Applekit bounded onto her friend, Glosskit, and let out a purr of excitement. "Got you!" she squeaked out. Glosskit grumbled, flicking her ear in irritation.

"Get off me!" the other kit garbled after trying to roll over, squeeze from Applekit's grip, do something to let her be free. Applekit refused, knawing on her friend's ear playfully yet roughly. Glosskit hissed and flailed, forcing Applekit to resort to giving in and barreling off of her. Applekit sat down and grazed her tongue across her paw, patiently watching Glosskit shake off her pelt of dirt and burrs.

"You're no fun," she pouted at the angered Glosskit, who had her ears folded back. Applekit had absolutely nothing to be angry at; tomorrow was her apprentice ceremony! Glosskit wasn't as enthralled about Applekit's cause of happiness, for hers was about half a moon from that LeafFall day, in the early LeafBare.

Applekit watched, a lopsided smile spread on her muzzle as the younger black kit struggled to her paws, stretching out her tail to gain balance. Applekit purred, not affected by the harsh glare Glosskit sent her, "You could've just asked politely for me to get off."

"Well, last time I did, I got knocked over!" Her blue eyes burned hot into Applekit's green as she spit out the passive aggressive reply. "I'm gonna go eat." Applekit just giggled, bounding across the clearing to the opposite side of where her and her friend were battling, taking a seat next to the fresh-kill pile to get to the pile first and hungrily eyeing a sparrow. Glosskit followed, taking a mouse then padding away.

ThunderClan had a stroke of luck this season, they had a good GreenLeaf for hunting, and LeafFall only added on to the hunt, unlike the previous one. It caused a good mood aura around the clan: Cats were chirping comments and conversations to each other, relaxed across patches of grass or stray boulders that peeked through the ground of the small ravine. Some were sharing tongues in the clearing, or just walking about, carrying their lunch to their special spots to eat up.

Applekit pawed at the sparrow she pursued. "Hey, Longface?" A white, long-muzzled warrior lifted his head from the mouse he ate next to the pile, licking at his whiskers to not look like a hungry dog, as he previously did. "Can I have this sparrow?"

"Of course," he cooed in a reply, lowering his head again and devouring the last of the meat clinging onto the bones of the large rodent. Applekit released a meow of thanks, snatching the sparrow with her fangs and lifting from the top of the pile, scarfing it down after traveling over to the nursery. That was where she normally ate.

As soon as Applekit finished her sparrow, she heard the loud call of a bird, three squeaky tweets, near the camp. She flicked her gaze to the sound and saw the brown finch perching atop the lowest branch of the looming oak covered in claw marks from other cats. It was hopping around, chirping, and swiping his beak against the bark as if to clean it.

Before she could even start pacing over to stalk the bird for practice and for fun, a flash of a warrior gracefully leapt up on the branch. She grappled the bird with her fangs, and slid off, all in only a short few seconds, padding down to the clearing with the finch hanging lifelessly from her jaws.

It was Cheetahspots who made the kill. Cheetahspots was a wounded warrior with only one ear; the other was ripped away by a fox, the remains of it scruffy and pink from the skin. Her thin, sandy body was decorated with black patches, and her wide eyes were a sea-foam green coloring. It was clear as to why many toms were drawn to her. The she-cat was also Applekit's aunt.

Cheetahspots purred and padded next to Applekit after spitting the bird out on the pile, easily relaxing and wiggling her behind against the dying grass. "Hey, Applekit," she grinned, her tail brushing across the ground. She cuffed the creamy orange kit's ear to make her flinch. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good," Applekit replied cheerily, turning her head away from the she-cat and smiling. Unlike her aunt, Applekit was a large kit, with orange fur and a creamy orange spot around her left eye. Her body was more like her father's: brawn and lean, along with the colouring. She blinked her emerald eyes at Cheetahspots.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" Cheetahspots breathlessly asked.

"Oh yeah!" Applekit and Cheetahspots purred, kneading the ground with their wide paws. The two chatted about how pretty the leaves looked, and how they reminded Cheetahspots of Applekit. Applekit garbled on about the day and how it was so much fun and lively.

