Chapter Six

Sprucekit loved the morning sun. It felt warm against her thin pelt. A few clouds drifted by as fierce winds pulled at her fur. The day was going to be cold. With leafbare in full swing the Clan was trying to keep warm by huddling together during the coldest nights. Being the only kit in the nursery meant that Sprucekit had more attention than usual from both her mother and Palemist, a queen who was close to giving birth.

The tiny kit remembered what Larksong had told her about her father. Leopardheart had been brave and foolish at the same time. He gave his life defending the Clan honorably. The Clan still mourned over his death, especially Larksong.

I wish I knew what he looked like, Sprucekit thought as she stretched out her back. She knew very little about what Leopardheart looked like. Larksong only told Sprucekit stories about the battles that her father had fought in.

"Hey Sprucekit, I brought you something to eat!"

Sprucekit's ears pricked forward when she heard Antpaw approaching. The scent of rabbit filled her lungs and her mouth watered. Rabbits were rare during this time of leafbare. Sprucekit knew that the Clan was doing their best to keep the queens and elders well-fed. The warriors and apprentices often went to their nests hungry just so that the queens and elders had something to eat.

She found herself appreciating the fact that they were willing to share their fresh-kill with everyone else. Leafbare was always a difficult time for every cat living by the lake. So they all looked out for one another, and they tried their best to make sure that everyone pulled through during said difficult time.

"Antpaw, share that rabbit with your denmates," Larksong scolded. "It's time you apprentices had something decent to eat."

She seemed to have read Sprucekit's thoughts.

Antpaw was so skinny that Sprucekit could see his ribs. His brown pelt seemed like it would rip off with the next gust of wind. Sprucekit nodded in agreement to her mother's words and stared at Antpaw expectantly. The young tom blinked in surprise before dipping his head gratefully.

"Thanks, I'll make sure we hunt for you tonight," he promised.

His voice sounded funny as his voice was muffled by the rabbit's fur. Sprucekit stifled a purr at the sound. Despite the fact that times were a little leaner than they should have been, Sprucekit knew that some humor was a good thing.

Larksong sighed when the apprentice trotted away, dragging the rabbit along with him. Sprucekit knew that her mother was hungrier than ever. Larksong had given most of the prey to her so that she would have more to eat.

"Can I go out and play now?" Sprucekit asked when she looked at her mother hopefully.

The tortoiseshell queen stared at Sprucekit for what felt like moons. She was always protective of her. She refused to take her eyes off of Sprucekit ever since Leopardheart died. Sprucekit was tired of being watched over like a hawk. She wanted to explore the camp and find out what it was like to be a WindClan warrior. Since it was so nice out she knew that this was her only chance of doing so.

"Fine, I suppose you can go out for a little while," Larksong finally sighed. "But I will be keeping an eye on you. One false move and you're back in the nursery until you're six moons old."

She looked at Sprucekit accusingly, as if she expected her daughter to make a mistake at that heartbeat. Sprucekit rolled her eyes and she bounded away, eager to get the day started. Admittedly, she did tend to get under everyone's paws when she was out of the nursery. Her mother had done her best to keep Sprucekit from doing so. But it was hard not to try and see what the rest of the Clan was doing.

Sure enough the apprentices were sharing the rabbit when she trotted towards their den. Well, their den was more like a dip in the ground. WindClan cats slept out in the open just like their ancestors. They didn't need the warm cozy dens that the forest offered. Only the medicine cat's den, nursery and elder's den were sheltered, and that was to keep everyone from getting sick.

Sickness often ravaged the Clan during leafbare. Sprucekit had begun to understand from what Furzewhisker said that it was easier because cats usually went to their nests hungry. Leafbare was difficult not only because of that, but because herbs were usually harder to come by as well.

"You're finally out!" Antpaw mewed when he swallowed a tough bit of meat.

"Yep, I'm one step closer to becoming an apprentice," Sprucekit replied boastfully.

She was five moons old now. Soon she would become an apprentice and learn the ways of a WindClan warrior. After that, she wasn't sure where her path would lead. The only thing she did know was that she was determined protect her Clan at all costs, just like her father had.

"Go and talk about it to the elders," Olivepaw snorted. Olivepaw was Antpaw's sister, but she acted nothing like her brother. Instead she was an annoying furball who enjoyed making sure everyone around her was miserable. Sprucekit supposed that was because Olivepaw was miserable herself. The only way she could enjoy life was when everyone else felt the same. But today Sprucekit wasn't going to let Olivepaw get to her. "Besides, we have real apprentice duties to finish," she added after cleaning her whiskers off.

"Do you mean like cleaning out the elder's nests?" Sootpaw sneered.

Olivepaw's fur bristled slightly when Sootpaw and Owlpaw purred with laughter. Sprucekit would have joined them if it wasn't for Icestar watching. The WindClan leader was always watching the apprentices. He kept a close eye on Sootpaw and Owlpaw especially. They were his kits after all. His mate, Cloudfeather, had died giving birth to them. He had never fully recovered from the loss of his mate.

