Loud noises woke Shadow up. She lifted her head to see Flint and Blaze wrestling, tumbling across the nursery. A cold nose poked at Shadow and she looked down to find Spark snuggled against her.

The gray and black she-cat softened at the sight and almost bent down to give her sister a loving lick before stiffening.

Love is weakness. Affection is feeble.

She reminded herself, forcing herself to remain impassive and cold as Spark mewled in her sleep.

Shadow jumped as a bad-tempered growl sounded from behind her. "Keep it down will you!" Shimmer rose from her nest, shooting a glare at her brothers. The kit began smoothing down her fur with long, brisk licks.

Shimmer let out a squeal of protest when her brother cannoned into her side and knocked her off her feet. She began pummeling Blaze and snapped at Flint's tail as it whisked by.

Shadow's mother, Aster, watched approvingly as the three kits snarled and scuffle amongst themselves. "Kick out with your hind legs Flint!" She called as Blaze broke free from his sister and pinned down his brother.

Shadow scoffed in disgust and began grooming her ruffled fur. At that moment, Diamond came in. "Oh!" She mewed, looking in distress at her fighting kits.

The white queen pulled Blaze out of the fight and attempted to give him a lick on the head. But her son just gave her a sharp nip on the paw and threw himself back into the fray.

Shadow inwardly winced at the sign of affection that had been bestowed upon Blaze. Diamond had always been too weak, trying to keep the peace between her kits.

It was no wonder Sky had made her a permanent queen. She cared too much for other cats.

Aster narrowed her eyes at her fellow queen but didn't say anything. Instead, she walked over to Shadow and her sister and prodded the sleeping Spark with one paw.

Spark lifted her head and blinked her eyes blearily. "It's time for your exercise." Aster mewed gruffly, shoving her daughters to their feet,

By exercise, Aster meant that Spark and Shadow had to run one lap around the camp and then fight each other.

The two sisters hated it but Aster forced them to do it early in the morning when Sky was out in the clearing.

Shadow gave a big sigh and started trotting along the camp walls, keeping well out of the way of warriors eating prey.

She dipped her head respectfully at Sky, who was sharing a squirrel with Blizzard.

After completing a lap she waited with her mother for the panting Spark to reach them. After a few moments, the two sisters faced each other, forcing their fur to stand up.

They both stared intently at Aster, waiting for the signal to attack. Aster raised her tail and they sprang at each other, claws unsheathed.

They had learned long ago that sheathed claws earned a punishment. Shadow had suffered from Aster's claws once when she had gone too easy on Spark. Snowy came out of the nursery to watch, her stomach bloated with kits.

Shadow aimed a blow at her sister's right shoulder, the one facing away from their mother. Just before her paw landed she sheathed her claws, a tactic that she and her sister had worked out.

Spark pretended to cry out in pain and launched herself at Shadow, dealing her a clumsy blow on the ears.

They sparred for a few more moments until Aster nodded approvingly and padded to the prey pile to get some food for herself.

Shadow led her sister back into the nursery where Diamond had managed to break up the fight. They settled down in their nest to wait, kits were often fed last in BloodClan.

Spark began grooming her sister, Shadow stiffened, unused to the gentle gesture. She pulled away, trying to ignore the hurt in Spark's eyes.

It's for the best. She told herself. Even if it breaks my heart, it's for the best. Spark will grow to be weak if I show my love for her.

Diamond poked her head out of the nursery and seeing that the warriors had finished eating, she went to get prey for her kits.

When she came back she gave two mice to her kits and then turned to Shadow and Spark. Diamond nudged a vole toward them, blinking warmly at the two kits.

Shadow was surprised but grateful, it often took Aster a long time to get prey for them. She let Spark take the first few bites before moving forward to eat from the vole herself.

They blocked out the noises of the other kits fighting over the last few scraps and filled their bellies with prey.

The two siblings had started eating prey when they were one and a half moons old. At first, their stomach had protested and they had thrown up most of it but now they could eat prey without a problem.

When they had finished the vole they buried the scraps behind the nursery and settled down for a short nap.

Blaze was boasting about how they would be apprenticed in half a moon. Shimmer scoffed and started meowing that she would surely be apprenticed to the deputy, she was the best kit after all.

Spark rolled her eyes at them. "Stupid furballs." Shadow snickered as Flint began sneaking up on the unexpecting Shimmer. It wasn't long before the three older kits were yowling at the top of their lungs and fighting.

(Word count: 926)