Chapter 4
Ashstar lead his patrol, plus Redkit, through the forest. Redkit was looking around in wonder at this whole new territory that she had never seen before. The cats around her smiled at Redkit, but deep down, they were disheartened by the fact that she had never ventured out of her clan's territory. They understood that her clan's territory was her home, but she would've found safe refuge faster if she had left her territory sooner. As they continued walking, Redkit collapsed. The reality of her wounds was starting to catch up with her. Ashstar didn't realize that Redkit had collapsed because she had been walking at behind them at the rear. Berrypaw was told to keep an eye on Redkit to make sure she was following. The whole time they were walking, Berrypaw would look back at Redkit and noticed that she was gradually slowing down. She knew this was a problem and needed to tell Lavendermist about it. Berrypaw meowed, "Lavendermist." The grey she cat looked back and she stopped walking and she answered, "What's up, Berrypaw?" Berrypaw explained, "Redkit's slowing down. I'm worried that she might not make it all the way to camp." Lavendermist looked back at Redkit and Berrypaw was right. The crimson red she kit was slowing down and the grey she cat knew why. Redkit's wounds were very severe. There was no doubt that she was in terrible pain. Lavendermist turned back to Berrypaw and replied, "I think her wounds might be bothering her. Keep an eye on her. I have a suspicion that she might collapse." Berrypaw nodded and they had kept walking. Now Berrypaw looked behind as they all had continued walking. When Berrypaw saw that Redkit wasn't following them, she panicked and looked around for her. Then she saw Redkit a great distance away lying on the ground. Berrypaw yowled, "Redkit!" Ashstar and the others turned around only to watch Berrypaw rush towards a collapsed Redkit. They ran over as well and Lavendermist quickly examined Redkit.
Ashstar was now extremely worried. He didn't want to lose Redkit after he had promised to her parents that he would take good care of her. Lavendermist walked up to Ashstar and meowed, "She's in a lot of pain and she can barely move her legs. I think we might have pushed her to her limits." Ashstar replied, "You're right, Lavendermist. Do you think we can carry her the rest of the way?" Lavendermist nodded, "Yes, that's really the only way we can get her to camp. I'd apply first aid, but there aren't any herbs in this area. We have to get her to camp, now!" Understanding this, Spottedshadow helped to pick up Redkit and place her on Ashstar's back. Ashstar said, "Hang on, Redkit. We're almost there. We don't have much farther to go now." Redkit could only respond with a nod because all of her words were stuck in her throat and if she tried to speak, it would lead to her crying uncontrollably from the pain. They ran quickly to the camp and arrived a few minutes later. Ashstar's kits, who were apprentices, came up to welcome their father back to the camp. Cloudpaw meowed, "Welcome back, Ashstar." Ashstar, however, didn't respond to the apprentice and they watched him place a severely injured kit on the ground. Cloudpaw was in shock by the kit's condition, but Darkpaw complained, "What a weak kit." Berrypaw then slapped Darkpaw with her paw and shouted, "You know nothing about her, or what she's been through! If you did, you would see that she's not weak!" Fernpaw, the medicine cat apprentice came running and saw Redkit's condition. Lavendermist asked Fernpaw to help her treat Redkit's wounds. Fernpaw nodded and ran off with her mentor with Redkit in tow. Ashstar and the patrol waited and watched the medicine cat den. The other warriors and apprentices watched and waited as well.
