"Molestar was an enormous tom with great strength, but most importantly," Rockface said hoarsely, pausing for suspense, "he was smart."

    Leopardkit inwardly groaned as she sat the dim light of the elders' den. Rockface was an ancient cat, his whiskers crooked and his muzzle speckled with white hairs. He laid in front of the kits, paws tucked under his chest. His story seemed to go on forever.

    Leopardkit's nose twitched, a subtle sign of distaste. No, it wasn't even a story. He was just rambling on about some leader that had died a long time ago.

    Mousekit sat beside her, staring at the elderly cat with bright eyes. They had changed from the pale blue that every kit was born with. They were now a warm green.

    The she-kit's own eyes had deepened in color. They were now an deep shade of amber, like the setting sun. Leopardkit blinked up at Rockface, trying her best to appear interested. She stifled a yawn.

     It had been Mousekit's idea to visit the elders today. Leopardkit was bored by their slow, endless talking and crackling voices, but her little brother actually enjoyed spending time here. He conversed regularly with Rockface, Goldentail, and Stripedfur, discussing great battles from the past and cats who were long gone.

    "His cleverness allowed him to win nearly every battle ThunderClan faced in his age," Rockface continued.

    "How so?" Mousekit inquired.

    Rockface lifted his hand leg to lazily scratch at a flea behind his ear. His loving mate, Goldentail, reached up and licked it off for him.

    "Well, I'm glad you asked!" the gray tomcat suddenly said loudly, his attention back on the kits.

    Leopardkit huffed beside her brother. "Deaf old badger," she muttered under her breath.

    Mousekit shoved her lightly. "Show some respect, Leopardkit," he mumbled.

    The she-kit rolled her amber eyes. The only reason she agreed to come here was because there was nothing else to do in camp and because Mousekit genuinely wanted her to accompany him.

     He always scolded her when she made any negative comment about her Clanmates. It had been nearly a moon since he moved his nest to sleep beside her, and since then the pair had done nearly everything together.

    Leopardkit had learned in the past moon that Mousekit was very intelligent. He had a lot of confusing ideas, seeming to find a meaning in everything that happened. He was also very well-spoken when talking to the other cats in the Clan, knowing exactly the right words to say. Mousekit seemed to be far wiser than his four moons.

    Mousekit also made an effort to be polite to his Clanmates. He listened with keen interest to the elders' stories, thanked the warriors who brought prey to the nursery, and looked up to the apprentices. Leopardkit wondered for a moment if she had picked up on some of his good manners. Then she shook her head and with a small smirk. No, definitely not.

The she-kit had spaced out during Rockface's explanation. She gradually came back to the present, wondering what boring words she had missed.

Rockface had settled down a little more, his pale eyes clouded. "So, now you know how important strategy and cleverness is when it comes to battle." He chuckled and laid his head down on his paws with a thoughtful sigh. "Molestar's quick thinking saved his old tail more times than I can count. All except for that one dispute . . ."

"And which one was that, exactly?" Mousekit asked attentively.

Leopardkit wanted to howl at him to stop encouraging the crazy old cat, but she knew the slightest gesture of boredom would make her brother angry. So as much as it pained her, she kept her mouth shut.

Rockface's expression was grim. He gave the kits a soft smile. "Why don't you let Stripedfur tell you about that one? He was up front and in all the action, being deputy and all."

Leopardkit's little tail twitched with interest. She looked over the other elder in surprise. "Were you really the deputy?"

    Stripedfur lifted his head from where he rested. It wasn't hard to believe the tabby tom was once a powerful, feared warrior. His shoulders and chest were wide and well-muscled, his broad face bearing many scars. "Yes, I was," he rumbled, staring down at the she-kit kindly. His whiskers twitched in amusement.

    Leopardkit cocked her head, confused. "Why did you quit?"

    Stripedfur's large ears flicked back, his expression unreadable. "Well, I got too old. I had been Molestar's deputy for a very, very long time. My arthritis started flaring up near the end, making it harder for me to move and stretch. My sharp hearing had begun to fade as well, and so it became difficult to hunt and detect danger. I could no longer serve the Clan in the ways I used to."

    Leopardkit felt a twinge of anguish for the old tomcat. He had made it so far in his life, all the way to deputyship. He almost became leader, only to have it all snatched away by old age.

    "I'm sorry about that," Mousekit murmured politely to the large cat.

    Stripedfur chuckled, a great, quaking sound, and smiled down at the kits. "No need to be sorry, young one. I was ready to retire. I had spoken to Molestar about it, and we both agreed it would be best for the Clan. There were younger, stronger cats that could take my position and relieve me of my duties."

     Leopardkit felt relieved that Stripedfur wasn't bitter about how things turned out for him. But she couldn't quite understand how he accepted his fate so easily. To nearly have the whole power in the Clan and then have it torn away. . . How could cats willingly give up their lives to spend the rest of their days rotting away in the elders' den?

"What happened in the battle that Molestar lost?" Mousekit pressed, impatient to hear the story.

Stripedfur sighed. "That was a complicated war, young one. I guess I'll have to explain why it began in the first place . . ."

"Stripedfur!" Goldentail's voice rang out sharply, her thick tail fluffing up. "Absolutely not. They're only kittens!"

