CHAPTER ONE
Warm sunlight trickled down onto Chesterkit's back making the already hot nursery even hotter. "Uff," he meowed wriggling left and right to try and get out of the sun's way. He must have jabbed a paw into Flowernose's belly in the process because she suddenly picked up her head and hissed at him "keep still!"
"But it's so hot mom! I can't sleep. This place is too crowded!"
"Then go outside and play with the other kits!" His mother let out a huge yawn and covered her face with her paws as she settled down to sleep.
"But I don't wanna play" Chesterkit grumped. But his mother was already sleeping. Letting out a sigh of annoyance he started licking his pelt and surveying the nursery. It was sunhigh judging from how hot it was but everyone was still sleeping. He and Flowernose had the nest up by the entrance so it was a bit cooler as a breeze would come in from time to time. Dapplewhiskers was curled up further one with Grizzlykit and Mistykit tucked closely to her belly. Mosspelt was right across from her with Birdkit lying awkwardly sprawled out, almost falling out the nest. Whitenose was next to her, with Rainkit snuggled up soundly to her. Moldynose was against the back wall her back to the rest of the queens and her two kits somewhere in the nest. Shadowlake took the last nest in the den. Her belly was swollen but she didn't have any kits. Chesterkit wondered if she was sick. But don't sick cats go to the medicine den?
Chesterkit finished grooming himself and decided to go wake up Rainkit. He jabbed a paw into the black she-kits side and she woke up with a start.
"Mrrw! Why'd you wake me up like that?" she meowed angrily. "You nearly gave me a fright. I thought Shadowclan were attacking!" She licked a paw and swiped it over her ear.
Chesterkit let out a laugh, "Even if it was them, you wouldn't be able to do anything about it. They'd eat you up." Chesterkit reuttered something his mother would always say.
"Yea right" Rainkit snorted, "I'd claw their ears off, those mangy crow eaters." She stood on her hind legs and did a couple practice swipes for example.
Chesterkit got in a crouching position and swiped a paw at Rainkit's ears, missing on purpose. "They'd claw off your whole pelt in one swipe, you'd stand no chance, especially not with those moves."
"Oh yea," shot back Rainkit, "well at least I know some moves." She lunged at Chesterkit knocking him off his paws. The two kits tussled rolling everywhere until they woke up Whitenose.
"What do you kits think you're doing?" She hissed angrily getting to her paws. The two kits stopped right away shaking their pelts to dislodge any moss they'd picked up. They bowed their heads in shame as the queen towered over them. "Three moons old and you still do not know how to behave." She pointed her tail towards the nursery entrance. "Go outside to play."
The kits meowed their apologizes and headed in that direction.
"Aw Whitenose, don't be so harsh on them. Their just kits." Shadowlake had woken up.
"You'll understand when you have your own one day. For now butt out of my parenting" Whitenose growled and settled down into her nest again. Shadowlake narrowed her eyes at the grumpy queen but didn't say anything as she started to groom her belly.
Chesterkit and Rainkit had almost made it to the entrance when they heard a sharp squeak.
"Wait up you two, I wanna come play as well." Birdkit had woken up, his brown and black fur still soft and fluffy from his sleep.
"Hurry up then," Rainkit flicked her tail excitedly. The three kits tumbled out of the nursery nearly getting in the way of Scarfur's paws.
"Hey watch it you kits," the scarred tom warned around a mouth full of prey.
"Sorry." Chesterkit got his paws. It seemed like he kept having to apologize a lot today.
"Did you catch all that yourself?" asked Rainkit. She looked at her dad with wonder and amazement.
Scarfur let out a purr, setting down his prey he gave his daughter a lick. "I had some help" he admitted. "Teamwork is an important part of being a warrior"
"That's still cool. I'm gonna be a great warrior like you one day"
"I hope you are," Scarfur licked his daughter on the ear before picking up a catch. "Here why don't you keep this mouse" He prodded a small mouse towards Rainkit. "It's never too early to start eating freshkill."
"But mom said-"
Scarfur lashed his tail. "lets keep it a secret from mom okay?"
"Okay!" Rainkit squeaked. Her dad padded away to place the rest of the prey on the freshkill pile.
"Your dad is so cull," breathed Birdkit as he sniffed the mouse carefully.
