Chapter 3

Firestar returned to camp alone. Cloudtail and Sootpaw had gone hunting he padded toward the nursery. Sandstream and Ferncloud were chatting together and they only noticed him when he curled up beside Sandstorm. Happiness swelled inside him like a balloon. His kits, in ThunderClan.

A loud wailing came from the gorse tunnel, puncturing Firestar's happiness. He jumped up and scrambled into the clearing. Brackenfur's patrol had returned. Longtail and Brackenfur were dragging a gray body into camp, and Firestar recognized it as Willowpelt.

"We met a badger." gasped Brackenfur. "It came out of the trees and grabbed Willowpelt…" his words trailed off. Firestar pressed his fur against the young warrior.

Longtail padded up to them and sat down. "Firestar," he mewed. "When we were driving off the badger, I-I discovered I couldn't see that well. I think I'm going blind, Firestar! I must join the elders now." Firestar nodded.

"You have served your Clan well, Longtail."

"I will go as well." It was Frostfur. "I'm getting too old for a warrior life." Firestar nodded and watched the two cats padd away to the elders' den.

Firestar woke up. He was in the nursery. It had been four dawns since Willowpelt's death. Her kits were distraught, but Rainpaw and Sootpaw decided they would be the best warriors they could be to make their dead parents proud of them. At the rate they were working, they might be warriors sooner then they thought. Sorrelpaw was still fighting her injuries in Cinderpelt's den.

Firestar stretched and padded out of the nursery. He decided that he would hunt. He bounded out of the gorse tunnel and padded through the forest, ears pricked for the sound of prey. He saw a mouse scuffling about the roots of a tree. He crouched down and moved stealthily through the undergrowth. He pounced and killed it within a few heartbeats.

Firestar continued hunting until he had all that he could carry. He paused at the entrance to camp to adjust his grip on the prey. He was about to continue into camp when Thornclaw came barreling out of camp and cannoned into him. When the young cat realized he'd hit Firestar he spoke.

"Cinderpelt sent me…Sandstorm's begun her kitting! I'll take this fresh kill." He mewed. Firestar dropped his prey and rocketed into camp and toward the nursery. By the time he got there, Sandstorm was lying on her side, suckling two tiny she-kits.

Firestar stared breathlessly at them. He leaned down next to Sandstorm

"They're the most beautiful kits in the forest." He murmured. Firestar and Sandstorm lay together until sunhigh. "they need names." Firestar realized out loud. Sandstorm nodded and they gazed at the kits. "that one has one white paw." He observed, pointing with his muzzle to one of the kits. "Why don't we call her Pawkit?"

"We can't name her Pawkit, you mouse-brain," Sandstorm mewed.

"Why not?"

"Because when she becomes an apprentice, her name would be Pawpaw."

"Okay, what should we name them?" Firestar meowed. He looked around the nursery and his gaze landed on Ferncloud, who was eating a squirrel. Sandstorm was looking at the canopy of leaves over the nursery.

"That's it!" Sandstorm and Firestar spoke at the same time.

"Leafkit!" Sandstorm mewed

"Squirrelkit!" Firestar said. They looked at each other. "The ginger kit will be Squirrelkit, the brown kit will be Leafkit!"

They lay together until the moon set, their gaze never moving from their kits.

"Firestar!" the ginger tom turned his head to see Graystripe calling out to him. He was standing with Cloudtail. "Firestar," Graystripe mewed again. "Will you come on dawn patrol with us? I think you should see their warrior skills."

"Okay," Firestar leaped to his paws and raced out of the nursery. Sootpaw and Rainpaw were having a mock battle. Firestar had to admit that they were good fighters. He called out to them and together the five cats padded out of the gorse tunnel.

Firestar made his was to the nursery two dawns later. He stepped into the protected clearing to see that two new arrivals had come: Ferncloud had kitted. Firestar's own kits were sniffing suspiciously at the new kits. Sandstorm came and batted them lightly away.

"You can't play with them yet, they are too young." She explained. Leafkit shrugged and sat down and watched Squirrelkit pounce on Sandstorm's tail. Sandstorm batted her away and Leafkiy rushed over to her sister and told her to lie still.

"What are they doing?" Firestar asked.

"It's a game they have," mewed Sandstorm. "Squirrelkit pretends to be a brave warrior and gets injured and Leafkit pretends she is a medicine cat and she heals her sister. That's the only game they ever play."

Firestar watched Leafkit help Squirrelkit stand up, and the ginger kit pounced again. Then she noticed her father.

"Can I be a warrior now?' she mewed.

"And when can I be a medicine cat?" Leafpaw questioned.

"Not for a while yet." Their father answered. Sandstorm walked over.

"Firestar, have you met Shrewkit and Spiderkit yet?" The ginger she-cat nodded toward Ferncloud's kits. Firestar looked at the small bundles. Dustpelt stood over her and he opened his mouthto speak when an interruption arrived in the form of Brightheart. Cloudtail padded in after her.

"Are you two here to see the new arrivals?" meowed Dustpelt. Cloudtail shook his head.

"We're here to add to the new arrivals" the white warrior announced. "Brightheart is going to have kits!."

A moon had passed since Brightheart had entered the nursery. She had had a single kit- Whitekit. Firestar was in Cinderpelt's den, checking on Sorrelpaw.

"She'll be fine." Cinderpelt insisted. "She has an infection, though, but nothing I can't handle." Firestar noticed how scatterbrained Cinderpelt was.

"Cinderpelt, do you need any help around here?" Firestar mewed. The gray she-cat looked up.

"I wouldn't say no to an apprentice." She admitted.

"Good." Firestar meowed. "Leafkit has her heart set on being a medicine cat, though it will be four moons until she's old enough."

Firestar padded out of the den to see Graystripe and Cloudtail bounding up to him. Graystripe spoke first.

"Sootpaw and Rainpaw are ready to become warriors." He meowed. Firestar nodded. He had seen the two apprentices on a patrol two dawns ago and he knew that they were ready.

"We will have the ceremony now." He decided. The ginger tom leaped on to Highrock.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highrock for a Clan meeting." He beckoned to Sootpaw and Rainpaw and they both stepped forward, looking bewildered. "I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to warriors in their turn. Sootpaw, Rainpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Rainpaw was quivering so much that Firestar was impressed that his voice was steady.

"I do." Sootpaw mewed confidently

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names. Sootpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Sootfur. StarClan honors your intelligence and your courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan. Rainpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Rainwhisker. StarClan honors you quick thinking and your strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." After he had placed his muzzle on the head of each new warrior. He stood while the Clan yowled out:

"Sootfur! Rainwhisker! Sootfur! Rainwhisker!"

"Firestar! Firestar!" the ginger tom's good mood faltered slightly as he saw Cinderpelt charge out of the elders' den. "One-eye is dying! And I can't find Smallear!"

"Graystripe, take a patrol to find Smallear!" Firestar meowed. "Cinderpelt, is there anything to do for One-eye?"

"I don't think so." The medicine cat sighed. "She's just so old, and she's not sick. She is dying of old age."