Chapter Nineteen

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By the time a moon passed, my joints were aching a lot of the time, but I was a heavily muscled kit. By that time, Plumwhisker and Lightmist had kitted. Plumwhisker had been poorly suited for kitting, and all her litter had died – Graykit and Tallkit. Lightmist had had a single she-cat, Tawnykit, who was a stuck-up prat. Now all my denmates were leaving, leaving only Tawnykit. Appledawn said she'd stay, but Plumwhisker had pulled me close, still sad about her loss of kits.

"Fluffykit, Nightkit, Skykit, Dawnkit, Twilightkit and Chivekit, step forward. Fluffypaw, your mentor will be Fallowmist. Nightpaw, your mentor will be Leafshine. Skypaw, your mentor will be Cloudysky. Dawnpaw, your mentor will be Sunnyheart. Twilightpaw, your mentor will be Mistfur. Chivepaw, your mentor will be Duskypelt."

We all cheered their names quite loudly. I sadly said goodbye to Twilightpaw. We'd gotten quite close, even though she was three moons older than me. I would be with her in three moons, and if I was lucky, Hivepaw too, but he'd probably be a warrior. I wanted to laugh. Technically, I wasn't too young to experience feelings for other cats. But in this lifetime, I was still a three-moon-old kit. I wasn't supposed to be able to comprehend these things. But I couldn't care less.

Honestly, whoever got me would find I was already so experienced! I hid almost all the time, practicing battle moves and the hunter's crouch over and over again so I wouldn't be rusty. The moment any cat came, I deliberately fell, and they would just laugh in sympathy.

Hivepaw came up to me. "Hey, not so long until you're an apprentice, right?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "There's no need to rub it in, Hivepaw."

He grimaced obviously. "Um ... sorry." Then he licked my ears. "But, you know, I thought you'd put up with these things."

"Humor me," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm a bit too old to put up with anything." I let out a small gasp, realizing I'd just instinctively answered as Stormdawn. Stop it, me, you're Silverkit now!

Hivepaw grinned. "Old, are you? Heh!" Great StarClan, it was a relief to see him walk off without suspecting anything, and I rarely ever say Great StarClan.

Appledawn stepped up to me. "Um, Silverkit?"

"Yes, mother?" I asked. Appledawn smiled softly.

Just then, I saw my actual mother walk by. Peacewind took one glance at me, stuck her nose high in the air and stalked away.

"I'm going back to warrior duties," Appledawn meowed. "I'm so sorry. Browntail has been missing me, and anyway, Amberfire and Lightmist are going to mother you."

"Amberfire..." I frowned suddenly. "I don't remember her having her kits!"

"She did," Appledawn meowed miserably. "She kitted alongside Plumwhisker, and they both lost their kits. One of hers, Streamkit, survived, but she's so weak, she's in the medicine den."

"Oh, okay," I meowed, trying to sound sad. That was really hard with this squeaky kit voice thing.

I suddenly realized if my mother was Lightmist now, I'd be with stuck-up Tawnykit.

Just as Appledawn walked away.

I suddenly realized, all kits snuck out of camp once in a while, right? Shouldn't I do the same? If only to remember my territory.

I did that, sneaking out of a familiar tiny gap in the wall. As Stormdawn, I'd always known it was there but never been able to use it, but now, I was this tiny kit! Of course I could use it, if that was the only thing good about my current size.

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Due to all my training, I wasn't even tired after walking the whole territory. I walked it again, weaving in between trees and breathing in familiar scents. Oh, I remembered! The rose patch! Where had it gone? I sniffed the air, and I went there. To my absolute horror, there was a cat there, and her eyes snapped up immediately.

"Silverkit?" Swanflutter gawked. "What are you doing here? Wait! You're out of camp, you pesky kit!" But there was humor in her eyes, and she pulled me close.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, because for once, I really didn't know.

"She's buried here," Swanflutter whispered. "Stormdawn. I come when I can."

Swanflutter was so sweet! "That's really nice of you," I meowed quietly, and I meant it, as Stormdawn herself.

"Wait, Silverkit," Swanflutter meowed, "how come you didn't get lost?"

"Um...." I meowed. "I've snuck out before and I pretty much know the whole territory by heart..." It was a lie, but it was actually true, part of it. I did know the territory by heart.

"Silly kit," Swanflutter groaned, standing up. "Come on, let's go."

"Wait, no! I forgot to visit the sandy hollow!"

Swanflutter rolled her eyes. "We don't use that anymore! It became a quicksand pit after a storm."

"Wait, what?" I asked, actually expressing real shock.

"We have the stone hollow now," Swanflutter meowed, "which you will see in three moons, and no sooner."

I stuck my tongue out. "You don't even know how I escaped camp!"

Swanflutter sighed. "Do I even want to know?"

~

Swanflutter dropped me off at the nursery, which really felt so weird, and then she left me alone there, Lightmist was missing and the only person there was Tawnykit. Inwardly, I groaned as I walked into the nursery and saw her.

"Get me a mouse!" she demanded.

"You," I said, with an eyeroll, "are one moon old. Far too young."

"And you are three!" she snapped. "Gimme a mouse!"

"You can get it yourself," I meowed, settling back down and resting my head on my paws.

"Hi there, kits!"

Glitterpaw? Oh, apprentice duties. I forgot! I stood up, my tail smacking Tawnykit's face, and looked up at Glitterpaw.

"Yes?" I asked, and annoyance came out before I could stop it.

Glitterpaw took a step back. "Wh-what?"

"If you really want to be a warrior," I meowed matter-of-factly, "You shouldn't be scared of kits."

"And you, a kit, are lecturing me?" Glitterpaw bared her teeth.

I scoffed. "I can fight better than you can!" I'd learnt new techniques to cope with my size already!

"Fine, let's fight!" Glitterpaw growled.

I did. I ran around her, jabbing at every area I could reach. I even poked her in the eye once, then hopped onto her back, got an ivy vine and used it like a leash. I rode Glitterpaw around camp, and everyone saw. Zealheart's jaw dropped, and with it fell out his rabbit.

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