"What's this one called again?"

    Leopardkit bounced around the wide cavern of the medicine den, halting in front of a sweet-smelling pile of fern-like leaves. She sniffed it cautiously, one paw raised.

Firetail answered gruffly without even turning around. She was tending to Sootdust, carefully pulling a thorn that was lodged deep in young warrior's paw, despite his cries of protest. "Chervil. Now don't mess with the pile; I'm about to put it away."

The little she-kit leaned down to inhale the pleasing scent before looking up curiously at the high walls of den, amber eyes round. The tall, staggered rocky shelves held a multitude of leaves, stems, flowers, and roots, all meticulously organized.

    Leopardkit bunched her muscles and leapt up to the first ledge. She weaved in and out of the various storages, nose to the ground as if tracking prey. Nothing very interesting, just dirty roots and rich-smelling bark. Then the she-kit jumped to the next shelf, her claws scraping on stone.

    Today was only the fourth day since Leopardkit had been required to visit the medicine den. It was still early in the morning, the sun having barely risen above the trees and dew still covering the ground. The air was cool and the sky dotted with fluffy clouds. The hunting patrol hadn't come back yet, so the she-kit spent her time exploring the medicine den. She felt energy coursing through her and longed for an adventure.

Although they told a few interesting tales, the elders' den was still quite a bore for Leopardkit. And her littermates would terrorize her if she lingered in the nursery for too long. Now that Brackenpatch and Sootdust no longer battle-trained in camp, she had no interest in watching them. The rest of the warriors didn't pay any attention to her, too absorbed in their duties or each other. Mousekit refused to wrestle with her. He always let her win, acting paralyzed as soon as she attacked. So exploring the medicine den was the best entertainment she could find at the moment. Besides, she enjoyed listening to the irritable medicine cat and getting on her nerves.

    It amazed her how many different herbs Firetail had stored in her huge den. She was impressed that the old, ill-tempered medicine cat could even learn the name and usage of each one, let alone use the herb to ease pain, heal wounds, or make an illness practically disappear. No other cat in the Clan had the unique power of the medicine cat.

    Leopardkit was inwardly grateful that Firetail had stood up for her against Darkstar. She admired the old gray cat's defiance, and was drawn to her because of it. She and the medicine cat seemed to share the same feelings for Sandstreak.

    Mousekit sat closer to the entrance of the den, ears pushed back and eyeing the place warily. He was irritated that he had been dragged out of the nursery so early in the morning for this. The black tom-kit had no interest in herbs whatsoever. But since they always did practically everything together, Mousekit sat in the medicine den as his littermate scoured through the herb storages. Leopardkit grinned down at him from her ledge. If he can make me sit in the elders' den and listen to endless stories, then he can wait while I explore the medicine den, she reasoned smugly.

Leopardkit was nearing the top of the ledges when she came across a sharp scent that made her senses tingle. Nose twitching, she followed the smell to a small bundle of jagged green leaves wrapped precariously together with a long, brown stem. "Hey, Firetail!"

The old gray medicine cat muttered something to Sootdust as she dabbed a poultice on his paw and then glanced up to where Leopardkit stood, amber eyes glaring. "What is it now?" she snapped, voice croaking with age.

Leopardkit picked up the bundle in her teeth. The delicious smell made her mouth water. "What's this?" she mumbled curiously through the leaves, tail swishing. For some reason, the scent and taste of the herb made her senses go haywire.

Firetail's eyes grew round. "Put that down!" she spat. Sootdust forgotten, the old gray she-cat padded over to the wall and stood up on her hind legs to reach the ledge where Leopardkit stood.

    Spotted pelt bristling, the she-kit had already dropped the bundle of leaves back into its place. Firetail inspected the herbs with narrowed eyes. Satisfied that nothing was damaged, the old medicine cat sat back down. "That's catmint, and our last supply of it," she growled, giving Leopardkit a deadly warning look.

    Leopardkit cocked her head. "That's not much," she commented, blinking innocently. She had to stop herself from leaning toward the enticing smell.

