Hi again! Let me first reply to some reviews, and then I'll get onto the story.
From now on, the people who review a chapter before I post the next one are answered to in the next chapter. If you review after that, but you have an honest question, I'll PM you.
Here they are:
Mapleshade Returns: Thanks for being the first reviewer! Yeah, you'll see... neither of the twins will be like that.
Writing with a Smile: Thanks!
Raven that flies at night: I'll try to update as often as possible. And thank you.
Here's the first chapter...
Frostkit squirmed closer to her mother's soft belly as a paw poked her in the side. Heartbeats later, a heavy weight landed on top of her, crushing her, and driving the breath out of her small body. Then, a soothing voice, probably her mother's, spoke. "Don't disturb her, Snowkit."
"But why won't she wake up?" Snowkit demanded, reluctantly rolling off Frostkit, though her paw nudged Frostkit's side once more. Frostkit curled her plumy tail around her body and did not speak, refusing to open her eyes for the first time. She felt she wasn't ready... not yet, anyway. A large paw gently pushed Snowkit away from her, and Frostkit heard a snort through her newly opened ears.
"She just needs time, little one," her mother mewed again, though this time, her voice, though filled with affection, was firm. Snowkit prodded Frostkit again, this time so sharply that she rolled over, her eyes opening for the first time, and she blinked at the blinding sunlight. As her eyes adjusted, she found that her vision was rather blurred; she could only make out the faint shapes of her mother and sister. Reaching a paw upward, she rubbed it across her eyes, then fell back into the moss, unable to keep her balance.
"Sorry!" a voice mewed, and Frostkit saw a pure white she-cat, about her size, sitting up, staring at her. "But you opened your eyes in the end!"
"Are you all right, Frostkit?" Frostkit turned her head, then pushed herself to her paws as she saw a black-and-white she-cat laying on the moss beside her, her blue eyes admiring and hopeful. Frostkit nodded silently, then jumped to the ground, her paws slipping slightly. Snowkit landed beside her, buckling a little, but she kept her balance.
"Can we go outside?" Frostkit asked, feeling the words roll smoothly off her tongue as she spoke.
"Please, Swiftheart?" Snowkit added, her earnest eyes meeting Frostkit's for a heartbeat.
Swiftheart stared at the two of them, as they spoke. Her voice was soft as she replied. "You're completely identical," she murmured, half to herself. "Your voices and your appearances are the same." Frostkit tipped her head to one side, and Snowkit did the same, and both exchanged confused glances. Identical? What does that mean?
"What does that mean, Swiftheart?" Frostkit asked, taking a step toward their mother, who now sat straight up, staring in awe.
Swiftheat's eyes widened. "I mean, you look exactly the same, and you sound exactly the same."
"We're exactly the same?" Snowkit echoed, sounding interested. "Cool!"
"Now can we go and explore?" Frostkit pleaded, and Snowkit pressed against her, her warm white fur feeling soft and comforting at Frostkit's side. Frostkit blinked, staring momentarily into Snowkit's bright, crystal blue eyes. So mine look the same as hers.
To her relief, Swiftheart nodded. "But when I call you, you have to come back." Frostkit and Snowkit nodded eagerly, and Snowkit turned and bounded out of the den. Frostkit watched as Swiftheart nodded, then let out a short yowl of delight before racing after her littermate. "Stay out of the warriors' way!" Swiftheart yowled after her. "And whatever you do, don't leave camp!"
Frostkit stopped short as she stood in the center of the clearing. Brilliant rays of sunlight hit her like waves, and her white fur gleamed. Snowkit padded toward her, looking worried. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, of course I am!" Frostkit mewed, flicking her feathery tail. "What do you want to do?"
"Let's explore the different dens!" Snowkit suggested, her eyes glowing. Frostkit nodded excitedly, then stared down at her paws, which were now stained with grass and dirt. Her eyes widened as she glimpsed a tall mound near her, then pointed a paw toward it.
"What do you think that is?" she asked, eyes wide.
Snowkit shrugged indifferently. "I dunno." She bounded ahead for a few pawsteps. Then, she paused, turning her white, narrow, feminine head. "You coming, Frostkit?" Frostkit cast one final glance at the mound, which smelled new but warm, then bounded after Snowkit.
"Let's go in there, first!" Frostkit suggested, and Snowkit nodded. The two of them padded toward a smallish den that reeked of unfamiliar scents, but they didn't seem like cat scents. The air around the den smelled more of the grass Frostkit was standing on. The scents grew stronger as Frostkit padded into the den, and on either side of her, she saw piles of different plants. That explains the scent.
There was a rock crevice in the side of the den, where Frostkit could see more plants. "This must be the medicine den!" Frostkit exclaimed, sniffing at each of the small plants, her eyes glittering with curiosity as she stared at these unfamiliar herbs.
