Starpaw yawned, shifting in her nest silently. She was with someone, but whoever it was was warm. She hummed and purred, snuggling into the cat's fur. Her partner threw a gentle paw over her and pulled her close, purring quietly. She felt as though she could stay like this forever, just the two of them sleeping in bliss forever.

She opened her eyes, and the blurry red shape of Sagepaw filled her vision. Starpaw smiled and leaned into the she-cat's fur, inhaling her familiar scent. It had been two moons since Redfur had been made a warrior without her, and even though the two sisters were still incredibly loyal to each other, they had begun to drift apart as training sessions and long patrols kept Starpaw occupied for most of the day. In that time, Sagepaw had become a quick learner, and the two apprentices were almost evenly matched at this point. As Starpaw had learned over midnight conversations whispered in the silence of camp, Sagepaw was only a half-moon younger than Starpaw. Starpaw couldn't imagine her life now without her friend, and she didn't want to.

Sagepaw stayed asleep as Starpaw snuck out, the early morning light casting long shadows around camp. She checked the fresh-kill pile, but it was almost empty, with a stale sparrow lying alone. Redfur was returning from her patrol, yawning as Lakeflower escorted her to the warrior's den. Starpaw turned away from the two sadly, choosing instead to do some hunting. Quietly, before Firestar could call for her, she slipped out of camp and ventured into the forest.

In the silence of the early morning, she felt herself on edge. It was as though Starpaw could hear her own heartbeat. She quietly roamed through the territory, careful not to scatter a loose twig or any fallen leaves. The melting frost was dripping onto the forest floor, and the scent of fresh earth filled her nose.

After a moment, she caught the scent of hare. Her mouth watered as she tracked the creature, its scent intoxicating. After a few moments, she caught sight of the hare, the nervous lagomorph chewing on a piece of fallen fruit. Starpaw smiled and readied her hips.

She pounced, landing heavily on the hare. It shrieked and struggled, but it was cut off with a quick bite to its neck. Warm blood oozed out of the limp body, painting her silver muzzle red. She smirked proudly at her catch. This'll make a nice meal.

Starpaw carried her kill back to camp, stumbling over her paws. The camp was starting to buzz with cats waking up.

As she pulled her catch to the fresh-kill pile, she heard a gasp from Dawnfur. "Oh, my! What a good catch!"

Starpaw purred and turned, only to stop when she saw Redfur, a large crow dangling from her jaws. The young warrior purred bashfully, her chest puffed out. "It's not that impressive, really."

Cloudtail flicked his tail proudly at his former apprentice. "A catch like that will feed many mouths. I'm proud of you, Redfur."

Starpaw couldn't help but feel a little envious at all the attention her sister was receiving. She growled under her breath and placed the hare in the fresh-kill pile, before stalking off to the nursery.

Inside, Ferncloud was tiredly watching her kits, who ran about. She smiled and nodded to the queen. "I'll watch them, if you want to go on a walk or something." Ferncloud purred her thanks and stood up, padding out into the sunlight.

"Hey, Starpaw!" Bramblekit squeaked, the little tabby scrambling over to her. "Are you gonna teach us some battle moves?"

"No!" protested Featherkit, his fur fluffing out indignantly. "Tell us a story instead."

Bramblekit pounced on her brother. "Stop being mouse-brained!" She batted at her brother's belly with moss-soft paws. "Rrow! I'm the leader of Thunderclan, you mangy Windclan cat! I'm gonna deface you!"

"Defeat is the word you're looking for," Starpaw corrected. She watched as the ticked tabby mock-fought her brother, rolling him onto his belly. After a moment, she pulled the two apart, rolling Bramblekit onto her back. "Calm down, little one. You'll have plenty of time to be a warrior in a few moons. For now, enjoy being a kit while you can."

The she-kit grumbled, but she tucked her tail around her paws. "Fine. Then will you tell us a story?"

"I asked that!" Featherkit whined.

Starpaw hummed, thinking for a moment. "Alright, since you're so battle hungry, I'll tell you the story of the brave queen who gave us a guideline for when to train our kits."

The kits settled in and listened, as Starpaw began to speak…

"Once, many moons ago, so long ago that she is only remembered in story, there lived a queen named Daisytail. Daisytail was a windclan cat, and before we moved to the lakes, Shadowclan and Windclan used to go to battle daily, each itching to die for their clan. Daisytail's only kit was barely three moons old when one day, she learned that he would be sent into battle before three sunrises had passed. Daisytail would not stand by and watch as her son was slaughtered in battle. So, the queen hatched a plan.

Shadowclan and Windclan were at the field, ready to fight, when a queen's voice rang out. "STOP!" cried Daisytail, leaping onto the rock she had been hiding behind. Hawkfoot, another Windclan queen and Daisytail's close friend, scrambled up beside her. "We won't let you fight!"

