Awakening

Characters
Poppypaw: Silver she-cat with black stripes and blue eyes

Gorsestar: White tom with pale brown patches

Spottedkit: Tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes

Leafpelt: Tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

Brackenstorm: Light brown tom, blue eyes

Owlkit: Pale brown tabby tom with green eyes

Ripplekit: Dark gray and white tom with blue eyes

Prolouge
Poppypaw crouched to lap a few drops of water from the stream. The icy coolness felt good on her parched tongue, and unwound her tight muscles when she slid in. She paddled around for a while, sputtering out cold water as she did.

It was strangely quiet; the only sound was the splashing her paws made, and her spitting river water. The birds, which had been singing sweetly before, were now silent. The buzzing of bees had ceased. And the wind seemed to have stopped. She swam towards shore so she could stand, then tilted her head, trying to detect some sound.

A loud crash made Poppypaw jump. She whirled around, hackles raised, then sighed when she reconized the brown and white pelt of Gorsestar.

Poppypaw's relief turned to horror almost as quickly as her relief had appeared. Gorsestar lunged for her, claws outstretched. She tried to twist out of the way, and just barely managed to get a mouse-tail length away from his claws. He landed and ducked, so he was facing her. She was trapped; she had backed up against a pile of rocks. They were too high and slick for her to climb, and Gorsestar was too tall for her to leap over.

Poppypaw arched her back and hissed, but it was no use. His claws met in her throat before she could yowl for help.

Chapter One
"Poppypaw, wake up." Poppypaw heard the voice, but couldn't obey. She felt too sore too breathe, let alone open her eyes and raise her head. She felt a feather-light paw on her flank, and strength surged through her. She gasped in surprise and bolted upright. She was sitting in a mossy nest, underneath a large bush. Three starry figured were standing over her. The one who had touched her flank was a beautiful looking white she-cat with yellow eyes.

"W-where am I?" Poppypaw stammered, flexing her stiff legs. A gray tabby tom gently pushed her back into the nest.

"Lie still, Poppypaw. You must save your energy for the task ahead." Poppypaw stared in surprise as the three cats slid their bodies under her and carried her out of the nest, down the hill that the bush rested on, down a paw-worn path, to a large pointed stone in a small clearing. The smooth surface was tail-lengths taller than her, and it reflected moonlight, so it glowed silver. The three cats set her down next to it, and raised their heads.

"Moongaze?" The third cat, a tortoiseshell, was looking at the white she-cat. "We should start now." The white cat nodded and stood over Poppypaw.

"She will be small, yet strong." She pressed a paw to Poppypaw's shoulder; she shrunk in her fur, but she felt her muscles tighten. She was paralyzed by the StarClan cats powers; she couldn't move to save her life.

"She will be beautful and caring." The tabby tom touched his nose to Poppypaw's flank, and her silver and black fur darkened into tortoiseshell and white.

"She will be smart, understanding, and swift." The third cat stroked Poppypaw's muzzle with her ginger and black tail, and Poppypaw felt something warm and pleasant burst inside her. Her legs contracted and grew.

"She will not know she is a reincarnation of Poppypaw." Poppypaw gasped; her head felt full of pressure. Then, with a strong pop, the pressure released. She felt sleepy; her eyelids were drooping shut.

"Yes, little one. You may sleep now."

Chapter Two
The kit was in a warm, dark place. She didn't mind the darkness; she felt...used to it. Somehow.

Sh wailed miserably as the warm, soft place turned cold and hard. Light blinded her. She squealed protest as she felt a rough tongue rasping over her fur; it hurt her flanks. She wriggled away, towards the warmth that was eminating from a figure. Her paws touched soft, silk fur, which she burrowed gratefully into. She felt another tongue on her pelt, but this one was gentler and slower.

"It's over, Fireflower," A rough voice growled. Yet the growl was low, and full of love. The kit yipped and searched for milk.

