ALLEGIANCES 

ThunderClan

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Leader: Brushstar-Dusty gray pelt/silver eyes.

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Deputy: Brightsplash- A brightly gray colored tom/green eyes.

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Medicine cat: Sagefern- White she-cat w/ pink nose/blue eyes.

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Warriors: 

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(toms and she-cats who don't have kits)

Robinmist- Brown tom w/ light brown spots/Brown eyes. Missing a paw.

Aspenheart- White tom with orange stripes/yellow eyes.

Apprentice: Sunpaw

Snowdrop-Black and white tom/deep amber eyes.

Apprentice: Marigoldpaw 

Crystalpool-Small orange she-cat/green eyes.   

Blackshine-A smokey sleek black pelted tom/broad shoulders/green eyes.

Apprentices:

(cats who are six moons or older)

Marigoldpaw-Black, white and dark orange tom/gray eyes.

Sunpaw- Orange and tan energetic tom/yellow eyes.

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Queens-

(Cats who are going to have or have kits.)

Silvermoon-pretty silver white she-cat/dark blue eyes.

(Mother to Icekit, a black and white tom w/ black nose splotch; Mintkit, Gray she-cat w/ white stripes/Amber eyes)

Orangetail- Orange and white she-cat/yellow eyes.

Elders-

Redclaw-Rude black tom who's blind.

                                                Chapter one:

     Icekit bounded across the clearing towards the fresh-kill pile. He was so excited for when he would become an apprentice and hunt his own food! 

    From behind him, Silvermoon, his mother, padded up to pick a plump vole. 

    “Come on, get back to the nursery, Icekit.” She jerked her head towards the bracken-coated entryway to the left of her. “You were supposed to stay back with your sister.”

    “Awww, but I like getting a look at what fresh-kill piece you pick! And now I get to tell Mintkit that it’s a vole this time!”

    “But that doesn’t–” 

    Icekit didn’t know the rest of her sentence, he was too busy looking

around the clearing, noticing a quick flash of gray and white slinking in the shadows. He kept his eyes on it until his mother interrupted him.

    “Hey, what are you looking at? Eyes up here!” she said. “It’s rude to not look at someone when they're talking to you.”

     He nervously looked around before trying to dart into the nursery, but something rammed into him. Icekit was flung back and was pinned to the ground by a mysterious gray blob.

    “HAHA! I’m victorious!” the gray blob declared. He shook his head, widened his eyes, seeing his sister staying on top of him. 

    “That's not fair though, I wasn’t expecting you to tackle me!” he complained. 

    “I was just like a real warrior!” Mintkit cheered, not seeming to hear him. “Yes!”

    He grunted. He crashed into the ground as another thing bashed into him, also knocking his sister down. 

    “Ow!” 

    “And I got you both.” another voice said cockily, Icekit looked up to see

a black, white and dark orange tom. “That makes me a better warrior.” 

    “Hey! Marigoldpaw! That's even more not-fair! You’re an apprentice!” Icekit wiggled, trying to free himself from his big orangy-black paws.

    “I was just in the medicine cat den, for this!” Marigoldpaw lifted off of them and turned to show them a small scratch along his back.

    “That’s nothing.” Mintkit and Icekit both turned to look, seeing the limping figure of Robinmist appear. “Are you forgetting I lost a paw?”

    “Of course not.” Marigoldpaw said respectfully, dipping his head.

    “Oh! So you act respectfully towards him and not us?” Mintkit said, puffing her chest out. 

    Marigoldpaw shot her a glare before going back to glance up at Robinmist. 

    “I asked you a question.” Mintkit growled, her fur starting to bristle. 

    “Mintkit, shh, he’s an apprentice. He’s older and stronger!” Icekit whispered. She ignored him as Marigoldpaw turned his gaze back to her. 

    “Well, why of course, because he’s a warrior and you're just a mangy furball of a kit.” his gray eyes started gleaming with annoyance. 

    “Well, we’ll be apprentices in half a moon!” Mintkit meowed, glaring. “And being a kit is no reason to be rude to someone. We’re both cats you know!”

    The apprentice rolled his eyes. 

    “Listen, I'm not stickin’ around for some random tussle between you and Mintkit, so I’m dipping out,” Robinmist turned to leave.

    “No!” Marigoldpaw mewed, getting to his paws to follow him, before turning to Mintkit.

    “Look at what you did! You made him leave,” He narrowed his gray eyes at her with a flash of anger rippling across his face. “Now he probably thinks I’m immature.” 

