Fernkit

Fernkit watched the Gathering patrol parade away through the camp entrance and sighed. She wrapped her light brown tail around her paws, wondering what, not for the first time, a Gathering was like. Peonystorm had told Fernkit and her sisters a story once, late at night, when Applestar was sleeping in the leader's den, even though her kits were half a moon old. Peonystorm had told them the story of her first Gathering. She had described the overwhelming scents that made her young, unprepared nose almost explode, the bustle of cats she would eventually come to recognize, and the bond that all the Clans shared, even if they didn't want to: the bond of StarClan. Rainkit had scoffed at it, Briarkit had been asleep, Emberkit was, as usual, disdainful and uninterested, but Fernkit had been genuinely fascinated. A Gathering sounded like the most fun place a cat could ever be. She could hardly wait to go to one herself.

She wondered if she'd be allowed to go with her sisters. She'd like to go with Briarkit and Rainkit, but not Emberkit. Emberkit was annoying and boring, and moaned continually about everything- