Chapter 5

On the other side of the mountain range on Moonclan's old territory, there was a valley which lead to the foot hills and from there miles of flat plains. Within the valley, there was a structure made from shrubs, brambles, and branches. This was the secondary camp that belonged to Moonclan. They hid their camp well by planting the seeds of death berries on the outer edges of the boarder. They knew that even rogues would stay away from the deadly poisonous berries. Slatestone, Moonclan's deputy, was sitting on high rock and overlooking the clan while his leader lead a patrol near the boarder. Slatestone looked towards the nursery and watched Morningkit play with the other kits. His eyes narrowed. Morningkit was the second born kit of Snowclaw and Pinestar. Every cat knew that she would be the one to succeed Pinestar, since it was believed that Redkit was dead. Slatestone and some other cats, however, knew that Morningkit would not fit the role. Morningkit didn't show the strength that Redkit had shown as a kit. Morningkit was not cut out to be a leader. Morningkit was weaker than most kits and they knew she wouldn't hold up well in battle. Slatestone doubted that she would be a fit leader. He jumped down and he went to the medicine cat den. When he got there, Mapleeye was sorting through her stocks of herbs. It was then that she looked up to see her deputy had come to visit and she meowed, "What can I do for you, Slatestone?" Slatestone replied, "I just want to talk about my concerns with Morningkit." Mapleeye's attention was now fully focused on her deputy. He continued, "I don't think she's a fit successor for Pinestar. She's weaker than most kits and she doesn't have the right instincts. There's no way she'll be able to fill the role of leader." Mapleeye nodded, "I agree. Morningkit isn't cut out to be a leader. Redkit was a way better choice for us." Slatestone scowled, "It doesn't matter now, because Redkit is dead!" "Is she now?" Mapleeye suddenly said. Slatestone looked at the calico and questioned, "What do you mean?" The deputy was now confused with what the she cat meant by her sudden response.

The calico she cat then explained, "I found Pinestar and Snowclaw's announcement of Redkit's death a little suspicious. First off, Redkit was killed outside of the camp. Redkit knew and respected the warrior code and she never ever dared to leave the camp like most other kits in our clan have. So, why would she suddenly leave the camp and break the warrior code? Secondly, we never saw Redkit's dead body. What we saw was fox blood and scars on them, but they neglected to show us her dead body. Third of all, Pinestar explained that they buried Redkit in the forest where she had been killed due to the fact that there wasn't enough time to perform the burial. The elders are supposed to bury the dead cats not the leader or his mate. They may be her parents, but that doesn't mean that they have to bury her. Finally, I'm sure we all heard haunting yowls in the forest. I noticed that when those yowls sounded, Pinestar and Snowclaw lowered their heads with guilt and shame. It's clear that they are hiding something from us and it could possibly the truth about Redkit. I don't think she's really dead. I think they faked her death. I know the reason why, but I need them to confirm this theory." Slatestone was in shock at this theory and he was now furious and growled, "But why would they lie to us like this?! Do they not trust us enough to know the truth?!" Mapleeye meowed, "I'm sure they have their reasons for lying to us, Slatestone. I'm also certain that they have their reasons for not trusting us with the truth." Slatestone sighed, "Yeah, you're right Mapleeye, but it still hurts that Pinestar doesn't trust at least the two of us with the truth. We grew up together for crying out loud. Surely, he would trust us with a secret like this." Mapleeye purred, "Let's go and talk with him." He nodded and they left the den.

When they walked out, they saw Pinestar and Snowclaw outside of the leaders den talking to each other. There timing couldn't have been more perfect. They padded up to their leader and his mate and they were determined to learn the truth. Snowclaw and Pinestar saw them approach. Snowclaw looked at her mate with fear, but Pinestar just sighed. He knew why they were coming to him. With no other choice he agreed to tell them the truth. When Slatestone and Mapleeye arrived, Pinestar meowed, "Slatestone, Mapleeye, I'm already aware of why you're hear. You want the truth, I will tell it. But first, Snowclaw can you go and get Morningkit?" Snowclaw turned to her mate with shock and she asked, "Morningkit?! Are you sure? She's still a little young to handle a truth like this." Pinestar answered, "We have to tell her sooner or later, Snowclaw." Snowclaw nodded and went to get Morningkit. Pinestar took Slatestone and Mapleeye to his den to talk. Snowclaw managed to find and grab Morningkit. On the way to Pinestar's den, Morningkit told her mother that she had been having strange dreams lately. Snowclaw promised her kit that she could tell her and Pinestar all about it in the den. When they arrived, Morningkit ran up to her father and rubbed up against him. Pinestar smiled and purred and he stroked his kit. Snowclaw whispered to Pinestar what Morningkit had told her. Nodding in understanding he then got ready to speak. Pinestar meowed, "Morningkit, your mother and I have something we need to tell you. But before we do, would you mind telling us about the dreams that you've been having?" Morningkit nodded, "Well each dream I've had up till now has started the same way. I'm in a forest and it's nighttime. The first thing I see is that I'm crouched next to a river. Then I catch a fish as if I had been taught how to catch one. Then I leap up and grab the fish and finish it off and the next thing I do is turn to see mother praising me. Next, I'm climbing a tree and your praising me. Sometime after, I'm staring at a pool of glowing water. Finally, I watched as you and mom start walking way and moments later I'm yowling and crying out for you to not leave me behind. The problem is that when I spoke it wasn't my own voice. It was the voice of someone else. Other dreams I've had were me running from a fox or Coyote just shortly after hunting by the river and for some reason I eat stale prey in some dream as well. I still haven't gotten that horrible taste out of my mouth. The dream I had last night, however, was extremely different. There were cats I didn't recognize, a fox attacked, and the pool of glowing water showed up again. Then, I'm following these cats and I collapse and one cat is rubbing moss on my back and there was this intense pain every time the cat rubbed the moss. The next thing I know is that I'm gorging down prey like I haven't eaten in moons. Finally, the dream ended with me playing with kits that I didn't recognize. And those are the dreams I've been having."

Pinestar, Slatestone, Mapleeye, and Snowclaw stared at Morningkit in complete shock. It was then that Snowclaw questioned, "Morningkit, what name did any of the cats you saw in your dream address you by?" Morningkit answered, "They called me, Redkit." When Morningkit confirmed their suspicions, Pinestar and Snowclaw knew that Morningkit was living Redkit's life in her dreams. It was then that Pinestar spoke, "Morningkit, it's time that your mother and I told you about Redkit." Morningkit asked, "Who is Redkit?" Pinestar continued, "Redkit is your older sister. Those dreams you were having, you were living her life." Morningkit was now in complete shock. Mapleeye then chimed in, "So, she is alive isn't she?" Snowclaw responded, "Yes, Redkit is alive." Pinestar nodded and explained, "There was once a prey crisis that was so bad that, we had to leave our camp. Redkit, however, was only one moon old and she couldn't travel long distances. Also, the mountain trail is extremely dangerous due to the eagles. Redkit couldn't handle traveling herbs either. There was no way she would've been able to make the journey here." Mapleeye commented, "I figured that these were the reasons. So, does that mean that she was left behind?" Snowclaw gritted her teeth and just nodded. Pinestar resumed, "Snowclaw and I broke the warrior code by taking Redkit out of camp, teaching her to hunt and climb trees, and showing her the moon pool. With full knowledge that we were breaking the warrior code, we taught Redkit how to survive in our old territory. We did the wrong thing, but we did it for the right reasons. The punishment we received was listening to Redkit's yowls and pleas for us not to leave. As well as Morningkit's birth, these are the punishments we have to bare." Slatestone looked at his leader in shock and he protested, "No, you both suffered for your choice. It was a difficult choice to make, but you made that choice from the love you both had. You preserved Redkit's well being in that way by leaving her behind. The only price you paid for breaking the warrior code was losing her in first place. Morningkit's birth was a blessing for you. Starclan gave her to you as a precaution in case Redkit didn't survive. Brackenstar is looking out for you. My only question for you is, why didn't you trust me or Mapleeye with the truth?" Snowclaw said, "Well, after we arrived here, we were unsure if Redkit even survived. Which is why we never told Morningkit about Redkit. We only learned recently that Redkit survived two moons without us and Pinestar, as a leader and a father, gave her permission to join the clan that moved in close to our territory. They're called Cloverclan." Mapleeye meowed, "Well at least she'll have a better chance of survival." Slatestone agreed, "Yeah, I trust that she'll be happy there." Pinestar informed, "She's only there temporarily. When we return, she will have to decide if she wants to come back." Each cat nodded in agreement.

