How can you rise, if you have not burned

by sunburnbees

Firestar is unwillingly made to undertake a trial of rebirth and renewal. He is thrown into a ThunderClan he cannot recognize and given an insurmountable task - prevent the rise of Tigerstar...(genderbend warning)... [Change, like sunshine, can be a friend or foe, a blessing or a curse, a dawn or a dusk.] William Arthur Ward

3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

A young pale tortoiseshell kitten groaned as she stretched her legs out, Lionkit was chasing after Thistlekit while Rosekit and Sweetkit batted a moss ball around the den. Morningkit was about three moons old now and had gotten more adjusted to being Morningkit though she still slipped up from time to time in the privacy of her own thoughts. She had certainly gotten better at responding when cats tried to catch his attention. It was hard having to revert back to kittenhood, especially an unfamiliar kittenhood but she was doing the best she could despite the gender confusion.

It helped though that it was such a different time, if there was already another Firestar running around the confusion would have been three times worse. Now it was just about essentially relearning his name, her name really. Morningkit was broken from that trail of thought with a gentle brush of fur against her shoulder. She let out a purr and rubbed her cheek against Goldenkit. One upside about this was he was now able to experience growing up in ThunderClan.

Morningkit looked around the den curiously, looking for the two oldest kits. Moonflower was crouching in her nest, Snowkit trapped between her paws as the silver tabby aggressively groomed the white kit. Bluekit on the other hand was nowhere to be seen.

She stretched her back out and with a swift glance at her mother and the other queens nudged Goldenkit toward the entrance. They snuck into the brambles and popped out into the breezy air. It was getting a bit too stuffy in there with all the kits, but at least Bluekit and Snowkit were getting apprenticed soon or at least that's what the rumor was. Morningkit pressed against Goldenkit and settled into a crouch just in front of the nursery, barely out of the brambles.

They were still too young to be unsupervised in the camp and Morningkit didn't feel like pushing their luck would be wise, considering who their mother was. Speckletail's tongue was as sharp as he remembered. A rustling sounded behind her and she craned her neck around just in time to meet Moonflower's pale yellow eyes as the queen pushed her way out of the nursery. The silver tabby blinked in surprise as she took in the two young kits sitting in front of the nursery. Morningkit blinked in greeting while Goldenkit shrank back a bit, hiding behind the fluffier kitten. Morningkit nudged Goldenkit away from her and scooted back to let the queen fully out of the brambles.

"Hi, Moonflower." Morningkit greeted as she sat back down, wrapping her short tail as close to her front paws as she could. The silver tabby nodded back and glanced around the clearing, "Oh where's Bluekit? I figured she might be out here with you."

Bluekit had taken to being the unofficial leader of the kittens despite Thistlekit's own claims of being the leader. The older kitten usually helped the queens keep track of all the younger ones, going so far as to try to drag them back to the nursery despite any protests made. It was rather well in line with the mentor he knew though it was clear that her youth made it easier for her.

Even now it was clear to him that Bluestar was always destined to walk in StarClan's grace. Bluekit had even taken it upon herself to drag Lionkit, Goldenkit and herself around camp, introducing them to every single cat in the Clan. It was rather cute if he was honest. She shook herself, ruffling her fur, refocusing on Moonflower's question, "I haven't seen her. She wasn't out here when we came out."

Moonflower's eyes widened a little and the faint smell of worry started to emanate from the pretty molly, "Oh no, she better not be disturbing the warriors again!"

With that the molly ran off, heading first for the warriors' den to see where the wayward kit had gone off to. Goldenkit chuckled quietly, "Oh Bluekit's going to be in so much trouble!"

Morningkit nodded, casually watching the queen run about camp. Moonflower popped out of the warriors' den before racing over to the elders' den. Morningkit and Goldenkit turned in sync as not even a moment later the silver cat was back in the clearing looking around with clear worry before heading to the medicine cat den. As she vanished into the ferns Morningkit returned to peering around the camp seeing if any cats were already up.

The bright colors of dawn were spilling over the ravine and filtering down into the clearing as the camp woke up. Stormtail and Stonepelt were sharing tongues over by the nettle patch and she watched as they both pricked their ears and swiveled their heads in unison toward the gorse tunnel. Morningkit cocked her head curiously and turned as well, just in time to watch Sparrowpelt burst through the tunnel, Adderfang, Thrushpelt and Windflight on his tail.

She narrowed her eyes as she took in their bristled fur and the sharp tangy smell of anger in the air, they don't look bloody so they probably found something they didn't like instead of getting into a fight, she thought as she looked them over. Pinestar quickly emerged from his den and met with Sparrowpelt under Highrock. More of the Clan gathered, clearly drawn out by the scent of anger and fear filling the air. Robinwing pushed out of the warriors' den, pacing back and forth in front of the nursery, clearly worried about an attack. The brown molly barely avoided stepping on them with how close she got to the brambles, agitation wafting off of her with each turn.

Morningkit glanced back at the gorse tunnel and pressed closer to Goldenkit as Sunfall came pushing into camp followed by a familiar mud-covered kitten. Oh Moonflower is going to be upset at that! Speaking of the pretty tabby, Moonflower pushed out of the medicine den, exclaiming as she caught sight of Bluekit. She felt a cat rustle the ferns behind her and looked to see Snowkit pushing her way out of the nursery. The white kit perked up as she saw her sister and she raced over, weaving through the crowd of cats gathering.

"Bluekit! I've been looking for you! Have you been outside?" Moonflower's mew was sharp and cut across the chaos of the camp. "You know you're not supposed to leave the camp!"

Bluekit looked indignant and her mouth opened, teeth flashing in the dawn but Swiftbreeze stepped in between them, flicking her tail at the gray kit. A crowd had gathered by this point, all drawn by the scent of anger and agitation as the patrol paced in front of Highrock. Morningkit exchanged a look with her sister before in sync they took small unnoticed steps forward, just enough to be in hearing range without immediately being swept back to the nursery. Carefully avoiding Robinwing as she made another turn in front of the den.

A hiss made Morningkit wince and she turned slowly, meeting Robinwing's amber eyes.

"What do you two think you're doing?!" Robinwing asked, stalking closer. Her tail swung agitatedly and Morningkit crouched low to the ground, feeling her sister copy her a beat later. She widened her eyes, "Come on Robinwing! We're in camp! We're not even that far from the nursery! If something happened we could easily make it back without getting underfoot."

Robinwing glared down at them before sighing. She went back to pacing and Goldenkit nudged Morningkit, sneaking a little closer to the action. The pale ginger-and-gray kit crouched next to her littermate, watching with avid attention as the leader addressed the returning warriors.

Pinestar's eyes narrowed as he spoke, "You say there was blood inside our border?"

Sparrowpelt nodded, lip curling in distaste. "Squirrel blood. And it was fresh."

Adderfang was pacing in front of the ThunderClan leader. "WindClan cats must have killed it this morning and carried it back through Fourtrees to their own territory," he growled.

"Are you sure it was killed by WindClan?" Swiftbreeze called, sitting next to Bluekit and Snowkit on the edges of the circle. Her tail twitched as she met Adderfang's eyes, before casting a glance toward the apprentices' den, just in time to see Leopardpaw and Patchpaw weaving their way over to join the impromptu clan gathering.

"WindClan scent was everywhere!" Thrushpelt reported. The young warrior looked

terrified, his fur sticking on end. "We were choking on it."

Windflight tipped his head to one side, expression turning thoughtful. He seemed to be the most cool-headed one from that patrol. "There was no scent on the bushes," he meowed slowly. "It may have just drifted down from the moorland."

"Drifted?" Sparrowpelt scoffed, disbelief coloring his voice.

"Too much of a coincidence!" Adderfang snapped. "Squirrel blood and Clan-scent together? They crossed our border and killed ThunderClan prey!"

"Could anything else have killed the squirrel?" Pinestar queried. "Was there any sign of a

fox?"

