Hawkfire grumbled to herself as she dug through her nest, checking for any thorns. Rabbitclaw had begged her to so she wouldn't hurt herself anymore, and she reluctantly agreed in the end. She knew that there were none, all her scratches were from training, but she couldn't let Rabbitclaw know that. She felt it would only complicate things.

She sighed and paused, I wonder how Cedarbelly is doing? The elder was forced to move into the medicine cat's den when he was struck with whitecough a few sunrises ago, and she had barely seen him since then. She remembered when Duckfeather had went to take him over.

"Cedarbelly, I need you to stay in the medicine cat's den for now so I can treat you more easily."

The old tom had blew out a gust of air, "I suppose I have no choice, huh?"

"Indeed," Duckfeather flicked his ear.

Robinpelt meowed hoarsly, "well get going won't ya? I don't need to get sick either." Hawkfire could tell that although he spoke roughly, worry was still evident in his eyes. She knew that Robinpelt would never admit it, but he was concerned for his denmate.

Hawkfire stretched and left the den, deciding to check on the elder out of curiosity. She froze at the entrance as a series of coughs erupted from inside. Perking her ears, she crept forward to see Cedarbelly's body spasming in his nest while Duckfeather hovered over him. She shrunk back a bit when Duckfeather looked up and spotted her.

"Don't come in now! Can't you see I'm busy? Get out!" he growled. Hawkfire hurriedly backed up only to collide with Fuzzypaw.

"Umph. Watch where you going, Dazedpaw!" she snarled and scrambled back up.

Fuzzypaw shook out her pelt and frowned, looking away. "My bad."

"So annoying," Hawkfire spat and was about to leave when Fuzzypaw flattened her ears.

"You know what, Hawkfire? I never did anything to hurt you and yet you treat me like crow-food, why is that? I'm getting so sick of it. You're...you're just...just a fox-heart!" The tiny she-cat was trembling with fury and Hawkfire stepped back in shock. She never knew Fuzzypaw could actually snap like that.

Fuzzypaw suddenly gasped, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say that, it's just that-"

Applepaw padded in at that moment, "Fuzzypaw, can we go now? I don't want to spend all sunhigh collecting herbs."

"Hmpf, this fox-heart is taking her leave now." She shoved past them and stormed outside, her tail whisking as Applepaw looked back and forth dumbfounded. Furious, she unsheathed her claws and clawed the dirt, tearing up small roots clinging to the soil. Dazedpaw isn't helping with my destiny at all, how dare she say that to me! Sometimes I swear I want to... Hawkfire took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Calm down, she's still your Clanmate.

The sun was beginning to melt behind the top of the trees, the clouds colliding in a backdrop of blue. She found Lightningmask sitting by himself by the warriors den and trotted to him. He looked up and smiled warmly.

"Hey, what brings you here?"

"My boredom," she mewed and slumped down onto the earth.

"I'm your fun when your bored?" he meowed with an eyebrow raised.

"I don't know, are you?" she taunted playfully and he rolled his eyes.

"Your sarcasm never wavers you know that?"

She laughed. "yeah, I know. But you just can't resist that part about me," she winked. He settled down beside her and began grooming her pelt as she rested in the last dripping rays of sunlight.

Mosskit was chasing Pyrekit and Onekit around the nursery. "ThunderClan will not allow ShadowClan on its territory!" The two tom-kits squealed and ran faster.

"Pyrekit, do something! She's gaining on us!"

"What am I supposed to do?" he cried.

"I don't, anything!" Pyrekit suddenly halted abruptly right as Mosskit sped around the corner. Her yellow eyes widened in surprise and she tried to brake, but wasn't fast enough. She crashed into the kit and the two tumbled down. Onekit fell back and plopped on the gray she-kit's back.

"Oomph," she hissed as Pyrekit joined in.

"Haha! We got her! Nice one, brother!"

"Thanks."

