This is a story by Snowstripe
Note: This takes place many, many moons after Bramblestar's Storm ends and after the sixth arc that's going to come out soon. So it's kinda a pre-sequel. Anyway, this story is in the Lake Territories, as it should be. This goes out to the Erins and all the Warriors fans out there who stuck with them through their long, strange and complicated story about cats. Who knew that a book series on cats could get so complicated?
Allegiances
ThunderClan
Leader - Flamestar - a thick-furred ginger she-cat with green eyes
Deputy - Willowheart - short-furred she-cat with dark ginger fur and blue eyes
Medicine Cat - Darkfang - thick-furred, dark-gray, battle-scarred, tom with bright-orange amber eyes, a broad, flat face, ragged, torn ears, and a long scar running down his flank
Warriors
Badgerstripe - bulky, yellow-eyed gray tom with a white head and underbelly and his face striped like a badger's
Smudgefur - lean, white tom with yellow eyes and black patches
Timberpelt - huge, brown tom with amber eyes and a white tail-tip
Snowstorm - deaf, short-furred white tom with blue eyes
Honeywhisker - pretty sandy-furred she-cat with white paws and tail-tip
Hawkfeather - dark ginger tom with amber eyes
Reedheart - old, thin white she-cat with blue eyes and a graying muzzle
Braveheart - thick-furred golden-ginger tom with pale green eyes, and thick fur around his neck, like a lion's mane
Sprucetail - black tom with gray chest fur and yellow eyes
Queens
Firetail -thin, long-legged short-furred ginger she-cat with green eyes and mother to Lightkit and Songkit (deceased)
Fernwing - soft, thick-furred black she-cat with deep green eyes and mother to Brownkit, Moonkit, Swiftkit, Sagekit, and Hedgekit
Kits
Lightkit - thin, soft-furred ginger tom with green eyes and a long tail
Songkit - dark brown she-kit with green eyes and a white tail-tip
Brownkit - wiry white tom with sky-blue eyes, dark-brown splotches and a brown tail-tip
Moonkit - soft, thick-furred, long-legged black she-kit with deep green eyes
Swiftkit - pale ginger she-kit with green eyes
Sagekit - black she-kit with sky-blue eyes
Hedgekit - black tom with sky-blue eyes and a white throat, paws, and tail-tip
Elders
Tornear - plump, gray-blue tabby tom with one torn ear, oldest tom in ThunderClan
Heatherwing - wiry white she-cat with sky-blue eyes, dark-brown splotches and a brown tail-tip, oldest she-cat in ThunderClan
Thicket - pretty, sandy-furred she-cat with white paws and tail-tip, former rogue-turned-warrior, mother to Honeywhisker
Whiteflower - thin, white she-cat with blue eyes, sister to Reedheart
Dawnstorm - dark-gray she-cat with blue eyes and white paws
Kestrelfeather - light brown tom with amber eyes and a gray muzzle, half-brother to Hawkfeather
ShadowClan
Leader - Tinystar - small black tom with icy blue eyes and one white paw
Deputy - Greenmoss - dark brown tom with yellow eyes and a graying muzzle
Medicine Cat - Nettlecloud - gray tom with white paws and blue eyes
Medicine Apprentice - Graywhisker - light gray tom with yellow eyes, unusually gray muzzle and whiskers
Warriors
Nightfur - black tom with yellow eyes and a graying muzzle
Shortfur - short-furred brown tom with amber eyes
Appleclaw - golden-brown she-cat
Brownstripe - pale ginger she-cat with green eyes and shredded ears
Apprentice - Dirtpaw
Skyleap - dark brown tabby tom with white spots on flank
Apprentice - Fogpaw
Longfang - gray she-cat with yellow eyes and unusually long fangs
Duststripe - wiry black tom with yellow eyes and a limp due to an accident as an apprentice
Crowfoot - aging dark gray tom with dark green eyes and a mangled back leg
Apprentice - Newtpaw
Apprentices
Dirtpaw - small brown tom with green eyes
Fogpaw - light gray she-cat with yellow eyes
Newtpaw - ginger tom with amber eyes and tabby stripes
Queens
Dovefeather - light gray she-cat with amber eyes, mother to Oakkit, Treekit, and Thornkit
