Disclaimer: I don't own Warrior Cats

Title: Resilience

Summary: With a harsh Leaf-bare on the horizon, the Clans are in a bad way. Petalkit is growing up under the stern gaze of her father, Ravenfur, when suddenly everything changes. Stuck in RiverClan until WindClan can produce enough catmint- something no Clan has in these temperatures- she does what any kit would do. She adapts.

Chapter Title: Blackstorm

...

I-really-hope-not- (I already answered this, but I don't mind repeating it) Blackstorm and Cherryfur either a.) found a rogue who didn't want to be a father, or b.) Cherryfur is trans. (I'm really fond of trans she-cat Cherryfur, tbh)

TheRealOwlEyes- I don't see what's so selfish in Graystar doing as her Clan wanted, and/or protecting the cats she swore to protect. =) This story is Petalkit's, I'm afraid, and I can't imagine switching to another POV out of nowhere.

iDragonSpyro- I really enjoy Graystar's way of leading myself!

WildflowerDar- Aye.

...

Stonebird was wheezing as Petalkit settled in next to him, pelt to pelt, to help keep him warm. The gray tabby's fur felt like it was on fire, but she knew it was just his fever. Maybe we could drape moss over him at night. It might help keep the heat in. "More coltsfoot?"

"Absolutely." The brown and white tabby she-cat nodded half to herself, shifting herbs around. "And some borage leaves."

The days in RiverClan had turned into a form of routine. Lionkit and Sedgekit would play in the clearing while Petalkit helped Whitestripe with her duties. They'd eat dinner together. Sometimes, before the sun disappeared, Littlepelt would take them swimming in the stream. After that they would go to bed and start things over the next day. I'm getting good at swimming, but that doesn't make me hate the seaweed any less. I swear, that stuff is StarClan warning cats to stay away.

Stonebird looked at Petalkit fondly while Whitestripe got the two herbs together. His eyes were glassy with fever. "Oh, Whitestripe, look. That cat from StarClan is back to visit."

Petalkit's ears flattened. She wasn't sure how she felt about being mistaken for a dead warrior. I can't blame him for the illness, of course, but it's still weird. "My name is Petalkit. It's nice to meet you."

"Honor to meet you, Petalkit," he meowed companionably, looking at the medicine cat as she approached. "Can you hear her, Whitestripe? Her name is Petalkit. Poor young thing, coming to comfort me like this."

"StarClan works in strange ways, Stonebird." She shoved the herbs closer. "Here. Take these."

"Do I have to?" he whined. "I'm sick of plants. The wind's are gettin' colder, too. You don't need me around to take from the fresh-kill pile."

Petalkit sat up and touched a paw to his shoulder. "Eat the herbs, Stonebird," she urged. "Whitestripe just wants what's best for you."

He regarded her for a second, then nodded obediently. "Can't argue with StarClan."

Whitestripe shot her a grateful look as the elder bent down to eat the coltsfoot and borage leaves. Petalkit got the feeling that feeding herbs to the elders had always been difficult. When you live this long, you get stubborn. It's just life.

"Y'know, tomorrow is your apprentice ceremony," Whitestripe gently brought the idea up as she went back to sorting herbs. "Have you considered it at all?"

"Not really," she admitted. Petalkit had been trying to force it out of her mind. This is the exact opposite of what I wanted for my ceremony. "I mean, am I even allowed to get my apprentice name? I'm basically a hostage."

"I don't see why you wouldn't be. You're old enough and strong enough to learn, and Graystar wouldn't want you just lying around, unable to help." Whitestripe nodded to herself, then faced Petalkit. "Have you ever considered becoming a medicine cat?"

Of course I have. Every kit has. "I like the smell of herbs. They're comforting. But I don't know if I want to spend the rest of my life this way."

Petalkit expected Whitestripe to argue, but she seemed unhurt by her dismissal. "It's not an easy decision to make. Just remember- if you don't like it, you can always change."

"I can?"

"Cats have done it before. In the end, the only one who can tell you who to be is you."

She opened her mouth to reply- though what she would say, she wasn't sure- but she was cut off by a low yowl. Stonebird's eyes snapped open as he struggled to lift his head off his paws.

"Sounds like a kittin' queen to me," he meowed gruffly.

"Blackstorm," Whitestripe agreed, standing up. "Petalkit, would you like to join me?"

Petalkit glanced at Stonebird, who was only half lucid, and decided she'd had enough of being called a gift from StarClan. "I can carry the herbs."

"Feel along here," Whitestripe instructed, guiding Petalkit's paw to the queen's stomach, near her hindquarters. "Can you feel the kits?"

Petalkit nodded, pressing down gently. "There's three."

"Is there?"

She hesitated, re-counting. "Wait, no, there's four. The last one was hiding."

The brown and white tabby nodded with satisfaction, then addressed Blackstorm. "Did you hear that? You've got four babies coming."

"Goody," the gray and orange calico responded, teeth grit. "But I'd much rather have them be here. Is there any way you could pick it up?"

"I'm afraid not," she meowed apologetically. "I can't bend nature."