    "Exactly," Firetail snapped again, turning back to face Sootdust. She dismissed the tomcat with a solemn nod. The dark-furred warrior rose to his paws and padded out of the den, trying to hide his limp.

    The scruffy gray she-cat scooped up the chervil from earlier and carefully pawed it together on a lower ledge. "Catmint is precious. And rare. If there happens to be an outbreak of greencough this leaf-bare, that herb is the only thing that will save your tail."

    Leopardkit tried to make eye contact with Mousekit on the other side of the den, but the thin black tom was sitting with his green eyes staring down at his paws. Sighing, she continued her investigation of the herbs.

     Firetail squinted up at the adventurous she-kit. A deep, exasperated sigh rattled in her chest. "Leopardkit, you will get down from the–"

    A familiar, deep voice cut her off. "Causing trouble again, Leopardkit?"

    The she-kit ears perked at the sound of her favorite tom, and her head whipped around to the den entrance. His scent billowed into the medicine den as he strolled in. "Darkstar!" she cried cheerfully.

    The massive black tom blinked warmly at her as he slid into the den, two pieces of prey hanging from his jaws. His tall figure and rippling muscles had once intimidated Leopardkit, but the she-kit had learned that Darkstar's appearance was quite misleading, considering he was nothing but a gentle giant.

     In a rush, Leopardkit scrambled down the steps of the wall, scattering the herbs in her path. She heard Firetail grumbling curses behind her, but she was too excited to care.

    "What did you bring?" Leopardkit mewed, bounding up the black tom. Her tail was straight up and quivering in delight.

     Darkstar purred deeply at her enthusiasm, whiskers twitching. "Your favorite, Leopardkit." He dropped a freshly-caught shrew in front of her paws.

    The she-kit felt her stomach rumble with hunger as she immediately began tearing into the skin of the small furry creature.

    "And for you, Mousekit," Darkstar meowed, dropping a small mouse in front of the black kit. There was a twinkle of amusement in the leader's large green eyes, and Leopardkit wondered if the he had caught the mouse just for the humor of it.

Mousekit gave the leader a solemn nod of gratitude. He did not look amused.

After both kits had finished their prey, Leopardkit no longer had an excuse to stay in the medicine den. Tired of Mousekit's urging, she gave in. She gave Firetail and Darkstar an affectionate goodbye before leaving.

    The she-kit trotted out into the stone hollow with Mousekit by her side. This morning's hunting patrol must have been very successful; the fresh-kill pile was already looking full for the day. Fogpaw was carrying a load of fresh bedding towards the elders' den, his pale gray fur fluffed up in indignation. Sootdust and Brackenpatch were circling each other in the middle of camp, each of them daring the other to a playful fight. Skyleap, Leafnose, and Widowgaze, three young, pretty she-cats, all watched the toms with amusement.

     Leopardkit paused, tempted to stop and watch.

     Mousekit gently nudged her cheek with his nose. "Sootdust was just had a thorn pulled from his paw; I can promise you he won't be doing any fighting right now," he reminded his sister. "Besides—"

     "Yes, I know," Leopardkit grumbled. "I won't get any better just by watching." She trudged with her brother to the nursery.

Weedkit and Longkit were stretched out on the half-rock, their narrowed eyes gazing at the rest of camp pridefully. The only reason no one else had claimed the spot was because the rest of ThunderClan knew the rock wouldn't be warm enough for basking until the afternoon. Mouse-brains, Leopardkit thought smugly.

    Shadowy movement in the corner of her eye caught Leopardkit's attention, and she glanced back. Darkstar padded calmly from the mouth of the medicine den, bunched his muscles, and leapt up to the High Ledge gracefully. From there he laid down, long tail drooping over the edge and calmly surveyed the camp.

    Leopardkit couldn't suppress the purr that rumbled in her throat. She glanced over to her brother, amber eyes glimmering. "Darkstar is the greatest cat in all of ThunderClan," she meowed.

    Mousekit snorted, his green eyes fixed on the ground. "Yeah, he's great," he muttered, voice thick with sarcasm.

