Chapter Two:

Four sunrises had passed since Whisperkit had joined the Clan and she'd settled in quite nicely, but she always seemed to get rather reserved when her brother was mentioned. Leopardstar had allowed her to sit vigil for Jaykit, although it was against traditions. Ever since she'd joined the kits in the nursery, she'd been hearing stories about some place called StarClan. She was told her brother had been accepted there and he was no longer ill, they weren't so sure about their mother being she was a loner.

Mistleaf said that she and her new sisters would be the next to be apprenticed after Hawkpaw, Sleetpaw, and Wolfpaw had received their names, then Streamstep's three. When asked how old she was, Whisperkit wasn't so sure. After a few questions were asked, the Clan confirmed that she and her brother were around three or four moons old. Snowkit and Rabbitkit were three moons old, but the calico kitten would be apprenticed at the same time they were.

With her time in the Nursery she'd gotten a good look at her denmates and a did some observation of their personalities; Shadowkit was a boisterous young tom who spread his spirit all across the camp, he was always full of energy and he'd made it more than clear that his dream was to become the leader of CascadeClan. Rabbitkit was a sweet she-cat who made sure everyone felt welcome in their den, her upbeat personality could bring a smile to anycat's face.

Snowkit was a warrior at heart, she was already proving to be a loyal and trustworthy friend to the kits in the nursery. Shadowkit offered to make her the deputy if he became leader someday, but the she-cat politely turned the offer down. Harekit seemed to have her attention set on becoming the Clan's medicine cat, but she was willing to become a warrior if required. Squirrelkit insisted on becoming the Clan's most loyal warrior and was convinced he'd rip anycat to shreds if they threatened his Clan.

"Hey, Whisperkit! Want to play Warrior with us?" The calico's attention snapped towards Shadowkit, who was sitting atop the boulder in the corner of the nursery wearing a broad smile, "Snowkit wants to be a warrior this time, so you can be a deputy!" It turns out, Snowkit only accepts the offer of becoming the deputy when playing Warrior. Whisperkit shook her head as a response, informing her denmates that she didn't want to play.

Shadowkit frowned and hopped off the boulder to approach the calico she-kit, "Come on, please?" He begged, "A leader needs a deputy, there's never a leader without a deputy. I can help you out, if you'd like."

Before Whisperkit could respond to the tom, a figure loomed over them and the two kits looked up to meet the amber eyes of Sleetpaw. The newly appointed apprentice had come to deliver prey for Dusknose and had overheard their conversation, "She probably thinks your cute little game of Warriors is mouse-brained," the speckled tom snorted, displeased with the idea of an unknown blood in his Clan, "I'll never know why Leopardstar allowed her to become one of us."

Shadowkit's fur fluffed up and he hissed at the older tom, "Sleetpaw! Be nice or I'll... I'll... I'll tell Ashheart you're being mean!"

Steelpaw chuckled and pat the small ball of fluff with his tail, "Good luck, Ashheart doesn't care what I do." There was a brief hint of sadness in the tom's amber gaze as he stared down at the kits, but he blinked it away as he started for the nursery's exit.

When the apprenticed left the den, Whisperkit looked at Shadowkit with confusion in her hazel green eyes. "Who is Ashheart?" She asked curiously with a cute flick of her ears. Harekit bounded up beside her brother with a smile on her maw.

"Ashheart is Mistleaf's sister, she's a really pretty she-cat! A great warrior, too!" Harekit explained excitedly, but then her ears pinned to her skull and she looked down, "Streamstep wants me to become a warrior, but I really want to become a medicine cat. I don't want to hurt anybody..."

Shadowkit pressed his nose to his sister's pelt and offered her a smile, "Streamstep will be proud of you no matter what you become, and so will me and Squirrelkit!" The black tom reassured the bobbed-tail, brown she-kit. Whisperkit offered her denmates a tiny smile before getting to her paws to approach the nursery's exit. "If you want to play, let us know!" Shadowkit and Harekit scrambled back to the other kits as Whisperkit sat down to wait on Mistleaf.

She could see her adoptive mother from outside the nursery; she was speaking to spotted brown tom she assumed was Sparrowfall, Snowkit and Rabbitkit's father. She leaned in closer, her head peeking over the small ridge that kept the queens and kits safe from floods. She twitched her ears, listening to the two cats.

Sparrowfall's deep voice caught her attention first, "I'm sorry, Mistleaf, but I'm not going to adopt some alley-cat's kit..." That stung her heart.

Mistleaf's voice was gentle and reasonable, "Please, give her a chance. We're all she has now, she's lost her family." Hope surged through Whisperkit at the sound of that.