Blizzardstar, the leader of Shadowclan at the time, stared at the queens in astonishment. "Are all your cats this scared of combat, Hazelstar?"

"It's not fear," called a cat from the ShadowClan line. "We're stopping this battle," she announced. The queen, Oakleaf stepped forward and bowed her head in tense greeting to Daisytail.

Daisytail dipped her head to her ally, before continuing. "Some of these apprentices are barely weaned from their mothers' milk. They are too young to die, too young to fight, too young to be treated like full-grown warriors."

The ShadowClan queen walked out to join her companions. "Daisytail came to see us with the other queens two sunrises ago. She told me that she didn't want to let her kit go into battle when he was too small to fight his own Clanmates, and she asked me if I would let my kit die like this, too."

Hazelstar turned to Daisytail, his fur bristling. "What are you saying?" he asked, looking from his warriors back to the queens. "That we should never fight again? Do you really think that is how the Clans could live?"

Daisytail shook her head. "No. I know battle is part of our life. It's what warriors train for. But they should only be asked to fight when they are old enough to stand a chance of winning. What is the point of training kits so young that they'll be lost in their first conflict?"

Oakleaf trotted across the grass and stood side by side with Daisytail and Hawkfoot. "We are united, Blizzardstar," she told him. She nodded toward the line, and several other she-cats padded out. Daisytail dipped her head to greet them; some of these queens were too old to have kits as young as hers, but they all felt the same: The youngest cats should not be expected to fight. The grass whispered softly as the she-cats joined them, falling in beside both clanmates and enemies, united in their desire to stop the senseless slaughter.

Daisytail looked from Hazelstar to Blizzardstar and back again. The leaders could still order their warriors into battle. All that would happen would be that she would be forced to watch her kit fall beneath the paws of a giant ShadowClan warrior, never to get up again.

After a moment, the leaders hung their heads in shame. "Very well," said Hazelstar, turning to the queen. "What would you chose for the age to train apprentices?"

After a moment, looking around at the kits, she answered him, "Six moons. Until then, they will remain in the nursery and be tended to by the queens."

The leaders agreed. "You speak wisely, Daisytail. Windclan will withdraw all apprentices under six moons old."

"And so will Shadowclan." The two leaders nodded and headed home, and bloodshed was averted.

At the next gathering, the leaders proposed the rule of no kittens under six moons being trained, with Daisytail as one of its strongest supporters. There were some complaints, but the queens stood firm, and finally the law was passed.

And so, to this day we remember Daisytail, for her courage and determination to save her kit."

Starpaw smiled at the two kits, who seemed almost humbled by the story of the brave queen. "Wow," Bramblekit said after a moment, hushed. "I never knew about all that."

Starpaw chuckled. "Longtail told it to me, and his mother before him, and her mentor before her. We tell the stories of our elders, and in that way we never forget where we came from."

Firestar purred, emerging from the entrance. "Well spoken, Starpaw."

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Thank you, sir." She picked up Featherkit and pat his head.

Firestar padded up beside her and smiled. "How are you feeling?"

Starpaw shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I'm a little upset, because Redfur gets to be a warrior and I don't, but I know that she started training earlier than me. It's not her fault that she's smarter, and stronger, and more liked, and funnier, and just about perfect in every way." Starpaw hissed and flattened her ears. "It's not her fault I can never catch up," she muttered.

Firestar sighed and laid his tail across her back. "Soon, Starpaw. I promise you that."

Starpaw huffed, mollified. She gently nudged Bramblekit and Featherkit. "Come on, you two. Why don't you go see if Jayfeather wants some help?"

Featherkit wrinkled his nose. "Yuck! I don't like herbs. They taste gross."

"Yeah!" his sister echoed. "Teach us some battle moves!"

"In one ear, out the other." Starpaw grimaced and turned to her mentor. "Was I like this when I was a kit?"

"Worse," he chuckled. "You thought that you could take on the whole of Shadowclan at four moons old."

Starpaw groaned with embarrassment. "Ugh, Starclan take me now." She padded out of the den, followed closely by the kits, and her mentor a few tail-lengths away, watching. "C'mon, we're going to play a game."

"A game?" Bramblekit asked, bouncing on her toes. "What is it?"

"It's called Ten Little Mice," she purred. "I'm going to close my eyes and count to ten, and you have to run and hide."

The kits chirped their approval, and Starpaw closed her eyes. "One little mouse, two little mice, three little mice…" The kits scampered off, their pawsteps loud in the camp. "Four little mice, five little mice, six little mice…" She heard an indignant grunt as one of the kits ran into a group of warriors, to her left. "Seven little mice, eight little mice, nine little mice…" The second kit hurtled towards the med den, their pawsteps loud in the camp. "Ten little mice! Ready or not, I'm hunting you!"

