A New Kit

Suddenly a Yowl erupted from the nursery.

"Dawncloud!" Leopardjump gasped, jumping up and running right to the nursery. The crowd parted to let the father through. "Dawncloud!?" he gasped.

"Relax," she meowed, "I'm ok," She lifted her tail to reveal a cream she-cat with white paws and tail tip. Leopardjump suddenly relaxed and lay by his mate.

Morning came and Pepperstar called "Leopardjump! Lakeheart!"

The two cats scrambled up to the Leaders den.

"Now can we continue?" Pepperstar asked. Leopardjump nodded. "Lakeheart, you had a vision?" Lakeheart nodded.

"I believe StarClan is telling me that Leopardjump is right. We should call our Clan CrystalClan."

"Really?" Pepperstar asked.

"Yes." Lakeheart said.

"Then it shall be. If StarClan want it, so do I."

The next morning Pepperstar leapt up to the HighLedge, and summoned the Clan.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here under the HighLedge, for a Clan meeting!"

When all the cats had gathered Pepperstar yowled, "We have decided on a Clan name. As you know, every 100 seasons we must change the Clan name. Before this it was JungleClan and before that ThunderClan. It will now be known as CrystalClan!" The Clan cheered. Then Dovesight, a white she-cat with gray paws, tail tip and dots under her blue eyes, called out,

"Why would we tell the other Clans about the crystal cave?"

Pepperstar responded, "We won't."

"But..."

"No." Pepperstar said "And that's final." They left and continued their routines.

Leopardjump went back to the nursery and sat next to his mate.

"What should we call our little kit?" Dawncloud asked.

"Little Dawncloud, who walked in the snow." Leopardjump laughed. Dawncloud giggled.

"How about, Creamkit?" Dawncloud meowed.

"Maybe..." Leopardjump meowed back. Their kit suddenly jumped up and landed on Dawncloud.

"Mummy?" she asked.

"Yes." Dawncloud said. Their kit then ran up to Leopardjump and cocked her head to the side.

"Hello." Leopard cooed. The little kit yawned. "Night...Snowkit." and the father lay his little kit down and they slept.

Dawncloud woke to hissing and scratching. She quickly covered her new kits ears so she didn't hear the violence. Dawncloud was slowly strengthening after the shortage of food from when she was pregnant; she was so glad that she had a kit at all; many queens did not have the strength to have a kit. Her friend Leafsong was lucky to get her kits just before the shortage of food. Her kits Goldenkit and Dewkit were arguing with their mother about why she was covering their ears. The violence stopped. Leopardjump came inside the nursery unharmed Dawncloud was relived. Leopardjump relaxed when he could stroke Dawncloud's soft fur.

"What did you say last night when you said Goodnight to our kit?" Dawncloud asked him. Leopard looked puzzled.

"You mean, Snowkit?"

"Yes." Dawncloud meowed.

"I-I I just thought when she came over to me I saw her as you when we were apprentices, and it looked like that time when you walked in the snow with your tail dragging, and..."

"Leopardjump," Dawncloud interrupted, "I-I think that is a perfect name." Her eyes got teary and she wrapped her tail around Snowkit. "Thank you Leopardjump," she meowed.

Leopardjump told Pepperstar their kit's name and Pepperstar agreed.