    “Not my problem. Anyways, I need to go eat this vole with my brother, so bye!”  And with that, she trotted away. Icekit started to follow, nervously glancing at Marigoldpaw before breaking into a run, dashing into the nursery.

    “Wow, that apprentice is so-” Icekit began as he entered.

    “Rude!” Mintkit mewed, cutting in.

    “I was gonna say ‘scary.’ ” He whimpered.

    “He’s not though!” Mintkit said, and she paused before asking, “You were scared?” 

    “Of course I was! Weren't you?” 

    “Nope!” 

    “So brave!” Icekit cheered for his sister as Mintkit stood with a puffed chest, ears up, looking confident. And different than me, he thought. 

    “Kits, come here!” Icekit perked his ears up to hear Silvermoon call. He padded over to her, and mewed for her to toss a piece of the vole she had split.

    “Mintkit! Get over here!” his mother meowed, ignoring him.

    He mewed again, then stared up at Silvermoon with big eyes. “I was gonna wait until your sister came, but alright..” She smiled and tossed him a piece.

    Grateful, he ate it up in a few small bites. 

    “Wait, where did your sister go? Stay here,” she added, padding out. 

    Icekit looked up from where he lay, crouched, in their nest. He was

licking up scraps of the vole. 

    He watched as the shape of his mother exited the nursery. Anxious, he stared around before running to follow, even though she had said otherwise.

    “Wait!” he trotted after her. “I wanna come!”

                                               Chapter two: 

    Mintkit stared up at her father, nosing him to get his attention. She liked the feeling of his soft black-and white fur, and almost wanted to stay with her muzzle in his pelt forever, but she had pressing questions that couldn’t wait.

    “Snowdrop!” she mewed. “Daddy!”

    Finally, her father looked down at her with his kind dark amber eyes

    “Oh, hello Mintkit. What are you doing out here? Is your mother with you?” He scanned the training grounds, looking for Silvermoon.

    “Dad, I need to ask you something.”

    “Can it wait? Kits really shouldn’t be out in the forest. Actually, yeah. Go back to camp,” He nudged her. 

    “No, Snowdrop! I need to talk to you about M-A-R-Y- G-O-L-D-P-A-W”

    “It's ‘I’.” He corrected me. “Also, what about him? Did he do something wrong? Hey, Marigoldpaw!”

    “No, don't call him! This is a secret matter-”  She began, but stopped as the apprentice padded up from wrestling Sunpaw.

    “What’s up?” He asked, but his eyes drifted to Mintkit.

    “Mintkit was saying-”

    “What? What was Mintkit saying about me?” he growled instantly, his neck fur fluffed up defensively. 

    “Well, I don’t know yet, but that’s no way to talk to your mentor!” Snowdrop frowned.

    Marigoldpaw flattened his ear, his face engulfed with shame. “You're right. sorry.”

    “Now, what were you saying, Mintkit?” He turned and looked at the kit

    “Uh- I was saying- um..” She stammered, but then stood up tall, puffing out her chest. “I can’t say.”

    Just then, Silvermoon padded out into the clearing, spotting all of them. 

    “So… am I done with training with Marigoldpaw? Or…” Sunpaw suddenly called from the middle of the clearing. Mintkit turned and

looked at him. She had hardly even noticed he was there, she had been too focused on her father and his apprentice.

    “No, hold on, Sunpaw!” Snowdrop said, as the young apprentice came bounding over to Marigoldpaw. 

    “There you are,” Silvermoon growled softly. 

    “Oh hi..” Mintkit blinked at her innocently, alarm shooting through her pelt. 

    In a second, Silvermoon scooped her up by her scruff and turned around to leave. Dangling from her jaws, she spotted the entrance to camp. No, no no no! She hadn’t asked Snowdrop if he could punish Marigolpaw yet! 

    “No!!!” she whined. “I need to talk to Snowdrop!!” 

    Mintkit wiggled and jerked, trying to free herself, but she was already in camp by now. She stopped and panted, since it was taking energy from her to squirm so much.

    “I don’t care,” her mothers voice sounded muffled from Mintkit’s scruff in her mouth, but she could feel it vibrate through her back. 

    “Let me down! Please!” she squealed, helpless yet writhing again. “I promise I won’t do it again!!” 

    They were now entering the nursery, where Silvermoon plopped her down inside their nest. Mintkit started to breathe like she got released from being choked. 