    Leopardkit flicked her brother's ear with her tail. "What's your problem?" she asked accusingly. There was no reason for her brother to be acting like this. He had been strangely quiet for the past few days, although everything had been going well for them both. She cut him off and turned to face him. "Why don't you like Darkstar?" she demanded.

    Mousekit stopped, his claws unsheathing and digging into the ground. "I don't know, okay? But there's something off about him. I can't pin my tail on it. I just don't like it."

    Leopardkit's fur bristled and she glared at her stubborn littermate. "What is there not to like about him? He brings us prey every single day! He tells us stories, and shows us battle moves. And he cares about us! He's probably the only cat that truly does."

    Mousekit met his littermate's gaze, his green eyes narrowed. "Don't you find it a little strange that he does care for us so much? Darkstar is the leader of ThunderClan! He has better things to do than obsess over a couple of underfed kits. I just find it odd that he has chosen to pay so much attention to us. There has to be something more."

    Leopardkit's felt a flare of anger in her belly as she listened to Mousekit speak. "Why can't you just appreciate when someone is nice to us for once? You always have to make things complicated." She stalked away from him to the nursery entrance.

Yet his words swirled around her head. It was odd that Darkstar showed them so much attention, but affection from the Clan's leader wasn't a terrible thing to have. Mousekit was overreacting, overthinking simple things like he always did. Leopardkit yawned and shook her head. She definitely needed a nap.

    Mousekit's voice calling after her made her pause. "And, by the way, it's not us that he cares about. It's just you, Leopardkit. Darkstar's eyes light up every time he sees you. He might bring me prey as well, but that's just for show. For some reason, you're the only important one."

     Leopardkit could hear the hurt in his voice. She waited for the skinny tom-kit to catch up with her, but had nothing to say when he reached her. Her tail lashed in frustration as she tried to come up with something to comfort him. "That's ridiculous. You don't know that."

Mousekit kept his green eyes trained forward. "I do."

Leopardkit could tell by the tone of his voice that he couldn't be swayed. The she-kit tenderly flicked him with her tail, but the black tom only twitched an ear in her direction. He said nothing.

    Leopardkit narrowed her eyes. So what if Darkstar pays more attention to me? I'm going to be a great warrior, and I'm sure he knows it. Besides, Mousekit practically ignores him every time he speaks to him!

Silently, the two littermates made their way into the nursery for their usual midday nap. Eating early in the morning always gave Leopardkit energy, but also made her sleepy afterwards. Sandstreak never said a word to them when they went inside to rest everyday. Since Darkstar had spoken to her, she hadn't spoken to Mousekit and Leopardkit much at all. The queen acted as if they didn't exist. But that didn't bother Leopardkit much anymore; she was relieved to have the freedom to go where she pleased.

But when the she-kit slipped inside and looked for her and Mousekit's nests, she found the floor of the den scoured clean where they once sat. There wasn't a scrap of moss to be seen.

"Where's our bedding?" Mousekit wondered aloud, his grudge momentarily forgotten.

Leopardkit lifted her gaze to his, troubled. She had a grim feeling about this, and her brother seemed to be thinking the same thing. They both glanced over to Sandstreak, who was coddling Weedkit and Longkit, shifting around and letting them in her nest to sleep.

Leopardkit swallowed before speaking, struggling to keep her voice level. "Sandstreak?"

The cream-furred queen lifted her head to them. "Yes." Her yellow eyes were blank, her voice flat. There was no warmth in the way she spoke to her own offspring, just emptiness.

The she-kit glanced back down to the floor. She had to struggle to keep her voice calm. Sandstreak had the nerve to take away their food and their warmth, and now she wouldn't even let them sleep in a nest? "What happened to our nests?"

Sandstreak raised her chin. There was no change in her expression. "Fogpaw replaced our bedding today. I know you two think you're entitled to your own nests, but he didn't have time to make any extras," she meowed coldly.

Leopardkit glanced over to Mousekit, her amber eyes wide with disbelief. The tom-kit's green gaze was shadowed.

