It was midnight, and neither Bluestar nor Spottedleaf were asleep. They were standing in front of the medicine cat den discussing recent events within the clans when a sudden burst of flame erupted before them, tracing a path along the ground and accompanied by a young fawn running beside it. As the fire and the fawn disappeared into the darkness, Bluestar turned to her friend in surprise. "What was that?" she asked in alarm. "An omen," Spottedleaf responded. "Fire and Fawn will work Together to protect the clans from unseen dangers."
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"There are four clans in the forest: Windclan, the fastest, Riverclan, the prettiest, Thunderclan, the bravest, and Shadowclan, the stealthiest. While they are all from different clans, they share the same code and respect each other, even during battles. They live wild and free lives that would scare even the bravest kittypets; they live totally different lives that I myself could never see myself living, but admire from afar."
"Jake?" A tiny fire-colored kit with emerald green eyes asked, the tom telling the story stopping. "Yes, Rusty?" The tom known as Jake purred. "Do you think I could be a clan cat?" The kit asked with hope in her eyes. "Of course you could!" The tom replied. "As long as you work hard, I'm sure you'd be a fine clan cat." Jake purred. "Do you think I could be a clan cat?" A fawn-colored she-kit piped up, lifting herself up on her paws and using Rusty's head for support.
Jake chuckled. "Yes, Princess, alongside your brother, you would make an amazing clan cat." A ruddy-colored tom scoffed. "If it existed, that is. The clans don't exist; only bone-eating rogues live in the forest." Rusty stood up, causing Princess's paws to fall off his head and back onto the cat bed. "The clans do too exist, Tommy!" The kit squeaked. "Do not!" "Do too!" "Do not!" "Do-" a tortie she-cat put her tail in between the two bickering kits. "Now now, you two, quit your bickering," the she-cat purred in amusement.
"He started it!" Rusty meowed. "Well, I'm ending it," the she-cat mewed. The she sighed and looked up at Jake. "Were you telling them about the clans again, dear?" The she-cat purred. "Of course I did; it's the kits' favorite." The tom purred. The she sighed, shaking her head. "Still can't get over your rogue friend, can you?" The purred. "He wasn't a rogue; he was a WindClan cat named Talltail."
Nutmeg chuckled. "Okay, dear," she said as she stood up to stretch and walk away to eat. Jake shook his head and looked down at his kits. "She'll never believe me, will she?" he asked. The tom chuckled. "Nope!" A dilute tortoiseshell she-kit, Luna giggled. A sorrel-colored tom, Filou piped up. "If the clans do exist, then I'd hate to be in one." Filou shivered. "That life is - not for me," he'd shiver at the thought.
"Well, I would love to live in one! ThunderClan sounds so cool!" Rusty mewed. "Ya, I agree," Princess mewed. "Oh! Wanna play Thunderclan, Filou, Tommy, Luna, and Rusty like how ThunderClan is in Jake's stories?" Princess asked. "I'm good," Tommy said. "Why not?" Luna mewed. "No, thank you," Filou squeaked. "I'm in!" Rusty yipped. "Okay! I'll be the leader, Fawnstar! Rusty, you'll be my deputy, Rustclaw, and Luna, you can be a warrior! Moonlily!" Princess exclaimed excitedly.
"You three go into the garden to play," Jake said. "Okay, Jake!" the three kits replied in unison as they skittered out of the house and into the backyard. "This will be the meeting rock," Princess announced, pointing to a rock about the size of a full-grown cat. "This will be the Warrior's Den," she skipped over to a large patch of grass surrounded by rocks. "And this will be the Leader's Den!" she exclaimed, pointing to a flowerbed next to the Warrior's Den. "Okay!" Rusty meowed.
Okay! Let's play now," Princess said excitedly. As they played, they pretended that a fox attacked their camp, but they easily won; Luna pretended to have kits using toy mice, and Rusty pretended to fight a ShadowClan cat using a leaf! After they were done playing, Rusty had an idea. "Princess, Luna, do you think we can go into the forest and see if everything Jake said was true?" he asked his two sisters. "I don't know," Luna replied uncertainly.