Petalkit left Blackstorm's belly to sit by her head, cleaning between her ears. "You can do it, Blackstorm. You're so brave. And, just imagine- soon you'll have four kits running all over RiverClan. Aren't you excited?"

"Right now?" She exhaled sharply out of nose. "Right now, I'm in pain."

Petalkit watched in awe as Whitestripe worked, keeping Blackstorm calm, bringing her wet moss to drink. Littlepelt had taken Lionkit and Sedgekit to visit Swiftmist in the elders' den, so she had plenty of room to work with. She finally called her over to clean the first kit; an orange and white she-cat. Petalkit gently placed her against Blackstorm's belly to suckle, marveling at how she stood out against the calico's coat. She looks like the sunset. "She's beautiful, Blackstorm." She thought she heard the queen purr in reply, but otherwise she gave no indication of having heard.

"The next one is coming," Whitestripe said, bringing her back to the present. The second kit was a sleek-furred tortoiseshell, and so was the third, which Petalkit placed side by side. "They're twins," she explained, catching Petalkit's puzzled glance.

"I had twins?" Blackstorm lifted her head up to blink fuzzily at them. "Well, I'll be."

The fourth and final kit was a calico with a longer pelt and tail. She curled up next to the twins without complaint, suckling steadily. Petalkit found herself purring. I helped this happen, if only be helping guide them to her belly. Whitestripe did all the work, really, but it's okay to be happy, isn't it? Four kits were born today. That's something to be happy about. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got run over by a monster twice," Blackstorm replied, shifting a bit to get comfortable. "But it could be much worse. Look at them."

"I am." Was I really that small once? She remembered asking herself that same question when Wolfkit and Deerkit were born, but the thought still continued to boggle her. "They're wonderful."

Whitestripe hummed agreement and scooched closer to see them better. Her tail proudly wound around Petalkit. "Do you have any names ready?"

"I did, but..." Blackstorm hesitated. "Well, they weren't names I picked out by myself. I think it's best if I leave them in the dust. The orange and white one can be Hollykit. She looks like a Hollykit, I think. The calico is covered in patches, so I'll name her Patchkit."

"And the twins?"

Petalkit glanced at the two tortoiseshell kits. They each had a small patch of orange on their shoulders; pressed together like they were, it looked like they made a heart. They complete each other.

After a moment of silence, Blackstorm perked up, eyes glowing. "I'll name them after herbs! They do the same thing- heal cats- but they do it in different ways. No herb is like the other. I think that's fitting. The one on the left will be Poppykit, and the one on the right can be Tansykit."

Poppy seeds and tansy look nothing alike, Petalkit thought. She wondered if Blackstorm knew that, and had done it on purpose, or if she'd just chosen two herb names and went with it. Hollykit, Poppykit, Tansykit, and Patchkit. I feel like those names fit, but what do I know? I'm not even a 'paw.

Whitestripe congratulated her one last time and nudged Petalkit, silently telling her the queen and her new kits needed space. Almost immediately after leaving the den she was tackled by Lionkit. Petalkit dug her teeth into his scruff and rolled him onto his side- he broke away with a laugh. She reached a back paw out to scratch her chin, freezing when Cherryfur approached.

"Are they healthy?" she asked Whitestripe. "What do they look like? What's their names?"

Petalkit glanced into the nursery. Blackstorm's eyes glittered as she watched the warrior question the medicine cat intently. Her tail wrapped around the kits almost subconsciously until the medicine cat led Cherryfur away. She closed her eyes to hold in the hurt and put her head on her paws.

Petalkit didn't follow Whitestripe back to the medicine den. The black and white she-cat barely managed to stomach a fish before falling into Littlepelt's nest, forcing herself to ignore how natural this was beginning to feel. Littlepelt is nice, but she'll never be Raintail.

"Only one more night in here," Sedgekit whispered into the darkness. "Is it weird that I feel nervous? Half a moon ago I couldn't wait to get out of the nursery. But now it's, like, sinking in a bit, all the responsibilities we'll have."

"It is kinda scary," Lionkit agreed. "I hope I don't get Carpjaw as a mentor. He's super strict."

"Not as strict as Volespring," Petalkit murmured, watching the white tom's face scrunch up at the thought.

"Volespring scares me."

"Volespring scares everybody. I think it's part of her job," Sedgekit told them.

"Can I tell you guys something?"

"Sure."

Petalkit swallowed, suddenly feeling unsure. This isn't like at home. No one will judge me here. And, if they do, what does it matter? I don't live here. "I think I want to be a medicine cat."

Lionkit leveled her a bland look. "I hadn't noticed."

"You do follow Whitestripe around a lot," Sedgekit hesitantly added. "I figured it was pretty obvious."

"I guess." Petalkit's ears fell flat against her head. It was pretty obvious, wasn't it? But why did Ravenfur never bring it up? Surely he'd want to try and convince her to become a warrior? "It's just- my father always wanted me to be a warrior. And it feels like, by becoming a medicine cat, I'm almost doing it to spite him? That's how he'd see it, anyway."