"Nothing fresh," Adderfang meowed, tail lashing. Pinestar blinked. "But there was a fox scent?"

Sparrowpelt flexed his claws. "There's fox scent everywhere if you sniff for it!"

Mumblefoot padded stiffly forward. "WindClan has done this before," he reminded them. Stonepelt nodded in agreement with the elder, "Leaf-fall always makes them nervous. The rabbits start to go to ground when the forest is still prey-rich. This won't be the first time hunger has driven WindClan past Fourtrees and over our border."

"And it won't be the last," Sparrowpelt added darkly, claws digging into the dirt. Swiftbreeze swished her tail through the air. "They can't be hungry. Leaf-fall's not yet ended."

"Why didn't they steal from RiverClan or ShadowClan?" Bluekit ventured. "They share borders with them."

Adderfang swung his yellow gaze toward the kit. "They probably think having Fourtrees between the moor and our territory makes them safe from anything we might do in revenge."

"Or they think we're easy to steal from!" Stormtail, who had been watching through half-closed eyes from the edge of the clearing, stepped forward. His tail thrashed as he continued, "If they're willing to steal prey before leaf-fall has ended, how much will they steal in the darkest days of leaf-bare? We must warn them off now, before they think they have the right to help themselves to our prey whenever they like."

Pinestar shook his head slowly, then turned and bounded up onto Highrock. "There will be no fighting yet," he ordered. Stormtail flattened his ears, growling, "You're going to let them steal from us?"

"There isn't enough proof that it was WindClan," Pinestar answered. Adderfang let out a low hiss.

"No one saw a WindClan cat, and no scent markers were left behind," Pinestar pointed out, trying to keep the peace. She could tell that even now he was feeling the tendrils of exhaustion. Being part of a clan can be wearing at times - especially if you're the one making life or death decisions. Morningkit could remember the stress of it all, having cats depend on you for their survival was heavy. Especially when every difficult choice was questioned. The weight of the 'star' seemed to get heavier with each year but Morningkit would never regret it. She might have done things differently had she the experience she has now but he made the best choices he could with the knowledge she had in the moment.

"Only because they're cowards!" Sparrowpelt yowled. Murmurs of agreement rippled

around the Clan. Pinestar turned to Goosefeather, his tail tip twitching in irritation. He questioned the old medicine cat, "Has StarClan given any warning?"

Goosefeather shook his head. "Nothing," he reported.

"Then cowards or not," Pinestar growled, "I won't risk a battle on so little evidence. But I'll warn all the Clans at the Gathering tomorrow that we are being extra vigilant." He stared down at Sunfall. "Organize extra patrols along the Fourtrees border. If you see a WindClan patrol, warn them off."

He narrowed his eyes, glancing briefly at Adderfang and Stormtail. "With words, not claws."

Sunfall nodded. "We'll re-scent the markers, too."

Stormtail stalked over to Adderfang, fur slowly flattening as the warrior forced himself to back down. The two warriors bent their heads in quiet conversation while Sparrowpelt circled them, his tail bristling. The other cats didn't quite disperse, instead pulling off into smaller groups to discuss. Morningkit nudged Goldenkit, "Come on let's go back,"

Only to get cut off as Pinestar called out softly, "There is something else," he began. "I want to appoint two new apprentices."

Morningkit flicked an ear, exchanging glances with Goldenkit only to see pure excitement in her gaze, the other kit didn't understand the insinuation quite yet but Morningkit did, rather convenient timing - the clan gets riled up and he decides to dub new apprentices before anyone can get a word in edgewise. Her eyes drifted to Snowkit and Bluekit, both still sitting near Swiftbreeze. She watched with faint amusement as Moonflower practically careened over to the kits only to bemoan Bluekit's dirty pelt.

"Look at you!" Bluekit looked at herself, blue eyes gone wide with dismay, dusty and mud-stained from her misadventure outside the camp. The gray kit went to wash some off but it was too late. Pinestar, still up on Highrock, was already calling their names, beckoning with his tail, "Bluekit and Snowkit."

The cats made way for the two little ones, creating a circle for them to sit in the center of. Snowkit scampered forward eagerly but Bluekit was a step behind, visibly uncomfortable with the state of her pelt. Morningkit leaned against Goldenkit and watched as Moonflower nudged her forward, whispering something just out of her hearing but pride was glowing in her eyes as the silver queen watched her kits.

Pinestar waited for them to sit in the center of the circle before he began, "You have been with us for six moons. Today you will start your training. Your father has been loyal to ThunderClan and is a brave warrior. May you both tread in his paw steps."

Morningkit tilted her head as she watched the dirty gray kit glance over to the large warrior. Stormtail had stopped talking as soon as Pinestar had called their names and his blue eyes were watching his kits intently. Bluekit whipped her attention back onto their leader but Morningkit watched as Stormtail's eyes narrowed slightly as he turned his own attention back onto Pinestar. He clearly suspected something was up.

"Snowkit." Pinestar's voice drew her focus and she turned her gaze back on the leader, blurry as he was just out of range of her still developing eyes. Pinestar's voice rang throughout the clearing as he continued, "From this day forward you shall be known as Snowpaw."

His eyes scanned the gathered warriors, and Morningkit felt a hint of disbelief ripple through her. Had he truly done this without even consulting the prospective mentors?

"Sparrowpelt," he mewed. The dark brown tabby looked up sharply at him, as though surprised. Morningkit had to forcibly stifle a scoff, what in StarClan's name was Pinestar thinking? If he had ever done this to his warriors there would have been a lot of rumors going around - mainly that Firestar didn't respect his own warriors' opinion on whether or not they wanted an apprentice.

Nonetheless, Pinestar continued, "You will mentor Snowpaw. Train her to be a fine warrior."

Sparrowpelt dutifully stepped forward and touched his muzzle to Snowkit's head. The large tabby sat next to the kit, waiting for the rest of the ceremony to continue. Pinestar went on, "Bluekit, until you earn your warrior name, you will be Bluepaw. Your mentor will be Stonepelt."

The gray warrior padded over to Bluepaw, whispering something while nudging her head with his nose.

"Bluepaw! Bluepaw! Snowpaw! Snowpaw!"

The Clan started chanting their new names, welcoming the apprentices to the Clan. Morningkit joined in, waving her tail high as she and Goldenkit called out the new names. She let out a faint hiss as she was bowled over, Thistlekit and Sweetkit popping up and throwing a hurried apology over their shoulder as they continued stampeding toward the new apprentices. Morningkit shook her fur out in annoyance before letting out a huff and turning back to the nursery. Perhaps it's better to stay out of every cat's way while she's still too small and young to do anything.

Morningkit pushed her way back into the nursery, Goldenkit right on her tail and let out a sigh of relief as she spotted Speckletail which quickly turned into regret as she saw the queen's eyes flash in anger. She dragged herself over, staunchly heading toward her mother's ire. As soon as the two young kits got close enough the molly started, "Goldenkit! Morningkit! Where have you two been?! You know you're not supposed to leave without permission or even supervision!"

"Sorry, Speckletail," Morningkit mewed, rubbing against the pale golden tabby in apology as a rough kitten purr escaped her. Goldenkit quickly settled in the nest, echoing her purr as she cuddled against Lionkit. She continued, "But guess what? Bluepaw and Snowpaw got apprenticed!"

She glanced around furtively before lowering her voice, "And apparently WindClan is trespassing on our territory!"

Speckletail blinked before huffing, "Quiet you! Come back and go to sleep. I'm sure I'll hear all about it when Poppydawn's litter comes back but until then I'm sure you're tired after all that excitement."

Morningkit nodded and obediently clambered into the nest, carefully settling on Goldenkit's free side, sandwiching the thin-furred kit in between her and Lionkit's thick fur. She let herself relax into the soft soothing sound and smell of the nursery and pushed all the excitement of the day away. It was mere seconds before she was lost to the waking world, falling deep into sleep.

