Gingerkit

My mom Whitetail was still sleeping. As my sister Horsekit started to wake up, I clambered on top of her and wrapped my tail around her eyes. She breathed upwards, and it swooshed the fur on my kit- sized tail. We rolled out of the nursery, and straight into Boulderhead. He joined into our rag- tag game a little bit, but Heathertail interrupted.

"Come on, Boulderhead, time to go on hunting patrol! Just because you are a warrior doesn't give you the right to shirk all of your duties," she said, sounding annoyed. But she always does. And she always ruins our fun!

I bounded over to Heathertail, trying to get on her good side. "Can Horsekit and I join?" I asked hopefully.

Her eyes softened a little at that. "No," she said. "but you will be apprentices before you know it." Then they hardened again, returning to their normal state. "Let's go, Boulderhead! I don't want to get Owlwhisker angry!" She stalked off towards Owlwhisker and Weaselfur, the new warrior trailing behind her.

I sighed heavily. I was surprised not to hear Horsekit heaving a sigh with me. I looked around, and I caught my sister peering in to a den near by. I quickly leaped over to where she was standing. "Horsekit! You aren't supposed to be in there! Let's go back to the nursery," I admonished her.

"Oh, come on, Gingerkit!" she replied. "It is so cool in here!"

I bit down on her tail, trying to pull her out of the den, but she was pulling inwards, and we both ended up crashing through the entrance. The den was made up of a hollow boulder, so it made a nice, comfortable space. There were seeds and berries and flowers and leaves everywhere. There was even a little pool of water! I agreed with my sister; it was cool in here.

"Look, Gingerkit!" exclaimed Horsekit. "A pretty yellow flower! I wonder what it tastes like." She reached out her jaws to bite off a piece, but Krestelflight suddenly sprinted into the den.

"Stop, Horsekit!" he exclaimed. "That is yarrow! It will make you vomit!" Horsekit immediately pulled her mouth away from the flower.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked.

"We were exploring," meowed Horsekit.

Krestelflight looked annoyed, but he still purred in amusement. "Well, why don't you go ask Larkpaw if he can show you around the camp?"

"But it is more boring that way!" I complained.

"Ah, but safer," he replied. He stuck his head out of the opening to the den. "Larkpaw?" he called. The gray apprentice bounded over to Krestelflight. "Will you show these two kits around, please?" The she- cat nodded, her green eyes bouncing up and down. "Good," said Krestelflight. "Now go along. I have sorting to do."

Larkpaw looked upwards at the stone that we just came out of. "That's the Tallrock. Our leader, Onestar, makes announcements up there. Your nursery is in a bush with reeds woven into it to keep out the draft," she said, flicking his tail to the place where we slept. "The elders are in an old badger den."

Larkpaw started to drone on about how out WindClan was so special; something about how we were the only Clan whose leader, warriors, and apprentices sleep out in the open. I was about to ask about rain, but Larkpaw beat me to it, saying that we would retreat into old burrows in the camp made by other animals. By the time we had walked to the elder's den, Horsekit and I were so bored, I decided to make a plan. I whispered it into Horsekit's ear. She giggled, and we went to our places. Larkpaw had stuck her head in the elder's den, and she started chatting with them. After a while she slowly pulled her head back out.

"WINDCLAN! ATTACK!" I yowled. Horsekit and I pounced onto Larkpaw. She tried to shake us off, but we held on tightly. I nipped her neck, and I screeched in triumph. "Ha! You are dead!"

"Ahhh! I surrender! I surrender!" She slowly fell to his knees, a purr escaping her muzzle.

Suddenly, a small, light brown tabby tom padded up to us. Larkpaw immediately shook us off, and dipped her head in respect. I guessed that this was Onestar.

"These two kits must be our newest members to the Clan," said the leader. "Gingerkit?" I nodded my head, "Horsekit?" My sister did the same. Onstar talked again. "I guess after exploring all day, you must be tired, no?"

"Um…" stammered Horsekit. "...yes?..." I muttered.

Onestar mrowred in laughter. He licked the top of Horsekit's head. "Don't be so stiff! You too, Larkpaw. Straighten up. Relax. You did a very good job giving these kits a tour. Go tell Gorsetail that I said that you can have the day off." Larkpaw, a look of gratitude in her eyes, sprinted to the other side of the camp to talk to her mentor. "Come on, you two. Lets go back to the nursery."

When Horsekit and I entered the den, we skirted Sunstrike and jumped behind our mother. I couldn't speak for Horsekit, but I was a little bit afraid of Onestar.

"Come on out, kits! You don't need to be afraid of your father," Whitetail said.

Father? Well, that's different than I thought, I thought. When we came out, Onestar lovingly stroked us with his tail. He gazed into my mother's eyes.

Ashfoot poked her head into the nursery. "Onestar?" she said.

"Mmhm?" he answered.

"Can I send a hunting patrol out? We have some warriors in the camp with nothing to do."

"Mmm… sure…" he said. Ashfoot left the nursery.

"Have a good day," he told us, slowly padding out of the den. Whitetail got a dewy look in her eye, and Horsekit and I giggled.

"Love is so gross!" I whispered to Horsekit.

"You sure are right," she answered back.