Swiftkit's POV

I let out a screech of determination as I leaped in front of Snowkit and batted the moss ball out of the reach of her paws. I dove head-first into the ground and then rolled over, my back against the dry earth.

Cherrykit and Molekit let out purrs of amusement as Snowkit padded over to me and swiped her paw over my ear.

"Mouse-brain!" she exclaimed, pretending to be angry, "I so had that!"

"Then why did I catch it?" I teased to Snowkit, smirking.

"Whatever!" Snowkit purred, rolling her eyes.

My mouth gaped open into a yawn as Snowkit batted the mossball over to Molekit.

It had been quite the day, but it had all gone in my favor!

After Jayfeather and Goldenshine had allowed me to go out and play for a while, Jayfeather had called me back into the medicine den once ThunderClan had left for the gathering. He checked my wounds one more time, and told me that I was fine to go back to the nursery!

Thank StarClan for letting my wounds heal quickly! Jayfeather had originally thought I'd have to stay in the medicine den another night!

Also, luckily, I had been out in the open to witness the conflict that had happened after ThunderClan had gotten back from the gathering.

That dumb kittypet, I thought. Poor Lilypetal. It must have been really scary to have her loyalty questioned...

I then felt a pang in my stomach as I thought about this. What if more cats found out that I was training in the Dark Forest? I wondered. They would hammer me as much as Lilypetal.

I was interrupted from my thoughts when suddenly my eyes were overtaken by a flash of green, and I suddenly found myself spitting bits of moss out of my mouth. I shook my head quickly and then focused to see that Snowkit, Cherrykit and Molekit were howling with laughter, rolling around on the ground.

"Who's the moss ball champion now?" Snowkit meowed in triumph as she stood up, lashing her tail.

Just as I was about to leap into a play-fight with Snowkit, my nose was filled with the familiar scent of my mother, and I felt Goldenshine touch her muzzle to my head.

"As much as I'm sure you want to shred Snowkit to bits," Goldenshine murmured, "I think it's about time you went to sleep!"

Me, along with the other kits, let out groans of disappointment. I was exhausted, not that that was necessarily a surprise, but it felt as if me and the other kits had been playing for only a few heartbeats. I wanted to play for all of eternity!

"Aw, come on, kits!" Goldenshine meowed. "You have another day waiting for you, tomorrow!"

I nodded. Goldenshine's right! I thought. We can play all day tomorrow!

As the other kits began to trot into the nursery, I quickly followed behind, trying to catch up to Snowkit. She narrowed her eyes and smirked at me as I caught up to her.

"Goldenshine is right," I meowed to her out loud, teasingly. "Tomorrow, I'll gather all of the mossballs I can find, and I'll throw them all in your face!"

Snowkit let out a purr of amusement. "Not if I do it first!" she purred. I lightly cuffed Snowkit over the face with a sheathed paw before padding over to Goldenshine in her nest.

Before I was able to settle down, Cherrykit passed by. She seemed to be observing my flank.

"It looks like your wounds are all better!" she pointed out, excitedly. "Are you feeling better?"

I tried not to show my annoyance. You had to bring that up? I thought. Why is she so worried? I've been playing mossball with her since sunhigh!

I took a deep breath and nodded to Cherrykit, trying not to snap at her. She was a nice cat. I had no reason to want to hurt her feelings.

I nodded to her and mewed, "Jayfeather says that it's all better!"

Cherrykit's eyes glowed. "Yay! That's great!" she exclaimed, hopping up in the air. Then she composed herself and dipped her head to me. "Goodnight!" she whispered. "Goodnight, Goldenshine!" she then meowed to my mother.

"Goodnight, darling," Goldenshine whispered, giving Cherrykit a quick lick on her head.

I was watching Cherrykit pad over to Poppyfrost to join Molekit and Snowkit as Goldenshine meowed, "Did you have a good day?"

I immediately nodded and looked up to her. "It was awesome!" I answered. "...and awesome to be out of the medicine den for once."

Goldenshine snorted. "You have no idea!" she murmured. She then touched her nose to my ear before lying her head down in her nest.

My ears flicked as I heard her speak again. "Is that why you seem so much lighter today?"

I tilted my head and looked at her. "What do you mean?"

Goldenshine lifted her head back up. "I don't know... since you've been out and about today, you've just seemed so much more like yourself," she explained, "Not the tired, grumpy Swiftkit I've seen in here for the past couple of moons!"

I nodded as I thought about what Goldenshine had just said, and I had to admit that she was right.

