Rainsplash had his sights set on Dashkit ever since he was born.

Red Claw had been Rainsplash's mentor. He was a wonderful mentor too, and Rainsplash wanted a chance to give the same excitement and happiness to another cat as Red Claw had. Dashkit was the only kit in SkyClan, after all.

He was four moons old, the top of his head up to Rainsplash's chin, and due for his apprentice ceremony any day now.

Rainsplash admitted to trying for force a bit of a bias. Anytime Dashkit came out of the nursery he'd always been the first to offer a badger ride, or a new feather, or a battle move. He'd always happily accepted.

That frosty leafbare morning, Dashkit had asked Rainsplash to take him out of camp. Rainsplash was happy to oblige.

Dashkit was telling Rainsplash all about a story Peppermint had told him, the hunter nodding along happily. Then Dashkit paused.

"Dashkit?" asked Rainsplash.

"Dad said there was a river beside the camp and that's where all our water comes from," he said, a bit quietly, "Can I see it?"

Rainsplash smiled and nodded. The young black tom shot up, tail held straight up excitedly. Rainsplash felt his heart warm at the kit's excitement. Dashkit gasped as he stepped onto the sandy shore. He crouched down at the edge of the river, which had ice frozen on its edges.

Dashkit stuck out his tongue and lapped at the ice. Unfortunately, he couldn't retract his tongue back into his mouth. He let out a noise of discomfort.

"Tasty?" asked Rainsplash. Dashkit lashed his tail. Rainsplash chuckled, then raised a paw and smacked the ice, breaking it off the bank. Unfortunately, it was still stuck to Dashkit.

Rainsplash could see the kit's mind blank, and next thing he knew, Dashkit was chest-deep in the river. Rainsplash figured it was okay, he was watching the kit, if he fell he could pull him out, right?

That's just what the hunter was thinking as the river splash and Dashkit disappeared under. That's just what he realized he could not do as he fell under himself.

"RiverClan!" Rainsplash screeched as his head bobbed up and down in the water. "Help!"

Soon enough after that, claws were wrapping around his shoulders and chest and for a second, Rainsplash thought he was going to die. Then he was on stones and a sheathed paw came crashing down on his stomach. Water poured out of his mouth and he frantically sat up. Dashkit was under the paws of another black cat.

"Oh, Emberfall, look at this," said the tom beside Rainsplash. Emberfall, a tortoiseshell with very small ginger speckles all along his pelt, turned around from Dashkit. He gasped.

"Oh, what a big fish! Good job, Beefang! And in leafbare! Willowpaw, Graypaw and Dewpaw will love it!"

Beefang purred and drew a paw over his ear. "I was thinking Aspenkit, Darkkit, Blackkit and Eelkit. Maybe it'll shut Night up for once."

Emberfall let out a mrrow of laughter and Rainsplash stood up beside the black tom.

"How's Dashkit…" he asked softly.

"Is that his name?" the tom responded. Rainsplash nodded, so the tom went on, "He'll live. Keep him warm, when he wakes up give him yarrow, just in case. Get him to eat. If you can find a stray bees nest, get him some honey."

Rainsplash nodded and leaned down. Emberfall and Beefang helped nudge the knocked-out kitten across the hunter's slim shoulders.

"Thank you so much… uh…"

"Pine Needle," the tom nodded.

Rainsplash nodded. He felt frozen. "How do I get back across the river?"

"That depends," Pine Needle mewed, "Are you from SkyClan or ThunderClan?"

"SkyClan."

"There's a few stepping stones on the thinnest part of the river. Emberfall, Beefang, go show him."

The toms obliged.

Back at camp, Peppermint and Honey Pelt didn't leave Dashkit's sides. For the rest of the week leafbare into the starting days of newleaf. Dashkit stayed in the medicine den for one moon. Honey Pelt didn't let Rainsplash enter. But the hunter could see Dashkit's wide, scared yellow eyes behind him and- very reluctantly- didn't try to visit.

A few days after the start of newleaf, a ginger-and-white kittypet had followed Thorn and Nettle home. Birchpelt pricked her ears and her eyes widened as Sparrowstar came over to talk to her.

"My name is Apricot," she mewed, amber gaze drifting over Birchpelt, "My owners will take my kits the second they're born. I want them to have a chance at life here."

Sparrowstar nodded and summoned Birchpelt, still moony-eyed, over. "Go out with Rainsplash and collect fresh moss for a bedding, will you?"

Birchpelt happily accepted.

(...)

It wasn't very long before Apricot had queened her kits. She'd named him Rowan. Sparrowstar had corrected to Rowankit. He was off milk the next moon. Within the moon, a patrol had found a very young kit named Beech, hardly older than Rowankit and sure not weaned yet. Apricot didn't have enough for the two of them. She thanked SkyClan and went on her way.

One moon later, Rainsplash and Birchpelt were on the dusk patrol along the ThunderClan border. The bushes rustled and the siblings prepared for a fight. Instead emerged a dark ginger-and-white she-cat emerged, a tiny, pale kitten in her jaws. The kitten was hardly two moons old, tiny and lacking the round belly of milk and soft prey kits were supposed to have.

"Hi," said the she-cat, "My name is Clover. I come from ThunderClan. This is a rogue's kit and I simply cannot bear to take care of her anymore. She doesn't need milk. Please take her and say she's fully rogue."

Rainsplash picked up the sleepy-looking kitten by her scruff.

"What's her name?" asked Birchpelt.

"It's Applekit," Clover admitted, "But if she keeps it then I can't say she's dead. Name her whatever you wish."

With that last statement, Clover turned and ran off. Birchpelt blinked at Rainsplash.

"What do you think?"

He shrugged.

They took the kit home together. She was very upset and kept mewling for her mother, but was too tired for her heart to be truly in it. She fell asleep the second she was placed on Peppermint's belly, the cat who had volunteered herself as a foster mother so they wouldn't be alone in the nursery.

"She doesn't have a name," Birchpelt lied as Rainsplash immediately backed out.

Peppermint hummed, pointing to two big patches connected with a v-shaped stripe. "What about Cherrykit?"

Birchpelt nodded, and made her way out.

It was a few nights later when Thunderstar called a Gathering to warn the other clans about dogs.

"They broke into our camp in the night," he mewed, "They killed our only kit, Applekit."

Birchpelt could see Clover's eyes go wide, as if she hadn't expected this.

Then her gaze caught on Eagle Feather. He looked so much like Beechkit.

(...)

The dreaded day had arrived. Dashkit was becoming an apprentice. Rainsplash hung his head shamefully as Sparrowstar's gaze drifted over him. He'd truly ruined everything. If Sparrowstar actually made the hunter Dashkit's mentor, it'd be many moons of terror and he'd be lucky if Peppermint didn't claw his liver out. Then Acorn Fur came forward.

"Clanmates," she mewed, sitting under the Highbranch. "I will not live forever, and the time has come for me to take on an apprentice. Dashpaw will be SkyClan's next medicine cat!"

Rainsplash pricked his ears in surprise, then put them back down in worry. Having a medicine cat scared of you couldn't be good. After Dashpaw and Acorn Fur touched noses, Dashpaw strode over and sweeped his head under Rainsplash's chin.

"Thank you for teaching me so much," he mewed softly.

Rainsplash tapped the tip of his tail against the soft grass. "I thought you were scared of me."

"No," Dashpaw said with a light laugh, "Peppermint and Honey Pelt are scared of you. You only ever startled me. Quite striking to just see a big form behind you suddenly, you know?"

Rainsplash let out a mrrow of very relieved laughter.