Slatestone, Mapleeye, and Morningkit agreed to keep the knowledge of Redkit being alive a secret. Pinestar further explained that they were going to have a gathering with Cloverclan that very night. Pinestar wanted to introduce Slatestone and Mapleeye to Ashstar and Lavendermist. Morningkit asked if she could go with them and meet her sister. Pinestar explained that she couldn't go with them to the location of which they would go to communicate with Starclan, but she could join them at the gathering. He wasn't opposed to Morningkit meeting her sister. He told her that she could join them at the gathering right here in the camp. All she had to do was sleep and follow a Starclan cat to their location. Morningkit nodded and the other cats began preparing for the trip to the Moonstone.

Meanwhile back on the main side of the mountain range and beyond Moonclan's old territory, Cloverclan was preparing for a big to do. Ashstar was organizing the hunting and boarder patrols with Hawkeye. It was then that he asked Spottedshadow to fetch Redkit, so that they could depart. Spottedshadow got Redkit from the nursery and arrived back at the patrol with her. Once Redkit arrived they began heading out of the camp. Redkit stayed close to the apprentices. Each of the apprentices were eager to learn how to catch fish in the way Redkit was taught. They reached the boarder and Redkit padded forward and away from the patrol so that they were downwind from her. Ashstar watched her and she began to sniff the air. Redkit was checking for the smell of rain clouds in the area. The crimson she kit, however, smelled no rain clouds. She then turned to Ashstar and mewed, "No rain clouds." Ashstar and the other cats were confused by her statement and Redkit proceeded to explain, "Moonclan cats always have to smell for rain clouds in the area. If there is rain, then there's a good chance that a flash flood is imminent. That, however, depends on how hard the rain falls and how much we get. At the moment, there are no rain clouds. There won't be a flash flood today, but we still at least need to check the river anyway." Darkpaw asked, "If there's not going to be a flash flood, why do we still need to check the river?" Redkit turned to Darkpaw and answered, "Checking the river will allow us to predict how big the flood will be and how long it could last. I'm unsure when the flood will occur, but looking at the clouds is a way to check for signs of rain. New-Leaf brings a lot of heavy rains in this territory and the water that runs off the land will feed into the river and add extra water to the snow-melt flooded river. Snow on the mountains melt around this time of year, so checking the river will tell us how fast the snow is melting. This is why we still need to check the river." Darkpaw nodded in understanding. The boarder patrol finished marking the boarder and they entered Moonclan territory.

When they arrived at the river, Ashstar halted the patrol and allowed for Redkit to get closer. Redkit observed the water and saw how rough the water was. The water was moving fast and crashing against the bank. Redkit saw debris floating down the river and she knew that the water level had risen since she last checked it. She saw one of the apprentices get curious and try to get closer. Seeing a wave coming, Redkit immediately rushed over and pushed Berrypaw away from the edge of the bank just before the wave crashed against the bank. Every cat was in shock at how quickly Redkit acted to save Berrypaw from the wave. Ashstar was even more surprised by how Redkit knew when that wave was going to hit. Redkit warned, "Stay back. The water is really rough. It's too dangerous for the rest of you." Redkit got close again and she saw a fish rise to the surface. She waited patiently and she then paw-flipped the fish out of the water. She leaped up and caught the fish and she finished it off. All of the other cats were impressed by the hunting technique. Ashstar then padded up to her as she buried her catch and he meowed, "How does the river look, Redkit?" She replied, "The water level is way higher than when I last checked it. My grandfather told me that he's been checking it and he said that the river is flooding much faster than usual. From the looks of it right now, it is really evident. The snow on the mountains is melting faster than normal. If it continues at this rate, we'll be in for a big flood when the heavy rains come." Ashstar was concerned by this and he asked her to teach them how to check the water for signs of flooding. Redkit beckoned the other cats to come closer, but to not get too close to the edge of the bank. Each cat nodded and they got closer to the river. Redkit then pointed with her tail and explained, "When you look at a river, you need to notice a few hints or clues that tell you that the river is flooding. Firstly, notice how rough the water is. This tells you that the water level is high and is moving faster than it normally does. The river, however, won't always look like this. So, another clue that will tell you how fast the water is moving is by looking at the debris floating down the river. The debris will show you how fast the water is moving. You won't always be able to tell if the water level is high just by looking at the deepest part of the river. As you can see the water is so rough that it's turning the water white. So, to make up for that, look at the waves crashing against the river bank and feel the bank for wet spots." The other cats did everything she told them and she continued, "As you can see, or feel, the water level is so high that water is being displaced. This means the river is overflowing with water, so it's trying to get rid of some of that water." The cats all nodded in understanding. Suddenly, a wave was coming up the river fast. Redkit, however, was busy explaining and wasn't keeping a lookout for the waves.

