Badgerkit woke to sunlight filtering through the branches of the den. She blinked her eyes rapidly and stretched her paws out, yawning.
"Hey!" Thistlekit said indignantly as Badgerkit's paw brushed her. She was already sitting up, grooming herself thoroughly as she did every morning. "Watch it, Badgerkit."
"Don't be so offended," Badgerkit responded good-naturedly. "I didn't mean to."
Thistlekit sniffed dismissively. Badgerkit knew that today must be one of her bad days. Thistlekit tended to be overly grumpy once in a while, though the mood would be gone by the next morning.
Badgerkit glanced over her shoulder at her sleeping mother. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing softly. She looked peaceful, like a leaf falling gently in the breeze. Cloudflower, too, had off days, but hers were filled with sadness and mourning. The black and white she-kit wished that she could understand her mother's pain. She knew that it was from losing their brother, Breezekit, but could never understand why a beautiful day dragged on and the white she-cat would stare blankly outwards, no joy in her face.
Cloudflower's eyes fluttered open. They focused on Badgerkit and her gaze softened with affection. "Good morning," she purred. "How long have you been awake?"
"Not long," Badgerkit meowed, grateful for Cloudflower's good mood this morning.
The white she-cat looked around. "Where are the others?"
"Outside," Thistlekit mewed shortly.
Cloudflower flicked her ears. "Watch your tone, Thistlekit. I just woke up; I haven't done anything."
Thistlekit muttered what sounded like a poor apology and stood and walked outside. Cloudflower stood and stretched, then followed her. Badgerkit trailed close behind.
Just outside, the air was warm and the sun beat down heavily on the camp. The other two kits, Palekit and Birdkit, were play fighting a few tail lengths away from their mother, Turtlestep, who was sunbathing beside the other queen, Rockwind. Rockwind had not yet kitted, but her belly was large and round, and Willownose, the medicine cat, would fuss over her daily, saying that they were due any day.
Thistlekit busied herself with a clump of moss and Cloudflower sat down to gossip with the queens. Badgerkit decided that she would prefer the older kits' company to her grumpy sister, so she scampered over to Palekit and Birdkit.
"Oh, hey, Badgerkit," Birdkit mewed cheerfully as she approached them. "How are you? Did you sleep well?"
"Fine, thanks," Badgerkit responded. She quite liked Birdkit. She was kind, and always willing to include her.
"C'mon, Birdkit," Palekit mewed, twitching her tail. "We were in the middle of battle! You can't just stop to greet someone in the middle of a fight."
"I won't have to worry about that," Birdkit meowed back. "At least, if all goes to plan."
Confusion bubbled up in Badgerkit. "Huh? Why not?"
Birdkit glanced back at her. "Oh, don't worry about it, Badgerkit," she meowed. "Just something about my apprenticeship."
The confusion stayed, but Badgerkit decided to ignore it. "Can I play?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Well, Birdkit stopped, so it's no fun anymore," Palekit snapped.
Badgerkit blinked. "I could play," she said. "Just tell me what to do."
"You're too small," Palekit mewed condescendingly. "I would hurt you in just a play fight."
Badgerkit glared at her. She was smaller- but not by that much. There was a two moon gap between their ages, and with Palekit and Birdkit days away from their apprenticeship, they would, of course be bigger. But that should not have mattered, since Badgerkit was up to both their shoulders now, at least.
"Fine," she meowed instead of arguing. "What do you want to do instead?"
Birdkit thought for a moment. "Would you like to visit the elders?"
"Oh, yes!" Badgerkit mewed.
"No," Palekit answered at the same moment. "We're hardly kits anymore, Birdkit."
Birdkit looked a bit hurt. "But apprentices go to speak with the elders, too," she pointed out. "And sometimes even warriors."
"You just want to go because you might see one of the tom apprentices," Palekit accused.
Disgust crossed the brown tabby's face. "Ew! Definitely not. I just want to hear some stories."
"You two do what you want," Palekit mewed. "I'm going to go play with Thistlekit, since she's more mature than you, apparently." With that, she turned sharply, tail up, and started speaking to Thistlekit.
"Why's she so mad right now?" Badgerkit asked.
Birdkit shook her head. "Who knows. I don't know if it's what I said or…" She shrugged as she trailed off. "I really do want to listen to the elder's stories, you know," she added.
"I know," Badgerkit mewed. "Thanks for inviting me along." She butted her head against the tabby's shoulder affectionately.
Birdkit purred. "Well, come on!" She lead the way to the elder's den and pushed inside, Badgerkit right behind.
Inside, Russetpatch, Longclaw, and Duststripe sat around, talking with each other and laughing. They all turned their heads when the pair walked in.
