ωαяяισя ¢αтѕ // Mintpool's Promise

Chapter 1

Despite it being early morning, the new-leaf weather that was spilling into green-leaf was warm. By the time AirClan's dawn patrol had returned to camp, most of the cats were out and about in the camp's clearing. The deputy, Thistlefur, had quickly organized hunting patrols and sent them out; before long, the fresh-kill pile was well stocked after a hard leaf-bare, and cats sat down eagerly with their friends to share prey.

It seemed there was only one cat in AirClan's camp that was still asleep, and she was laying in the nursery. Sunlight danced into the den from the entrance, and a particular beam shone on her soft, gray tabby fur, creating an illusion feeling of sunning. She was the only one left in the nursery. All the other kits had gone outside at first light and their mothers had eagerly followed, happy to leave a den they'd been cooped up in for so long.

Suddenly, the nursery's entrance rustled as a black-and-white tom-kit ducked inside, but the tabby she-kit didn't stir. Seeing this, the tom rolled his eyes and padded closer, his blue eyes glimmering with mischief. Wiggling his hindquarters, he pounced, landing on the gray tabby's back with carefully sheathed paws.

However, it did the trick. The tabby shrieked as she jerked awake, her paws flying to smack her attacker off of her. The black-and-white tom purred as he rolled off, and once she regained her bearings, the she-kit fixed him with a glare and scowl.

"Not funny, Adderkit." She leaned over and cuffed her brother's ear lightly, pretending to be furious with him.

Adderkit purred, pushing her paw away. "It is to me." He stretched his legs. "You should be up by now, Mintkit! Everyone else is!"

Mintkit yawned, flicking her tail dismissively. "I'm still sleepy. I was having the most wonderful dream before you woke me up."

"A dream about herbs?" her brother teased, his voice lifting an octave higher as he spoke the next sentence. "Oh please, do tell me about how you healed Spottedstar and became AirClan's best medicine cat."

The gray tabby rolled her eyes without heat. "Badger off, Adderkit. Being a medicine cat's cool."

"Not as cool as being a warrior," Adderkit declared, leaping to his paws and puffing out his chest.

Huffing, Mintkit reached out a paw and shoved his side, pushing him over onto the soft moss bed again. "Just let me sleep a little longer."

But Adderkit was especially persistent today, and jumped back up. "Oh, come on, it'll be fun! Flowerkit's just rolled up a moss-ball, and Icekit will be playing, too. Even Crowpaw said he'll join the game!"

"Alright, fine." Mintkit had officially given up on any hopes that she'd get more sleep, and as much as she hated to admit it, Adderkit was right; it was time to get up. "Let's go."

Triumph sparked in the black-and-white tom-kit's eyes as he padded out of the nursery with Mintkit trailing lazily behind him. As soon as she stepped paw outside, a joyful squeal came from her left. Glancing over, she spotted Flowerkit, Icekit, and Crowpaw tossing a moss-ball around. The black apprentice suddenly snatched it up and sprinted away, and the little kits chased after him, determined to retrieve it.

The mothers, Brightstorm and Skystorm, were off to the side, sharing tongues. Mintkit and Adderkit's mother, Snowfrost, was there as well; her white pelt was dappled by the shade, and she flicked her tail in greeting when she spotted her kits.

"Adderkit!" Flowerkit's eyes lit up when she glanced over to the nursery's entrance. "There you were! I was wondering where you'd gone off to." Her tail-tip twitched cheerfully. "I can't believe you managed to drag Mintkit out of bed."

The tabby she-kit huffed at the littler ginger she-kit's words good-humoredly, padding over to flick Flowerkit on the ear. "Now what do you mean by that? I'm always up with the sun."