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Allegiances
THUNDERCLAN
Leader: Hawkstar-dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes
Deputy: Petalstream- pure white she-cat with blue eyes
Medicine cat: Featherpool- dark gray she-cat with green eyes
Apprentice: Littlewhisker
Warriors (toms and she-cats without kits)
Sandfur-dark ginger tom with amber eyes
Dawnfeather-light brown she-cat with white paws, chest, and belly and blue eyes
Apprentice: Ivypaw
Stormstripe-dark gray tabby tom with green eyes
Whitepelt-huge white tom with blue eyes
Apprentice: Forestpaw
Sunwhisper-quiet golden she-cat with kind amber eyes
Apprentice: Lionpaw
Adderflight-tortoiseshell tom with hard blue eyes
Windfur- silvery she-cat with amber eyes
Furzebelly-long-haired gray tom with green eyes
Shineheart-brown she-cat with amber eyes
Hollyfrost-black she-cat with white paws and green eyes
Dustclaw- gray tom with blue eyes
Fishleap-lithe ginger tom with amber eyes
Apprentices (cats six moons and older, in training to become warriors)
Littlewhisker-small silver tom with green eyes; Medicine Cat apprentice
Ivypaw-dark gray she-cat with blue eyes
Forestpaw-black she-cat with amber eyes
Lionpaw-golden tabby with green eyes
Queens (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)
Brightfeather (dead)-furry cream she-cat with green eyes; mother of Hawkstar's kits: Echokit (cream colored tabby she cat with small white paws and ears and olive green eyes) and Pinekit (dark brown tom with blue eyes)
Jaypath-gray-blue she-cat with blue eyes; mother of Sandfur's kits: Tanglekit (light brown tom with darker ears and paws and amber eyes), Tinykit (silver she-cat with blue eyes) and Rowankit (dark red-ish tom with green eyes)
Elders (former warriors and queens, now retired)
Mouseclaw- grumpy gray-brown tom with a sharp tongue and amber eyes
Goldenmist- pretty golden she-cat with blind green eyes
WINDCLAN
Leader: Sparrowstar- black she-cat
Deputy: Swallowfur-gray tabby tom
Medicine Cat: Bluepool-blue/gray she-cat
Warriors
Pinestripe-ginger tom with darker stripes
Breezewater- silver she-cat
Apprentice: Foxpaw (Light orange tom)
Clawfoot- dark tabby tom
Poppyheart-white she cat
Rushfur-bright gray tom
Queens
Moonsong-midnight black she-cat expecting Swallowfur's kits
Elders
Ashfall-spotted gray tom
SHADOWCLAN
Leader: Shadestar-dark tom
Deputy: Graystorm-gray tom
Medicine Cat: Mossflame-cream she-cat with a rusty colored nose
Apprentice: Petalpath (rose-colored she-cat)
Warriors
Firespirit-orange she-cat
Brightwing-white and brown she-cat
Apprentice: Lionpaw (pale gold tom)
Bramblefire-brown tabby tom
Tigerfur-pale gray tom with dark brown paws
Starblaze-white she-cat
Honeypoppy-sweet golden she-cat
Queens
Tallfeather-white she-cat with a long dark stripe running down her back; mother to Bramblefire's kit: Talonkit (dark brown, almost black tomcat)
Elders
Longmist-gray she-cat, formerly the deputy
RIVERCLAN
Leader: Crowstar-large compact brown and white tom
Deputy: Willowfeather- tortoiseshell she-cat
Medicine Cat: Iceheart- silver/white she-cat
Warriors
Rainpelt- gray tom
Clumpfur-broad white and black tom with lumpy fur
Apprentice: Brichpaw- tabby tom
Brindlewhisker- orange and white she-cat
Cherrybloom-white and gray she-cat
Apprentice: Hailpaw-white she-cat
Ashtalon-dark and light gray tom
Sunleaf-bright yellow she-cat with white ears
Queens
None
Elders
Mountainfur-small dark brown tabby tom with a matted pelt
Mousefoot-dusty brown she-cat
Echokit awoke squashed under a big lump of fluffy fur. It tickled her nose and she sneezed violently before trying to stand up. Her tiny paws scrambled against the ground as she tried to breathe and scoot out from under her littermate. She craned her neck and realized it was Pinekit who was sprawled out on top of her. His eyes were closed and his breathing was deep.
"Pinekit!" Echokit hissed, struggling to get out. "Wake up you stupid fur-ball, you're squishing me!"