Lavendermist began examining Redkit's wounds more closely and she noticed that the infection wasn't as serious as she originally thought. Curious as to why the infection wasn't as serious as she originally thought, she meowed, "Redkit? Did you apply herbs to your injuries?" Redkit answered, "I didn't. I can't even reach back there. I did roll in wild garlic, though." Lavendermist responded, "Ah, I see now. You were given medical advice." Redkit nodded, "Before my clan left me, I stumbled into Mapleeye's den. I asked her how to prevent infections if I was on my own and had no one to tend to my wounds. She told me not to worry about covering my wounds and just roll in wild garlic on a daily basis after I received them. So, I rolled in wild garlic daily and I never got sick. I, however, was still hungry. I had to eat stale prey for most of my days surviving alone." Lavendermist purred, "It must have been hard on you to survive in a territory with very little prey and only knowing how to catch fish. I can imagine that stale prey would've been the worst part. Why don't we get you something to eat?" Fernpaw mewed, "I can get her something from the prey pile." Lavendermist smiled, "Thank you, Fernpaw. Please do, but go to Ashstar first and ask him for the fish that Redkit caught. When you pick it up, grab it by the tail." Fernpaw nodded and padded out of the den. When she saw all the cats, she was shocked. Regaining her composure, she padded up to Ashstar. Ashstar, worried, asked, "Is Redkit okay?" Fernpaw answered, "She's doing fine for the moment. Lavendermist is examining her injuries more closely and the infection on her wounds was minimized, so it's not as serious as we thought. Redkit, however, is very thin and malnourished. This is causing other health problems. She's losing strength, slowly but surely, and she's very tired. She first needs to eat to keep her strength up. Lavendermist sent me out to get her fresh prey. Could I have the fish that Redkit caught?" Ashstar nodded, "Sure, but Redkit wanted to give it to the clan as a gift." Fernpaw continued, "It might be better if you trust us on this one. Redkit needs it more than we do." Ashstar meowed, "Fair point. Go right a head. Cloudpaw, Berrypaw, and Darkpaw, why don't you lend Fernpaw a paw and get some prey for Redkit. That's an order and not a suggestion." All three apprentices obeyed, but Darkpaw scowled in response. They each grabbed some prey from the fresh-kill pile and they met back up with Fernpaw and they padded into the medicine cat den.
When they arrived, they saw Lavendermist rubbing wet moss across Redkit's back. She was cleaning Redkit's wounds and Redkit had already snapped the branch that she had been given. Fernpaw dropped the fish close to Redkit's paws and she grabbed another branch. Once she gave Redkit another branch, Lavendermist rubbed the moss again. Redkit snapped the second branch in half because of the intense pain. Once Lavendermist was done she looked up at her apprentice and meowed, "Fernpaw, can you bring me a poppy seed?" Fernpaw went through the herb stocks and she picked up a poppy seed. She brought it to her mentor and the grey she cat continued, "Place it on the leaf right here and then bring me a few more herbs." Fernpaw asked, "What herbs do you need?" The medicine cat answered, "Chervil, Comfrey, Dried Oak leaf, Goldenrod, Horsetail, and Stinging Nettle." Fernpaw gathered the herbs and gave them to her mentor. Lavendermist nodded and she grabbed the cobwebs and placed them nearby. Then Fernpaw watched her mentor take each herb and chew them up into a poultice. Lavendermist then applied each poultice to Redkit's wounds. Then she wrapped the cobwebs around the wounds and she leaned forward to lick Redkit's fur. Fernpaw, Berrypaw, and Cloudpaw each helped to sooth Redkit's shock by licking her fur. Then, Lavendermist bit the poppy seed in half and gave it to her. Redkit ate the poppy seed and she stretched out her paws starting to feel sleepy. The four apprentices each gave her the fresh prey from the fresh-kill pile. Redkit looked at the prey and she stood up just a little and she gorged on each one except for the bird that Darkpaw brought her. Berrypaw and Cloudpaw were making jokes about the fact that Redkit realized who it came from. Both Lavendermist and Fernpaw were snickering at the jokes while cleaning everything up. Darkpaw, however, knew that something else was wrong. He padded up and met her eye level and he purred, "Hey, kit, what's wrong. Why aren't you eating the bird? You need all the strength you can get." Redkit mewed, "Can you remove the feathers? Please?" Darkpaw, now understanding what the problem was, began removing the feathers off the bird. Once he got the feathers off, he pushed the bird back over to her and he continued, "Okay, kit. Here, eat up. You need your strength." Redkit once more stood up a little and she gorged the bird down in seconds. After she ate her fill, she curled up in the moss nest and fell asleep instantly. It was easy to tell that she hadn't slept in a moss nest for a very long time. Lavendermist then began shooing the apprentices out and then she left the den leaving Fernpaw in charge of caring for Redkit.
They all went out of the den and Ashstar perked up when he saw Lavendermist. He hoped that she had good news about Redkit. Lavendermist and the apprentices walked up and he meowed, "How is she, Lavendermist?" Lavendermist explained, "She's doing fine. Her treatment went well and I think she'll make a full recovery. Fernpaw and I will keep an eye on her to make sure that she recovers well." Ashstar nodded and he walked towards the highrock. After jumping up, he yowled, "Let all those who are old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the highrock for a clan meeting." At this point, the elders and any remaining warriors who had not joined their clanmates came and gathered with the rest of the clan. Hawkeye then nodded when everyone was present. They excused Fernpaw, who was caring for Redkit, from the meeting. Ashstar then meowed loudly and proudly, "Yesterday, my patrol and I crossed the border to Moonclan territory. About a moon ago, Lavendermist received a prophecy that stated: 'While the clover, with the sun continues to thrive, the red one, without the moon, struggles to survive.' We were able to decipher half of the prophecy. The first half said, 'While Cloverclan, with Sunclan, continues to survive'. To decipher the second half of the prophecy, we went to Sunclan. Soulstar explained to us that part of the other half referred to Moonclan, but he was unsure about what the 'Red one' was. I was concerned about why Moonclan wasn't marking their borders, so we traveled into the territory. It was there that we discovered a three moon old kit, who was malnourished and covered in scars. She was from Moonclan, but before we could ask her about Moonclan, a fox attacked. We fought and killed the fox and followed Berrypaw's scent trail to hopefully find the kit, who not only scratched the fox, but managed to escape it. We met back up with Berrypaw and during our celebration the kit wandered away from the den she had lived in. We followed her scent trail right to Moonclan's camp. But when we got there, we had found that she had been abandoned by her own clan." Shocked gasps filled the camp and they all began to whisper about how cruel Moonclan was to leave behind such a young kit.
Ashstar continued, "We learned that the kit was one moon old when they left. Upon realizing the truth of the prophecy, I offered her the option to join our humble clan. She did hesitate, but she showed us to a place where Lavendermist and I can speak with Starclan. After some counseling from her grandfather and her parents, she agreed to join our ranks. This kit is none other than the kit we brought into camp earlier today. Her name is Redkit. She is the daughter of the current leader of Moonclan, Pinestar. I made a promise that we would take good care of Redkit until he and his clan returned." Breezefall, one of the queens of Cloverclan, protested, "Why would you make a promise to a cat who abandoned his own kit!?" Hawkeye replied, "Because the mountain trail they took was too dangerous for a kit and Redkit wasn't old enough to handle the traveling herbs. So, they made her a den out of brambles and taught her to catch fish and climb trees and she would cleverly lure predators to her den and they'd get a pelt full of brambles. Redkit's parents still had enough love to teach her how to survive. The problem is that Moonclan's territory is short on prey and there are a lot of predators passing through the territory. It's these two reasons that Moonclan left their territory and why Redkit is malnourished." Willowstream, Ashstar's mate and another queen of Cloverclan, meowed, "Poor dear, It must have been so hard for her. To survive two whole moons without her clan, she must have been so lonely. Losing a clan is the same thing as losing family. That's just how close we are to each other. I can't even begin to imagine how she feels." All of the cats of the clan nodded in agreement. Breezfall added, "Let's welcome her with open paws and try to be there for her as much as we can." Every cat nodded their head and Ashstar continued, "Redkit is currently healing in Lavendermist's den, but it will take some time to fully introduce and welcome her to the clan. Redkit's condition is very serious. I'm leaving all authority of Redkit's condition to Lavendermist and Fernpaw. They will decide when Redkit is ready to be introduced to the clan. As for the situation of territory, I will not be expanding our borders and I will not hear or tolerate this topic any further. Moonclan knows the territory more than we do. Ergo, I'll not have any kind of conflict with the clan. Do I make myself clear?" All cats nodded and he was now satisfied.
Ashstar then meowed, "Alright, that's all I have to say. Clan dismissed." All the cats went to their dens and they all couldn't help, but think about what Redkit was going through. Each cat wanted to help do their part in helping her to adjust to her new life. Lavendermist then entered the medicine cat den and saw Fernpaw licking Redkit, but panick was in her eyes. Upon seeing her mentor, she meowed, "She's having some kind of nightmare and I can't calm her down! I don't know what to do!" Lavendermist replied, "You've done a good job, Fernpaw. Why don't you go rest in your nest? I'll take over for you." Fernpaw nodded and she curled up in her nest. Lavendermist curled up around Redkit and she let quiet purrs rumble in her throat. When Redkit heard the purrs, she instantly calmed down. Lavendermist stayed at Redkit's side throughout the whole night. As days passed, Lavendermist would monitor Redkit's health and make sure that her progress was steady. Redkit began to gradually improve in health. Her stomach continued to extend to where ribs could no longer be seen. Fernpaw helped to exercise Redkit, so she would stay lean and get stronger. Finally, at the beginning of the next week, Redkit was back to full health. Lavendermist left the den to report to Ashstar about Redkit. Ashstar told her to tell Fernpaw to bring Redkit to the meeting when he called for it. The medicine cat went back to her den to inform her apprentice about what Ashstar had told her. Fernpaw nodded and got Redkit ready while Lavendermist went to stand by the highrock. Then, Ashstar climbed up the highrock and he yowled, "Let all those old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the highrock for a clan meeting." All of the cats gathered for the meeting.
After everyone gathered, Ashstar smiled upon his fellow cats. Then he puffed out his chest and exclaimed with pride, "My fellow warriors, today is a momentous occasion. We can now officially welcome our newest member, Redkit, to Cloverclan." Yowls of excitement filled the camp while Fernpaw and Redkit made their way to the highrock. Ashstar then continued once the yowls stopped, "It brings me great joy that we are welcoming this kit into our ranks. Redkit has a lot of knowledge to offer us. This knowledge could be helpful to help us survive in this territory. She can also tell us a little bit about her former clan, so we can get along with them better. Now without further ado, let us now welcome Redkit." Fernpaw and Redkit met up with Lavendermist and Ashstar turned to see Redkit. The crimson she kit then realized that he wanted her to climb up the highrock. Remembering a dream she had last night, the highrock had places that were unstable. Her grandfather showed her where the safe places to stand were. Redkit then hopped up the highrock without needing Lavendermist to show her where to climb. Ashstar smiled impressed with Redkit. Although, he secretly wondered if Redkit's grandfather taught her where to place her paws. Once Redkit climbed up to where Ashstar was, she looked at all the cats down below. Seeing the large crowd almost made Redkit's fur stand up. Redkit, however, took some deep breaths to calm down. Ashstsr meowed loudly and proudly, "My fellow cats, this is Redkit." The cats whispered to each other about how cute Redkit was, how young she was, and how strong she looked. There was no doubt that she would be a great warrior. Ashstar then turned to Redkit and whispered, Say something, Redkit." Redkit nodded and turned to the large group of cats. She mewed, "Hello, I'm Redkit. And I'm formerly from Moonclan." Willowstream meowed, "What was your clan like?" Redkit thought it over and she replied, "I couldn't tell you much about it. I've personally have never seen any of the Moonclan warriors fight, but I heard that Moonclan warriors are very fierce in battle. The males are no exception. The females, however, don't take lightly to remarks about their size and their overall prowess. In other words, you can't call them weak. Apparently, things get real ugly very quickly. That's just what I've heard. I don't know if it's actually true."