The day passed much like this, waking up only to eat and to play before Speckletail was once again coaxing her back to sleep.

The young tortoiseshell soon woke up again to a still and quiet nursery. Speckletail curled up around her and her littermates, while Poppydawn and her kits seemed to migrate across the rest of the den now that Moonflower and her kits had left. Morningkit took a deep breath before carefully crawling out of her nest, slipping around Speckletail's paw before shaking out her fluffy pelt.

It was longer than her original fur and twice as difficult, never wanting to smooth down and lay flat. She licked at the fur on her chest and started an impromptu bath, getting carried away as she kept finding pieces of fur sticking out awkwardly. That preoccupied her for a long time - longer than she would ever admit. It baffled her how some cats just lived like this all the time, now she was one of those cats but she could still remember her glossy shorthair.

A call of an owl broke the silence and she sharply glanced toward the entrance. Morningkit hesitated, looking carefully at her denmates before stealthily creeping across the den. Slipping into the brambles and carefully choosing a spot out of the usual pathway in and out before laying down. She didn't want to risk going out with an owl on the lookout for prey but she still wasn't used to sharing her den with so many cats. She hadn't spent many seasons as a warrior and even less as the deputy. Sandstorm was usually the only company Firestar ever got in the leader's den.

Morningkit let out a nostalgic sigh, resting her head on her paws, eyes lazily flickering around the camp. The camp was still dark and quiet though if she strained her ears she could hear rustling from the gorse tunnel. She was still having trouble sleeping so much. Her body was young and truly did need sleep but her mind wouldn't let her.

She was still operating like a leader. Sleeping all day was hard, most of the time her brain simply wouldn't turn off. There was too much to do, and not being able to do anything was making her restless. Who knows what would happen while she wasted time growing up?

The sky still had stars stubbornly lingering in the slowly brightening dawn. She gazed up at the stars and felt no comfort from them. It was as if StarClan had abandoned her. Wind stirred through the camp, gently lifting leaves and swirling them across the clearing. Pine firs and tansy swept her way, washing over her and the faint sense of comfort echoed in her chest. Cloudberry?

The strange medicine cat was watching over her, it should have been a comfort but honestly, Morningkit was tired of merely being watched. When is it going to be her turn to sit up above and look over her descendants? Her one chance was stolen from her and now she no longer had the opportunity to guide her Clan as she was once guided. It rankled her fur and with a huff she backed deeper into the brambles, slipping back into her den.

Her denmates were all still asleep but judging from the twitching of Thistlekit's tail she wouldn't be the only one awake for much longer. Morningkit stealthily tiptoed back to her nest, relying on her memories to forcefully slip into an unfamiliar crouch. She'd have a lot of work to do if she wanted to build up her skills from her time as a leader.

She curled up next to Lionkit, pressing her back against his as she wriggled onto her side. Morningkit had just settled down when a yowl broke the silent air. Her head jolted up and the scent of fear and concern almost immediately filled the air. She hopped to her feet and ignored the voices calling after her as she darted out of the den.

Morningkit came to an abrupt stop as Goosefeather suddenly appeared in front of her. His eyes seemed to glow in the early morning, blue and untouchable. He leaned down and hissed out at her, "There will be unknown dangers. The stars are out of sync and as the storm gathers, fire will reignite and the river will burn while the shadows drown."

Morningkit bristled, and with a blink Goosefeather was gone. She took a few steps forward before teeth were digging into her scruff, she automatically tried twisting her way free, a hiss escaping her. A mrr of surprise rumbled through her as the culprit struggled to keep hold of her. She was dropped rather abruptly in the nursery and she whirled around, teeth bared only to freeze as she met pale green eyes and an exasperated Windflight.

Morningkit flattened her ears and shuffled her paws, mumbling a quick apology before glancing back up at the gray tabby. Windflight seemed half amused but shook his head, "I've never seen a kit react so aggressively to getting picked up. Are you alright? You're not quite that old so it shouldn't have hurt."

Morningkit shrugged, "You startled me. I didn-"

She was cut off by a harsh call of her name, Morningkit sighed and turned around looking at Speckletail as she flicked her tail. She stifled the urge to roll her eyes and instead walked over to the nest, obediently climbing in and turning back to Windflight as Speckletail went to tuck her almost underneath the queen. She watched with a feigned calm as Speckletail addressed the tom, "Thank you Windflight. What happened? Who was yowling? Is everyone okay?"

Windflight shrugged, "I'm not sure, the clearing was empty save for your kit. Robinwing is checking it out right now."

With that he gave Morningkit another curious look before backing out of the den. She sighed and resigned herself to a long lecture for running out and ignoring Speckletail. She wasn't disappointed. Speckletail whirled on her, anger mixing with fear in her amber eyes.

"What were you thinking?! Just running out without a thought! Morningkit!"

Morningkit sighed, "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? StarClan help me, why would you run out, why would you ignore me calling out after you?" Speckletail questioned, leaning in closer and narrowing her eyes at the kit. Morningkit shrugged, trying to stifle the irritation building in her paws. She was a full grown cat and had to endure being scolded like she was a kit - well technically she was a kit - but that was only in appearance. Not that Speckletail knew that but it was still hard to sit through.

Her nonverbal answers seemed to rile Speckletail up even more and it seemed like she was about to fully lose her temper when a soft voice chimed in, "Morningkit might not have heard you. Remember when we were younger and she was always lost in thought? That's what probably happened."

Morningkit glanced at the speaker, Lionkit had woken and had edged his way closer to her. Speckletail seemed to deflate, she sighed, "We'll talk about this later. For now, Morningkit, you are not leaving this den. Do you understand me?"

Morningkit nodded and allowed her mother to drape a heavy paw over her, pressing her securely against Speckletail's stomach. She watched as Thistlekit and his sisters stampede out of the den, Poppydawn giving her an unreadable look before following after the older kits. They still had about a moon left before they too would be made apprentices. Then it'd just be Speckletail and her kits.

She couldn't sleep. Not until she fully turned over the strange words from the medicine cat. Unfortunately it was hardly her first time receiving a cryptic warning so she had some idea of how to start analyzing it.

'There will be unknown dangers to face. The stars are out of sync and as the storm gathers, fire will reignite and the river will burn while the shadows drown.'

Cloudberry had spoken of unforeseen dangers before, saying that StarClan's actions had consequences. That wasn't surprising though it was strange that Goosefeather had given it like a real prophecy rather than simply passing along whatever Cloudberry had actually said, unless of course this was a true prophecy. The reference to stars being out of sync could refer to the disagreement amongst StarClan regarding this plan but Morningkit had assumed that those who disagreed were mostly if not all cats who knew her.

Most cats from her time had yet to die so they couldn't be stirring up things. It didn't make sense to her. The fire reigniting could be a reference to her "rebirth"; everything else was unclear. Time would reveal more but there was no way to tell how long that would take.

A brush of fur startled her out of her thoughts and she blinked up at Goldenkit as she hovered in front of her. Morningkit gave her a calm smile, trying to reassure the worried kit. Goldenkit didn't seem to buy it, squeezing under Speckletail's paw and squishing up against Morningkit. A soft purring rumbled through the pale ginger kitten and as if she took poppy seeds, Morningkit felt her eyes finally grow heavy.

She closed them and listened to the soothing sound as she drifted off.

A gentle nudge in her ribs woke her and Morningkit slowly lifted her head. Speckletail was hovering over her with an unreadable expression on her face. Morningkit stifled the urge to sigh and instead sat up, glancing around the nursery as she did so. Lionkit and Goldenkit were still here, running around and playing with Poppydawn's litter. Morningkit looked back up at Speckletail and the queen sighed before crouching closer to the kit.

"Morningkit, you need to be more aware of your surroundings. Running off after every strange sound is not safe. Promise me you won't do that again." Speckletail stated, a stern look on her face. Morningkit nodded obediently, "I promise."

