Goodbye/Keep Your Heart Young

This page contains a fanfiction written by Arti. This page contains the opinions of the original author(s), and is not patrolled for factual accuracy. Remember that this story is non-canon. It may contain false characters, plots, or locations. Responses, comments & other feedback should be made on the comments section below.

I'm sure that all the noobs are wondering who I am, and why I'm writing a story about leaving and making such a huge deal. I mean, most people don't even make a blog. You just get on one day and then they're gone. I know it might seem like I'm asking for attention, but I guess it's just important to me, to let you guys know how much you mean to me.

When I was a noob it seemed like this would last forever. We all swore that we'd be here forever and everything felt like this big wild adventure. It made everything exciting and everything new and special. I get nostalgic for those times, but at the same time, I know we all have to grow up. And it's been my honest pleasure to see so many of you grow, mature, become more than you were when you logged on for the first time and made some dopey story that had no punctuation and now you spend ages debating whether or not to delete it...(definitely not talking about myself there).

<3

Keep Your Heart Young

My grandpa gave me a wheat penny, and I kept it in my pocket

"Bramble!"

Bramble jerked awake, eyes wide. The sun glared into her eyes and she blinked, groaning a little. Not naturally a morning cat, the only thing that could have been worse than being forced to get up this early was if the cat who was calling her was-

"Bramble!"

The kit flinched and looked up to see Goldie stalking towards her. The she-cat's pretty blue eyes were narrowed and she stopped in front of Bramble's raggedy nest. "You didn't catch any prey yesterday."

I had big plans in my backyard to build me a space rocket

"I'm sorry," Bramble meowed. "It's just, hunting is really hard and I-"

Goldie softened, her hard features becoming loving. "It's okay, sweetie. Just try a little harder, okay?"

Bramble nodded, always a little disturbed by how Goldie could go from being mean to motherly. It perplexed her and she thought about that as she stood, stretching her stubby legs one at a time.

Talked to my brother on a fake CB that I made from a tic tac box

Bramble scampered off into the woods, her heart racing.

"Wait for me!"

She skidded to a halt and looked to see a silver scrap of fur streaking towards her.

Purring, she waved her tail, then realized that the silver she-kit wasn't stopping. Turning to run, she made it a few steps before Pebble slammed into her. They rolled into the forest, tussling and laughing.

Packed my snow balls nice 'n tight and in the middle, I put rocks

"So, what're we doing today?" Pebble always asked that, even though it was always the same response.

"Hunting." Bramble looked at her paws.

Her friend peered at her. "Did Goldie...? Aw, Bramble, I'm sorry!"

Bramble huffed. "It's nothing," she muttered.

"Well, I have news that'll cheer you up!" Pebble said, eyes glowing.

Don't trade in your tic tac box for a ball on the end of a chain

"We're moving on in a few days, to some place on the other side of the town-"

"That doesn't cheer me up."

Pebble smacked her with her paw. "That's not the news you furball." Bramble sighed theatrically and waited.

And don't go spending grandpa's pennies, buying into the game

"Anyways, the forest we're in has a bunch of cats in it," Pebble said. Immediately, Bramble peered into the bushes, as though some of those cats would just be sitting there, waiting to wave their tails at her.

"It's called a Clan." Pebble said knowledgeably. "And it's like our group, but they're nice and take care of each other. And kits don't have to hunt or anything."

Bramble's eyes widened. "That sounds cool..."

"And-this is the part you'll love- they have whole dens of old cats who tell stories to kits!"

"Wow..."

"I'm leaving today." Pebble said. Bramble stopped walking, and Pebble didn't notice for a few moments. When she did, she stopped and looked back at the younger kit with amusement. "What?"

"You can't leave." Bramble said in horror. "What abut me?"

Pebble purred. "You're coming too, silly!"

Bramble looked at her paws. It sounded good. Too good. What if there wasn't any 'Clan'? What if Goldie caught them and got mad?

