Chapter 5: BushClan

It was late in the night when Icekit was awakened by the commotion outside the nursery walls. She peeked over her littermates sleeping bodies, straining to hear as uneven paw steps sounded heavy. Carefully, she slipped away from her siblings and headed to the entrance to the nursery. The scent of blood was wafted over to her on the breeze. She blinked, as the silhouettes of the warriors filed through.

"Where is Nightstar?" growled Poppyclaw, the short-tempered medicine cat was sifting through who had it worse than others on his own.

He was sending only a pawful to his den so far. Icekit swallowed uncertainly, feeling unsure where their clan leader was. After mere moments, Nightstar appeared, the night-black she-cat had deep wounds as she limped into the camp. Her yellow eyes flashing in the darkness as Poppyclaw reached her.

"Are you happy with yourself now?" Poppyclaw fumed, sniffing at her wounds.

"They called themselves FearClan, but I refuse to be afraid." her voice was a low growl, but it was growing louder and louder. "Cats of BushClan, we are declaring war on these fox-hearts!"

Gingerstrike peered out, worry lighting her eyes. "Nightstar, think of the kits." she whispered, more to herself.

"Every cat will be taught to fight." snarled the clan leader, her head whipping around, blood being flicked onto the ground, dotting the grass. "Even the kits." She hissed to the nursery.

Gingerstrike looked away, silent and still. Icekit shivered, afraid as she looked up to her mother whose eyes were unreadable now. What happened? she wondered, silently begging. StarClan, why were we even born at all?

Nightstar forced her way to the medicine den, Poppyclaw following cursing loudly for every cat to hear. Morningpelt, who had been sitting vigil with Pidgeonstream, had his head bowed as the sleek gray and white tom approached the nursery. His paw steps barely rustling the grass as Icekit shrank back to hide among her littermates.

"How can we be going to war?" Gingerstrike mewed softly.

"I don't know, but I'll gather as much information as I can from Blackdapple and Twilightsky. They must know something." Pidgeonstream answered.

"I can't see!" A cat yowled, one that Icekit recognized as Minteye's mew. The she-cat had one eye that was milky and unable to see. However, it sounded like the blue-gray warrior had her other eye injured.

"Minteye is hurt." Gingerstrike's eyes flashed in the darkness of the nursery.

"She will heal." Pidgeonstream murmured, "She has to. She is too young to be an elder."

"That doesn't matter, our kits could be blinded like that!"

"They won't."

"You don't know that!"

"You don't either." Pidgeonstream mewed softly, nosing her to her nest. "I'll sleep here with you and the kits tonight. Maybe Nightstar will explain everything in the morning."

Icekit whimpered softly, burying herself under Drizzlekit who only grunted softly in his sleep. Soon, she felt their mother wrap her body around them. The nest crunched on the other side. Peeking up, she saw their father curled on the other side just as protectively as their mother. Relief flooded her. She felt safer with two strong warriors to protect them.

Slowly, she began to doze. Her mother and father's purrs the only comfort that rumbled through her. Sleep overcame her, bringing her peace after the rude awakening. Dreams welcomed her, butterflies to chase and warm sunlight to bathe her fur in. For the first time in a long time, she had a calming dream.

Gentle winds welcomed her, no tree or bush in sight. The place where the huge thunderpath was said to be was no longer there. A vast sea of trees, so many more than she had ever seen. So many different trees were reaching to the stars high above, the sky was clear enough for her to see all the stars for once, too.

Something brushed against the heather of the moor she was on. She turned around, her eyes wide as the full moon shone bright like the sun. It was high above them as an unfamiliar reddish-brown tom padded to her. Dark hazel eyes twinkling like twin moons. He was much larger than most cats, a splotch of white was on his chest, almost like a flare of light.

"Welcome, young kit." he meowed, his voice deep and gravely.

She could pick up the familiar scent of her clan, rabbit-like and even with a hint of squirrel. She blinked, curious and confused. "Wh-who are y-you?"

"There is nothing to be afraid of young kit." the tom rumbled on, almost like distant thunder. "I am Bushstar, founder of BushClan. I have come to give you a simple message."

"A message?" Icekit mewed, cold dread flowing into her like water. "Am I going to be a medicine cat?"

"Of course not," he mewed in amusement, "Have faith, in time peace will come. It will never last forever, but it will last long enough for everything to be right in these times of hardship."

"But how will Nightstar know that?" Icekit mewed.

"If I can, I will visit Poppyclaw. Until then, put faith in Nightstar. Some rules are meant to be broken in a time of need."

. . .

It was morning when Icekit opened her eyes, she was still groggy as her littermates had left her alone in the nest. They were gathered around their mother and father, Gingerstrike and Pidgeonstream. She stumbled out, confused on what was going on as the two carefully cleaned up her brothers. Her sister already looked well groomed.