     It was clear that this wasn't an invitation from Sandstreak to rejoin their mother in her own nest. No, the cruel queen expected them to sleep on the cold, solid ground.

    "If you want your own nests," Sandstreak added from her large, comfortable bed, "you'll have to make them." Without another word, the pale queen laid her head down and closed her eyes. Weedkit and Longkit stared triumphantly at their littermates from their mother's nest, their little eyes narrowed to slits.

    Leopardkit felt a surge of anger, and her pelt bristled as she looked to Mousekit. "This is unbelievable," the she-kit hissed under her breath. Could Sandstreak truly be so petty and bitter as to continue to mistreat her kits without even speaking to them?

    Mousekit green eyes were dark, his ears flattened. Clearly his thoughts were the same. Tonight, they would be sleeping on the stone cold ground.

    A quiet whisper from the other direction caught Leopardkit's attention. "Excuse me."

    The spotted she-kit spun around to see a large, red-furred queen, settled in her own nest at the other end of the nursery. Gingerstorm was fairly new to the den, having moved in only a quarter moon ago, and Leopardkit hadn't paid much attention to her. She wasn't thrilled by the prospect of more denmates.

     The other queen lay awake in her nest, her red fur bright against the bleak den. The large she-cat shifted on the pile of moss, tucking her swollen belly beneath her. "You kits can sleep in my nest... if you want." Her voice was heavy with sympathy.

    Leopardkit was hesitant. She hadn't slept with a queen in moons. The cold isolation of her own nest had become normal to her. Besides, although the queen appeared to be kind, she hardly knew Gingerstorm. She looked at Mousekit to see what he thought.

    The black tom-kit blinked gratefully at the red-furred queen. "Thank you, Gingerstorm," he mewed with relief. Mousekit didn't hesitate to pad over to her and crawl on to the giant pile of bedding.

The large she-cat gave him a sad smile, her blue eyes flashing. Gingerstorm shot a quick look over to where Sandstreak laid. "I don't want to anger your mother, so be quiet," she whispered to him as he settled in her nest. "I wouldn't normally invite other denmates into my nest, but a mother should never make her kits sleep alone."

    Gingerstorm's words reassured her a bit. Sighing, Leopardkit followed her brother. She reluctantly climbed into the nest, her paws sinking through the fresh bedding. The she-kit felt a jolt of nervousness as she crouched beside Gingerstorm's large belly.

Seeing that Mousekit was already curled up and purring softly, Leopardkit carefully laid down, her flank pressed against the warm queen.

She was uncomfortable for a few heartbeats, but then the slow rhythm of Gingerstorm's falling and rising chest made her relax. For some reason, it felt natural to be cradled in a queen's nest, surrounded by warmth and a calming sense of protection.

Leopardkit blinked irritably at a nudge in her ribs. Mousekit was gazing at her apologetically. "I'm sorry, Leopardkit. I shouldn't be jealous over Darkstar's attention. He sees something great in you, and that's something to celebrate." The black tom gave her a small smile. "I can be a bit protective too, I guess..."

Leopardkit purred in laughter and licked his ear affectionately. "I get it," she whispered to him. The spotted she-kit felt a twinge of sympathy for her brother, knowing that she would be mad with envy if she was in his place. But at the same time, she felt her chest swell with pride at Mousekit's words. Darkstar does see something great in me, doesn't he?

A long, plumy tail swept over the kits' ears, drawing their attention to Gingerstorm's amused face. "Did you come into my nest to sleep or to stay up and chat?" the ginger she-cat chuckled, her blue eyes twinkling.

"Sorry," Mousekit quickly mewed, licking his chest fur in embarrassment. Leopardkit felt her own ear tips burn. The littermates settled deeper into the nest, curled up next to Gingerstorm's large, strong body.

"Sleep well, little ones." The queen's voice was soft and soothing. Leopardkit felt the rasp of a tongue over her head.

Leopardkit slowly drifted off, falling asleep to the slow beating of Gingerstorm's heart.