:/ I don't know if you can call the cleaning the elders' den "training", but apparently so! All right, enjoy this chapter! :) I hope you like the twist I set into it! ;)

Chapter 5

Mousekit

Mousekit enviously watched Reedpaw and Pinepaw train. Reedpaw was set to cleaning out the elder's den that morning, and Pinepaw was to go hunting.

"Hey, can I help clean out the elder's den?" the kit asked the older cat.

"Sure, Mousekit. Later, though; I need to collect moss for the elders' den and you can come with me," she said.

"Yay!" Mousekit bounced around Reedpaw's feet as she carried some mouse bile to the elder's den.

Dogtail, Ferntrail and Ashfur were sunning themselves in the entrance to the den and when Reedpaw and Mousekit arrived, they sat up.

"Is that mouse bile? Good. Please, can you kill a tick at the base of my tail?" Ashfur asked Reedpaw, and the apprentice set to work.

"And I reckon that you, little one, have come to hear a story?" Ferntrail asked Mousekit.

Mousekit glanced at Reedpaw, who nodded, and her tail struck straight up in the air as she asked, "Please can you tell me of when the Clans were formed? SunClan and MoonClan and RainClan and CloudClan, I mean."

"Sure." Ferntrail's eyes were warm as she spoke. "The three prophecy cats were Jaypaw, Hollyfrost and Liontail. Jaypaw got a prophecy, and he told his siblings. They realized that they must make four new Clans, and have new warrior ancestors. So they set off to every Clan to ask if they would join a new Clan. Many cats said yes, and they set off. Still, there weren't enough cats, so they picked up many kittypets, rogues and loners along the way to join these new Clans. I got my name changed from Ferncloud to Ferntrail, and I was happy about it. Many cats got their names changed. Also, Dogtail here was a very old kittypet and he offered to join because his Twolegs no longer took care of him. He wasn't faring well, that's for sure. His name was Dog when he joined us, and later Dripstar named him Dogtail because his tail was short and skinny as a dog's is. We later found out that he was one of Mousefur's and Longtail's kits. And now, see, we prosper as different Clans and there are 11 in total living right now, but there is the spiritual SkyClan and the living SkyClan, which are all different in many ways. Ah, Reedpaw, yes, that's the last tick. Now, go get some moss. And you, little Mousekit, go with her."

"Bye!" Mousekit waved her tail in farewell as she bounded out of the den after Reedpaw.

When they got to a big tree, Reedpaw started clawing moss out of a crevice in the trunk.

"So, this is what you do. You claw moss into a pile, and put it on the ground, and then you pick it up when you're done, delicately though, you don't want it all parting and falling out of your jaws."

Just then, Mousekit smelled a strange scent. "What is that?!" she mewed, alarmed.

"A kittypet, I think," Reedpaw whispered. "With lots of kits, by the sound of it. Just be quiet."

Sure enough, soon eight kits and a pale grey tabby with white stripes kittypet queen entered the clearing. The queen was carrying two on her back, and she kept placing kits on the ground and picking up more kits by her scruff. She looked over at the forest cats and gave a fearsome screech.

"Quiet down, queen. We won't hurt you. What's your name?" Reedpaw approached the cat gently.

"My name is Willow.... and these two tortoiseshell she-kits are called Sorrel and Song, this black tom over here is Night, this yellow she-kit with amber eyes is Star, these blue-gray kits are Misty—a she-kit—and Rain—he's a tom, this amber tabby she-kit is Amber, and this calico tom is Cloud."

"Why so many kits?" Mousekit mewed curiously. "The biggest litter of kits I've ever seen or heard about had 5 kits in it."

"Well, in the housefolk-place, we have litters of up to 12 kits, usually."

"Would you like to join RainClan?" asked Reedpaw, not unkindly.

"I don't know.... may I stay until my kits and I are ready to choose?"

"Sure!" Reedpaw said warmly. "Although the other cats may not be too happy." She looked suddenly worried. Warriors did not welcome kittypets into their Clan. In fact, they were so soft and weak they were highly scorned; and many cruel warriors had killed a kittypet at least once in their lifetime as scorn for the hated creatures. Mousekit could not see why; they were cats, just like any other; but she had been raised to obey what the warriors thought and not make these judgments on her own—she might get severely punished if she did.