A shiver of unease swept through her at the thought. When Leopardheart had been killed, Sprucekit never thought her mother would get over that realization. Her father had been killed during a battle, and she never had the chance to actually meet him. Her mother would always tell her stories about how brave he was, though.

And I want to be a brave warrior like him, she reminded herself silently. I'll defend my Clan with everything I've got.

"Sprucekit, glad to see you're finally out of the nursery!" Whitebirch, one of the younger warriors, exclaimed when she returned from an unsuccessful hunt.

Her whiskers were drooping slightly in disappointment, but she was pleased to see the Clan's only kit.

"I'm glad too," Sprucekit purred. "Maybe now I can finally become an apprentice."

"Don't count on that," Icestar muttered. The white tom stretched out his back and glanced at Whitebirch, who seemed undaunted by his stare. Sprucekit's tail tucked between her legs and she suddenly wished that the apprentices were surrounding her again. Icestar had an intimidating look to him. Sprucekit had always been wary of the WindClan leader. "How was your hunt?"

"The rabbits are all hiding," Whitebirch muttered crossly. "I haven't found a single rabbit since this morning."

Icestar sighed and looked up at the sky. By now, the clouds were increasing. Damp air told Sprucekit that snow would likely fall by tonight. She had seen snow fall before. From what she was able to gather, prey hated being out in the snow, making hunting that much more difficult.

I hope this doesn't scare away what little prey we have left, she thought with a flick of her tail.

"Then I suppose we will have to hunt in the abandoned Horseplace," he meowed.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Whitebirch asked.

Her eyes widened at the thought of going anywhere near the horseplace, but than she shook her head. Sprucekit knew that questioning the Clan leader could come with a price. Icestar wasn't normally the type of cat who allowed his anger to get the better of him, but he did have his moments.

Sprucekit had been watching Icestar from the nursery whenever Larksong refused to let her out. And she hadn't missed the fact that he was sometimes aggressive with his senior warriors who questioned his authority.

"What other choice do we have? Our Clan will starve if we do not find a solution soon. Rowantail!" He called out to the Clan deputy, a gray and ginger dappled she-cat with a tabby-striped tail.

The she-cat approached Icestar warily, as if she expected him to strike out at her. Owlpaw's ears pricked forward before he jumped to his paws. Sprucekit wondered if he would be joining the hunting mission that Icestar had proposed.

"I want you to take your strongest warriors with you to the abandoned Horseplace," Icestar explained when Rowantail looked at him questioningly.

"But... isn't that dangerous?" Rowantail asked hesitantly.

"What other choice do we have?" Icestar repeated himself. "I know that there are mice in the barn. The kittypets that once lived there are gone. You should have no trouble finding prey."

Rowantail ducked her head in respect before glancing over her shoulder. Sprucekit wondered if this was really a good idea. The Clan did need to be fed, but hunting in a place that Twolegs once lived on was dangerous like Rowantail had said. Icestar was putting the Clan at risk by sending them on this mission.

"Very well, Icestar," Rowantail sighed.

She left Icestar standing near his den and joined the rest of the warriors that were huddled together. Sprucekit bounded away from the meeting place, eager to tell her mother what just happened. As usual Larksong was busy speaking with Palemist. The pale gray she-cat's belly was swollen to twice it's normal size.

Furzewhisker said that she's going to have a big litter, Sprucekit thought as she remembered the medicine cat's words. Maybe a new litter of kits was just what WindClan needed. More strong warriors to defend and hunt for the Clan.

Larksong stopped her talking and looked at Sprucekit expectantly. She gave Sprucekit's ear a gentle lick before purring in amusement.

"Back already?" she asked.

"Icestar is sending the warriors on a mission!" Sprucekit announced.

"What kind of a mission?" Palemist demanded.

"He's sending warriors to the Horseplace to find prey."

Sprucekit blinked when she mentioned what she had overheard. She knew that it wasn't in a kit's place to question her Clan leader's motives. Yet what Icestar said about the horseplace left her stomach churning with anxiety. She knew that hunting so far from Clan territory could be dangerous.

The queens exchanged anxious looks before Larksong sighed in frustration. Sprucekit knew in that moment that whatever Icestar had said was serious. Her heart lurched at the thought. She didn't want anything bad to happen to the Clan, but she knew that peace wouldn't last forever.

"This won't end well," she muttered. "You'd better get back to your nest Sprucekit," she added when the kit's ears pricked forward.

"But it's not even past sunhigh yet!" Sprucekit whined.

"If you rest now you will have plenty of energy for tomorrow," Larksong told her. "Now go."

She brushed her tail across Sprucekit's shoulder before herding the kit back into the bramble den that was the nursery. Sprucekit huffed indignantly before deciding it was better not to argue. Her mother wouldn't take kindly to her arguing any further than she already had. Besides, she had a feeling that she didn't want to be part of whatever Icestar was discussing about the horseplace.

There's always tomorrow, she decided. And maybe tomorrow I'll finally be an apprentice!