"Emberpaw!" called Echosong.

I hope it's short, Emberpaw thought.

She had just been on a hunting patrol and was ready to go to sleep.

She had caught a pigeon and a squirrel, but it wasn't much to her now, because she had been an apprentice for two moons.

"Yes?" she asked wearily.

"I have seen your destiny in a vision." Echosong announced. "You shall be a medicine cat."

Emberpaw recoiled. "No I shall not." she cried. "StarClan gave me a choice- warrior or medicine cat. And I choose to be a warrior."

Echosong was perplexed. "It's not about you, it's about something greater than yourself. You can't always have it your way." Emberpaw dug her claws into the ground.

"But if it's my destiny, I can't avoid it. It's going to happen to me whether I like it or not. And whatever I do, it's going to be right. Because whatever happens to you, you're always carrying out your 'destiny'. But that won't make me choose to."

The last part was delivered in a whisper, and Emberpaw whirled around and ran off.

Echosong sighed. Would this apprentice ever see sense?

Her train of thought was interrupted by Frecklewish, the other medicine cat, rushing up to her.

"Cloudmist is having kits!" she cried. Echosong gasped.

"But it's too early! Never mind- fetch borage, comfrey, and chervil. Meet me in the- where's Cloudmist?"

"The warriors den." responded Frecklewish.

"Meet me there." Echosong ran to the warriors den, where Cloudmist was convulsing.

"Do something!" cried Rockwhisker.

"Then fetch me a stick," said Echosong. "Now," directed Echosong, "When I say push, push. Three,"

Frecklewish arrived with the herbs. "I sent Fidgetpaw for the rosemary."

"Good," said Echosong. "Two, One, PUSH!" A tiny, wet scrap of fur slipped out.

"Staunch the bleeding with the rosemary!" cried Echosong to Frecklewish.

"Three, Two, One, PUSH!" Another one. "Three, Two, One, PUSH!" That was it.

"Eat the borage and chervil pulp." Echosong said. Now she looked down and inspected the kits.

"You have a black tom with tiny specks of white on his back." she reported.

"Sleetkit." purred Rockwhisker.

"Your biggest is a golden she-kit."

"Sunkit," gasped Cloudmist, eyes bright from exertion.

"And the smallest is-" she gasped. "A tortoiseshell tom."

There were cries of disbelief all around the warriors den. Male tortoiseshells are very rare and usually sterile.

"Finchkit." said Cloudmist determinedly.

"Whatever you want." Rockwhisker mewed shakily.

Now, thought Echosong, all that's left is to convince Emberpaw.

I'm really excited, y'all! This next chapter is really going to get the plotline going.

The first five were mostly just fillers, to kind of ease into the plot, but chap. 6 is going to hurry it along.