Chapter 1
Wildkit rolled over in her sleep, her hind paws landing on Maplekit's face. The light brown tabby squeaked in displeasure, snuggling closer to his mother, Sparkfur. The ginger queen glared at Wildkit, who awoke and blinked sleepily at her.
"Watch where you're rolling, Wildkit!" Sparkfur growled. She wrapped her tail protectively around her three kits, her eyes narrowed. "They're too young for that!"
Shrinking back, Wildkit mewed feebly, "I'm sorry," before scrambling to her paws. She stretched, her tail raised, then relaxed. She had opened her eyes a few days before, and yet she was still not allowed out of the nursery. It was getting crowded in the nursery, with Sparkfur giving birth a few days after Silverfeather, though Poppyleaf and Hailkit--now Hailpaw, the medicine cat apprentice--had moved recently. The bright ginger queen had given birth to three kits, Maplekit, a light tabby, Russetkit, with a dark ginger coat, and Owlkit, named for his dark fur and large eyes. Wildkit wished they were big enough to play. Shrewpelt had become noticeably pregnant, and had moved into the nursery along with her rapidly swelling belly. Wildkit wondered what her kits would look like.
Ashkit stirred next to her, her striped tail wrapped tightly around her body. Wildkit nudged her sister with her paw, making Ashkit squeak and kick out, catching Wildkit on her muzzle. Wildkit mewed and stumbled backwards, tripping over Owlkit and Russetkit. The two dark-furred kits let out a loud yowl and squirmed, kicking and wailing. Sparkfur hissed at Wildkit, who leaped to her paws and scrambled to the other side of the nursery. Silverfeather awoke with a start, jostling Ashkit, who woke up as well.
"Those two need to start playing outside!" Sparkfur snapped, "They're much too rough! They'll hurt my kits! That Wildkit already tripped over all three."
Wildkit smiled sheepishly at Silverfeather's glare, then lowered her ears and stared at her paws. "Sorry." She muttered.
"I should think so!" Silverfeather meowed sternly. Then she glanced at the other two queens, her eyes dark with worry. "But, do you think they're ready to go outside?"
Shrewpelt purred. "They're more than ready; it's long overdue."
Ashkit scrabbled to her own paws clumsily, her eyes shining. "Can we? Please, mom!"
Wildkit trotted over to her sister, mewing, "I'm really sorry, can we please go? Pleeeaaaase?"
Cherryfur flicked her tail. "I let Goldenkit out the moment she opened her eyes, you know."
Silverfeather sighed and closed her eyes, then meowed, "Alright, but stay within my sight!"
Wildkit and Ashkit yowled happily, leaping out of the den with large bounds. Ashkit slipped, then scrambled after her sister. Wildkit rolled her eyes, Ashkit was so clumsy, she wouldn't be surprised if her mousebrained sister fell into a fox den!
Looking up as she exited the nursery, Wildkit gasped; the camp was huge! Cats stood in the shadows around the rim, grooming near a wall of gorse that was so tall Wildkit was sure it could keep another Clan out easily. A huge boulder stood on the far side, the lip facing the camp. Wildkit could just make out a den below it, covered with a curtain of lichen. Was that the warrior's den? A fern tunnel went off to the side, and next to that was a fallen tree. A tree stump was nearby, the ferns bent over into a den. That couldn't be the warrior's den, much too small. Next to the nursery was a large bush, smelling very strongly of cats. Was that it? Wildkit let out a loud squeal and streaked towards the bush, with Ashkit following.
"Woah!" Exclaimed Silverfeather, charging out of the den after her kits, stopping them in their tracks. "You'll leave with me, and remember what I said, don't—"
"—Leave your sight," Wildkit mewed, bored. "I know. Can we go now?"
Silverfeather sighed, then mewed. "Stay outside the nursery, maybe Goldenkit will play with you."
Ashkit sat down, her ears low. "I don't think she likes us; I only see her at night when we go to sleep!"
"She's older than you;" Silverfeather replied, "She's allowed to go outside alone."
Cherryfur pushed her way out of the den, her reddish fur glinting in the sunlight. She stretched, and a warrior grooming on the far side of the ravine looked up and padded over to the red queen. Wildkit stared at him; he looked so strong! His sleek ginger fur shone to match his mate's, though his long legs made him appear much skinnier. He and Cherryfur nuzzled, purring, as a golden she-cat tumbled from around the large bush. The golden kit bumped into the ginger tom, who purred and licked Goldenkit between her ears.
"That's Tallstride, one of our senior warriors," Silverfeather murmured, "He's Goldenkit's father."
