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Chapter Two - Three Moons Later

"Mother!" A soft, grey kit barreled into Kindheart's side and knocked her over.

"Ugh! You kits are getting huge!" Kindheart meowed in return, shaking dizziness from her head. Softkit and Bluekit sat side by side; the two had become inseparable. Thistlekit was just as merry as they were but knew he was an only-child. Pinefur had told him many times of a brother called Mosskit that had died during leaf-bare and of two siblings that he would never know.

"Mama?" the brown tabby asked Pinefur. "I want my brother," He had felt a sudden loneliness from watching his two real siblings. Pinefur sighed. She wanted Mosskit back, too.

"You know that he can't come back," the queen murmured into his ear then nudged him towards Kindheart's kits.

"Hi Thistlekit! You want to play leaders with us?" Softkit offered immediately. Thistlekit looked delighted and growled something like 'I'm Raggedstar! I dare you to challenge me!' The three tumbled out the nursery, Bluekit as Morningstar and Softkit as Whitestar of WindClan. The blue-gray kit was in the lead, swiftly slipping from paw to paw, dancing about her opponents. Her ice blue eyes took in each move skillfully until Thistlekit bopped her in the back of the head and she tumbled forward childishly.

Kindheart and Pinefur followed silently, keeping them in check about playing nicely. They gave a purr of amusement when Snowpaw took a moment from his apprentice duties to watch the kits with entranced eyes. He almost seemed to wish to be a kit again. When he picked up the herbs he had been carrying and left, Thistlekit slipped from the group. His darn curiosity got the better of him as he saw a flicker of movement at the top of the ravine.

Swiftstream stood there regally, the wind buffeting his fur, plastering it against his sides. His amber eyes gleamed in the clear daylight. The blue sky seemed to create the most perfect outline for the elder warrior. In his powerful jaws was a young rabbit hanging limply. Swiftstream glanced at the admiring kit and then leapt to him in two easy strides.

"And what are you doing here so far from the nursery?" Swiftstream scolded gently and led they way back to the nursery. Thistlekit followed obediently and decided what his life's goal was. He wanted to be more powerful than the feline before him. Thistlekit wanted to be the strongest cat in the entire clan.

Once he had been scolded by Pinefur, he went back to his kit mates and continued to play, his knew goal set in stone in his mind.

Within the month, Thistlekit became a stern, serious-faced kitten that could take orders and carry them out quickly. His change of attitude brought a few curious stares. Most warriors had begun to want him as an apprentice because of his solemn manner. Softkit was timid but just as quick to learn and obey. Bluekit was just plain curious and eager to stick her nose into everything. She wasn't sure that a warrior could handle her, nevertheless her apprentice naming ceremony was a mere two months away.

"I'll be the bestest apprentice there ever was!" Bluekit mewed happily while doing an odd side-step dance. Softkit gave a pleased wiggle and closed his eyes, imagining himself as a full-grown warrior. Thistlekit sat among them, staring into the distance, at some far-off glory he would have.

"It's time to sleep," Pinefur meowed softly and she and Kindheart herded the three into the nursery as the sun's last precious warming light faded away. Softkit looked into the strangely inviting darkness one last time then followed his mother with his adorable kitten trot.

With the moon in the earth's shadow, the world was dark. Thistlekit stared into this dark. He let it fill his loneliness, wrap his heart like a tightening boa constrictor. The dark tabby kitten was like his pelt, thick and dark. His amber eyes held a perfect glint that every cat had except it was not harbored in his soul.

Bluekit's tail touched his shoulder. He turned to meet her gaze.

"Are you excited about becoming an apprentice?" the blue-gray she-cat asked with a gentle tone she rarely used. Thistlekit cocked his head in a questioning manner.

"Yes," he replied. "I'm going to be the next leader."

"Well, if you're going to be the next leader, you'll have to get through me!" Bluekit mewed good-naturedly. Thistlekit blinked slowly. He would be leader. If he had to, he would go through Bluekit in order to obtain this goal. And so Thistlekit's sister was his first rival.

Pinefur watched through narrowed eyes. Her son would be something. She knew this for sure.

The light was so bright, it went through the eyelids and woke the lightly sleeping Softkit. The night was done. Its black blanket was lifted and thrown away for another day. It was a cold, crisp morning with no one awake except for little placid Softkit.

The grayish blue tom arched his back then stretched his forelegs out in front. Every morning must be started with a good stretch. With a not-so-repressed yawn, the kit trotted out the nursery entrance. The bramble snagged at his fur but he could ignore it; his skin was never breached. Softkit walked happily into the clearing with a playful air. Not a cat was up, or so he thought.

"Good morn, young kit," a pretty young she-cat meowed from behind the unsuspecting Softkit.

"Hi, Dapplepaw!" the little tom chirped as he recognized the apprentice. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Dapplepaw purred. "Really, I was worried because it was so silent. A dawn patrol should be coming back by now." As if on cue, a group of three came in through the fern tunnel carrying a meager catch of rabbit and mouse.

Hawkeyes dropped his prey into the fresh kill pile and walked briskly up to his apprentice. Dapplepaw gave an affectionate purr.

"Good morn, Hawkeyes. What are we going to do today?" the pretty she-cat meowed with wide, attentive eyes.

"I'll have to check with Morningstar to see if you can have a hunting test," the mentor replied and slipped into the leader's den. Moments later, he slipped out with a nod. The pair went off, leaving placid Softkit blinking while he trotted into the elders den. He knew Thinwhisker's schedule well. The elder would be up at the moment, giving himself a good wash.

"Thinwhisker! How're you this morning?" Softkit asked politely.

"Same as I've been for many morns. Old, tired and aching. Get Burntclaw to make me something for it. Go on now, shoo." Softkit allowed himself to herded out. He trotted into the shaded medicine cat den. Though he could not her well, the kit recognized Burntclaw sleeping soundly as Snowpaw toiled in some odd herb.

"Hi, Snowpaw. I need Burntclaw to make something for aches," the kit meowed.

"Some what?" the apprentice asked, trying to remember the particular mixture. "Oh,maybe daisy leaves should be good for that?… You need some?" Snowpaw said once he realized what that one medicine did.

"No, Thinwhisker asked me to ask Burntclaw to make it for his aching," Softkit rambled as Snowpaw fumbled with the herbs he was handling while waking his mentor.

"Humph, what?" the medicine cat grumbled sleepily. Snowpaw whispered something in her ear. The older queen nodded and said, "Joint poultice. Move along, now." Burntclaw stood up stiffly and went through the herbs in the storage. Moments later, she reappeared with some large grey-green leaves she was chewing up.

Softkit left with a big oak leaf he dragged along the ground beside him as he struggled to the elders den. Thinwhisker gave the kit a whisker's twitch of notice as he gulped down the disgustingly sweet poultice.

After he swiped his tongue over his lips, the old tom asked with an exasperated sigh, "Now I suppose I owe you a story?" Softkit nodded eagerly. "Alrighty then. I'll tell you the one of Firestorm, son of Brightmoon, who was one of the very first leaders of ThunderClan. When Firestorm was just an apprentice…" As the elder delved deeper into the story, Softkit's mother woke from a well-deserved sleep.

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