Warriors: 100 Times More

Chapter 3

Birchkit sighed and laid in his nest alone. He started to sleep soundlessly as he snored. The rhythmic beats of water normally dropping from the ceiling was silent. Shadowclan was silent.

A rustling was heard in a near-by moss pile. He opened his eyes to see a brown kit pad forward. "Caw." he said silently. The kit flinched. She wheeled around and gasped. "The Cat-Bird!" she said. Birchkit rolled his eyes. He shook his head and tilted it in a questioning way. "I'm going to the Medicene cat den! I want to look at the herbs!" she said. "Oh yeah, I'm Marshpaw. Sorry about the Cat-Bird thing. You're Birchkit, right?" she asked.

Birchkit nodded and stood up as to say: Let's go. The she-cat nodded and she walked in sync with Birchkit's paws. Birchkit had to look at the kit silently. Why would she want to go to the Medicene den? Isn't that where you heal cats? Is she sick?

Marshkit smiled as she entered the den. She started making bundles of random herbs - well, random to Birchkit - that smelled both nice and horrid. Marshkit sighed as she completed the seventh one. Birchkit stared at the bundles. Suddenly, they saw the cracks of dawn over the hillside through a gap in the den.

The two kits scrambled to the nursery as Silverstar called a meeting. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, join beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting."

Some cats gathered silently. They were in hurried groups, their paws in rhythm while padding to the cleft. Marshkit and Birchkit padded there too, eyes filled with curiosity.

"Today, we gather to choose a deputy. Smallglass, step forward." he meowed. A brown and white she-cat padded from the crowd. Her siblings - Tornadoclaw, Berryshard, and Twiocean - looked at her silently. "Smallglass, you are now Shadowclan deputy. Starclan honors you.

"Marshkit and Birchkit and Lightkit, step forward." Silverstar continued, beckoning the kits toward him. "Lightkit, your mentor will be Opalstrike. Birchkit your mentor will be Raregem and Marshkit your mentor will be Amberdart. Lightpaw, Marshpaw, and Birchpaw, now apprentences of Shadowclan!"

Cheers sounded for Smallglass, Lightpaw, and Marshpaw. All was silent for Birchpaw. He knew he was alone.