By the time Redkit heard the wave coming, it was already too late to get out of it's way. The wave crashed up against the river bank and Redkit was now in the river. Ashstar yowled, "Redkit!" All of the cats were searching the water for Redkit. Redkit, however, did not surface. Down river, Redkit surfaced and began to swim towards the river bank. Unannounced to her, she had already crossed the Sunclan boarder. Once she got to the bank, she climbed out of the river. She lied down on the ground exhausted from the big swim. Redkit shivered from the cold mountain water. The crimson she kit forced herself to stand and start walking. As she walked along the river, she tried to smell for Ashstar and the others. It was then that she realized that she was in Sunclan territory. Redkit started to pick up her pace. She wanted to get across the boarder before a Sunclan patrol discovered her. She was almost to the boarder when suddenly, a Sunclan patrol had caught her in their territory. She then ran and full speed and crossed the boarder before they could catch her. Soulstar stopped his patrol because of the boarder. Seeing that the kit hadn't moved any farther, he padded up and meowed, "Hey, kit, what's your name?" The crimson she kit mewed, "Redkit, why?" Soulstar continued, "Why were you trespassing on our territory?" Redkit responded, "Well, I certainly didn't mean to. I fell into the river while teaching Ashstar and some other cats to check the river for signs of flooding. The river had already carried me across the boarder by the time I surfaced to swim towards the bank. I'm merely just trying to get back to my peers and nothing more." Soulstar detected no deception in her words and her wet pelt and shivering also told him that she did fall in the river. Soulstar replied, "Well, Redkit, I'll send you on your merry way, but do you at least want me to accompany you back to your peers? You'll be safer with an adult cat than just you alone." Redkit thought it over and she nodded, "Agreed. I actually could use an escort." Soulstar smiled and said, "Then I'd be happy to help. I'm Soulstar, by the way." Redkit smiled, "Nice to meet you." Soulstar ordered his patrol to return to camp and he walked with Redkit along the river.

Ashstar and the others soon came into their sights and Redkit bounded up into their sight line. Redkit meowed loudly, "Hey, guys! I'm right here!" Ashstar and the others looked up in shock to see Redkit on the other side of the river and that she was alive. Ashstar sighed in relief, "Redkit, thank Starclan that you're alright." Redkit replied, "Yeah, I'm okay. I, however, am really cold right now." It was then that Soulstar came up next to Redkit and Ashstar greeted, "Greetings, Soulstar." The Sunclan leader acknowledged, "Greetings, Ashstar. It seems that you've lost one of your kits. Allow me to help return her." Soulstar picked up Redkit by the scruff and he ran and jumped over the river. Once he put her down, Redkit ran up to Ashstar, Darkpaw, and Cloudpaw. They embraced her, but found the she was cold and soaking wet. Lavendermist and Fernpaw began licking Redkit's fur the wrong way to warm her up. Soulstar questioned, "So, a kit is teaching you how to check the river for signs of flooding?" Ashstar nodded, "Redkit is a former Moonclan cat and since they teach their young to check for signs of flooding, Redkit was the only one who could teach us." Soulstar was surprised and meowed, "You're a Moonclan cat? Come to think of it, you look oddly familiar. Are you in any way related to Brackenstar?" Redkit looked up and answered, "Yes, he's my Grandfather. He passed away a long time ago and my father took his place. Pinestar is my father and the current leader of Moonclan." Soulstar sighed, "I see. I've met Brackenstar and he was a very nice and wise cat. Even though our clans don't share the same religion, he still took the time to go out of his way to tell us when a flash flood would come." Ashstar meowed, "I'm curious, what is your clan's culture Soulstar?" Perking up, Soulstar explained, "Sunclan is a former tribe. We adopted clan culture, but we've kept our previous religion. We believe in the Tribe of Endless Hunting. Some of my warriors have kept their original tribe names, while others accept warrior names. We do know of Starclan and believe that they exist and that cats are able to speak to them, but we do not believe in them." Ashstar nodded, "I respect your culture, Soulstar." Soulstar dipped his head in gratitude.

