Chapter 1
Rays of sunlight poked through the leafy-trees, signifying the early time. Mousekit got to her paws, stretching out. Her two littermates Mudkit and Streamkit were sleeping, sound asleep. Her gaze travelled to the sleeping form of Squirrelflight. At her belly was Firekit and Echokit. Firekit had the same ginger coat as his grandfather, and that was what got him his name.
Mousekit flicked her ear and looked out to the middle of the clearing. In the middle of the clearing was the small gray tabby body of Jayfeather. Yesterday at sunhigh the medicine cat had passed away, greencough had gripped him like leafbare gripped the forest.
Lionblaze was laying beside his brothers body. Leafpool, the light brown tabby she-cat lay close to Lionblaze and Jayfeather. The former medicine cat was their mother, and was heart broken that her son was dead.
Dovewing, her mother sat beside the three cats and watched with quiet blue eyes. Looks like she woke up early.
The young kit felt pity for all of them, they had been closest to Jayfeather. Except Briarlight. Mousekit had never formerly met the legendary she-cat, she had died during the outbreak of greencough about three moons before she had been born.
Briarlight was the cat that every elder spoke about, especially Graystripe her father. After an incident when a tree fell down into camp, her spine was broken and she could no longer walk. Mousekit could only imagine what that was like.
Bramblestar emerged from his den, and he hopped down from the highledge to go nose Leafpool and Lionblaze. Dovewing acknowledged him with a nod of her head, and headed towards the nursery.
The kit scrambled back into her nest, hoping she hadn't disturbed her littermates. The only thing that had happened was Mudkits paws chruning a bit, then they went still. Dovewing squeezed into the nursery, her eyes half-open. Grief was coming off of her in waves, it was almost empowering.
It was understandable at least.
Jayfeather had been apart of her entire life. He was apart of the Three that helped the save the Clans from The Place of No Stars, and he was the first to die. Although he was gone, he would hunt in StarClan.
One question still echoed in the back of her mind, would he be able to see in StarClans hunting grounds, even if he had never seen when he was alive?
But she ignored her mind echoing inside her brain, and closed her eyes. She should probably get some more sleep until Dovewing woke her up.
"Mousekit."
She opened her eyes to an unfamiliar area. Pine trees surrounded her, towering over her. The scent of pine needles and unknown herbs washed over her, making her gag with the smell. A ginger pelt caught her eye, and Mousekit spun around to see where the pelt had gone.
When she turned around, a large and dark ginger tom greeted her. He sat in front of her, his tail wrapped over his paws. "Hello, Mousekit."
"Who are you? Are you a StarClan warrior?" she squeaked.
The tom nodded, "I am Flametail." he mewed.
Flametail was one of ShadowClans medicine cats. Why was a ShadowClan cat visiting her in her dreams? She wasn't even a medicine cat! "You're from ShadowClan though.." Mousekit said.
He nodded once more. "Yes. But I come with you for a message, I understand you are just a kit. But you need to know the origin of your birth." Flametail meowed, his body giving off the look of a young cat. From what she listened to, Flametail had died young. He drowned in the lake in leafbare.
Origins of my birth? Mousekit wondered. What was this tom spewing?
"What do you mean-" she was about to speak, but Flametail lashed his bushy red tail. "Have you ever wondered why no tom has come around to visit you, your littermates or your own mother?" he asked, blue eyes large and serious.
Mousekit stumbled over her words. "W-well I.. yeah?"
"Your father is not apart of the Clan you have come to know. You do not belong in ThunderClan, young kit." Flametail warned her. "Shadows lurk within the secret of your birth, even the warrior code forbids it." He mewed.
"Thunder and Shadow have been fighting for many, many seasons. But now that the three kits of Dovewing have come, there will be an even greater battle. All for three lumps of fur."
"You were not meant to be." Flametail said, fading away.
Before she could even ask him more questions, he burst into little fragments of light and he was gone. Mousekit wanted to ask more questions, and she opened her mouth to wail. But a crack of lightning in the sky above her made her wail soundless and quiet.
"I smell ShadowClan!"
Mousekit and her two littermates, Mudkit and Streamkit were playing around, wrestling when they heard that cry.
