Gorsekit squealed with delight and pawed Jaykit excitedly in the face, her tortoiseshell pelt rippling. "Hey! That's not fair!" Jaykit squeaked, doubling back. Gorsekit blinked in surprise.

"Did I do it too hard?" She whispered guiltily, biting her lip in shame.

"A little..." Jaykit muttered. His gray tabby pelt rippled in embarrassment as he averted her gaze.

A shadowy shape blotted out the light that filtered into the small den, Gorsekit's gaze flickering over to see what it was. "Gorsekit! Be a bit more careful." Jaykit's mother, Crowlight, scolded. Gorsekit flattened her ears as she mumbled a soft apology.

"S-sorry!" She mewled. Crowlight looked at her sympathetically.

"Don't be," she meowed in defeat, wrapping her tail comfortingly around the kit.  "Please, just—be more careful, okay little one?" Gorsekit looked away her ears burning with embarrassment.

"Can I go see Fernleaf?" She whispered hopefully. Visiting her mother was the only thing that soothed her mind when she was disappointed in herself, and it made her know she had something to live for whenever she saw her mother's sickly, yet surviving form.

"Oh, well—" Crowlight began to say something, but stopped as she saw Gorsekit's pleading gaze. "Of course, little one. Go on ahead. Do you remember where the medicine den is?" She asked.

"Yeah! The den that digs into the stone, right?" Gorsekit asked, Crowlight giving an efficient nod.

Gorsekit bounded to the bramble wall, and squeezed out of a small gap. "Hey! What about the game?" Jaykit called after her. Gorsekit ignored him with a flick of an ear. She looked around the clearing until she saw the crevice in the wall. Gorsekit took a pawstep forward, and hesitated. Would she be allowed in? She pushed the thought away and padded confidently across the clearing, her tail held high. She noticed how empty the camp was... Everybody must be out on patrol. Swiftheart—ThunderClan's medicine cat—padded out of the medicine den, and nearly ran into Gorsekit.

"Oh! I didn't see you there... Gorsekit." The medicine cat mumbled, seeming a bit dazed and out of character.

"Sorry, Swiftheart!" Gorsekit exclaimed. "But... Can I see Fernleaf?"

Swiftheart sighed. "Of course, Gorsekit."

Gorsekit smiled at the medicine cat before dashing into the den. "Mom!" She exclaimed, her eyes glowing with excitement as she confronted her mother. She froze, her limbs stiffening with shock. "Mom..?"