The Sunclan leader then came to a realization. He asked, "Redkit, if your a Moonclan cat, why are you in Cloverclan?" Redkit replied, "Moonclan left three moons ago when the prey population went down. There was also an increase in predators. They couldn't take me with them because the mountain trail is too dangerous and I was too young to handle traveling herbs at the time they left. My parents taught me to hunt and climb trees, so that I could survive. I managed to survive two whole moons without them. I couldn't keep it up anymore, so I joined Cloverclan that way I wouldn't be alone anymore." Soulstar was in shock with how much Redkit had to go through. After awhile, Soulstar had to head back to meet with his clan. Redkit finished her lesson on checking the river and teaching them how to carefully hunt fish. Ashstar lead his patrols back to camp. When they arrived, he began preparing to go back out into Moonclan territory. Redkit was staying in the camp, but she was still going to attend the gathering from where she was. Soon, Ashstar was waiting at the camp entrance and Lavendermist came running up with Fernpaw. They both were ready to go. The three cats then departed from the camp. They arrived at the moon pool just before Moon-high. Once the moon reached the hole in the cave ceiling, the moon pool glowed into view. Ashstar, Lavendermist, and Fernpaw touched their noses to the water. The water rippled and they fell into a slumber.

They wandered through the endless plain were Starclan cats hunt forever. They saw Cloverstar with Pinestar and his group of cats, but they noticed that Brackenstar and Redkit had yet to arrive. Ashstar and the others padded up and they greeted their new companions. "Pinestar, it's so good to see you again!" Ashstar had said. The leader of Moonclan smiled, "It's good to see you too, Ashstar." Ashstar replied, "By the way, this is Fernpaw. She's Lavendermist's apprentice." Pinestar looked towards the young she cat and he meowed, "Hello there, Fernpaw, it's a pleasure to meet you." Fernpaw nodded shyly in response. Lavendermist lowered her head to her apprentice and explained, "This is Pinestar. He's the leader of Moonclan and he's Redkit's father." Fernpaw then mewed, "It's nice to meet you too, Pinestar." Pinestar smiled and responded, "Now let me introduce my other members. This is my deputy, Slatestone. The calico she cat is Mapleeye, our medicine cat." Lavendermist approached and purred, "It's lovely to meet you Mapleeye. Redkit has told me somethings about you." Mapleeye's ears perked up and she asked, "What did she say?" Lavendermist informed, "She told me how you taught her to roll in wild garlic to prevent infections." Mapleeye gasped, "I'm so glad that she remembered that. Were her wounds easier to treat?" Lavendermist nodded, "Yes. Although, cleaning the wounds wasn't very fun for Redkit." Mapleeye meowed, "I can imagine so." After the medicine cats had their little exchange, Pinestar continued, "You two have already met Snowclaw, who's my mate, Redkit's mother, and one of my best warriors, but I'll introduce her for Fernpaw's sake. Lastly, we have one of our newest members to our clan with us. This is Morningkit, Redkit's younger sister." Fernpaw padded up to Morningkit and she purred, "Hi Morningkit, I'm Fernpaw. I'll bet you're here to meet your older sister." Morningkit mewed, "Yes, I really wanted to meet her. I, however, don't see her." Ashstar said, "Brackenstar was supposed to bring her wasn't he?" Cloverstar replied, "Don't worry. Brackenstar hasn't forgotten about the gathering. He told me that he had a surprise for Redkit, so he was going to be a little bit late." As Cloverstar was saying these words, Brackenstar finally showed up. The former Moonclan leader said, "My apologies for my late arrival, but I wanted to give Redkit a surprise." Pinestar replied, "It's alright, but I'm curious. What was the surprise you wanted to give to Redkit?" Brackenstar smiled as he turned and pointed with his tail, "Look over there."

