The full moon hangs like a pendant in the sky over my den. I can't see it, but it's reflections are visible in the puddles of melted snow that litter the ground. A warrior guard sits at the edge of camp, who I assume is Silverwing by her lithe frame.

My mother, Owlfeather, watches over me like a hawk. My two little siblings wait by her side, mewling and struggling for milk. I call them the little siblings because they're both smaller than me, even if we are littermates. Plus, they're never any fun. I hang out with the bigger kits. After all, there are eight of us, and more to come. No doubt Wolfstar will be picking out apprentices to make warriors soon, so that new apprentices can be taught by the mentors whose apprentices have moved on.

No one is really here tonight except the kits, which in of itself is practically half the clan. They're all at the gathering. Gathering is the big cat word for 'all the clans go to brag about how great they are and then two of them start fighting while everyone else sits in the background'. It's apparently really fun.

Silverwing is almost asleep, so I wriggle out and poke Pinekit. He mewls, but only bats his paw weakly. "What are you doing, Icekit..." he asks with a tiny yawn and a sigh.

"Come on, let's go play in the clearing!" I say. "Bring Shadowkit and Cinderkit too."

Pinekit shakes his head at me, but I flash my big, cute eyes and I can tell his heart melts, even if he's the same age as me and usually the cute eyes are reserved for adults. He gets to his paws and pads his sisters awake. Cinderkit yawns and goes back to sleep, but with another few prods she resentfully gets to her paws.

Shadowkit, Cinderkit, Pinekit and I sneak out into the clearing. I find the nearest puddle and splash right into it, spraying water all over Pinekit's face. His red-brown fur flashes as he laughs and sends a tidal wave of muddy water back at me. Shadowkit joins in on my side, and lobs some dirt with her back paws at Cinderkit, muddying her perfect silver-white pelt, so it no longer shines in the moonlight but is covered in earth.

She laughs, and jumps at me, and we wrestle into a tree, head over heels. Leaves fall down on my face and get stuck to my now dirty fur. I laugh at her, and she laughs at me, each of it trying to discourage the other as Pinekit and Shadowkit, tired and weary while we fight. It's to the mock death. I, the mighty leader and her, my once-loyal warrior, and I finally pin her when Silverwing snaps at us, "GO TO BED!"

I flinch at her hard words with mock disappointment, snickering under my breath.

Pinekit relents easily, and Cinderkit's eyes are as round as bowls, on the edge of crying. Always so ready to break the rules and always so ready to mewl like a newborn when she gets caught.

Shadowkit stays by my side, her coal-black fur deep and lustrous in the moonlight.

Silverwing heeds no notice, she's too tired to care about anything except shutting us up. "If only Whitefur was here..." she sighs.

"He'll be home soon, mami." Shadowkit tells her with a winning smile.

Pinekit agrees hastily, "We'll be in bed before then."

"We're very, very, very good kits after all." finishes Cinderkit, covered in mud.

I just grin way too large to convince her I was up to anything but mischief and ruining her life.

She sputters a string of insults under her breath and begins licking me, spitting out the crud and swearing with every lick. When she's done, she shifts to her own, dirty kits.

I scramble off to the nursery and find that my comfy spot near my mother has been taken by Flintkit. I narrow my eyes at him, stick out my tongue, and curl up with my trouble-making friends.

We form a big, moist, grinning circle, paw in paw.

Tomorrow, we will all be in trouble.

But tonight, we danced under the moon.