A HALF-MOON LATER, ROBINWING HAD HER two daughters: Frostkit and Brindlekit. There were now four kits in the nursery, and it was getting too crowded; with all the queens, and the fathers and the families and Friends that visit. Bluefur came to visit a jour after Robinwing's kits were born.

"Wow," Bluefur maneuvered around the chaos. "It's so busy!"

"The nursery hasn't been this full since we were kits," Snowfur agreed.

"It's too busy," I interrupted. "There's no room for proper games now!"

"Why don't toi go out and play?" Leopardfoot suggested. "You could now montrer Frostkit and Brindlekit the camp."

At that, the two she-kits leaped with joy. "Yes, please!" they exclaimed.

"I'll help!" Whitekit squeaked, as he headed for the nursery.

I pushed Whitekit, leading everyone else out of the entrance. "Follow me, everyone!"

Everyone followed behind me. Frostkit and Brindlekit were startled par the sunlight in the clearing.

"You'll get used to it!" Whitekit squeaked.

"Follow me!" I sprinted around the clearing; the three other kits were running quickly behind.

"Not so fast!" Bluefur's voice rang. "Don't forget, it's Frostkit's and Brindlekit's first time out!"

Whatever, I ignored. I headed for the fougère tunnel of the medicine cat's den.

"Wait!" Whitekit stopped. The she-kits stopped, too. "We haven't been in there before! What if we get in trouble?"

"Scaredy-mouse!" I purred. "We're not going to get in trouble! Come on, let's explore!"

I headed through the tunnel, the three other kits following in a herd behind. It was long, warm, and dark in there. It led the way to a dark den, with scents of herbs and bile.

"The scents are so overwhelming," Frostkit wrinkled her nose.

Just then, there was a loud snoring. It startled the she-kits, and Whitekit cowered back.

I purred silently. "Scaredy-mice," I whispered. "It's just Goosefeather, the medicine cat!"

"Whew!" Brindlekit wrinkled her nose. "He stinks!"

I had an idea. "Whitekit, let's put those red berries over there in his mouth."

Whitekit hesitated. "Uh--I don't know. What if Goosefeather wakes up?"

I scoffed. "Please, Lionpaw and I are the masters of pranks! He taught me all I need to know! All toi need to do, is put the berries in his mouth, so when he wakes up, and chews, he'll be startled par an after taste." Goosefeather's snores were cut short, then started up again. "Fine, I'll do it myself! He'll be awake, soon!"

I grabbed a few berries in the far corner. They didn't smell like the ones I scented when I was born; they were foul and odorous. Better after taste! I carefully hooked the berries in Goosefeather's mouth. Soon, he jolted suddenly awake. We were prepared to hide, and we observed from behind a rock.

Goosefeather heavily yawned. He then chewed on his bile, and the berries I put in his mouth. He was about to swallow, when he choked. He spat out whatever was in his mouth. "Deathberries!" he yowled. He then scented the air. Before toi knew it, he found the four of us. "You!"

We were scared stiff, except I stood up, guarding the three younger ones. We cowered out of the den, as Goosefeather hissed at us.

"Get away, toi vermin!" he yowled.

Bluefur came then, hurrying to our rescue. "What are toi doing?"

Goosefeather ignored his neice. His eyes burnt like blue fire. His fourrure was bristling, and his wide eyes were staring straight at--me.

"Get that creature out of my den!" he snarled.

"I'm not in your den!" I protested.

Goosefeather spat. "Get him out of my clearing!"

Bluefur brushed us away with her blue-gray tail. "Off toi go, little ones." We moved to the edge of the fougère tunnel. That's when Featherwhisker came with foul-smelling souris bile.

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Whitekit mewed.

"I'm scared!" Brindlekit cried.

"Don't be," I spat, montrer my anger. What did I do?

"What's the matter?" Featherwhisker asked as he walked in.

"It's Goosefeather," Bluefur blurted. "He's frightening the kits!"

"Sorry," Featherwhisker explained. "He's been having nightmares. They must have woken him while he was in the middle of a bad one."

"Nightmares!" Goosefeather had his yellow teeth bared. "Only when I open my eyes and see that!"

I stared defiantly at Goosefeather, as the conversation continued.

"I'm glad Aunt Bluefur is here!" Whitekit exclaimed. "She always saves the day!"

Bluefur cames beside us, shooing us away to the nursery; though I stayed absolutely still.