"Well, are you doing it to spite him?"

"No," she meowed. "I'd be doing it because I like herbs. I could spend the rest of my life picking plants and be happy."

"Then you aren't doing it to spite him, and if he thinks so he's a fish-brain who needs to realize that not everything is about him." Lionkit plopped his head down triumphantly. "It's as simple as that."

"Since when were you so great at advice?"

"Hey, when you live with Sedgekit for six moons, it tends to rub off on you."

Petalkit soured a bit at that. The kits she'd spent most of her life with were far away. She'd never be as close to them as Sedgekit and Lionkit were to each other. She sighed, forlorn. "I wish Beekit and Stripekit were here."

"Your brothers?"

"Yeah. Raintail, too. I just..." she choked on the words, took a deep breath, and started over. "I just want to go home."

They won't even be kits when I get back, she realized suddenly. Petalkit hadn't even considered that them missing out on her apprentice ceremony went both ways. I won't get to call them Beepaw and Stripepaw with the rest of the Clan. I hope they know I'm safe and thinking about them.

"Hey." A brown and black paw nudged her shoulder. Sedgekit blinked at her worriedly. "We're not them. I get that. But, until you get home, we can be your second best. We don't mind."

"Yeah," Lionkit butted in. "Mom's already adopted you, anyway. We're basically littermates."

Petalkit glanced at Blackstorm. The kits were sound asleep, unaware that a WindClan cat had infiltrated their Clan. I helped them. I'm a tiny part of the reason they're here right now. The thought soothed her, if only a little. "Thanks."

Whitestripe seemed to be expecting her early the next morning. She asked no questions, and Petalkit gave no answers, but a mutual understanding had been met. Stonebird was still sleeping, deep and restful, and she took that as a good sign.

They left the medicine den together, side by side, as the Clan began to gather. Littlepelt was giving Lionkit and Sedgekit a thorough washing. Fluffywing was abashedly discussing the state of the stream by the border with Tallblaze, who was explaining the directions they flowed and the best places to find wet moss in the stones. Sandstream sat quietly by his lonesome. Cloudwillow was pestering Carpjaw near the back, but they were too far away for Petalkit to discern. Hawktail, Dawnbelly, and Cherryfur all sat together but apart, stiffly silent. Petalkit awkwardly shook out some scraps of beech leaves from her pelt, suddenly aware of how scruffy she must look.

Whitestripe and Graystar exchanged a look as they neared. The leader looked at Petalkit a short second, nodded to herself, and gracefully leapt onto her perch. Volespring gruffly sat beneath her, eyes slitted. Petalkit went to join Lionkit and Sedgekit before the Clan. Graystar waved her tail for silence.

"Leaf-bare is coming, and we all know it will be harsh," she started. "RiverClan needs apprentices. Blackstorm has given birth to four healthy kits just last night, which will need prey to survive. The more hunters we have, the better. I know we will rise above all of this. We are RiverClan. We are strong."

"RiverClan!" Volespring called out. A few warriors joined in. "RiverClan! RiverClan!"

WindClan, thought Petalkit, but knew better than to say.

"Lionkit, from this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Lionpaw. Your mentor will be Hawktail. I hope he will be able to pass on his wisdom and strength onto you."

Lionpaw gave a little bounce as Hawktail approached, eagerly brushing noses with the gray and white tom. Sedgekit trembled a bit as Graystar turned to him.

"Sedgekit, from this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Sedgepaw. Your mentor will be Tallblaze. I hope that she will be able to pass on her courage and sense of loyalty onto you."

Sedgepaw nodded and padded over to Tallblaze, trying his best to seem composed. The brown and white she-cat met him halfway, brushing their noses together. Sedgepaw sat down next to her, Tallblaze's tail wrapping around him.

Finally, all of RiverClan's attention turned to her. Petalkit forced her head to stay high, paws trembling. She tried to imagine that her warrior ancestors had come to watch over her; dozens of WindClan warriors, stars glittering in their pelts, comfortably sitting and laying around her, silent. It gave her courage. I'm not alone here. I'm not alone anywhere.

"Petalkit, do you accept the post of apprentice to Whitestripe?"

It won't be for forever. Once I get home, I'll be Birdleap's apprentice. I hope he doesn't mind. "I do."

"Then I name you Petalpaw. At the half-moon, you must travel to the Moonpool to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats." She paused, then added: "The good wishes of all RiverClan go with you."

Petalpaw practically tripped over herself as she jogged over to Whitestripe, bumping noises with her quickly before sitting down. She told herself that Raintail would be proud of her no matter where her ceremony took place as RiverClan collectively yowled their names.

"Lionpaw! Sedgepaw! Petalpaw!"

Author's Note: Yay for Petalpaw! I think this is the longest I've had a cat in my stories stay a kit- nine whole chapters.

Fun Fact- Hollykit was originally gonna be named Rockkit, as a nod to Stonebird, but Blackstorm never struck me as the type to want to name kits after those who are gone or may soon be gone. Also, Hollykit really looks like a Hollykit.

-Mandaree1