Speckletail sighed and shook her head, "For some reason I have a feeling you'll be my most troublesome kit. Not even four moons and you're already diving head first into trouble. Morningkit, I just want you to be careful, alright?"

Morningkit blinked but nodded, shuffling her paws slightly, "I understand, Speckletail."

Speckletail shook her head again but flicked her tail in dismissal. Morningkit climbed out of the nest and beelined for her denmates, not wanting to get drawn into another pointless conversation. She could understand why Speckletail was concerned and why she wanted some form of consideration but she knew what she was doing - she wasn't truly a kit even if she looked like one.

Goldenkit clumsily leaped at Rosekit and landed squarely on her shoulders. The older kit crumpled and twisted on the ground, playfully trying to toss Goldenkit off. Morningkit settled onto her haunches, watching her denmates play, from what she could tell they were playing Clan Leader. Thistlekit noticed her and scoffed before throwing himself at her. She ducked low to the ground and let him sail over her, his tail brushing the tips of her ears. She sighed before turning to keep an eye on him.

Morningkit didn't play with the others that much, it was hard to let go of all the pride she gained as a warrior of ThunderClan and to just run about like a kit still felt awkward. Her paws felt simultaneously too big and much too small. Not to mention she was worried about hurting the actual kits if she got into it.

The gray-and-white tabby twirled around, dropping into a mimicked hunting crouch. Morningkit pushed herself back onto her haunches and merely watched him, ear twitching slightly as the kit sidled closer. Thistlekit leaped forward with a sudden flurry of motion, paws outstretched and this time she let him grab her. Letting his momentum drag her to the ground and tumble backwards. They rolled a few times and Morningkit subtly shook herself free, popping up and shaking her fur out before looking over at Thistlekit.

The gray-and-white tabby was sprawled rather awkwardly on his side, a paw twisted underneath him and he seemed rather surprised. He blinked before jumping to his feet, "How did you escape? I had you!"

Morningkit shrugged, "Apparently you didn't."

"Yes, I did!"

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did!" And with that, Thistlekit threw himself forward, barreling toward her with frustration. She let him knock her down again despite the faint annoyance itching her pelt. She rolled with his momentum and this time instead of simply escaping, she twisted herself around and ended up pinning the older kit. Of course the pin didn't last long with the size difference between them. Despite only having a two moon difference between them Thistlekit was bigger than her and had more weight behind every move.

Morningkit was tossed off the tabby but she quickly got back on her feet, eyes alertly focused on the other kit. Thistlekit seemed to get more eager with every clash and she sighed slightly at the look on his face. This was going to keep on for a while wasn't it?

Thistlekit settled back into an untrained crouch, relying on instinct to sink into an approximate stalking crouch. After a brief beat of silence, Morningkit huffed and sank into her own crouch, trying to appear like she didn't know what she was doing. With how untrained her muscles still were it probably looked silly.

This time she didn't wait for him to leap towards her, instead darting in and swiping at him with carefully sheathed claws. She batted at his ears before dropping low again and quickly dodging a retaliatory paw. Morningkit slipped under the outstretched paw and reared up onto her hindlegs, using as much of her weight as she could to knock the older kit off balance before rolling on top of him.

She gave him a gentle nip on the ear before jumping off and hightailing it to Sweetkit. Thistlekit wouldn't dare attack her near his favorite sister. Morningkit had purposely made her movements clumsy even with the already familiar moves made unfamiliar with her small size. She could only hope that no one was watching too closely.

Sweetkit laughed as the pale tortoiseshell kit careened across the den. Morningkit circled the older kit and eyed the gray-and-white tabby kit still sprawled across the den. A confused look on his face. Morningkit snorted and leaned against the older kitten, watching with amusement as the tom slowly got onto his paws. Thistlekit looked around with a scowl making a brief appearance before flitting away as he made eye contact with Sweetkit.

"Good job, Morningkit, you did very well." Thistlekit stated, as though he purposely let her win. She scoffed but didn't call him out on it, let him keep his pride this won't be the only time she beats him. She had years of experience on him, no matter how old he gets she'll always have more experience. Morningkit relaxed as the tom paced his way over to Rosekit and Goldenkit, tail relaxed and ears calmly pointing forward.

All the aggression seemed to have seeped out of him. Good. Sometimes kits needed to be humbled, Cloudtail briefly flitted across her mind. Her nephew was much the same, arrogant and always eager to tumble across the den. She shook her pelt out, physically trying to shake her thoughts away and licked at the fluff on her chest. Another thing that was hard to get used to was the longer fur. It always seemed to be sticking up every which way and it took Speckletail quite a long time to groom both her and Lionkit.

It made her miss her glossy shorthaired pelt even more. No weird patches of gray, just a nice bright ginger color. She sighed wistfully before a squeak made her look up. Lionkit was teaming up with Goldenkit against Rosekit and Thistlekit. Her littermates were losing. The older kits having more weight and practice behind each gentle swipe. She shared a glance with Sweetkit before she joined in the fray.

Morningkit helped Goldenkit first - leaving Sweetkit to help Lionkit. She nipped at Rosekit's reddish tail and teased the older kit as she whirled around on her. Rosekit hissed and lunged toward her, getting a mouthful of fluff as Morningkit dropped slightly. Rosekit choked and sputtered as hair tickled her throat. Morningkit laughed and didn't give her any recovery time, leaping on top of her with Goldenkit and tumbling down with the two she-kits.

Rosekit ended up rolling onto her back, the two younger kits squashed underneath her. A rustle at the entrance made her turn her head, eyes rolling to the side to see who it was. A familiar black pelt was brushing against the brambles as Leopardpaw pushed her way in. Speckletail greeted her and all at once the kits seemed to freeze. Morningkit squeezed out from under her denmate and trotted over to the apprentice.

"Hello, Leopardpaw."

The black molly seemed amused and with a warm blink greeted her, "Morningkit."

She eyed the other kits before turning back to Speckletail, "Do you want anything from the fresh-kill pile?"

"Are there any birds? If so I'd appreciate one, if not well just grab anything else that seems good." Speckletail stated, yellow eyes glancing at the kits before focusing on the apprentice. Morningkit crept closer and eyed the black molly, "Hey, Leopardpaw, how're Bluepaw and Snowpaw doing? They haven't come to visit yet."

Leopardpaw let out a purr of amusement, "Come to visit? They've only been apprentices for one day. I'd be surprised if they came to visit anytime soon. The first couple days of being an apprentice are always busy. They'll stop by when they have a chance I'm sure. Besides, you can always come out and bother them when they're in camp."

Speckletail barked out a laugh, "Careful now, Leopardpaw, if Snowpaw and Bluepaw knew you were saying that you'll wake up to thorns in your nest."

Laughter glimmered in the young cat's bright green eyes, "What's a little teasing between denmates?"

Leopardpaw twitched her ear and took a step back, "I'll go get that bird for you. I think I spotted a fat sparrow somewhere in the pile."

With that the apprentice backed out of the den and vanished. Speckletail huffed out a laugh and her whiskers twitched even as she turned to look at the kits. Morningkit took her chance and winded closer to the queen, rubbing up against her legs before settling against her side. She was still too young to be running around for too long and she could feel the faint tug of weariness dragging at her claws.

She lazily glanced around as she gave a big yawn, smacking her lips as she closed her mouth. Leopardpaw was back with a sparrow held carefully in her sharp teeth. The apprentice dropped it down in front of the queen, "Do you need anything else?"

Speckletail shook her head, "No, thank you Leopardpaw."

The black cat dipped her head respectfully, "All right then, I gotta go check in on the elders. Bye Speckletail, kits."

Leopardpaw turned and squeezed out of the den leaving just as fast as she arrived. Morningkit nestled closer to Speckletail and watched through half-opened eyes as the queen carefully plucked a few long tail feathers off. She dropped them and nudged them with a paw toward the kits still sprawled in various places throughout the den, "Here, play with these for a bit."

