Chapter 1

"Quick, Sunkit! Poke her!"
"What? Now?""Of course! Stargaze is gone out to eat some prey! Poke her now!"A paw stabbed into Wildkit’s side. She let out a groan, and then she rolled back deeper into the nest, expecting to feel her mother's warm belly. Instead, she found nothing but air. Empty air. Her eyelids snapped up, revealing eyes as green as the forest in greenleaf. The green eyes looked for their mother, Stargaze.Suddenly, a face loomed up in front of her, wide amber eyes unblinking and scary-looking. Wildkit let out a frightened squeak and she shot out of the nest, her heart pounding. Then her shock turned into anger when she heard purrs of amusement coming from Lilykit and Sunkit, her sisters.
"You should have seen your face when I put my face near yours, Wildkit!" Lilykit let out a mrrow of amusement."Yeah!" Sunkit vibrated with a purr that seemed too big for her tiny body. "It looked something like this!" She widened her amber eyes purposely, and her mouth dropped open, revealing small, sharp, pointed teeth. She looked like a cat who had heard a mouse roar. Lilykit burst into more laughter, until she was twitching about on the floor. Wildkit felt anger and embarrassment fluff up every hair on her pelt. How could Lilykit and Sunkit do that to her? Just because she was the smallest! This could only lead to one thing: Fight!
"Play fight!" Wildkit yowled, and she leaped onto Sunkit."Hey!" Sunkit’s amber eyes widened in surprise, and she tried to wriggle out from under Wildkit. Wildkit batted her sister’s golden shoulder with sheathed paws, enjoying the play fight and enjoying seeing Sunkit struggle under her grasp. Lilykit tried to help Sunkit, but Wildkit flung her away with a strong flick of her hind paws. Lilykit landed in a nest of bracken and moss, dazed.That'll teach you not to mess with me! she thought triumphantly, preparing to leap off Sunkit’s back. But before she could do that, a ginger shape flashed out of nowhere and knocked her off Sunkit’s back and out the narrow entrance to the nursery. Cherrykit!
They landed in a heap outside a leafy bush that was the nursery, breathing heavily. Before Wildkit could catch her breath, Cherrykit quickly scrambled to her paws and loomed above her, placing a paw on her shoulder. Lilykit rushed out of the nursery and pinned her own paw on Wildkit’s other shoulder."Surrender now, Wildkit, or face the fury of my claws!" Lilykit raised her free paws, unsheathed her tiny claws and twitched them jokingly, to make it seem like she meant the threat. Wildkit knew she wouldn't do that to her."Yeah, Wildkit, surrender!" echoed Cherrykit, triumph gleaming in her amber eyes."No way!"
Wildkit struggled beneath the two kits' heavy paws. She was four moons old moons old, while the Cherrykit was close to her sixth moon, just like her littermates Creamkit and Fawnkit. That meant she had the advantage of strength and size. Suddenly, an idea formed in Wildkit’s mind. She went limp, making them think she had surrendered. When they lifted their paws from her shoulders, she suddenly leaped up, causing their amber eyes to go wide. She ran across the clearing to where their mother, Stargaze, and Fireblaze were sharing a plump brown mouse. Wildkit saw Sunkit race out of the nursery, only to come to a halt and watch her flee from the pursuing kits. Sunkit shrugged and padded back in to the nursery, her golden tail flicking. Cherrykit and Lilykit had recovered and they were now hot on her tail.
"Fireblaze! Save me!" Wildkit yowled as she dove into the narrow space between Fireblaze’s and Stargaze’s pelts.A throaty purr rumbled in her father’s throat. "A warrior fights his or her own battles," he mewed, amber eyes twinkling. "They don't beg other cats for help!"
"But what if they really need help?" Wildkit argued, her hind legs scrabbling in the dusty ground to force herself between her parents. Stargaze shifted a little bit and Wildkit shot in right before her sister and Cherrykit halted in front of them.
"Stargaze, can you make Wildkit come out?" whined Cherrykit. "It's not fair; she gets to hide behind deputies and the deputy’s mate!"
"Shush, Cherrykit, you're talking to the deputy." Milkpool, Cherrykit’s mother, overheard them on her way to the fresh-kill pile.
"It's alright, Milkpool," began Fireblaze, "they're ju—"
"Fireblaze! Hazelstar!" Pawsteps pounded against the dusty ground as a patrol of cats bounded through the bramble tunnel and into the central of the camp. The dark gray tom, Ashwhisker, leading the patrol looked around wildly for the ThunderClan leader and deputy. Fireblaze stopped in mid-sentence and met the patrol of alarmed cats in the middle of the clearing. He looked at Ashwhisker sharply and asked, "What is it? What's wrong?""It's Tigerlily!" Ashwhisker was answered quickly.
"What's wrong with her?" a new voice demanded. Wildkit recognized it as Hazelstar’s voice. She twisted her head to see the ThunderClan leader racing down the rocky slope that lead to her den. Ashwhisker looked surprised for a moment, because his leader had appeared so fast.
"She's—she's giving birth!"