They all joined together and lined up only to see Redkit playing with some kits that had starry pelts. Everyone watched the reddish-brown she kit play, laugh and cry with the kits. Snowclaw took a closer look at the kits that Redkit was playing with. The minute she saw who these kits were, Snowclaw gasped, "Those kits… Are they…?" Brackenstar nodded, "Yes, Snowclaw. Those are Redkit's deceased littermates." Morningkit mewed, "Littermates?" Fernpaw explained, "Littermates is a term to describe siblings who are born in the same litter. For example, Redkit is the only surviving kit of her litter and right know she's reuniting with her dead siblings, who were born in the same litter as her." Mapleeye chimed in, "Morningkit, this also applies to you as well because you're also the only surviving kit of your litter." It was then that the kits had to leave, but they promised to visit Redkit in her dreams. Redkit waved them goodbye and she turned to the line of cats that she was supposed to be with. She looked among the line of cats she saw two cats that she hadn't seen in three moons. She ran up to the others and immediately went towards Slatestone and Mapleeye. The two cats ran towards the young she kit and they embraced her when they reunited. Ashstar, Lavendermist, and Fernpaw were surprised at the reaction the two cats had upon seeing Redkit. It seemed to the current Cloverclan leader that Redkit was very well-loved in her previous clan. He even expressed it to Pinestar and the Moonclan leader responded, "Yes, Redkit was very loved. When she was born, the entire clan celebrated the next day. Once she was one moon old, the prey shortage happened. My clan was in crisis, but Redkit always managed to make them smile. Leaving her behind is one of my many regrets, but there was no way she would've survived the journey across the mountain." Redkit then broke her embrace and she padded up to her parents. They began showering her with licks and hugs. After they finished, Pinestar meowed, "I'm glad you could make it, Redkit. Now that you're here, I have someone that wants to meet you." Redkit's ears perked up and she replied, "Really?!" Snowclaw then turned to Morningkit and purred, "Come here, Morningkit. Come meet your big sister." Redkit's eyes widened and her heart fluttered with excitement when she heard that she had a new sister. It was then that Morningkit began to approach and she was suddenly very shy and nervous. When the young she kit finally came close, she then looked up at her big sister, who purred, "Hi, Morningkit. I'm Redkit, your big sister."

Morningkit's ears perked at Redkit's calm and gentle voice. Morningkit mewed, "It's nice to meet you, sister." Redkit chuckled, "You can call me, Redkit." Morningkit nodded and continued, "Redkit, did you really survive two moons without Moonclan?" Redkit responded, "I'm standing right in front of you aren't? I wouldn't be here if didn't survive. But since it was a question, yeah I did survive two moons without Moonclan." Morningkit's eyes widened and she further asked, "Did you really have to eat stale prey during that time?" Redkit explained, "Well, it wasn't stale when I started out. After while, it did become stale. So, yeah I did eat stale prey and it was not pleasant. Stale prey, however, wasn't the only thing I ate. I caught fish from the river and I only ate from what was left of the fresh kill pile when I was really desperate for food. I would wait by the river for hours for a fish to surface. When no fish would come, stale prey was what I would eat to at least fill my stomach." Morningkit nodded in understanding and she inquired, "Were you scared?" Redkit looked down and she described, "Yeah,…. I was scared. When you're living on your own, you never know when or if you're going to die. Even though I got to see the world outside of the Moonclan camp, it wasn't all fun and games. Predators lurked around every inch of the forest, so your guard has to be up all the time. My life hung by a thread every single day and I had to fight for my life constantly. I came to realize why kits are not allowed out of the camp. They wouldn't last a day on their own, without proper training. Not only that, they are vulnerable without the safety of the clan. Many times I wouldn't make it back to my den unscathed. I went a long time without proper treatment for my wounds. It got so bad that my movements were limited. I couldn't run as fast as I used to, at that time. But after meeting Ashstar and the others, I wasn't alone anymore. I had a new family. It took sometime to adjust to clan life again, but I was able to go back to being a kit again. I may not be the completely clueless kit that I used to be, but I am able to play with the other kits as a normal kit would. Everything is alright now." Slatestone and Mapleeye were heartbroken to hear how hard Redkit struggled to survive. They were so grateful that she found a new family in Cloverclan.

