Grass crunched under the tom's paws as he stepped cautiously out of the nursery.

He looked around, spotting his mother, Cinderheart, sunning herself near a clump of bushes. He sprinted towards her, then curled up into a small ball beside her. His fur perfectly matched hers, only a touch darker.

"Hi, Tunnelkit," Cinderheart purred affectionately, stroking his head with her tail. "Why don't you play with Heatherkit and the others?"

"They're too big," Tunnelkit mumbled. He had a habit of talking in small, short phrases, and very quietly. He didn't like speaking.

Cinderheart heard. She was one of the only ones who could hear his words, since she listened to him every day. "You're a big kit now, too," she reminded him. "Three moons old, and you can eat fresh-kill."

"I'm not big," Tunnelkit replied quietly.

"Okay, you're a lot smaller than the normal three-moon-old kit," Cinderheart admitted. "But you're bigger than Blossomfall's kits."

"Not much." The tortoiseshell queen had kitted two days ago, three little kits. Two toms and one she-kit. Sleetkit, named after his white splotches, Darkkit, named after his dark tortoiseshell fur, and Swallowkit, who had the black-and-white fur of the swallow bird.

"You're not small, Tunnelkit," Cinderheart stroked him again, this time with her paw. "You're just not big."

"That means I'm small."

"No, Tunnelkit," Cinderheart sounded slightly exasperated. "Heatherkit's large for her age." That was true. Heatherkit had inherited Lionblaze's bulky size.

Tunnelkit didn't speak, nervously shifting his paws. "But they're too rowdy."

Cinderheart swept him closer with her plumy tail. "Why don't you visit Jayfeather?" She offered.

Tunnelkit pricked his ears, nodding.

Cinderheart smiled, and he got to his paws. He padded forward, then bam something knocked him to the ground.

"There you are, Tunnelkit!" Heatherkit's purr made Tunnelkit yelp with startlement. "You were sleeping for, like, forever. But now you're awake! Squirrelkit! Tunnelkit's awake! He can play with us!"

Squirrelkit blinked. "He never does."

"Will you?" Heatherkit nudged Tunnelkit's side, her blue eyes mischievous. "Come on, you can be a WindClan warrior. You're small enough."

Tunnelkit shrank underneath his fur.

Heatherkit seemed to notice his unease. "Or a ThunderClan warrior."

"I-I don't w-want to play," he stammered.

"Told you," Goldenkit purred at Heatherkit, smirking. "He never does!"

"Stop being mean, Goldenkit," Heatherkit meowed. "Tunnelkit's my littermate. Even if he's not at all like me, he's my best friend."

Warmth seeped into Tunnelkit's fur, but he remained silent, watching Icekit with wide eyes.

"Come on, Heatherkit," Flamekit meowed pointedly. "You're fun."

Heatherkit cast one final glance at Tunnelkit, then followed Flamekit.

"You should really play with them, Tunnelkit," Cinderheart advised. "Heatherkit does."

Tunnelkit's mind was flooding with words that he didn't want to speak. But it all exploded out. "I don't want to; Squirrelkit, Flamekit and Goldenkit think I'm too weird; they play too rough; it's all too much!" It was quick, but quiet, and he sat down, folding his paws around his chest miserably.

"They don't play too rough, Tunnelkit," Cinderheart murmured. "And you're not weird. You never were, Tunnelkit, trust me."

Tunnelkit hunched his shoulders. "It's just... I don't want to."

Cinderheart licked his ears. "Soon, you and Heatherkit will be the biggest kits in the nursery."

"I won't miss them," Tunnelkit shifted his paws. "But I'll miss you when I move to the apprentice's den."

"You will miss them," Cinderheart meowed. "Being a kit will be different without Squirrelkit, Goldenkit, and Flamekit."