"What did we do wrong?" Frostkit questioned, still frightened.

"Nothing," Bluefur cooed. "Goosefeather's just old, and sometimes he imagines things."

Goosefeather hooked a claw at me, ears flattened, and drool hanging from his jaws. "I'm not imagining that! Keep that creature away from me!"

"What did I do?" I protested.

Goosefeather glared at me. "It's not what toi did," he growled. "It's what you'll become! 'Blood and shadows of death will guide you, and revenge will be on your back!'"

I shivered, a little scared of what he was telling me. I ran in the nursery.

Robinwing was comforting her shocked daughters. "Goosefeather's a fox-hearted burden. Don't be scared."

"Mommy," I heard Whitekit crying, "Tigerkit was trying to force me to help him with his prank!"

Leopardfoot looked up. "What prank?"

"The berries in your mouth prank that Lionpaw taught me," I explained. "Goosefeather really wasn't mad about it. He just screamed, 'Deathberries,' and he scared us."

"Deathberries!" all three queens exclaimed.

"Yeah, like that!"

Leopardfoot glared at me. "You put deathberries in his mouth?"

"I didn't know what they were. I thought they were raspberries!"

"I'd like to know why Goosefeather had deathberries in his tanière, den in the first place," Snowfur replied."Why would he have poison?"

"That's what I was thinking," Robinwing answered.

"Either way," Leopardfoot replied, "Tigerkit is in big trouble."

"Sorry," I apologized.

"Just don't do it again," my mother told me.

"Okay." What Goosefeather told me was engraved in my head. "Blood and shadows of death will guide you, and revenge will be on your back!"...



"Whitekit, just put the burrs in!"

"I don't know," Whitekit complained.

"Hurry," I exclaimed, "before she wakes up!"

"Okay!" Whitekit gathered the burrs, and, ever so gently, started flicking them in Frostkit's bedding.

"Whitekit!" Snowfur exclaimed. "You have to help get those burrs out when Frostkit wakes up."

"They're not even in all the way, Mom! I'll do it, now!" Whitekit carefully, took the burrs out with his teeth. A disgrace to the practical joking world! This is boring in the nursery! I got out of the nursery, to enjoy the leaf-fall air.

The seasons had changed, and there were new things to explore. I batted at a fallen leaf and hooged it with my claw. I was almost five moons old, and I now ate mouse, so I went to the fresh-kill pile.

"That'll spoil your appetite," Sunstar's voice rang out from behind me.

"No, it won't," I scoffed. Then again, I wasn't hungry in the first place. I then looked at Sunstar in disgust. Because he was Pinestar's successor, I had a feeling he could end up leaving us, like my father did. I stalked away, not feeling like I wanted to follow Sunstar's rules.

Until Sunhigh, I stayed in the clearing. I went in to the nursery.

"I didn't even know I was going to have kits!" I heard Swiftbreeze freak out. "They're due in a half-moon, and I've been doing all of those patrols! What if something happens while I'm kitting?"

"Relax!" Leopardfoot yowled over her mother's panicky tone. "Just set up a nest, and relax! You're going to be fine! The kits are going to be fine! Okay? Set up a nest suivant to mine."

"Okay," Swiftbreeze breathed.

plus kits? Now it will be even plus crowded!

"Grandma's having kits?" I asked Leopardfoot.

"Yes, Tigerkit," Leopardfoot replied. "They will be your aunts and uncles."

"Oh."

"Okay," Leopardfoot sighed, "time for bed."

I sighed with annoyance. "Why can't I go out?"

"You've just come in," she scolded.

"But it's a sunny day!"

"You need a nap."

"I'm not tired!"

"You will be later."

"I'll sleep then!"

"But you'll be grumpy all afternoon if toi don't nap now."

"No, I won't!"

"Yes, toi will!"

"Whatever!" I hollered. "I'm not going to bed, and that's final!"

"Excuse me?" Leopardfoot yowled. "I'm your mother! That means toi follow my rules! Now, go to--"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Whatever! You're not the leader, and neither is Pinestar! My parents are not in charge of me, no one is! I make my own decisions around here! Now, I'm not going to bed!" I stormed away from my mother's nest. I saw Bluefur talking to Snowfur. Whitekit was asleep. I saw a tuft of dog fourrure on Snowfur's shredded nest...



To be Continued...