Her brother mumbled in his sleep but didn't wake up. She sighed and spotted his striped tail near her face. An evil thought came to mind and she purred. Sorry Pinekit…she thought, taking his tail into her jaws. She bit down, hard but not enough to actually hurt him too much.
Pinekit yowled and his eyes flew open. He leapt to his paws and the creamy she-cat stretched out, her small frame quivering. The dark brown tom licked his tail and glared at his sister. "Why'd you do that for? You could've bitten my tail off!"
Echokit rolled her olive green eyes. "Oh please, stop being so dramatic. I hardly nibbled on it. I only did it so that you'd get off of me so that I could breathe." She licked a white paw and ran it over her ears.
Pinekit muttered something about having no tail but Echokit ignored him. Jaypath, the dark blue-gray queen that nursed Echokit and Pinekit, lifted her head and blinked open her eyes blearily.
"What in StarClan's name is going on here?" she growled at the two kits. "It's barely dawn and you two are making enough noise to wake up the whole forest!"
"It's Echokit's fault. She bit my tail!" Pinekit meowed furiously, twitching his tail for emphasis.
"Only because you were squashing me!"
"Was not!"
"Was too!"
"Enough!" Jaypath scolded, glaring at her foster-kits. The queen never liked to wake up before sun-high it seemed like. She's so grumpy sometimes! Echokit observed, tilting her head curiously to one side.
Tanglekit poked his head up from where he lay beside his littermates. "Hey, I'm trying to sleep you know!" he meowed crossly.
His sister, Tinykit, sat up and looked around. "Is it time to wake up?" she asked tiredly."
"No," Pinekit sniffed. "She just bit my tail off!"
Rowankit sprang excitedly to his paws. "Cool, can I see?"
Echokit huffed in annoyance. "I did not bite your tail off, Pinekit. I just nibbled it a bit." She wrinkled her nose in slight disgust. "It didn't taste very good."
"Well duh, mouse-brain!" Rowankit rolled his eyes and shook out his ruffled dark ginger pelt. "Jaypath, can we go play outside?"
Echokit felt excitement push through her irritation. "Yeah, can we?" Her fluffy tail lashed back and forth in anticipation.
However, Jaypath was already shaking her head. "No, absolutely not. All five of you will wake up the entire Clan and then I'll be stuck with the consequences."
Tinykit's blue eyes grew wide. "We wouldn't do it on purpose though!"
Pinekit finally seemed to be getting over his "broken" tail enough to add, "Yeah, and if anyone asks then we'll just say we snuck out when you were sleeping!"
Rowankit nodded his agreement. The only one who seemed to be questioning it beside Jaypath was Tanglekit. "But if we do get caught we could still be in a lot of trouble. Hawkstar might even not make us apprentices for another moon!" He and his littermates were to be apprenticed in two moons, while Echokit and Pinekit had to wait another four moons.
Echokit shook her head and meowed confidently, "Hawkstar wouldn't do that. He's very kind."
"Maybe to you," Tanglekit sniffed, licking his chest fur. "He's your father, not ours."
Even though Tanglekit was hinting at Hawkstar's favoritism, Echokit couldn't help but feel a burst of pride. Her father was ThunderClan's leader; the best there ever was, in her opinion. One day, I'll be leader. She promised herself. And I'll lead my Clan into glory just like he has.
Rowankit clawed at the ground in irritation. "Who cares?" he growled. "I just need to stretch my paws!"
All five kits had forgotten that there was an amused yet exasperated queen right in front of them. "You kits are not going anywhere until the Clan wakes up," Jaypath said sternly, looking at each of them in turn. "Do you understand me?"
Tanglekit nodded quickly while the rest reluctantly murmured that they would. Echokit stayed silent, staring at her paws.
"Echokit?" Jaypath asked, looking down at the rebellious kit.
Pinekit nudged her with his head. "Say okay, mouse-brain," he whispered fondly.
She sighed dramatically and bowed her head. "Okay Jaypath, I shall do as you wish." The queen narrowed her eyes as if trying to figure out if Echokit was telling the truth or not. After a moment she nodded and replied, "Good. Now get some sleep."
While Jaypath, Tanglekit, Tinykit, and Pinekit curled up together and fell asleep, Echokit met Rowankit's mischievous gaze. Without having to say anything, they both silently made their way out of the nursery. Echokit felt her heart thump and felt the familiar thrill of excitement of disobeying Jaypath's orders. She was glad she had her partner in crime beside her; it always made the adventures twice as fun.