She opened her eyes, blinking at the sunlight. She sniffed and prowled about dramatically, growling for effect. "Where are you? I'm coming to find you!"

She heard a soft squeak, and turned towards where Brackenfur and Sorreltail were very pointedly not looking towards her. She smiled and padded over, tail lashing. "Gotcha!" she said, pulling a brown tail out from underneath Brackenfur. Bramblekit squeaked and protested as she was dragged into the sunlight.

The kit huffed and rubbed a paw over her ear. "I need to work harder on hiding."

Starpaw chuckled. "It's alright. Come on, let's go find your brother."

The two she-cat's padded towards the medicine den. Inside, the scent of drying burnet and marigold wafted over her nose, and she took a deep breath. Bramblekit wrinkled her nose, but she held her tongue and followed Starpaw.

Between the scents of herbs and mouse bile, Starpaw caught Featherkit's scent, and she purred. She reached into a pile of beech leaves and came out with the grey kitten on her paws. "There we are," she purred, licking his forehead.

He shook himself and stood up, flicking his tail. "How did you find me?"

"I caught your scent." She escorted the two kits outside the medicine den, away from possible poisons, and into the belly of camp. Sagepaw was awake by now, yawning as she groomed herself. Starpaw got an evil grin on her face and leaned down to the two kits. "Sagepaw is your target. Take her down!"

The kits yowled and charged at Sagepaw, leaping onto her. Sagepaw shrieked and spun around as the kits clambered onto her belly, but when she saw them, she let out a gasp and fell down, limp.

"Betrayed by my own clanmates! Oh, the agony!" she cried, flailing her paws in the air.

Bramblekit laughed in the most evil manner a four-moon-old kitten could muster, standing proudly on top of Sagepaw's shoulders. "Look upon me, Thunderclan, and despair! I have slain your greatest warrior, and soon, all of you will join her! Beg for mercy, clan cats! Beg for-"

"Alright, that's enough of that." Ferncloud gentle grabbed Bramblekit's scruff and pulled her off of Sagepaw, carrying her to the nursery with a satisfied air. Bramblekit protested as she was pulled away from her scene, and her brother did nothing to stop their mother, simply following his sister.

Sagepaw sat up, watching the queen and her children disappear into the nursery. Starpaw chirped and licked Sagepaw's shoulder in apology, and Sagepaw huffed. "When we have kits, I'll set them on you for revenge."

Starpaw chuckled. "Sure, Sagepaw." She settled down beside her friend and watched the camp, tail flicking languidly. "You know, it's nice that nothing's happening today. I mean, it's nice to sit back and watch the world with you."

Sagepaw smiled bashfully and leaned in to her. Starpaw welcomed the affection, purring. Sagepaw turned to her quietly. "Hey, when we're warriors…"

"Yeah?"

Sagepaw sighed and extracted herself. "C'mon, I'll tell you in the woods."

The two apprentices padded out of camp, heading north towards the old twolegplace. "So, what were you going to ask me?" Starpaw asked, brushing up beside her friend.

"Well…" Sagepaw flicked her ears, but a yowl cut them off. Starpaw felt her blood run cold.

"That's Redfur! She's in trouble!" The two ran for the source of the sound, and found Lakeflower pinning Redfur to the ground. Starpaw's sister yowled and writhed under Lakeflower, and Starpaw didn't even have to think. She snarled and pounced, claws extended. "Get off of my sister!"

Lakeflower shrieked as Starpaw collided with her. The apprentice hissed and spit at the warrior, who took one look at her and chucked her off.

Starpaw shook her head and snarled, preparing to pounce, until Redfur got between them. "Sis, stop," she pleaded, her face flush.

"But she was attacking you!"

"No, she really wasn't," Sagepaw said from the sidelines, and she seemed rather embarrassed.

"But what else would she be-"

Oh. OH.

Starpaw yelped and took a step back, suddenly realizing just what she had stumbled upon. "Sorry! Sorry, I'll just- um, I'll go."

Lakeflower shook her head. "No, wait!" She took a step forward, fur fluffed up. "It's not what it looks like, really. We were just, um…"

"Mating?" Sagepaw suggested.

"No! Well, yes, but- please don't tell anyone." Lakeflower dipped her head. "If the clan found out about us, I don't know how they'd react."

Sagepaw and Starpaw exchanged a glance. After a moment, Starpaw nodded and leaned into Lakeflower's ear. "If you hurt her, I will feed you to the crows."

Lakeflower chuckled. "Duly noted." She flicked her tail to Redfur. "C'mon, let's get some hunting in." Redfur nodded, following her mate (?) towards the eastern border.

Starpaw turned to her friend. "I think I need to wash my eyes with mouse bile."

Sagepaw nodded. "Let's head back to camp, alright? I'll tell you what I was going to say later."

She smiled. "Ok."