Chapter 1

"Owlkit, look out!" A golden-brown tom mewed playfully.

"Wha-" Before the striped kit could question, another kit sprang onto her back. "Gotcha!" The kit mewed. He was a black tom, with a red underbelly.

"Oww, Robinkit! That actually hurt!" Owlkit snapped as the tom jumped off. "Oh, sorry." The tom squeaked. He glanced at a golden she-cat who was looking on thoughtfully, "Aren't you gonna play with us, Honeykit? It's fun."

"No, I'm fine." Honeykit answered. Her littermate is always worried that something was wrong when she refused to play. "Just watching to see the way an enemy might attack."

"But you won't actually use what you've learned until you fight!" The golden-brown tom spoke.

"Now, Maplekit, you'll all learn how to fight once becoming apprentices." Robinkit and Honeykit's mother, Daisyflower, meowed. "But how long is that?" Icekit, a dark grey she-cat asked, hope in her eyes

"Not too long. Only a moon. I've heard that the elders are telling stories, if you want to listen to them." Daisyflower continued. The five kits exchanged glances excitingly, padding out of the nursery and towards the elders den.

"Oh, look who's here to visit. The kits!" A ginger tom looked at the kits that padded in with half closed eyes.

"We heard that you were telling stories." Maplekit mewed, lying down on his side.

A calico elder piped up next, "Yes. Halfear was talking about the time when he fought cats from another clan!" Robinkit's eyes grew wide. "Another clan?" The other kits shared his same curiosity.

Halfear looked at the ground for a long moment. After long silence, the maine coon looked up, "I remember now..."

"It was back when Froststar was only Frostfang. He had to go to the Moonstone because our leader, Hawkstar, died. And since Frostfang was deputy, he would gain his nine lives.

Me, Eaglepaw, Brokenclaw, and Silverpaw were to follow him to ensure a safe journey. We took a path that was unknown to me. Upon exiting the forest, I couldn't believe my eyes. We had stumbled into a lush and beautiful land. We journeyed through a lane that we assumed was a twoleg path. After we jumped a river, we made it to clusters of rocks.

There was an unfamiliar scent looming around, not rouge, nor kittypet. Out of nowhere, four cats sprang out at us. One was a gray tabby tom. Another was a dark tabby, an apprentice, I assumed. The other was a pretty gray-blue she-cat, looking as if she was a sister to Seascar. The fourth was a gray tom with very small ears.

"Intruders! Why are you in ThunderClan territory?" ThunderClan sounded new to me, though it sounded like a clan!

"Smallear, these don't look like any clan cats I've seen." I heard the gray tabby growl. "Yes, they don't. But let them speak, Thistleclaw." The gray-blue she-cat had mewed.

"StarClan grants us safe passage to the Moonstone!" Frostfang said. But they didn't believe us. Thought we were a lying bunch of rouges. We put up a good fight. They fled, and there was no more trouble as we made our way to the Moonstone."

"Wow!" Owlkit ran around excitingly, aroused by the story. Honeykit sat, tail in front of her paws, "What if we find ThunderClan cats again?"

"If you were to take that same route, then maybe." Brokenclaw answered, letting out a long yawn.

"You kits should go now. Foxwhisker is already asleep." Lynxsprint rasped, lying down to rest herself.

"Everyone old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock!" Deerpelt's voice sounded across the clearing. Robinkit awoke upon hearing the order. "Hi, Robinkit." Honeykit mewed.

The sky now shone blue, promising another sun-filled day of leaf-fall. The semi-warm sunlight soaked into the nursery, shining beautifully among Honeykit's smooth fur.

"You slept in again." The golden she-kit shrugged, making Robinkit's tiny face curl up into a frown, "What else can I do when I'm stuck in the nursery all day?" His sister nudged him cheerily, in which the black tom stopped frowning.

"StarClan has sent Snowpool a message. Unlike most, all the clan needs to know to be able to prepare." Deerpelt explained to the cats beneath.

"Isn't Froststar supposed to be the one talking?" Icekit mumbled. "You're right, I think..." The three kits plopped their tiny bodies out and in front of the nursery. Robinkit never saw Froststar up close, but he knew it must be the muscular cat on the highrock.

The small crowd only glanced for a second at their leader with confused eyes. Froststar sat with an emotionless expression, mouth straight.

Snowpool turned around to face the rest of his clan, "It is true. Starclan has grave news on coming leaf-bare." GlacierClan stood, as silence trotted the clearing for a long moment before Snowpool spoke again,

"A blizzard will strike our camp, mixed with a hail storm." Alarmed caterwauls rose from the cats

"But aren't we all resistant to much cold?" Foxwhisker rasped from the elders den.

"Let Snowpool finish, Foxwhisker" Barkfur, a brown spotted tom, spoke. He nodded to Snowpelt, and the white tom continued,

"It will be more than we've had in a long while. The hail will be bad. They are hard. The blizzards bring plenty of snow to be buried in." Once Snowpool had finished, Blackstorm, a black tom, looked up at his leader expectantly,

"And what will we do about this, Froststar?" The blue tom looked down at Blackstorm, hiding a hint a hatred in his eyes, but said nothing.

"If the harshness of the blizzard is what Snowpool expects, then we must prepare. I will set patrols to make sure rouge cats do not wander into and Graypaw will hunt with their mentors and bring food to the elders. This goes to warriors, as well. Some will stock the fresh-kill pile, others will find materials to make the dens more durable. Snowpelt will collect herbs, as usual."

The crowd of cats mewed in agreement and were soon off to start what Deerpelt ordered.

The kits didn't really know what was happening, but were still curious.

"Do you think they'll need help?" Icekit squeaked with excitement. "We can't hunt until we're apprentices, though." Honeykit meowed.

"We can't do a lot yet. Though it would be fun." She added. "Let's just ask Deerpelt!" Maplekit padded out to join them.

"Good idea."