Hollyleaf's Second Chance

Chapter 3

Holly woke the next morning with a kit-like excitement in her stomach. She was joining the clan for real! Deepkit came to her nest to escort her to her new home, and she had to fight back an indignant retort that she knew where the nursery was, as that would just sound weird coming from a rouge kit who had probably never heard of a clan. As soon as she set foot out of the medicine den, the loud business and hustle of the camp took her by surprise, her being so used to the serene quiet of starclan's hunting grounds. She widened her eyes and shut her ears flat against her head. It was so loud! "Bit loud at first, isn't it?" stated deepkit, echoing her thoughts. Holly and deepkit made their way across the camp, narrowly avoiding being trodden on by berrynose, who was proudly showing off a squirrel he had caught.

"Self- centred furball..." muttered deepkit under his breath, and holly chuckled to herself. Some cats never change! She thought as they passed. Upon reaching the nursery, holly heard the unmistakable, deep purr of her other brother, Lionblaze.

"Probably visiting Cinderheart and honeykit and featherkit. Lionblaze is really protective over them , so me and my sisters aren't really allowed to play with them..." Holly nodded in understanding as they entered the thick, bramble thicket that made the nursery. She was greeted by a light grey she-cat, who meowed to her

"Hi! My name is dovewing! Welcome to the nursery!"

"Hi dovewing." Holly replied.

"Nice to meet you." Suddenly, a silver cat, with the same deep blue eyes as dovewing stuck her head around from behind her mother and mewed

"Hiya! I'm pebblekit!" another grey head appeared.

"And I'm briarkit!" it exclaimed, grinning so widely that she showed her rows of sharply pointed teeth.

"Come on Holly." Signalled Deepkit, twitching his tail for her to follow. He pointed a delicate sooty paw at an unoccupied nest in the corner.

"this is your nest. Its right next to mine so we can talk when dovewing goes to sleep!" Holly nodded eagerly. She was glad to have deepkit as a friend. Suddenly, she wondered something.

"Deepkit?" she asked, thoroughly curious.

"Why were you in the medicine den before? Are you sick or something?"

"No!" he laughed

"anything but! I was helping Jayfeather. I love the way he manages to heal cats! I want to be just like that when I'm older!" Suddenly, a loud, deep meow rang through the nursery, and all the cats left. Holly realised that it was bramblestar, calling a clan meeting.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the highledge for a clan meeting!" As the clan assembled beneath the rocky outcrop, holly felt uneasy as many cats shot questioning glances at her, and a sudden feeling that she was not welcome overwhelmed her.

"Cats of thunderclan," Began Bramblestar, silencing the remnants of chatter that passed between cats with a heavy sweep of his brown tabby tail.

"As many of you know, Thunderclan has accepted a young cat into the ranks of our clan. She was found five days ago, injured and alone, by a dawn patrol, and has finally gained enough strength for me to welcome her into the clan properly." Holly felt her ears burning with embarrassment as all the clan cats stared at her, even jayfeather, which holly thought was a bit weird, as he couldn't possibly know where she was sitting, being blind. She hesitantly rose to her paws, and padded to join Bramblestar on the highledge.

"What is your name, kit?" asked the tabby leader, bending down to hear her better

"h-holly" she stammered, ducking her head and wishing starclan would open up a hole in the ground to swallow her up.

"And how many moons old are you?" he asked

"f-f-five" Holly gasped, still nervous out of her mind.

"Cats of thunderclan." Bramblestar addressed the clan again.

"This cat has proved that she is worthy of a place in our clan. From this day forth, until she is old enough to receive her apprentice name, she will be known as Hollykit!"