Crowkit had opened his eyes. His mother, Ashfoot, was still asleep. He sparkled his blue eyes, and hunched closer to his mother. He hauled himself up to his paws. "Ashfoot!" he squeaked.
The gray queen lifted her head, blinking. "Crowkit," she murmured. "Your eyes are open! That's... amazing!" Seeming to have woken, she licked Crowkit gingerly. "Could you wait until I bring Barkface? The medicine cat?"
Crowkit nodded.
A few seconds later, the medicine cat padded into the nursery. "Ah," he mewed, "so his eyes are open?"
"Yes!" Ashfoot nodded.
"Yay!"
"His eyes are blue, just like yours, Ashfoot. Congratulations."
"Thank you," Ashfoot dipped her head.
Barkface nodded, and went out the den.
"Ashfoot. My eyes are blue?"
Ashfoot nodded. "Thank you for being alive." she whispered.
At that time, Crowkit had no idea what she had meant.
His time in the nursery was boring. He always saw that his fellow ones had fathers. Why didn't he? But he never asked the question aloud. Ashfoot didn't like it at all.
"Tornear," Crowkit mewed, "who's my father?"
"Deadfoot," Tornear replied gravely. "He died in the battle against BloodClan."
"Oh, no!"
"Oh, no, indeed." Tornear agreed. "He was a great deputy, and Mudclaw replaced him."
"Oh." Crowkit grew quiet. The great deputy, Mudclaw.
A white she-cat joined them, and glanced over at him. "Four-moon!" she called. She grinned. "Now I can boss you around!"
"Why, Whitetail?"
"I'm not the youngest warrior anymore. So..." She purred. "Well, I feel like it gives me more power."
Crowkit rolled his eyes. "Just because you were made a warrior moons before me doesn't mean you can boss me around, Whitetail."
"Sure." Whitetail shrugged, but her eyes were gleaming mischievously.
"Whitetail!" Whitetail's former mentor, Onewhisker, called.
Whitetail glanced at him. "Yes?" she asked.
Crowkit remembered Whitetail showing to fancy the handsome tom.
"Come on. Mudclaw says you're to come on dawn patrol."
"Oh, okay." She flashed a quick mischievous look at Crowkit and padded away. "Crowkit, good luck with your pretend-training today! I saw you yesterday."
Crowkit turned angrily.
Suddenly, gray paws wrapped around Crowkit. "Crowkit!" Ashfoot cried. "I was worried you were carried off by a fox."
"Well. How could it?" Crowkit grumbled. "A fox couldn't just stride in and take me. That's impossible, Ashfoot."
"You worried me, that's all." Ashfoot purred. "You remind me of your father every time, Crowkit. You'll cease to amaze me, I'm sure of it." Ashfoot's blue eyes startled Crowkit. Would he really? He hoped so.
He looked out the nursery, gazing at the moor. WindClan territory was his favorite. Not that he'd seen the other territories, of course, but he was sure WindClan territory was the best territory to exist. He could see the sandy colored grounds, and grass-covered moors. The wind seemed so refreshing, and occasionally rabbits had ventured into camp. Crowkit could watch them, waiting to be an apprentice so he could catch them! He would become deputy like his father, someday, and become leader, receiving nine lives, just like Tallstar.
The moors were a mystery to other cats, according to Morningflower. He'd become a proud warrior, and vanquish any cat who came close to their borders.
He would challenge any cat from another Clan, and treat them as an enemy. He would become a strong warrior of WindClan, a warrior his Clan could be proud of. And Ashfoot! And his father, watching from StarClan.
"Ashfoot! Is Deadfoot watching from StarClan?" Crowkit asked, wishing he could've seen his father for real.
"I hope so." Ashfoot responded, sighing.