After the fox attack, things had really been looking up. I had felt more rested, I haven't wanted to snap at every cat that talked to me, and I had gotten to enjoy playing, and not fighting to the death every night.

...Is this maybe because I haven't been in the Dark Forest for the past few nights? I realized.

I still hadn't seen Ashfur or Tigerstar since they had given me the mission to find the fox. They had told me that they were giving me a few days to fulfill the mission... but I hadn't. I still wondered what this meant when it came to my training in the Dark Forest.

What if they just gave up on me? I wondered. I was shocked when I didn't feel completely disappointed at that prospect.

Honestly, the idea of not going to the Dark Forest for maybe one more night... was a pleasant one.

I finally answered to Goldenshine with a nod. "You're right, I guess!" I purred, nuzzling my head into her fur before laying it down into the soft moss.

"I'm glad," Goldenshine whispered before lowering her head and closing her gray eyes.

I took a deep, relieving breath and then closed my eyes.

I was annoyed to find that they opened right back up again, but I wasn't back in the nursery. Rather, I recognized the tall oak trees and the multitude of bushes of the Dark Forest.

Are you kidding me? Foxdung! I thought to myself. Just when I thought I was going to get another good night of sleep!

I couldn't suppress a small hiss. I was digging my claws into the earth in frustration as I heard pawsteps come from behind me.

"Oh! I'm sorry," I heard a familiar deep voice meow, mockingly. "Did we interrupt your night of curling up with your mother and getting your beauty sleep?"

I whirled around, eyes wide, to see Ashfur and Tigerstar approaching me.

I only responded to Ashfur with another hiss. I suddenly felt like I couldn't show any of what I had been thinking - not missing the Dark Forest - to them at all.

They would think I was practically a weak newborn kit!

"Welcome back," Tigerstar meowed, just behind Ashfur.

I sat down and looked down to the ground. "You're here to make me feel even worse about not getting the fox, right?"

Ashfur and Tigerstar looked at each other and back to me. I tried not to back away as I saw both of their eyes filled with malice. I tried to ignore it.

"That is in the past, Swiftkit," Tigerstar commented. "You are only a kit, after all."

I wish you had realized that before you sent me on that mission, I thought to myself.

"As tough and warrior-like it would have made you look," Ashfur began, me having felt a small pang of regret as Ashfur had said "warrior-like", "Tigerstar and I realized that we clearly have so much more to teach you. We couldn't keep you away for one more night!"

But what about my sleep? I thought bitterly.

Tigerstar, almost seeming to have read my thoughts, barked at me, "If you thought you were going to start having great rest, think again!"

He gave me an inquiring look as he continued, "Sure, you're exhausted all of the time now, but how do you think all of this training at night will pay off in the end?"

I narrowed my eyes. He is right...

Tigerstar began to walk back and forth. "Exhaustion is worth what you'll become one day."

Those works echoed in my mind once more. Exhaustion is worth what you'll become one day...

"So what do you say?" Ashfur asked, his eyes filled with determination. "Are you ready to take on all of the plans we have for you?"

I looked down at the ground, suddenly deep in thought. Today has been so great. Getting a break from the Dark Forest was just what I needed, I realized. But... what if Tigerstar is right? Will sacrificing good days like this be worth it in the end?

Suddenly coming to a conclusion, I gave Ashfur a definitive nod. "I am," I meowed, trying not to let my voice shake.

Ashfur dipped his head to me. "Wonderful." To my surprise, he and Tigerstar started to pad away from the clearing that we were in.

"Tonight, we want to try something different," he began. "As you probably have realized by now, we train several Clan cats here in the Dark Forest..."

"We had planned on having some group training, and we want you to join them tonight," Tigerstar continued.

My stomach suddenly felt like it was being flipped upside down. Training with the other cats? Am I the only kit? What will they think?

"How impressed they will be that you're only a kit!" Ashfur meowed, seeming to turn my thoughts around. Ashfur then nodded his head towards a small path covered in sticks and dead leaves. "Follow us."

Tingling with apprehension and anticipation, I nodded and then began to follow the two toms deeper into the forest. Tigerstar and Ashfur were quietly whispering to each other as we traveled.

I wonder what they're talking about? I thought. She-cats they're padding after... what they ate last?

Quicker than I realized we would, we arrived to another large clearing. My mouth dropped at all of the different cats I saw there.

I couldn't recognize specific Clan scents yet, but I could tell there was a bit of all four Clans here.

I didn't realize that the Dark Forest was this popular! I thought. The Dark Forest has recruited all of these cats?

My heart began to beat faster as I started seeing cats that I recognized... Blossomfall, Ivypaw...

