Chapter Fifteen 

It was a few days after the Gathering, and Froststar had been "discussing" what to do about ShadowClan with his supporters. Of course he already knew what he was going to do. Make them feel important, it will benefit you in the end, Sageweed had said.

It was also the second day his kits left the nursery. On the first day, they spent the entire time trailing after the apprentices and exploring. Now, they were sitting under a shady bush in the camp and Froststar was teaching them about the different types of prey while Mistfeather rested.

"What's this?" Dawnkit asked, prodding a robin with her paw.

"That is a robin," Froststar answered.

"Why does it look different then the mouse?" Sprucekit asked, stroking the feathers with his paws and then petting the mouse's fur.

"Because it just is," Darkkit murmured sleepily.

"Shush," Tigerkit whispered, batting at him with her paw. They began to play-fight, rolling around in the dirt. Froststar sighed. Kits got distracted very easily. Tigerkit and Darkkit noticed Froststar glaring at them, and quickly broke apart.

"Do you kits know what this is?" Froststar pointed to a pigeon. The kits shook their heads. "Is it a type of bird or rodent?" he asked.

"Bird, because it has feathers," Dawnkit said.

"Very good," Froststar purred. "This is a pigeon."

"Like Pigeonwing," Tigerkit said, only half-paying attention. She was crouching, getting ready to pounce on an ant.

"Yes, that's what he was named after," Froststar said. Darkkit pounced on Tigerkit before she could get to the ant, his tiredness forgotten. When he turned back to his two other kits, Dawnkit was grooming her fur and Sprucekit was stroking his small piece of spruce branch. He was obsessed with the fact that he was named after a plant, and began asking so many questions Froststar had to bring him to the medicine cat's den and show him everything. That meant he also had to promise Dawnkit to show her the dawn sky, Darkkit the dark (even though he clearly already knew what that was), and promise to tell Tigerkit the story of TigerClan.

"Hey, where'd all the prey go?" Mossypelt yowled. Froststar slipped out from under the bush.

"Sorry, Mossypelt! I was teaching my kits," he said.

"That's all right," he chuckled good-heartedly. Mossypelt helped him put the prey back, and Froststar was about to say something to his kits when he caught a scent on the breeze.

"Quick, kits! Get back in the nursery," he snapped.

"Aw, why?" Darkkit complained.

"Just do what I say," he growled, making all four of his kits quickly scamper into the nursery. Just as they did, a patrol burst into camp. Froststar quickly bounded over. "What is it?" he asked.

Fernclaw was leading the patrol. He was holding a reddish-brown she-kit with yellow eyes. "Put me down you piece of fox-dung," she spat. Fernclaw dropped her. She immediately stood up and shook out her fur and glared up at Froststar. "What do you want," she stated more than asked. Froststar ignored her and raised the muscles above his eye, indicating Fernclaw to explain.

"I found her wandering around our territory," Fernclaw said. Froststar crouched down so he was eye-level with the kit.

"What were you doing in ThunderClan territory?" Froststar asked.

"Are doing, since I'm still here," the she-kit corrected. "And because ShadowClan is boring, mouse-brain!" Froststar let out a huff of laughter. He liked the she-kit's fiery attitude.

"ShadowClan is boring, is it?" he questioned. The she-kit nodded.

"No leaving the camp, you're too small! No you can't learn battle moves, you're too young!" The she-kit mocked the voice of some adult warriors. "I can't do anything!" Froststar took in the she-kit's size.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"I'll be six moons by the time the next Gathering rolls around," the she-kit shrugged.

"At that age, we let kits go outside camp with another warrior, and we start showing them some battle moves by the time they're three moons," Froststar said. The she-kit looked at him disbelievingly.

"Really?" she asked. Froststar nodded.

"Really. What's your name?" he questioned. The little she-kit wrinkled her nose.

"Sparrowkit," she replied.

"Sparrowkit? As in the small frail bird used as prey?" Froststar gasped in a fake surprise. Sparrowkit nodded with a disgusted look on her face. "Wow, ShadowClan must really underestimate you," he said. Sparrowkit nodded fiercely. 

What are you playing at? Sageweed asked. You'll see. "Would you like a better name, Sparrowkit?" he asked. Sparrowkit nodded eagerly. "Then I'll name you Bloodkit, how about that?" Cats murmured in confusion. Bloodkit grinned.

"I like it," she replied.

"Bloodkit, would you like to join ThunderClan?" Froststar asked. He felt Sageweed's presence beside him. She must have finally caught on. She was making herself visible to the she-kit, too. Wide-eyed, Bloodkit nodded.

"What are you doing, Froststar? You can't just keep another Clan's kit," Fernclaw said. Froststar ignored him, swiftly picking Bloodkit up and leaping onto high ledge, a plan forming in his mind. "Do all of you remember the way Marshstar talked to us at the Gathering?" Froststar yowled.

"Yes," cats replied, casting confused looks at one another. 

"We will not stand for that! This is one way we will get them back: keeping one of their own and making them a loyal ThunderClan warrior!" He yowled. His closest supporters roared in agreement. "And that's not all," he said. "Bloodkit, are there any non-boring ShadowClan kits like you who would make good ThunderClan warriors?" Froststar asked. Bloodkit hesitated.

"Fiercekit," she said. Froststar lifted his head.

"We will also raid their camp! We will get this Fiercekit! Blood does not matter, only loyalty. This is how we will make ThunderClan the strongest Clan of them all. It is time for ThunderClan to show the other Clans who's the best!" His Clan roared, hungry for a battle to prove their worth. Some cats looked worried, so Froststar quickly quieted the crowd. "If anyone doesn't feel ready to do this, I won't make them," he said, then leaped off of high ledge with Bloodkit. He ducked into the nursery, plopping Bloodkit at Roseheart's paws. Her kits Stormkit and Nightkit were a little over four moons.

"You won't have to watch her for long, she'll be an apprentice soon," Froststar said, with a wink at Bloodkit. She smirked. He looked over at Mistfeather, who looked worried.

"Froststar, is this really the right thing to do?" she asked.

"I want want ThunderClan strong. We won't be hurting anybody, and the kits can leave if they decide they don't like our Clan. The code says we should not harm or neglect a kit in danger, and we won't be harming a hair on their pelts," he said. Mistfeather still looked uneasy, but she nodded. Froststar backed out of the nursery, almost bumping into Wishfeather.

"This isn't the right thing to do," she said. Froststar growled.

"Look, you see how badly Bloodkit wants to join our Clan. I'm sure Fiercekit will be the same."

"But their mothers-"

"If their mothers want to join, even better."

"But StarClan might not approve!"

Froststar forced his fur to lie flat. "I'll do the raid at night- if the moon is clear, I'm going," he said. Wishfeather only nodded. What more could she do? If Froststar had StarClan's support, it was his decision.