Ashkit whispered into Wildkit's ear, "Wow, look how tall he is!" She blinked critically at her own short legs. "Do you think I'll get bigger?"
Wildkit fluffed out her chest, mewing, "Well, I will! I'll be the best warrior ever!"
Silverfeather purred and licked her kit's cheek, making Wildkit wrinkle her nose. "I'm sure you will, sweetheart," She meowed, "If you want, you could go meet the other warriors."
At that Wildkit bounced with excitement, but Ashkit looked uncertain. "What if they're scary?" Ashkit asked.
Wildkit nudged her sister, mewing, "Come on! They're not that bad, maybe we'll have one of the nice ones as a mentor!" When her sister still looked worried, Wildkit shouldered her foreword. "Please, Ashkit? I want to see the warrior's den!"
Wildkit looked longingly at the huge bush that smelled of the other cats, where Goldenkit was still playing with a ball of moss. Cherryfur padded over to her kit and nudged her, murmuring something. Goldenkit sprang to her paws, then nuzzled her father. Wildkit's heart ached at the sight; she didn't even have a father. Silverfeather refused to talk about him, and the other queens didn't press.
"Oh… alright," Replied Ashkit grudgingly, "But I still think they'll be scary. "
Silverfeather flicked her tail, "Stay near me; I don't want to lose you." She padded calmly towards a pile of dead prey in a corner, the smell wafting from it made Wildkit's mouth water.
A slim, black-and-white she-cat was crouching by the fresh-kill pile, grooming her paw. The she-cat's dark fur was dotted with white spots that resembled falling petals. She looked up from her grooming as Silverfeather, Wildkit, and Ashkit approached, and Wildkit could see that her eyes were a pale blue.
Are mine blue? Wildkit thought. Silverfeather trotted over to the black-and-white queen, then dipped her head in greeting.
"Hello, Petalspots," Silverfeather meowed.
"Silverfeather! Out of the nursery, I see! And these must be your kits!" The spotted queen replied, blinking warmly at Silverfeather. "What are their names?"
"Ashkit and Wildkit," Silverfeather purred, pointing at each with her tail.
"Wildkit?" Petalspots exclaimed, looking up. "Why Wildkit?"
"Hey!" Wildkit protested.
Silverfeather brushed her daughter's muzzle with her tail tip, quieting her. "It fits her." She said coldly, "That's all."
"But isn't wild… dangerous? Untamable?" Petalspots mewed quickly.
"Wildkit has an honorable name, and I will not thank the cat who argues otherwise," Silverfeather growled back, sweeping her kits away with her tail. Ashkit meowed a quick goodbye to Petalspots, while Wildkit just stared at her white paws.
Untamable? Dangerous? Is my name bad? Then why did Mom name me it? Questions buzzed in Wildkit's mind, diverting her. When Ashkit tried to get her to chase a beetle, Wildkit just flicked her ears.
"We're going to the warrior's den now, I—" Silverfeather cut herself off, noticing Wildkit's expression. "Honey, what's wrong?"
Wildkit hesitated, then looked up. "Momma, why did Petalspots think my name was bad? Am I bad, is that why you named me Wildkit?"
"Sweetie;" Silverfeather murmured, bending and licking her daughter between her ears, "I would never name you something cruel, but I cannot tell you why you were named at the moment."
"Why not?" Ashkit interrupted. "Why was I named Ashkit?"
"After my mother," Silverfeather replied. Turning back to Wildkit, she mewed, "The weight would be too much to bear for such a young cat, I will tell you when you are old enough to handle it."
Wildkit fluffed out her chest. "But I'm big and strong! I can handle it; tell me!"
Silverfeather shook her head. "No," She replied heavily, "When you're older, now come with me to the warrior's den."
As they neared the large bush, which had a gap in the side that revealed it to be a den, Ashkit whispered into Wildkit's ear, "This is so cool! You have a secret about your name! I wonder if it has to do with our dad!"
"It's not cool! I don't want to have a name everyone else thinks is weird!" Wildkit hissed back, glancing at their mother. Silverfeather's ears flicked, but if she had heard, she pretended not to.
They arrived at the den moments later, Ashkit complaining that her leg was cramped. Wildkit snorted quietly. Ashkit complained a lot, too. Silverfeather paused at the entrance, holding up her tail to signal them to stop.
"You should sit out here; the dawn patrol is leaving." Silverfeather meowed. "What can you smell?"
Wildkit took a deep breath, letting the scents flood her jaws as she opened her mouth. She closed it again, thinking hard. "I smell Hailpaw! But medicine cats don't sleep here."
