Warriors: The Prophecy of Stream

Chapter 3- The Moor Peak

Thistlekit sat tall outside the nursery. Her nursery. Tigerkit sat a ways off, creeping behind a large gorse bush that hung over part of the camp. His amber eyes gleamed in the half light, tail lashing side to side. Thistlekit closed her eyes, pretending to bask in the leafbare sunlight. the warm seasons would be starting soon, it had been leaf-bare for a little over two moons now. She pricked her ears, listening for where Tigerkit would be. She heard Saltfur's steady breathing coming from inside the woven den. The queen had moved into the nursery only a few sunrises ago, but was already looking plump. Her kits would be born in another quarter moon, according to Echobreeze, Windclan's medicine cat.

A slight rustle caused Thistlekit to open her eyes, but only a heartbeat too late. A flash of brown and she was pinned to the ground, Tigerkit standing victoriously over her.

She let out a playful growl and threw him off, and began washing her pelt. "Camp is starting to get really boring sometimes!" She huffed.

Tigerkit rolled his eyes. "Just wait until Saltfur's kits are born, then you'll have somebody else to play with!"

Thistlekit just sighed again and looked around her home, the only place she had seen in her life so far. I know every single pebble in camp probably! Sunstar was sharing a leaf-bare rabbit with Lightningstrike, their deputy, looking deep in conversation outside the leader's rocky den. Both toms' golden pelts gleamed in the morning light. Harejump and Pricklepelt were on the side of the sandy clearing with their apprentices, Lightpaw and Skypaw. Both young cats had sturdy muscles beneath their golden and silver fur. I can't wait to be an apprentice, I could actually do something with my time instead of play rabbit chase with Tigerkit! Skypaw paused his hunting crouch practice and caught Thistlekit's eye, waving his tail in welcome beside his brother. She returned the gesture while Tigerkit rolled his eyes.

Thistlekit was so lost in thought that she didn't notice her mother's littermate, Appledaisy, approaching. Her beautiful red coat standing out against the sand and heather bushes. "What are you two bickering about?" She purred, sitting beside the two kits.

"We're bored!" Thistlekit cried. She was almost three moons old, and was tired of being in camp all day. Tigerkit nodded his agreement, even though he had just chewed on Thistlekit's whiskers for wanting something else to do. Arrogant furball! Thistlekit thought, laughing.

"Well," Appledaisy looked at her young kin mischievously, "If you feel up to it, I can help you practice some skills that truly define what it means to be Windclan cats!"

"Oh please, can you?" Thistlekit and Tigerkit lept to their paws simultaneously. A true Windclan cat!

Appledaisy purred with amusement, then looked over Thistlekit's head and nodded a greeting. "Hello Heatherfall! I'm going to help keep your kits out of trouble for the morning! I figured I'd help them with their running techniques and show them the moor peak."

Their mother purred, and looked sternly at her kits. "Make sure you listen to what she tells you, exactly." She then turned to catch up to Bushnose, who was leading a Thunderclan border patrol with Mudear and Quickferret. She waved her tail in goodbye to her kits and littermate, and padded up the slope out to the open sky and fields. Thistlekit envied her mother being able to be free on the moor, running faster than any other clan!

She turned her attention back to Appledaisy, who looked excited about her morning plans. "I have a sunhigh hunting patrol, so we'll keep ourselves busy until then!" She looked around the clearing, which was empty now other than Echobreeze's grey and white pelt beside her apprentice, Moonpaw's, creamy fur. A line of different roots and herbs lay in front of the two.