Chapter Text
The air was cold. That's the first thing the newborn kit noticed. Well it had been about a moon since Larkfall had had her kitting. The nursery was well protected and the with her mother's and the nest's warmth the cold wasn't unbearable, but the air from outside where the cold rain fell, drafted in. She could hear her sister moving around beside her and the general chatter among cats. It was the middle of Leafbare and her body shook as Larkfall shivered. Wearily, the kit opened her eyes.
She was greeted by a dim scene. Her head was resting on her paws, her mother, Larkfall's tail, draped over her body. She slowly lifted her head to rest it on the lip of the moss woven nest. The floor in the nursery was tan and well packed, the walls woven with large leaves and this sticks. There were three more nests in the nursery, two occupied, but only one Queen with kits.
All the cats were asleep and Thrushkit was vaguely aware of the slight patter of rain outside in the clearing. She looked over to the entrance and saw two cats sitting, staring at the camp entrance. Sitting silently, watching. The kit yawned and glanced around again at her mother this time.
Larkfall was a medium sized sandy cat with short fur, with a white underbelly. Her ear twitched as she dreamt. She looked at her littermate. Another she-cat by the name of Heatherkit slept soundly, she was a brown tabby like their father. Thrushkit was a brown tabby with a dark muzzle and white tail and ear tips along with a white chest. Heatherkit had a matching dark brown muzzle but white was not found on her pelt.
Thrushkit slowly sat up and stepped over the lip of the nest. Larkfall's tail moved to her other kit, moving slightly. Thrushkit unsheathed her claws experimentally and dug them into the nursery floor before sheathing them and padding to the entrance. She blinked back at Heatherkit and Larkfall, then at the other Queen in the nursery. She directed her gaze back at the clearing.
The rain fell hard, drowning out the pine and squirrel scent, replacing it with the damp smell of plants. The smell of rain as common in PineClan, but whenever it was sunny, it was always better. Hare was found on the clear hill at the edge of MoorClan territory. As a negotiation with the neighboring clan, PineClan was allowed on the hill if there was a truce until New Leaf. The squirrels were scarce in Leafbare.
Thrushkit gave a final glance at her mother and sister before stepping into the downpour. Her small body shook with a shiver, but curiosity took over. She padded silently to the two warriors, her scent disguised by the rain. She sat down next to the one on the right, who jumped at her presence.
"Hello!" The small cat squeaked. The other warrior now stared at the tabby.
"What are you doing out Thrushkit?" The left cat asked.
"How do you know my name?" The kit questioned.
"Because you're a new kit silly!" The right cat spoke now.
"I'm Sandback, I'm a new warrior."
"I'm Mudsplasher," the left she-cat purred. "Also a new warrior." Thrushkit scrunched up her nose.
"Why are you in the rain?"
"It's called a vigil. Every warrior does it to protect the camp when they are made into full warriors." Mudsplasher explained.
"One day you'll sit a vigil, when you become a warrior." Sandback shook his pelt, causing the left she-cat to hiss in annoyance also shaking.
"I want to be like Petaldream." Thrushkit declared thrashing her tail against the ground, causing a small puddle to splash around. Mudsplasher nodded approvingly. "Maybe,"
"You want to be a medicine cat?" Sandback asked, though he sounded more curious than judgemental.
"I think so, I don't like fighting. I don't like it when Needletail and Dustclaw argue." Needletail and Dustclaw were two Elders' who had fought since kit-hood and long since forgotten what they fought about, but instead of changing kept up the quarrel. Thrushkit shivered.
"I don't like fighting either, but you should go back to the nursery, or else you'll end up in the Medicine Den!" Thrushkit nodded reluctantly.
"Bye bye Mudsplasher. Bye bye Sandback." With that she turned promptly and padded toward the nursery. Once back inside she shook her pelt and climbed back into their nest. Larktail stirred slightly before opening one eye, shaking her head, and moving her tail to cover Thrushkit.
~∆~
Thrushkit bounded over to Heatherkit and pounced on a ball of moss. As much as she wanted to be a Medicine Cat apprentice, you couldn't kill the warrior within her. She still liked to pounce and stalk and she liked the idea of hunting, she liked the idea of it, but fighting seemed horrid and being able to help other cats overruled being a warrior.
Heatherkit batter at her sister's ear and swiped the ball of moss into her jaws giving it a violent shake. Her tail swishing through the air happily. Thrushkit jumped up and over her sister and then halted as she ran into Gorsepelt. The experienced warrior turned around with a angry twitch if the tail. He glared, but his gaze softened at the kit.
"Watch where you're going Thrushkit, or else you'll be in the Fresh-Kill pile." The kit nodded, and turned back to her sister. Heatherkit patted at the moss, losing interest. Heatherkit padded back to the nursery. Suddenly a black cat streaked across the clearing, skidding to a half next to where Heatherkit had stood. Sootkit, a she-cat two moons older than Thrushkit.