Lilypaw was the one who alerted the Clan, staring at the thorn barrier as a patrol of ShadowClan cats entered ThunderClan camp.
Tigerheart was at the lead, the ShadowClan deputy. Behind him was Shrewfoot, Scorchfur, his apprentice Featherpaw, Crowfrost, Pinenose, Starlingwing, and Ferretclaw. Bramblestar left the nursery, Squirrelflight and their kits tumbling after them.
"Tigerheart. What brings you to ThunderClan camp?" he dipped his head to the ShadowClan deputy.
But the deputy didn't seem to be in the mood to be friendly, and he lashed his tail. "We've come to retreive what was rightfully ours." Crowfrost hissed, his hackles raised.
Mousekit looked over to Dovewing who was staring at Tigerheart with wide blue eyes. "Be quiet Crowfrost!" he hissed. He turned his amber eyes towards the ThunderClan leader, they looked like images of each other, as if they were just reflections in the water.
"Rightfully yours?" Bramblestar sounded confused. "Tigerheart, I do not understand." Tigerheart pushed past the large tabby and towards Mousekit and her littermates.
"Dovewing, you never told them?" he growled.
Her mother stood there, looking into Tigerhearts eyes. "Tigerheart, you can't take them. They belong in ThunderClan." she told him. Tigerheart let out a loud snarl.
"They are my kits too!" he hissed. Dovewing visibly flinched.
Bramblestar came up so he could push in between the two cats, protecting the queen from his kin. "What's. Going. On?" he demanded.
Tigerheart opened his mouth, then shut it.
"Mudkit, Streamkit, and Mousekit are my kits too. We were once mates." Tigerheart explained. Cats yowled in surprise, they were shocked. Dovewing betrayed her clanmates!
The ThunderClan leader sat down, looking at Mousekit and her littermates. She could feel his eyes burning into her fur, and her littermates. Like they were a juicy piece of prey. "Is this true?" he asked Dovewing.
The gray she-cat nodded solemnly. Bumblestripe thrusted his way through the throng of cats, his amber eyes blazing at Dovewing. He looked angry, claws unsheathed and hackles raised.
Mousekit had to invade, to protect her mother! She bounded across and stood infront of her mother, hissing at Tigerheart. But when she looked up into his eyes, she faltered. This was her father..? No. That was impossible! She couldn't have a ShadowClan father!
"Thunder and Shadow have been fighting for many, many seasons. But now that the three kits of Dovewing have come, there will be an even greater battle. All for three lumps of fur." "You were not meant to be."
Flametails words echoed in her ears, as she was too stunned to even recognize her littermates, Mudkit and Streamkit being held in the jaws of Crowfrost and Scorchfur, and she was being held by Tigerheart.
"Beware of your own clanmates Bramblestar. You should really keep a more careful eye on your Clanmates." Tigerheart growled, leaning down to pick up Mousekit and turned away, padding through camp.
"No! My kits!" Dovewing cried, trying to get through the cats that were blocking her. Bumblestripe licked her ear, wanting her to calm down.
Mousekit struggled in her fathers jaws, mewling pitifully. The images of the forest passed through her eyes until they turned into tall, towering pine trees. Like the ones from the dream she had two sunrises ago.
That was the scent! It as ShadowClan scent she had scented in her dream.
No wonder she had scented ShadowClan. As they travelled through the pine trees, the scent of more cats washed over her tongue. Then Tigerheart pushed through a bramble bush, revealing a camp full of cats. A ginger tom stood in the middle of the camp, dipping his head. "I see you have gathered the kits. Good job, they will fit better here rather then in ThunderClan."
Tigerheart set her down, "Rowanstar. You do realise that ThunderClan will report this at the gathering, right?" he mewed.
A she-cat with tortoiseshell fur padded up to Mousekit, and her littermates. "Come here little ones, let me take you to your new den." she hurded them towards a bush protected by more pine trees. Mousekit could smell milk, and suddenly a pang of hunger in her stomach made her topple over.
"There's fresh milk inside." the she-cat promised.
Her promise had came true, later that night she was pressed up into a cream furred belly, drinking milk alongside two other kits. The memory of ThunderClan had been completely forgotten as she fell alseep beside that queens belly.