#lilackit

"Quiet! If we're arguing, Rushseed won't like us!" Wisteriakit reminded her sisters. She glanced back to see if their other two littermates, Lavenderkit and Iriskit, were on their best behaviour. Lavenderkit was snuggled next to Trouthowl; the golden molly almost never left the queen's side. Iriskit, a darker sandy tabby, was lingering a little ways back. Despite her supposed disinterest, Wisteriakit could tell that she was watching everything intently.

When Rushseed finally reached the nursery, she walked right past without sparing any of her daughters a glance. Wisteriakit's tail fell and she tried to bite back her disappointment while her mother placed the kit down in front of Trouthowl.

"Another one?" Trouthowl frowned. "Where did you get this one?"

"It doesn't matter," Rushseed grunted. "You know BleakClan needs more kits, we've lost so many warriors recently."

"Maybe we wouldn't have lost so many warriors if you didn't keep throwing us into battle every time someone looks at you wrong," Trouthowl huffed. "Are you adopting this one too?"

"No, my daughters are special. I don't care what happens to Gingerkit, either he survives or he doesn't have what it takes." Rushseed said. Wisteriakit couldn't help but feel a rush at her words, though the gray molly still wasn't looking at her.

"At least you named this one," Trouthowl said dryly.

"He told me his name was Ginger, so he's Gingerkit," Rushseed shrugged, turning and walking away. "I've got patrols to organize, I trust you'll be able to get him settled?"

"I'll show him around!" Wisteriakit offered, bounding up to Gingerkit. He was bigger than her, around the size of Seedkit. She guessed he was around three moons old as well. He was mostly white, save for a pale ginger back and darker ginger ears, tail, and two dark streaks on his face.

"Me too!" Lilackit thrust herself forward, not wanting to be outdone by her sister. Wisteriakit glared at her, why did she always have to try to be better than her?

In some ways, she liked Lilackit because she was the only littermate who shared Wisteriakit's gray coat, even if it was only in fragments. Lilackit was mostly golden, like Lavenderkit, but the tip of her tail and part of her face were the same gray as her. Wisteriakit liked being gray, it made her feel closer to Rushseed, but it if weren't for Lilackit, she would wonder if she was even related to her ginger sisters at all. Trouthowl told her she had the same purple eyes as Lavenderkit and Iriskit, but Wisteriakit had never seen her own eyes, so she didn't know if it was true. Wisteriakit wondered if Lilackit was so competitive because of her gray patches, as if she thought she could beat Wisteriakit to Rushseed's approval because of it.

"I don't want to go with Lilackit," Wisteriakit complained, once she was done glaring. "I can do it by myself!"

"I'm sure you can, little one," Trouthowl reached her head down to lick Wisteriakit's head, "But let Lilackit go with you. In fact, all five of you should go, it's about time you got some fresh air. Seedkit and Fallowkit are already out there."

"I don't want to go! I want to stay with you!" Lavenderkit whined, leaning in to Trouthowl.

"I'll be right here waiting when you return, my sweet," Trouthowl reminded her.

"Alright, alright, let's go then," Wisteriakit tried to hide her annoyance, but she couldn't stop her tail from flicking.

Gingerkit fell in beside Wisteriakit as the six of them scrambled out of the nursery and out into the newleaf sun. Wisteriakit looked up at him in awe, glad that he had at least chosen to walk beside her.

He leaned in, close to her ear and whispered, "We can ditch them all later, if you want."

"So, Gingerkit, where did you come from?" Lilackit bounded up before Wisteriakit could respond.

"I dunno, out there somewhere," Gingerkit flicked his tail towards the camp entrance, which was a tunnel within the thornbushes that surrounded the BleakClan camp. "I was napping, and woke up to hear fighting. Then, this gray cat came, the one who brought me here, and told me that my parents had gotten very hurt, and she had promised to take me somewhere safe. I wanted to say goodbye, but she said they needed their sleep. They must have been so tired, they were very still."

"That gray cat is our mother, Rushseed," Wisteriakit explained.

"Well, she's not our real mom," Violetkit explained. "She rescued us too, like she rescued you. We don't see her much though. She told us that if we get big and strong and become good warriors to the clan, then she will be proud of us! So we have to train very hard so she'll like us!"

"That's where I got these scars from!" Wisteriakit puffed out her chest to show two straight lines on her chest. "Apparently we were stuck, and Rushseed had to use her claws to get us out! She accidentally hurt me, but it's what we had to do to keep us alive. Trouthowl says it's they are special scars, because it means we were able to survive."