Thistlekit, as usual, was the first to respond, leaping eagerly toward the biggest feather and swiping it up into the air. As if his movement was some kind of signal all the other kits started scurrying forward, tossing the remaining feathers into the air and taking turns leaping up and knocking them out of the air.

Morningkit watched for a bit, not willing to move out of her comfortable spot and soon she was half asleep, the movements of her denmates predictable and almost mesmerizing in their consistency. Before she knew it she was in a shallow sleep, dozing really rather than a true deep sleep.

She could vaguely hear the others talking and running around but she wasn't truly listening. Occasional loud bursts of noise made her ears twitch but there was not enough alarm in anyone's voice to have her jolting to her paws. She flexes her paws and feels her claws extend as she stretches her legs out. Morningkit shifts slightly and relaxes on her side. Taking a deep breath in and slowly exhaling before a heavy weight lands on her flank.

A stuttering breathless squeak escapes her and her eyes fly open. She instinctively wiggles out from under the weight and whirls around. Eyes barely focusing on the enemy before she freezes - there is no enemy. It's just Thistlekit. She relaxes, sheathing her claws and forcing her fur to lie flat before heaving out a sigh.

She mumbles out a "mouse-brain" and stumbles her way around to Speckletail's other side. Using the queen as a barrier between her and the rambunctious kittens, she curls up into a ball and tucks her muzzle under a paw. Falling back into a sleepy state relatively fast despite the sudden movement that woke her.

---

A bright blue sky shimmered above her, the sun shining down through tall trees and dappling the ground with spots of warmth. Morningkit blinked and took a glance at herself, she was still in that unfamiliar body slowly becoming more and more familiar. She took a deep breath and looked around. The leaves were bright green and flashing in the sunlight, a gust of wind shaking the branches and a leaf fell, twirling around and around until it slowly landed on the sandy ground.

She opened her mouth and took a deep breath, earthy scents rushing in and the barest hint of tansy mixed with pine firs caught her attention. Cloudberry? Morningkit narrowed her eyes and started following the faint scent, opening her mouth every now and then to pinpoint the direction. Before too long she was pushing through a rather thick wall of brambles and as she emerged into a small clearing a flash of white caught her eye.

A pure white molly was sitting calmly near a small brook, looking down into the water. Morningkit pushed her way into the clearing, coughing quietly to alert the other cat to her presence. The cat turned and it was indeed Cloudberry, her yellow eyes flashing with faint surprise. She rose to her paws, "Firestar? No, I'm sorry, Morningkit. What are you doing here?"

Morningkit shrugged, "I don't know. I thought you were the one to pull me here."

Cloudberry shook her head, "No but since you are here, we might as well talk. I saw that Goosefeather managed to speak to you."

Morningkit snorted, "Yeah I guess, but all he said was a bunch of nonsense. Like a prophecy but it didn't feel like the previous ones I've gotten. It was both too on the nose yet too vague to understand."

"There are conflicting voices in StarClan. I'm not surprised if every prophecy ends up getting muddled until a consensus is reached. The main thing to focus on is that what you remember won't always be what happens. As you manipulate the events around you, it will have an effect on everything that comes after."

Morningkit nodded, "I know. Since there's no going back, where exactly am I supposed to start. It's so far back I only recognize a few Clan members. A lot of the cats I know haven't been born yet."

Cloudberry paced closer, a calm seeping from her eyes that was infectious. Morningkit felt her shoulders drop a bit not knowing when they tensed up but feeling relieved once they relaxed. The white cat sat a tail length in front of her, wrapping her tail around her paws.

"From what I know, Bluepaw will face her first trial soon. First of many. Her mother will die and there is no changing that. You are far too young to do anything and so is Bluepaw. The next thing to happen with substantial ripples will be Pinestar. He will step down from leadership, but it won't be a true retirement."

"Retirement? I didn't think a Clan leader could retire. Not like a deputy can."

"We're not heartless. There are some injuries that StarClan cannot heal. Those that maim but do not kill for example. There are special circumstances but those are few and far between." Cloudberry stated, tail twitching every now and then. Morningkit blinked and mimicked her positioning, struggling to wrap her still stubby kitten tail around her front paws. She narrowed her eyes focusing on her paws, "So, what then? You want me to convince him to retire?"

"If Pinestar retires StarClan would strip away his remaining life. He would be forbidden to walk among the stars. Not so different from what actually happens if he does not retire. The matter of him retiring is not the important part because regardless of if he does or does not properly ask to retire he still leaves the Clan in shame. It is unheard of for a Clan leader to choose to leave and become a kittypet."

Morningkit's eyes widened, "He leaves ThunderClan to be a kittypet?"

Cloudberry nodded solemnly, "Yes. He realized that he was scared. He only had one life left and had died eight times before. He wanted to die comfortably rather than in a pool of blood."

Morningkit shifted uncomfortably, she had run away from her life of a kittypet all on the words of strangers. The idea of doing the same and choosing to give up your freedom like that made her skin prickle. She tried to refocus, "So what's the relevance? Why does it matter that Pinestar left - other than the obvious stain on ThunderClan's reputation?"

Cloudberry's eyes seemed to pin her in place, "Pinestar is Tigerstar's father. When he leaves, he leaves his young son behind. Despite the fact that Pinestar is gone, that does not stop the stigma he leaves behind. The Clan cannot trust the son of a cat who chose to leave them."

Morningkit's tail twitched and she flicked an ear, "What? So I'm supposed to feel sorry for that murderer because he has father issues? I don't think so."

Cloudberry shook her head, "No, but you are going to need to start preparing yourself for the future. You cannot treat a kit the way you would Tigerstar. From the moment you became Morningkit you changed what would happen. It is imperative that he does not grow up twisted."

Morningkit sat still and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. It'd be like Brambleclaw, Bramblestar, all over again. She could keep her suspicions and keep a careful eye on him but she wasn't going to murder a kit. She gave a nod, "I will try to keep my thoughts to myself. Is there anything else I need to look out for?"

"There will be more you cannot do anything about so there is little point in informing you until an event comes that you can alter. You being alive already set changes in motion, all we can do is watch and wait. I will try to pass along more help through dreams or through Goosefeather."

Morningkit nodded pushing aside her personal feelings for the moment.

A sharp shrill ringing interrupted them and Morningkit winced, crouching down and flattening her ears. Cloudberry seemed even more distressed, trying to move closer but before she could the sun seemed to vanish. Darkness fell and the wind grew cold, the scent of musty leaves grew stronger and then a guttural snarl echoed in the air.

"What has come to pass will come again. You wretched things cannot throw away the laws of nature without repercussions. As you seek to change, nature seeks to rectify. Shadows will burn and Fire will fall, stars will bleed and the forest will die."

Morningkit could see the yellow glow of Cloudberry's eyes, and she focused on them even as a sickly growl was carried on the cold wind, lingering in her ears. With a flash of white-hot pain the eyes disappeared and Morningkit felt the ground beneath her give way - falling down down down.

She was weightless and then there was nothing.

A nudge had her jolting awake and her racing heartbeat quickly dissolved any lingering sleep. Speckletail hovered over her, concern glinting in her eyes and worry in her scent. The ginger queen let out a quiet purr and gave Morningkit a gentle lick on the head. The tortoiseshell felt her rabbit fast heart slow down and she took a couple deep breaths before settling back against Speckletail.

The queen kept up a steady purr and started gently smoothing out her pelt and Morningkit felt some of her anxiety fade away, enough for her to slip back into sleep.

She slept for a long time, if she dreamed this time she did not know. Morningkit didn't wake until Speckletail grew worried and nudged her up, forcing her to shake off the lingering sleep. She had slept for until the next day and something was wrong. She felt like something important had happened and she couldn't remember what it was. Just a vague sense of urgency mixing with an ice cold dread in her stomach. Morningkit's paws itched and she resisted the urge to rake her claws through the nest in an effort to relieve that itch.