Clearly waiting for a response that she wasn't going to get, Pebble shrugged, though she looked sad. "Well, I'm leaving." She started to walk into the forest.

"Now?!" Bramble wailed. She chased after her friend, but her legs were shorter and she couldn't catch up. "Pebble, don't leave!" she begged.

"Then come with me!" Pebble called over her shoulder.

Bramble trembled. Loathe to admit it, she was scared. Pebble continued walking and Bramble called again, panicking. "Wait!" Pebble vanished into the brush.

"Wait." Bramble whispered.

You gotta keep your heart young

"And it's just, like, so frustrating." Goldie sighed.

Bramble was crouched in the bushes by Goldie's nest. She'd meant to tell the she-cat about Pebble, but when she'd heard the cat talking about her, she couldn't resist the urge to eavesdrop.

"I mean, I know I was friends with her mom and stuff, but her mom's dead, so why do I have to take care of her? I mean, she can't even hunt. And it wouldn't be so bad if she just resigned to that, but she keeps trying." Goldie sighed heavily.

"She's not so bad," This was Goldie's second in command, Crazy Lily.

Goldie didn't reply, just sighed again.

Bramble felt like she was frozen inside. As quietly as she could, she backed away.

Don't worry Goldie, you won't have to take care of my anymore.

Don't go growin' old before your time has come

Bramble hadn't bothered to think about how the sun was setting. How it was almost nighttime, how bad things came out during the night. How she was just a kit in a forest she barely knew. She stubbornly continued walking, knowing she had to find Pebble's Clan.

And I get to see Pebble again! she thought, perking up a little.

The moon was high in the sky and she was still nowhere closer to the camp then she had been. She sat and fought the urge to wail forlornly. Bramble was not the type of cat to sit and pity herself.

She was preparing to get up and continue on her way when she heard a faint rustling in the bushes. Eyes wide, she ducked underneath some of the foliage behind her and unsheathed her tiny claws. She wasn't fast enough to run, so she would fight. It was a consolation, at least, that she was a hundred times better at fighting than at hunting.

The rustling stopped and she exhaled. One paw out of the bush and she froze as it started once more, this time with a vengeance. She squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe I can kill it.

It was in the clearing now, a crouched shape. Barely allowing herself to look, she let out a fearsome yowl and pounced, clawing and tearing.

"Ow! StarClan, what the-" Bramble was yanked off and pinned to the ground, struggling as a tom stared down at her. A tuft of gray fur fell into his dark green eyes and he blinked. "A kit?"

"Lemme up!" Bramble was a little surprised that he did and she shook her pelt out, glaring at him. "Are you from a Clan?"

The tom rolled his eyes. "Duh? I'm Forestpaw, apprentice of MistClan."

You can't take back what you have done

MistClan camp was beautiful. It was in a gully, bordered by cliffs on one side and a lazy brook on the other. Bramble's eyes were wide as Forestpaw led her in and she couldn't stop looking around to see everything. Forestpaw led her up a winding path to the top of a rock that jutted out from the cliffs. She was amazed to see a cave, but Forestpaw just walked in like it was no big deal. "Miststar?"

A pretty blue she-cat looked up, her amber eyes widening as she saw Bramble. "And who is this?"

"Some rogue kit I found in the forest." Forestpaw didn't seem keen to tell her about their scuffle.

As if she picked up on that, Miststar purred. "And is that why you're bleeding?"

Forestpaw muttered something and her whiskers twitched, then she turned to Bramble. "What's your name?"

"Bramble," she said.

"Well, Bramble, we have some kits you can be friends with and I'm sure one of the queens will take you in. We'll have a ceremony tomorrow and you'll become Bramblekit of MistClan. I'm sure Forestpaw or one of the kits can explain to you how things work here."

Bramble nodded, "Thanks...also, have you seen my friend Pebble? She's a silver she-kit and she said she was coming here too..."

Looking concerned, Miststar shook her head. "We'll look for her in the morning. Forestpaw here will take you to the nursery and you can get some rest."

