Chapter Text
Flamekit woke in the nursery, next to his littermates, Waterkit and Stonekit. They were still asleep, and Flamekit saw no point in waking them. He wasn’t in a playful mood anyway.
He stood up and arched his back, before slowly making his way out of the nursery. He had woken before even some of the Warriors, and watched as Silverfur organized patrols. Flamekit had a certain admiration for Silverfur, the way he commanded with so much confidence. He wanted to be just like him when he became a Warrior.
Flamekit was suddenly alerted to pawsteps behind him. Before he could react, Snowkit barrelled over him. “Gotcha!” He exclaimed excitedly.
“Barely!” Flamekit replied, licking his fur back down. “I could hear you from all the way across the nursery. Plus, you didn’t even catch me. You just knocked me over.”
“You never make this fun.” Snowkit grumbled, also beginning to flatten his own fur back down. “So what are you doing out here, anyway?” He changed the subject.
“I was restless. I don’t know how Waterkit and Stonekit can sleep so long.” Flamekit mewed.
“I don’t know how you can sleep so little.” Snowkit responded. “You’re what, three moons, and you already have the sleep schedule of an apprentice. You should be enjoying it. You won’t be able to in a few moons.”
“Is that why you’ve been sleeping extra lately? Getting in as much as you can before your Apprentice ceremony in a few days?” Flamekit rolled his eyes.
“You’re just jealous. That’s how I felt when Stickpaw left the nursery. You’ll get over it. Plus, you’ll still have your littermates. I didn’t have anyone till you guys were old enough to play.”
“Are you trying to make me feel better, or feel bad for you?”
“I’ll let you decide.” With that, Snowkit got up and walked off towards the fresh-kill pile, leaving Flamekit alone. As much as he hated to admit it, Snowkit was right. He was jealous that Snowkit was going to be an apprentice so soon while he’d have to wait another three moons. Even having Waterkit and Stonekit didn’t make him feel particularly better.
Flamekit shook his head and sighed. The sky looked like there was a chance of rain, and he didn’t want to get wet. Snowkit had already grabbed a mouse from the fresh-kill pile and was sharing tongues with Stickpaw, his previous denmate. Flamekit walked over and grabbed a vole for himself, and brought it back to the nursery. He was quickly greeted by Waterkit.
“Whatcha got there?” She asked inquisitively, staring at the vole.
“A vole, what does it look like?” Flamekit walked over to an empty nest and nestled in.
“You didn’t grab me anything?”
“What? Did your legs stop working or something? You can go grab something from yourself.” He turned away from her and started eating his vole.
“Well, aren’t I lucky to have such a considerate brother.” She meowed sarcastically, before turning to leave the den and grab something for herself. Flamekit felt a bit bad, but not enough to apologize. Besides, she’d already left. No use chasing after her.
“So, did you wake up to a thorn in your nest? Because you clearly aren’t in the best of moods.” A voice sounded from behind him. He rolled over to see his adoptive mother, Ashfire.
“Oh, you heard that?” Flamekit asked, embarrassed.
“The nursery isn’t that big,” She chuckled. “Besides, I heard what I needed to. That wasn’t a very nice way to talk to your sister.”
“She isn’t even my sister!” Flamekit rolled his eyes.
“Just because she isn’t biologically your sister doesn’t mean you can’t love her like she is.” Ashfire said sternly. “It’s better than being alone.”
“Oh please, I could manage just fine without her, or Stonekit, or you!”
Ashfire looked hurt. “I hope you don’t mean that, because you never know how good you have it until it’s gone.”
“Fox dung! That’s as stupid as a rabbit without ears!” He rolled over and closed his eyes. “I’m going to sleep.”
Ashfire didn’t say anything else, simply walking back to where Stonekit still slept.
***
Flamekit woke to a paw prodding his side. He opened his eyes and blinked drowsily, not fully awake. Stonekit was leaning over him. “Hey.”
“What do you want?” Flamekit grumbled. “I was dreaming about a mouse.”
“Well I wasn’t, and I’m feeling pretty bored. Come on, let’s go do something.”
“Is that as specific as you can be? ‘Do something?’” Flamekit sat up and licked at his chest fur.
“I don’t need specifics to know that I’m bored. Now come on, maybe the elders can tell us a story, or maybe we could make a moss ball.” Stonekit listed ideas excitedly.
“Why aren’t you bothering Waterkit? I saw her go outside earlier.”
“I thought the three of us could do something together, you know? It feels like you never want to do anything with us, and I don’t want you to feel like we’re leaving you out.”
Flamekit narrowed his eyes. “That doesn’t sound like something you would say. Oh, I see what’s going on here.”
“What do you mean?” Stonekit sounded slightly nervous.
“Waterkit put you up to this, didn’t she?”
Stonekit shifted on his paws. “Well, I, uh-”
“It’s a yes or no, so get on with it!”
“Okay, fine,” Stonekit rolled his eyes. “She asked me to invite you, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want you to come along anyway!”
“She couldn’t even be bothered to come ask me herself.” Flamekit laid back down and rolled over, facing away from Stonekit.
“She said you guys fought earlier, and she didn’t want to make things awkward. But that’s all besides the point. Both of us would like it if you came with us.”
Flamekit sighed. “Fine. But only because I don’t have anything better to do.” He stood up and shook a stray feather from his pelt.
Stonekit bounced excitedly. “Oh this is going to be great!”