    Silvermoon rolled her eyes. “Why did you do that? I’ve told you and your brother–” 

    Almost immediately, Mintkit glared at her and bolted, trying to get out, only to get pinned against the ground by Silvermoon’s hind paw.

    “Oof!’ She sneezed as the dirt and bits of nest sprayed up into the air.

    “Listen to me. Why did you leave camp, as I specifically told you that it was for you and your brother's safety to not  leave! Also kits shouldn’t be out of camp on their own!”  

    “Where is Icekit, then? Why don't you scold him for leaving?” Mintkit challenged boldly. 

    Silvermoon looked startled as she started looking left to right. “Where is your brother?” 

    “Oh! So amazing, you lost track of him!” the kit meowed. Silvermoon looked worried. 

    Her mother stared at her, still pinning her down. “No, seriously, Mintkit. Where is your brother?” 

    Mintkit rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. He didn’t tell me.” 

    “And- urg- can you- uagh- let me go- ugh- please?” Mintkit grunted and pawed around, trying to pull herself free.

    “Well, I will If you don’t run away. Do you promise you won’t run.” her mother asked. 

    She paused for a moment before responding, then muttered, “Yes..”

    “Okay, but I will pin you again if you dart again,” She lifted her paw slowly, poised to be able to grab Mintkit if she ran. But she didn’t, and she instead shook herself off, shaking the dirt back to the floor.

    “Do you know if he followed you out into the forest when you looked for me?”  Mintkit asked. 

    “Oh StarClan, you’re right!” Silvermoon gasped, widening her eyes. “Stay here,” she ordered, running out the entrance.

    She skirted to a halt right outside of the nursery and glanced at her. “I mean it,” She added, then ran out. 

    Mintkit sighed, and curled up to sleep, hoping to pass time.

Chapter three:

    “I can’t believe I lost…” 

    “Will anyone find him..?”
    “Someone must, right…?”

    Mintkit rustled around in the soft moss nest. She blinked her eyes open and yawned, sitting up. She perked her ears up to listen to the commotion outside of the nursery. 

    “Maybe Brushstar would be willing to make a patrol.”

    “For a kit? I don’t know.”

    “Well, I know Brushstar knows the importance of making sure fellow Clan cats are safe, so he would, right?”
    “I don’t know what the fuss is all about. It’s one kit!” She recognized the voice of Marigoldpaw. 

    Mintkit flicked her ears and decided to head out. She couldn’t even remember what she had even been talking about before she had fallen asleep. 

    She poked her head out the entryway, staring around. Mintkit blinked as the late sun shone in her eyes. When she exited, she saw Marigoldpaw, Silvermoon, Snowdrop, Brightsplash and Sagefern.

    She walked out into the clearing and to her mother.

    “What’s going on?” Mintkit stared into her eyes, and realized she was sad.

    “Brightsplash, would you mind getting Brushstar?” Sagefern meowed, trying not to look at Snowdrop or Silvermoon.

    “What's happening?” Mintkit repeated. 

    “Marigoldpaw, no, you stay here.”

    “Silvermoon, what is going on!” Mintkit raised her voice, making her mother and father jump, both of their gaze snapping to her. 

    “W-well..” She started to stammer. “So…”

    Mintkit turned to look at her father. “Daddy, what’s going on? Tell me!” 

    “I don’t know how to tell you this, but-” he frowned.

    “Icekit is missing.” Marigoldpaw cut in boldly, rolling his eyes. Mintkit froze. 

    “Well, where did he go?” She trotted up to him, glaring.

    “We don’t know.” He scoffed.

    “Tell me Marigoldpaw!” 

    “I don’t know!” 

    “Tell me! You know where he is, don’t you! You did something to him!”  she accused.

    “I DON’T know! Don’t you know what ‘missing’ means!?” Marigoldpaw hissed, stomping his paw down. “They’ve been looking for him for a while, including your mother!”

    “You-you did something. You had to have. You’re the bad guy, you are the only one who could have.” Mintkit pinned her ears and growled.

    'I'm the bad guy?’ Marigoldpaw stared at her in surprise. “Really?” 

    “Well duh! You’re the meanie, which means, you’re the bad one!” 

    He stood there for a moment, then slowly pressed his ears to his head. “You think I’m a bad guy?”

    “Did you not hear what I said?” she lashed her small tail.

    “...Why..?”

    “Because yo-”

    “You guys annoy me, but I wouldn’t go as far to hurt him!” He interrupted. “I’m NOT a bad cat.” 