"You must have been very brave," Gingerkit said, tilting his head as he looked Wisteriakit up and down.

"I was!" Wisteriakit held her head up high. "Oh look, there's Pondpaw and Yewpaw! We should go say hi!"

Wisteriakit bounded over to the apprentices den, which was in a hollowed out fallen tree not far from the nursery. The two apprentices were cleaning out their nests and laying down new moss.

"Hey, little kits!" Pondpaw called in greeting, waving her tail. According to Fallowkit, the black tabby had been apprenticed just last moon, around the same time Wisteriakit and her sisters had been born.

"Don't call us little!" Wisteriakit frowned. "We came to see if you need any help! We're showing Gingerkit around, he's new!"

"I saw Rushseed bringing him in! Is he our newest BleakClan recruit?" Pondpaw asked.

"I guess I am," Gingerkit shrugged.

"Pondpaw, get these kits out of our fur and help me with the nests!" Yewpaw hissed. "We don't need them messing everything up." The light brown molly glared at the kits. Her face and tail were darker than the rest of her body, and she had intense white markings above her eyes and down her nose.

"We better get out of here," Iriskit said quietly.

"Yeah, Yewpaw is a big meanie!" Violetkit yowled, clearly making sure that Yewpaw could hear her. "It's funny, because Yewpaw is Trouthowl's kit, and Trouthowl is so nice."

"Yeah, and Pondpaw is Puddlebud's kit, but Pondpaw is really nice and Puddlebud is really scary," Lilackit explained, clearly not wanting to be outdone by Violetkit.

"Puddlebud is Yewpaw's mentor, maybe she taught her how to be scary," Wisteriakit offered.

"That's not what Fallowkit says. Fallowkit shared the nursery with Yewpaw for a moon before she was apprenticed, and she says Yewpaw was scary before she was Puddlebud's apprentice." Violetkit said, shrugging. "Some cats are just like that, I guess."

"Oh, here's the warrior's den!" Wisteriakit interrupted, bounding over to a large cluster of shrubs. "It's very big, but only Rushseed, Puddlebud and Sleekbloom sleep there right now. Trouthowl says BleakClan has lost a lot of warriors recently, and that's why it's a good thing there are so many kits!"

"There won't be so many kits if they keep disturbing my nap," A growl came from the warrior's den as a large black and white marbled tom emerged. His purple eyes glinted menacingly, and his fur was rumpled from sleep.

"Oops," Violetkit giggled. "Sleekbloom doesn't like kits, run away!"

The six kits scattered as they raced away from the grumpy warrior, screaming and laughing as they went. They regrouped on the other side of camp, next to another shrub, out of breath and giggling to each other. Only Lavenderkit wasn't laughing, and instead was looking around, wide-eyed and nervous, as she cowered behind Gingerkit.

"Soon, Sleekbloom will be an elder," Violetkit smiled. "And then he'll be stuck in this old den all on his own. It's empty, BleakClan has no elders right now. Trouthowl says elders are really important because they have served the clan for a long time and they can share their wisdom with younger cats. They often tell stories to kits and apprentices, Sleekbloom will hate that!"

"I hope you weren't bothering Sleekbloom, all the warriors have had to work extra hard to bring in enough prey to feed you kits, not to mention all the battles we've had to fight recently. He's earned his rest." Antlerfleck's words were harsh, but there was a good-natured gleam in his yellow eyes.

"Antlerfleck!" Wisteriakit exclaimed, running up to the warrior. He was a cream coloured tom with one brown back leg. The kits had grown to like Antlerfleck. He had been staying the nursery with Fallowkit since she was weaned, to let his mate Shadowstar return to her duties, and he always came up with a lot of great games.

"I heard we have a new kit in our midst, welcome Gingerkit!" Antlerfleck grinned.

"We're giving him a tour!" Lilackit puffed out her chest.

"I can see that!" Antlerfleck said. "How about I show you the leader's den? That's an extra special place, only Shadowstar and I can go there without permission, but I can give you permission for a little bit."

"Yes please!" Wisteriakit beamed. She had only been in the leader's den once before, when Fallowkit had shown her and her littermates around shortly after they had opened their eyes. She was excited to see it again.

Antlerfleck led the group of kits towards a large tree on the edge of the camp, a little smaller than the one that the nursery was under. There was an entrance carved out of the tree near the roots, which lead to a winding tunnel sloping upwards. The den was about halfway up the tree, near a hole that lead to a branch where Shadowstar called clan meetings.

