have WindClan with me!"

"That's why you never attack a warrior in her own camp! ThunderClan wins!"

"Just wait until I'm a warrior! I'll be so good at fighting that no one will want to attack WindClan!"

Leopardkit purred.

"And I'll be such a great leader that no one will mess with ThunderClan!"

"Maybe we could all be friends then," I agreed. "Gatherings are going to be so fun! I want to be an apprentice NOW!"

"Me too," agreed Loudkit. "But not for another two moons," he sighed. "Frostkit and Blackkit should be having their ceremonies in another moon. It's going to be quiet in the nursery without them. At least until Leafpelt has her kits. Morningcloud said they should arrive soon."

"Then we won't be the youngest in the nursery anymore," Leopardkit added in excitement.

Morningcloud broke in gently.

"The code may allow you to get along with cats from other clans, but your loyalty must be to your own clan first. If you allow friendship to come between you and your clan, it could hurt your clanmates."

This had all of us kits turn to look at her. Sympathy was shining in her eyes.

"But… we can still be friends, right?" I questioned. Despite not knowing them for very long, Leopardkit, Blackkit, Frostkit, and Loudkit were proving to be fun companions, even if they were ThunderClan. Leopardkit herself looked disappointed at her mother's words and leapt next to me, dropping the moss ball at our feet as Morningcloud spoke again.

"You can be," she assured, "but you must never put that friendship ahead of your clan. It's a delicate balance to keep. If Mapletooth and I were to ever meet outside of a Gathering, it wouldn't be a friendly chat. But for now, enjoy yourselves. I'm sure Brightkit will be going home soon and it's good for all of you to make nice early on."

Loudkit didn't need another invitation as he snatched up the moss ball and charged away.

"Well come on! Let's show Brightkit how to play!" He yowled, throwing the ball in the air. Frostkit ran over and batted it away towards Blackkit, and the black tom hit it with his nose towards Leopardkit. She, in turn, used her tail to hit it towards me. Gathering my haunches, I leapt up and smacked the ball with a paw, sending it to Frostkit. However, it overshot and hit the chest of another cat as he approached. The cat chuckled, and only with a cry of greeting from Leopardkit and Loudkit did I truly understand who had come to join our little group. Oakstar, ThunderClan's leader, wrapped his tail around his kits and touched noses with Morningcloud in greeting before turning his eyes to me.

"So you're WindClan's lost kit? I'm Oakstar. I'm glad to see your swim in the stream didn't get you sick."

I didn't know how to act in front of the leader of another clan, so I just bowed my head the way I'd seen WindClan's warriors do for Swiftstar.

"Th-thank you," I said uncertainly, shifting my paws in nervousness. "When do I get to go home?"

"Now, as a matter of fact," he said simply before turning to a couple of warriors just exiting what had to be their den. "Foxtail! Emberfrost! You're coming with me to WindClan to take Brightkit home." The two cats – a bushy-tailed tom and a dark ginger she-cat – padded over, dipping their heads in respect. Both had pelts that I imagined would blend in well with the forest around us, and their thicker fur looked like it could withstand all sorts of burrs. The she-cat tilted her head, curiosity flashing in the depths of her ice blue eyes.

"Oakstar, do you think it's wise for you to go to the WindClan camp? They might still be hostile after the attack on the border."

The broad-shouldered leader flicked his tail in casual dismissal, and I found it weird how he didn't seem worried. WindClan was strong; our warriors would have had no problem shredding ThunderClan if they had to.

"I need to speak with Swiftstar regarding the attack again anyway. Gatherings are not places for leaders to discuss border matters with any kind of depth."

I had heard the warriors talking about the border fight. Most of them still seemed angry, and why wouldn't they be? It had been mouse-brained for ThunderClan to try and take our territory. A light shove next to me drew my attention, and I turned to see Leopardkit's sad amber eyes staring at me.

"I wish you didn't have to go. But in a few moons we'll get to see each other at Gatherings! We can still be friends, right?"

Oakstar motioned me along, but I saved a nod for Leopardkit before leaving.

"Yeah, we'll be the best of friends!"


Whatever cheeriness I had managed to gather from playing with Leopardkit and the other ThunderClan kits quickly evaporated as we approached WindClan's camp. A scout on the hill had clearly alerted the rest of the clan, and before we could approach the camp, Fleetfoot had emerged from the prickly gorse tunnel to meet us. There was no hint of friendliness in my father's face as he looked over the ThunderClan cats. Though when his eyes landed on me, they quickly flashed to both relief and anger. I was in so much trouble. The most I could hope for was that he wouldn't tear me to shreds in front of the ThunderClan cats.

"Oakstar," my father growled, "a bit of a surprise to see you of all cats journeying here to bring a lost kit home."

A ripple of fur rose on the backs of the ThunderClan cats at the way Fleetfoot addressed their leader. Oakstar himself seemed unruffled.

"I have business to discuss with Swiftstar in addition to returning your kit," he said simply, "if I may."

Fleetfoot's stony face gave nothing away, and I half-thought he was going to deny the ThunderClan cats entry, until a new scent joined the group outside. Swiftstar herself appeared, black tail high in greeting, her green eyes unreadable. Her eyes passed over me with a knowing look and a promise of punishment before they returned to Oakstar.

"Thank you for returning Brightkit to us. We can talk in my nest, but your warriors stay out here," she said, pushing authority into her voice. There would be no arguing with her. This didn't seem to phase the ThunderClan leader, though his clanmates did swap doubtful looks. Only a beat of silence passed before Oakstar dipped his head courteously.

"That will be fine. Thank you, Swiftstar."

The WindClan leader nodded.

