Chapter Two

"Wake up, you sleepyhead!"

Badgerkit blearily opened his eyes to see Willowkit pouncing on top of him, her green eyes sparkling with mischief and perkiness. He groaned and covered his head with his paws. "Honestly, Willowkit, do you always have to be so energetic in the morning?" he mumbled into the soft, feather-like moss.

"Do you always have to be as prickly as a hedgehog?" Willowkit prodded Badgerkit with one cream paw. "Maybe you should change your name to Hedgehogkit. But, then again, you do sleep as much as a badger or a fox. And Applekit looks more like a fox. So I suppose Badgerkit fits."

"Stop rambling," grumbled Badgerkit, closing his eyes. For Willowkit, every day was an adventure, while he just wanted to sleep in the morning. Without his pesky sister waking him up before even the dawn patrol set out. "You should be Parrotkit."

"Nope, I'm not colourful enough," Willowkit mewed brightly. "That should be Twitchkit's name." She pointed with her tail at the sleeping calico tom with orange, brown, black, white, and greenish fur. "I don't know why he's called Twitchkit. I guess he does twitch a lot, but that was when he was younger. There are worse names, though. Like Mumblekit! So I like Willowkit. Well, I like that name anyway. Do you like your name? If you didn't what else would you like to be called, huh, Badgerkit?"

"Applekit, make her stop so I can sleep," Badgerkit begged.

Applekit opened her eyes slowly and sleepily. "I would, but now I can't sleep!" She rolled over in her nest. "You two are going to wake Mother or Dawnheart."

Willowkit bounded over and leaped on top of Applekit. Applekit's eyes widened and her jaws parted in a silent yowl as her cream-coloured sister knocked the air out of her. "Wake up, you other sleepyhead!" Her unusually big green eyes were sparkling with morning energy. "I'm hungry."

"Then get something to eat!" snapped Badgerkit. He twitched his ears. It was as if he could hear the thoughts racing through Willowkit's brain. Foodhungergottaeatyumooh whyaretheysuchsleepyheadsaahhhenergyhyperhungryfood…

He shook his head and closed his eyes, settling his chin once more on his paws. It was very weird, his hearing. Even when he was a newborn kit, only a few days old, he could always hear what everyone around him was thinking. Not everything, but immediate thoughts and bright pictures came to him. He hadn't told anyone, but it made him feel special.

"Look, okay, I'm getting up. Alright?" Applekit sighed and sat up in her nest, shaking scraps of dried moss from her pelt. Goodness, she could wait a while. Dawn patrol isn't even back yet; there will be no food and I'm so tired…

Badgerkit heard her and echoed her thoughts. "There won't be any fresh-kill, though. The dawn patrol hasn't returned yet."

Applekit gave him an odd look, but she simply licked her paw and drew it over her face, cleaning it. I swear he knows what we think, sometimes. Badgerkit turned his head to the side to hide a purr of amusement. He swished his tail and wished for the dawn patrol to come back with food to shut Willowkit's mouth.

As if StarClan had heard his plea, the light pounding of paws at the camp entrance vibrated in the nursery. Willowkit's tail shot straight up. "Dawn patrol! Food!" she squealed. Leaping to her paws, she pounded out of the nursery with Applekit right behind her. Looking once around at the two sleeping queens and the kit, Badgerkit rose to his paws, shook himself lightly, and padded dignifiedly out of the nursery.

The sky was pearly grey, with faint streaks of blue hovering on the horizon. Near the Rock Pile, where Jaggedstar made her nest, was a small heap of fresh-kill. Willowkit was eagerly greeting the dawn patrol as Applekit half-heartedly sniffed a pigeon on the pile. Badgerkit trotted across the clearing to join them.

"Hello, Badgerkit," mewed Mintfur. The grey and white tabby's dark green eyes sparkled at the kits. "You three are up early." Mintfur's brown sister, Sagetail, blinked her eyes at them in agreement; one green and one amber.

"We're hungry," Willowkit explained.

The other two cats on patrol, Whiteheart and his apprentice Silverpaw, purred deep in their throats in laughter. Badgerkit's ears burned in embarrassment. Would Willowkit ever grow up and stop acting like a newborn kit?

"Well, help yourself." Sagetail picked a thrush from the stack and carried it over to a blackberry bush, settling herself below its thorny branches.

The other cats were starting to arise. Sunpaw was stepping out of the juniper bush that was the apprentices' den, her amber eyes bleary with sleep. She shook her creamy golden pelt and yawned. Badgerkit subconsciously listened to her thoughts. Ugh, another morning. I hope that we do battle training today; I'm so tired of hunting. Is that all apprentices do? I wonder what they do in other Clans. She shook her head and began to meander towards the fresh-kill pile.

"Hi, Sunpaw," mewed Badgerkit.

"Oh, hi, Badgerkit." Sunpaw carefully surveyed the fresh-kill heap. "There isn't much…how about sharing a vole?"

"Sure!" Badgerkit agreed. They carried it over to Applekit and Willowkit, who were sharing the pigeon by the fallen ash tree that would become the elder's den when there were any elders.

"I can't wait to be apprenticed," meowed Willowkit excitedly. "Sunpaw, how long ago did you become one?"

"About two moons ago."

"It seems like twenty moons since you left the nursery!" Willowkit ignored the fresh-kill at her paws that she had been so anxious to get. Applekit laid her chin onto her paws and pricked her ginger ears forward. Badgerkit took a bite of the vole and shivered as it slid into his empty stomach.

"I agree, but being an apprentice is so much fun! I like fighting best. I want to be a great warrior one day." Sunpaw tossed her head and growled in fun.