The leader was waiting for them. Shadowstar was a pale ginger flecked tabby with hazel eyes. Trouthowl had told the kits that she was very young to be clan leader, and had gained the position because her mother, Dapplestar, had been the previous leader of BleakClan. She had only been leader for five moons, which seemed like an eternity to Wisteriakit, who had only lived for one, but Trouthowl assured her it was a very recent development.

"Well, what do we have here!" Shadowstar grinned as the kits marched in, following Antlerfleck in a neat little line. "Rushseed had told me she found another kit to take in. Gingerkit, it is a pleasure to meet you. Have you met Fallowkit yet? She's our daughter." Shadowstar gazed lovingly at Antlerfleck.

"Not yet, but I will soon!" Gingerkit puffed out his chest.

"Well, if you kits ever need anything, I'm here," Shadowstar said. "You are all going to be fine warriors, I am certain of it."

Wisteriakit puffed her chest out in pride, noticing her littermates were doing the same. Only Gingerkit didn't respond. He probably didn't realize what it meant yet, but he would.

"Alright kits, you should probably go. Shadowstar is very busy," Antlerfleck said, flicking his tail towards the winding tunnel. "I'll see you at the nursery later."

Wisteriakit took the lead before Lilackit could beat her two it, and lead the kits down the tunnel. There was only one thing left in camp to show Gingerkit, and that was the healer's clearing.

The healer's clearing was through a stone tunnel in the middle of a boulder. It was a small clearing, only a third of the size of the camp, and it was dotted with boulders of various sizes. The largest housed the healer's den and the majority of the healing herbs, but there were dens in all the other boulders as well. Trouthowl had explained that this was so if cats were sick, they could be kept separate from other sick and injured cats to stop the spread of disease. Each boulder had their own small stock of herbs, in case the healers needed to get supplies in a hurry. On the edge of the clearing was a small stream, not deep enough for fish, but the perfect size to have constant access to water.

Wisteriakit lead the group of kits to the healer's den, hoping that Primrosestripe would be in. To her delight, the light brown tabby was there, placing a marigold poultice on the tail of a silver and white masked tabby molly.

"Oh, kits! You should come back another time!" Primrosestripe urged. "Puddlebud got injured in the fight against the rogues earlier today, I'm just patching up her tail."

Wisteriakit knew she should listen to Primrosestripe, Trouthowl had told her to always listen to a healer, and Puddlebud wouldn't like her getting too close, but curiosity got the better of her. Besides, she wanted Gingerkit to call her brave again. Making sure to move slowly, she made her way up to take a closer look at Puddlebud's tail.

The tail looked ripped up quite badly. Multiple patches of fur and flesh were missing, leaving oozing wounds behind. Wisteriakit was entranced, and there was something about the smell of blood that felt... almost comforting. She would have stood there for moons, it felt like, if Puddlebud didn't turn and snap at her.

"Listen to Primrosestripe, kit," The silver-and-white molly growled, baring her teeth. "I don't need everyone poking around my wound."

Backing away a little ways and trying not to shake, Wisteriakit looked back up at Primrosestripe. "Will she have a scar like me?" She asked

"We'll see," The healer grimaced. "Now, please go, kits. You can show your new friend around when I'm not busy."

Wisteriakit knew better than to disobey Primrosestripe twice, and turned away, walking back towards the other kits. She was happy to see a gleam of respect in Gingerkit's eyes, and in most of her sisters'. The only one who did not seem impressed was Lavenderkit.

"I'm telling Trouthowl that you didn't listen to Primrosestripe," She stuck out her chin, clearly trying to hide how scared she was.

"Tell her what you want, I don't care," Wisteriakit lied. She hoped the bravado would be enough to dissuade Lavenderkit from telling, she didn't want Trouthowl to be upset with her.

"Can we go back to the nursery now?" Lavenderkit asked, looking away. "We've seen everything now."

Wisteriakit had to admit she was getting tired. It was almost time for their afternoon nap. Taking the lead again, she led the rest of the kits back towards the gnarled tree that the nursery was beneath. As she went, she looked at Gingerkit. He looked back at her and smiled.

***

Wisteriakit was roused from her sleep by the voices of her friends. A quarter moon had passed since Gingerkit had joined BleakClan, and he had gotten quite comfortable. He had a natural confidence to him, and seemed to like to take charge in the same way that Wisteriakit did. It wasn't annoying the same way it was with Lilackit though, he wasn't competing with her. In fact, he respected Wisteriakit's own ideas and leadership, and the two often took charge together.