"Follow me. Fleetfoot, have another warrior watch our guests."

My father flicked an ear in acknowledgement, calling over Lionbreeze and his apprentice, Nightpaw, though the young she-cat had the look of a full-grown warrior. Fleetfoot motioned me forward with his tail and beckoned me into camp. Mapletooth tore out of the nursery as soon as I entered, relief clear on her face as she covered me with licks and nuzzles. However, the greeting soon ended as we got to the mouth of the nursery. Wolfkit and Tawnykit were watching from our nest with owl eyes as both of our parents turned on me with stern expressions.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourself, Brightkit?" Fleetfoot began, his tone demanding the truth and nothing else.

Shuffling my paws, I tried to imagine myself shrinking down to the size of a mouse.

"I just wanted to go hunting, Fleetfoot. But then a badger found me and I-I tried to jump the river to escape. But I can't swim so ThunderClan rescued me."

"You are four moons old, Brightkit. You're not an apprentice yet, let alone a warrior, and you are not allowed out of camp until you're apprenticed."

Fleetfoot's growling tone nearly had me running for the moors surrounding us. Or back to the ThunderClan warriors outside of the tunnel. As it was, I could feel my tail curl under me as my ears flattened. Wolfkit and Tawnykit looked just as frightened, which did not inspire confidence in me. Mapletooth stepped up next, crouching down to my level.

"Brightkit, you have no idea the kind of panic you caused. When I woke up and you weren't there I was terrified that I'd lost you. Your father was out all night searching the territory for you. When we lost your scent at the river, we thought you'd drowned."

Shame prickled my fur. Mapletooth sounded almost hysterical. Fleetfoot looked stony, just as he had in front of the ThunderClan cats.

"I-I'm really sorry," I finally mewed. "It won't happen again, I swear it by StarClan."

"See that it doesn't," Mapletooth replied, giving me another fierce lick on my head. Fleetfoot brushed a tail over my ear with a whisper of affection.

"Don't think you're getting off the hook," he rumbled. "I'm sure Swiftstar will have a fitting punishment in mind for you."

As if the day couldn't get any worse.

A yowl from across the clearing drew our attention. Oakstar had emerged from Swiftstar's nest. Swiftstar had called for Fleetfoot, and beckoned to him with a flick of her ears. My father, after one last look at me, padded over to join her. I couldn't hear the exchange, but the two leaders courteously said their farewells and Oakstar began leaving. Catching my eye, the ThunderClan leader shot me a warm, but sympathetic look before disappearing into the thorny tunnel that led into camp. Mapletooth led me back into the nursery, where Tawnykit and Wolfkit practically bowled me over.

"You actually saw a badger?!"

"What was ThunderClan like?!"

"Did you catch anything?!"

"What was Oakstar like?!"

The questions were pretty overwhelming to come all at once. Thankfully, Mapletooth hushed them, and I finally got to answer my two littermates.

"Yes, I really did see a badger. It was huge! Easily twice as big as Fleetfoot! I didn't actually catch anything. Oakstar was really nice to me, and so was the rest of the cats I met. You'd like Leopardkit, his daughter. She played WindClan versus ThunderClan with me for real!"

Wolfkit tipped his head curiously as Tawnykit purred in admiration.

"Ok, but what was ThunderClan like? Were they foxhearts?"

I had to ponder the question, a frown causing my forehead to scrunch up in thought.

"No… they were just like us. Just, you know, more ThunderClan-y. They smelled funny."

That seemed to satisfy Wolfkit as he went on to try and regale Tawnykit and I about how he would have shredded the badger. Mapletooth caught my attention with a gentle sweep of her tail over my back. Her knowing eyes told me all I needed to know: Morningcloud wasn't the only one to pick up on the beginnings of my friendship with Leopardkit.


My punishment wasn't handed down for another whole day, and during that time I was confined to the nursery. It had to have been the most boring day of my entire life. At the same time, it was also the most terrifying. What if Swiftstar banished me? What if she didn't let me become an apprentice? Wolfkit and Tawnykit didn't seem worried, and Mapletooth told me to stop being ridiculous when I asked her if Swiftstar would kick me out of the clan. As it was, my punishment was not delivered by Swiftstar, but by Fleetfoot. My father pushed his way into the nursery, greeting Mapletooth with an affectionate lick and indulging Wolfkit and Tawnykit with a brush of his tail over their ears.

On the other paw, he gave me a wry look that told me I was still in trouble.

"I talked with Swiftstar. I know Mapletooth explained just how wrong it was for you to leave yesterday, but that doesn't mean you can go without punishment. For the next two moons until you become an apprentice, you're going to be in charge of taking care of the elders. You'll fetch them food from the fresh-kill pile and deal with their ticks. You'll also change their bedding with materials the apprentices bring you. Do you understand?"

I nodded meekly. I'd smelled what Crowear used to get ticks off once, when Mapletooth had needed a tick removed. It was the yuckiest thing I'd ever encountered.

"Good," Fleetfoot said. "If you break anymore rules, your ceremony will be delayed. You won't get to get your apprentice name alongside Wolfkit and Tawnykit."

I didn't doubt that Fleetfoot would follow through with that threat. My father always kept his promises, and Swiftstar would probably agree to any request he made regarding his kits. I didn't want to be left behind! I wanted to stand with Tawnykit and Wolfkit when we became apprentices, and then again when we became warriors! Mapletooth had said that leaf-fall was approaching. So that meant they could use all the paws they could get to hunt.

"You'll start tomorrow," Fleetfoot continued saying. "Can I count on you to behave yourself?"

I nodded. You won't have to worry about a thing, Fleetfoot! I'll be the best daughter you could ask for!