"Ah, Badgerkit and Birdkit," Russetpatch purred. "What a nice surprise. What have you come in for?"
"We were hoping for a story," Birdkit mewed.
"We have plenty of those," Longclaw mewed. "What sort do you want?"
"Maybe a battle?" Badgerkit mewed hopefully. "Smokepad was saying what powerful warriors you were."
"That tom has his head on straight," Duststripe mewed. "I've got some good stories of my glory days. Those were the times. Driving stinking ShadowClan cats right back to the border where they belonged." He looked wistful, and he stretched out his claws as though longing for an opponent.
"Though these two," he added, "were too busy mooning for each other who knows where to be part of the fray."
"You're one to talk," Russetpatch teased good-naturedly. "You and Robinflight weren't too far off from us." She glanced over at Longclaw. "Am I right?"
"You always are," Longclaw mewed back, with a similar teasing tone.
Badgerkit and Birdkit laughed.
"Alright, where was I?" Duststripe meowed. "I remember one battle very specifically. Seasons ago, ShadowClan began slowing pushing forward with their scent markers. Now, borders may not be whisker straight, but it was getting much farther than normal. And we confronted them at the gathering and they denied it, of course. Birchstar, our leader before Redstar, wouldn't stand for it. He organised a patrol of the best of us warriors and we sat and waited by the border. It felt as though it took moons for them to arrive, and then I heard it."
"Heard what?" Badgerkit hardly dared to whisper.
"A yowl," Dustripe said. "It came from Honeyeye, who was the ShadowClan deputy then. Then, ShadowClan cats were shooting forward from everywhere. We leapt out too, of course. We came to confront them, and if that confrontation was a battle, then so be it." Duststripe looked at the kits very intensely now, as though daring them to argue with him. When they said nothing, just looked at him eagerly, he continued.
"I fought harder than I've ever fought before in that battle," he meowed. "Those ShadowClanners wanted that land, but we would never give it to them. It's a matter of honor. And then, suddenly, I was face to face with Honeyeye. She is easily the strongest she-cat I've ever met. There's a reason she was deputy. Her strikes were powerful and fast, and she gave me this nick," he mewed, bringing a paw up to gesture at the old scar, a deep groove in his ear. "And then, when she had me pinned, I was sure I was done for." Duststripe stopped meowing for a moment, the tension of the moment hanging in the air.
Badgerkit released her heart was racing just from hearing the story. Was this truly what battle was like? Her paws itched to be one of the warriors in this story, fighting alongside brave cats like this younger version of Duststripe. "What did you do?" she asked.
"I went limp," the old tom mewed, a hint of pride in his voice. "She was so shocked. It's an old ThunderClan trick, makes your opponent think that you've surrendered. Once she paused for a moment, I kicked her off of me and I was able to get the upper paw. I managed to pin her, and she struggled up and called to her Clanmates, 'Retreat!'"
"Wow," Badgerkit mewed, awe in her voice.
"I think you embellished that a bit there, Duststripe," Russetpatch mewed.
"Sush. Let the kits believe it," he meowed.
"I'd believe it anyway, Duststripe," Birdkit meowed earnestly. "I've always heard from Spottedwing what a good mentor you were."
The graying old tom twitched his whiskers. "Good for that cat to remember where he learned it."
"I'm getting hungry," Longclaw declared. "Do you kits know if the first hunting patrol is back yet?"
"We'll go check," Birdkit meowed, standing. "C'mon, Badgerkit. I think your father was on patrol this morning."
Badgerkit grinned and bounced after her. "We'll send some prey in," she called over her shoulder.
The patrol just seemed to be reentering the camp when they emerged into the clearing. The black and white she-cat saw Smokepad walking to the freshkill pile, a sparrow clamped in his jaws. "Smokepad!" she purred joyfully, leaping towards him.
He looked towards her and his gaze lit up. "Badgerkit!" he meowed, dropping the bird. She rubbed against him, and he pressed his muzzle to her head. "What has my little warrior been doing this morning?"
"Me and Birdkit were listening to the elders' stories!" she announced. "Did you know that Duststripe fought of the ShadowClan deputy when he was a warrior?"
Smokepad chuckled. "Yes, I did." He looked over at Quickpaw, who was carrying two mice by their tails. "Quickpaw, set those down and take this bird to the elders."
The apprentice dipped his head.
Smokepad twitched his tail and began to walk along towards the nursery. "Come along. I would like to speak with your sister and mother. We should share a few mice together once the elders have had their fill."
"Oh, yes!" Badger kit gave a jump of excitement. She turned to say goodbye to Birdkit, but the she-cat wasn't where she had been standing. Badgerkit barley caught a glimpse of her tail flicking through the entrance of the medicine den.