Mosskit struggled underneath them, making Hawkfire's whiskers twitch with amusement. "Get off me you fleabags!"

"Nope," Onekit grinned devilishly.

"You are now ShadowClan's prisoner," Pyrekit declared and flicked his tiny tail.

"I can't be beaten by two lousy kits!"

"And what are you then?" demanded Pyrekit. "You were still a kit the last time I checked."

"But at least I'll be an apprentice soon, she retorted. "You have moons and moons before you even start your training. I'll be a warrior by then."

"Nuh uh!" Onekit squeaked indignantly. "There are mice that would make better warriors than you."

"As if! Maybe if you get off me, I can show you some real battle moves rather than you're stunt."

"That wasn't a trick," Pyrekit meowed.

"Oh please, you were obviously cheating."

"How was that cheating? Besides you're not our mentor, I don't want to learn anything from the likes of you," Pyrekit snarled.

"Yeah, all you do is ruin our fun!" Onekit stuck his tongue out.

"Then why do you guys always invite me to play with you?" Mosskit growled.

"Whatever, let's go see if we can catch something in that bramble bush over there." Pyrekit slid of his denmate's back and started to trot away with his brother when Mosskit called out:

You couldn't catch a fly even if it was in your paws!"

"I wasn't talking to you, kittypet!"

Mosskit froze and glowered at the kit. "What did you just call me?"

Pyrekit's eyes were wide with fear but he didn't back down. "Kittypet!" he repeated.

"I am not a kittypet!" she roared. "My parents are Clanborn and so am I! You'll pay for that!" Mosskit's gaze darkened as she flexed her claws. Pyrekit braced in front of his brother, ready to defend them.

"Mosskit!" Hawkfire turned at the sound of Raindapple's voice. The queen was standing beside the large bramble thicket shielding the nursery hollow. Her silver dapple tail twitching in annoyance.

"Mosskit, if you can't play sensibly than you'd better come back inside. I will not have you starting any fights."

"But mom-"

"Nope. Come now, it's time for bed anyways."

Mosskit groaned and stomped to the nursery. "It's not fair. They started it," she muttered loud enough for Hawkfire to catch.

"Pyrekit! Onekit! You should come inside now too!"

"Aww, just a little longer, please?" Onekit begged.

Gentleleaf purred, "I'm sorry, my dear. Not tonight."

"Why should we have to go back too? We didn't do anything wrong."

Gentleleaf raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything apart from, "You can play as much as you like tomorrow. Right now we're going to sleep."

"But I don't feel like going to bed, its not even that late," Pyrekit whined.

"Don't argue with me, come along now." Pyrekit scuffed his paw in the dirt and reluctantly trailed after his mother with Onekit. Hawkfire chuckled to herself and she felt Lightningmask pause.

"What?"

"Oh, its nothing. Just the kits going at it again."

"They sure are energetic, huh?"

"Very," she purred. "Mosskit seems to be rather cocky though, that attitude will not help her in the future."

"I don't know about that, you managed to become a warrior after all," Lightningmask meowed.

She shot him a glare, "what are you saying?"

"Are you that mouse-brained that you can't figure it out?" She playfully scuffed his ear and he pushed her down.

"Hey! Get off me! You're as heavy as a badger, I can't breathe!"

"Apologize first," he grinned.

"Shouldn't you apologize?" she mewed.

"Nah, I think that it's your turn today."

"Then will you get off me?" she gasped as he leaned on her stomach more.

"We'll see," Lightningmask laughed. She frowned and turned her face away.

"Sorry," Hawkfire mumbled.

"What? I couldn't hear you, say it again please?"

She bit her lip, brought her mouth to his ear and shouted, "Sorry!" He fell back.

"Whoa, not so loud. You can make a cat go deaf with that, no lie," he rubbed his head. Lightningmask suddenly perked back up. "Wait! Maybe that's your secret weapon! Making cats go deaf with your tyrannical voice and temper!" Hawkfire couldn't hold back a laugh.

