Chapter 1
Dawnkit opened her eyes, their new magenta coloring taking in the nursery around her. This was the third sunrise after she had first opened her eyes. She glanced at the entrance and saw Duskkit and Harekit sitting by the entrance. She looked up toward her mother. Hazelwood nodded.
Dawnkit trotted off to her littermates, her paws still clumsy on the soft moss.
"Hey Duskkit, hey Harekit!" She mewed, her mew soft and light.
"Oh hey Dawnkit, wanna go outside?" Harekit leaped to his paws and looked longingly at Hazelwood.
"Sure! Is that okay Hazelwood?" Dawnkit asked.
"I wanna come too!" Duskkit said, her amber eyes glowing with excitement.
"Sure, go with Smallkit and Shortkit." Hazelwood nodded to the kits playing outside.
"Okay!" Dawnkit was the first kit outside.
"Ugh the little kits are here!" Smallkit whined and stalked off to play with Leafshade, the closest to him in age other than Dawnkit and her litter.
"Ignore Smallkit. He's just jealous you all want to be warriors and you can train together." Shortkit reassured the kits. Mistwool retired at Doegaze's medicine cat ceremony, and Shortkit was planning on being his apprentice.
"Well, at least you know what you'll do with your life Shortkit! Harekit hasn't even planned who he wants to be mentored by!"Duskkit said, who had already asked Meadowstar for her to be mentored by Dovecloud, she also had planned who she wanted to be mates with, but she hasn't told anyone who.
"Duskkit! What if Harekit wants to be surprised by who Meadowstar had planned!?" Dawnkit mewed looking at her brother who went to go play with Littlestorm.
About Four Moons Later...
"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below the Tallrock for a clan meeting!" Meadowstar bellowed from his place on the Tallrock. While Dawnkit and Harekit sat outside the nursery huddled next to Hazelwood, Duskkit Sat by Mossdrop in front of the warrior's den.
Shows how much alike we are! Dawnkit thought.
Smallkit and Shortkit sat in the dip beneath the Tallrock. Hopleaf sat next to Doegaze above the kits.
"today is an important day in a young cat's life. Today we will welcome two kits into apprenticeship. Shortkit, Smallkit, please step forward." Meadowstar said. The black tom's pelt blending with the dark night sky, his outline only visible because of the moonlight, stars, and his Amber eyes illuminating his frame. "Shortkit! From this day, until you get your medicine cat name, I name you Shortpaw, your mentor will be Doegaze!" Meadowstar shouted to his clan as the young tom touched Doegaze's nose.
"Smallkit! From this day until you get your warrior name, you will be Smallpaw, your mentor will be Minnowleap!" The brave young tom glared at Meadowstar for giving him the most helpless, blind warrior in all of the clans. Apparently he was hoping for Leafshade. He should be happy he's being mentored at all! Dawnkit thought as she defended the young blind warrior silently in her head. Still, Smallpaw nuzzled Minnowleap disrespectfully and stormed off to the apprentice's den ungratefully.
"Shortpaw Shortpaw!" Lionsun and Bearclaw shouted and started Shortpaw's chant, but no cats started shouting for Littlepaw.
"What about Littlepaw?" Harekit asked Hazelwood.
"Littlepaw!" Dawnkit and Harekit start shouting. The rest of the clan looks at the two little kits like they are crazy. They were about to be apprenticed and they are just starting a chant for an ungrateful apprentice.
"No Dawnkit. No Harekit." Mossdrop said to his kits across the camp. Dawnkit's pelt burned and she could feel and see Harekit's pelt prickle.
Dawnkit nodded to Harekit and they ran off towards the nursery where they were hiding in a tunnel they were digging below the smallest nest that no queen ever uses. Dawnkit covered up the moss again and she found the small mud pool from a few sunrises ago and splashed in it to hide her scent. Harekit did the same and the two kits continued digging their escape route out of WindClan.