"I wish my dad cared as much" Chesterkit looked around wistfully.
Rainkit twitched her tail uncomfortably. "Maybe he will one day. But for now let's eat this mouse."
Chesterkit got to the mouse closely and sniffed it from head to toe. It smelled meaty and of grass.
Birdkit who had also been smelling the mouse for quite some time stepped back from it. "I don't think I wanna eat it"
"Why not?" asked Rainkit who had already taken her first bite. She licked her lips after she finished swallowing. "It's tastes great" she mewed.
"I don't know…" stammered Birdkit.
"Let me try" Chesterkit took a small nibble of the mouse's flesh and his mouth flooded with flavor. It was nothing like Flowernose's milk, it tasted rich and juicy. "This is good" he commented.
"Come on try some," Rainkit nudged the mouse to Birdkit who looked uncertainly from Rainkit to Chesterkit. Finally he swallowed his uncertainties and bent his head to take a bite. "It's good" he meowed in surprise.
"Told you" Rainkit muttered to the small kit. "If you'd stop being such a scardy cat you'd probably known that early.
"I'm not a scardycat, " Birdkit defended himself. "I'm just…cautious."
"Sure" Rainkit snorted. "and hedgehogs fly."
"I-" but Chesterkit cut off Birdkit's reply. "Let's not fight. Let's play."
Birdkit looked like he still wanted to finish what he had to say but though better of it and flicked his tail. "Sure. But what"
"I know!" mewed Rainkit excitedly before anyone else could answer. "We can play guess the taste"
"What's that?" any objections Chesterkit had to Rainkit cutting him off faded away as his curiosity grew.
"Well," Rainkit started slowly " we have to guess what prey is what. We go to the freshkill pile and have to guess what animal we try."
Chesterkit flicked his tail uncertainly." But won't we get in trouble."
Rainkit mrrowed. "No we won't. we'll use warrior techniques so we wont get caught."
"I don't know" stammered Birdkit " we could get in trouble. Especially since Peachfur hates us and will-"
"stop complaining and let's do it now! No one will notice us by the time we are done" without another word she bounded off towards the prey pile.
Birdkit looked at Chesterkit. "should we do it…?"
Chesterkit shrugged his shoulders." It should be fine. It could even be fun actually." Chesterkit felt excitement surge in his paws. "let's go!" he sped off towards the freshkill pile with Birdkit in pursuit.
Rainkit was already there but she cautioned Chesterkit and Birdkit as they approached.
"What's wrong?" Chesterkit mewed.
"We have to wait until no one's around so that we can do it"
"Why?"
"So that we can do it!" Rainkit hissed. "Stop asking mousebrained questions Chesterkit"
Chesterkit shrugged.
"See I knew this sounds like we could get into trouble." Birdkit whined.
"No you birdbrain" Rainkit retorted. " we get to use our warrior skills this way. Real warriors can tell when others are near and other stuff like that."
Birdkit shrunk back as Rainkit paced angrily by him. Chesterkit put a soothing tail on him. "Don't worry, it'll be fine."
"I just don't wanna get in trouble with Peachfur again" Birdkit mewed quietly. Chesterkit could see his point. Peachfur was a thunderclan warrior but he seems to hate the kits especially Chesterkit. He would always get the kits in trouble whenever possible. He was such a bossy furball. He acted like he was clan deputy.
"What are you kits up to?" A meow came from behind them. It was Fangfire the medicine cat.
"Nothing" the three kits mewed in unison. They looked at the massive red tom with wide eyes.
Fangfire let out a purr at the kits apparent fear of him. "You have fun, but I better not get any complaints about you being hurt, got it?" he padded past them and grabbed a piece of fresh kill and then disappeared back into the medicine den.
"He scared me" Birdkit whispered.
"What doesn't" Rainkit snorted with contempt. Before he could respond she pulled herself into a fern that was a couple pawsteps away from the freshkill pile. "Let's wait here until everyone goes back."
The two toms followed her obediently into the fern. It was cooler here and the tantalizing scents of food flooded the young kits nostrils. Chesterkit's stomach had only take a bite of the mouse before they left it to go play the game. Maybe he could go back and finish it?
The three kits sat in the fern waiting and observing the camp. It was sunhigh and not a lot of cats were out. Most were napping in the sun but there were some warriors walking around. Pointyears and Flamefur were discussing the weather.
