Lightning's Storm

The Camp

"Woah," I gasped.

My eyes went wide as moons as I stared out into the camp from the entrance to the nursery. The sun was high in the sky, and it shone warmly down into the gorge. A winding stream cut through the center of it, and there were huge, rocky cliffs on either side, and a sandy camp floor. And, cats. Cats swarmed everywhere. They were coming in and going out, carrying prey, going on patrols. There were so many of them.

"How will I ever know all their names?" I meowed, my head swimming.

"Once you get to know them, their names will come easily," Leafstar meowed reassuringly.

"Do you know all their names?" Nightkit asked.

Leafstar purred in laughter.

"Of course!" she said. "I'm SkyClan's leader. I have to."

"You lead all these cats!" I gasped, still staring out into the sea of pelts.

My brow furrowed.

How could she be the leader of all of them? It just doesn't seem possible.

I turned to look back up my mother, a new feeling of awe filling me.

"Well, go on," she purred. "But, be careful on the trail down."

Nightkit took the lead. He bounded forward, but slowed when he reached the edge of the cliff, scrabbling carefully down the path. I followed him, carefully placing my paws in the same places where he stepped. Leafstar watched over us a bit worriedly, staying right at our heels to make sure we didn't fall. When we made it to the ground successfully, Nightkit let out a yowl of triumph and bounded forward, into camp.

"Stay in camp, alright? And, stay out of trouble," Leafstar meowed to our backs.

"Guys over here!" Briarkit called out, waving her tail to summon us to her.

I let out a sigh of relief at the sight of her familiar pelt. My brother and I bounded over to her, where she was sitting with Lionkit and Ravenkit. Meanwhile, Leafstar padded off to talk to a huge, dark ginger tom. I studied the large cat with wide eyes.

"Woah, who's that?" I meowed to Lionkit.

"That's Sharpclaw! He's the deputy. And, also the scariest warrior there is," Lionkit said with a shudder.

I blinked at Lionkit, my pelt prickling nervously.

"Really?" I squeaked.

"Don't let Dad hear you saying that about Sharpclaw," Briarkit teased her brother. "Or, he'll be mad."

"Dad? Patchfoot isn't scary at all!" Lionkit exclaimed, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Who's Patchfoot?" Nightkit meowed, tilting his head.

Ravenkit flicked her tail to indicate a black and white tom across the camp. I had to agree with Lionkit. Compared to Sharpclaw, he seemed positively scrawny.

Briarkit shook her head amusedly as Nightkit and I scrutinized Patchfoot from a distance.

"Yep, that's him," Briarkit purred, before rising to her paws and bounding off. "Now, come on! We'll show you around the camp!"

I turned, and with my brother and her litter-mates, padded after her, looking all around with wide eyes as I trotted along.

"Those are the dens," Briarkit meowed, waving her tail to indicate the caves in the cliff face. "The biggest one is the warriors'. The one there is the nursery of course. And, that's the elders' and that's the apprentices'!"