The other cats were very intrigued by Redkit's explanation of the warriors of her clan. Then Breezefall questioned, "What is your clan's culture?" Blazeheart meowed, "Why even ask that? Surely Moonclan's culture is the same as ours. All clans share the same culture." Ashstar responded, "Actually, Sunclan doesn't believe in Starclan. Their culture is different based off of their religion. Let's not assume that Moonclan's culture is the same as ours. They may have different traditions, but they do have the same religion. So, having said that, their culture may be similar to ours, but they have some differences." Redkit meowed, "Thank you, Ashstar. Yes, Moonclan's culture is similar to the culture of the four legendary clans, but there are some major differences. I'll start with the Rite of Succession. When the founders first created the clan, it didn't make sense to them on having the deputy succeed the leader instead of the leader's kits. The founding leader of Moonclan consulted with Starclan and they were granted permission to place the Rite of Succession onto the first born kit of the leader. We still follow this tradition to this day. Since Pinestar, the current leader of Moonclan, is my father, I'm expected to be his successor." The cats of Cloverclan were shocked when Redkit explained the Rite of Succession in her clan. Blazeheart asked, "What about the deputy? When does he get to lead?" Redkit answered, "Only if the current leader didn't have kits in his or her life time to continue their legacy. Then the deputy succeeds the leader." The other clan cats were surprised by the hierarchy in Moonclan, but they respected it accept for one apprentice. Redkit would continue to talk about her clan, about herself and what her family was like. This made almost every cat want to meet Redkit's clan, except one apprentice. Shadowpaw was a cat who deeply loved and valued his clan to a point that he believed that no other clans could be better than Cloverclan and could be stronger than Cloverclan. So, he challenged Redkit and said mean things about her and her clan. Redkit was surprised and offended by his words. His words also hurt her because Moonclan was her birth clan. Cloverclan just took pity on her and took her in, so that she wouldn't have to survive on her own anymore. She decided to show this apprentice just how much she had suffered over the past two moons. She turned to Ashstar and before she could even ask, he gave her permission to fight Shadowpaw. He wanted to see what she was capable of, now that she was at full strength.
Redkit leaped down from the high-rock. She turned towards Shadowpaw and assumed an attack stance. Blazeheart, who was Shadowpaw's mentor, he saw no flaws in Redkit's stance and he was surprised by this. Redkit didn't have much training when it came to battle. So, the fact that she had a flawless attack stance was astonishing. Blazeheart looked at Shadowpaw and saw his attack stance still had major flaws in it. He sighed and watched to see how this battle would go. Shadowpaw mocked her and made remarks about her size and being a kit. He said that she was weak. Redkit replied to him saying that he knew nothing about her. She then lunged forward and her speed was beyond what any cat would imagine for a kit her age. She ran all over the place and all over Shadowpaw. Redkit landed more hits on Shadowpaw, than he did on her. In fact, she had zero scratches on her. She was just too fast for him. After Redkit's last strike, she stopped. No one told her to stop, but she knew that the fight was over. Shadowpaw panted, "What are you waiting on?! Attack me, kit!" Redkit looked at Shadowpaw and she meowed, "No, this fight is finished. You're tired and I landed some pretty good blows on you. You're bleeding pretty badly too. It's time to stop now." Shadowpaw was about to recklessly try and attack, but both Ashstar and Blazeheart intervened. Ashstar meowed, "Redkit is right, Shadowpaw. Enough." Shadowpaw then shouted, "What's so special about Moonclan anyway? What makes your clan so much better than ours?!" Redkit looked at him confused and she meowed, "When did I ever say that my clan was better than Cloverclan?" Shadowpaw was about to speak, but then paused for a moment. He thought back to what she said about Moonclan and not once did she say that her clan was better. Almost immediately he regretted saying those things to Redkit. Of course