Tallflower - huge, long-legged gray she-cat with blue eyes, white underbelly, paws, and tail-tip, mother to Silverkit, Stonekit, and Ravenkit
Sagestripe - short-furred black she-cat white tail-tip, mother to Blackkit and Dawnkit
Kits
Oakkit - dark-gray tom with amber eyes
Treekit - thick-furred black tom with yellow eyes
Thornkit - light-gray she-kit with amber eyes
Silverkit - solid gray she-kit with blue eyes
Stonekit - light-gray tom with white paws, underbelly, and tail-tip
Ravenkit - dark-gray tom with dark green eyes
Blackkit - black she-kit with white tail-tip
Dawnkit - dark-brown tabby tom with amber eyes and white spots on his flank
Elders
Stormpelt - thick-furred dark-gray tom with amber eyes, with a broad, flat face
Strongtooth - elderly, bony, light-gray tom with white teeth and yellow eyes, oldest tom in ShadowClan
Scorchedfur - once-handsome, black tom with scars and burn marks from a forest fire when he was a young warrior, second-oldest tom in ShadowClan
Robinsong - black she-cat with white underbelly, back paws, and throat, mother to Nightfur, oldest she-cat in ShadowClan
Blueflower - light ginger she-cat with hints of gray on her muzzle
RiverClan
Leader - Silverstar - strong, aging silver tom with yellow eyes
Deputy - Stormfin - dark-brown tom with amber eyes
Medicine Cat - Swanfeather - white she-cat with black paws and legs and yellow eyes
Medicine Apprentice - Reedpaw - pale ginger tom with amber eyes and tabby stripes
Warriors
Thrushfur - sandy tom with tabby stripes
Littleclaw - broad-shouldered pale ginger tom with small claws compared to other cats
Streamheart - dark-gray she-cat with green eyes and a white tail-tip
Lilyfur - brown she-cat with amber eyes
Bankpelt - very long-furred sandy she-cat with pale green eyes and tabby stripes
Stormcloud - thickset, long-furred gray tom with yellow eyes and tabby stripes
Apprentice - Bluepaw
Raventail - black tom with green eyes
Apprentice - Frogpaw
Turtleshell - tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes
Apprentices
Bluepaw - short-furred blue-gray tom with yellow eyes
Frogpaw - gray she-cat with tabby stripes
Queens
Rainfoot - pale ginger she-cat, expecting kits
Elders
Bassclaw - bulky ginger tom
Smallfoot - white she-cat with yellow eyes and a bad leg
Rocksplash - short-furred brown tom with pale green eyes, retired early due to poor hearing
WindClan
Leader - Redstar - very dark ginger she-cat with amber eyes
Deputy - Hawkflight - young blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes
Medicine Cat - Rockfall - dark-gray tom with yellow eyes
Medicine Apprentice - Pebblepaw - white she-cat with blue eyes
Warriors
Rabbitleap - white tom with amber eyes, is rumored to have SkyClan blood due to his ability to jump extremely high
Thrushwing - pale ginger she-cat
Juniperleaf - huge, very long-furred tortoiseshell and white tom
Cinderclaw - gray she-cat with white paws, underbelly, with icy blue eyes
Squirreltail - reddish-brown tom with amber eyes and a gray muzzle with age
Tallpine - black and white tom with yellow eyes
Whitefur - pretty, muscular white she-cat
Queens
Songbird - pale ginger tabby she-cat, expecting kits
Graytail - gray she-cat with amber eyes, expecting kits
Smalltail - brown she-cat with unusually short tail, expecting kits
Elders
Tallears - white she-cat with black spots, and unusually tall ears
Leia - soft-furred white she-cat, former kittypet-turned-warrior, now retired due to bad leg
The Blurb
ThunderClan has brought forth many great leaders, such as Bluestar, Firestar, and Bramblestar. The new leader, Flamestar, shows great potential. The future looks bright.
But when an abandoned rogue kit is found and taken into the Clan, many cats wonder where it's loyalties will come to lie.
Lightningkit, as he has been named, has heard their whispers and muttering with one another. He knows he now must prove himself to his Clan, his leader, and even to StarClan.