Leopardkit felt strongly indignant that the she-cat thought so little of her and her brother. She stared firmly up at Stripedfur, her spotted fur bristling. "We can take it!" she meowed bravely.

Stripedfur sighed once again. "They'll have to learn eventually," he muttered, to which Goldentail scoffed and turned away. She was still angry, but apparently wasn't going to interrupt again.

Rockface gave Stripedfur a wide-eyed look. "Looks like you're not getting your share of prey for a moon!" he joked quietly, voice cracking.

Stripedfur attempted a grin, but his eyes had a solemn, dark look to them. "I'll begin now," he said in a quiet, deep voice.

     Leopardkit and Mousekit both turned to face the great elder, their tiny whiskers twitching in apprehension. Stripedfur gazed down at them both with shadowed eyes.

"Many years ago, four or five, Molestar was still leader and I was his deputy. Our current good leader was still a young warrior, Darktail. Rockface here, was getting old and just started thinking about heading to the elders' den," Stripedfur teased, giving his friend a playful shove.

"Hey! I didn't retire until two years after that darned mess," Rockface growled defensively.

"Anyway," Stripedfur continued. "There was another she-cat in our Clan. Her name was Amberstep. She was average warrior, not very well-known. Quiet and mellow.

    "That's why no one really noticed her sneak out of camp at night for four moons. Once someone did figure it out, it was already too late.

    "Amberstep had been meeting a WindClan tom. She broke the Warrior Code by taking him as a mate. To complicate the issue further, she was pregnant with kits."

    Leopardkit and Mousekit both glanced at each other. She spoke up first. "Then which Clan did the kits go to?"

    Stripedfur sighed. "That question, right there, is the reason WindClan and ThunderClan went to war. Molestar was determined that the four kits would remain in their birth Clan with their mother. WindClan's leader, Quickstar, believed the kits should be with their father.

    "This dispute led to more than one battle. In one of them when WindClan raided our camp, Molestar assigned cats to carry lumps of prey out. They distracted the WindClan attackers, chasing after them because they believed the prey pieces were the kits!"

    "Ah, I remember that one," Goldentail spoke up, smiling. She had evidently forgotten about her grudge. "I was one of the cats that was supposed to distract them with prey. I was carrying around a squirrel–a squirrel–and those WindClan flea-brains thought I had a kit! You should've seen the looks on their faces when they found out. . ."

    Stripedfur nodded. "We were confident that we would win this war. It lasted many moons. Although both our Clans were battle-worn and exhausted, ThunderClan still possessed the kits.

     "Spies reported WindClan's forces gathering along the border. Our warriors prepared for the final showdown. We were ready to win this. This time there would be no tricks–only fair, honest fighting with tooth and claw.

    "Things didn't go exactly as planned. ThunderClan arrived at the border, in formation and battle-ready. I was standing by Molestar, tense and eager to finish this war. But before the leader could send the signal to attack, WindClan made an announcement. They asked if there was any particular she-cat willing to join their Clan. And, believe it or not, Amberstep did it with her four kits trotting behind her.

    "Apparently, Amberstep's WindClan mate convinced her to switch allegiances and join his Clan, bringing her kits with her. It came as a great shock to ThunderClan."

    Leopardkit swelled up in anger. "But why would she do that? That's betrayal!"

    Stripedfur gave her a dark look. "Yes, it certainly is. After all the fighting ThunderClan did for her and her kits, we were very angry. But Molestar reluctantly commanded his Clan to return. He was frustrated, and so was I. It was embarrassing that one of our warriors would so easily give up their loyalty."

     Rockface lifted his head. "You want to know what the craziest thing is? One of Amberstep's kits is now WindClan's leader! Birchstar."

    Goldentail nodded her head beside him. "I heard that he was named after a tree to honor his birth Clan."

    "Honor," Stripedfur spat, amber eyes blazing. "Amberstep had nothing of the sort."

    Leopardkit flinched as the large tomcat suddenly became angry. She scooted a little closer to Mousekit nervously. Clearly the bitter feelings Amberstep left here were still sharp.

    "There were a lot of things to learn from this story," Goldentail continued, trying to distract the kits from Stripedfur. "First and foremost: the Warrior Code exists for a reason. Loyalty to your Clan is more important than anything. Inter-Clan relationships cause nothing but trouble."

   Rockface butted in. "Besides all the fighting our Clans went through, Amberstep, her mate, and the kits were never looked at the same way. They broke the code, and their kits had to face the prejudice. It's no secret that Birchstar isn't respected by all of his Clanmates, merely because of his heritage."

    "And last of all," Stripedfur muttered, cooling down, "we learned that WindClan cats must be blind as bats to mistake a squirrel for a kitten."

The three elders all chuckled at that. Even Leopardkit felt her lips curl into a grin.

    For the first time, Leopardkit felt like she had learned something new in the elders' den. She had no idea that Molestar had been such a clever leader, or that Birchstar was actually a half-Clan cat. She didn't know that so much turmoil could come from a forbidden love. Before today, she didn't even know that the ThunderClan's former deputy was confined to the elders' den.

    Leopardkit settled down into the mossy bedding of the den. Warmth radiated around her. Mousekit gave her a side glance, his emerald green eyes sparkling in the darkness.

    Maybe the elders' den wasn't such a drab place after all.