Shadow And Blood | The Fifth Clan | Book One

Chapter One

Birchkit started to stir, as the warm shafts of sunlight lay on her pelt. She shifted her paws from underneath her fluffy chest and stretched them out forward, her small sharp claws visible as she stretched with a yawn that came out as a squeak.

"Why hasn't she opened her eyes yet? I opened mine quicker than her!" A small voice squeaked in the back of the den. "I want to play with my sister!"

Birchkit's ears perked up as she heard the strange cat's voice. Was it a cat? Or another kit? She sniffed in the sweet scents of the den to see if the voice was really her sister. But all she could smell was the delicious scent of her mother's milk.

She felt a rough wet thing spread across her forehead, pushing down her ears. That must be mother, Skykit thought in her head as her mother groomed her soft silky fur.

"She will open them when she's ready," Her mother scolded Birchkit's sister. "Every kit is different, it takes time." Her mother then stopped grooming her and then turned her head to the back of the den.

Am I ready? Birchkit thought as she looked around the den blindly, only seeing darkness. I'm ready...

Birchkit effortlessly opened her eyes and looked at her mother. This place was huge! Birchkit glanced at the white pelt behind her mother. That must be her sister, she has a soft, curly white pelt and green eyes as full as the moon, her tail was thin, not fluffy like hers and her nose was a very pale pink.

Her mother on the other paw was a huge silver she-cat with dark gray tabby stripes and large brown eyes. Her ears were quite small and she had a thin scar running down the side of her neck. What happened to her? Birchkit wondered as she stared at the scar.

"She's opened her eyes!" The other kit squealed, delighted and she scrambled over her mother's pelt and fell down on the moss when she came over to Birchkit. "Wow you're eyes are blue and green!"

"Coldkit!" Mother snapped and grabbed the kit back over to her pelt. "What have I told you about sticking your nose where you shouldn't!"

That must be Coldkit, my sister, Birchkit thought as Coldkit was getting scolded by her mother, looking back over at her, a delighted smile still over her face. But then her mother twisted her head to face her with one of her huge paws.

"Featherwing?" A deep mew came from just outside the den and emerged a large dark tabby tom with beautiful blue eyes and a black chest. He looked just like a bear but who was Featherwing?

Soon Coldkit came scampering back over to Birchkit and nudged her with her shoulder. "That's father! His name's Pikepatch."

Birchkit watched as Pikepatch nuzzled mother on the cheek, Featherwing has to be her mother's name! Pikepatch then licked Featherwing on the forehead and twined his tail with hers. "How's our three kits doing?"

Three! But there's only two of us! Birchkit squeaked in her thoughts, where was the other kit? Soon her mother lifted up one of her paws and revealed a small, brown tabby tom with a white chest and a fluffy tail like Birchkit's.

"Hawkkit, Birchkit and Coldkit are doing well, no need to worry so much." Featherwing muttered to Pikepatch, he still had his tail twined with her mother's and looked down at the kits.

"I always have to worry what if something happened!" Pikepatch meowed, half shocked at Featherwing's words. "I can't bare to loose one of our kits or you!"

Featherwing purred and then took her tail from Pikepatch's and wrapped it around hers kits. "Why don't you go play outside?" She then prodded the other tabby kit with a paw to wake him up. "You too Hawkkit, you need the exercise."

Soon Hawkkit began to stir and he grunted as he stood up, his eyes were an ice blue, exactly like his father's. He then stumbled outside, stretching once he got outside with Birchkit and Coldkit to play

Birchkit looked back at her mother and father. Pikepatch had lay next to her mother and curled his tail around Fewthereing's and they groomed each other, lovingly. Birchkit stuck out her tongue and gave out a mew of disgust.

"Why do they do that with their tails?" Birchkit asked when Coldkit came over.

"I don't know but let's go play!" Coldkit exclaimed as she pushed Birchkit down and bit down on her ear, playfully. Birchkit smirked, she was way bigger than Coldkit. She hauled the snowy white kit over and she put all her force to keep Coldkit down.

"Hey!" Coldkit coughed as she struggled for breath. Birchkit finally let go and laughed as Coldkit got up, dust all over her pelt.

Birchkit glanced over to Hawkkit, he was talking to a warrior! "Hey let's go see Hawkkit, he's talking to a warrior!"

Coldkit grunted. "Yes!"

The two kits bounded over to their brother quickly and sat down next to him as he spoke to the warrior. The warrior was a tom with a pelt as dark as the night and eyes as yellow as the sun. Who was this? Birchkit fidgeted with her paws until the warrior spoke to her and Coldkit.

"Hello little ones," the tom croaked. "Hawkkit has been talking about you, I'm Crowfrost, the deputy."

"You're the deputy!" Coldkit squealed in delight, she couldn't believe she was speaking to the deputy. Hardly any kit got to talk to the deputy as a kit because they were so busy that they could be the first kits to meet the deputy as a kit! Birchkit smiled in delight with her sister Coldkit.

"Mhm," Crowfrost nodded, "I also trained your father, he's one of the best warriors in Pineclan."

Hawkkit finally joined the conversation as he stood up. He was tall with small muscles almost bulging out from his shoulders. "Can you teach us some battle moves, Crowfrost?"

Crowfrost meowed, "why not?" And he dived into a crouch and looked at the kits as he did so. "Crouch down and swipe your paw in the air like this." Crowfrost then unsheathed his claws and scratched the air as if a MapleClan warrior was standing in front of him, hissing in anger.

Birchkit muttered something under her breath and then she copied Crowfrost's move, almost falling as she clawed the air, aggressively. She caught Coldkit out of the corner of her eye as she held her grip tightly on the ground and clawed the air perfectly. I wish I could do it just like her... Birchkit thought.

"Well done Coldkit! You'll be a perfect warrior in a heartbeat!" Crowfrost meowed encouragingly.

Coldkit smiled and done the second battle move easily while Birchkit struggled to keep her balance on the ground. Soon after Pikepatch came out from the nursery, his tail held high. He bounded towards Crowfrost and the three kits.

"Greetings Crowfrost," Pikepatch dipped his head toward the deputy in greetings. Crowfrost returned the greetings happily. "Hawkkit, Birchkit and Coldkit? It's time to be going to sleep." Pikepatch purred as he gathered the kits around him and have them a quick lick on the head.

"Come on, Birchkit!" Coldkit raced away back into the nursery, not waiting for her littermates. Birchkit ran after her, panting when she came to the nursery entrance. She then bounded into the den and over to her mother and fell into her soft fur.

"You shouldn't run! You had enough time to walk!" Featherwing snapped as she wrapped her tail around Birchkit, warming her up. "Get some rest now before you pass out!"

"Okay.." Birchkit meowed but she really wasn't tired. Her mother made it sound like she was tired but she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. She knew she wasn't meant to do this but she wanted to see the forest and the rivers! She wanted to climb the trees and swim int he rivers, catch some prey and enjoy the moonlight.

I'm going to see the forest! Birchkit yowled in her head as she looked out of the brambles to see the white stars and the clearing dappled in the silver moonlight.