Chapter 2 - Kit With An Attitude

Lionkit padded behind his parents into the camp. Curious ThunderClan cats were starting to come from their dens or turning to watch the newcomers. Two kits, both grayish in color although one was darker than the other, bundled out of the nursery and stared. They were both she-cats, he noted, and figured they were sisters. Bloodclaw, noticing his staring at the two kits, nudged him slightly in their direction. "Why don't you go talk to them? Make friends?"

He could tell by her tone of voice that his mother was wary of her surroundings and didn't like being surrounded by so many cats. Lionkit also knew that his mother didn't like being there. By the stories she told him, he could tell she liked the outside world with freedom than being in a Clan restricted by a leader. So why should he try to make friends? Nodding, he padded to the two kits that had left the nursery intent on showing them who was the most powerful among them since he would be staying in the Clan. It'll teach them to think he was weak because he left ShadowClan.

The lighter gray she-cat padded forward and mewed, "Hello! I'm Leafkit and this is my sister Berrykit," Her tail flicked in the direction of the darker gray she-cat. "Who are you?"

"Lionkit." He didn't grace them with any more words, keeping his answers short. Leafkit tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. Berrykit stayed back a little behind her sister, looking at him with uncertainty in her eyes. At least that kit knows to be wary of me, Lionkit thought.

Glancing back at her sister, Leafkit stepped closer and sniffed him. He froze as she grimaced. "You stink of ShadowClan. Are you a ShadowClan kit?"

Lionkit glared at her. "Yes, I am."

"You don't look as strong as I heard they're supposed to be," She taunted. His fluffy kit fur bristled slightly and he unsheathed his small, sharp claws. "Oohh, what are you gonna do? Attack me?" Leafkit giggled, but unsheathed her claws in preparation. Lionkit lost some of his anger at this action. He thought she would get scared of him and then leave him alone.

Sheathing his claws, he nodded to her and said, "You're not too bad, for a ThunderClan kit."

She sheathed her claws as well making her sister sigh in relief. Lionkit stifled a purr. "Thanks. You're not too bad yourself. For a ShadowClan kit, that is."

"Lionkit!"

He turned at his name. "I have to go."

Leafkit flicked her tail. "See you around."

Running to his mother, she and his father were sitting with a silver she-cat who smelled strongly of herbs. Bloodclaw glanced at her mate and said, "Lionkit, this is Silverwing. She's a medicine cat and she's going to look you over to make sure you're healthy."

"But Blackblaze is a medicine cat. Why can't he do that?" He asked, glancing between the two cats. His father's fur bristled slightly, but he didn't answer the kit's question. His mother sighed and shrugged glancing at the medicine cat. The medicine cat scuffed her paws on the ground.

"Your father is really tired from his journey here and asked me to do it for him," Silverwing finally replied.

The kit gazed at his father who seemed to be controlling his anger. Okay, I'll accept that response for now, he thought. "Okay," he mewed.

After Silverwing checked him over and declared he was as healthy as a kit could be, he went back to the nursery where he met the two she-cats. He liked how the lighter gray she-cat reacted to him. Sticking his head inside the entrance, he called softly, "Leafkit?"

A dark blue queen picked her head up from her paws. "She's off playing with some of the apprentices outside. You can wait in here for her to return if you want."

"Where outside?" He didn't want to wait; he wanted to see her now.

"Training clearing," The queen got to her paws and stretched. "Follow me."

Lionkit followed the queen as she led him through the thorn tunnel and back into the sunshine. He stayed close to the queen, not wanting to be left behind in unfamiliar territory. The trees opened up to a sandy clearing where apprentices and kits were playing in the clearing. A red tabby she-cat sat at the edge of the clearing in the shade watching the kits closely. The queen he was following went up to her and mewed, "Hey, Heatherwing."

"Hi, Bluefeather," The she-cat replied. She glanced at Lionkit. "Is he the new kit I've heard about?"

Bluefeather nodded. "Yep. Meet Lionkit. Lionkit, this is Heatherwing, another queen who stays in the nursery with me."

He nodded his focus on the cats in the clearing looking for the light gray she-cat. Spotting her, he ran into the clearing and up the kit. "Hey, Leafkit."

She looked up from her paws where she had captured a leaf. Her eyes seem to brighten as she saw him. "Lionkit! Wanna play?"

His ears pricked up. "Okay. What are we going to play?"

Leafkit shrugged. "I dunno. What about—look a butterfly!"

Lionkit watched as the she-cat jumped up into the air using her claws to capture the butterfly. She missed the first and second times, but one the third she snagged the butterfly's wing on her claws and landed on her paws. "I caught it!"

"Cool. Lemme see." He padded to her and she held out the butterfly. Lionkit sniffed it and before Leafkit could object he ate it. Glancing up at her and seeing her horrified expression he asked, "What?"

She flicked her ears in distress. "You ate the butterfly!"

"Yeah. So?"

"So?" She exclaimed. "It was a butterfly! It could upset your stomach!"

Not seeing the danger, Lionkit licked his paw and ran it over his ears. "Whatever."

Growling, Leafkit flicked her small tail and stalked off to Bluefeather. He stretched and looked around at the other cats. A red tabby kit was bouncing around chasing a tortoiseshell tom apprentice's tail. Two other apprentices, one a ginger she-cat and the other a black tom, practiced their fighting moves as another red tabby kit watched closely.

"Lionkit!" a voice called. He turned to see the dark blue queen flicking her tail for him to come. With a snort he followed as the two red tabby kits, one a she-cat and the other a tom but both clearly belonging to Heatherwing, joined the small group. Berrykit, Leafkit's sister, yawned and blinked her eyes with her ears flicking slightly. The two queens led the five kits back to camp and through the thorn tunnel. Once inside, Lionkit stretched as his mother talked quietly with the queens. He couldn't hear what they said, but Bluefeather and Heatherwing both gave a small nod. Blackblaze padded to him and licked his ears. "Have fun?" he asked.

"You could say that," he mumbled. His eyes had stayed on his mother and the queens. Now Bloodclaw was walking into the medicine den where Silverwing sniffed her and helped her inside through the curtain of brambles. "Why's Mom seeing the medicine cat?"

His father sighed. "Your mother has fallen ill. Silverwing is going to look after her until she's well."

Why aren't you doing that? Lionkit wondered.

"You're going to stay in the nursery with the other kits and queens like you did in ShadowClan," Blackblaze continued changing the subject subtly. "Bloodclaw will join you as soon as she can. Until then Bluefeather and Heatherwing will take care of you."

"Okay."

Nudging him slightly, he whispered, "Why don't you go to the nursery and rest? It's been a long day."

Nodding, Lionkit padded to the nursery and entered. Berrykit was already curled up asleep, but Leafkit raised her small head at his scent. "Hey. You can sleep over here beside me if you want."

He walked over the moss and bracken finding the nest she was talking about. Padding around it, he curled up with her pelt brushing against his and drifted to sleep.