CHAPTER 1

"Wake up, you lazy badger," a voice growled. Amberkit sleepily blinked her eyes open and let out a huge yawn. Her brother, Adderkit, was standing over her, watching her with an annoyed look. Amberkit stretched out her legs and looked around the nursery. Featherflight was grooming herself and Ravenkit while Jinxkit fiddled with a small ball of moss.

"It's too early to be awake…" Amberkit complained, sitting up and licking an unruly patch of chest fur.

"The dawn patrol's already back. You're never gonna be a warrior if you sleep in this late," Adderkit told her, rolling his eyes. Amberkit replied with a cuff to his ear.

"Hey!" Adderkit protested, shifting to the side. His brown tabby pelt melted into the dappled sunlight of the nursery.

"I'm hungry," Amberkit announced, stretching and beginning to pad toward the opening that led to the rest of the ThunderClan camp. "Where's Finchkit?" she asked as Adderkit ran to catch up with her.

"In Applefoot's den," Adderkit replied like it should've been obvious.

"Do you think he's really going to become a medicine cat?" Amberkit asked, her eyes wide, as the two padded out of the nursery.

"No, I think he just likes to gossip with her," Adderkit snorted sarcastically. "But yeah, it's been his dream for a while now. Don't you think it's a bit weird, though?"

"What do you mean?" Amberkit asked as the two reached the fresh-kill pile. Amberkit grabbed a juicy wood mouse and beckoned for Adderkit to follow her.

They sat down in the shade of the Highledge before Adderkit responded. "Isn't it weird that Finchkit wants to have a special connection with Starclan when we aren't really clanborn?"

Their mother, Dovewing, had been a loner before she had been taken in by ThunderClan. It had never bothered Amberkit, though, because their father was a respected senior warrior, and their mother was as loyal as any cat.

"I don't feel that way. Even though Dovewing doesn't believe in Starclan, Finchkit does, and besides, being a medicine cat isn't all about prophecies and whatnot," Amberkit meowed, biting into the wood mouse.

"Still, we're not really clan cats. We're still half loner." Amberkit looked up in surprise. Her brother looked lost in thought, staring off into the distance.

"What do you mean? I'm the most loyal cat in ThunderClan! No one ever questions that," Amberkit exclaimed.

"Have you seen the way Marrowfoot looks at us?" Adderkit growled, flicking his tail tip toward the warrior, who was sharing tongues with Redfur.

Amberkit rolled her eyes. "He's just grumpy. You're being dramatic." At that moment, Finchkit trotted out of the medicine den, his eyes bright. He bounded over to his siblings, his tail waving.

"Applefoot decided to let me become her apprentice!" he exclaimed, shivering with excitement.

"Congratulations!" Amberkit purred. Adderkit stared at his paws. Amberkit resisted the urge to cuff his ear and instead flashed him a glare.

"Yeah. Congrats," Adderkit mumbled dully.

"I'm going to go tell Dovewing and Rabbitleap!" Finchkit mewed, clearly ignoring Adderkit's tone.

"Tell us what?" Dovewing asked, padding toward her kits with Rabbitleap beside her.

"Applefoot said I can be her apprentice!" Finchkit boasted.

"That's wonderful!" Rabbitleap purred, pride filling his voice.

"Today, she showed me what cobwebs are used for!" Finchkit told them.

"Neat! I-" Rabbitleap began.

"Rabbitleap!" interrupted a voice. Cranetail was padding toward the brown warrior, her tail waving. "Are we hunting or what?"

"Sorry. I should go." Rabbitleap gave Finchkit a swift lick on the top of his head before bounding off to join Cranetail, Ivystern, and Ghostmask near the tunnel.

Amberkit watched them leave, her eyes sparkling. Someday, I'm going to be leading patrols! But in the back of her head, Adderkit's negative comment still bothered her. Did he really feel that way?

Amberkit shook her head. It doesn't matter. I just need to focus on being the best clan cat I can be! "Amberkit? Amberkit?" Adderkit meowed, jarring her from her thoughts.

"Huh?" Amberkit mumbled, confused.

"Tidekit just asked us if we wanted to play moss-ball," Finchkit told her patiently while Adderkit's paws kneaded the ground.

"You with us?" Tidekit asked, standing beside Adderkit and holding a large green wad of the fuzzy plant.

"Oh! Uh, yeah, sure," Amberkit replied, a bit embarrassed.

"Alright." Tidekit nodded. "Jinxkit, Ravenkit!" Tidekit beckoned his siblings with a flick of his tail. They bounded over, their eyes dull.

"Why do they look so sad?" Amberkit whispered to her brothers.

"I think it's because of me. Ravenkit wanted to be the medicine apprentice, too," Finchkit admitted guiltily. "I feel really bad about it."

"Don't feel bad. Ravenkit would've made a horrible medicine cat, anyways," Adderkit meowed in a reassuring tone. Amberkit resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. She knew he didn't really mean that. Finchkit nodded before trotting a tail-length away. Adderkit did the same, until all of the kits were sitting in a large circle.

"Ready?" Tidekit asked. they all nodded. "Amberkit, catch!" Tidekit hurled the ball toward her. Amberkit leaped into the air and caught the ball in her paws, falling to the ground with a loud thud. She then tossed it gently to Adderkit, who hooked it out of the air expertly with one claw.

