Chapter Seven

Jealousy coursed through the young kit as he watched behind the screen of lichen. In front of him were three young apprentices that were preparing to leave for their training. They were allowed to leave the camp, while he was stuck inside the boring old nursery. While his sisters were busy playing their usual games of tag or 'catch the mouse', he watched the camp with envy. One day he would join those apprentices and become a proud warrior of RiverClan.

His claws sheathed and unsheathed at the thought. There were times when he wished that Minnowstar would give them their ceremony early. He'd heard stories about it happening with kits before, but they didn't usually end well. Most of those kits had suffered because they were thrown into the pit of battle too young.

I wouldn't let anyone touch my pelt if it ever came to that, he told himself silently.

He'd already shown some progress by trying to fish in the tiny stream that trickled behind the nursery. When Ashfang figured out what he was up to, she had been both annoyed and proud with what he was capable of doing. Of course, Willowkit had finally discovered his hiding place and ruined it for him. She and the rest of his sisters had ganged up on him one morning when he was practicing, and they'd pushed him into the stream as a 'joke'.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" their mother had been furious when she found out. Only Willowkit had looked ashamed and guilty for what happened. Larchkit and Hollykit were indifferent about what had happened, neither of them really caring for their brother in the first place. "If I ever catch you pulling that stunt off again, you'll never leave the nursery!"

A lot of good that did for them, Reedkit nearly rolled his eyes at the thought. They were still as annoying and pushy as they had always been, if not worse because of her reaction. He had little doubt in the back of his mind that his sisters were scheming and up to no good again when he caught them out of the corner of his eye.

"Will you stop moping Reedkit?" Willowkit demanded when she stalked over to him. Larchkit and Hollykit had stopped playing. Both she-kits watched Willowkit – their ring leader as Reedkit called her – scold her brother. "Just be glad we're allowed to play in the nursery!"

"If that's supposed to make me feel better, than you failed miserably," he grumbled.

He liked sounding like an adult. It made him feel older and more prepared in becoming an apprentice. Maybe the others would stop treating him like a kit someday as well. He just wished there was some way of proving to them that he was ready to leave the nursery, and to leave his annoying sisters behind.

"Oh, let the fishbrain mope," Larchkit mewed. "Willowkit, we can sneak up on Ambertail!"

Reedkit rolled his eyes when Ashfang, their mother cuffed Larchkit over the ears. She was already exasperated enough because of the constant trouble three of her kits got themselves into. Reedkit tried to avoid getting into trouble, but it didn't help having three mischievous sisters.

"You will do no such thing," she murmured.

She was exhausted after spending all night cleaning burrs from Willowkit's pelt. None of them knew what Willowkit was up to at night. But for some reason she always ended up with burrs every morning after the large family woke up.

"But we're so bored!" Hollykit whined.

Her amber eyes grew round with hope when Ashfang sighed.

Their mother watched them carefully for what felt like moons. To Reedkit it felt like more than moons. Ashfang was doing this on purpose so that they wouldn't have time to explore the camp! He sat back on his haunches and watched the clouds roll by lazily. Though it was leafbare he felt as though it was early newleaf with how the sky looked.

"I bet we could sneak out while mother's distracted," Reedkit suddenly whispered when Ashfang turned away from them.

Hollykit's eyes glowed with interest while Willowkit simply rolled her eyes. He knew the idea would likely keep them stuck for another moon, but anything was better than being stuck now! He needed to get out of the nursery now before he lost his mind!

Reedkit watched their mother carefully as she began chatting with Ambertail, the other queen in the nursery. Ambertail had already given birth to a litter of kits a few moons ago before returning to the nursery shortly after they became apprentices. Her belly hardly showed any signs of expecting kits, but she was always going on about feeling them stir inside. Reedkit rolled his eyes and wondered if that was how Ashfang had acted before he was born.

As soon as Ashfang began speaking Reedkit looked at his littermates. Larchkit's whiskers twitched before she slipped out of the nursery's entrance. Willowkit and Hollykit followed shortly after, with their brother close behind.

Excitement coursed through Reedkit as he stepped into the clearing for the first time in what felt like moons. He breathed in a sigh of relief as he caught the familiar scent of moisture in the air. That was what his Clan was famous for – the many creeks and streams that ran along their territory. RiverClan cats had adapted to the ways of swimming and were well-renowned fishers. Reedkit himself longed to learn the ways of a hunter when he became an apprentice.

I can't wait to get my claws on my first fish, and how to swim around the lake, he thought. Maybe my mentor will even teach me how to dive!

He'd heard enough stories from Ripplecloud to know that while it hadn't been seen in many seasons, diving was something that a cat could do. Though, Reedkit had his doubts as to whether or not that story held any truth in it.

"Mintwhisker!"

