Chapter 1

Lilykit's tiny pink nose wriggled underneath of her paw. The scent of her sisters sick still lingered in the nursery, even though Seedkit had spent the last few days with Jayfeather in his den. Sorreltail had gone out hunting earlier, and Brightheart had been keeping an eye on her since then.

I can't believe she won't let me out of the den! I'm going to be an apprentice soon, after all!

While it had been two moons since the Battle of the Ages, as the Clans have come to call it, each cat in ThunderClan was still on edge. Brightheart hadn't let the kit leave her sight since sunhigh, the best time for finding moss to play with. Lilykit couldn't even visit her sister. While both her mother and the medicine cat advised against it, Lilykit didn't care. Her sister was sick, and she wanted to be with her.

The camp was bustling with work that day. It had taken some time to reinforce the nursery, but now the warriors were working on renovating the entire camp. The warriors den had needed to be expanded for a vast amount of time, but there was so much going on that no one ever got to it. Now that there was a moon of calmity, things could get done.

The newest elder, Graystripe, was helping Lionblaze and Bumblestripe take down some of the walls for the elders' den. That would need expansion as well, seeing as cats weren't getting any younger.

A dark tabby tom was sharing tongues at the leaders den with his mate, Squirrelflight. While Lilykit was still young when the tom died, she couldn't help but thing of the greatest leader there ever was, Firestar, when she looked at the new leaders mate. Her ginger pelt matched Firestar's ripple for ripple.

The tiny tabby she-kit closed her eyes for a brief moment. She was nearly six moons old, and her apprentice ceremony was soon. Brightheart wouldn't let her explore. Did she want to be a hunter? Or a fighter?

Lilykit's eyes wandered over to the medicine den. What about a Medicine Cat?

That was a new thought. But her mother and father were both warriors. Perhaps she could go and talk to Jayfeather…

Sneaking a look over her shoulder, the kitten slunk out of the nursery. Brightheart had fallen fast asleep with her kits at her belly. They were only two moons old, but growing fast. Lilykit smiled. The Clan was thriving. She still remembered when Ferncloud died. The little kits resting in the den now thought she was just sleeping, until they saw her spirit leave her body.

Dustpelt was sitting outside of the elder's den, watching the other cats with sad eyes. Lilykit's heart clenched. She couldn't fathom losing a loved one.

The kit shook the thought from her tiny tabby head. There wasn't time for that at all. She needed to find out what she was supposed to be doing when she became an apprentice. Brightheart, Sorreltail, and Daisy told the kits stories of Jayfeather. They learned that he was chosen by StarClan to save everyone during the battle of the Ages. He must know what her destiny is.

Slinking past Dovewing, the kit peeked her head through the honeysuckle vines that marked the entrance to the den. Her nose scrunched up at the smell. Seedkit was fast asleep, her paws twitching as she dreamt. Her sick wasn't in here, but it still smelled. The bitterness of the herbs overshadowed most of it, though, so Lilykit pushed her way through. Jayfeather wasn't here.

"Excuse me, what in StarClan's name are you doing?"

Mousedung! She had forgotten about the crippled warrior who took permanent residence in the medicine den. Briarlight must have just gotten back from the dirt place, and her brown head poked through the vines. She didn't look mad. That was a good sign.

Lilykit smiled and hopped around. She didn't want to let Briarlight know she had snuck out of the nursery without permission. She would be sent back straight away, and that was the last thing she wanted.

"I'm looking for Jayfeather." Lilykit began, finally sitting still next to Seedkit. Her flank heaved up and down erratically. This worried Lilykit, but she didn't mention it. "Where is he?"

Briarlight sighed and pulled herself inside the den. Lilykit could see her strong muscles ripple under her pelt. The brown she-cat had lost all use of her hind quarters when she was a younger warrior, and depended highly on her front legs to move around. The kitten looked up to her; even in her darkest moment, she shone as bright as the new leaf sun.

"He's out gathering herbs. He should be back fairly soon." Briarlight cast a worried glance at the sleeping kit. It was obvious Seedkit had gotten progressively worse since her stay in the medicine den, and even with all of Jayfeather's skill, nothing seemed to be healing her.

Lilykit's tail drooped with sadness. This wasn't right. Not at all. Jayfeather was the best Medicine cat the Clans had ever seen. Why wasn't Seedkit cured yet?

The older cat licked the little tabby's head reassuringly.

"He's trying everything possible to save your sister."

Her words were as reassuring as a beehive in the nursery. Save her? Was she going to die? Lilykit's pelt fluffed up with worry, and just as she opened her mouth to speak, Lionblaze skidded into the den, his fur ruffled and his amber eyes wide.

He was panting and collapsed to the ground before he could speak. Briarlight hobbled over to him and pressed her nose to his flank.

"Lionblaze, what's wrong!" She asked worriedly. The orange tom looked up and flashed a grin at the two cats. He began to stand on shaky legs, but tumbled back over once more.

"Cinderheart," He huffed, a purr rolling deep in his chest, "She's pregnant."

Lilykit's ears pricked. Pregnant. That means another she-cat was going to be in the nursery. They needed more room. There was already Daisy, who took up enough space as it was. While Lilykit respected her, she was as useless as a bay leaf in winter. She wasn't having kits any time soon, didn't fight like a warrior, and sat around growing fatter and bossing others around. Lilykit knew some other cats felt the same way, but she helped new mothers with their litters, so no one complained. And then there was Brightheart and Sorreltail, plus their kits.

