The Song of Battle (Warriors, Book 5)

Chapter 1

Airkit blinked open her eyes, allowing sunlight to fill her vision. She looked away, although she was grateful for the sunlight. The cold wind of leaf-bare and the frosty clouds normally blotted out the sun, and all warmth. She backed away from the nursery entrance, turning into the bramble shadows.

Yellowfur was in her nest; the heavily pregnant queen was asleep, her flank rising softly. Lionfoot was curled up with her kits; Weedkit and Charcoalkit. Airkit's littermates, Breezekit and Rustlekit, were playing moss-ball at the corner of the den.

Sniffing the air, Airkit could smell the scent of squirrel and her father, Blazefire. She and her littermates had been nursed by Lionfoot, but their real mother was a RiverClan warrior. Blazefire hadn't told them who it was exactly, due to the fact of him not wanting to let the Clan find out, but Airkit didn't mind. She liked being a ThunderClan cat. She had vague memories of her mother- traveling through snowy terrain and listening to the cries of eagles circling above- but those were from the journey the Clans had taken, before she was even a moon old.

"Airkit, come play with us!" Rustlekit called, his dark gray fur spiking up with extitement.

Airkit hesitated. She didn't like playing games like moss-ball and Clan. She liked... leaves. It was hard to explain, but she didn't like fighting. Blood disgusted her. She liked the snow, and plants that brushed lightly against her fur, and the crisp leaf blown from the trees down into the stone hollow...

"Aren't you coming?" Breezekit's mew broke into her thoughts. Her dark gray-furred sister was staring at her expectantly.

Airkit tried to mask her sadness with a yawn. "Coming!"

She bounded over to her littermates, who had clawed the moss-ball into a heap of green litter. "Guess the games over," Airkit purred, backing away. "So-"

"No, silly, let's play Clans!" Rustlekit purred.

StarClan save me... The last time Airkit and her littermates had played Clan, it had ended up with her nearly falling off the Highrock and being poisoned by deathberries. Rustlekit also had a habit of being incredibly overpowered, while Breezekit tried to get him to play fair. She wasn't good at being fair, either, for the record.

"We only have three warriors, though." Airkit tried to make an excuse. Sometimes Darkfur, the deputys' many kits would play with them, but Darkfur had assumed that they were getting distracted from their training, so he discouraged them from playing with Airkit and her littermates anymore. And Lionfoot's kits were sleeping, anyway.

Rustlekit seemed to guess her thoughts. "Just because Weedkit and Charcoalkit are sleeping doesn't mean we can't wake them."

"Don't-" Before Airkit could even finish her sentence, her littermates had bounded over and were now prodding Weedkit and Charcoalkit with their big forepaws. Airkit let out a sigh she had been holding in. I think I would've preferred moss-ball...

A moment later, she heard a groan, and looked over to see Charcoalkit and Weedkit waking from their slumbers. Lionfoot was still fast asleep.

"Come on, let's play Clan!" Breezekit purred.

Weedkit sprang to her paws, wide awake, but Charcoalkit let out an annoyed huff and turned back to her mother.

"...four warriors. Great."

"Can I be the leader this time?" Weedkit asked. She was a black kitten with white spots that looked like spiky plants. Her blue eyes shone with excitement.

Rustlekit shook his head. "I called dibs already."

"No you didn't!" Breezekit snapped.

"I'm always the leader, so I'm the most experienced with the role," Rustlekit pointed out, sticking out his tongue at Breezekit. "Weedkit can be the deputy or the medicine cat, if she wants to."