"Well, it doesn't hurt to look, does it?" Rusty mewed. Princess's ear perked up and she looked over at her brother. "Ya! I'd love to see the forest to find out if the clans exist." Princess exclaimed excitedly. Luna giggled at her sister's excitement. "You guys can go; I'll stay so I can tell Jake and Nutmeg that you're okay and you just went out to see the forest." Luna mewed. Rusty's ears perked up in excitement. "Okay!" Rusty mewed excitedly as he climbed up the fence and jumped onto the other side with Princess following closely behind.
They ventured into the forest with curiosity and wonder. The sounds they heard and the prey that skittered past them. It was freeing and they both loved it. "Princess," Rusty squealed, so very excited and in awe of everything around him. "Princess! This place is beautiful!" Rusty exclaimed, his excitement palpable. Princess was in a similar state, but she was so overwhelmed by her emotions that she couldn't find words other than, "Mhm!" Princess squeaked.
They spotted a gray-brown tom that was approaching them. They looked at one another and Princess said, "Do you think he's a clan cat?" Rusty looked over at the tom again and replied, "Maybe, let's wait and see." The tom stopped in front of the two kits, looking at them with a concerned expression on his face.
"What are you two doing here all alone?" He asked with a soft, kind, concerned voice. Rusty's ears perked at the question. "We were going to see if what our dad said about the forest was true!" Rusty mewed. The tom tilted his head. "And what did he say about the forest?" The tom asked softly. Rusty looked over to her sister and looked back to the tom. "That there are clans in this forest!" Rusty chirped.
"Our dad had a friend named Talltail who was supposedly in the clans, and he learned about them from him!" Princess piped in. "Is that so?" The tom purred. "Mhm!" Princess squeaked, and the tom chuckled. "Well, your father's stories are true; there are indeed clans in this forest." Rusty would gasp, looking over at his sister. "YES! I KNEW IT!" The kit would exclaim excitedly as his sister began to dance with happiness.
The unknown tom softly laughed, clearly amused by the kits excitement. "My name is Thrushpelt, I'm from ThunderClan," the tom purred. Princess looked up in awe at the tom in front of her as she spoke. "My name is Princess, and that furball is my brother, Rusty." Princess mewed. "It's really nice to meet you!" Rusty chirped.
Thrushpelt chuckled "It's nice to meet you two as well, but as much as I'd like to take you back to your home as soon as possible, the journey back for such young kits like you would be too tiring. You two can stay in ThunderClan for tonight, and I can take you back home tomorrow." The tom purred. "Come on, little ones," he meowed. Rusty and Princess followed right behind him and chirped in unison, "Ok!"
As they arrived at the camp, the two kits' eyes were filled with wonder. "Wow! This place looks so much better than I imagined it!" Princess squeaked. "It's so cool!" Rusty mewed excitedly. When they got into camp, they received some strange stares, but Thrushpelt led them to the leader's den, where a blue-gray she-cat awaited them.
"Bluestar, I found these two Kittypet kits exploring our territory while I was hunting, and I hoped you would allow them to stay for the night, as the journey back will be tiring for such young kits, especially since they have already traveled so far into our territory." Thrushpelt explained. Bluestar looked at the two kits and gave a quick nod. "They may stay," she meowed.
Thrushpelt nodded. "Alright, kits. Come on, let me take you to the nursery. I'll take you back home tomorrow morning." The tom purred as he exited the leader's den with Rusty and Princess not far behind. As they entered the nursery, they noticed the other kits. "Hey, Goldenflower," Thrushpelt began, "do you think you can take care of these two for the night? I found them in my territory exploring, and they're much too young to travel back without rest." The golden queen lifted her head and looked at Rusty and Princess, then looked back up to Thrushpelt and nodded. "I can take care of them," she purred. "Come here, little ones." Goldenflower said softly. As she adjusted herself to make room for the two kits next to her own two.