"Very well," Sparrowfall sighed, accepting that he'd lost, "but this doesn't mean I'm her father." He replied with a defeated tone as he turned to pad away. Just at that moment, Whisperkit leaned too far off the ridge and she tumbled down. Thankfully, the dropoff wasn't that high and she was unharmed. Sparrowfall's attention turned towards her and he swallowed his chuckle as a very worried Mistleaf approached her.

"Whisperkit, are you okay?" She asked, giving the calico a quick examination before rasping her tongue over her face, "You could have hurt yourself!" The kit sat up and leaned away, drawing her paw over her forehead and snout before lifting her hazel eyes to meet Mistleaf's. She nodded and the speckled she-cat bumped her side, telling her to return to the nursery.

Behind her, a long-haired stone-grey she-cat watched with amusement sparkling in her gaze, but when Whisperkit felt eyes on her and looked over her shoulder to see who it was, the cat was gone. "What is it, Whisperkit?" Mistleaf asked, lifting her head to see what her adoptive daughter was looking at. The calico shook her head, informing her that it was nothing.

After Mistleaf had left the nursery again, Whisperkit had requested to join her denmates' games, Shadowkit had been more than willing to allow her to play. She could feel Streamstep's glare of disapproval, but she knew the she-cat wasn't going to do anything. The kits played until they grew weary and snuggled up against their mothers for the night.

That Night

Whisperkit wasn't sure where she was, all she knew was that she'd opened her eyes to find herself in a hole of complete darkness and silence. She'd called out once or twice for anybody, just somebody to help her. She felt like she'd wandered for miles, but she'd come across nothing and it seemed that her surroundings only grew darker as she walked. "Hello? Shadowkit? Harekit? Mistleaf?" She mewed quietly, panic started to roll through her. She'd been learning about StarClan and someplace called the Place of No Stars; was that where she was? Had she done something wrong and had ended up in the dark to roam aimlessly for moons to come? "I'm very sorry if I did something bad..."

She didn't want to be here, her heart was racing and she was started to feel cramped and confined. She was scared, and her trembling body was a clear give away. "Please, give me another chance..."

She felt warmth bubble inside of her when she heard another kit's voice calling out in the darkness, she wasn't alone! "Hello? I'm here! Who are you?" She yowled, hoping they could hear her. Another unfamiliar voice echoed from behind her and she spun around, her fur fluffed up and her eyes in slits.

"Relax, kits," it was a tom's voice, soothing and relaxing, "you are not in trouble." A bright golden light flashed before Whisperkit's eyes and she squinted as a glowing orange and white tom approached her. She could now feel the presence of many other kits. Shadowkit and Rabbitkit's scents were nearby, and the familiar smell relaxed her. She was not alone... Whisperkit looked around for her friend and her sister, only to find she was still surrounded by darkness.

"My name is Lightspring," his pupil-less heterochromia eyes seemingly locked on Whisperkit, but it was clear he was looking at all of the kits. "Listen closely; Disaster draws near as new opportunities are surfaced; one will defy the odds and come out on top, but not as you once knew them..." The tom closed his eyes, "The Clans will come to an end as you know them, but fear not, a new life awaits you."

Now, Whisperkit could see the other kits around her. Shadowkit was right at her side and Rabbitkit was not far away, Snowkit and Harekit were side-by-side and Squirrelkit could be found with another trio of unfamiliar kits. Before the calico could get a good look at the new kits, she was awoken.

"Somebody fetch Echospirit, now!"

Her head snapped up in sync with Snowkit's, Rabbitkit lay with her head on her littermate's paws with her eyes wide open. Shadowkit had scrambled out of his nest, waking his brother and sister. The kits' attention drifted towards Dusknose, who seemed to be very uncomfortable and in serious pain. As Streamstep fled the nursery to alert their medicine cat, Harekit stood to approach the expecting queen.

"Dusknose, what's wrong?" Harekit asked, her tiny voice full of concern. "Are you hurt?" Dusknose didn't respond, seemingly being in too much pain to have heard the worried she-kit. At that moment, Gingerswipe came running into the nursery with a long leap, he approached his mate and put his nose to her shoulder. Mistleaf had started to herd the kits outside, she took Harekit by the scruff and set her outside the nursery.

Echospirit entered the cave with a mouthfull of herbs a few moments later, "What's wrong?" Shadowkit asked, fearing for Dusknose's life, "Is she gonna be okay?" Mistleaf drew her kits to her side as Streamstep returned, the grey tabby that was his mother explained that the kits would have new denmates soon. Shadowkit groaned, "Oh StarClan, please let it be toms! There are too many she-kits here!"

Streamstep's tail flicked him in the head and the black tom huffed. Quietly, they awaited the arrival of their new friends.

[Late] Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays/Happy New Year!

Apologies for the late update! Like I said, I'll work on this story when I feel up to it. So, did you enjoy the new chapter?