Morningkit shook her fur out, shaking off as much of the nervous energy as she could before glancing around the nursery. Poppydawn was curled up in her nest, her kits strewn around her in various positions with Sweetkit even lying lazily on her flank, moving up and down with each breath. Lionkit and Goldenkit were curled up against Speckletail just a few kitten paw-steps away.

She let out a yawn and sank into a deep stretch, arching her back and reaching out with her legs. She blinked away tired tears and climbed out of Speckletail's nest, settling into a crouch just outside of the moss, listening to the strong wind as it battered the den slightly. Morningkit absentmindedly licked at the fur on her chest and started clumsily grooming herself, mind still preoccupied with the sense of forgetting something important.

She knew she dreamed, she could remember speaking with Cloudberry but nothing they discussed could leave such a strong feeling of unease. She recalled waking next to Speckletail and falling back asleep but why she woke up she couldn't say. Something odd was going on. Morningkit shifted uneasily, pausing with her paw raised up to her ear. A rustling occurred and the unease that had faded surged to the forefront of her mind, making her eyes dart over to the entrance alertly.

A familiar silvery pelt was pushing into the den, a faint scent of herbs washing in with the reassuring ThunderClan scent. Featherwhisker. The medicine cat apprentice was calm as ever eyeing the nursery with a practiced eye. Speckletail mewed a greeting and Poppydawn groggily echoed it. Morningkit relaxed and meowed, "Hello Featherwhisker."

He nodded, "I just wanted to check in on you guys, smells like rain is on the way."

"The "-paws" are all busy right now so I figured I'd offer my services. Do you want something from the fresh-kill pile?" Featherwhisker asked, looking around expectantly. Speckletail shot an analytical look at her litter before giving a slow nod, "I'd appreciate it if you grabbed a mouse for the kits. I think it's about time for these little ones to start exclusively eating meat."

Morningkit straightened up at those words, it was nice to know that she was actually growing despite how slow it felt. Featherwhisker shot her an amused look and turned to Poppydawn, "Do you want anything?"

The dark red queen shook her head, eyes already closed again. Featherwhisker backed out of the den and left, leaving the nursery to its quiet. Morningkit stood up and languidly crawled back into the nest, nudging her littermates awake. Lionkit let out an annoyed huff and tried to roll back into sleep while Goldenkit just quietly blinked the sleep away from her eyes.

Morningkit leaned against her sister, licking her shoulder gently and smoothing out a tuft of fur. Goldenkit gave a brief purr before breaking into a yawn, sharp teeth glinting. Morningkit went to rub her cheek against her sister before a nudge sent her careening into the other kit. She whirled around with a huff and narrowed her eyes at Lionkit.

His eyes had recently settled, shifting from the kitten blue to a pale green color; and now those new eyes were wide with innocence as if he possibly couldn't be the one to knock into her. She considered pouncing at him and boxing his ears a few times but before she could fully commit to the idea, Featherwhisker was pushing his way into the nursery, a fat mouse hanging from his jaws.

Speckletail flicked her tail in between the two kits, "Featherwhisker! Thank you, maybe this will be enough to keep the bloodshed to a minimum. Knowing these two, I'll need every help I can get."

Morningkit rolled her eyes but didn't argue, turning her back on Lionkit as Featherwhisker dropped the piece of prey down near the nest. The silver tom chuckled, "I wouldn't worry, kits are always more energetic at this stage. If anything it seems like you have a litter of warriors on your paws."

"Hey! What about us? We're gonna be warriors too! We're gonna be warriors before them!" A sleepy voice interjected, indignation audible in his tone. Morningkit glanced over her shoulder and there was Thistlekit, squeezing out from under Rosekit to glare half-heartedly at the medicine cat. Rosekit let out a hiss of annoyance and sat up, moving to sit by herself.

Featherwhisker's whiskers twitching in amusement but he nodded obligingly, "Of course, of course, ThunderClan is lucky indeed to have so many young warriors in its future."

He glanced at the still dozing Poppydawn before meowing calmly, "Well, I leave you to it. I'm going to be in and out for most of today gathering herbs before the rain hits, if you need me for anything just send one of the paws after me."

With those final words Featherwhisker exited the den, the tip of his plumy tail disappearing into the brambles as he turned. Morningkit blinked after him for a moment before turning to Speckletail, watching as the pale golden tabby pulled the mouse closer with a delicate paw.

Lionkit was avidly watching, crouching close to Goldenkit as the mouse got closer. Morningkit ambled her way over, sitting neatly by Lionkit as she waited for Speckletail to give them permission to start eating. It wasn't their first time eating fresh-kill, in fact they had been weaning for a while now, but Speckletail was still worried about them choking on a bone or a patch of fur if they ate by themselves so she would often tear pieces off for them. Morningkit thought it was a bit much but she didn't get much choice regarding the matter so she could only go along with it.

Speckletail finished tearing off a good portion of meat and nodded, letting the kits choose which piece to have and carefully watched as they gnawed on it. Goldenkit's nose wrinkled as she tugged a strip of fat off and chewed it arduously. Lionkit on the other hand was practically devouring his portion, clearly a fan of his. Morningkit's whiskers twitched but she lowered her head, eating the carefully bitten off portion quietly.

It was nice to get evidence that she was in fact getting older. Knowing that she would eventually get out of the nursery was reassuring, it felt like she'd been stuck here for too many moons despite just making it to moon three. A rustling at the entrance had her looking up in interest, a flash of blue-gray fur and there was the newly apprenticed Bluepaw, though the molly stayed quiet. Morningkit turned back to her portion and ignored the lurking apprentice.

"It's chewy," Goldenkit complained.

"I'll eat your bit," Lionkit offered.

"You've had plenty," Speckletail chided. "If you want more, you can go out to the fresh-kill pile."

"Really?" Lionkit's ears pricked. "Can I choose anything I want?"

"Yes," Speckletail answered, "but nothing too big."

"I'll go with him," Thistlekit offered, already wandering over to the younger tom. Lionkit sat up and eagerly climbed out of his nest.

"Good idea." Poppydawn pushed Sweetkit off her belly. The small, mottled tabby opened her mouth, eyes wide with complaint, but Poppydawn silenced her. "Why don't you go outside and play, too?"

"Come on!" Thistlekit urged. "It'll be fun! You too, Rosekit, Morningkit!"

Rosekit was playing with a moss ball at the edge of the den, lying on her back as she flicked it into the air and caught it.

"But it's cold and windy outside," she grumbled. "When Featherwhisker brought the mouse, he said rain's coming."

"All the more reason to get some exercise before it does," Poppydawn advised. Morningkit nodded in agreement, opening her mouth to speak but she got cut off by a small meow from the previously silent apprentice in the brambles. Morningkit turned and nodded in greeting as the blue-gray cat slipped all the way inside, crouching awkwardly by the entrance.

"Hello, Bluepaw!" Poppydawn broke into a purr. "I didn't see you come in. I hear you made a great catch yesterday. Weedwhisker was certainly pleased to have such a big meal."

"I was just lucky," Bluepaw replied.

"I'm sure it was more than luck," Poppydawn meowed. Bluepaw shrugged, changing the subject, "I've come to clean out the den."

"There!" Speckletail meowed, whisking Lionkit and Goldenkit out of the nest with her tail, only Morningkit already sitting on the edge of the moss was spared, whiskers twitching with amusement at Goldenkit's grumbles. "It's time you all went outside and got some fresh air. Bluepaw will need room."

Rosekit stopped playing with her moss ball and sat up. "But what if it rains?"

"It's too chilly to go out," Goldenkit wailed.

"It's okay, I can work around you," Bluepaw offered.

"No," Poppydawn meowed firmly. "True warriors don't hide from the weather."