They were joined soon by the white warrior that she asked for the sparrow, Longface.

"Hey, Applekit, Cheetahspots," he greeted, flopping down beside Applekit so she was between both the warriors. His brown gaze fell upon Applekit.

Longface was like her uncle, he was always there and they were best friends. By the time she was born until then, they had grown very close. "Nice day, huh?" Cheetahspots lopsidedly grinned and tilted her head to look at Longface. Longface grunted in agreement.

The conversation went on and on until the sun was high above them. "Hey, I need to go," Longface said, standing up and brushing his tail across Applekit's ear. "I'm on sunhigh hunting patrol." Longface wasn't the best hunter. He could climb trees to catch squirrels in a short period of time, though. He was thin, but his white pelt shimmered with muscle. He had a long muzzle good for biting.

Applekit stood once Longface arrived at the tunnel, and waved her tail good-bye to Cheetahspots, who had realized she had hunting patrol as well.

To pass her boredom, the kit entered the medicine cat den, observing the black she-cat with a white chest and white paws murmur to Vixenpaw, her adventurous apprentice. "Whatcha guys doing?" Applekit called out, sitting at the entrance, enjoying the sun beating down on her back.

Specklenight swerved her head, her crystal blue eyes full of wisdom. "Oh, hello, Applekit. We're just training." She held a borage leaf under the apprentice's small nose, who took a deep breath. Vixenpaw was the blind cat of the clan, but she was also full of strategic ideas. Poor thing she was a medicine cat.

"Borage," she answered quietly, blinking open her green eyes. Vixenpaw hadn't any markings other than a black paw and tail, and bright orange fur. Specklenight replied with positive feedback, and gave her some more herbs to name just by their scent.

Applekit thought that this was getting boring.

The rest of the day was a blur, with nothing to do other than play with the other, younger kits (she turned out to be the leader of ShadowClan in their game). Once the sun faded a red and pink glow on the clan, she retreated to the nursery by order of her mother, calling out her good-nights to the warriors and kits. Her mother, Risingsun, followed her inside. Applekit's sister and brother trailed inside as well. The trio curled up next to Risingsun, wishing each other sweet dreams.

Applekit was covered by a wave of black in a few short hours after watching the moon outside through the thicket, which turned up to be the last thing seen.

She was swallowed by a freezing darkness that nipped her to the bone. Her paws were carrying her along a thin path, rendering her struggles to regain control useless.

Thankfully, when she broke into a clearing that had shown to be a mysterious, silent forest with looming, creaking trees, she finally did have power over her movements. But she didn't move. She was far too frightened, because from the bushes on the other side of the clearing was the sound of rustling.

Applekit released her breath in a relieved sigh when a white kit with frothy amber eyes stepped out from the tight gap.

"Don't be afraid, Applekit. Nothing can hurt you here," the runt mewed listlessly. The words rolled off her tongue easily, but were laced with poison, like she knew she was speaking a lie. She stopped as if mechanical in the middle of the clearing.

"And what exactly is 'here?'"

The kit laughed, then responded darkly, "That, you don't need to know until later, Applekit." She paused, looking over Applekit for a short moment before saying, "I'm Flightkit. I will be your secondary mentor to train you."

Applekit was baffled. What was going on here? "What? Why?" Just then, her world began to turn and spin, a vortex of black overcoming her.

Over the bellowing of wind, she heard a muted voice, "Revenge."

Applekit jerked awake, the sun filtering the empty nursery. Her family had left the den, and there was a busy commotion outside. The deputy was probably setting up patrols or something.

She stretched widely, and slipped out. The sun was always rose on the nursery side of the clan, so she padded to the middle of the clearing and turned, squinting at the sun gleaming like a yellow disk right above the HighRock. The clearing wasn't as busy as imagined; there were three cats gathered next to the fresh kill pile. Two others just shared tongues in the clearing. She examined above the rim of the hollow to see the orange leaves bleed through the blue sky.

She glanced back down, one question running through her mind, causing her ears fold back:

Who is Flightkit?