CotS #1: The Dark Path (currently being rewritten)

Chapter Nineteen

By the time a moon passed, my joints were aching a lot of the time, but I was a heavily muscled kit. By that time, Plumwhisker and Lightmist had kitted. Plumwhisker had been poorly suited for kitting, and all her litter had died – Graykit and Tallkit. Lightmist had had a single she-cat, Tawnykit, who was a stuck-up prat. Now all my denmates were leaving, leaving only Tawnykit. Appledawn said she'd stay, but Plumwhisker had pulled me close, still sad about her loss of kits.

"Fluffykit, Nightkit, Skykit, Dawnkit, Twilightkit and Chivekit, step forward. Fluffypaw, your mentor will be Fallowmist. Nightpaw, your mentor will be Leafshine. Skypaw, your mentor will be Cloudysky. Dawnpaw, your mentor will be Sunnyheart. Twilightpaw, your mentor will be Mistfur. Chivepaw, your mentor will be Duskypelt."

We all cheered their names quite loudly. I sadly said goodbye to Twilightpaw. We'd gotten quite close, even though she was three moons older than me. I would be with her in three moons, and if I was lucky, Hivepaw too, but he'd probably be a warrior. I wanted to laugh. Technically, I wasn't too young to experience feelings for other cats. But in this lifetime, I was still a three-moon-old kit. I wasn't supposed to be able to comprehend these things. But I couldn't care less.

Honestly, whoever got me would find I was already so experienced! I hid almost all the time, practicing battle moves and the hunter's crouch over and over again so I wouldn't be rusty. The moment any cat came, I deliberately fell, and they would just laugh in sympathy.

Hivepaw came up to me. "Hey, not so long until you're an apprentice, right?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "There's no need to rub it in, Hivepaw."

He grimaced obviously. "Um ... sorry." Then he licked my ears. "But, you know, I thought you'd put up with these things."

"Humor me," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm a bit too old to put up with anything." I let out a small gasp, realizing I'd just instinctively answered as Stormdawn. Stop it, me, you're Silverkit now!

Hivepaw grinned. "Old, are you? Heh!" Great StarClan, it was a relief to see him walk off without suspecting anything, and I rarely ever say Great StarClan.

Appledawn stepped up to me. "Um, Silverkit?"

"Yes, mother?" I asked. Appledawn smiled softly.

Just then, I saw my actual mother walk by. Peacewind took one glance at me, stuck her nose high in the air and stalked away.

"I'm going back to warrior duties," Appledawn meowed. "I'm so sorry. Browntail has been missing me, and anyway, Amberfire and Lightmist are going to mother you."

"Amberfire..." I frowned suddenly. "I don't remember her having her kits!"

"She did," Appledawn meowed miserably. "She kitted alongside Plumwhisker, and they both lost their kits. One of hers, Streamkit, survived, but she's so weak, she's in the medicine den."

"Oh, okay," I meowed, trying to sound sad. That was really hard with this squeaky kit voice thing.

I suddenly realized if my mother was Lightmist now, I'd be with stuck-up Tawnykit.

Just as Appledawn walked away.

I suddenly realized, all kits snuck out of camp once in a while, right? Shouldn't I do the same? If only to remember my territory.

I did that, sneaking out of a familiar tiny gap in the wall. As Stormdawn, I'd always known it was there but never been able to use it, but now, I was this tiny kit! Of course I could use it, if that was the only thing good about my current size.