As the gray tom led Bramble to a briar-thatched den, Bramble couldn't help but worry about her friend. She'd found the Clan purely by chance....hopefully Pebble would find it too.

You gotta keep your heart young

"You'll never get away with this!" Bramblekit yowled.

The dark gray kit in front of her purred evilly, amber eyes full of mirth. "Try to stop us Bramblestar!"

"I've got your back!" the white kit reminded Bramblekit, her blue eyes narrowed. "Let's get 'em!"

"Not so fast!" the ginger and white kit growled. She leapt at Bramblekit and the tabby kitten yelped.

"Wetkit! Icekit! Shikit! Bramblekit! Time to eat!"

"Aw, Mom!" Wetkit groaned from where she struggled, under Icekit's white paws. "I'm winning!" Icekit giggled.

Shikit flopped off of Bramblekit, her ginger and white pelt ruffled. "Besides, Wetkit and I didn't get a turn to be MistClan warriors! We had to be stinky rogues!"

Their mother purrs, "Fine, don't eat." She disappeared back into the nursery.

Wetkit shoved Icekit off and dusted herself off. "Well, since I'm the oldest, I think we should go get food. And then we can keep playing."

"You're not the oldest!" Icekit protested.

"I am too!" Wetkit stuck out her tongue and padded for the nursery. Shikit scampered after her, and after a moment, Icekit and Bramblekit followed.

"Hey, it's Forestpaw!" Icekit called. Wetkit and Shikit had already skidded into the nursery, but Bramblekit and Icekit pelted over to where the apprentice was dropping a squirrel on the fresh-kill pile. "Hey, Forestpaw!"

The tom looked up, then purred. "Hey Icekit, Bramble." Bramblekit glared at him. He always called her that, even though it had been five moons since she got to MistClan.

Dad took the wheels off of my bike and he pushed me down the hill

"Will you teach us some fighting moves?" Icekit begged.

Forestpaw thought for a moment, whiskers twitching. "Hm...I really shouldn't..."

"We'll be apprentices in a few days anyways!" Icekit protested.

"Then what's the rush?" Forestpaw teased.

"Are you afraid I'll beat you up again?" Bramblekit asked innocently.

Forestpaw cuffed her on the side of her head, purring. "As if you could. I'm practically a warrior, little kit."

Bramblekit bared her teeth at him and he gave her an affectionate lick on the head. He padded off, towards where Hiddenpaw sat with a rabbit.

"I wish I was an apprentice." Icekit sighed.

Bramblekit could only agree.

But speed got the best of me and I took my first spill

The night was warm and starry. Bramblekit hadn't fallen asleep in her anticipation. Shikit snoozed beside her, and Icekit, for all her intentions, had also dozed off. Wetkit was the only one who managed to stay awake, and her luminous amber eyes were controlled, but full of excitement.

Once it reached moon-high, Bramblekit nudged the other two awake. "It's time."

They roused and all of the kits crept out of the den, sneaking across the moonlit camp, and then, with bated breath, walked into the territory.

"Wow," Shikit breathed. The others seemed to be similarly awed. This is the first time they've ever been out of the camp! Bramblekit realized with a shock.

For her, it was more of a subtle difference. Like greeting an old friend. That thought made her heart clench.

After searching for seven sunrises, Miststar had finally decided that Pebble was probably with her ancestors. She never made it to the Clan, like she wanted. Bramblekit still harbored guilt over that, a stone constantly weighing her down. That she hadn't even been the one who wanted to go to the Clans, but she had been the one who had made it.

That was back when alcohol was only used on cuts

They wandered through the forest, tussling and laughing and playing.

"We know how to get back, right?" Shikit asked after a while.

There was a beat of silence. "Of course we do," Bramblekit scoffed. The others looked at her, believing her. She was the leader, the one willing to pounce on Forestpaw's tail and try new prey and protect the others. "We just follow our scent back."