she would think very highly of Moonclan. She was born there and she lost her whole clan. Redkit did prove that she wasn't weak and it was expected because she survived two whole moons without her clan. Shadowpaw finally spoke, "You didn't. I'm sorry for saying those things and even challenging you." Redkit padded up to Shadowpaw and she rubbed up against him. He was shocked at first, but then he saw that she was starting to cry and he put his paw around her and curled his tail around her as well. He embraced her and he saw his deceased sister in her. The other apprentices walked up and they each gathered around and embraced the crying Redkit. Ashstar couldn't help but smile with pride at his clan's apprentices. Ashstar officially welcomed Redkit and dismissed his clan. Willowstream and Breezefall showed Redkit to the nursery and they agreed to share the task of raising Redkit. Breezefall introduced Redkit to her kits. They were exactly Redkit's age and their names were: Lilykit, Oakkit, and Berchkit. The three kits welcomed her and Redkit gave them her gratitude. Willowstream then introduced Redkit to her kits. Crowkit and Jaykit were one moon old and Redkit agreed to help take care of them.
Redkit settled into the nursery and she smiled at her new family. She was grateful to be apart Breezefall's and Willowstream's families, but she missed her own family. She missed her mother and her father. Redkit sat outside the nursery and watched the other kits play. Willowstream saw that Redkit wasn't playing with the other kits and this worried her. She was about to walk over when Ashstar, Cloudpaw, and Darkpaw came over and greeted her. Ashstar meowed, "Hey, Willowstream. How are you?" Willowstream replied in a worried tone, "I'm fine, Ashstar." Ashstar asked, "So, how's Redkit settling in?" Willowstream responded, "Well, she seems to be glad to be apart of a family again and she seems that she is settling in okay. Redkit, however, seems to miss her family. I honestly don't blame her though. What concerns me is that she's not playing with the other kits. She talks to them, but she won't play with them." Ashstar explained, "Well, Redkit has been on her own for two moons. I can imagine that she had to mature faster than most kits should. It could be that she doesn't know how to be a kit anymore." Cloudpaw suggested, "Why don't we just talk to her? I'm certain me and Darkpaw can get her to act like a kit again." Willowstream smiled, "What a splendid idea! You two still play with each other to practice your fighting techniques, so you two might just be able to help Redkit relearn to act like a kit." Ashstar reminded, "Let's not rush her though, but I agree that you two will be perfect for the job. I'll leave you two in charge of helping Redkit slow down in maturity." Both apprentices nodded and went over to Redkit. The crimson she kit looked up to see Cloudpaw and Darkpaw standing in front of her. Cloudpaw mewed, "Hey, Redkit. Why are you sitting here by yourself?" Redkit meowed, "After everything I've gone through and everything I've seen, can I really go back to just being the clueless kit that I was?" Darkpaw wrapped his tail around her and replied, "Redkit, you'll never be the cat you used to be. The trials you've faced have changed you. You were given knowledge that a kit like you shouldn't have been given. You know about the world outside the safety of a clan camp. You know how dangerous the world really is. You shouldn't have to know about it. Only apprentices, warriors, and other more mature cats should know about the dangers of the outside world. Redkit, this knowledge was given to you for a reason and only Starclan knows what that reason is and perhaps it will help you to grow into an amazing warrior one day. But first, you need to slow down and start being a kit again. You may be more mature than most kits your age, but that doesn't mean you still can't do the things that kits do." Cloudpaw chimed in, "He's right. We're apprentices and we still play and wrestle each other in the same way we did when we were kits. We do it to practice our techniques and to let of a little steam when we feel stressed. You can do that too, Redkit. You may not be the kit you once were, but you still have a chance to grow up and be the cat you want to be. You're not alone anymore, Redkit and you'll never be alone again. You no longer need to keep fighting to survive."