"That might just work," she panted, out of breath from her fit of laughter.

Lightningmask smiled and glanced back over at the nursery. "Anyways, Mosskit is a good kit still. She's a pretty awesome sister too."

"But not as awesome as me," Hawkfire winked earning a guffaw.

"But of course," he meowed. His eyes softened then, "you know what? Someday, I'd like my own kits to raise. A whole lot of them too."

Hawkfire tilted her head, "what brought this thought on?"

"Nothing much, just thinking."

"That's a first," she snorted.

He gave her a look and continued, "what about you? Do you want a family of your own?"

"I already have a family."

"You know what I mean."

She pondered it. Did she really want the responsibility of kits? What if it cost her her chance of becoming leader? She shuddered at the thought. No way would she let a bunch stupid kits ruin that. She'd let that part up to the other queens. "I guess not, I don't think I'd like that type of responsibility," she finally meowed.

Lightningmask lowered his gaze, "oh, okay." Is that disappoint in his mew? "Well, I'm going to go to the warriors den now to catch some winks before dawn patrol. See you tomorrow." He padded away, his tail tip scraping the ground. What's up with him? Hawkfire sighed and glanced at the sky that was beginning to darken. I might as well go to sleep too, don't want to waste any precious time for training. She headed for the den and curled up in her nest. A few moments later, more cats filed inside, her brothers pressed up against her, keeping her warm. She smiled happily and closed her eyes.

Another fit of coughs made Hawkfire flinch in her nest. Cedarbelly's coughs have kept her up nearly all night, and she couldn't stand it anymore. She moaned and turned in her nest.

"Can't sleep?"

She paused, "Rabbitclaw? You're awake too?"

She heard him sigh heavily, "I can't fall asleep with Cedarbelly hacking like that. It's way too noisy, even from the other end of the stone hollow."

She nodded, but realized it was too dark for him to see her. "Yeah. Want to go hunting?"

"It's better than lying awake here." Her brother got up, his brown pelt flashing in the moonlight that filtered through the cracks. They crept past Lavenderstripe and ducked through the dirtplace. Snaking through the trees, they came to a stop at the Sky Oak.

"Let's hunt here," Rabbitclaw suggested and she nodded in agreement. She opened her mouth and tasted the air, the cool breeze sliding across her tongue. A faint scent of mouse made her turn to a holly bush behind her. She silently pointed her tail at it and the two crept towards it. As she got closer, she could clearly hear rustling from inside its branches. She stalked around it until she was directly behind the bush. Rabbitclaw positioned himself in front and held his breath, waiting for her. Hawkfire narrowed her eyes, spotting the mouse digging in the dirt and she pounced on top of it. The mouse squeaked in alarm and darted away, making her miss it by a pawstep.

The mouse burst out of the holly bush and right into Rabbitclaw's paws in its frantic escape, being killed swiftly by a bite to its delicate neck from her brother.

"Nice catch," she mewed.

"Thanks, you nearly had it there." Rabbitclaw poked the mouse thoughtfully. "So, how are you and Lightningmask getting along?"

She scrunched up her face, "fine I suppose." Why is he asking me this all of a sudden?

"Is it true that you, well, like him?"

"You mean as a friend?" Rabbitclaw hesitated and she instantly reeled back. "Hold up, do you mean you're thinking that...? No way, I mean, he's a really sweet guy, but I wouldn't say that I love him. Why did you want to know in the first place?"

"I was just wondering. You two have been hanging around each so much so I just figured that you were starting to fall in love or something," he mumbled.

"Does my relationships with other cats really concern you?" she snarled.

Rabbitclaw took a step back, "you're my sister. I only want to protect you."

"I don't need protection, I'm perfectly capable of handling myself."

"I know that, but still."

She sighed and meowed, "it's fine. Just to clear things, I am not seeking any romance. Becoming a great warrior is far more important to me." Yes, I need to focus on becoming leader, not love.