Badgerkit twitched his tail. "I want to be the next medicine cat."

He could feel all three of their stares on his black-and-white fur as he took another nibble of the vole. He casually chewed, as if he had said nothing.

"What?" asked Applekit, disbelief colouring her tone.

"You never said anything!" Willowkit shrieked. The cats in the clearing looked up before continuing with their activities.

"Have you told Berrywhisker?" Sunpaw inquired, dipping her head. When Badgerkit looked at her, her eyes were full of simple, friendly curiosity. However, her thoughts told a different story. Medicine cat? Badgerkit? But then, if… her thoughts immediately ceased, as if she decided to not even think about that train of thought. I wonder what Silverpaw would say.

"Silverpaw?" asked Badgerkit. He couldn't help himself; the name slipped out.

Sunpaw dropped the bite of meat in her mouth. Her amber eyes stared into his. Did he just say that?

"Err, never mind." Badgerkit averted his gaze and licked his whiskers. He rose to his paws and looked at his littermates and Sunpaw. "I think I'll tell Berrywhisker now. Does anyone care to come with me?"

Willowkit had been gazing at the sky. Suddenly, she inhaled sharply.

"Willowkit?" asked Applekit in concern.

"It's just…I saw…" Willowkit shook her head, for once at a loss for words. "Forget it."

Badgerkit gently drifted into her thoughts. To his surprise, they weren't hyper and incoherent. Did I really just see something in the daytime? But they only come at night. Oh my goodness, maybe I should tell cats about this, but…

He frowned. What did she mean? What happened? Did Willowkit also have a strange gift? But he couldn't just ask her. And there, her thought was gone.

"Anyway, I'm going to Berrywhisker." He took a few steps and looked at them over his shoulder.

"I'll come with you," said Applekit. She instinctively fluffed out her fur and stepped forward. Medicine cat? Badgerkit? Well, I suppose he could, but what does Berrywhisker think?

That was exactly what he was wondering himself.

"Me, too," Willowkit mewed. She turned to Sunpaw. "Coming?"

Sunpaw shook her head. "No, thank you. Streamfur will be awake soon, and then I'll have to train."

"Well, goodbye, and have a nice day," Applekit said. The three kits turned and started to walk across the clearing.

The medicine cat den was also an ash tree, but upright and healthy. It was hollow and large, with a small opening at its base. There, cats could enter and exit, and Berrywhisker stored her herbs and berries in knotholes inside the tree. Just outside was a small semicircle of stones where ill cats could lie isolated and sheltered under the ash tree's wide leaves. There seemed to be a stillness in the air.

"Maybe she isn't awake," whispered Applekit.

"Now? Look, even Twitchkit is up and waddling around the fresh-kill pile like a duck. Maybe he should be called Duckkit - "

Badgerkit clapped his tail over Willowkit's mouth before she could continue rambling. "Hush. Now." He nervously poked his head into the entrance. "Um, Berrywhisker? Hello?"

"Good morning, Badgerkit. Applekit, Willowkit." The white and black she-cat twitched her whiskers at them in greeting. She pushed a pile of herbs against the bark before turning and nodding to them. "What can I do for you?"

"Badgerkit wants to be the next medicine cat," blurted Willowkit, before slapping her own creamy table over her mouth.

Badgerkit lowered his head, although he could still feel Berrywhisker's intense blue stare. "Yes. I was hoping…yes."

"And why, may I ask, do you care to be a medicine cat apprentice?" Berrywhisker licked her paw and swiped it over her ear, never averting her gaze. "It takes a special cat to be able to heal their Clan, or to be able to interpret the signs StarClan sends us."

"Um, well…" Badgerkit flicked his tail nervously. Then he looked up. "I can hear things. Not just what other cats say, or the wind blowing through the trees. I mean, what they think. What they think in their hearts at the time I listen. I can hear them."

Berrywhisker was motionless, her demeanor calm, but her thoughts were a blur of astonishment. What? Is this power…what does it mean? How long has he had this gift? This is a gift, a gift from StarClan. I'm sure, positive, that this is a gift. But what does this mean for NightClan? Should I tell Jaggedstar? What will she think?

"I don't know what this means, and ever since I was born I could hear these thoughts, but I didn't really begin to understand until a few moons ago. I still don't really. And I know this is from StarClan, but I don't know much else." Badgerkit couldn't stop the flow of words from his mouth. It was a sort of a relief, in a way, to be able to respond to the thoughts he heard.

Willowkit gasped. So I am not…her thought broke off abruptly, as Sunpaw's had a while ago. He can hear me…okay, I'll try an experiment. Badgerkit, if you can hear me, say "brambles."

"Brambles," meowed Badgerkit, staring exactly at his sister. Willowkit's eyes widened, but before she could say anything, Applekit stepped forward.

"But, is that all? Berrywhisker, is that enough to become a medicine cat?"

Berrywhisker frowned. "Applekit…that's very advanced thinking," For a kit, Badgerkit heard her add. "And you are correct. Badgerkit, is that the full reason why you choose to be a medicine cat?"

"The herbs. I want to be able to know which one, to know how they work." Badgerkit meowed, nervously twitching his tail. "To be that important to NightClan." He looked anxiously at Berrywhisker. What would she say?

"Well, Badgerkit," Berrywhisker carefully mewed. "I would be honored to be your mentor. And you certainly seem to possess qualities that a medicine cat needs. I will talk to Jaggedstar as soon as I can, and get word to you."

"Thank you, Berrywhisker. Thank you so much." Badgerkit fidgeted, restless to get back to the nursery and tell Twitchkit and his mother. Ravenpool would be so proud.