Sunkit:
"I won!" an excited squeal called, making the ginger tabby she-cat prick her ears from where she stood at the edge of the RiverClan camp, by a clump of reeds. Her sister, Brightkit, was standing proudly above her brother, Icekit, as she pinned him down on the grass. The she-cat on the edge of the clearing, Sunkit, sighed, watching them play. She had everything she could have wanted - or so the clan thought. But there was a... certain feeling inside her, that she couldn't describe.
"Come and join us, Sunkit!" Icekit called, standing up, glaring at Brightkit, and shaking out his fur.
Sunkit longed to play, but something just didn't feel right when she was around most of the RiverClan cats. She shook her head. "No thanks." Though she was the same age as Icekit and Brightkit, her littermates, she was definitely more serious.
The three kits were reaching the end of their fifth moon, and Sunkit couldn't wait to become an apprentice. Her mother, Silvershine, was actually one of the greatest warriors in the clan, and her father, Reedfur's, brother, Snowtail, was the best hunter by far. Sunkit vowed to be like Silvershine and Snowtail put together, the best hunter and fighter in RiverClan, together. But how could she do that when, well, she didn't really feel like she fit in?
Sunkit was a RiverClan cat by birth, she was well-loved by the clan, and there seemed nothing wrong. But Sunkit knew in her heart that there was, but she couldn't tell what, and she was determined to figure out. I... I just don't feel a true part of the clan, she thought. There's something wrong about all this. I mean, none of my kin have ginger fur or green eyes, so I'm unusual in that way. Or, I just wasn't born to Reedfur and Silvershine...
The little almost-six-moon-old kit shook her head and dismissed the thought. Of course Reedfur and Silvershine were her parents; if not, who were? And why would they hide it by giving me to Reedfur and Silvershine?
The sun was almost setting as Sunkit rose to her paws, still unable to think of a possible cause of her situation. Silvershine had padded out of the nursery and was purring as she saw Icekit and Brightkit playing. Waving her tail, she called, "Icekit! Sunkit! Brightkit!" Sunkit whirled around to look at her. "Come back into the nursery!" Sunkit sighed and padded over as Icekit and Brightkit broke apart from their play-fighting.
"Hi, Silvershine!" Sunkit exclaimed, nearing the silver-furred queen.
Silvershine narrowed her eyes and checked to see that neither Icekit nor Brightkit was near. "Why weren't you playing with your littermates?"
Sunkit shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't feel like playing." Of course, that was only half the truth. But she really wasn't lying to Silvershine, was she? Of course not, because it was true that she didn't feel like it. Only, there's more to it than that...
Silvershine flicked her ear with her tail. "Sunkit, this has happened way too often..." Sunkit simply stared at the ground. "...and I want to see you playing more with your brother and sister from now on."
Sunkit's green eyes took on a burning glare as she let out a snarl. "No. I will play if I feel like playing," she mewed coldly.
"It seems, you never feel like it!" Silvershine mewed, sounding exasperated.
"If I don't feel like it, I won't play," Sunkit snapped. "And you can't make me."
Silvershine sighed. "I know I can't," she mewed, her voice suddenly gentle, "but I just worry for you, that's all."
"Why?" another voice sounded from behind Sunkit, and she whirled around to see Brightkit, a confused look on her face. A heartbeat later, Icekit appeared behind her, looking confused as well.
"Never mind," Silvershine mewed quickly, purring. "You three, go and get yourselves some fresh-kill."
Sunkit followed Brightkit and Icekit over to the fresh-kill pile, well-stocked with prey. The hunting patrol had just returned, bearing Rainpaw, Sunkit's closest friend, and Cloudpaw, Rainpaw's brother, also Sunkit's friend. Snatching a small minnow from the pile, Sunkit darted over to Rainpaw, a dark gray she-cat with deep, understanding blue eyes. "Rainpaw!"
