Chapter 1

Sunlight streamed through the brambles as Bluekit blinked open her eyes. Lifting her head drowsily, she turned to look at her mother. Cherryfeather was asleep, her flank rising and falling rhythmically. Dapplekit and Stormkit were pressed against her warm stomach, their eyes closed tightly as the sounds of their sleep melted into the background. Sweetkit was sitting at the entrance of the nursery, pulling one paw over her dark ear. Bluekit stood and padded slowly over to Sweetkit. Bluekit's eyes were still heavy with sleep, and she winced against the bright sunlight.
  Sweetkit looked up at Bluekit, the tip of her tail twitching mischievously.
 "Good morning, Bluekit. How are you?"
Bluekit glanced suspiciously at her sister, and noticed that Sweetkit's shoulders were tensed. She leapt out of the way a second to late, and Sweetkit collided into her. Bluekit shook off Sweetkit easily, and pounced back onto her sister. The two kits rolled in the warm dust of the nursery, carelessly batting each other around. Suddenly, Bluekit remembered a battle move Bramblestar had showed her the night before. She crouched in a corner, looking defeated, and Sweetkit triumphantly leapt int o the air. The moment her back was turned, Bluekit pounced.
 A muffled mew of surrender came from beneath her. Bluekit sat up and purred.
 "Ha!" She mewed "That'll teach you to mess with Bluestar, the fierce leader of ThunderClan!" Sweetkit batted her over the head.
 "You aren't Bluestar! Bluestar was way cooler than you. You can't even catch a mouse, let alone lead a Clan!"
 Bluekit growled playfully.
 "Fine, we'll see who will be the better warrior. And... whoever loses has to... has to..." Bluekit struggled to think of something.
"Has to hunt for the other for a quarter moon?" The warm purr came from the back of the nursery. With much effort due to her kit-heavy stomach, Squirrelflight pulled herself up and started to groom an ear.
 "Leafpool and I did something like that when we were kits. It never worked out, because she decided to become medicine cat." Something flickered in Squirrelflight's green eyes for a second, then disappeared as quickly as it had come.
 "And you were off on too many adventures to stay in ThunderClan for a full quarter moon! Firestar and I were beginning to think you would leave so often you'd become a rogue." The amused mew came from the nursery entrance. Sandstorm, an elderly she-cat, padded into the nursery. She touched noses with Squirrelflight and sat down. "While you and Brambleclaw were out climbing mountains, the rest of us were stick here in the boring old camp!" Sandstorm scolded her, but her voice was filled with more amusement than anything else.
 "Who's Brambleclaw?" A skeptical mew came from next to Cherryfeather. Dapplekit's eyes were filled with superiority, as if the pale ginger queen didn't know what she was talking about.
 "That was Bramblestar's warrior name, right Sandstorm?" Bluekit turned to the old she-cat, determined to impress.
 Sandstorm purred.
 "Quite right, young one. Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, and three other cats from different Clans led us from our old home to our new one. But, of course, you've all heard the story of the Great Journey?" All three kits nodded. They had begged Birchfall more than once to tell them the story of the journey that changed the Clans forever. "Well, then. You know what happened after. And now, here you are. You are lucky to be born at this time, close enough to the Great Battle to be safe from the threats of other Clans." A wave of fear passed through the two ginger warriors.
  Cherryfeather, who had been sound asleep till now, lifted her head and blinked.
 "Have they decided to hold Clan meetings in the nursery now? Well, tell Bramblestar that he should bring it back outside." The orange queen sounded exhausted, but her purr was filled with laughter. She laid her head back onto the mossy floor of the den.
 Sandstorm mewed apologetically and pulled herself outside, the three she-kits trailing after her. Bluekit looked back at the dark entrance of the nursery.
 "What's taking Stormkit so long to wake up?" She inquired. It wasn't like her brother to sleep the day away.
 "He is probably still resting from the greencough. Even though it's not leaf-bare, the sickness can be just as bad." A gentle mew came from a gray tabby. His blind blue eyes rested warmly on the three kits.
 "Jayfeather!" Bluekit leapt up and trotted over to him. She touched her nose to his and glanced at the herbs he has set at his paws.
 "What are those?" She bent down and sniffed them. "Mmmm... they  smell better than mouse!" Although the scent was tempting, Bluekit had learned when she was a very small kit not to eat plants she didn't know were safe or not.
 About a half-moon after she was born, Bluekit and Dapplekit had eaten berries that made them very sick. Dapplekit had almost died, but thanks to Jayfeather, she got better, and the two learned not to eat plants unless Jayfeather told them to.
 "Catmint. It helps cats with greencough." Bluekit understood. Stormkit had gotten a very rare case of greencough in the middle of greenleaf, and if it weren't for Jayfeather, he would have died in two nights.
She looked back at the nursery and was relieved to see Stormkit and Cherryfeather padding side by side out of the nursery. Even though he stumbled from leftover drowsiness, his dark blue eyes shone bright with energy.
 He bounded towards his littermates, and Cherryfeather sat down, gazing fondly at her kits. Bramblestar called to her, and she turned and walked towards him. Bluekit turned back to Jayfeather. She had just opened her mouth to speak when Cherryfeather bounded over to them. Her eyes were glowing excitedly, and she spoke in hushed words.
 "Hurry, my sweets! You must get ready. Bramblestar told me he wishes to have your naming ceremony today at sunhigh!" Bluekit and Dapplekit squealed excitedly, and Stormkit's eyes shone. Sweetkit started grooming her pelt with slow, certain licks, and Cherryfeather drew her tongue over Bluekit's ear.
 Bluekit was twitching in anticipation. Who would be her mentor? Bluekit shook her head to herself. She was going to be an apprentice, what did it matter?