Chapter Text
“Osprey . . . .”
“. . . .”
“Open your eyes.”
“Do you think Riverflower will let Osprey play today?”
A familiar voice drifted through the hazy dream-state Ospreykit found themself in. It was hushed, as though the owner of the voice didn’t want to disturb them—pointless, they realized, as each passing moment brought them further out of slumber. Sharp, herby scents tickled their nose, mixing with the scents of several other cats they couldn’t quite remember.
“Yeah, they look a lot better now! If not, then they’ll definitely be able to tomorrow!”
Another voice, considerably louder than the previous, spoke in response. Ospreykit felt like they should know the names of the cats speaking; the sounds of their voices scratched at what must have been memories of them. They could feel themself twitching as they crept further into consciousness.
“Shh, look! They’re waking up!”
“Oh! I’ll go fetch Riverflower and Wavedance!”
The voices chimed one after the other, almost sounding rehearsed. Ospreykit tried stretching their limbs, wincing at the way their stiff muscles screamed at them for it. One set of pawsteps quickly sounded in their ears, then faded as the owner retreated. Though they hadn’t yet opened their eyes, Ospreykit could feel the presence of the other cat close to their muzzle somewhere; they could feel the breath billowing obnoxiously against their whiskers, overstimulating the nerves clustered at their bases.
Finally, Ospreykit ignored their body’s protests and forced their eyes open. Hovering in front of them was the nose of a dark brown tabby, his orange eyes wide and glittering with various emotions. His body nearly blocked the sight of the den they were in—reeds carefully woven down together to shield them from any light, though some filtered through the thinner section that must have been the entrance to the den. Ospreykit couldn’t quite place a name for the cat in front of them, though they could feel it sitting on the edge of their tongue the longer they stared at him.
“G’morning, Os!” he mewed loudly, his ears perked. He looked like he wanted to say more, yet he only stared at them expectantly. Suddenly, Ospreykit felt something click as if they had just unlocked a lost memory.
“Crabkit!” they said his name quickly, recalling him to be one of their littermates. The entire scenario felt strangely familiar, but they shoved the feeling away when the entrance of the den quivered noisily.
Another kit trotted in the den, his light fawn and darker brown patches quickly pulling forth another bout of memories. Ospreykit met his blue eyes and recognized him as Splashkit, their other littermate, as he rushed forward to stand by Crabkit. Two mollies followed behind him; one, a dark blue-grey with amber eyes, while the other was a pale fawn tabby with blue and orange eyes. As their comforting scents drifted over them, Ospreykit tried to identify them, but they couldn’t sort their thoughts with their brothers chattering so close in front of her.
“Don’t crowd them, you two,” the blue-furred molly murmured softly. “Give them some space to wake up.”
Crabkit and Splashkit glanced at each other before retreating to sit by the fawn tabby, though they still gazed curiously as Ospreykit. Now that they had more personal space, Ospreykit’s thoughts sorted themselves out, and they recognized the other two cats. The molly with bicolor eyes was Wavedance, their mother, and the other was Riverflower, the medicine cat.
Riverflower seemed to realize their recognition of them, as she padded forward a few pawsteps and purred, “You’ve regained your bearings much more quickly this time, Osprey. Good job.”
“Thank you, I think,” Ospreykit mumbled and glanced between the four cats. What were they doing here, again? The strong scent of herbs in the background implied they were in Riverflower’s den, but why? They could only recall bits and pieces of their memories before this—they remembered the voices, scents, and blurred shapes of their family, and they remembered feeling feverish a few times. Had they been sick?
“You look much healthier,” Wavedance’s soft mew pulled their attention to her approaching form. “You’re a little skinny, but it’s nothing a little fresh-kill won’t fix. Splash—”
“I’ll go get them a minnow!” Splashkit chirped before their mother could even finish her words. He quickly raced out of the den, returning a few moments later with a shimmery fish in his jaws. After dropping it at Ospreykit’s paws, he returned to his spot with Crabkit.
Ospreykit took one look at the minnow and their stomach growled loudly, urging them to eat. Quickly, they tore into it, and within moments there were only a few scales and bones left of it. When they looked up from the remains of their meal, they realized that both Riverflower and Wavedance were watching them closely—more closely than their siblings.