"That's fantastic, Lionblaze!" Briarlight's voice broke into Lilykit's thoughts with a loud purring mew. The tomcat finally caught his breath and heaved his bulky body into a standing position.

"Thanks." His tail swished happily on the ground behind him. "I've got to go tell everyone!"

As just as soon as he had came, he was gone.

Briarlight stared sadly after the tom. She would never be able to have kits. What did it matter? No tom would ever love her. She was a cripple. She couldn't walk right. She had to drag her limp body, and even then, she was limited.

"What in the world was all that about?"

Lilykit looked up, and her heart fluttered. Jayfeather was back! Now she could finally talk to him, and find out what she was meant to do.

"My brother just came streaming past me shouting something about kits." Jayfeather glared down at Lilykit, who shrunk back under his harsh gaze. "You didn't do anything, did you?"

Brarilight drug herself between the two and licked Jayfeather's nose. He recoiled and kept a snarl on his muzzle and an eye on Lilykit.

"No, of course not." Briarlight stood up for the kitten. She glanced over her shoulder and winked to her. Lilykit purred as Briarlight faced the medicine cat once more. "She came here looking to talk to you. And Cinderheart is carrying Lionblazes kits."

Jayfeather rolled his eyes and shoved the lame cat so he could get through to his stores. He stepped gingerly over Lilykit. How rude, She thought to herself. Briarlight hobbled back into her nest and gave a good, long stretch before laying with her head on her paws.

"She's been carrying kits for at least a moon." Jayfeather muttered matter-of-factly. He was a Medicine Cat. He knew that after the battle with the dark forest cats, Lionblaze had taken Cinderheart as a mate, and it was quite obvious that she was growing bigger.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" The grey tom looked over at the small tabby, his blind blue eyes looking right at her. It was eerie how he knew what was going on. He acted like he wasn't blind at all.

"Uhm." Lilykit shuffled her paws on the ground, beginning to get nervous. How does one ask about their destiny? It wasn't a simple thing. It's asking about the future.

"Well?" Jayfeather prompted while he pressed his nose to a sleeping Seedkit's paw. He muttered the word 'fever' before pawing through his stock of feverfew, searching for the freshest stalk.

Lilykit stepped forward and sniffed amongst the herbs as well. She dragged a sweet, strong, smelling yellow flower out of a pile.

"What's this one for?"

Jayfeather stuck his nose in her face and sniffed at the flower. "Tansy." He muttered, snatching it gently from her mouth and placing it back into the pile.

"What does it do?" Lilykit asked. She craned her neck to see the other herbs. Some smelled funny and looked odd, other smelled soothing and looked very simple.

Jayfeather didn't answer her, but instead quickly scooped her up by the scruff and sat her outside of his den.

"When you want to talk, you can come back," He sighed as he turned to do back into his den. "For now, please don't bother me. I have my paws full as it is."

He disappeared into the honeysuckle once more, and left Lilykit sitting outside. Her ears drooped. She just wanted to learn about being a Medicine Cat, but had ended up getting kicked out of the medicine cat den.

"Lilykit?"

Sorreltail padded into the clearing, carrying a large thrush in her mouth. Behind her followed Leafpool, Toadstep, and Brackenfur. They all carried pieces of prey for the Clan, and dropped them in the pile one by one.

The tortoiseshell she-cat walked up to her kit and licked her head. The kitten purred and flexed her paws. Sorreltail, while she was still considered the queen, had already gone back to most of her warrior duties, only sleeping in the nursery with her kits.

"Have you been giving Jayfeather trouble?"

Lilykit shook her head. No, but why did every cat think that? Just because she was a kit didn't mean that she had to be troublesome.

Sorreltail giggled at the small kit, and licked her head once more before saying, "Good, little one. How is your sister doing?"

Before Lilykit could answer with a shrug, Jayfeather poked his head out of the den. His eyes grew dim. There was something wrong.

"Bramblestar!"

The leader looked up from his meal to greet the medicine cat. He rest of the Clan had been alerted to Jayfeather's cry, and began gathering under High Ledge. Was something happening?

Lilykit watched as the two toms shared a few words before Bramblestar began to look worried as well. The two cats walked side by side up to address the Clan.

"Cats of ThunderClan!" Jayfeather rushed his words out in one breath before Bramblestar could properly call all of the cats together. Sorreltail nosed Lilykit back to the nursery. At least she could still listen here.

"You know that Seedkit is ill. We need to take extra precautions. If someone begins to feel the least bit feverish, sore, or achy, they must come see me right away." His fur was beginning to bristle.

Lilykit became worried. What was this all about? Cats got ill all the time. Maybe it was just taking a little while longer to get better! There was no need for Jayfeather to waltz up there like he was Leader and worry the entire Clan like that.

Jayfeather continued, looking around the camp as if he could actually see the cats waiting below him. "We can't let this Clan fall because of a simple cold."

When he ended his speech, he leaped down nimbly and swiftly down and ran back to his den.

"What was all that about?"

"Has he gone mad?"

The cats began murmuring about the medicine cat. He had lost his sister, and his brother was starting a family. Perhaps he had every reason to worry.

Lilykit rolled her eyes and backed into the nursery for a nap. Silly Jayfeather. Nothing would go wrong.