"Yes," A sleepy voice replied. "Look at the smallest! She's got my fur!" The kit didn't know what they were talking about, so she simply gulped down the milk until her belly was comfortably full.

"And the toms," The male voice replied. "Their sholders; broad even for a kit!" There was a deep purr, and the shape she was clinging to moved away. She wailed, and heard another kit-voice yowl back. The kit was too tired to do much else. All she could do before falling asleep was cuddle closer to the soft fur called Mother.

Chapter Three
"Wake up, my darling," A soft voice cooed. "Come, Spottedkit, wake up. You're the last; your brothers are already walking around." The kit shifted, trying to find milk, but her mother moved away. "No milk until you open your eyes." So difficult! The kit thought to herself. But she reluctantly opened her eyes a slit. Bright sunlight blinded her. She gasped and shut her eyes again.

"Oh, Spottedkit," Her mother scoffed. "Your eyes will adjust. RIght now, they're only accustomed to darkness. Open them, but look down, not into the sun!" The kit Mother's calling me Spottedkit! opened her eyes a slit, then halfway, then fully, but covered them with her paws to protect them. Her mother shifted so Spottedkit was in the shade of her body.

"There you are! Give yourself a few heartbeats, then uncover your eyes. You can play with your brothers." Spottedkit waited a while, then slowly pulled her paws away and blinked.

Her mother had been right.

She blinked again, then looked up at her mother, and gasped.

Her mother was beautful. She had long, flowing tortoiseshell and white fur. Her eyes glowed blue. Her small paws were black. There was a small scar on her muzzle, but it added to her charm. She squeaked in surprise, and her mother chuckled.

"M...mmm..." Spottedkit tried to say "Mother" but couldn't get it.

"Mo-ther," The beautiful cat in front of her purred. "Mo-ther." Spottedkit wrinkled her nose is frustration, and tried again.

"Mo...ther!"

Thst's when it hit her.

This cat was not her mother. Her mother was black-furred, and her name was Sootpelt. Her father did not have a rough voice; it was kind and gentle when he talked about his children. She didn't have any brothers; she had a sister named Petalpaw.

She was not a kit. She was an apprentice, who had been killed by Gorsestar. She had been reincarnated by StarClan cats. Her name was Poppypaw; she had silver and black fur, not tortoiseshell. She knew this cat, the mother of her new life; it was Leafpelt. Her newlife father must be Brackenstorm. She wasn't supposed to know all this; the StarClan cats said it themselves, she'd never remember her past life!

Chapter Four
"Spottedkit, dear?" Leafpelt looked alarmed. "What is it?" Spottedkit stared at her mother and shook her head.

"Nothing, mother," She mewed. "What are my brothers' names?" Leafpelt seemed to relxe.

"The light brown one that looks a lot like your father-" She pointed with her tail at the biggest of the two kits wrestling in a corner. "Is Owlkit. The smaller gray tabby is Ripplekit. Ripplekit, let go of your brothers tail!"

Spottedkit tried to calm her breathing as Leafpelt bounded towards her sons. She turned away and tried not to shake.

''I'm not supposed to remember, but I do! What if StarClan are angry, and decide to kill me, since I'm not supposed to remember?'' She paused when an even more frightening thought hit her. ''What about Gorsestar? If I tell the Clan, he'll kill me, and then I won't get another chance at life. But if I don't, more cats might be killed.'' She sighed miserably and stared at her brother. Strangley, she felt strong love surge through her when she saw her mother trying to untangle her brothers.

These are my family, she thought. Leafpelt did give birth to me, and Owlkit and Ripplekit are my littermates. She sighed and bounded up to her brothers. With a squeal, she leaped on Ripplekit, who growled protest and tried to bat her off.

Ripplekit, Owlkit, and Leafpelt were her family. Not Petalpaw and Sootpelt. She felt no love towards them, only respect, as she respected a Clanmate. But I will never forget how much I loved you, Spottedkit thought to herself. She might as well enjoy her new life.