He led Flamekit out of the nursery, towards the center of the camp. It was a wide, open space, where the sun could shine clearly into the clearing. There were stones that laid around the camp, which were warmed by the sun and made great sunning spots. In Greenleaf, the elders were often found on the stones more often than in their own den. Of course, they weren’t there now. Newleaf was only just beginning, and there was still a chill in the air. Flamekit remembered how Clawnose had complained about the aching in his bones due to the cold while visiting Lightstripe in the Medicine Den.
But that was behind them now. It was growing warmer as the sun reached its highest point in the sky. Some clouds were rolling in, and Flamekit could tell rain was coming, so whatever Waterkit wanted to do, they had to make it quick.
Flamekit glanced around the camp. He saw Eclipsestar on the Highstone, deep in discussion with Mouseclaw. Silverfur was making his way over to them. He ushered them to follow with a flick of his tail as he entered the Leaders’ Den. Flamekit was intrigued, and tried to make his way closer to the den, before being halted by Stonekit.
“What are you doing?” Stonekit asked.
“Nothing, nothing.” Flamekit tried to act casual, drawing a paw over his ear. “Where even is Waterkit, I thought you said-”
He was cut off by a voice sounding from behind. “You actually convinced him?”
Flamekit turned to see Waterkit approaching from the Elders’ Den.
“Why were you in there?” He asked, despite knowing the answer.
“They were telling me stories, fluff for brains.” She rolled her eyes, before turning her attention to Stonekit. “How did you manage to get him to tag along?”
“I’m standing right here.” Flamekit said with an irritated tone. Waterkit ignored his remark.
“He figured out pretty quickly that you sent me.” Stonekit looped around to stand next to his sister.
“So what are we doing out here?” Flamekit asked. “Am I just here for a lovely chat, or did you actually have something planned for once?”
“Well, I was thinking, since it’s so nice out, maybe you’d want to come for a walk with Stonekit and I.” Waterkit offered.
“A walk? Where?” Flamekit asked, confused.
“I was thinking… out of camp.” She said smugly.
“Out of the camp, have you lost your mind? Ashfire would have a heart attack if she knew you even so much as suggested that, let alone followed through on it!”
Stonekit also seemed rather taken aback by the suggestion.
“Yeah, Waterkit, I don’t know, that doesn’t seem like a good idea…”
“Oh come on, don’t be a coward, what’s the worst that could happen?”
“Do you want me to make a list?” Flamekit suggested dryly. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, neither does Stonekit.”
Waterkit glanced between her littermates before sighing. “Fine. I guess you guys are just too scared to have any fun. But I’m not!”
Without another word, Waterkit darted for the camp exit.
“Oh for the love of Starclan!” Flamekit exclaimed. “Come on, we’ve got to go get her!” He started running to the exit as well, but he noticed Stonekit wasn’t following. “Are you coming or what?”
“We just agreed this was a bad idea! I’m not going out there!”
“Oh, come on, the situation has changed completely! Your- Our sister just bolted into the woods, you’re just going to let her face whatever’s out there alone?”
Stonekit wore a shocked expression on his face, his whiskers twitched. “You said our.”
“Don’t focus on that, come on!”
“Okay, okay, you’re right, let’s go.”
Stonekit finally followed after Flamekit, the sky overhead still darkening.
“We’ll need to find her quick if we want to beat the rain.” Flamekit began scanning around the immediate area outside of the camp, searching for Waterkit’s scent.
“Maybe we should find a warrior to help us look.” Stonekit suggested.
“Great idea, genius. How about we go ask Ashfire? Tell her that her daughter just sprinted into the woods and is nowhere to be found. That’d go over great.” Flamekit meowed sarcastically.
“You could have just said no.” Stonekit continued sniffing around the ferns that laced the camp walls, before pausing. “I found it!”
“You did?” Flamekit rushed over to take a sniff, and sure enough, Waterkit’s scent was there, leading away from the camp. “Okay, let’s go. We’ll find her, bring her back, tell her how stupid that was, and no other cat has to know.”
The two began following the scent trail. It led into the brush, and the sky was nearly covered by black-gray clouds that coated the sky in an eerie layer of grime, blocking out the sun that had been shining so clearly mere moments ago.
A bush to Flamekit’s right rustled. “Waterkit?” Flamekit pushed his nose into the bush. He smelt Waterkit’s scent, but something else as well.
Fear.
“Waterkit, what’s going on? Why are you in there-”
Waterkit shushed him. “Stop talking.” She whispered.
“I can’t believe you ran away like that, do you have any idea-”
“I said shut up!”
“Why? What’s the issue? We need to get back to camp-”
Flamekit was cut off by a shriek from behind him. He turned around to see Stonekit, his gray fur made even darker by the shadow of what was looming above him. A badger.
The beast reared up on its hind legs and hissed at the kitten, before slamming down again. Stonekit scrambled backwards, tumbling over his paws.
“Waterkit,” Flamekit whispered behind him, his eyes locked on Stonekit cowering in front of him. “Go back to camp. Find someone, bring them here, and do it fast.”
“I’m not going to leave you two-”
“Now!”
Almost on cue with Flamekit’s command, the badger swept a massive paw forward at Stonekit, which he dodged barely by a whisker. Flamekit heard the brush behind him shake as Waterkit pelted back in the direction of camp, which she knew only vaguely.
The badger began lumbering towards Stonekit again, and he turned to run towards Flamekit. He was stopped when a paw slammed down on his tail. Flamekit hurled himself at the badger, trying to dislodge his adoptive brother from its grasp, but it wouldn’t budge. It swatted Flamekit away, and using the same paw it had just used to get rid of him, readied it to slam down on Stonekit.