Prologue
Flamestar walked through the woods with Badgerstripe, Snowstorm, and Honeywhisker. The four were on patrol through ThunderClan territory, and so far, there was no suspicious scents or noises. "Peaceful day, isn't it?" she said to them. "It is. It does my paws good to not be chasing out rogues or trespassers." Badgerstripe replied. Without warning, Snowstrom took off into the brush. "What does he smell this time?" Badgerstripe said as he rolled his eyes and took after him. Honeywhisker and Flamestar followed them. Snowstorm, was deaf, as most white kits born with blue eyes are, and he communicated with the other cats through signals. "Flamestar, get here quick!" Badgerstripe called. As they got closer, they heard desperate mewling. When they got there, Flamestar looked down. There, before her, was a small black kit with blue eyes. It looked like it was just a three days old. "What do you make of it?" she asked the other three cats. "Must be a rogue." Honeywhisker said analytically."I don't smell ShadowClan, WindClan, or RiverClan." "Why would any mother leave her kit out here to die?" Flamestar asked. "Who knows? The question is, what should we do with it?" Badgerstripe answered. Snowstorm sniffed the kit, and his ears twitched. "Well, we can't leave it out here to die, that's for sure." Honeywhisker said. "Right, Honeywhisker. I say we should take it into the Clan." Flamestar suggested. "But which queen should we give it to?" Badgerstripe asked. "The only queens we have are Brackenwing and Firetail." "But Fernwing's got a full litter, and Firetail and Timberpelt are grieving over the loss of one kit." Honeywhisker added. Flamestar recalled her sister giving birth to two kits: Lightkit and Songkit. Songkit was in critical condition when she was born, and although Darkfang did as much as he could, the kit died. "Give it to Firetail." Flamestar replied while picking up the kit. "She'll need something to take her mind off of her lost kit. Snowstorm, run ahead and tell the others of our arrival." The ThunderClan leader flicked her tail in the direction of camp. The white tom flicked his tail and ran off."Come on now, you two. We need to get this kit back to camp." the ginger she-cat continued. With that, they went back to camp.
Back at camp, the group rushed the kit to the medicine den. Darkfang, the current medicine cat, inspected the black kit closely. "Yes, it's definitely a tom all right." he said while looking at the kit's legs. "A little on the thin side, but oveall fairly healthy." "Are you done now, Darkfang? we really need to get him to the the nursery." Flamestar said quickly. "Oh, by all means yes. He'll need some cat to take care of him." Flamestar hurriedly picked up the kit and rushed him to the nursery. There, Firetail lay watching Lightkit sleep. "Firetail, could you look up at me?" she asked. "Yes, what is it, sister?" Firetail said, still with grief in her eyes. Flamestar dropped the kit by her sister. "This kit needs someone to take care of him. And you're the only one who can, with Fernwing nursing a whole litter. And I thought it might take your mind off of your grief. Please, Firetail, do it for me?" she asked hopefully. "Alright, sister, I will. But I don't know what Timberpelt will think about it." she replied. "Oh, don't worry, I'll tell Timberpelt." Flamestar said.
Later that night, as Firetail was watching Lightkit and her new kit, rain started to fall. Before any cat knew it, it was storming, lightning and all. Timberpelt came into the nursery. "I heard we now have a new son." the huge tom said. "Yes, yes we do. He's sleeping now." the ginger queen replied. "I can't believe it's raining." the brown tom replied. "What if the lake floods over? What if we have to evacuate the camp, how will we get you and the kits out of here?" "I've always said, you worry too much. Let's stop thinking about the storm and think of a name for our new son." Firetail said quickly. "Very well. How about Bramblekit, after your ancestor Bramblestar?" Timberpelt suggested. "No, maybe Bluekit, for his eyes?" Firetail said. "Suddenly, the rain started to fall even more, and lightning flashed. The kits started to stir. Timberpelt calmed them down by gently touching them with his white tail-tip. "Maybe Lightningkit?" she suggested, looking into her mate's amber eyes. "I thought we weren't supposed to think about the storm." Timberpelt said jokingly. "I'm not thinking about it, I'm just letting it inspire me." she said. "Very well then. Lightningkit, welcome to ThunderClan." he said, and the two curled up around their kits and went to sleep.
Chapter One
Lightningkit opened his eyes. His brother, Lightkit, had been begging him to do so for the last few days. It was a bright world out there, compared to his small, dark, warm world he lived in before now. He looked up at his mother, and pawed at her chest. She looked down on him. "What is it, Lightningkit?" she mewed softly. "I want to see Lightkit. I want to see what he looks like." he replied. "I've been separating you two with a paw so you could sleep and open your eyes naturally without Lightkit to bother you." She lifted her paw and Lightkit came bounding towards him.