    He paused before whispering, “Am I?”

    Suddenly Mintkit realized how rude she had been, all she had said. 

    “Oh.. Oh no..” she raised her ears and stared at him. “I’m sorry. Marigoldpaw.” She apologized sincerely.

    Marigoldpaw did not look at her, but looked at something else instead. Guilt filled her. 

    So badly she wanted to dive to her mother, and just hide in her pelt. It would be so easy. But no. She knew she had to be mature here, and comfort Marigoldpaw, even if he liked to ruffle everycat’s fur the wrong way. She trotted up to him. 

    “I’m really sorry for what I said. I’m just worried about.. About Icekit. I don’t actually think you’re evil, or a ‘bad guy’.” she stared into his gray eyes. He nodded, but something in his face made him look like he didn’t believe her. 

    She turned her gaze to her mother. “I’m coming with you guys.” she declared. 

    “You're staying here.” Snowdrop said sternly. 

    “What?” she gasped. “He’s my brother!” 

    “And you’re my kit,” Silvermoon nosed her shoulder gently. “I won’t live with myself if I lose you too.”

    That one word made her want to obey, and stay home, waiting until they came back to camp. She could imagine it, the shining morning sun lighting up the clearing, when she would trot out of the nursery, and see her mother and father, with Icekit in between them, both looking happy, and Icekit looking as scared as usual. Then she would run up and twine her tail with her brother’s and tell him to never scare her like that ever again. It would be perfect.

    But no. She could tell that she had to be the one to go out and find him, she could tell StarClan was calling her to do this herself. Nevertheless, she still had to tell her mother something, and she wouldn’t trust her if she outright said her plan to come, even after Silvermoon had

told her she couldn’t.

    “Fine. But let me be the first to know if you find him, please?” she licked her mother’s ear.

    “Of course. Snowdrop, you ready?” Silvermoon turned to look at her mate. 

    He dipped his head in a nod, and then she turned to leave. 

    “Good luck,” Sagefern waved her tail. 

    They both twitched their whiskers in gratitude, as the two padded out of the camp in search of her brother.

    Mintkit sat there and thought. What if when she sneaks out, a fox comes and gets her, and no cat could even have the chance to save her? Or she stays out in the territory too long, and her parents come back while she isn’t there, and her entire plan spoils? What if they never found Icekit, or they did find him, but it was too late? She would rather have backup. Chills ran up her spine as she turned to look at Marigoldpaw.

    The apprentice caught her gaze. “What?” he blinked.

    “Marigoldpaw… Do you wanna meet me in the nursery? Please?” she

stared at him keenly.

    “Why do I need to go into the nursery? There isn’t even anything in there for me,” he retorted.

    “Please?” she urged. He considered this before rolling his eyes and started following her as she walked to the den. When they reached the inside he said, 

    “Listen, Mintkit, if this is about earlier about you calling me evil–” 

    “No, it’s not that, you furball. Honestly, you probably don’t even expect what I'm gonna ask you.”

    “Then spit it out.”

    "Fine- do you wanna come with me to look for Icekit?“ Mintkit meowed bluntly.

    He paused. 

    “Why should I..” He began, sounding unsure. 

    “Please?” 

    “But aren’t your parents out looking? Unless…” Marigoldpaw stood almost perfectly still. “Unless this was a secretive thing? And that’s why

you called me in the nursery, where there was no cat.”

    “You catch on quick!” Mintpaw pleasantly complimented, waving her tail and bouncing up and down. “So, yes or no?”

    “Wait, wouldn’t we get in trouble for this?” he cautiously mewed. 

    “Not if you help me.”

    “How does that make sense?” Marigoldpaw rolled his eyes.

    “Augh! Just please help me, yes or no!” Mintkit growled softly, growing impatient.  He stared into her eyes, which were shining hopefully.

    Then he paused. Mintkit could tell that Marigoldpaw was on the edge of helping her, or not. She privately prayed to StarClan that he would say yes, and would come with her on this journey. Time was slowly ticking; eventually Silvermoon and Snowdrop would return from outside, most likely empty-pawed.

    No offense to you two, but I would find him better and faster, she thought to herself, knowing very well that they wouldn’t hear that.

    “Alright. Fine.” Marigoldpaw’s voice broke into her trail of thoughts.

    “Let’s leave now!” Mintkit suggested with enthusiasm. 

     “No, not now,  let’s wait until it’s dark, so no cat will see us.”

    “Glad to have you on my side.” she purred joyfully with a look of excitement on her face.

