The top of the nursery blocked out the blinding sunlight that shone heavily. Blossomkit was sleeping, but suddenly something jabbed at her flanks. She groaned. "Bearkit?"
Her brother was standing in front of her as she cracked open an eye. Her eyes felt droopy and heavy. Bearkit's tail was waving around excitedly. "Come on, Blossomkit!" her brother meowed happily. "Badgerkit and I are going to explore more of the camp today!"
Blossomkit struggled to her paws. That would be fun, she supposed. The last time they had explored camp, they had only had time to meet Poppypaw, their father Stormstrike, and the elders, Cherryshade and Mouseclaw. I guess I should meet my Clan mates.
She followed her brothers tiredly. Then she spotted the medicine cat's den. She raced inside.
She looked at the herbs piled up into stacks, waiting to be put onto the tiny rock 'shelves' that the medicine cats made out of slabs of rock that had been found in the forest. Sunkit, an older kit, had told her about the happenings in camp.
Blossomkit sniffed at an herb. Smells yummy! She chewed some of it up. Then she swallowed some.
Yuck! This tastes like... Blossomkit tried to find a word that matched her disgust. Like... hmm... mouse dung!
She spat it out before swallowing any more.
A spotted she-cat came into the den. "Blossomkit?" the she-cat meowed. "What-did you eat anything?"
Blossomkit suddenly felt terrible. I'm sick! she realized. I'm going to be sick!
She weakly motioned to the herbs in front of her.
"Blossomkit!" The she-cat looked horrified. "That's yarrow! It makes you sick!"
I know. Blossomkit stumbled weakly out of the den. The she-cat followed her and grabbed her by the scruff.
"You're staying with me until the yarrow effects are gone."
Blossomkit curled up weakly. Bearkit poked his head inside the den.
"Blossomkit?" he mewed. "Badgerkit and I-"
"Leave her alone. She ate some yarrow, and she isn't doing well." The cat shooed him out. "I'm Smallberry, by the way," she meowed over her shoulder.
Blossomkit didn't remember anything else after that until she woke up in the nursery. Her mother, Applefall, was looking at her with worried eyes.
"Never, never, eat anything in the medicine cat's den again!" Applefall's gaze was a mixture of anger and worry. "Never do it again. Am I clear?"
Blossomkit nodded, then tried to fall asleep. But she stayed awake. It felt impossible to sleep.
She crept out of the nursery. A sound came from the medicine den.
Blossomkit crept closer to the medicine den. Another sound came.
Then she saw a starry cat passing the entrance of the den. She inhaled her breath sharply and drew back.
"Greetings, Smallberry." A voice spoke out.
Smallberry rose to her paws as Blossomkit peered towards her.
"We have revived a prophecy. We feel it is important for you to know what it is."
Blossomkit strained to hear.
"When Dark and Light become enemies, one from each side will rise to defeat the dust."
Blossomkit drew back. She crept quietly towards the nursery.
Dark? My Clan is called DarkClan... And the other Clan is LightClan! Are those the meanings of the 'Dark' and 'Light' in the prophecy? Blossomkit turned the thoughts over in her head as she tried to fall asleep. But I don't want war! We could die! And what did 'the dust' mean? There are no clues? Prophecies are confusing. Who are the cats?
Blossomkit decided to just push it to the back of her mind and fall asleep. But all night long, she stared at her littermates, peacefully sleeping. Is Badgerkit one of those cats? Or Bearkit? She looked at the other kits beside their mother. Is it Volekit? Or maybe Sunkit? Or Frogkit? It could be any cat in our Clan. A warrior? An apprentice? I don't get it!
Her troubled thoughts tossed in her head. Finally, she slept, but when she woke, she felt like she had not slept at all.
Chapter One was brought by...
*guess who*
Squirrel!