"It's still so warm even though it is leaf-fall." Pointyears flicked his ears
"Don't complain" mewed the younger cat. " it means more prey for the colder seasons."
"I wasn't complaining" Pointyears purred.
Rosepelt and Rockpelt were sharing tongues by the base of a rock. Chesterkit noticed Rosepelt was looking a bit plump. Maybe she was sneaking in some extra freshkill.
Scarfur was eating with Sparkfur and Willoweyes next to the warriors den. The thorn brambles near the entry of the camp rustled as Patchcloud rushed in with the border patrol. Froglegs, Burfur Tumbleshrub were following after him. Scarfur raised his head to greet them. "Any news?"
Patchcloud shook his head. "All's clear on Shadowclans border, but I need more patrols out so that we can check the others. Rosepelt, Rockpelt, Scarfur plus Sparkfur I want you to take a patrol by Windclan's border. Willoweyes, Peachfur, Froglegs and I will patrol on Riverclans side. The rest of you rest up and then we'll take out a hunting patrol."
The cats quickly moved into the patrols. Peachfur slide out of the warriors den stretching out his legs and padded off to join them. Tumbleshrub grabbed a piece of freshkill before joining the nursery while Burfur limped over to the medicine den. "Fangfire" he mewed "I think I have thorn in my paw."
"Again?" came the exasperated reply. "Fine come in, but be careful of the herbs."
With the camp silent, Rainkit jumped out of the ferns. She nosed around the pile as Chesterkit and Birdkit slinked out to her.
"Here" she tossed out a small gray animal towards Chesterkit. "Guess."
Chesterkit crouched down and took a bite." It might be vole…I've seen Pointyears bring it into the nursery before."
"Correct" Rainkit purred. Then she reached deeper into the pile and pulled out a bird with blue feathers. "Guess."
Birdkit looked hard at the prey before him before leaning in to take a bite. "I know it's a bird, but I don't know what kind."
"It's a bluebird you birdbrain" Rainkit purred. " since your name is bird-kit I thought u were an expert at birds.
Birdkit's whiskers drooped in disappointment. "I'm not a birdbrain."
Chesterkit licked his lips, " so are you going to try one now Rainkit?"
"Yes" was the reply. The three kits dug around in the prey pile taking samples of this and that. "I think we should go now." Chesterkit burped. He was feeling pretty full. "Hold up, I wanna try and get this one on the bottom" Rainkit grunted as she struggled. A sparrow on the top of the pile tipped precariously before crashing down on Birdkit. " Help!" he squeaked. Chesterkit lunged at the sparrow squealing. " Take that and that" he growled swiping with unsheathed claws. Rainkit joined in, both kits scrabbling sending feathers flying. The salty tang of blood splattered on Chesterkit's nose and he shuddered as he licked it away. "Eww blood." He jumped back from the mangled bird carcass. The feathers were gone and the sparrows neck was twisted in an awkward angle. Blood flowed from a gash on its stomach. Rainkit was shaking out her pelt, tiny drops of blood on her whiskers. "Shadowclan best be prepared!" she mewed pleased with herself.
"Thanks, I thought that bird was gonna get me" Birdkit meowed. " I-"
"What do you kits think your doing?" an angry hiss came from above them as a warrior approached them. The kits swung their head upward and their eyes went wide with shock. "Peachfur" Chesterkit whispered his fur sticking up in fear. The border patrol had come back and Willoweyes and Froglegs were making their way up to the kits as well.
"This is a disgrace! How dare you ruin the freshkill pile. You have utterly no respect for the hard work of warriors."Peachfur lashed his tail angrily, his blue eyes piercing into Chesterkit's soul. Birdkit was trembling beside him, his brown and black fur fluffed up. Even Rainkit was scared, but only showed it with the way her breath came in nervous gasps.
Willoweyes and Frogleg's eyes widened with horror. "What happened?" the pretty she-cat nudged a mangled piece of prey with her claw.
"All our hard work-gone to waste" wailed Froglegs as he tried to salvage what he could.
"You kits are coming with me" snarled Peachfur. " we're going to have a chat with Yellowstar.
The kits all looked at each other hopelessly. They were being taken to the leader? Surely this was the end of their career as warriors. Done before it could even start.