My eye was suddenly drawn to a cat that I had never seen before. Despite this, I was brought to complete alertness when my gaze fell on him.

He looked almost exactly like me, except he didn't have a white chest and paws, and his eyes were a glowing amber.

I suddenly felt a pang as I realized something. Could that possibly be... Breezepelt? My father?

I could barely fathom this realization I had just made. What do I do? Do I go and greet him and introduce myself as his son?

I began to pad over to Breezepelt and then stopped, thinking better of it. Goldenshine will introduce me to him when she wants to. Plus, he'll notice me anyway when I train here more! He was pretty far away at the moment. I didn't think I would catch his eye, anyway.

I wonder why he's here? I then wondered to myself.

Before I could give it much thought, my heart dropped as I recognized another cat out of the corner of my eye. A certain cat that cats knew to be the male, muscular version of my mother with pale blue eyes.

Thornclaw is here? I asked myself. More of my kin? I can't believe it!

I turned my head to see that Thornclaw was reflecting the shock that I was feeling.

"Swiftkit?" I exclaimed, then slapping his tail over his own mouth. "You are here?"

For some reason, Thornclaw looked as shocked as he would probably look if Firestar walked into ThunderClan camp wearing a kittypet collar saying that he missed having a soft life. I get that I am a kit, but why is he that shocked? I'm tough! I have a right to be here!

Suddenly, I heard footsteps come up next to me, and I turned to see the gray pelt of Ashfur beside me.

"Yes, he is here, Thornclaw," he answered. "Is that a problem?"

Thornclaw's eyes suddenly flashed with anger. "I thought that we had established that you would stay out of my fur while I'm here," Thornclaw growled through gritted teeth.

"Sure," Ashfur meowed, shrugging, "But I can't do that when you're likely to interfere with my plans, now can I?"

I just stared with wide eyes as this tense exchange went on between the two toms.

"Haven't you already done enough to my family?" Thornclaw hissed. Then he suddenly paused, a knowing look in his pale blue eyes. He seemed overwhelmed with panic as he then took a step closer to me and whispered, "Swiftkit, this is far too dangerous for you! Get out of here!"

My mouth opened, but no words were able to come out. I took a step back as I tried to process what Thornclaw had just told me.

Before I could respond, Ashfur took a step towards Thornclaw, unsheathing his claws. "What was that?" he taunted, causing Thornclaw to take a step back.

Thornclaw looked fearful at first, but then blinked and answered sharply, "I don't think Swiftkit should be here, and the fact that he's training with you doesn't make me feel any better!"

I cringed back as Ashfur lifted an unsheathed paw up. "Since when have I cared about you feeling better?" he hissed, slashing Thornclaw across the face.

I gasped as Ashfur leaped on top of Thornclaw. Thornclaw's surprise barely gave him time to react, despite being one of the strongest fighters in ThunderClan.

Before I even could process the fact that Ashfur had attacked my kin, I saw that Ashfur had raked his claws many times over Thornclaw's flank and belly. Thornclaw let out a yowl of pain, but managed to kick Ashfur off of him. He leaped on top of him and bit into Ashfur's shoulder.

Ashfur hissed and swiped his paw over Thornclaw's face, knocking him over to the side.

I watched in horror as Ashfur then dug his teeth into Thornclaw's throat. Thornclaw, already seeming to be covered in battle wounds, was getting weaker with each heartbeat that went by.

I couldn't suppress a whimper of distress when Ashfur suddenly dropped Thornclaw from his jaws, the golden tabby warrior falling limp to the ground.

Is he dead? I wondered, praying to StarClan that Ashfur had just given him a few nasty wounds.

I let out a quiet sigh of relief as I saw the shallow rises and falls of Thornclaw's chest. But, my hopes began to fall again as Ashfur then slashed his claws across Thornclaw's flank one more time, then pushing him forward with one of his paws. I felt like I was going to vomit at the sight.

As cats around the clearing stared in shock, Ashfur looked up from where he had been staring maliciously at Thornclaw.

"Never question what the Dark Forest has in store," he said in an eerily quiet meow. "If you trust in what we say and do, and the plans that we have, you won't have to worry about this happening to you."

Not being able to bear at what I had witnessed any longer, I began to back away and then broke out into a run, away from the clearing.

My heart was beating faster than it ever had in my entire life. I took a large gulp as I held back vomit once more. I tried my hardest not to let my speed falter.

Thornclaw could be dead, and it's all my fault!

I let out a loud whimper of distress as the forest around me began to fade into nothingness.