It was then that Redkit invited Morningkit to play with her. Morningkit told Redkit that she was very weak and not very good at playing. Redkit then asked Morningkit to show her how she plays. Morningkit agreed to show Redkit how she plays with the other kits. She started to play as Redkit observed. Already, Redkit noticed that Morningkit's paws were not in the right place. Not only that, her weight distribution was completely uneven. It was then that Redkit asked Morningkit to push her. Morningkit was confused, but she did as told. The Russian Blue she-kit got on her back legs and she placed her front paws on Redkit's side and she tried to push her. Morningkit, however, was unable to push Redkit. Morningkit mewed, "I can't do it. I'm not strong enough." Redkit meowed, "Morningkit, this has nothing to do with strength. I'll explain later, but I want you to try again. This time, shift all of your weight to your back paws and then push with your back paws first before your front paws." Morningkit nodded and she tried again. She shifted her weight to her back paws as she stood up. Then, the Russian Blue she-kit placed her front paws on Redkit's side. Third, she pushed with her back paws first. Finally, Morningkit pushed with her front paws and everyone watched as Morningkit pushed Redkit to the ground. Everyone was shocked that Morningkit was suddenly able to push Redkit down. Even Morningkit was surprised by this action. Redkit smiled knowing that the advice she gave to her little sister would make all the difference.

Morningkit looked at her big sister and she asked, "How? I'm physically weaker than you. How is it that I can push you so easily?" Redkit chuckled, "The point of the game is to help you build your strength, but you can't accomplish that when your weight distribution is uneven and your paws are in the wrong places. The game is to teach you how to get stronger, but if you don't learn from your mistakes you won't improve." Morningkit was shocked, but understood what her sister was saying. Fernpaw added, "I'd help you demonstrate, but I was never good at wrestling. So, I don't think I would be helpful." Pinestar said, "I have some apprentices on standby as a just in case we needed them at the gathering. The only problem is that we haven't told them that Redkit is alive yet." Brackenstar replied, "Now's a good time to tell them, because Starclan cats actually are bringing them here." Lavendermist purred with excitement, "I can't wait to meet more of your clan, Pinestar." Ashstar could only nod in agreement. Snowclaw meowed, "I just hope the apprentices that come will understand why we left her behind..." Slatestone responded, "I'm sure they will. They might be upset about the faked death, though." Mapleeye nodded in agreement. A few minutes later, the apprentices arrived. Pinestar greeted them, "Lionpaw, Moonpaw, and Willowpaw, welcome." They dipped there heads respectfully towards their leader and Lionpaw was the first to speak, "Pinestar, where are we? And why are there some cats I don't recognize?" Mapleeye purred, "We're having a gathering with Cloverclan. They came to the area on the other side of the mountain, where our old territory is located, during the Great Prey Crisis." Lionpaw and his fellow apprentices saw the Cloverclan cats come forward. Ashstar purred, "Hello there, I'm Ashstar and this is Lavendermist. Lavendermist is the medicine cat in Cloverclan. The apprentice is Fernpaw and she's Lavendermist's apprentice. Finally, this is Cloverstar. She lead Cloverclan before me." All three apprentices dipped her heads in respect and greeting to the Cloverclan cats. Moonpaw responded, "It's nice to meet you all." Willowpaw mewed, "Not to be rude, but who's that?" Brackenstar spoke, "My apologies, I'm Brackenstar, Pinestar's father. I lead Moonclan before him."