“Do you think you can stand, Osprey?” Riverflower asked, her tone encouraging.
Ospreykit tilted their head a bit. They wanted to respond with ’Of course I can!’ but as they moved their limbs to lift themself up, they quickly bit back the response. Much like before, their muscles screamed angrily in response to the movements and efforts of lifting their body. Biting back a hiss, they slowly stood upright. After a few shaky moments, Ospreykit gained their balance and shifted their weight around experimentally.
Congratulatory murmurs came from the mollies that watched them, and their brothers quickly ran up to them. Ospreykit blinked as their littermates reached out to touch noses to their own, both of their eyes glittering with excitement.
“Can they come play with us now?” Crabkit asked eagerly and turned away to face their mother. “They’re not even that wobbly!”
Before their mother could respond, Riverflower shook her head. “How about you help them get used to the sounds of the camp for today? This will be their first true venture into the main clearing—it’ll probably be pretty overwhelming.”
“Yes’m,” Splashkit mewed for both of them before offering Ospreykit his shoulder. “Come on, we’ll help you out!”
Ospreykit blinked and sniffed at him before trying to take a step without help. Their leg gave out halfway through the movement and they found themself leaning against their brother, much to their displeasure. This is so embarrassing. I can walk by myself!
“Mom, are you coming with us?” Crabkit asked as Ospreykit and Splashkit made their way to the entrance of the den.
“I’ll join you soon,” Wavedance purred. “I’d like a word with Riverflower first. You go on ahead.”
With their brothers, Ospreykit made their way through the thin screen of reeds and into the main clearing. They tried to support more of their own weight with each step, despite their littermates offering to help. When they broke into the sun-dappled camp, Ospreykit noticed several larger cats wandering about the clearing. One sat on a cluster of flat stones in the center of the camp—Splashkit quietly hissed that they were called the Daystones . On the opposite side of the sun-covered stones, a couple sat lazily by a small pond.
“Is that an Ospreykit I see?” a yellow tabby tom gave an exaggerated gasp and trotted up. His stripes were strikingly dark, and he had blue eyes that matched the blue segments of their mother’s, yet Ospreykit could only stare at him in confusion.
“Um . . . .” Their ears burned with embarrassment when their response was only a syllable. There was a hint of recognition dwelling beneath the confusion; unlike their siblings and mother, however, they couldn’t think of his name, or who he even was.
“That’s our uncle, Sticklefur!” Crabkit quietly hissed into Ospreykit’s ear. “And the one coming up behind him is his mate, Daceclaw!”
“No, don’t tell me—” Sticklefur mewed suddenly as a light brown tabby joined them. His voice was tight with distraught, but the cheerful glimmer in his eyes made Ospreykit doubt his tone. “You don’t recognize your only uncle! My heart, it shatters!”
“Sticklefur, you’re going to scare the poor kit off,” the brown tabby said, his yellow eyes fixated on Ospreykit. “They spent the last few moons in the medicine den, it’s only natural for them to be confused.”
“Don’t spoil my theatrics, Daceclaw!” Sticklefur purred before stepping toward Ospreykit. After touching his nose to their forehead, he added, “I gave their littermates equally memorable introductions; I couldn’t leave them out of the fun!”
“Yeah, well, you’re drawing attention,” Daceclaw muttered, nudging the yellow tabby meaningfully. “Eelmask and Webheart are looking, and you know my sister won’t be far behind if this keeps up.”
As if on cue, two more cats approached the kits. Ospreykit eyed them both—like Sticklefur and Daceclaw, they could feel a hint of recognition hiding somewhere in their memories. However, the only reason they managed to name them was thanks to Daceclaw announcing both names. Eelmask, a fluffy grey molly, introduced herself quietly while Webheart, a slender dark brown tom, introduced himself more eagerly as one of RushClan’s best swimmers.
Ospreykit didn’t say anything; instead, they grew uncomfortable as they were spoken to. The words sounded strange to them. Before they realized, the warriors were gone and they could hear the sound of yet another pair of footsteps rapidly approaching.
“Osprey!”
Ospreykit turned around at the call and saw two more kits racing toward them. One was dark blue, like Riverflower, and the other was bluish-grey with brownish tabby patches.