"Well, they'll be fine," Mousekit piped up. "Come on, Misty." She hoisted the really small kit onto her back and starting stumbling back to camp. Reedpaw grabbed Sorrel in her mouth and Song and Cloud jumped onto her back. Willow grabbed Night in her mouth and Star, Amber and Rain jumped onto her back. They slowly padded back to camp, under the weight of all those heavy kits.

***

When Mousekit arrived back at camp, Echosong and Puddlestep were talking, but Echosong looked up and gasped, "Oh, my! What is that?"

"A kit, and her name is Misty. Her kittypet mother, Willow, has seven more kits, which are coming with her and Reedpaw," Mousekit announced proudly.

Just then, Reedpaw arrived. Sorrel, Song and Cloud scrambled gratefully to the floor. Willow was right behind them, and Star, Amber and Rain fell to the ground, and Night was plopped down among them.

"And what do we have here?" Dripstar had come up behind everyone and demanded to know what was going on.

"This was a kittypet, who was afraid her kits would get taken by Twolegs, so she came here," Reedpaw declared.

"Oh, such sweet things!" Echosong murmured. Echosong was rather fond of kittypets and all other cats; the rest of the Clan was afraid to antagonize her and perhaps lose favour with StarClan. "Jaypaw, get a nest ready for Willow in the nursery, will you?"

"Fine," the gray tabby grumbled, trailing off in the direction of the medicine cats' den.

"Poor Jaypaw!" Echosong sighed. "I really need to give him his proper medicine cat name soon."

"Yes," Dripstar agreed. "Now, back to you, Willow.... do you want to stay? We can give you shelter, and a warrior name...."

There was a long silence, and then: "Yes, I will stay, this looks like a fairly nice place, in leaf-bare I know it will be cold, but it will be worth it, still." She suddenly gasped. "But what about my housefolk? They'll be worried sick!"

"Well, they won't come to find you, that's for sure. You look as if you've traveled a long way. Where did you come from?" Puddlestep asked Willow, his eyes troubled.

"I came from a place, beside a ruined forest, I passed some small mountains, and got lost in a tangle of housefolk-nests.... and then I found you cats, and you all seem like a pretty nice bunch," Willow confirmed.

"The old forest!" Ashfur leaped up, with Ferntrail at his side. "We are some of the only survivors, to see the whole forest intact, in our lifetimes.... it's all ruined, isn't it?"

Willow paused for a moment, then whispered, "Yeah."

"That's too bad...." Mousekit remarked.

"Now, Willow, come up to the Streamrock, where we will give you and your kits proper Clan names."

Willow stepped up to the Streamrock, and Dripstar began.

"This is a kittypet who no longer has the care of her Twoleg owners. Willow, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and protect and defend your Clanmates, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do...." Willow murmured.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Willow, from this moment you will be known as Willowstep. May StarClan know that from this day, you are a true cat of RainClan."

"Willowstep! Willowstep!" all the cats in the clearing cheered.

"We want Clan names, too!" Sorrel had come up to the Streamrock, with her brothers and sisters following her.

"Okay, then. From this moment until you earn your apprentice names, you will be known as Sorrelkit, Songkit, Nightkit, Starkit, Mistykit, Rainkit, Amberkit and Cloudkit."

"Sorrelkit! Songkit! Nightkit! Starkit! Mistykit! Rainkit! Amberkit! Cloudkit!" the Clan cheered.

"The nest is ready!" Jaypaw called from the nursery.

"Thank you," Willowstep said. "Kits! Come along now."

"Speaking of which," Waterflower said sternly, coming up behind Mousekit, "It's halfway to evening. Time for sleep. You didn't sleep well enough last night."

"Mom...." Mousekit protested. One look at her foster mom's face was enough to tell that she would be defeated, anyway.

"Okay," she sighed grudgingly. At least tonight there would be kits younger than her!

She let Waterflower herd her off to the nursery and fell asleep in no time.