Warrior Cats: The Everlasting Winter

~Chapter 1~

Emberkit crept up on the unsuspecting Redkit who was batting at a piece of moss playfully in the air. Emberkit kept creeping further and further towards him checking to make sure he wouldn't let him catch on to him. He stopped about three tail lengths away he bunched his muscles and leapt at his brother with outstretched paws landing square on his shoulders. Redkit gave a startled meow and let his weight fall slack making him and his brother tumble throughout the the cave failing in a mass of dark orange fur and laughter "Got ya'!" Emberkit squealed. "Not yet you don't!" His brother giggled still tumbling with him. They both came to an abrupt stop when crashed into Snakefang, a gray battle scarred cat with different colored eyes. He whipped his head around and glared at them hard. "Can't you kits watch where you're going!" The angry warrior hissed. Both kits flinched and shrunk away from him. "Oh come on they're just kits. They don't know any better, don't being such a grouch." Dewwisker came up and gave Snakefang a playful nudge. Snakefang rolled his different colored eyes. "Besides they're just having fun I'm sure they didn't mean to bump into a sour cat like you." The old she cat laughed a rusty laugh. He just whipped around and stalked out of camp. The kits glanced at each other a little uneasy. "Don't let that fur ball upset you? He's always grumpy." Dewwhisker mewed happily and walked back to the elders den giving each kit an affectionate nuzzle. The two kits walked back towards the nursery. They pushed through the brambles and padded towards their nest where their mother Sliverheart and his two other litter mates Snowkit and Stormkit were sleeping soundly. They padded into the nets making themselves a spot to sleep to settle down for a nap. Once settled their litter mate Snowkit stirred a bit before falling still again. Emberkit's breathing slowed as he drifted off into sleep.
Emberkit was in a beautiful meadow with scents of honey and wild flowers. "Where am I?" He mewed aloud and bounded into a clump dandelions. 'When the loving warmth turns into bitter cold kin will turn on each other and the snow will be soaked in scarlet red.' A voice echoed through the meadow. Suddenly a cold wind swept through the meadow as the plants started to wilt and scarlet red snow began to fall. Emberkit looked around confussed on how it could become so cold so fast or how was snowing red snowflakes or who's voice that was. He shivered as another chilled breeze ruffled his fur. Just as he thought he would freeze the meadow caught fire and the stench of burning dead grass and ash filled Emberkit's nose as the flames spread. He panicked bounding in a random direction in desperate hope to escape the savage flames, then he felt light headed from inhaling smoke. He blacked out falling into dreamless sleep.
Something prodded his side shaking him awake. "Get up you useless fur ball it's almost sun high and you keep meowing in your sleep it's annoying!" He recognized his brother Stormkit's voice. He opened his eyes slowly his vision blurry. He got up and gave a long luxurious stretch while blinking sleep away. He walked out of the den when the blinding light hit his eyes he squinted and blinked trying to get used to the light. When he walked outside the nursery Redkit was playing with Honeypaw outside the apprentices den. He padded over towards them when something slammed into him knocking him off balance and he landed with a thud. "I got you!" Snowkit squealed in delight. Just as he was going to tell his annoying litter mate to scram he heard a murrow of laughter. "Nice catch Snowkit." Honeypaw let out a mrrow of amusement. Emberkit fluffed out embarrassed he had just been caught by his puny litter sister. "Though next time don't just barrel into him try to land square on his shoulders that way he can't grab onto you." Honeypaw explained. He already knew to land on their shoulders, it was common fighting knowledge. "Oh I see. Hey, Emberkit can I try again?" Snowkit asked with pleading blue eyes. "No once is enough for me." He hissed still anxious from his bad dream. The fact that his sister taken him down so easily had upset him even more. "What's your deal? Did someone put thorns in your nest?" Snowkit retorted. "Oh yeah pipsqueak how bout yo-" Honeypaw interrupted him. "Hey guys why don't show you a cool hunting move that Thorntooth showed me and Petalpaw." Honeypaw soothed. "Yeah!" Snowkit's tension disappearing replaced with excitement."What about you Emberkit?" Redkit trotted up