"Hey mouse brain." Sootkit meowed with a glint in her now green eyes.
"Hey," Thrushkit whined, Sootkit was just looking for trouble.
"Toughen up you kittypet." Sootkit was a good cat, but bored. She had reached the point where she didn't want to be in the nursery anymore, but was there for another moon.
"That's not nice." Thrushkit mewed, she didn't want to start a fight with the five moon old she-cat, she herself was only three moons.
"Are you gonna go cry to your father? Oh wait, you don't have one. He's dead." Sootkit had taken it too far, the younger tabby kit snapped with a lash of the tail.
"At least I'm not half ShadeClan blood." She hissed. "Leaftalon died in a battle for PineClan." Sootkit's tail dropped abruptly and her glare turned to something else. Thrushkit couldn't place what. Suddenly the older kit tore away quickly to the nursery and Thrushkit glanced toward the Medicine Den. Padding slowly, but knowing Petaldream would not criticize, she approached the rocks.
The Medicine Den started as two flat rocks forming a triangular entrance, covered partially in vines. The dirt clearing faded to a cold stone floor. Inside there was a pool of water and on either side a two tail length wide pathway to the back. In the back was a vine curtain to block wind. After inside the next chamber you could turn right to patient nests or left through more vines to the Medicine Cat's nest. Between the main chamber and the Medicine Cat's place was a smaller room full of herbs.
Thrushkit took the left pathway, as most cats did, to the area between patient nests and the Medicine Cat's chamber. In the back it was a bit dark, but above the pool there was a small opening, as was there one in the herb area. Thrushkit sat down for a second, taking in the den's smells or herbs and rock but still of pine and squirrel.
"Petaldream?" She called cautiously through the vines to the medicine cat's den. There was a rustle of leaves and the medicine cat appeared. She was a pretty tortoiseshell cat with long fur. She had caring light green eyes and long whiskers. She flicked her tail happily at her frequent guest.
"Hello Thrushkit," she mewed, dipping her head.
"Hi..." The kit's ears twitched apprehensively. Thrushkit looked at her paws, realization about what she said to Sootkit was sinking in and she felt horrible.
"What's wrong Thrushkit?" Asked the older cat.
"I said something to Sootkit that I shouldn't have." She looked at her paws sadly.
"What did you say?" Petaldream asked calmly.
"She taunted me about dad so I got angry and said 'At least I'm not half ShadeClan.'" She makes a face.
"How did she respond?"
"Badly," she whispered.
"You should apologize, then just go to the Elders' den to hear a story and get your mind off things." Petaldream suggested lightly.
"Okay, I will." And with that the kit left the Medicine Den and padded to the Nursery.
~∆~
"But Larkfall, I want to go to the training hollow!" Heatherkit whined lashing her tail.
"No. Now hush Heatherkit. Sootkit and Galekit are becoming apprentices today."
"Besides," Sootkit and Galekit's mother, Poppygust, cut it. "You aren't allowed it of camp until you're six moons old." Larkfall swished her tail.
"Exactly. Thank you Poppygust." Thrushkit sat quietly at the edge of the nest.
"All cats old enough to catch their own squirrels, gather beneath the Low Branch!"
Thrushkit squealed and leapt up, taking a few long bounds to the edge of the nursery entrance. She stepped into the clearing and hazed up at the Low Branch. The Low Branch was a low hanging branch on a half fallen over tree. The tree had landed on a rock, and had been there for many seasons over.
On the Low Branch was Falconstar. His gray pelt glistening in the dying Sun High light. She felt envious of Galekit and Sootkit, but accepted with a flick of her tail that they were older and that was fair. Poppygust stepped out from the Nursery, her gray tabby pelt catching lightly on the sides. Her blue eyes flashed with pride as the licked Sootkit's dark gray pelt.
Galekit bounded forward, to be scolded by his mother, he sulked back. Thrushkit purred at his expression and curled her tail around her paws. Galekit squealed in protest as his mother licked his pelt, Sootkit scrambled out from under her mother with an indignant hiss. Heatherkit jumped from the brush of the Nursery and landed besid her sister.
"Sootkit and Galekit have reached the age of six moons. They have spent their kit hood in the nursery with Poppygust and Mothclaw." The proud father's eyes glistened from the other side of the clearing, his apprentice, Eaglepaw, smiled widely at his mentor's kits. "They are ready to become apprentices. Sootkit, Galekit, please step forward." The two kits stepped forward excitedly.
"Gorsepelt, you are an experienced warrior, you have trained many warriors, in fact, you trained my deputy, Harestreak. I expect you to pass on your courage to Galekit. Galekit from this point onward, you will be known as Galepaw until you receive your warrior name." They touched noses
"Sootkit, until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Sootpaw. Berrystorm, you are a good warrior and you have incredible judgement. I hope you can pass these traits on to your apprentice." The two she-cats touched noses.