Chapter 26

"Dappled Ferns."

4/11/17 - 4/12/17

Don't do this, Fernkit. Stay put, Fernkit. Fernkit is getting tired of being told what to do. Shrewkit and Smokekit may be fine with having Splashpelt boss them around, but not her. She was getting tired of it all.

Fernkit hears Splashpelt snoring, and her brothers were fast asleep, too. She takes the opportunity to leave and look around. Some of the ShadowClan warriors greet Fernkit, and nod in her direction.

The pretty tortoiseshell kit looks at the big boulder and notices a pale grey and white she-cat entering camp with a brown and white she-cat, who is strongly identical to Splashpelt except for her amber eyes.

Maybe she's my littermate? She looks older than me.

If this apprentice was her sister, her mother wouldn't say. Splashpelt doesn't talk about any of her kits, if she had any, and is more focused on keeping Fernkit, Smokekit and Shrewkit inside the nursery until they became apprentices.

Except for now, thanks to yours truly.

Fernkit smells something sweet, and follows the scent to the bramble thicket den. She peeks her head inside, and sees many nuts, blades of grass and berries. Fernkit's nose is more drawn to the sweet, smelling leaves.

She stands over it, and sees a dark red berry, shiny and inviting. She leans in with her lips close and tongue prepared to lick…

"Don't touch that!"

Fernkit recoils and sees a skinny, light brown tom pushing her out of the den. He bore his green eyes on her.

"Did you eat that dark red berry?"

"N-No!"

"Good!" The tom said. "Those were deathberries, one bite could kill you. I want you to memorize the berry and never do this again."

Fernkit nods. "O-Okay…"

"... Don't be like that. I'm just trying to keep my sister safe."

Fernkit looks up at the light brown tom. "You're my brother?"

"Of course. My name is Owlpaw, I'm a medicine cat apprentice."

"You are?" Fernkit asks, awe stricken.

Owlpaw nods. "Why do you think I know that the berry would kill you?"

"Wow…" Fernkit blinks at her big brother with a sense of amazement. Owlpaw becomes embarrassed.

"Owlpaw - oh!" Fernkit looks over her shoulder and sees Splashpelt's apprentice sized duplicate.

"Mosspaw. This is Fernkit."

"I know." Mosspaw says. "I never seen you outside the nursery before."

"You look just like Splashpelt. Is she your mother, too?"

Mosspaw laughs dryly. "Yes, she is."

"Fernkit?! Fernkit, where are you?!"

The pretty tortoiseshell almost jumps out of her fur, and dips her head to her older littermates. "I have to go - fast!"

Fernkit races toward the nursery only to get caught by Splashpelt. The ShadowClan queen's voice isn't heard from the distance, but she's giving Fernkit a firm scolding. Owlpaw sees his young brothers, especially Smokekit.

His eyes are green. That should be a good thing that they're not amber, but he still looks like… him.

"Splashpelt never cramped us in the nursery." Mosspaw told Owlpaw. "If anything she was glad to be rid of us while she stretched her legs."

"Maybe she's protective." Owlpaw said, even though it's a lie.

"Is she?" Mosspaw questions her brother. "Because Fernkit didn't even know she had a brother and a sister until she came out. If I didn't know any better I think that Splashpelt is trying to hide them from us."

Mosspaw glances at Owlpaw. "Owlpaw, do you know what's going on with her?"

"... Who cares?"

The brown and white she cat blinks in surprise with Owlpaw's response.

"Look, ever since Splashpelt hit me, my opinion of her changed, along with...other discoveries. She is a self centered, self righteous she-cat that I want nothing to do with anymore, let alone share a warriors den with!"

Owlpaw is surprised to hear the venom in his voice. Mosspaw blinks sympathetically.

"Oh, Owlpaw. What did she do to break you?"

Owlpaw wanted to tell her. He wanted to confide in his sister about their mother's betrayal and settle things once and for all. But a small part of him still doesn't want Splashpelt to get in trouble, even if it would serve her right.

"Owlpaw. Please, I promise I won't tell. It will just be between us and Swiftpaw."

"... I know who our father is. That's why Splashpelt treated me so badly before I left."

Mosspaw's amber eyes widen. "You do?"

Owlpaw nods. "I can't say it, but he's definitely from another Clan, and Splashpelt will most likely come after me after you see him."

"Who?"

"... When is the next Gathering?"

"Next moon."

Owlpaw bites his lip. "Just look out in the group of WindClan cats. Keep a close eye on them and see who stands out the most when Heatherstar announces my change in apprenticeship."

Fernkit quickly and quietly tells Smokekit and Shrewkit about their older littermates that night when Splashpelt left to stretch her legs. Heatherstar and her kits were sleeping soundly.

"Really? One of our brothers is a medicine cat?" Shrewkit asks with distaste.

"What does he look like?" Smokekit asks her.

"Light brown and skinny. He almost looks like a WindClan cat Heatherstar described."

Smokekit pushes her with his paw. "Don't get distracted. What about Mosspaw?"

"That's the scary thing. She had brown and white fur, just like Mom, but she had amber eyes like you, Shrewkit. I wanna see our other brother next time…"

"If there's a next time." Shrewkit points out. "Splashpelt won't let us go to the dirt place thanks to you."

"So we'll sneak out!"

"She'll have her eye on us."

Fernkit smirks. "She has to sleep sometime."

Paw steps enter the nursery and the three kits immediately lay inside of the nest as Splashpelt looks over them. "Why are you still up?"

"We couldn't sleep." Smokekit replies. Splashpelt's green eyes flash in the darkness and curls in the nest, wrapping her tail around the three kits.

"Go to sleep." She orders quietly.

Shrewkit and Smokekit complies, but Fernkit looks at the ceiling with a small grin on her muzzle.

I got a big brother and a sister!

Guess what? I got another chapter finished and one more still in the works, but I'm holding off on posting the finished one and see how this goes without posting a chapter as soon as I finish it. :)

Fernkit got to meet her siblings and Owlpaw drops a hint to Mosspaw about their father. Now it's up to Mosspaw to put the pieces together. ~ Kyubi