A/U: Here's the next chapter! I must say I like it better than my last four...Oh well. I think FF has finally fixed their problem. I've been checking out the 'My Stories' section, which seems to be working again. Don't forget to check it out yourself. Hopefully it is officially fixed. Anyways, on to the story!

Chapter 11

Wind whipped past Sablekit as he slowly made his way back to the nursery. He had just finished visiting Snowkit, who appeared to be making a swift recovery. The talon wounds on her pelt were fading. Ravenwing had told Sablekit and his mother that Snowkit would return to the nursery within less than a moon. After that he had promised to discuss the matter of their unusual 'abilities', as their mother had called them.

Sablekit was still skeptical about his claws. Most cats avoided him now. Even Fernpelt kept a fair distance from him. She had only just given birth a few sunrises ago to a litter of three kits. Their names had yet to be revealed. When Sablekit had asked her what their names were, Fernpelt just snarled something in reply.

He let out a sigh as he joined his mother. She was busy grooming a patch of fur that had gotten dirty while she was out.

"What's wrong dear?" she asked when she noticed Sablekit's angry sigh.

"Why does the Clan hate us?" he demanded.

Feathernose stared at him in shock. Than she bent down to give him a quick lick on the forehead. "The Clan doesn't hate you," she purred. "Most of them are just jealous of your abilities. I'm even jealous."

Yeah right, Sablekit thought with a roll of his eyes. She was just trying to make him feel better.

"Dear, the Clan isn't used to your abilities yet," Feathernose went on. "Soon they will be. They will find something else to be afraid of." It almost sounded like she was trying to prove herself. If she was skeptical, than there really was no hope.

The young kit glared down at his unusually long claws. Why did he have to have these? What did they mean? He would never understand why StarClan would have chosen him to have the claws that SkyClan seemed to be afraid of.

Feathernose lowered to her belly and let out a sigh when she noticed her kits' anger. She longed for the day when he would understand why she had kept him in the nursery for so long. Her need to protect them had become overwhelming. Even Flamespeckle had been angry with her for keeping them tuckered away. Ravenwing was the one who had understood every ounce of protection she felt.

"I promise that you will understand," she murmured when she pressed her nose to his neck.

Her soft voice began to create a lull within Sablekit's mind. Wariness had taken over after he explored the camp all day. After his visit with Snowkit, he began to feel exhausted. Now, his eyes slowly drifted to sleep.

A fierce pain had begun to erupt within Snowkit. She winced when she tried to wriggle out of her nest. The voices of her Clanmates could be heard outside. She knew that they were worried about her. But she also knew that if she woke up, she would be punished for sneaking out of the nursery. Out of fear she had pretended to sleep for most of the day. The sound of her mother pacing had made her went to cuddle against Feathernose.

I bet most of the Clans knows about what happened, she thought as she buried her nose into her tail. They probably thought she was a scared little mouse for staying in the nursery. Or they thought that there was no hope for her.

A voice within Snowkit told her that she shouldn't act like such a kit. The Clan would eventually forget about her latest accident. Soon she and her brother would be apprentices. Feathernose wouldn't be able to protect them as apprentices.

Just thinking about avoiding her mother's fierce protection made her ear's prick forward.

"How are you feeling?" Snowkit heard Ravenwing's voice in the background. She could imagine the horror he had felt when he watched his niece flailing in the air.

Ravenwing and Feathernose were related. Rockshade was Feathernose's father. Breezesong, who had been killed during a fight against rogues, had been Feathernose's mother and distant sister to Creekfeather. Snowkit found the whole thing rather confusing, yet she understood Ravenwing's worry for her. He cared about her because they were kin.

"My back hurts," Snowkit mewled when she wriggled from her nest. She opened her eyes slowly to see what was happening.

The den was cluttered with herbs. Her nest had been softened by feathers collected by the apprentices. Pale sunlight filtered through an opening above her as she looked up. Ravenwing himself was crouched over the body of a wren brought in from the fresh-kill pile.

"Yes, a fall like that would cause pain." Ravenwing flicked his tail as he mulled over the injuries Snowkit had endured. "Your wounds are healing though. I suppose you will want to leave once you've recovered."

Snowkit shifted a little in her nest. The movement caused her to wince in pain once more. She hated not being able to move around without feeling pain. All of her life had been spent chasing Sablekit around the nursery.

"Is Feathernose around?" she asked after deciding it was best not to tell Ravenwing her thoughts.

The medicine cat looked at her skeptically before answering. "She is watching over Sablekit," he replied with a swipe of his tongue. "Snowkit, you're lucky to be alive." Her eyes widened slightly when he met her gaze. "I've never seen a fall like that where a cat would live. Especially a kit."

"I guess I scared the hawk away," she murmured under her breath. She didn't want to admit that it was really her cold skin that had startled it enough to free her.

"When I tried rubbing your wounds with a wad of moss, it froze," he continued. "Nothing like that has happened before."

Snowkit let out a groan when she realized where he was going. He wanted to know what had happened. It was likely that he had already guessed how she escaped the talons of the hawk that had tried to take her away. The medicine cat was craftier than she thought.

"I've...always had that ability," she admitted after looking away from his sharp gaze.

Ravenwing leaned forward and was about to say more, but was stopped by the approach of another cat. Snowkit couldn't help but look at who had entered his den. It was Umberfur, a jet black tom with dark amber eyes. Blood seeped out of a wound that had been opened by what looked like claw marks. Ravenwing let out a sigh as he guessed what had happened to the young warrior.

"You got into another fight, didn't you?" He glared at Umberfur as the young cat sat down.

"It wasn't any of the Clan this time!" Umberfur retorted. "I got in a scrap with those rogues. This time they ambushed the patrol."

"They have always been causing trouble with us," Ravenwing murmured with a shake of his head. He sighed and picked up a couple of herbs that were scattered around Snowkit's nest. She quickly struggled out of the way as Umberfur watched curiously. "Chervil and marigold will work wonders on your wound," the medicine cat meowed through the leaves in his mouth.

He quickly chewed them into a pulp, which were than applied to Umberfur's wounds after a thorough look at them. Snowkit watched them with her head cocked to one side. She'd never been interested in Ravenwing or his work. But now she was beginning to notice how much the Clan relied on him.

Would he be willing to teach me the herbs and their techniques? she wondered as he finished applying the herbs. Umberfur winced when Ravenwing finished spreading the poultice. The black-furred medicine cat turned back to a pile of cobwebs gathered from cracks or surfaces where spiders slept. He returned to Umberfur's side and wrapped the cobwebs around his wounds to prevent more blood loss.

"Make sure you come back if your wound gets worse," Ravenwing told Umberfur as the warrior rose to his paws.

Umberfur nodded and left Ravenwing. Snowkit blinked as the den was left to themselves.

Somehow Umberfur's arrival had begun to spring a thought within Snowkit. Feathernose wouldn't like it if she couldn't have kits, but Snowkit didn't care. Her future depended on what decisions she made, not her mother. The thought sent a thrill of excitement through her as Ravenwing began to organize his cluttered den once more. She would become his apprentice. Soon the Clan would be forced to rely on her, rather than Ravenwing for healing needs.

A/U: I think Snowkit's ambitious side is beginning to show itself. She does have a good heart though. Anyways, there is a new poll on my profile, so go check it out and vote! Please remember to leave a review, they're always appreciated.