"Maybe we should go back," Wetkit meowed. "We've gone pretty far and we still have to walk back."

The others muttered their agreements and Bramblekit shot a wistful look at the sky, the stars, the trees. Camp was nice, but it wasn't the wide open freedom she had been born into.

They had just started walking back when Wetkit froze. "Everyone hide." she muttered. The others dove for the sides. Wetkit was as fine a hunter as Bramblekit was a fighter. If she heard something and said hide, you hid.

They sat in the brush, listening. Shikit was shivering and Icekit's jaw was set in a thin line.

And then they all heard it.

Something was coming their way.

Stung like hell so I jerked my leg, but mama said it would give me guts

"I don't want to die." Icekit whispered.

"I don't want to be eaten." Wetkit grumbled.

Bramblekit tried to ignore the fact she was shaking a little. She didn't want to die, and definitely not like Pebble probably had. Eyes wide as slavering teeth grew closer and closer...

Shikit was shivering, eyes wide. Then she tipped her head. "It's a cat." she meowed.

Bramblekit's heart leapt for a moment. Maybe Pebble had lived, maybe she'd found a way to-

Wetkit was peering out. "I don't recognize him, he's not Clan."

"Do you think he'd hurt us?" Icekit asked, saying what they were all thinking.

They looked to Bramblekit for an answer. She had none.

Don't trade in your tic tac box for a ball on the end of a chain

The rogue came closer and closer. It was obvious he scented them, his eyes were narrowed and a sneer was plastered on his face.

"Here little Clannies..." he crooned. "Come on out and play."

"I'll distract him," Icekit growled. "You all run."

"No, I'm the best fighter." Bramblekit glared at her friend.

"This is ridiculous." Wetkit growled. "We're almost apprentices, why don't we all just charge him?

Icekit shrugged and Bramblekit steeled herself. "Let's do it."

The tom turned a lazy circle around the clearing, then stopped, ears perked. "You're lucky little kits," he snarled, before vanishing into the mist.

"Oh, thank StarClan." Shikit breathed.

"What spooked him?" Bramblekit asked/

"So, you guys want to explain yourselves?" the she-cats all looked up to see Forestpaw smirking down at them.

And don't go spending grandpa's pennies, buying into the game

Forestpaw agreed not to tell Miststar about the kits sneaking out of camp. "But," he meowed. "I have to tell her about the rogue. That's serious."

"Why?" Bramblekit asked. "It could have been someone from Goldie's group, or just another stupid loner."

Forestpaw just shook his head and didn't say anything else.

You gotta keep your heart young

The next days, the others opted to go play in the brook. Bramblekit, however, was in the mood for a story. So she bid goodbye to her littermates, then padded into the elders' den.

It was a cozy den that had quickly become one of her favorites in camp. She could spend hours there, listening to the elders tell stories. Some made up, some true, some myth. The others liked it as well, but they came less often.

"Bramblekit!" Shinelight rasped a purr. Her sister, Leopardfang looked up as well and purred. Ravenflight was still asleep, his whiskers twitching in the breeze.

"Want to hear an oldie or something new?" Shinelight asked.

"Something new," Bramblekit meowed. "Something where the good guys win." She curled up next to Shinelight and groomed her fur.

Shinelight purred. "Getting tired of your macabre? Maybe Leopardfang ought to tell this one, I'm no good with happy endings."

Leopardfang smiled. "Okay, well...let me see...oh, I know. Back when the trees were as tall as the bushes..."

Bramblekit settled in, ready to lose herself and forget that somewhere out there rogues were lurking, Pebble was dead, everything was wrong.

Don't go growin' old before your time has come

"-and then she brought her claws down. The battle was over." Leopardfang yawned. "How was that?"

"I loved it," Bramblekit sighed. "Except for, why'd there have to be all that nasty stuff between the leader and that warrior? Why couldn't she just realize she had to be a leader and not a mate? It was stupid."

Leopardfang snorted. "You won't think that forever."