“Do you remember us?” the darker tom asked once they neared. Even though his voice was steady, they could see his whiskers twitching with curiosity.
“Er . . . .” Ospreykit mumbled and glanced at their brothers. When Splashkit and Crabkit only blinked encouragingly at them, they frowned and shook their head in defeat. “No—I mean, everyone seems familiar, but I haven’t been able to place many names without help . . . .”
“I didn’t think you’d remember us,” the blue-and-brown tom chirped quickly, apparently unbothered. “That’s okay! We came prepared to introduce ourselves.”
“That’s Currentkit,” the first kit nudged his brother meaningfully when no names were offered. “I’m Poolkit. We’re Riverflower’s kits, if you didn’t notice.”
“Oh, right, sorry!” Currentkit said quickly. “Osprey, wanna play?”
Ospreykit perked up at the offer and nodded quickly. “Sure—”
“Riverflower said they can’t yet,” Splashkit interrupted before offering a quick apology. “Sorry, Osprey, but River knows best. Hopefully she’ll let you play with us tomorrow!”
“I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to play for just a bit,” Ospreykit mumbled, frowning at him. They really wanted to play with their littermates and the other kits. “Right?”
“I don’t think so,” Splashkit shook his head and returned the frown. Then, his blue eyes flitted to something behind them and his voice trailed off. Turning around, Ospreykit was met with a molly with a striking golden pelt and green eyes.
“I’d advise you to obey Riverflower,” the molly purred in amusement, though her eyes glittered with a more serious warning. “Medicine cats can be scarier than you’d expect. Despite being at least five season-cycles older than my Aunt River, Ripplestar rarely tries arguing with her.”
“Ripplestar?” Ospreykit echoed, glancing around. Somehow they recognized the name of their leader, but they didn’t know who they’d be looking for.
“She’s busy right now, so I’m watching over the camp in her place,” the golden-furred molly told her. Then her ears perked as if she’d remembered something. “Oh, silly me—I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Eveningshell, and I’m the deputy right now. I’m glad to see you out and about, Ospreykit, but please don’t get too active until Riverflower says it’s okay.”
Ospreykit felt their ears burn when they discovered that it was the deputy scolding them. They quickly nodded when they sensed the nods of their siblings behind them.
“No need to be embarrassed,” Eveningshell chuckled softly. “It’s only natural for you to want to play with your denmates—and you’ll be able to, when it’s time.”
“Yes, Eveningshell!” Ospreykit kept nodding, though they felt a little less sheepish with her reassurance.
“Don’t worry, Os!” Crabkit chirped and nudged their shoulder. “We’ll all play a game as soon as Riverflower gives you permission!”
Ospreykit nodded feverishly in agreement and lashed their tail impatiently. Even though it was clear they didn’t know as much as their littermates, they decided they’d do their best to catch up to them—and the first step was being included in whatever games the kits played. Eveningshell let out an amused huff, but Ospreykit ignored it and turned to their littermates. Opening their mouth, they prepared to announce the newfound goal to them when the reeds at the far end of the camp rustled loudly.
Peering over the Daystones, Osprey saw a group of cats rush into the camp. Two dark-furred cats were at the front—one was a smoky-black tom with a hint of stripes and green eyes, while the other was a lithe black cat with more vibrant green eyes and a few white flecks dotting their fur. A light brown molly followed behind them with an almost identical (though visibly older) light brown tom leaning on her shoulder. Behind them appeared a dark brown tom with black muzzle-markings and green eyes.
“Dad!” Crabkit and Splashkit cheered when he appeared. Within an instant Eveningshell had dashed to the group of cats, her bristled fur countering the kits’ excited voices.
“Eveningshell looks upset,” Ospreykit commented as their littermates quieted themselves. The other two kits, Currentkit and Poolkit, were noticeably quiet as they watched the two lighter brown cats on the patrol.
“Is Mudbreath hurt?” Poolkit whispered to his brother. “Look how heavily he’s leaning on Aunt Lily!”
“I’m sure he’s just tired!” Currentkit hissed back, briefly catching Ospreykit’s eye. “Gramps is always getting exhausted on patrols!”