"I know I won't."

~~~

"Tunnelkit! Get your tail over here!"

Tunnelkit reluctantly dropped the small stem of tansy he had been holding and dashed to Cinderheart.

"It's a wonderful, sunny day," the gray tabby scolded. "What are you doing, helping Jayfeather sort his herbs inside his shady den?"

"Maybe he wants to be his apprentice," Heatherkit meowed with a shrug.

That was kind of true. Jayfeather was grumpy, but he was quiet, and Tunnelkit found himself enjoying it. It was the opposite of playing roughly with the other kits. It was better now that Squirrelkit and the others were more interested in hunting moves instead of moss-ball, hide-and-seek, and capture the pebble, but it was still ridiculously loud and it hurt Tunnelkit's big ears.

Jayfeather had taught Tunnelkit all the herbs, and the usages. Even if Tunnelkit could only remember half of the herbs, he thought he was doing quite well. Most importantly, Jayfeather would let Tunnelkit sit in a corner of the den, thinking and quietly sorting Jayfeather's herbs, drying them and mixing poultices.

But I don't want to be a medicine cat. I want to be a warrior, even if I have to give up my friendship with Jayfeather.

"I don't," he protested. "He's... interesting, that's all."

"How many herbs do you know?" Sleetkit added. The pale gray-and-white tom was listening as Blossomfall cleaned Swallowkit's fur.

"Borage, tansy, hawkweed, comfrey, marigold..." Tunnelkit found himself talking more than ever.

"Don't go on," Heatherkit interrupted. "I thought we were going to be warriors, like Lionblaze and Cinderheart, together, and go hunting and patrolling together."

"We are!" Tunnelkit shifted his paws.

"Good," Heatherkit sighed. "Good. So, Tunnelkit, let's practice hunting!"

"N-no thanks," Tunnelkit stammered, terrified. "I'll go back to Jayfeather. H-he wants me to help him sort his herbs."

Darkkit snorted, scorn in his green eyes. "Who would want to be a medicine cat?" He smirked. "Nothing's more useless! Warriors hunt and fight; medicine cats just cower and let the warriors fight for them!"

"Shhhhh," Blossomfall hushed her kit. "Darkkit! Don't talk like that to your Clanmate. Jayfeather is one of the Three, and he saved you." She pulled him in close.

"I wasn't alive, how could he have saved me?" Darkkit ducked away from her.

"Stop being a rotten tooth," Heatherkit swiped a paw at him.

Darkkit glared scornfully at her. "Who are you calling a rotten tooth?" he snarled viciously, aiming his unsheathed paw at Heatherkit. Eyes narrow as slits, the dark tortoiseshell kit lunged, claws unsheathed and out.

Tunnelkit saw the blow coming and leaped in front of Heatherkit defensively. Darkkit's paw hit him squarely in his flank, and he groaned at the sudden pain as he collapsed. Agony seared through his fur, as though it was really on fire. Darkkit's claws scraped through his thin, short fur, and reached his flesh. He writhed in pain.

Darkkit glared at him. "Stop interfering," he snarled coldly. "You'll never be a warrior. You should spend more time with Jayfeather, worrying like an elder." His green eyes locked with his, and for a moment, the green depths looked red.

"Shut up!" Heatherkit squared up to Darkkit, her eyes just as cold and fierce. "Don't hurt my brother. If you hurt him, I'll hurt you!"
"I'd like to see you try!" Darkkit licked the blood off his claws, turning his tongue scarlet. "I'm stronger than Bramblestar!"

Cinderheart rushed to Tunnelkit's side, and as he lifted his head he realized how big the gash was. It ran through his entire belly, where his shoulders began to his haunches. He whimpered.

Cinderheart lifted her head. "Jayfeather!"

The blind medicine cat dashed across the clearing at Cinderheart's sharp, alarmed call. "What's up?"

"Tunnelkit," Cinderheart breathed. "H-he got hurt by him." She pointed a claw at Darkkit.

"He did no such thing!" Blossomfall spat. "He was defending himself."

"Stop spoiling him like a kit who wants their first pick at the fresh-kill pile," Jayfeather snapped sharply. "Darkkit, you should know better. Tunnelkit, I'll try to get you to the medicine den."

Darkkit flicked his tail. "Tell him, Sleetkit. I didn't do anything."

"Yeah," Sleetkit looked scornful as he glared at Jayfeather and Cinderheart. "He didn't. Swallowkit, right?"

Swallowkit hesitated, and Darkkit swiped at her. The black-and-white kit whimpered.

"Stop being such a weakling!" Darkkit exclaimed. "Sleetkit!"

"Shut up, Swallowkit, you mangy-pelt," Sleetkit growled. "Come on, Darkkit, let's play a game. I'll be a Dark Forest warrior, and you can be Bramblestar."

"I want to be Tigerstar," Darkkit objected.

"No, I'm going to be!"

"Am not!"

What's going on? Tunnelkit wondered dizzily. Why is everyone at everyone's throats?