"Exactly," Thistlekit agreed. "Come on, you two."

He padded around the den, nudging each of the other kits toward the entrance. Morningkit rolled her eyes at his bossiness but followed along, pressing her thicker fur against Goldenkit as they slowly headed toward the exit.

"I'll make sure the wind doesn't blow you away." Thistlekit added, circling the sleepy Sweetkit in the back. Morningkit huffed as she watched Lionkit disappear into the brambles, giving Bluepaw an absentminded nod as she passed, following after the energetic kit.

Morningkit mewed a quiet greeting to Featherwhisker as he passed, two bundles of moss in his jaws. The medicine cat met her eyes but didn't stop to say hello, clearly preoccupied, the silvery tom squeezed into the nursery and disappeared from view. She turned her attention back to her denmates, letting Goldenkit lean up against her for warmth. They only made it a few more steps before Rosekit joined them, trapping the thin pelted Goldenkit in between them.

Lionkit was already at the fresh-kill pile, eyeing a rather tasty looking shrew. A flurry of movement at the gorse tunnel caught Morningkit's attention and she turned, watching alertly as cats came bursting in, Snowpaw was in the lead, followed by Sparrowpelt. The white molly trotted over to the fresh-kill pile, head high and tail waving proudly. A vole was carefully held in her jaws.

Morningkit watched with a faint amusement mixed with nostalgia as she dropped her catch on the ground, pride gleaming in her eyes as Snowpaw looked up. The trio of kits were still making their way forward, trailing across the clearing as Snowpaw, called out Bluepaw's name in excitement.

They gathered around Lionkit, Thistlekit and Sweetkit finally catching up with them, as they crouched on the ground near the golden tabby. Morningkit stayed close to Goldenkit, offering her warmth as they huddled together. Morningkit watched as Bluepaw pushed out of the nursery and padded quickly over to her sister. A breeze rippled through the air and Goldenkit shivered, Morningkit leaned closer, blocking the wind as much as she could for the smaller she-kit.

"My first catch!" Snowpaw called out, making Morningkit glance up before refocusing on her littermate. Vaguely aware of another cat approaching but didn't bother looking up, shivering as another chilly breeze raked through her pelt.

"My favorite!" Bluepaw mewed, sniffing the vole over much to Snowpaw's happiness. A purr rumbling out of her chest at those words.

"You are both good hunters," a voice rasped approvingly, Morningkit looked up a tad surprised to see Goosefeather hovering nearby. He looked down and suddenly a feeling of dread washed over her, the medicine cat was frozen and his tail suddenly bushed out, eyes blown wide with fear. Her own eyes narrowed suspiciously, an omen?

"StarClan save us!" he yowled. Goosefeather was shaking from nose to tail-tip. Morningkit felt Goldenkit flinch and she straightened up slightly, unease lingering in her paws at the tom's words.

"It's a sign!" he wailed, his mew ringing around the camp. "Destruction for us all!

All around cats burst into motion though none were as swift as Pinestar in appearing at the medicine cat's side, Sunfall one step behind as the leader asked, "What's happening?"

Adderfang and Stormtail, sharing a thrush beneath Highrock, swung their broad heads to stare at Goosefeather. Speckletail slipped from the nursery entrance, her gaze darting anxiously around the clearing till it rested on the kits. Thistlekit was running around the fresh-kill pile, the rest of their denmates on his heels. Morningkit felt Goldenkit move, eagerly moving toward Speckletail as the queen drew near. Morningkit didn't move, peering curiously albeit somewhat suspiciously at the vole. Fuzzypelt and Robinwing slid out from the warriors' den and hurried after Stonepelt and Dappletail.

"Look at the vole's fur," Goosefeather breathed, his eyes still fixed on the small scrap of prey. Goosefeather was running a paw across its flank. Morningkit edged closer, ending up sitting in between the medicine cat and Smallear, Pinestar right across from her on the other side of the vole.

"Look," the medicine cat hissed. "See how the fur's parted along here."

With a claw he pointed to the distinct line that ran from the vole's shoulder to its belly. On one side of the line, the fur bristled toward the ear; on the other, it splayed smooth toward the tail.

"See how it appears flattened here?" Goosefeather paused and looked around at his audience. It was a rather in depth interpretation of an omen. In the other omens and prophecies she received it was always more convoluted. Adderfang and Stormtail padded closer.

"I can't see!" Thistlekit bobbed up and down behind Speckletail.

"Hush!" Speckletail ordered, sweeping him back with her tail.

"But what does it mean?" Pinestar demanded.

"It's like a forest flattened by wind," Goosefeather growled. "This is how we will be crushed by WindClan."

Morningkit tilted her head, "Why would WindClan attack us? It's so close to leaf-bare, if they are scared of prey growing scarce wouldn't they just steal some? Attacking only puts both Clan's at risk doesn't it?"

Speckletail backed away and folded her tail around Lionkit and Goldenkit, but Lionkit wriggled free and padded boldly toward the vole. "Yeah, what's the point and besides, how can a dumb bit of fresh-kill tell you all that?"

"Yes." Smallear leaned forward a paw carefully wrapping around Morningkit as she stayed seated neatly near the tom. "How can you be sure?"

"He's a medicine cat!" Adderfang snapped. "He shares tongues with StarClan!"

"The prey-stealing was just the beginning," Goosefeather went on. "This sign was sent from StarClan as a warning. Like a storm, WindClan will rage through the forest. They will destroy us, tear up our camp, and make ThunderClan territory a wasteland. We will be clawed down like grass in a meadow."

Moonflower nosed beside Bluepaw. "That's impossible!" she meowed.

"We're not going to take this seriously, are we?" Someone whispered, doubt thick in their voice. Goosefeather dipped his head. "StarClan has spoken."

Morningkit narrowed her eyes, watching as the medicine cat sat there, completely still, not even a whicker twitched even as words of doubt sprang up around them. Something didn't feel right, something was….odd. Pinestar was staring at the vole.

"When?" he rasped. Goosefeather blinked. "I can't tell. But the sign has been sent now to give us time to prepare."

"Then we must prepare!" Stormtail yowled, lashing his tail. "There's no time!"

Sparrowpelt barged forward and hooked the vole up with one claw, holding it for all the Clan to see, exclaiming, "We must attack first!"

Adderfang and Stormtail yowled in agreement. Dappletail clawed the ground. "WindClan doesn't know we've been warned. We have the advantage. We must use it!"

Morningkit wrinkled her nose whispering up to Smallear, "Where does it say that we must attack? Isn't it just a warning? Why would StarClan ask us to battle?"

Smallear ran his tail down her spine, but didn't say anything as Pinestar took the vole from Sparrowpelt and laid it back on the ground.

"There are cold moons ahead," he meowed slowly, "and kits to be fed."

He gazed around at his Clan. "Can we really risk fighting and injury when we should be strengthening the Clan for leaf-bare?"

"Can we risk not fighting?" Sparrowpelt hissed. "StarClan has warned us that there may be no Clan to strengthen if we don't act!"

Robinwing padded forward, her dusky brown pelt bristling. "Should we really attack on nothing more than a lingering scent and some flattened fur?"

There was a gasp from some of her clanmates. Questioning the medicine cat was never a good sign, it was like questioning StarClan themselves, though to be fair it's not like StarClan never messed up. Omens and prophecies often get distorted or misinterpreted so it's not correct to say that they are infallible despite seeing so much. Pinestar eyed the vole, then stared at Goosefeather.

"Are you sure?" he demanded. Goosefeather held his gaze. "Have you ever seen such markings on a piece of fresh-kill?"

Adderfang's tail quivered. "Is it Goosefeather you doubt, or StarClan?" he challenged.