"Torncloud is taking care of Flamefoot, who wrenched his shoulder yesterday somehow. Hailpaw is watching, learning how to treat it himself." Silverfeather replied.
"Can we see Flamefoot?" Ashkit asked, her eyes shining.
Silverfeather shook her head. "No, the last thing a wounded cat wants is a pair of kits playing with his tail."
"But we'll play with his ears instead!" Wildkit protested.
Silverfeather let out a mrrow of amusement. "Either way, I'm sure Flamefoot wouldn't appreciate it. Oh! Here comes the patrol!"
Wildkit gasped as four cats padded out of the den. Their pelts were sleek, with the occasional scar parting their fur. One, a she-cat, had sleek dark brown fur with almost no stripes, and emerald green eyes that sparkled like dew on a leaf. The thing that stood out most of Wildkit, though, was the she-cat's narrow muzzle and large ears, making her eyes appear too large for her thin face. A blue-gray tom followed her out, his blue eyes darker than Petalspots'. A dark stripe ran across his shoulders, and his tail was tipped with darker gray. After him came a thick-furred stormy gray tom with amber eyes the color of fire, his gaze like a piercing claw. Last, a small ginger she-cat padded out, her amber eyes matching the gray warrior's in ferocity. She held her bushy tail high into the air, her gaze indifferent to the two kits.
"The brown she-cat is Volenose, you can see why," Silverfeather muttered to her kits, "The blue-gray tom is Bluestripe, and the dark gray tom is Graystorm. The ginger she-cat is Foxtail, Graystorm's mate."
The brown she-cat, Volenose, turned at the sound of Silverfeather's mew. Seeing the kits, Volenose called out, "Hold up! I want to say hello to Silverfeather and her kits, I'll only be a moment."
Bluestripe paused, glancing back, then saw Silverfeather. "We'll wait by the gorse tunnel; make it quick, we're late as it is." The blue tom turned and padded after the rest of the patrol.
Volenose padded over to the kits, purring warmly. "Welcome to ThunderClan, little ones!"
Wildkit blinked at her, her words caught on her tongue. Ashkit, however, stood on her toes, trying to match the tall queen's height.
"I'm Ashkit!" She squeaked, giving up on trying to look taller and becoming preoccupied with chasing her tail. "See? I have gray fur, like ashes, Mamma says!"
Volenose let out a mrrow of amusement, then turned to Wildkit. "And what's your name, little one?" She asked warmly. Wildkit flinched, her ears flat. What if Volenose acted like Petalspots?
Silverfeather brushed Wildkit's shoulder gently with her tail. "Go on, sweetie, it's alright."
"I'm Wildkit," Wildkit mewed quietly.
Volenose pricked her ears. "Why are you ashamed of that? I can see why you're named that, I can hardly make out which color is which on your pelt!"
Wildkit looked up, surprised. Volenose not only liked her name, but she saw a reason for it! Wildkit decided she liked this sleek she-cat. Silverfeather blinked gratefully at Volenose.
"Thank you," Silverfeather replied, then nodded in the direction of the rest of the patrol, who were waiting by a tunnel in the gorse walls. Foxtail yowled something, and Bluestripe waved his tail impatiently. "You'd better get going, Volenose. You wouldn't want the patrol to leave without you."
Volenose twitched her whiskers. "They need me to do all of the scenting, I can't keep them waiting long." She turned and trotted after the rest of the patrol, her tail raised high. Ashkit and Wildkit called their good-byes, then turned back to their mother.
"Who will we meet now?" Wildkit asked hopefully. "Can we explore with Goldenkit?"
Silverfeather blinked good-naturedly. "Not now, Goldenkit is busy with her mother, and its best if you stay with me for now; you are young, after all. Do you want to meet the elders?"
Ashkit bounced on her paws, her tail erect. "Yes! Please!" Her spirits had lifted considerably since meeting Volenose, she seemed eager to meet the cranky elders, though Wildkit was sure it could wait. Meeting some of the other warriors sounded more fun than elders. Maybe she would see Falconstar himself!
"It's this way," Silverfeather meowed. "Follow me." She turned and padded in the direction of the fallen tree, which Wildkit could just make out the dark shape of two cats.
"Just two?" Wildkit asked as they approached the tree.
"Yes, poor Graywing died of greencough last winter, though she was young for an elder. She retired from an injury during battle." Silverfeather replied. "She was Stormclaw's littermate."
"Stormclaw?" Ashkit mewed, tripping over her paws and scrambling back into a dignified position.