Redkit looked up and Cloudpaw and Darkpaw and she was amazed by their words. She knew they were right. She didn't need to do things on her own anymore because she had a clan to back her up. The crimson she kit finally let go of her pain. The only pain that remained was the sadness that came when she missed her birth family. It was then that Lilykit and her littermates came running over. Lilykit mewed, "Redkit, did you have any siblings in your old clan?" Redkit answered, "No, I didn't have any siblings. My mother kitted during a severe storm that occurred during the harsh Leaf-bare. I was the only kit out of my entire litter to survive that cold night. My siblings froze to death. I hope that one day, Starclan will introduce me to my unnamed siblings." Berchkit meowed, "Well, you've been adopted by Willowstream and Breezefall. So now, you have lots of siblings. There's me, Oakkit, Lilykit, Crowkit, Jaykit, Cloudpaw, and Darkpaw. And since Willowstream and Ashstar are mates, you're still technically the daughter of a leader." Redkit smiled, "Yeah, you're right. I do have siblings now and Ashstar is my adopted father. He reminds me of my birth father, Pinestar. So, I think I will be comfortable with him." Darkpaw added, "Remember, Redkit, we're not trying to replace your birth family. No one can replace your birth family, but we can still be there for each other as a family." Redkit nodded, "I know and I'm grateful for everything that you all are doing for me. I think I'm ready to move forward now." Oakkit invited Redkit to play with them. At first, it seemed like she was going to refuse, but then she tackled Oakkit and she mewed playfully, "Can't catch me!" It was then that she started to run off and the other kits chased after her. Even Cloudpaw and Darkpaw joined in on the fun. Ashstar and Willowstream were bursting with excitement to see Redkit playing with the kits and they laughed seeing Cloudpaw and Darkpaw joining in the fun. They chased and wrestled with each other and Redkit became the wrestling champion because she won every time. Ashstar could clearly see the strength that Redkit had and he knew she was destined to be a warrior. They played until the sun started to set and Lilykit, Oakkit, and Berchkit had tired themselves out. Cloudpaw and Darkpaw had tired out just minutes before the sun started to set. They sat with Willowstream and Ashstar who praised the two of them for encouraging Redkit to play with the other kits.
Redkit then padded over to Ashstar and the others. Willowstream purred, "I'm so glad that you are playing with the other kits, Redkit. I was very worried that you would never play again." Redkit meowed, "Yeah, I was worried about that too. I, however, am ready to move forward now. It will take time for me to adjust to clan rules again, but no doubt I'll get used to it in no time." Ashstar smiled, "Indeed, but we are breaking clan rules tomorrow as you're coming with me on a patrol tomorrow. We're going to patrol your old territory and we need you to teach our warriors to check the river for signs of flooding. Also, there are some warriors interested in learning your fishing technique." Redkit mewed, "Okay, I'd be glad to help teach them about flooding and my fishing technique." Ashstar nodded his gratitude and he embraced Redkit. He stroked her fur and a purr rumbled in his throat. It was then that Redkit buried herself in Ashstar's fur and she placed a paw on him as if she was returning the embrace. Willowstream, Ashstar, Cloudpaw, and Darkpaw were amazed by Redkit's response to Ashstar's embrace and the apprentices remembered that Redkit openly stated that Ashstar reminded her of her birth father, Pinestar. It was clear that she accepted Ashstar and a father figure.
With Redkit now settling into her new clan, she was now confident that she would fit in just fine. The crimson she kit knew that it would take time for her to adjust to the rules. Redkit was ready to face the challenges that Starclan would throw at her, but first she wanted to wind down and act like all kits should act. She wanted to forget the perils of the world for just a moment and just be a clueless kit, but there was no changing what she had seen and learned. With this newfound knowledge, she vowed to use it to keep her fellow clanmates safe. Redkit was well on her way to becoming a warrior.