The apprentices were surprised to meet a former leader. They bowed respectfully towards him. It was then that a silence formed between the group of cats, but was broken by Pinestar clearing his throat. Pinestar meowed, "Lionpaw, Moonpaw, and Willowpaw…. I have something to tell you three." The three apprentices became concerned at the tone of their leader's voice. Pinestar continued, "You three remember when I told you and the rest of the clan that Redkit was killed by a fox right?" The three apprentices nodded. "Pinestar then explained, "Well, it was a lie. Redkit was never killed by a fox. She was never killed at all." The three apprentices gasped in shock. Willowpaw replied, "This can't be true!" Snowclaw meowed, "It's true… Redkit is alive." Still not believing the words of Pinestar and Snowclaw, Lionpaw demanded, "Then, show us proof that she's alive!" It was then that Morningkit came up to them and she mewed, "Your proof is right there." The she kit pointed with her tail to where Redkit was standing. Redkit approached the three apprentices she used to play with when she still lived in Moonclan. The apprentices stood in pure shock to see Redkit right in front of them. Lionpaw, who had the closest relationship with Redkit, ran up to her first. They immediately hugged and Lionpaw cried his heart out as he believed Redkit had truly died. The other two followed and joined in the hug. They were overjoyed to see Redkit. They saw that it was true that she was still alive. Willowpaw, "How is this possible?" Redkit explained what actually happened when Moonclan left and they were in shock. Moonpaw meowed, "It must have been hard for your parents and you to go through with all of that. You all must've suffered greatly. I understand why you lied to us." Redkit and her parents nodded to the three apprentices and were relieved that they now understood why they lied to the clan.

Pinestar grew stern and said, "Do not say anything about this to the rest of the clan, at least, not yet. They won't believe us. Let's wait until the day we return to our old territory first." The apprentices understood and agreed not to tell the rest of the clan. They began talking about clan stuff, while Redkit and her friends taught Morningkit how to play properly. Ashstar informed Pinestar that the river was overflowing with water and according to Redkit the snow on the mountains is melting faster than it normally does. Pinestar grew concerned and meowed, "If that's the case, then the floods this year will be massive. It might take longer to dry up, but that depends on the amount of rainfall. Keep an eye on the river, but make sure you're careful enough to not fall in. Mountain water is freezing cold, so you'll be at risk of freezing to death." Lavendermist replied, "Redkit fell into the river when we were checking it today. She was teaching us how to look for signs of flooding and a wave swept her downriver. She ended up in Sunclan territory, once she finally escaped the river." Snowclaw purred, "Redkit should know how to handle herself in a situation like that. Teaching her to swim was one of the first skills I taught her. If she's caught in a strong current, all she needs to do is swim diagonally and work with the current. It should help her get to the river bank." Ashstar further reported that the prey population has yet to rise, but the foxes and coyotes appeared to have moved on. We'll keep patrolling the territory to make sure that is the case, though." Pinestar nodded and reported that Moonclan was improving very quickly and many more kits were being born now that they had plenty to eat. This news pleased Ashstar as it hurt him to hear about the fact that Moonclan had nearly starved to death. As the gathering was about to end, Redkit said goodbye to her apprentice friends, Stalestone, and Mapleeye. She approached her parents and her little sister. It really hurt to say goodbye to her family again. Pinestar approached her and whispered, "Just wait a little longer, Redkit. I promise that we won't be apart for much longer." Redkit looked up at her father with tears streaming down her face. He put his paw on her and began stroking her with a purr rumbling in his throat. She then put her paw up to embrace him. She said goodbye to her father and then moved on to her mother and sister. Snowclaw began to lick her kit and she purred, "Stay strong, Redkit. We'll be together soon." The crimson she kit nodded and said her goodbyes to her mother. Redkit finally approached her sister. Morningkit was in tears and she mewed, "I know we just met, but don't go. Please don't go..." Redkit purred, "I don't want to leave you, Morningkit, but I have to. We, however, can meet here in Starclan whenever we need to. It may not be the same thing as seeing each other in person, but it's a good halfway point. But no matter what, I'll always be your sister. Nothing can change that, Morningkit." Morningkit looked up at her sister with tears still falling from her eyes.

Redkit continued, "Who knows, maybe we'll see each other at the next gathering. I do know one thing and it's that we'll see each other again soon. You can count on that." Morningkit smiled and Redkit hugged her sister. They said their goodbyes and Redkit returned to the real world with Cloverclan. Redkit was now adjusting to clan life and learning how to be a kit again and was on her way to her apprentice ceremony. She began to wonder what perils awaited her when she became an apprentice. She knew that what ever came her way, she wouldn't have to face it alone. The path ahead of her excited her as she was ready to face each challenge with Cloverclan.