"What's going on?" Icekit mewed.

Turtlekit looked to her, seeming to be excited. "Nightstar is going to make an announcement and Gingerstrike decided we should be prepared in case she makes us apprentices early!"

Jolted from her sleepiness, she understood with dread. The dream she had did say some rules were meant to be broken. She had hoped this wasn't one of those moments, but it seemed like it with how quickly they were cleaning Flamekit and Drizzlekit. Once their pelts were smooth and neat, Gingerstrike padded to her.

"It's your turn now." she mewed, her voice solemn.

Icekit wanted to ask and beg that it wasn't true, yet she knew it was. Nodding numbly, she allowed her mother to clean her fur. She could only wonder how the clan meeting will go. Will their last moon of being a kit be stolen away from them or were they going to keep it? She desperately wanted to know.

It felt like moons by the time her mother was done, Their sleek fur shining as they slipped out just in time to see Nightstar stalking to the middle of the clearing. Her gaze hard and cold as ice. The clan was already gathering around her, knowing that the verdict on this war was about to happen.

"Cats of BushClan, gather to me." she screeched, standing tall as the cats crouched around her. "Last night we had stopped a raid for prey on our land. Cedar was at the head of it and we fought them off. I made it clear then and I will make it clear now. I have declared war with FearClan. They will not oppress us for our beliefs. They will not make us afraid to leave camp, no warrior is afraid, not now and not ever."

"Right!" Foxgaze yowled, his agreement echoing around the camp.

Nightstar went on. "We will need all the warriors we can get. Morningpelt and I have thought long and hard, but the time has come. Whether StarClan approves or not, to protect the kits they must become apprentices now and not any later."

Gingerstrike padded forward, taking the attention of wide eyes. "I accept that my kits must be trained a moon early." she meowed, her voice level.

Icekit blinked sadly, knowing that her mother had mixed feelings. Nonetheless, the clan leader went on. "Thank you Gingerstrike. We have spoken to your mate about potential mentors for them. Did you agree with our choices?"

Her mother dipped her head. "Of course. I trust my clan leader and mate."

"Very well, Icekit, Flamekit, Drizzlekit, and Turtlekit; approach the center." Icekit followed her littermates, feeling a little lightheaded out of fear. Flamekit reached Nightstar first and she wasted no time whatsoever. "Flamekit, you will be the first of your littermates to become apprenticed. From this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Flamepaw. Your mentor will be Twilightsky. I hope Twilightsky will pass down all he knows on to you."

Twilightsky padded forward, his unusual flat face making him stand out more than his pale tortoiseshell pelt. "Twilightsky, you have trained Gorsethorn well in the past, I trust you to pass on your wisdom and patience to young Flamepaw."

"I vow to with my last breath." the tom mewed, his orange eyes sparkling with warmth as he touched noses with Flamepaw.

"Turtlekit, until you receive your warrior name, you will now be known as Turtlepaw. Jaggedcloud shall be your mentor. I trust you to pass on your skills of caution and listening." The reddish-brown and white she-cat dipped her head, touching noses with her tortoiseshell pelted sister.

Nightstar went on, looking to the next kit, her other brother. "Drizzlekit, from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Drizzlepaw. Spottedstorm has trained Applemist well in the past and I trust her to pass onto you her cunning and quick-thinking."

Icekit felt as though a stone was in her belly as the mottled brown warrior touched noses with the fluffy gray and white newly-made apprentice. She looked up to Nightstar's yellow eyes, seeing fierce certainty inside them. Unlike her littermates she was as white as snow. Even the white on Drizzlepaw was tinged a pale gray compared to her. She stood strong, trying to be brave for her mother and clan.

"Icekit, from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Icepaw. Blackdapple will be your mentor as she will pass on the knowledge on hunting with a white pelt and her bravery."

Said she-cat, dappled with black splotches, padded up beside her leaning forward to touch noses. Icepaw shakily stretched, her nose gently touching the older she-cats. With it the clan began to cheer, her life of a kit was over and she had to grow up faster now. She could hear them, her littermates proud, while she felt forced into the position.

"Flamepaw! Turtlepaw! Drizzlepaw! Icepaw!"

The cheers echoed around her, yet she looked into the green eyes of her mentor and saw the same sorrow that her mother felt. She wasn't six moons old. She was still a kit. Not yet big enough to take on warrior training, but also not quite young enough to not learn. Despite the hollow feeling in her heart, Bushstar's voice seemed to ring in her ears, just below the cheering clan.

"Some rules are meant to be broken in a time of need. . ."

Author Note:

War has been declared, apprentices are made, could there somehow be a mistake? - NightSky