"Hawkwing! Cloudmist! Blossomheart!" the SkyClan cats cried.

Emberkit watched Cherrytail and Sharpclaw congratulating their kits on finally becoming warriors.

She couldn't wait till Leafstar gave Emberkit her warrior name, and her mother and father, Sparrowpelt and Tinycloud would be so proud. She went over names in her head.

Embershade, Embersky, Embercloud, Embereye. The last one would be best, she decided, thinking proudly of her coal-black coat and deep orange eyes for which she had been named.

"Emberkit!" a voice called. Emberkit whirled around.

Tinycloud and her three brothers, Smokekit, Ferretkit, and Heronkit were waiting to go back to the nursery.

Emberkit's whiskers drooped as she realized she'd been sitting there a long time.

"Sorry, mother." she muttered. "Why were you staring at the sky, like you wanted to become a StarClan warrior?" teased Ferretkit.

"Leafstar should rename you to Skywatcher, like the old elder who was always staring at the moon."

"Ferretkit!" Tinycloud admonished. "Respect your elders!"

Ferretkit said nothing, just heaved a sigh and raced off to the nursery. "I do stare at the sky a lot, don't I?" asked Emberkit.

"A-a little, dear." Tinycloud replied. "But it's not a bad quality."

"Okay." Emberkit said, and sped up.


Emberkit focused on the play fight in front of her.

Smokekit and Ferretkit were playing warrior and prey, and she was critiquing their style.

Ferretkit needs to be a lot quicker. And Smokekit knows that Ferretkit always makes the first move- it'd be a lot easier to win if Smokekit waited for Ferretkit to leap, and then duck and roll.

Suddenly, Emberkit reached out with a paw and batted the thick tendon running down Smokekit's back leg.

He immediately collapsed. "Hey!" he cried. "Emberkit's playing favorites! And we all know she's gonna be the best fighter in the forest."

"And I'm gonna be the best hunter!" said Heronkit, and jumped on Ferretkit from the back.

Emberkit purred, then started thinking about all the strange dreams she'd been having recently.

They were usually about a gray cat, with stars in his pelt.

And he would always talk about strange things, like lightning or something, and wind and shadow and water.

One day, she promised herself, I will find that cat.