Angling their ears toward the group of cats, Ospreykit noticed sharp scents coming from them that made their stomach churn. Their curiosity got the best of them and they padded forward a bit, leaving the other four kits behind to get a better look at new arrivals. Once they were closer, they could see that the light brown tom was certainly hurt—he had a few gashes on his shoulder, and the scents of blood and fear emanated from him.
“We got into a skirmish at the river’s far shore,” the black tabby tom’s voice drifted across the air. Ospreykit quickly perked up, listening intently. “Right by the NightClan border. Fogsight and Rookshade were there along with some of their newest shades, as if they expected a fight! They got a nasty hit on Mudbreath, but I made sure to give them all a piece of my mind—we all did.”
The black tabby kept talking, but Ospreykit grew distracted as the dark brown tom caught sight of them. He let out a loud gasp and rushed over, pulling them into the embrace of his paws.
“StarClan has been kind to us today,” he gushed in a rumbling purr. “Osprey, you look so alert! And you’re walking so steadily!”
As their father kept blubbering happily, Ospreykit felt their ears burn with self-consciousness. Through the doting, she tried to recall his name. Not remembering their uncle was embarrassing enough—but at least they had vague memories of their father, buried by what must have been bouts of sickness. What was his name? Beetle—no . . . Bee—no, that wasn’t it either. Be—
“Beaverpatch, please!” Wavedance joined them, nudging the tom away from Ospreykit. “Osprey needs to have space, otherwise they might get overwhelmed!”
“I can’t help it, Wave!” Beaverpatch cried. “This is such a big day for us!”
Ospreykit quickly backed away from their parents and peeked around them curiously. The other four cats were still speaking to Eveningshell; once again, they felt a pull toward the two dark-furred cats at the head of the group. Fur brushed against their side and they turned to see their brothers again.
“Who are those cats?” Ospreykit asked them immediately. Their parents kept bickering above them, but the two grew more affectionate and amused with one another with each passing moment.
“The patrol cats?” Splashkit asked. Without waiting for a response, he kept going. “The two leading the patrol are Darkshadow and Runningblaze. They’re siblings. The other two are Lilypetal and Mudbreath. Lilypetal is Riverflower’s sister—”
“And Webheart’s!” Crabkit chimed in quickly.
“And Webheart’s. Mudbreath is their father—oh, and Lilypetal is the mom of Eveningshell and Daceclaw!” The amount of information Splashkit offered quickly made Ospreykit’s head spin, and they furiously flicked their ears.
“Okay, I get it, Mudbreath is basically the Clan grandpa,” they muttered before peeking around their parents again. “I wanna know more about Darkshadow and Runningblaze!”
“Oh, I got this one!” Crabkit announced excitedly. “They were adopted into the Clan and raised by Ripplestar. Everyone says she has a kittypet friend named Jackdaw, and that he wanted her to raise his kits instead of his Twolegs. They’re also the youngest warriors by a few moons, but they’re practically heroes already!” Their parents, still affectionately squabbling, padded off a bit and gave them a clearer view of the warriors.
“Heroes?” Ospreykit echoed, tilting their head and watching the warriors. “So they’ve saved cats, then?”
“Pretty much!” Splashkit answered before Crabkit could speak. “Darkshadow is the tom with ghostly-looking stripes. The other is Runningblaze. They’re a lot nicer than Darkshadow is; he can be a bit cranky sometimes, but he’s still so cool.”
“Those two have led the charge against so many NightClan flea-bags!” Crabkit spoke up, shoving their brother a bit. “Anyone stupid enough to trespass over our borders has met their claws!”
The brothers kept chattering quietly about the accomplishments of the two warriors as Ospreykit watched them. Mudbreath was ushered to the medicine den by the light brown molly—Lilypetal, right?—and Riverflower, but Ospreykit hardly noticed; they were far too focused on Darkshadow and his sibling. Suddenly, Runningblaze’s eyes shifted over and caught their gaze. Despite feeling embarrassed that they were caught staring, Ospreykit couldn’t look away; they held the warrior’s gaze, their head still tilted as they received a kind blink.
Then, Ospreykit turned to their brothers and smacked their front paws against the camp floor. “I’m gonna be just like those two someday!” they said decisively. Crabkit purred loudly and agreed, while Splashkit said nothing.