    They both padded out, and around camp impatiently. Mintkit would constantly look up to the sky to check what position the moon was in, and she did this until it was covered with clouds.

    “Is that a bad sign?” she had asked Marigoldpaw.

    “I have no idea, but let's hope not.” He had replied. 

    “Oh, hey you two!” Sunpaw’s voice entered her ears, cutting off her thoughts. Hearing his voice made her ears twitch toward the sound’s source. She looked around and spotted him trotting up to them.

    “Er–hi, Sunpaw.” she responded awkwardly. 

    “What are you two doing?” 

    “Uh- star gazing.” Marigoldpaw blinked, shuffling his paws nervously.

    “Lies.” 

    “W-what do you mean?” he asked, and Mintkit obviously could tell that he was clearly panicking under the pressure of lying. 

    “It's obvious you're lying! You don’t think I can tell if my brother isn’t lying!” 

    “No! He’s not! We really are. He’s just, uh.. Tired.” Mintkit cut in swiftly.

    “That would be a very Marigoldpaw thing to do.. But then how do you explain the paw shuffling? The nervous scent? The high voice? Huh? Huh?” he flicked his whiskers mischievously. 

    Then Mintkit brushed her pelt against Marigoldpaw’s in high hopes to calm him down.

    “He’s nervous about whether Icekit will make it back. And he doesn’t like sitting around just waiting, and he wants to go and find him himself.” After she said it, she was worried that she let out too much information. “But he knows he can’t,” She added hurriedly.

    Sunpaw stared at his brother with squinted eyes. “That true?” 

    “Yeah, that's it. Mm-hmm.” Marigoldpaw agreed briskly, trying as hard as he could to cover his anxiety.

    A purr rumbled deep in Mintkit’s chest; for some reason, she really loved the way he answered so quickly. 

    Wait.. he might actually taking it. He’s taking the bait! She realized.

    “Okay..?” Sunpaw blinked. “Well good for you for caring about the ‘mangy furball’. Good for you!”

    At his own brother’s words, she could see Marigoldpaw’s realization that almost all of the camp thought he was rude, and that it was normal for him to say something hurtful.

    “Oh, yeah, I did say that.” Marigoldpaw mumbled quietly, licking his chest to cover up his embarrassment.

    “Oh well, I suppose it doesn’t matter all that much. I’m gonna get to bed, and I hope you will soon as well, since it’s getting late.” and with that, Sunpaw marched away, flicking his tail in farewell. 

    Suddenly she realized how dark it really had gotten, and she looked up into Marigoldpaw’s shining eyes, and Mintkit knew it was time. 

    “Let’s go.”

                                                    Chapter four:

    Marigoldpaw padded through the forest, feeling the reassuring constant brush of Mintkit’s fur against his. It was raining and soggy, and every pawstep there was an uncomfortable squish of the grass under the paw.

    “So where do you wanna look?” Marigoldpaw mewed in the darkness. Because it was hard to see, he was extra grateful for the light of the moon which illuminated the glade just a little.

    “I didn’t plan where I would look. Remember, I haven’t been out here before. I just know where the training grounds for apprentices are.”

    “That’s it?” he asked, and knowing Mintkit probably wouldn’t see, he still tipped his head in confusion.

    “And a few berry bushes. “ She admitted. “I used to sneak out to eat berries. One time I ate the wrong berry and ended up with Sagefern trying to get me to puke up the berry. That put an end to my little secret. I was punished and had to be stuck in the nursery for two days. I did get food though.”

    “Huh.” he just stayed quiet, feeling a little awkward. He wished that his brother was here so they could talk because he thought it was weird to be bantering about casually with a kit. No, stop thinking like that. That’s the reason that ‘a kit’ called you a bad guy! They’re a fellow cat, they’re a Clanmate…

    He shook his head, ridding of the bad thoughts. Mintkit asked, “are you okay?” 

    “Uh–yes, why do you ask?” 

    “Nevermind…” He felt her trot to the side, and their pelt’s no longer had contact. He almost called out for her to come back, but he didn’t, knowing that would be weird. He could only hope that she was still there.

    “So are you going to just walk around? That’s bori-” Marigoldpaw cut off, since his words were rude. “I mean.. “

    His pelt grew hot in embarrassment for his miss-talking.

    Suddenly- “OW!” 

    “MINTKIT ARE YOU OKAY??” He yowled, urgently trying to find her. 

    “I tripped into a weird hole. I’m fine though.”