"If we can't trust StarClan, then we are lost," Dappletail muttered. Morningkit carefully avoided looking Pinestar's way, remembering all too well the feeling of doubt. To attack or not attack? Either way there was no true victory. It all depended on how strong Pinestar's trust in Goosefeather was, for it was one thing to trust in StarClan and another thing to trust in its interpreters. Cats could be wrong and medicine cats are no different. Stormtail began to pace. "Why are you hesitating? The decision is easy! You are choosing between survival and destruction!"

Sunfall paced in front of his leader, trying to placate the more agitated warriors. "But who knows which action will cause destruction and which survival?"

"I think StarClan has made that clear," Sparrowpelt growled. Pinestar's eyes were glittering with unease, lingering on Adderfang and Stormtail. The two senior warriors had been pushing for a fight since the dead rabbit was found. With this 'omen' Pinestar wouldn't be able to refuse. Afterall no cat would follow a leader who they perceived as cowardly. Pinestar dipped his head, resigned though there was no hint of it in his voice as he gave in, "We'll attack WindClan at dawn."

Murmurs of approval swept through the warriors closest to the leader; at the edge of the clearing, elders and she-cats muttered darkly. Speckletail stared in dismay at the vole, pressing Goldenkit against her. Morningkit sighed but turned away from the inner circle, disappointed but not surprised at the outcome. She weaved her way through the crowd, casually walking underneath cats and in between paws before making it back to her littermates.

Speckletail brushed her tail down the pale-ginger-and-gray tortoiseshell, before pressing her muzzle against Goldenkit's head, "It's okay. You'll be safe in the nursery."

Her eyes darted somewhere behind her and Morningkit felt her claws itch at the flicker of fear in her yellow eyes. She leaned against the queen and dragged her tongue gently on Lionkit's ear. If they were attacking WindClan, the chances of a counterattack at the camp were relatively low, no cat wants to put kits and elders at risk after all.

"Will all the apprentices have to fight?" Moonflower called out, fear bleeding into her voice. Adderfang was quick to reply, "All must fight when we face this much danger!"

Morningkit struggled to not roll her eyes, the mottled brown tom was stirring up fear with every sentence he spoke and the scent was practically overwhelming. She couldn't stop the glare that crossed her face though she tried to reign it in some. Pinestar turned to Robinwing. "Is Leopardpaw ready for battle?"

Robinwing nodded reluctantly.

"Then she will be part of the battle party." Pinestar's gaze flicked to Fuzzypelt. "You and Patchpaw will remain behind with Windflight and Tawnyspots to defend the camp in case WindClan counterattacks."

Patchpaw began to object. "But I want to —"

"We'll defend the camp with our lives if necessary," Fuzzypelt cut him off, a stern look backing his words as he glanced at his apprentice.

"What about Snowpaw and Bluepaw?" Moonflower demanded, a tremor in her mew as she asked the question she needed an answer to the most. Pinestar blinked.

"I would never send an apprentice into battle with so little training," he assured.

"I want to fight!" Snowpaw slid out from the crowd, her ears pricked.

"No, Snowpaw." Pinestar shook his head. "You won't fight. But you will have a taste of battle."

Snowpaw's eyes lit up at his words, eagerness radiating from her every move.

"You and Bluepaw will go with the raiding party, but not to fight. You'll wait where it's safe, ready to carry messages or help with the wounded."

"Is that all?" Snowpaw's tail drooped.

"That's plenty!" Bluepaw nosed her way to her sister's side.

"We'll do our best," she promised Pinestar. "Even if we can't fight."

Murmurs of approval rippled through the Clan. At those words Speckletail began the arduous task of herding the kits back to the nursery, Poppydawn joining her as well as Robinwing, despite her current lack of kits. Morningkit threw another glance over her shoulder and made eye contact with Pinestar as he sat, still surrounded by his clan. His eyes were unreadable but she could guess his thoughts.

There was no more room for doubt. He had to fully devote himself to this course of action now. To hesitate was to risk the lives of his clan and no good leader would ever willingly do that. She turned away, cursing, for not the first time her lack of moons. If only she was older, her opinion would have more sway, if she were older she could at least be there with ThunderClan even if she didn't fully agree, that would be better than sitting at home in the nursery.

Preparations were made. Dens were reinforced and herbs were gathered, all done in a solemn manner. Words used sparingly as warriors began to mentally prepare themselves for battle. Each cat worrying quietly but not willing to share their worries, not willing to burden their fellows even more.

Morningkit obediently stayed out of the way, lingering in the nursery and keeping a close watch on the rest of the kits as well. Her calm demeanor seemed to influence Speckletail to a degree, keeping the queen from tearing their nest to shreds with her claws as she gave advice to the warriors and apprentices, weaving more thorns into the walls.

Poppydawn seemed to have enough of the queen's antics and pushed to her paws, "That's enough. Speckletail, why don't we let the kits wear themselves out. Rain is still on the way and it's much better to run about now rather than later in a stuffy den."

Speckletail hesitated but Lionkit was already on the way out, Thistlekit right on his tail. Morningkit huffed out a laugh and followed the toms out at a more sedate pace, leaving the rest of her denmates to follow along. She blinked at the busy camp, cats going to and fro as they all rushed to prepare the camp just in case of an attack.

Thistlekit and Lionkit were racing to the freshkill pile it seemed, the gray-and-white tabby taking the lead and jumping claws out onto a shrew in a mockery of a hunter's crouch. She snorted but didn't follow after them, instead settling onto her haunches and bringing a paw up to wash her face.

Kits being like kits often relieved her in her darker moments as leader. It was soothing to know that even when it felt like the sky was crashing down around them that the kits trusted their clan enough to hold up the sky even if only for a moment. The wayward kits came darting back, joined quickly by the rest of their denmates, all settling down together near the entrance of the nursery.

Thistlekit and Lionkit started talking, bringing up the pending battle and Morningkit snuck a glance at the queens. Poppydawn was pressing close to Speckletail, offering what comfort she could without offending the sharp-tongued molly. A flash of red-brown fur caught her attention and Morningkit craned her head about, eyes locked on Pinestar as he padded over to the two queens.

He murmured something too low for her to hear despite her straining her ears to eavesdrop. Speckletail noticed and flicked an ear, both Pinestar and Poppydawn turning to look at her. Morningkit didn't look away, fully acknowledging that she had been caught. She hadn't always been so shameless but as a leader she had grown rather accustomed to being in the know. Secrets brought up rather painful memories and in order to fully relax, knowing what was happening in the camp was vital.

Their miniature stare down was cut short, by a kitten squeak. Sweetkit and Rosekit were tussling on the ground, Sweetkit was currently pinned down. The squeak came from her but the reason was unknown and quickly forgotten as Thistlekit spoke up.

"If I were fighting tomorrow," Thistlekit declared, "I'd get a WindClan warrior like this." He hooked up the shrew he'd been eating. "And shred it."

He tossed the half-eaten fresh-kill to the ground and pounced on it, claws unsheathed.

"Don't play with your food," Poppydawn scolded. "It's disrespectful. That shrew died so that we may live."

Thistlekit sat up, looking annoyed. "You just don't want me to become a warrior! You want to make me stay a kit forever!"

Pinestar cuffed him playfully around the ear. "I doubt she'd be able to," he purred. Thistlekit looked up at the ThunderClan leader. "Can I come to the battle?"

Pinestar shook his head. "I need you to stay here and help defend the nursery."

Thistlekit puffed out his chest. "No WindClan cat will make it past me."

"I believe you." Pinestar sounded calm. Morningkit eyed him and was relieved to see him firmly in charge of his emotions. He had sunk into an almost battle-like trance, ready to leap into fray at any moment, though he still took the time to stop and check in on his clan. Good. A leader can have doubts but not in front of those depending on him.

Pinestar soon moved on, continuing his slow rotation through the camp, stopping to speak to his warriors as they all gathered. Only those on patrol were missing, every other cat was lurking in the clearing, quietly conversing or sharing tongues in a pre-battle ritual. Dawn was coming. Both far too soon and not fast enough.