The apprentice looked around to see that Sunkit had called, and padded over to the fresh-kill pile, taking a trout in her jaws and padding over to where Sunkit sat, near the reeds. "What is it?"
"Nothing, really. I just wanted someone to talk to," Sunkit admitted.
Rainpaw purred. "Well, you've gotten that." Her gaze flitted over to where Brightkit and Icekit tussled on the grass near the fresh-kill pile. "Why aren't you playing with your brother and sister?"
Sunkit shrugged and swallowed part of the minnow. "I didn't really feel like it." Rainpaw shot her a glare, and she sighed. "All right... so, I don't really feel like I... fit in the clan-"
Rainpaw gasped. "What?" She froze midway in her chewing.
"No, wait. Not exactly that," Sunkit mewed nervously, "but... I mean, anyone would think I have a perfect life, no worries, no troubles... but there's something inside me which..." She trailed off, staring at her paws.
Rainpaw sighed. "Of course you belong, Sunkit. Is there any reason why you shouldn't?"
"Well, no, but..." Sunkit bit into the minnow.
"I understand what you mean," Rainpaw mewed, rubbing against Sunkit affectionately, "but I don't think you should worry. At some point in their lives, I think everyone, even Streamstar, feels that way, a little bit."
"No!" Sunkit protested. "I mean, it's not the same!"
Rainpaw blinked at her. "I don't know what to tell you, Sunkit. You don't really have a reason, so I can't tell why-"
"Rainpaw!" Rainpaw and Sunkit pricked their ears to see that Rainpaw's mentor, Bluegaze, was calling. "We're on the dusk patrol!"
"Coming!" Rainpaw yowled back, then turned back to Sunkit. "I need to go." She pushed the remains of the trout away and rose to her paws.
"Wait!" Sunkit called. "Please, don't tell anyone what I told you! I don't want the clan to think that they haven't been good to me, because they have!" Rainpaw fixed her with her intense blue gaze, then nodded before turning away and padding over to her mentor, waving her tail. Then, she paused midway, turning back to Sunkit.
"Sunkit! Guess what?" she called.
Sunkit narrowed her eyes, feeling that Rainpaw was simply changing the subject. "What?" Her voice was devoid of any emotion.
"My final assessment's tomorrow!" Rainpaw exclaimed happily, purring.
"Great!" Sunkit's voice grew excited. "Good luck!" Rainpaw responded with a flick of her tail to show that she had heard Sunkit's comment.
After watching her pad toward her mentor, Sunkit pushed her minnow away, her appetite suddenly gone. She took a few more nibbles before rising to her paws and padding toward the nursery, barely a silhouette against the darkening sky. Her tail twitching, she bounded over to where Icekit and Brightkit were play-fighting. She sighed, then purred. "Can I join?"
Brightkit's amber gaze grew excited. "Really?" Sunkit nodded.
"Sure!" Icekit mewed, taking advantage of Brightkit's brief distraction and bowling her over, pinning her down.
"I'll go first." Brightkit crouched, then sprang at Sunkit, bowling her over, taking her by surprise. Sunkit rolled over and threw Brightkit off, but she landed neatly on four paws. Sunkit growled and ducked a blow to her face, and dug soft paws into Brightkit's belly, toppling her. Eyes gleaming with satisfaction, Sunkit leaped onto her and pinned her down, pressing hard.
"I won!" Sunkit teased.
"Well done!" Icekit called. "My turn against Brightkit!"
Sunkit watched as Brightkit leaped first, but her attention was drawn away as something wet landed on her nose. She shook it off, but another fell onto her ear, and all over her. Sitting back in surprise, Sunkit watched as raindrops drizzled all around her, creating puddles in the clearing. Sunkit padded over to a puddle and stared into it, jumping back in surprise at what she saw.
Sunkit stared into the puddle curiously.
A black she-cat with green eyes stared back.
Sunkit blinked, and the image was gone. Shaking her head, she found her ginger form and green eyes again. I probably just imagined it. Sunkit dismissed what she had seen.