When they entered the clearing, Echokit spotted the tortoiseshell pelt of Adderflight keeping guard at the entrance. She nudged Rowankit and motioned in the direction of the tom. He followed her gaze and nodded. If they were to get caught by that mean fur-ball, they were going to be in a lot of trouble.
The sky was beginning to lighten and Echokit knew the Clan would be waking up soon. It's now or never…she thought. Casting a quick glance around, she crept swiftly towards the dirt tunnel, her belly low to the ground and her tail streaming out behind her. With Rowankit at her heels, they made in safely into the forest without being spotted.
"Whew!" Rowankit exclaimed, shaking his pelt. "That never gets old!"
Echokit slapped her tail across his mouth. "Shh!" she hissed. They were still within hearing distance. Rowankit's eyes grew wide and he nodded to show he understood.
Echokit lead the way through the trees, moving nimbly around sharp brambles and squeezing in-between small spaces. She'd been out here a few times before but it never failed to intrigue her how beautiful everything was at night. She loved the forest more than anything and her strides started to grow longer as she raced through the undergrowth, her paws flying.
"Hey, wait for me!" she heard Rowankit shout. Thundering paw steps sounded behind her and she knew her friend was catching up. Being two moons younger and half his size, Echokit struggled to keep her lead.
Rowankit flew past her, his voice raised in happiness and joy. "Come one Echokit! Am I too fast for you?" he taunted.
Saving her energy for running, Echokit answered with only a low growl of frustration. Curse her tiny limbs! She put on a burst of speed and exploded into a clearing beside a huge starlit lake. Trying to brake, she ended up tripping over her paws and ended up in the water. Her paws found solid ground and she stood there with her pelt soaked while Rowankit laughed his tail off.
"T-that was…awesome!" he gasped, struggling to catch his breath. "You sure give RiverClan a run for their fish!"
"It's better than being a scrawny WindClan warrior!" she snapped playfully, shaking her pelt and splattering him with water.
Rowankit looked aghast. "Me, a WindClan warrior? Great StarClan, never!"
"You sure do run like one though," she panted, still breathing heavy from their race. She splashed out of the shallow water and shivered. Her creamy fur was spiked and wet and great StarClan was she cold! "I don't know how R-RiverClan can d-do it," she stammered. "I'm f-freezing my p-paws off!"
Rowankit padded up next to her and pressed his pelt against hers. "That's what you get for going for a swim in the middle of Leaf Bare," he meowed dryly.
"I d-didn't go for a swim; I tripped and f-fell into the lake!" Echokit protested, still shivering violently.
"Because you're half RiverClan! I knew it all along!" Rowankit exclaimed dramatically, flopping down onto his side with his eyes closed.
Echokit rolled her eyes and purred. "You're so stupid sometimes Rowankit."
He opened one blue eye. "And you aren't?"
She snorted. "Course not!" She flicked him with her paw. "Now get up you lump, it is dawn and the Clan is waking up soon."
Rowankit lumbered to his paws and glanced at her. "I still think you're half RiverClan."
"And I still think you're a mouse-brain. Can we go now?" she retorted. He just shook his head and they made their way back to the camp. They didn't talk much, they didn't have to. Rowankit was her best friend and vice versa, they knew each other enough that they didn't have to make awkward small talk.
As they neared the camp, Rowankit suddenly asked, "Do you ever think you'll be leader one day?"
Echokit glanced at him in surprise. "Of course I do. Doesn't every cat think of it at some point?"
The ginger tom halted and looked at her intently. "But do you ever believe that you will?" he persisted.
Where is this coming from? She wondered. She shrugged and answered, "Sometimes. Why?"
He blinked and shook his head. "Nevermind, it's not important."
"Why, do you?" she asked as a thought struck her. Was Rowankit planning on being leader too? We can't BOTH be leader! I'm going to be leader.
He shrugged and vaguely meowed, "Maybe."
Echokit stared at him, trying to figure out where this was coming from. He dropped his gaze to the ground. He gave no sign of taking the conversation further and Echokit figured she didn't want to pursue it at the moment. "Okay then."
They padded on and when they entered the dirt tunnel, Echokit immediately knew something was wrong. Cats were huddled in groups, talking urgently to one another while Hawkstar looked furious. She saw Jaypath being comforted by Windfur and Sunwhisper while Tanglekit, Pinekit, and Tiny kit sat aside with their eyes wide.
Rowankit hissed. "We're in big trouble."
Echokit nodded sullenly before making her way into the clearing. She knew she was in for a huge scolding.
StarClan help us!
That's it! R&R
Moonblaze 13: Thanks for reviewing! And yeah, I thought of that while I was writing it actually! LOL