Brightwhisker: Chapter One here we go!

Galacia: Shall I reply to our reviewers?

Brightwhisker: Na I'll do it.

To ilfbehwh: Thanks for your review! Actually I've noticed in the books that almost all cats in ThunderClan are related to each other in some way. Basically this is called inbreeding, and can become a severe problem in real life. But for the story's sake, I won't add any real problems. Thank you for letting me know anyways :D

Galacia: Wow, real informational.

Brightwhisker: I know right? Anyways, here's the first chapter!

C.H.A.P.T.E.R.O.N.E

Voices echoed all around Copperkit as she woke up. They were filled with worry as cats began to wonder why her eyes had yet to open. To her they sounded like bees buzzing around her. Nothing more than a soft drone. She wanted to reassure them that her eyes would open. That she wasn't a helpless soul looking for attention. She could easily take care of herself if she needed to. Hazeltail, her mother, was just overly worried.

A paw prodded her side. She felt the jab and mewled in annoyance. Mallowkit was pestering her again. He constantly pushed her into things she didn't want to do. Like opening her eyes when she wasn't ready. For now she chose to ignore him. Sometimes ignoring Mallowkit was what made him give up.

"Come on Copperkit!" he whined. "Hazeltail said we could explore camp if you open your eyes!"

The camp! Copperkit's whiskers twitched slightly in excitement. Thoughts of exploring the world and discovering new things always made her excited. She dreamed of leaving the Clan to find more adventures. Hazeltail would have felt devastated though if anything happened to her. Copperkit knew better than to even think about leaving.

Slowly but surely she opened her eyes. At first her vision was clouded, until her eyes became adjusted to the bright light filtering through the nursery entrance. She heard Mallowkit call it the sun one day. Thoughts of what Hazeltail had whispered to them coursed through her mind. Their mother had made certain they knew most of what happened before they opened their eyes.

Now Copperkit could finally see the nursery for herself. It was much bigger than she expected. But somehow it felt warm and cozy, despite the large size. There were two other queens laying on moss covered nests. Copperkit saw that there were three tiny bundles, even smaller than herself, suckling from a dark cream colored she-cat. She recognized the cat as Rosepetal, from Hazeltail's description. The other two queens didn't have kits, according to Hazeltail. Copperkit could only see another queen, who was pale gray with darker flecks. Her belly was larger than Rosepetal's.

"Her eyes are open!" Mallowkit's mew broke Copperkit's thoughts. She turned to look at him.

Mallowkit was smaller than her, in kit standards. He had fluffy gray-brown fur. His eyes were a bright amber, while the tip of his tail ended in white. Seeing his eye color made Copperkit wonder what hers looked like.

"Well done little one." Hazeltail's soft voice reached Copperkit's ears. The queen bent down and nuzzled Copperkit affectionately. "Were you just waiting?" she asked.

"Yes." Copperkit blinked in surprise when she heard her own voice for the first time. It had come out in a squeak, something she didn't expect.

Hazeltail purred in amusement at her daughter's reaction. Copperkit jumped to the side when she heard Mallowkit approaching. He landed on his front paws in a grunt.

"How can you hear so well?" he muttered. "Can we go outside now?" He turned his attention to Hazeltail and looked at her pleadingly.

"Yes, I think you two are ready," she replied.

The two kits looked at each other excitedly. Mallowkit was the first to rush out of the nursery. Copperkit rolled her eyes and followed more slowly. She didn't want to rush into things like Mallowkit. He was in a hurry to grow up.

Copperkit's eyes widened when she saw the camp for the first time.

It was a large hollow, with a tree that covered most of it. High walls surrounded them. The tree itself was covered in thick layers of moss that had grown over time. The sun had begun to cast a shadow over the clearing, where cats milled about.

A pale gray she-cat with silver-tipped ears was returning with a larger white she-cat with ginger patches. Both carried something within their jaws. Small furry creatures that made Copperkit's mouth water. She watched enviously as the pale gray she-cat grabbed a bird from a pile of other creatures.

"Hey Silverpaw!" Mallowkit called from the nursery entrance.

The pale gray she-cat looked up in surprise at the kit's voice. "Oh, you opened your eyes," she meowed. "I'll tell Lionblaze."

She dropped the bird and rushed over to a large den. Copperkit could see many cats moving about inside it. One cat in particular caught her attention. His muscles were what had given him away. She recognized him from Hazeltail's description. It was Lionblaze, their father.

He rose to his paws after Silverpaw had approached him. Copperkit couldn't help but wonder whether she looked good enough for him. Hazeltail had warned her that Lionblaze could be rather tough on kits.

Copperkit watched as Lionblaze approached him. She wasn't sure what to expect. Some part of her told her that he would treat her like a father. Another part told her he expected her to act like a warrior from day one.

"I was wondering when my kits would open their eyes," he said when he finally reached them.

"She's the reason we took so long," Mallowkit muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Copperkit would have cuffed him around the ears had Lionblaze not been there. Instead she glared at him piercingly. Mallowkit wasn't even bothered. "I was just biding my time," she told him.

"We would have been in the nursery for moons had I not pushed her," Mallowkit snorted.

"That's enough you two." Lionblaze gently rasped his tongue over Mallowkit's ear. "Why don't you explore the camp? I'm sure that Purdy has a good story for you."

When neither of them argued, Lionblaze led them around. He showed them the fresh-kill pile, which was in fact, the pile of creatures Copperkit had seen earlier. She grimaced when she saw that their eyes were still open. Yet they were dead.

Lionblaze took them to the elders' den, where Purdy slept. Much to their disappointment, he'd been asleep at the time. Lionblaze had decided not to wake him up. Apparently elders could get cranky if they were woken up at the wrong time.

The golden tabby stopped when he reached a puddle. Copperkit peered around him when she saw her reflection. She stared at the image in surprise.

A pair of dark green eyes gleamed back at her. They were the same eye color as a dark ginger she-cat that had passed by them. Lionblaze had looked away from that she-cat so quickly that it startled Copperkit.

I wonder what that was about, she had thought. Clearly there was deep tension between Lionblaze and that warrior. Most of the Clan had regarded the warrior with respect when she padded by. Only a few had glared at her coldly.

Her thoughts were broken once more by a loud yawn. She looked at Mallowkit suspiciously. His eyes were growing heavier by the moment.

"I think it's time for these two little kits to sleep," Lionblaze purred when he noticed Mallowkit's expression.

Mallowkit didn't complain when he was carried by the scruff. Copperkit followed Lionblaze back to the nursery. Her paws had grown heavy by the time they were finished exploring the camp. Soon she too would fall asleep at her mother's belly.

After finally settling down around Hazeltail, Copperkit closed her eyes. Her mother's soothing voice was what had lulled her to sleep.

"Sleep now, dear one," Hazeltail whispered. "The sun will rise again for you."

Copperkit wriggled slightly as her mother spoke. She knew that she was safe within the confinements of her Clan. Nothing could hurt her here. And nothing ever would.

Brightwhisker: So what did you think?

Galacia: Hm...Not bad. Actually this reminds me of Bluestar's Prophecy, only it's not as well written XP

Brightwhisker: I own nothing except for this book :D Please review, and those who do will get Copperkit plushies!