Softkit prodded the moss ball.

"Come on! Will you toss it already?!" Blackkit complained.

Softkit couldn't get Flowerpelt's words out of her head. There will be one out of four, who will return to live twice. What did it mean?

"Hey furball! Toss the stupid ball already!" Orangekit kneaded his paws into the ground.

Softkit shook her head and whacked the moss ball with her paw. It soared through the air and over the bramble barrier.

Whitekit groaned. "Great. Nice going, Softkit."

"Sorry!" Softkit apologized. "I'll get it!"

Before anyone could object, Softkit bounded towards the camp entrance. She made her way through the tunnel and out into the forest. She had to stop and stare. The trees loomed over her. It was her first time outside the camp.

"Wait a second!" Blackkit followed her outside. "We're not supposed to leave the camp by ourselves!"

"I'm only going to get the moss ball," Softkit said. "It's no big deal."

"You mousebrain," Blackkit cuffed her littermate around the ear. "Be quick about it."

Softkit padded around to the side of the bramble wall where the ball had flown over. It didn't take long to find it. She snagged it on her claw and called, "Found it!"

"What are you two kits doing out here?" a stern voice said.

The kits froze as brown fur appeared in their wake.

"L-Leafpelt?" Blackkit managed to mew.

Leafpelt's amber gaze bore into the sisters. "You realize that kits are not allowed off the Clan camp grounds, right?"

Blackkit bowed her head in submission, but Softkit just puffed out her chest. "We know. We were just playing when our ball went over the wall. We just came to retrieve it. That's all."

The deputy flicked his tail. "I won't report this to Wildstar or your parents, but next time I will if this happens again. Now head back to camp at once."

The kits made their way back through the tunnel, where the others were waiting for them.

"What took you so long?!" Orangekit huffed, but he immediately backed off when he saw the young tabby deputy standing before them. "Oh. Hello, Leafpelt."

"You kits should be more careful. Don't let me catch you outside again. Understand?"

They all dipped their heads in response before he padded off to the warriors' den.

"What's got his tail in a knot?" Blackkit said. "I've never seen him like this."

"Maybe something happened?" Whitekit chimed in.

Softkit looked at her paws, remembering the scene she had witnessed last night. Flowerpelt had told Wildstar about a prophecy. Did Wildstar tell Leafpelt about it? Was that the reason why he seemed a little colder than usual?

"Hey! Softkit! Anyone home?!" Whitekit waved a paw in her face. "What are you, daydreaming?"

Softkit hadn't realized how lost in thought she was. "Oh. Sorry."

"Can we go back to playing now?"

"Yeah." Softkit shook her head to clear and kicked the moss ball, but the prophecy kept tugging at her deep down. What did it all mean?

.........

"Leafpelt, Briarfang, Smallstone, and Nightpaw will take this Sunhigh's patrol. Ravenwing, Feathersong, Speckleleaf, and Dawnpaw..."

Wildstar was assigning the patrols as the kits and apprentices were eating their fresh-kill.

"Aw! Why do I have to go on the patrol now?! I don't want to go! This is all just a load of dung!" Nightpaw complained.

"There's no way Smallstone's letting you out of this," Dawnpaw teased. "I would listen to your mentor if I were you and just get it out of the way."

Nightpaw heaved herself up with a puff and trotted off to go meet with the rest of the patrol.

"I'm assuming she's not coming back to finish this," Birchpaw said as she snagged her claw on Nightpaw's leftover meal and started eating it.

"No wonder you're a 'big queen'," Dawnpaw mumbled.

Birchpaw narrowed her eyes at her fellow apprentice and snarled. "What did you say?"

"N-nothing!"

Softkit watched longingly as the patrol disappeared through the tunnel. How she wanted so badly to see the forest again.

"Hey Softkit. What's the matter?" Blackkit nudged her sister.

Softkit looked at her, a weird glint in her eye. "Feel like venturing out into the forest again? Leafpelt's not here to scold us."

"What?! Are you crazy?! No! You're even more mouse-brained than I thought! Do you want to get in trouble again?!"

"Aw come on! I can't stay in this camp for one more moment! I need adventure!"

Blackkit just stared at her before muttering, "You're insane."

Softkit started towards the tunnel. "Watch me!"

"You can't be serious Softkit!" Blackkit followed after her littermate.

A sound that seemed to resemble a cackle escapes from Softkit's mouth as she pushed her through the tunnel and into the forest. The sensation and concept of danger and adventure excited her. The forest! What a great place to explore! The camp was so boring and void of fun.

"See Blackkit?! It's not so bad!" Softkit turned to the tunnel, expecting her sister to be there, but she wasn't. Blackkit had not made her way through. Perhaps she was too scared.

"Fine. Be a scaredy-cat," Softkit snorted as she bounded away. The wind ruffled her fur. Faster. Faster she ran. It felt so good to be free! Leaves crunched under her paws as she increased her speed. Trees flew past her vision in a blur of brown and green. Sunlight struggled to male its way through the branches in leaves, casting speckles of light on her pelt. Softkit had never run this fast or this much before, so after only a few moments, her limbs became tired and she had to stop, panting.

A mouse sat by a tree trunk nearby, nibbling on an acorn. Softkit crouches down, in an attempt to prepare herself to pounce. How cool would that be if she caught her first kill?! She would brag about it endlessly to her littermates! Her muscles tensed as she readied herself, but a soft meow cut through the silence and the mouse scurried away. Softkit pounced anyway, hoping to possibly catch it, but she landed on the ground, no mouse in her grasp.

"Who did that?!" Softkit shrieked, standing up straight and looking around. "Blackkit?! Is that you?! You made me miss my first kill! No fair!"

Softkit looked around, but Blackkit was nowhere to be seen. "Blackkit? Are you there? This isn't funny!"

A rustle sounded behind her, so she whipped around and noticed a flash of silver and white dash behind the bushes. "Hey!" she cried. "Where are you? Show yourself!"

And then the cat revealed them-self. A very young, very fluffy silver and white she-cat. She couldn't have been more than a few moons older than Softkit. "You're very fast," she mewed. "I saw you running before."

"Who are you? And thanks a lot for making me miss my first kill!" Softkit began to worry. I should never have left camp! Now I'm really going to be in big trouble, unless this cat kills me first!

The she-cat swished her fluffy tail. "You wouldn't have caught it anyways. Your posture was terrible."

Softkit started to grow irritated. "You're just a kit, aren't you? How would you know what the right way to pounce is?"

"You're just a kit, too," she chided. "And I've been practicing how to hunt. Watching those Clan cats hunt during the day taught me a few things."

The strange cat referred to Softkit's clan mates as if she was not actually part of a Clan herself. As Softkit peered closer, she could see a lick of red poking out from the fur around the cat's neck. It was a collar. She was a kittypet. Softkit had heard stories about kittypets. They were cats who were cared for by Twolegs.

"You're a kittypet?!" Softkit cried. "I hate kittypets! You're just a Twoleg toy! And you made me lose my mouse!" Recklessly, Softkit readied herself to fight.

The kittypet noticed that Softkit's stance had changed. "Are you going to fight me?" She snorted and crouched into a pouncing position. "Fine then. Bring it on, kit."