behind Honeypaw. Redkit always mooned over the the creamy colored she cat. "It can't hurt I mean we'll be apprentices soon." Emberkit puffed out his chest in pride. "Yeah I can't wait!" Snowkit butted in the conversation. Emberkit's fur prickled with irritation. Why is his sister so obnoxious? "What you're to small to be an apprentice." Honeypaw teased. "No way! I'm five moons old!" Snowkit protested. "Hey where's Stormkit? Shouldn't he learn this stuff too?" Redkit asked aloud. "In the medcine cat den. I'm pretty sure he wants to be Frostfur's apprentice." Emberkit explained. Suddenly a unfamiliar cat scent washed over him. He smelled strange like the forest. "Who's that?" His brother voiced his thoughts. "His name is Amberfire he's Darkclan's new deputy." Honeypaw explained. "You guys head back to the nursery." Honeypaw added. "Why?" Redkit asked perplexed. "Darkclan's nothing but trouble. I don't want you guys to get hurt." She nudged us towards the nursery. "But you can be out here?! You're only a moon older than us!" Emberkit protested. "I'm also an apprentice! Now let's go get Stormkit and get back in nursery." She said more demanding. After they got back to nursery they discovered Sliverheart had gone out to stretch her legs. So the other queen Birdflight offered to watch Emberkit and his littermates. Her belly swollen with kits they were due any day now. Snowkit batted Stormkit's tail while Redkit dozed off silently. But Emberkit was to curious, so while Birdflight wasn't looking Emberkit squeezed through a hole in the back of the den. Once outside the den made from a dip in the cave covered with woven sticks he crept towards a boulder hiding behind it making sure he was within ear shot but far away enough that they couldn't see or scent him. Amberfire sat with his tail neatly over his paws waiting patiently. "Ah welcome Amberfire." Stoneclan's leader Hiddenstar emerged from her den with her deputy Quickfall at her side. "What do we owe the visit from Darkclan's deputy?" Quickfall asked. "Greetings Hiddenstar, Quickfall. I've come to-" He was cut off by Sliverheart shocked mewed from the camp entrance. "Amberfire! W-what are you d-doing here?" He turned around to see Silverheart's anxious face. "Hello Silverheart nice to see you again." Amberfire responded respectfully. "And like I was saying I've come to claim my kits." He turned back to Hiddenstar. "Come again?!" Quickfall half hissed in shock. "My kits they were born here but I've come to bring them to there rightful clan." Amberfire explained his unreadable amber eyes challenging Sliverheart. "Excuse me you must have a head full of rocks if you think your kits are here go check in your own tree infested territory." Quickfall remarked sourly. "Easy Quickfall." Hiddenstar soothed her deputy. "What do you mean? Explain yourself Amberfire." Hiddenstar demanded. Before he could respond Silverheart spoke up. "My mate was never officially announced everyone assumed it was Tinderpelt but that's not true. Amberfire is father to my kits." Sliverheart hung her head in shame. "What?!" Emberkit accidentally gave himself away from his outburst. He peeked outside his hiding spot to see all four of them turn to where he was hiding. "Ah, you must be Emberkit. Please come out I'd like to meet you." Amberfire cooed trying to get his son to come out of his hiding spot. He hesitantly came out and walked towards them trying to look as brave as he could. A purr erupted from Amberfire shortly after he walked over. He looked up his father and saw nothing but pride. "Hi, I'm Emberkit." He introduced himself a little more confident seeing that his father was only friendly towards him. "Oh my look how big and strong you are." He purred again. Emberkit was wasn't sure what to think of this cat. "Emberkit would you bring the rest of your littermates out here to meet your father?" Silverheart asked sweetly feigning happiness. "Okay." Emberkit mewed heading for the nursery. Birdflight was at the entrance to the nursery looking furious for him leaving without permission, but allowed him inside to fetch the others. Once inside he nudged Redkit awake. "Hey Redkit wake up Hiddenstar wants us all at the foot of the stone pile." He prodded him again wake the ginger cat up. He blinked his eyes awake groaning in complaint of his brother's rude wake up call. "Why what's going on?" Stormkit called from the other end of the den. "Maybe we're getting are aprentice names!" Snowkit squeaked in glee. "No actually-" before Emberkit could finish Snowkit bolted out of the den, the others following her out.