"I will too!"

Leopardfang's laughed. "Okay! I give up."

Bramblekit felt a surge of pride. "Thank you for the story!"

She padded out of the den and looked around for the others. Instead, she saw a wiry gray-black she-cat padding towards her. Sparrowsong, the Clan deputy.

You can't take back what you have done

"Miststar needs you in the clearing." the deputy said in her usual no-nonsense tone.

"Is it my..." Bramblekit couldn't continue she was so excited.

Sparrowsong winked and padded away.

You gotta keep your heart young

Bramblekit raced to the nursery where the others were in various states of grooming. Shikit started to help her with her own troublesome fur and she was grateful that her brown tabby fur would hide most dirt and debris she missed in her hurry. She spent a little longer on her single white paw, the front left. When she was finished, she was sure she all but shined.

So take a picture of the one you love and put it in a locket

"Ready?" their mother asked.

Bramblekit took a deep breath. This was the start of her becoming a true Clan cat. This was her dusting off her rogue past and donning a new life. This was leaving Pebble and Goldie and Crazy Lily.

Go dig up your time capsule and the blueprints for your rocket

Not leaving, she told herself. She would be fine with leaving Goldie and Crazy Lily, and everyone else, but she resolved to take Pebble with her wherever she went.

When I die, I'll remember her. I'll remember that I probably never would have lived this long if it weren't for a silver she-kit. she promised herself.

"Ready!" she chorused back with the others.

Keep in touch on the fake CB, that same old tic tac box

The scene came in flashes.

Pack your snowballs a lil' less tight, but in the middle, still put rocks

Flash. All the elders, grinning at her, waving their tails, cheering.

And keep your heart young

Flash. Forestpaw his green eyes alive as he sat by his mentor.

Don't go growin' old before your time has come

Flash. Miststar, waiting for them, tall and proud.

You can't take back what you have done

They were sitting beside Forestpaw. Shikit was quivering with excitement, Icekit looked cool as the river. Wetkit had her usual smirk, but there was something aglow in her eyes.

You gotta keep your heart young

"The two most important ceremonies in a Clan are the apprentice ceremony and the warrior ceremony," Miststar began. "Today, we are privileged enough to indulge in both of them!"

Bramblekit looked at Forestpaw and he grinned at her. Nice, she mouthed. Thanks, he mouthed back.

You gotta keep your heart young

"Forestpaw, step forward."

He did and, in a blur, became Forestheart. A warrior. For some reason, that made her sad as well as happy. Hiddenpaw went after him, becoming Hiddensun. Maplepaw was last, becoming Maplefern.

Sometimes you don't die quick, just like you wish you'd done...

"Kits,"

They moved forward, bouncing with excitement. Icekit was first, apprenticed to the newly named Maplefern. Someone calmer to temper her fire. Wetkit was apprenticed to Hiddensun and she looked pleased. Shikit became apprenticed to Runningheart, a smart and gentle tom. Bramblekit was last and she could hear her heart pounding.

Oh, love is a loaded gun

"Bramblekit, you came to our Clan as a moon old kit, already taught some of the skills you needed to survive. You have found a home here, and now it is time for you to find a mentor. You will be apprenticed to Forestheart."

The gray tom stepped forward and grinned at her while they completed the ceremony. She felt a knot of tension she didn't even know she'd had in her stomach disappear. She trusted Forestheart. He'd be a good mentor.

You gotta keep your heart young

"Icepaw, Wetpaw, Shipaw, Bramblepaw!" the Clan chanted.

We're apprentices!"

Icepaw and Shipaw were doing a weird little jump dance and Wetpaw pressed against Bramblepaw. Forestheart, Hiddensun, Runningheart, and Maplefern all purred. Miststar and Sparrowsong led the chants to a crescendo. The moon was bright and the stars sang and Bramblepaw thought her heart would burst with joy.

You can't take back what you have done

I want this to last forever.

You gotta keep your heart young