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- Summary - Moonflower's life before Bluestar and Snowfur.
Chapter 1[]
"Moonkit are you coming?" a dappled tom asked, pushing his way through the brambles that shielded the nursery from the extremes on the outside.
"Of course, Goosekit!" a pretty silver she-cat with distinctive stripes replied, starting to tromp over to him, her small legs made it harder for her to go as fast as the other kits, and she hated it, she was always getting left behind.
"Well hurry! Swirlkit, Stormkit, and Stonekit are already outside, waiting!" Goosekit meowed, bounding over to her and giving her a push.
"Fine," she hissed emerging into the clearing.
"So, what are we going to play?" the brown-and-cream tabby she-cat, Swirlkit asked.
"How about moss-ball?" the blue-gray tom, Stormkit suggested, Moonkit had always secretly had a crush on the strong kit, but she doubted that he would even give her a second glance.
"Na, we always play that," the final kit, a gray tabby, Stonekit mewed.
"Maybe we could play attack," Goosekit said.
"Hmm maybe, but we play that a lot, too," Swirlkit said after a brief moment of silence.
"We could play hunters," Moonkit timidly said.
Stormkit turned his head to look at her, "What's that?" he asked.
"It's where some of us are a hunting patrol and the rest are the prey," Moonkit promptly answered.
"That actually sounds fun," Stonekit mewed, his clear eyes looking at the rest of their group, to see what they thought.
Goosekit was nodding, Swirlkit was twitching her tail in exitement, but it was Stormkit who finally spoke, "Let's play."
Chapter 2[]
Moonkit and Swirlkit were the prey. But Moonkit didn't mind, she was just happy to be included.
"This way," Swirlkit mewed, beckoning towards the dirtplace exit with her tail.
Moonkit gave a silent nod, and pattered towards the tunnel, it's thorny green-and-brown sides enveloping her in shadow as she got near. Swirlkit followed, and crouched down, ready to run if the toms came.
"Moonkit," Swirlit started, as they waited, "D-do you ever get lonely? Because I know my brothers are horrible to you."
Moonkit nodded, "Sometimes, but most of the time I just ignore it, I'm used to it."
"Well sorry," Swirkit mewed, "If I ever say anything, or worse yet, don't say anything."
Moonkit nodded, accepting the leggy she-cat's apology, peeking out from the tunnel, she noticed a blue-gray shadow come swiftly closer, and closer.
"Swirlkit," she hissed, "Stormkit is coming this way."
Swirlkit nodded, and quickly shot out of the tunnel, Moonkit hard on her paws and into the clearing where she ran right into Pinefang, one of the Clan's most senior warriors. His red-brown fur was fluffed up, and Moonkit could tell that he'd just woken up.
"Watch where your going!" he exclaimed.
"Sorry," Moonkit mewed softly, taking a step back.
Pinefang only nodded, continuing on to meet Deerstar at the entrance to her den, rumors were swirling that when Sunflight, the current deputy, died, Pinefang would become deputy. Moonkit didn't know what to think about that, on one side Pinefang was Swirlkit, Stormkit, and Stonekit's father, but on the other hand, he could be grumpy to the kits.
As she continued thinking, Stormkit pounced, landing on her back, "Gotcha," he mewed, a triumphant gleam in his eyes.
Chapter 3[]
It had been two moons since that play-fight and Stormkit, Stonekit, and Swirlkit were now apprentices, the nursery had become a lonely prison to Moonkit, or so it seemed. Goosekit had been spending more and more time with the medicine cat, Cloudwisher. Mistleleaf, Moonkit's mother, had told Moonkit one night that Goosekit would be the next medicine cat. Moonkit was ecstatic, but sad at the same time, she hated to think that she would have to train without her brother at her side.
She looked out of the nursery and into the rain, it had been raining for three days now and everyone was getting restless, she had heard her mother and Leafshade whisper of the gathering that would be in a few days, but if the rain kept up, no cat would be able to go.
- - - - -
Moonkit padded around the nursery restlessly, the rain had slowed down to a drizzle, but Mistleleaf still wouldn't let her outside.
"Moonkit," Mistleleaf meved, "Come here and eat, Hatchfoot and Tansystem brought us prey, and the least you can do is eat some."
Moonkit padded dejectedly towards the prey, slowly picking up a small vole and taking it back to the corner to eat, still self-absorbed in her pouting. She ate the mouse in small, neat, bites, not realizing how famished she had been until she was finished with it. She wondered if she could get more without her mother noticing, she didn't want to give her mother the pleasure of knowing that she was right.
Chapter 4[]
"Ow ow ow that hurts!", Leafshade squealed from where she lay, writhing in pain, that morning her kitting had started and Moonkit was allowed to stay inside the nursery with Goosekit, as long as she didn't make a sound or move. The nursery was crowded with Cloudwhisher and Rosewhisker trying to help the kitting along, and Moonkit realized that she'd have to get used to it being this crowded if the rumors that were swirling around camp were true and Dapplefoot was expecting kits.
Moonkit was startled from her thoughts by Cloudwhisher yowling, "It's a tom and there's at least two more kits on the way!"
Leafshade was squealing in pain as the last two kits came and Moonkit pledged to herself that she'd never have kits if that was how bad it hurt. She just wanted to become a warrior, fighting for her Clan in any way she could.
"Moonkit," Mistleleaf mewed, jarring Moonkit from her thoughts, "Come look, Leafshade and Woollypelt have named them Fuzzykit, Swiftkit, and Harekit!"
Moonkit padded over, nervous, but exited to see the kits.
"I think we can see where Fuzzykit got that spiky fur from," Goosekit purred into Moonkit's ear as she got closer, she shot a glance at Woollypelt, and seeing his ragged, tangled fur, she let out a purr of laughter, nodding at the obvious statement.
Even though these kits were cute, Moonkit still felt that she would never be able to have kits.
Chapter 5[]
"Moonkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Moonpaw. Moonpaw your mentor will be Pinefang. I hope Pinefang will pass down his stregnth and courage down to you." Moonpaw's eyes shined as Deerstar finished the sacred, ancient words, and she padded up to Pinefang, touching noses with the big tom.
"Don't worry, you'll be one of the best warriors this Clan has ever seen," Pinefang whispered in her ear before she stepped back, purring at the warrior's encouraging words.
Moonpaw and Pinefang padded over to sit down and watch Goosekit's ceremony.
"Cats of ThunderClan, as you know, I will not be around forever. So it's time I took an apprentice. I have chosen a cat who has shown promise, determination, and love for his clanmates. Your next medicine cat will be Goosekit," Cloudwisher said, her strong voice echoing throughout the camp.
"Goosepaw, do you accept the post of apprentice to Cloudwisher?" Deerstar asked, her voice sounding frail, Moonpaw realized that Deerstar had started to grow old.
"I do," Goosepaw mewed, his eyes shining with apprehension and exitement.
"Then at the half-moon, you must travel to the Moonstone to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats." Cloudwisher finished, her gray pelt shining is the sunlight.
"The good wishes of all ThunderClan will go with you." Deerstar mewed.
"Moonpaw, Goosepaw, Moonpaw, Goosepaw!" the Clan cheered.