Morning Clouds

Chapter 13

"Stay here, kits." Violet Dawn commanded. She padded over to where Thunderstar and Lightning Tail were standing, organizing search patrols.

Naturally, Bright Feather ignored her mother and followed her. Maple Pool did the same, but Bracken Leaf and Rainbow Rain hung back.

"...and Thistle," Thunderstar finished. "Lightning Tail will be in charge."

Lightning Tail will be in charge of what? Bright Feather wondered.

She didn't get a chance to find out, because Violet Dawn noticed her.

"Bright Feather, I told you to stay over there!" Violet Dawn snapped as nervous purrs rippled through the Clan.

Bright Feather stomped back over to the other kits, seething. "Not fair!"

"Blue Whisker, can you watch the kits?" Violet Dawn asked pointedly.

Bright Feather hissed under her breath.

"O-okay..." Blue Whisker meowed, padding over.

Bright Feather pointedly turned her back on the apprentice.

But that's when she noticed the small tuft of familiar white fur caught in the brambles.

The very brambles that had been rustling last night.

Ignoring the yowls of her Clanmates, Bright Feather shot over and began her search.

//-//

Rising Sun lay and watched the camp.

She was safe, heathy, had a full belly, and mostly happy. Her kits were healthy and happy and safe as well.

But she was also bored.

As the loner under the name of Sun, she had traveled far and wide as far as her adventures would take her.

She had many friends, too. Her sister, Storm, who had joined ShadowClan with her; Pine, the former Twolegplace cat who had fallen in love with a ThunderClan cat and moved to ThunderClan; Hobbit, a sweet kittypet who knew every brick in Twolegplace; Silver, the naive, innocent young she-cat who had tried to form her own group; and Mist, who had just disappeared one day, to name a few.

But then she and Storm, alone at the time, had accidentally wandered into ShadowClan territory. Having been attacked when they tried to visit ThunderClan and Pine, now Shadowed Pine, they wasted no time leaving, but Storm seemed to like a black tom who turned out to be Sun Shadow, the leader's nephew. Sun had persuaded her sister to ask the leader, Shadowstar, to let them join. She didn't know what it would be like, but she admired the defending-territory principle and knew firsthand from Shadowed Pine that nothing could deny love, and she didn't want to let her sister and Sun Shadow suffer. So they joined and took Clan names, Rising Sun and Storm Flight.

Soon after they joined ShadowClan, the medicine cat, Pebble Heart, had told her she was expecting kits. Having traveled with many different toms but never having more than a simple friendship with any of them, she wasn't actually sure who the father was. Storm Flight thought it was Shadowed Pine. Raven Pelt, another former rogue, thought they reminded him of his old friend Prickle. Rising Sun wasn't sure, and she honestly didn't really care. Her kits were safe and happy. That was all that mattered, right?

Storm Flight had her kits soon after. They raised them together, so much that it seemed to one of her sister's kits, Fox Steps, that she had two mothers, one father, and four littermates. It helped that Rising Sun was good friends with Sun Shadow and he adored her kits, as well as all the kits being close.

She stretched out her tail and watched Flame Shine and Frozen Stream clamber over Sun Shadow while Bright Wing attacked his tail-tip and Fox Steps and Falling Acorn crept up on him. She let out a loud purr.

Maybe life is kind of better in ShadowClan.

I do need adventure, though.