Gingerkit's voice was one of the voices that had woken her. As she blinked the sleep from her eyes, Wisteriakit realized that the voices were coming from outside the nursery. Careful not to disturb her sisters sleeping next to her, Wisteriakit crept outside to see what was going on.

Gingerkit was talking to Fallowkit and Seedkit just outside the nursery. They stopped when they saw Wisteriakit emerge.

"If you're talking about something secret, you should go further away," Wisteriakit warned. "You woke me up, you could wake up Antlerspeck or Trouthowl."

"Thanks, Wisteriakit." Seedkit blinked at her. The gray spotted molly was very close to Wisteriakit and her siblings, as she also was growing up without her real parents. "Do you want to join us?"

"Seedkit, she's too young," Fallowkit frowned. "No offence, I like playing with you, but I'm worried you'll get in the way." The older kit was mostly white, but also had some gray and ginger spots. She was getting close to being an apprentice, and seemed like far less of a kit than the others.

"Oh, let her come," Gingerkit pleaded. "Wisteriakit can handle anything."

"Alright, but lets go, before we wake up anyone else," Fallowkit said impatiently. "I don't want Lavenderkit telling on us again."

"Again?" Wisteriakit's eyes widened. "Are you sneaking out of the camp?!"

"Shhh, not so loud!" Fallowkit said. "Keep this quiet, and I'll make you deputy when I'm leader."

Wisteriakit followed the older kits in silence, eager not to be sent back to the nursery. Sleekbloom was on guard at the entrance to the camp, and the kits kept close to the thornbushes around the edges. Wisteriakit had wondered how they would get past Sleekbloom, until Fallowkit pointed out a small gap in the camp wall. It was too small for a full grown warrior, but the perfect size for a kit. Fallowkit led the way, followed by Seedkit, Gingerkit, and finally Wisteriakit.

The world outside the camp seemed massive. Trees stretched on as far as Wisteriakit could see, dressed with moss and undergrowth. At first, she was overwhelmed by how vast everything was, but she quickly got herself together. She didn't want the older kits to change their mind and send her back.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"I want to see if I can find my parents," Gingerkit admitted. "I love BleakClan, and I want to be a warrior, but I want to be sure that they know I am okay."

"That's where we've been going, every night," Seedkit said. "We haven't found them yet, but I know I wouldn't stop if I could find my mom."

Wisteriakit felt a strange tug in her heart. Somewhere out there, she had parents too. Parents who had given birth to her. Would they be proud of her, if they knew her? Did they miss her? She pushed the thought away. Rushseed was her mother now, she didn't want to think about her other parents. It hurt too much.

Gingerkit led the way now, trying to remember which way Rushseed had brought him. It was hard to tell which scent trails were from the right day, she went out on so many patrols. Wisteriakit followed, trying to ignore how much her feet were starting to hurt.

Eventually, they reached a point where BleakClan scent was dizzyingly strong. Wisteriakit realized this must be the border. There was no strong scent just beyond it, so it wouldn't be any border shared with the other five clans. None of the other three kits hesitated before crossing it, so Wisteriakit didn't either.

It wasn't long after crossing the border that Gingerkit realized where they were. He was running now, Wisteriakit could barely keep up. Fallowkit noticed and let the young kit scrabble up on her back, carrying her the rest of the way. The two of them had fallen behind now, but Fallowkit managed to follow their scent trail and catch up.

Seedkit was standing at the roots of the tree, a little ways away. Wisteriakit could smell her fear-scent, and wondered what was wrong. It was then that she saw Gingerkit, a little ways ahead. In front of him were two grown cats, one completely ginger save for white paws and tailtip, the other was mostly white save for some gray markings that looked similar to Gingerkit's. They were completely still, and they smelled awful.

Wisteriakit couldn't tear her eyes away. The grown-up cats had been hurt quite badly, dried blood poured form gaping wounds, staining the grass beneath them. Their eyes gazed on, fear and anger etched into their faces. Flies were buzzing around them, and there were chunks taken out of them, like they were mice bitten by very large cats.

"Please get up, I'm okay! Primrosestripe will make you all better, but get up! I'll take you there!" Gingerkit urged, alternating between nudging them and trying to pull them up. He turned back to the other kits. "Please help me! You've got to help me get them to Primrosestripe!"

"I'm sorry, Gingerkit," Fallowkit said in a voice so quiet it scared Wisteriakit. "Your parents are dead."