He was jostled from his thoughts by Willowkit's yowl. Reedkit turned to see a lean looking gray tom watching in amusement as he was nearly tackled by his three daughters. The tom in question happened to be their father. Mintwhisker was always far more affectionate towards Willowkit, Larchkit and Hollykit than he was towards Reedkit. Though, Reedkit never wanted it in the first place. He just wanted to be treated like a warrior rather than a kit.

"Great StarClan, and here I thought you four weren't allowed out of the nursery!" he gasped when he fell to the ground.

"Nothing can keep us out," Hollykit boasted. "Well, almost all of us."

She added the last part with a sneer and looked pointedly at Reedkit.

His lips curled in outrage when he glared at his sister. Reedkit let his claws unsheathe as he imagined what he could do to her while she was asleep. He wasn't going to let her get away with treating him that way, that was for sure.

"Now Hollykit, your brother is as important as you three," Mintwhisker meowed after pushing them off. "Where is your mother?"

"She's busy chatting with Ambertail," Larchkit mewed.

Mintwhisker gave the gray and white kit a lick between the ears. Larchkit stifled a mewl of complaint before scampering back to Willowkit and Hollykit. By now their activity had alerted most of the Clan. Reedkit found his ears flattening in embarrassment when they watched the large family in annoyance.

As deputy of the Clan, Mintwhisker was well respected. But when it came to his kits, all of that respect was lost. Reedkit had begun to notice that Mintwhisker acted more like a kit around them than a father. He rarely scolded Willowkit, Hollykit or Larchkit. But if Reedkit ever did anything wrong he would feel the sharp side of both of his parents.

Of course they would show who their favorite kits are around me, he thought bitterly.

He tried to avoid sounding resentful over his parents' choices. But it didn't help that they encouraged his sisters' behavior. More often than not, Reedkit found himself getting excluded from whatever games or antics they were pulling off.

"Have you set out the dusk patrols?"

Reedkit felt his fur fall flat when Minnowstar, the Clan leader, approached his father.

The light brown tabby was known for her kind voice, but she was fierce in battle when it came to protecting her Clan. Stories were always shared of how Minnowstar had become leader. Reedkit remembered one story explaining that she had avenged Beechstar's life in a battle against ShadowClan.

"All of the patrols are set, including the ShadowClan border," Mintwhisker replied in a more serious voice. "I've noticed that they have been quiet lately," he added.

"Knowing Russetstar he is probably planning something," Minnowstar muttered. "Just make sure no cat crosses the border. The last thing we need is a fight breaking out."

Mintwhisker nodded in agreement as Minnowstar stalked away. His expression grew somber before he looked down at the four kits. Reedkit lingered near the nursery's entrance while he watched them. He had longed to explore the camp while he could. But now his father's attention was focused on his three sisters. He knew his father wouldn't take his eyes off of them for the next few heartbeats, so he needed to take whatever chances he could.

Now would be a better time to go when I can, Reedkit thought with a lash of his tail.

The silver tabby kit stalked away from the large family, eager to see the warrior's den and the apprentice's den. The warrior's den was a large den made up of brambles and vines from the willow trees. The apprentice's den was a smaller den with willow leaves that were patched to keep it warm during leafbare. Reedkit's tail curled when he spotted the elder's den, which was closer towards the medicine cat's den in case there was some kind of emergency.

Reedkit saw that the two elders were outside sunning themselves. Ripplecloud and Sandfang were the Clan's only elders, but they ensured that they were not forgotten so easily. Sandfang especially had a sharp tongue towards the apprentices. He made sure that his nest was just soft enough and dry enough to sleep in. Ripplecloud on the other paw was softer and more kind towards the younger cats, but that was only because she was Ashfang's mother.

"Hi, Ripplecloud!" Reedkit mewed when he bounded towards them.

"Reedkit, it's good to see you finally out of the nursery," Ripplecloud purred when she noticed his arrival.

"Mother's busy talking with Ambertail," he explained after wrapping his tail around his paws. Ripplecloud's whiskers twitched in amusement before she nuzzled him affectionately. "I wish she'd let us out more often!" he grumbled.

"Ashfang is only worried about your safety, little one," the elder rasped. "I felt the same way when I raised her." Reedkit stared at Ripplecloud in disbelief, but she only winked. "I'm sure she is worried about you right now, wondering where you and your siblings have gone," she added.

He hated it when Ripplecloud was right. Ashfang would likely punish them to the nursery for the next few moons after she found out about this. Ripplecloud was going to tell Ashfang where her kits had wandered off eventually.

The kit bowed his head before scampering away from the elder's den. He could feel Ripplecloud watching his every move, as if she expected him to do something wrong. His fur bristled slightly when he padded back to the nursery. Sure enough Ashfang was waiting for them, but instead of showing anger her eyes glowed with warmth when she looked down at him.

"At least one of my kits came back," she sighed before licking him between the ears.

Reedkit looked at his mother skeptically before shaking his head. He knew how much she cared about her kits. This was just her way of ensuring that nothing happened to them.