"It definitely smells like it," Snowkit mewed, then froze as a light brown tabby she-cat padded out from the inner part of the den towards them. Her amber eyes were friendly, and she let out a soft smile as she spotted the two kits.
"Hello, you two," she mewed quietly, her voice gentle and rich. "I'm Lightfoot, and I'm the ThunderClan medicine cat." Frostkit shot a glance at Snowkit, and neither spoke. "Are you Frostkit or Snowkit?" she asked, bending her head to touch noses to Frostkit.
She can't tell us apart, because we're identical! "I'm Frostkit, and that's Snowkit," Frostkit replied.
"What are you doing?" Snowkit asked, wrinkling her nose at the scent coming from Lightfoot's paws. Frostkit shook her head wildly to clear her nose of the stench, and Lightfoot purred in amusement at their reaction.
"I had to take mouse-bile to the elders," Lightfoot mewed. "Now, I'm going to wash my paws in the stream."
"Can we come?" Frostkit asked, as Lightfoot padded past them.
Lightfoot shook her head. "The stream is outside of camp. You can only come when you're six moons old."
With that, she padded out of the medicine den, leaving Frostkit and Snowkit staring after her, identical expressions of dismay on their faces. "Fox-dung," Frostkit muttered. "Let's go." She padded alongside Snowkit outside of the medicine den, her eyes gleaming as she spotted other dens in their close vicinity, then sniffed at one of them, lifting her plumy tail slightly.
"What's in there?" Snowkit asked, and without waiting for an answer, she bounded toward a larger den. This time, Frostkit realized, as she caught up with her sister, that this den was probably full of cats, unlike the medicine den. She poked her head inside, and was answered by a long growl. Frostkit jumped back at the same time as Snowkit, and both exchanged startled looks.
A dark red tom padded out of the warriors' den, and his mew was gruff as he spoke. "What are you doing here? This is the warriors' den!"
"Oh, Redflare, don't be so harsh!" a reprimanding mew from the back of the den called, and a white she-cat appeared at the tom called Redflare's side. Her green gaze met Frostkit's, and she blinked. "They're just kits, after all." She paused, and Redflare turned to glare at her. "You were like that too, Redflare, if I remember correctly."
"I was not!" Redflare retorted, though his whiskers twitched in amusement.
"Don't try to deny it," the she-cat purred.
Redflare sighed. "Fine. You win, Silverfoot." Frostkit couldn't help glancing down to stare at the she-cat's paws, which, of course, were silver in color. He turned back to Frostkit and Snowkit. "Are you Swiftheart's kits? You look exactly the same."
"They're identical, mouse-brain," Silverfoot retorted, rolling her eyes.
"Then... are you Frostkit? Or are you Snowkit?" Redflare asked, pointing his tail directly at Frostkit.
Why does everyone ask me, first? "I'm Frostkit."
"And I'm Snowkit," Snowkit added, and Frostkit could detect a twinge of annoyance in her voice. So she's noticed, too. Frostkit purred, pressing comfortingly against Snowkit, and Redflare nodded, still staring at Frostkit. Silverfoot padded past them, and out into the clearing, and Redflare vanished into the warriors' den, leaving Snowkit and Frostkit alone.
"Which kit are you?" a golden brown tom asked, bending his head to Frostkit. Snowkit let out an annoyed snort.
"I'm Frostkit," Frostkit stated again. "That's Snowkit."
The tom beamed, and nuzzled the kits gently. "I'm Lionstorm, your father," he announced proudly. "I'm glad you opened your eyes." Frostkit and Snowkit just stared. "Anyway, I've got to go on patrol, sorry. I'll spend time with you in the evening, I promise."
"Why does everyone ask you, only?" Snowkit asked curiously, and her voice was laced with sadness.
Frostkit shrugged. "So you've noticed too, have you? I don't know why!" Snowkit flicked her tail, and Frostkit tensed her muscles, detecting a flash of jealousy in her eyes. Snowkit blinked, at it was gone, as quickly as it had been there.
"Whatever." Snowkit padded away. "Let's go."
"Snowkit, wait." Frostkit jumped in front of her sister, blocking her path. "I'm sure it's just luck, okay?" She paused. "Besides, we're identical, remember?"
"Yeah," Snowkit's face glowed. "We're identical."
"And Snowkit, if somehow, we do stop being identical, if I were to become leader, I'd make sure that no one treats us differently," Frostkit added. "I know it's probably just luck that everyone asks me before you, but anyway, I would."
"Mouse-brain," Snowkit retorted affectionately. "You can't stop being identical." There was a brief silence before she spoke again. "Anyway, if I were to be leader, I would make you my deputy. I swear by StarClan about that."
"I'd say the same," Frostkit mewed fervently. "But we'll never stop being identical. I promise."
I hope you liked the first chapter!
Read and review!