"Lightningkit! You finally opened your eyes!" his brother said happily. The two kits started to walk around each other, trying to get an idea of what the other looked like.
"What color are my eyes, Lightningkit?" Lightkit asked. He stepped a bit closer to the ginger kit, trying to get an idea of what color they were.
"They're green." he finally replied.
"So that means I look like our mother! My fur is ginger, and my eyes are green! Let me see what color yours are, Lightningkit." he said gleefully. Lightningkit tried not to blink, so as not to ruin his brother's concentration. After a few minutes, the ginger tom stepped back and shook his head. "I don't know what color they are. Sorry." he said glumly. Turning to his mother, Lightningkit cleared his throat and asked her, seeing as she must know what color they were.
"Mother, what color are my eyes?" he asked. "They're blue, dear." she said quickly, as she was in the middle of a conversation with Fernwing about something they didn't understand.
"Oh. They're blue." he continued. He then looked down at his fur. It was black, he had known that color for a while now. After all, he ad been born with his eyes closed, like any kit.
His thoughts were interrupted by Lightkit. "Does that mean we can go outside and explore the camp now, mother?" the ginger tom asked, his eyes brightening up like fireflies.
"Oh, well I suppose. Just don't leave the camp, and definitely don't leave the territorial border." she said. "The last thing I need is to have my kits snatched by some ShadowClan freaks."
"We don't even know what that is, mother. We just want to look around." Lightkit said.
"Let them go, Firetail," Fernwing said. "If they don't get out there now, they never will." After this, a black she-kit with green eyes got really excited. "Ooh, does that mean we can go too?" she asked hopefully. "No, Brownkit still has to open his eyes. Then you can go." her mother replied.
At this the black she-kit was disappointed, and lay back down, waiting impaiently for her brother to wake. Lightningkit hardly noticed he was staring at the she-kit until Lightkit came and tapped him with his tail. "Come on, are we gonna go or not?" Lightkit said while walkingoff out of the den. Lightningkit followed his brother. He took one last look at his mother, whom he now assumed was named Firetail, and walked off.
"Ooh, let's look at this place first!" Lightkit said in an orderly fashion. Lightningkit was slightly annoyed at how his brother assumed command of where the went.
The two kits stepped into the place, finding big, full-grown cats, all laying down and talking with one another.
"Well, who do we have here?" said an elderly white she-cat with brown splotches. "Looks like two little kits, straight out of the nursery."
An old blue-gray tom turned towards the two. "Well, there's Timberpelt and Firetail's kits. Of course, they should know they aren't foolin' anyone, it's as obvious as clouds in the sky that this black one doesn't belong." he said condescendingly.
"Tornear!" a white she-cat scolded.
"What? I'm just saying, if I was leadin' the Clan, I would've left him to the foxes." Suddenly, a voice came from behind the two kits.
"But you're not the leader of the Clan, and for good reason." the voice belonged to a huge brown tom with amber eyes and a white tail-tip. He dropped a thrush down between the white she-cat and the one with brown splotches.
"Still, it would've been at least somewhat convincing if you gave him to Fernwing." the blue-gray tom replied.
"We're not trying to hide him, we're trying to care for him!" the brown tom said.
"It's not gonna work - once a rogue, always a rogue. You should know that by now - after all, we taught you that, Timberpelt."
"That's enough, Tornear."
"If he really were to fit in, why didn't StarClan tell us?"
"I said that's enough, Tornear!" After this, all were silenced, except for a sandy she-cat, who was just woken.
"Is the vole I requested coming, Tiimberpelt?" the sandy she-cat asked.
"I'll have one of the other warriors bring it to you, Thicket." the brown tom said. "Come on now, you two." Lightningkit and Lightkit followed.
As they came out of the elder's den, which is what Lightningkit assume it was.
"I think I'll show you around from here. I'm Timberpelt, your father." the brown tom told them.
"What was that one cat talking about?" Lightningkit asked.
"Oh, that's just Tornear. He was just grumpy because he didn't get his nap in yet today. Come on, I'll show you to the warrior's den.
The three cats came into a den, much like the last one, but bigger. It had full-grown cats of all sizes. One of them,