Chapter 1: BushClan

The nursery was dark, smelling of warmth and milk. Icekit stretched her legs, stark white compared to her siblings and mother. She gave a big yawn as her brothers and sister pushed against her as they woke up for the day. The nursery had once been so big to them, but now it had become crowded with them and their mother. She blinked her ice-blue eyes, looking to her sister's tortoiseshell and white pelt as she escaped the nest.

"Hey, wait for me!" Icekit meowed, scrambling to get up and jump over Drizzlekit and Flamekit.

"Hey!" Drizzlekit squeaked, shaking out his long fur. "You stepped on my tail! Gingerstrike, Icekit stepped on my tail!"

The queen groaned, groggy with sleep as she looked over her boisterous kits. "Icekit, at least be patient for your brothers to get up."

"Sorry," she mumbled, letting her brothers go ahead of her. "I didn't mean to, I just wanted to keep up with Turtlekit for once."

"You'll never keep up." Flamekit teased. "Just look at you, you wouldn't be a warrior for many moons because of your white fur."

Icekit glared at her brother, "I can't help that I was born with this fur!"

"She is right, Flamekit. Now, run along and go play outside." Gingerstrike meowed, getting to her paws. "Your sixth moon is approaching and soon enough you will become apprentices. So you won't be playing around for long."

Turtlekit lifted her head, "We're going to practice hunting so we can be made warriors fast!"

Icekit nodded, padding up to her sister, "Yeah, Nightstar will be so impressed she will have to make us warriors early!"

"There is more than hunting that Nightstar looks for." her mother meowed, leading the way out of the nursery. "You also need to be able to fight. Especially with tensions as high as they are with the rogues."

As though to make her point, the gorse shuddered as Tangletooth and Spottedstorm padded into camp. Their fur bushed out and eyes flickering to and fro. Immediately, the pale cream tom raced over, eyes wide in horror and fear. "What happened?"

"Morningpelt, it's Heather and her cats." Tangletooth answered, his voice taut with fear. "They hunted on our land again."

The pale cream tom blinked, a dark shadow seeming to cast over his eyes. "I see now. They're still not taking our clan seriously."

"What can we do? We can fight and fight, but it's meaningless if they keep coming back." Spottedstorm fretted, "I know that the kits aren't as small as they used to be, but they aren't trained to fight or defend themselves."

Morningpelt twitched his whiskers. "I'll speak to Nightstar about it."

"Maybe we should learn how to fight early!" Flamekit meowed, rushing over to the older cats. "That way we can protect the camp!"

The deputy's gold eyes glimmered with amusement, "Now, now. We don't need this feather-down talk. Although, who knows, Nightstar might like the suggestion."

"StarClan told Bushstar that kits can't be apprenticed before six moons." Gingerstrike meowed, stalking forward.

"Calm down, no decision has been made. I will consult with Nightstar, but it is a possibility that the kits will get basic fight training." Morningpelt spoke gently, "No need to worry, she knows the rules just like the rest of us. They have one more moon of kit-hood before they become apprentices and on their way to becoming full fledged warriors of the clan."

Icekit blinked, unsure if she could believe it. Tilting her head one way and another, it was hard for her to grasp. There was no way that they could be apprenticed early, unless there was a reason why they should be. Narrowing her eyes, she already knew. Whatever the reason was or could be, it wouldn't be good. Before she and her siblings knew it, Morningpelt slipped into the underground den of their clan leader. Cats paced around anxiously while her brothers and sister play-fought, scuffling among the grass.

After what felt like moons, the night-black she-cat appeared with her deputy close behind her. Her head and tail raise high as she padded into the center of the clearing. Morningpelt was a few steps behind her, his gold gaze resting upon their prized leader. Nightstar, a she-cat who had rose into power when the rogues killed their first clan leader in cold blood. Revenge, the cat had claimed. At least, that was according to the stories the elders told Icekit and her siblings. She shivered, feeling cold as those yellow eyes raked across her in turn.

"Cats of BushClan," Nightstar began. "It has been brought to my attention that those rogues, FearClan as they call themselves, has hunted upon our territory yet again. I will send a patrol to ambush them and take them by surprise. In fact, I will lead it while Morningpelt stays here to guard the camp with the warriors chosen to stay behind. Gingerstrike will defend the nursery with the elders. Tumblepaw will stay with her mentor, Pidgeonstream, in camp. Along with him will be Leaftail and the younger warriors. Brindlepond, Tangletooth, Spottedstorm, Blackdapple, Twilightsky, and Minteye will join my patrol to get those rogues back."

Icekit glanced around, seeing the cats split apart. Worry wormed its way into her belly, fear making her chest feel tight. Suddenly, she wished she was closer to Gingerstrike so she could hide against her mother. She trembled, feeling exposed and alone in what felt like the first step into war.

"Nightstar are you mad?" Poppyclaw snapped, shoving his way through the crowd of cats.

"Poppyclaw, it must be done. We cannot wait for StarClan to send a message. We must act now."

"You're sending over half the clan to die!" The medicine cat hissed.

"If it is what it takes to defend our territory and clan, then so be it." Nightstar growled.

Beneath the white she-kits paws, it felt like the earth itself was lurching and shaking. Before she had known it, she nearly toppled over. Her mother lapped at her fur, trying to bring comfort. Yet, Icekit could not feel comfort. She was born into a world where their clan was under constant harassment and attack. Peace seemed to be nonexistent every time she woke up to play now. She could only hope that StarClan sends a sign before the life she knew for five moons was gone forever.

Author Note:

Every chapter will have the allegiance of the cat who will be a protagonist on the top.

I do plan to upload every other day, mostly because I am writing it all in advance.
When I run out of chapters I have written I will let those know in the Author Note down here.

Anyway, let me know what you think of this so far and any improvements that can be made. This is written without a general idea of how long it will be or how it will end.
It's a "Fly By the Seat of Your Pants" kind of story and hope you don't mind that at all. c: - NightSky