Rusty and Princess both walked over to Goldenflower and nuzzled up to her belly alongside Goldenflower's own two kits. Goldenflower looked at Rusty and Princess and asked, "What are your names, little ones?" Rusty and Princess both responded by saying their names one after the other: "I'm Princess." "And I'm Rusty!" After Thrushpelt had left the den, a black-and-white tom-kit yawned and looked at the two new kits, tilting his head. "Goldenflower," he said, "who are they?" Goldenflower responded by saying, "Swiftkit, these two are Princess and Rusty; they are going to be staying with us for tonight, so they can head back to their twoleg den tomorrow not all tired."
"Oh, okay. Do you think they could play with me and Lynxkit before they go?" Swiftkit asked. "I'm sure they could, but you'd have to ask them." Goldenflower purred. "Okay!" Swiftkit mewed excitedly and turned to look at the two new kits. "Would you two like to play Mossball with me and Lynxkit?" Swiftkit asked, tilting his head. Rusty's ears perked up. "Sure! That sounds fun!" Princess's ears perked up at the mention of playing "Yeah, I'll play too!" Princess chirped.
"Okay! Let me wake up Lynxkit first." Swiftkit mewed excitedly as he started to gently bat his sister's head. "Wakey wakey Lynxkit!" Swiftkit mewed. The small tortoiseshell she-kit yawned before she opened her eyes to look at her brother. "What is it?" Lynxkit mewed, still a bit sleepy. "Come play Mossball with me, Rusty, and Princess!" Lynxkit stood up with a confused look on her face. "Who's Rusty and Princess?" Lynxkit asked, tilting her head. "Rusty and Princess are kittypets who are going to stay for the night and go back to their den tomorrow!" Swiftkit explained.
"Oh, okay! Yeah, I'll play with you guys." Lynxkit meowed. Swiftkit's ears perked up and he ran around Goldenflower before coming back a few seconds later with a ball of moss in his jaws. Swiftkit set it down and looked up at the three other kits, his eyes shining with excitement. "Okay, ready? Go!" Swiftkit then batted the moss ball, causing all four kits to run after it.
Rusty was about to catch it when he tripped over his own feet and ran into a male gray kit. "Hey! Watch it!" The tom hissed. Rusty stood up and looked at the gray kit. "Sorry!" Rusty mewed apologetically. The gray kit sighed. "It's ok! Just be more careful next time!" The gray kit mewed. "Graykit, how about you talk to your new friend for a bit? I need to go talk to someone." Graykit looked over at his mother as she walked out of the nursery. "Okay, Willowpelt!" Graykit mewed. Rusty looked at him. "So, what's your name?" Graykit asked. Rusty nodded. "My name is Rusty. I'm staying here for the night so I can go back home not tired," Rusty mewed. Graykit stood up. "You're from the twoleg place right?" Graykit asked. Rusty nodded. "I live with my parents, littermates, and housefolk there!" He mewed.
"What's it like living in the Twolegplace?" Graykit asked. "I've always heard that they live soft, and easy lives!" Graykit mewed. Rusty thought for a moment. "Well, it definitely is super easy," he said. "We don't have any foxes or anything dangerous to deal with, so it can get pretty boring sometimes." He paused. "I've always found the thought of a wild life to be exciting; I'd love to live in a clan if I could."
"Well, why don't you just stay here? Couldn't you just ask Bluestar if you could join?" Graykit asked. Rusty's ears perked at the thought that maybe he and his sister could be in the clans. "You's right! Let me go talk to my sister!" Rusty meowed as he ran over to his sister, who was playing with Swiftkit and Lynxkit. "Princess!" Rusty chirped. When Princess heard her name, she stopped playing and looked over at her brother "I was talking to my new friend, Graykit, and I was telling him about how I love the idea of living a wild life in a clan like Thunderclan and he said that we could just ask Bluestar if we wanted to join! Wouldn't that be amazing?"