"Our newest elder, he's quite kind to kits; I think you'll like him." Silverfeather, Ashkit, and Wildkit arrived at the fallen tree just as the sun began to peek around the clouds. The golden sunlight filtered through the trees around the ravine, dappling the clearing with light and shadow. A sliver of sunlight shone through a gap in the bark of the fallen tree, shining onto a cat's face. The cat snorted in its sleep, waking in a instant.
"Argh… when will there be a Greenleaf where we can sleep peacefully?" The cat rasped in a tired, female voice.
"Hello, Meadowbreeze," Silverfeather called into the den. "These are my kits, they want to meet you and Stormclaw."
Meadowbreeze looked in Silverfeather's direction, her ears pricked. Wildkit saw in the faint sunlight the gleam of the elder's amber eyes and pale brown tabby-and-white pelt. Another cat dozed next to her, but awoke with a prod from Meadowbreeze's pelt. "Wake up, sleepypaws. We have visitors."
Stormclaw blinked sleepily at Wildkit and Ashkit, who were standing sheepishly at the entrance. His dark gray fur reminded Wildkit of Graystorm. Were they kin? Stormclaw let out a raspy purr and beckoned the two kits foreword with his tail.
Silverfeather nudged Wildkit and Ashkit into the den, though Wildkit felt like her paws were made of stone. These were one of the most highly respected cats in the Clan… how should they act? Walk up and meow hello? Dip their heads? Wildkit hastily bowed her head, Ashkit copying quickly.
Meadowbreeze let out a hoarse purr. "It's alright, kits, we don't bite. If you're anything like your mother, I wouldn't have a reason to!"
Wildkit padded over to the two old cats, not at all sure what to say. Ashkit followed behind, her ears flat. Stormclaw rolled his eyes.
"They're always like this," He mewed, exasperated, "Terrified of older cats. Anyway, Silverfeather, have you or your kits seen Torncloud? He was supposed to be here with mouse bile a while ago, and this tick on my back isn't getting any smaller."
Silverfeather shook her head. "No, in fact, I haven't. Kits, please introduce yourselves."
"I'm Ashkit!" Ashkit bubbled immediately. "I'm going to be the best warrior ever!"
"I'm…. I'm Wildkit," Wildkit muttered.
"Wildkit and Ashkit… two lovely names." Meadowbreeze replied, her gaze warm. Wildkit felt her shyness around the two cats melt at the praise of her name. If only Petalspots thought her name was weird, then she'd be fine.
"I dunno… isn't Wildkit—" Stormclaw began, but was cut off from an icy glare from Silverfeather. "A good name! A very, very good name!"
Silverfeather narrowed her eyes and Stormclaw, Wildkit flinching back from the elders, her shyness returning. Why couldn't she have a normal name like Dapplekit or Spottedkit?
A tall, wiry gray-and-white tom padded into the den, holding in his jaws a stick that was dripping with a foul-smelling liquid. Hailpaw, holding a bundle of leaves in his jaws, followed, ignoring Wildkit and Ashkit. Wildkit ran to Silverfeather, who was backing out of the den. Ashkit followed, looking a little grudging.
"Come, little ones, it's time to head back," Silverfeather meowed, her voice tired and strained.
"Momma, why do other cats think my name is bad? What's… untamable?" Wildkit asked as they padded back to the nursery.
"Never you mind them," Silverfeather replied, flicking her tail in dismissal. She paused at the den entrance suddenly, her ears pricked and eyes alert. Silverfeather sniffed the air, then flicked her tail. "Fear-scent."
Ashkit and Wildkit tasted the air, but smelled only other cats and the forest. "Momma, I—" Ashkit began, but was cut off by a loud yowl.
Four cats streaked down the ravine, their eyes wild and their claws scraping against stone. Wildkit recognized the patrol, with Bluestripe in the lead and Volenose bringing up the rear. With a start, she saw that Bluestripe's flank was dark with blood. A huge pale tabby with dark stripes bolted out from under the curtain of lichen that concealed a cave in the large boulder, his hackles bristling.
"What is it?" The tabby demanded as Bluestripe skidded to a halt, the blue-gray tom's sides heaving.
"WindClan… WindClan stole our prey and attacked me!" Bluestripe gasped out, his eyes wide with shock and fear. "They told me that this—" Bluestripe nodded quickly at his bloody flank, "Was a warning. They said if we didn't give up hunting grounds, that they would declare war!"
Silverfeather gasped, while the Clan muttered to themselves. Wildkit blinked. "War? Momma, what's war?"
Shaking her head, Silverfeather replied, "It's a terrible thing that tears a Clan apart, in more ways than one."
~*~
0_o longness… anyway, there will be more action next time, promise! Cliffhanger… muhahahaaaa…