Leafkit awoke to a strange place. Rock walls and little piles of plants surrounded her, and her fur was covered in sticky green goop. She felt a rush of panic as she observed her surroundings.
Where am I? Where are Nightcloud and my littermates? She jumped up to look around, then sank back to her nest with a whimper as pain overwhelmed her. Then she saw the pool next to her nest, and all her memories came rushing back.
She remembered sneaking out of camp… the fox attacking her… and then Lionblaze saving her and bringing her to the ThunderClan camp. This must be Jayfeather's den.
Just then, Lionblaze's sister came into the small den. A mouse swung from her mouth. What was her name again? Hollybush? Hollyteeth… "Hollyleaf!" Leafkit mewed joyfully.
The black warrior nodded. "That's right. I brought you some freshkill," she meowed, setting down the mouse. "By the way, where's Jayfeather?"
Leafkit shrugged, then winced at the pain in her shoulders. "Dunno. I just woke up," she mewed, biting into the mouse. Its flavor seeped over her tongue, making her realize how hungry she was. She devoured the rest, eating it in rapid bites.
Hollyleaf licked Leafkit's head, smoothing down the fur. "Alright, I'll find him. Do you want to go to the nursery? There are some kits there your age to play with."
Leafkit nodded eagerly. "Okay!"
Hollyleaf looked her over. "First I want Jayfeather to have a look at you, and then I'll take you over."
Jayfeather chose that moment to poke his head inside the den. "Hello, Hollyleaf, Leafkit," he meowed. Glancing at Hollyleaf, he meowed, "You want to take her to the nursery?"
"I thought it might be good for her to get to know Creamkit and Fawnkit, especially if she's going to be here for a while."
Jayfeather nodded. He used a claw to scrape the poultice off of her back. "I'll put on a new poultice later," he meowed. Then he turned to Leafkit. "Listen, Leafkit," he mewed. "I'll let you play, but I want you to play gently, all right? No combat."
"Alright," Leafkit mewed. She didn't really mind- she had never much liked combat play, anyways. She didn't understand why Gustkit and Meadowkit thought it was all that great.
Jayfeather padded over to Hollyleaf, his expression turning serious. He murmured something in the black she cat's ear, and her expression, too, grew serious. She nodded once, glancing at the kit. Leafkit desperately wanted to know what they were talking about, but she knew better that to but into grown cats' conversation.
Finally, Hollyleaf led the way out of Jayfeather's den. "Come on, Leafkit."
Leafkit followed Hollyleaf out into the ThunderClan camp, blinking her eyes in the sunhigh brightness. Sunhigh? "Hollyleaf, just how long have I slept?"
Hollyleaf led her to a sunny corner of the camp. "You slept for two sunrises," the she cat meowed.
As Leafkit looked around, she found that she liked the ThunderClan camp. It was more sheltered than the WindClan one, and kept the wind off of the camp. She shook her head. You won't be here for long, so stop thinking that everything is so great. Besides, you're a WindClan cat! You're supposed to like the wind!
Hollyleaf showed Leafkit over to a corner of the hollow, where four queens were basking in the sun. The black she cat nudged Leafkit forward.
"Leafkit, this is Daisy," Hollyleaf mewed, gesturing towards a cream colored she cat. "She'll take care of you while you are here. Then these are Sorreltail, Honeyfern, and Poppyfrost," she mewed, pointing in turn to a tortoiseshell, a pale bracken colored tabby, and a tortoiseshell and white she cat.
"This is Leafkit," Hollyleaf meowed, speaking to the queens.
Daisy swept Leafkit toward her with her tail. "Welcome to ThunderClan, dear!" the she cat purred.
Leafkit purred as the other queens greeted her warmly. She liked these ThunderClan cats already. They were much nicer than her mother!
Honeyfern, the golden she cat, raised her voice. "Creamkit! Fawnkit! Come play over here!" she called.
Two kits that looked about Leafkit's age came racing over to the queens. One was a pale bracken colored tabby like her mother, and the other a dark cream colored tom.
Honeyfern beckoned them towards Leafkit. "Leafkit, this is Fawnkit," she mewed, pointing to the tabby, "and this is Creamkit."
Leafkit nodded. "Hi!"
Creamkit looked at her curiously. "Are you really from WindClan?" he mewed.
Leafkit nodded again. "Yep!"
Fawnkit snorted and nudged her brother. "Come on, Creamkit! Just because she's from WindClan, doesn't mean she's different!"
Creamkit shrugged. "Alright. Do you want to play?"
"Sure!" Leafkit meowed happily. "Shall we play tag, or chase the rabbit, or…" she trailed off when she saw the kits' strange expressions.
"What are those games?" Fawnkit mewed. "We usually play invade ShadowClan, or catch, or hunt the bug."
"Well," Leafkit mewed, "tag is where one cat chases the others until she catches somecat, and then that cat chases the others. Catch the rabbit is where one cat is a rabbit, and the others catch it. We play catch, too. What are your games about?"
"Invading ShadowClan is where some kits are ShadowClan and others are ThunderClan, and then they fight," Creamkit mewed.
Fawnkit stepped up. "Hunt the bug is where you go around and hunt beetles, and then whoever has the most wins," she meowed.
Leafkit nodded. "Well, Jayfeather said I can't do combat. What do you guys want to play?
Creamkit thought for a moment. "Tag sounds fun," he mewed. "How 'bout we try that?"
"Sure," mewed Fawnkit. "Who's it?"
"I am!" Leafkit yowled, and raced for Fawnkit. The small tabby hopped nimbly out of the way.
Creamkit laughed. "You can't catch me, you slow snail!"
Leafkit turned and raced after him. "We'll see who's the snail around here in a minute!" she mewed. She slowly closed in on him, and then pounced and grabbed his tail. "You're it!"
Fawnkit danced by her brother. "Hey, slow snail. Bet you can't catch me!" She and Leafkit pranced circles around the tom until finally, he pounced on his sister.
"Hah!" the tom mewed. "I've got you now!"
The three kits collapsed onto the dirt, exhausted. "When I get bigger," Creamkit
mewed, "I'm going to be the best leader ever!"
Fawnkit batted him lazily with her paw. "No you're not. Don't be silly- I'll be leader, and you can be deputy."
"Fine," Creamkit meowed. He stuck his tongue out at his sister, then turned to Leafkit. "What are you going to be, Leafkit? Leader of WindClan?" he asked.
Leafkit thought for a moment. "Maybe," she mewed. She thought about how Lionblaze had saved her with his fighting skills. She thought of hunting for her Clan, racing into battle alongside her Clanmates… but then she thought of Jayfeather and his plants, about how he had saved her, healed her wounds… Dock, marigold, burdock and comfrey…
"You know what," she mewed, half to herself, "I think that I want to be a medicine cat."