"Good catch!" called a voice from across the hollow. Amberkit glanced over to see Coyotesnout and Mudfoot watching them, smiles plastered on their faces.

"Thanks!" Adderkit responded, puffing out his chest with pride. The two elders didn't give compliments often. As if he needs a bigger ego. Amberkit snorted internally.

"Will you tell us a story?" Ravenkit asked. Coyotesnout and Mudfoot glanced at each other.

"I don't see why not," Mudfoot told them. Amberkit gave a small squeal of excitement before bounding over to sit in front of them. The other kits did the same, plopping down with wide eyes and pricked ears.

"Tell us about the clans of old!" Jinxkit mewed, kneading her paws into the ground.

"Have you ever heard the story of the Three?" Mudfoot asked, his voice dropping into a mysterious tone.

"Tell us! Tell us!" the kits chanted. Mudfoot chuckled.

"A long, long time ago, there was a she-cat named Star. Star was the leader of Starclan. One day, she had three kits: Tiger, Lion, and Leopard. When they came of age, Star sent them down from the sky to create their own paths."

"Tiger was the eldest. He was mysterious, secretive, but very protective of his siblings. He created a clan of cats in the pine forests, where they could slip through the shadows undetected."

"Lion was the middle kit. He was brave, outgoing, and a natural leader. He and his clan found home in the oak forests, catching squirrels and birds. Fresh-kill was plentiful for them, and they became strong and good fighters."

"The youngest kit was Leopard. Leopard was swift, intelligent, and proud. Leopard made her clan on the moors, where they chased rabbits. But some cats were unhappy. They preferred fishing in the rivers. They left Leopard's clan, making her angry and frustrated. So, one day, she journeyed to Tiger's clan."

" 'Tiger, I need your help!' she told him. The two devised a plan to journey to Lion's clan and steal their kits. But Tiger was greedy. He wanted all the kits for himself. So, after they had stolen them and ran back to their territory, Tiger grabbed the kits and killed Leopard." Amberkit gasped, huddling against Adderkit. His body was firm, and he was listening intently to Mudfoot's story.

"There was chaos. Leopard's clan split into two. Tiger's clan and Lion's clan were at war. Star was angry with her children. She brought them back to Starclan, and eventually they sorted out their problems, but still they couldn't return to their clans. Over time, they watched their clans grow, until they had taken new names; ThunderClan, ShadowClan, WindClan, and RiverClan. At last, there was peace."

"The end," Mudfoot finished. The kits let out a collective gasp.

"So that's how the clans were created?" Tidekit asked, his mouth hanging open in awe. Mudfoot nodded.

"Were you alive then?" Ravenkit wondered aloud. Coyotesnout let out a sharp laugh.

"Hah! This happened even longer ago than Firestar's reign," Coyotesnout told them.

"Really?" Amberkit gasped. She had heard stories of the fire-colored warrior, and always believed that he had marked the beginning of the clans.

"Yes, really," Mudfoot confirmed. "Now, that storytelling got me tired. I'm due for a nap." Mudfoot stretched and rose, nodding goodbye to the kits, and Coyotesnout did the same. The two elders trotted off side-by-side.

"Well, I'm going to go to Applefoot's den. We'll be apprentices soon," Finchkit meowed to his siblings.

"Have fun," Amberkit told him. Adderkit just grunted. "What's your problem?" Amberkit hissed after Finchkit was out of earshot.

"I already told you how I feel," Adderkit grumbled.

"Hey, Amberkit. Want to come practice our hunting crouch?" Tidekit interrupted, his siblings already practicing a fox-length away. Amberkit glanced at Adderkit.

"Sure. Just give me a sec," she told him. Tidekit shrugged and padded over to join his siblings.

"Why am I never invited to play with them?" Adderkit complained.

"Probably because you're such a grouch all the time," Amberkit supplied with a roll of her eyes. "And you were just playing moss-ball with us! Quit complaining!"

"Whatever. I don't want to play with them anyways. They always play boring games," Adderkit sniffed.

"Good. Now you can stop whining." Amberkit flicked her tail onto his ear. Adderkit flinched away, annoyance pulsing through him. "Just…let me know if you want an invite, okay?" Amberkit mewed.

"I won't be wanting one, that's for sure." Amberkit's eyes narrowed.

"You're proving my point," Amberkit told him. Adderkit huffed, unsheathing his claws into the soft ground before retracting them back into his paws.

"Whatever. Bye," Adderkit growled.

"Bye." Amberkit rose up and trotted away, her tail flicking with anger and her head held high. She stood beside Tidekit, still angry at her brother. Why was he so insufferable? With a sigh, she watched Tidekit creep around the hollow, crouched low to the ground. "Good job!" she told him when he had returned to her side.

"Thanks! Let's see yours," Tidekit meowed. Amberkit nodded, but then paused. Someone was watching her. She turned around to find Marrowfoot clearing at her from across the hollow. His ears were pinned back, and when she made eye contact, he pulled his gaze down to his paws.

Adderkit was right. They didn't belong in this clan.

Notes: I think I need to work on my elder's tales, but let me know how it was. It doesn't really matter though, because it sets up some stuff for later in the story, and that's all I needed really. Also, let me know some cat ships you have. I need ideas!