She yowled as Owlkit fastened his teeth in her ear and yanked it free, leaving a tooth mark behind. She ignored the sting and climbed up Leafpelt's back, perching on her spine.

"I'll get you!" Ripplekit bellowed. He gripped Leafpelt's tail with his paws and climbed it like a tree. She yelped as his claws dug deep into her tail. She whirled around and gripped Ripplekit by the scruff, prying his off of her tail.

"Time for a nap!" Leafpelt announced. She twisted her neck to grab Spottedkit, then she scooped all three kits close to her belly.

With her two big brothers protecting her flanks, and Leafpelts belly in front of her, Spottedkit felt like she'd never felt better. Of course, she couldn't remember her own kit days, but she fell asleep wondering how anyone could have it better.

Chapter Five
Spottedkit yawned and stretched when she felt a small paw prod her side. She blinked her eyes open to see Ripplekit standing over her.

"Come on!" He meowed. "Mother says we can go outside the nursery today!" \

But I've already seen it! Spottedkit almost wailed and gave up her cover, but at the last minute she bit her tounge and nodded.

"I wanna see the warriors' den!" Owlkit was turning in circles, his thin fur fluffed out. Ripplekit rolled his eyes and kicked out a long back leg; his paw hit Owlit and sent him barreling into Spottedkit. The two kits went rolling across the den, before smashing into Leapfelt's legs.

"Ouch!" She shoved the kits away with one paw. "Now I understand why queens wait a few seasons to have another litter!" But her eyes were shining with love as her sons and daughters bounded to the center of camp, tripping over eachother to get out first.

"Are you excited to be getting out, Spottedkit?" Fernpaw, a small brown tabby apprentice, asked her as she finally made it out. Spottedkit shrugged and trotted over to her brothers, relieved to have avoided any awkward questions.

"It's so..." Ripplekit was at a loss for words.

"Boring," Spottedkit offered. She felt stupid, for she had seen the camp hundreds of times before her reincarnation, and she was this was supposed to be her first time in her new life.

"How can you say it's boring?" Owlkit spat, shoving Spottedkit. She was so much smaller than him that she was sent stumbling. "It's huge! And exciting!" Spottedkit shrugged again.

"It's just the camp, Owlkit. It's not like an enemy Clan sleeps here, too." Owlkit sighed, making the fur around his muzzle ruffle. He nudged Ripplekit.

"Let's go see the elders," He mewed eagerly. "I want to hear a story about a battle!" Ripplekit nodded and her two brothers botled off, then staggered to a stop. They trotted over to Fernpaw and asked her something - most likely where the elders den was - and raced off again, this time towards a shell of ferns, with three cats hidden in the shadows.

"And what are you going to do, Spottedkit?" She turned around when she heard Stonekit's voice. He was a tall, leggy gray and white tom, with clear blue eyes. He'd been born just after Poppypaw was made an aprpentice. That made him...three moons old?

"I...I don't know," She stammered, caught off guard. "I don't feel like listening to a story. But I don't want to go back to the nursery." Stonekit smiled crookedly at her.

"Come on. I'll show you the other kits." He turned and beckoned with his tail for her to follow before bounding away towards a small bush. She hesitated, and turned towards the elders den. Her brothers were already settled down and watching the elders intently as they talked. She turned and raced after Stonekit.

He'd scrambled under the bush, and she followed. Stonekit was talking to a black she-cat with a brown underbelly, a white tom with yellow eyes, and a silver and black tabby she-cat.

"Spottedkit," Stonekit greeted her. "These are the other kits. My sister, Robinkit-" He nodded at the black and brown she-cat, who blinked warmly. "Hailkit-" The white tom with yellow eyes only flicked his tail. "And Stripekit." The silver and black she-cat gave a friendly mew.

More coming soon!