AN: Hello all! The next chapter is up!
The next few moons passed relatively uneventfully. Greenleaf came with an abundance of fish and land-prey, so the whole of RiverClan was well fed and content. There was a few petty skirmishes along the ShadowClan border, and a few accusations about stolen prey. Barkpaw and Littlepaw received their warrior names, Barkclaw and Littlebird, with much approval from the Clan. They had trained diligently for eight moons, and Featherkit wished them well.
"Kits, gather over here. I'm going to give you a lesson on herbs and medicines, okay?" Poppyheart, the medicine cat, padded over to the cluster of kits sharing a few trout. Featherkit licked her whiskers clean. She had grown to love the light, flaky texture and rivery taste of fish.
"I don't want to learn about herbs, because I'm going to be a warrior." Hailkit said disdainfully, glancing at the herbs that Poppyheart had laid out in front of him.
"Well, say you were walking in the forest alone, and a rogue attacked you." Poppyheart began.
"I'd flay his pelt!" Hailkit shouted.
"And I'd claw his eyes out!" Hawkkit chimed in. He leaped on top of his brother, bowling him over. They tumbled around the camp, their pelts covered in dust and bits of grass. Finally, they stopped, their fur askew and their tails twitching, a huge grin on both of their faces.
"Settle down. As I was saying, if a rogue attacks you, and you can't overpower him, he might seriously injure you. You are too weak to return to camp. What would you do?"
"Ummm…" There was a murmur among the kits. Featherkit could tell that Hailkit's arrogant attitude had been taken down a notch.
"I'd die!" Rainkit said with a cheerfulness that did not match her dark words. The kits all laughed.
"No kidding, silly furball. We're trying not to die here." Featherkit purred.
"I would use mar-" Honeykit began quietly.
"Whatever. I would survive anyway, 'cause I'm totally awesome, and StarClan would keep me alive." Hailkit boasted. Featherkit rolled her eyes, but said nothing. I guess what he said is partially true. He is the strongest out of all of us. Beside her, Rainkit snorted rather loudly, a look of annoyance and disdain on her face.
"I would use marigold and cobweb to stop the bleeding, or horsetail if I could find it." Honeykit said again, a bit louder this time."
"Excellent. Honeykit will be an excellent medicine cat, if she chooses." Poppyheart meowed, a note of pride in her voice. Honeykit sat up a little straighter.
"Of course I will!" she purred.
"What!" Hailkit exclaimed loudly, getting strange looks from the warriors eating nearby. "I thought all three of us were going to be warriors together!" Beside him, Hawkkit looked a little sad but clearly had not lost his temper.
"Ignore him. I'll be proud of you!" Hawkkit meowed, glaring at his brother. Featherkit was surprised. Hawkkit had always seemed like Hawkkit's second in command, not his own cat. But it became clear to her that he was the cat most fit to speak up against Hailkit. She felt admiration for the gray tabby and his courage.
"Whitepaw! Whitepaw is sick!" At once, Poppyheart was racing across the camp to see what was going on. The group of kits followed at a slower pace. Suddenly, the crowd seemed to swallow in on Featherkit, and voices swarmed around her.
"What if he's gonna die?"
"Does he have greencough?"
"Oh no, my poor kit!" a slim white she-cat shrieked.
"Calm down, Snowflight, I'm sure he's okay." Finally, a familiar voice. Featherkit called out for her mother, who helped guide her out of the crowd. Whitepaw was slightly foaming at the mouth, a puddle of reeking vomit lying in a pool around him. Ashpaw joined her. Featherkit remembered that Whitepaw was Ashpaw's brother, and comforted her. Slowly, the commotion died down. She learned that Whitepaw had eaten a bad fish that had been left in the sun for too long, and that Honeykit had fetched the herbs needed to save The kits regrouped with Poppyheart, learning about herbs once more.
"Okay, this is the last one. Borage is this right here. You can tell because it has blue or pink flowers and furry leaves. It can cure fever and help queens boost their milk." Poppyheart explained.
"Oh, yeah! You gave it to Swansong once!" Rainkit shouted rather loudly.
"Shut up! You're sooo loud!" Hailkit meowed at about the same volume.
"Hailkit, you're just as loud. Perhaps louder." Honeykit huffed. Featherkit wasn't used to her acting so annoyed toward her brother. It kind of suits her. Rainkit laughed, launching into a pretty good imitation of Hailkit's voice.
"I'm the best, I'm gonna be the best warrior ever, and I like Featherkit sooo much!" Rainkit mewed, puffing out her chest. Featherkit was about to laugh, but stopped cold at the last statement. Her pelt suddenly became fiery hot, and she wished for Rainkit's short fur.
"I so do not like Featherkit!" Hailkit meowed indignantly. He glanced to Hawkkit for moral support, getting no response. In fact, Hawkkit had slapped his tail across his mouth to keep from laughing. Hailkit narrowed his eyes, his fur sticking straight up. But he laughed tensely at what Hawkkit had to say.
"I heard that Ashpaw likes Barkclaw, you know. He's so old!" Hawkkit confided.
"Nah, Seedpelt's liked her for moons! And he's even older!" Honeykit whispered. They chattered aimlessly for a while, enjoying the sun on their pelts. Honeykit and Rainkit were playing a game of mossball, occasionally hitting one of the queens or senior warriors with it. At the corner of Featherkit's vision, she saw a cat appear, then vanish. She didn't recognize her pelt. Her form materialized once again near the fresh-kill pile, her tail beckoning. Strangely enough, her pelt seemed to flicker between a golden tabby and a dark tortoiseshell. Her large eyes continually changed between a bright blue and a orangey-amber hue. Featherkit padded away from her friends, curious to see who this unfamiliar cat was.
Hello, Featherkit. The silver tabby kit jumped in surprise. The voice had seemed to materialize as one of her own thoughts, but she was certain it belonged to the strange cat.
Do not fear me. I am your StarClan guardian. I will guide you and your sister's pawsteps throughout both of your lives.
"Aren't you supposed to visit me in my dreams?" Featherkit wondered.
Yes. But your mind is… blocked. I cannot seem to reach you in sleep, much like I cannot reach your sister when she is awake. To break this barrier, you and Rainkit must pass into the Empty Quarter. StarClan and the Dark Forest are impenetrable before you pass the Twelve Trials. Good luck. Her form wavered.
"Wait! I have to complete these Trials with Rainkit?" She had never been close to her sister. They were just too different.
Work together, and you have the power to succeed. Separate, even for one instant, and you will fail.
"Oh, okay. Wait! What-" But the spirit-cat was gone, not even leaving a single pawprint.
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