Beetlejaw and Pigeonflight finally entered the clearing. Acornkit and Snailkit let out happy cries and rushed to their father. Willowkit lingered behind, not sure about what to do. Beetlejaw padded towards her. Her face lit up.
              "Hey, how was your day?" he asked. 
              "Great!" squealed Willowkit. "I played with Acornkit and Snailkit." Beetlejaw nodded just as the leader, Gorsestar, padded by. He stopped when he spotted Beetlejaw.
              "Beetlejaw, do you think you could lead the patrol tomorrow morning?" asked Gorsestar. Beetlejaw nodded.
              "Of course," he said.
              "Mostly patrol the ShadowClan border, more ShadowClan cats have been spotted lingering there," explained Gorsestar.
             "Will do," nodded Beetlejaw. "I'll make the patrol now." With that, he trotted away. Willowkit slipped back towards the nursery where Mintspot would be waiting for her. Gorsestar stopped her, putting a paw in her path. She had averted her eyes away from the leader at other times, used to being invisible. But this time, she looked up. 
           "How are you doing?" asked Gorsestar kindly.
          "G-good," replied Willowkit in a small voice. 
           "I know it must be hard losing Stormkit. For both you and your parents," continued Gorsestar. "Just remember to have fun sometimes." 
            "Ok," said Willowkit. Gorsestar gave her a final nod and she swiftly slipped into the nursery. Mintspot was there, propped up against the wall. Her fur was normally messy and dirty. Nobody said anything. They knew that she had stopped caring a long time ago. Willowkit trotted up to her. Mintspot didn't even notice, she was staring into the distance.
            "Oh Stormkit," she was mumbling. Willowkit tilted her head and pricked her ears. "I wish you were here." Willowkit bit her lip then quickly slipped back out of the nursery. She walked around the shadowy parts of Clan, trying and succeeding not to be seen. She passed Acornkit and Snailkit, chattering to Pigeonflight as he smiled at them lovingly. Without realising, Willowkit found herself in front of the elder's den. Russetstorm was dozing in the elder's den. Willowkit watched silently. She felt bad. She wondered how it would be to be living all alone in a den. She remembered that there used to be another elder. His name had been Antpelt but he had died when she had been tiny. Russetstorm opened an eye.
            "Oh hi Willlowkit," Russetstorm greeted.
             "Hi," said Willowkit, almost jumping in surprise.
              "Are you here to ask me about that night?" sighed Russetstorm. Willowkit frowned. Was she really that much of a nuisance? She wasn't about to ask any questions. She'd rather just watch. She hated that Russetstorm, the cat who had told her literally all she knew about her brother, hated her.
             "No. I was just walking around," replied Willowkit in a small voice. 
             "Well, if you were going to ask me, just know that I'm not going to tell you. I'm sorry. I can't. You know that. Your mother must have told you not to ask me," Russetstorm said. Willowkit made a face. She didn't understand what Russetstorm was talking about.
            "Ask you about what?" Willowkit asked.
            "Did she not tell you?" sighed Russetstorm. "I'm sorry. I'm just not supposed to tell you about that night. Your mother's orders." Willowkit processed the information. She knew her mother never talked about the night she and her brother were born. She hadn't thought much about it. Maybe she just didn't want to talk about it, it hurt too much. But now..., with what Russetstorm said..., maybe there was another reason. Something happened that night that Mintspot didn't want Willowkit to know about. Suddenly, Willowkit felt curiosity like never before. She needed to know what had happened that night. She wanted to know exactly what had happened. She had the right to know too. It was the night she had been born. It was the night her brother had been taken. She blinked and snapped out of her thoughts.
           "Thanks. I've got to go now," Willowkit said firmly. "Bye." She was almost in awe of herself. She had never dismissed herself from another cat. Other cats always did it to her. She had never spoken that bravely either, only to the other kits. She walked off confidently. More confidently than ever. Something was different in her. And although she still shrunk away as other cats walked by, she now had something else. She had a purpose. She had a goal. She wasn't just walking around because she existed and there was nothing else to do. She was walking around with an intention. An intention to find out what really happened that night. What happened that had changed her relationship with Mintspot. What had changed everything.