Princess looked at Rusty with hopeful eyes. "It would be nice," she meowed. "But do you think we could say bye to our family first? Tell them that we're okay?" Princess mewed. Rusty thought for a moment and replied, "Well, we could just ask Bluestar if we could. I'm sure she'd let us say goodbye."
Rusty started to run out of the nursery. "Now come on, Princess!'" he exclaimed excitedly. "Coming!" she'd squeak as she followed closely behind him. Both Rusty and Princess stopped when they reached Bluestar. "Bluestar!" they said in unison. Bluestar stopped what she was doing and looked down at the two kits with a stoic expression on her face. "What do you little ones need?" she asked. "Me and my sister want to join ThunderClan," he chirped.
Bluestar tilted her head, "Are you two sure? Clan life isn't easy, especially for kittypets like you." "We know!" Rusty meowed. "Our father always tells us about the clans that he learned about from his old friend, Talltail!" The kits mewed in unison. Bluestar looked at them in surprise. "Your father was friends with a clan cat?"
Princess nodded her head. "Mhm! He's never forgotten." Princess squeaked. "Okay, are you one hundred percent sure you are ready?" Bluestar meowed, to which both kits nodded. Bluestar sighed and with a purr, she said, "Alright, you two may join ThunderClan; however, you must have your collars removed." Rusty and Princess's ears slightly pinched back. "Oh.. that's- easy," Princess said as she put her paw in between her collar and neck and snapped it off. To her and Rusty's surprise both collars came off with ease.
"Well then, it's time to give the both of you proper clan names then," Bluestar meowed as she walked onto Highrock. She climbed up to the top and sat down, "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather for a clan meeting!" Bluestar called. As the clan started to gather, they looked up at her with confusion and wonder about what the meeting was about.
"Two kittypet kits have told me that they would like to join the Clan. They both were able to take off their collars with ease, which can only mean StarClan approves the choice that they have made. Princess and Rusty, please come forward." As Princess and Rusty walked over to the front of the crowd, a young pale brown tabby tom spoke up. "Why in StarClan's name are you allowing kittypets into ThunderClan? The other clans are going to laugh at us!" The tom hissed. "Longpaw! It is not your job to make choices for the Clan; you are an apprentice, so sit down and let Bluestar speak!" Thrushpelt rebuked the young tom. Longpaw huffed, reluctantly sitting down.
Thank you, Thrushpelt," Bluestar meowed. The tom bowed his head respectfully before raising it to look back at the two kits. "Now, Princess and Rusty, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and when the time comes protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?" Bluestar asked. The two kits looked at each other with determined looks and as they looked back up at Bluestar, As they both say the two words that would forever change their destinies: "I do!" The two kits said together with confidence. "Then, Rusty, until you are old enough to become an apprentice, your new name shall be Firekit, Goldenflower will take care of you." Bluestar meowed.
Firekit was elated; he finally got what he had always wanted. He finally became a Clan cat! "Princess" Bluestar meowed again, and Firekit watched as her ears nervously twitched. "Your name shall be Fawnkit, just like your brother, Goldenflower will care for you until you are ready to be apprenticed," Bluestar meowed. The majority of the Clan cheered, while the rest remained unsure about the two kittypet-born kits, but that didn't matter to the two littermates. They were so happy about becoming official Clan cats that they really didn't care about anything else in that moment.
"Congratulations, you two." Thrushpelt purred to the two kits. "You're going to be great Clan cats." He'd purr. Firekit looked at Thrushpelt with prideful eyes. "Thank you!" he squeaked. Goldenflower came up to the two kits and purred. "I will care for you two as best as I can," she promised. Fawnkit looked up at Goldenflower and nuzzled into the she-cat with a purr. Firekit followed closely behind. "Do you think you could tell us more about the Clans?" Fawnkit asked.
Goldenflower purred, "Of course I can; I have all the time in the world to tell you more about the clans." Her tail curled around the two kits and guided them over to the nursery. "How about I tell you about how the clans began?" Firekit and Fawnkit's eyes brightened. "Yes!" the two squealed in unison, as the three of them headed back into the nursery...
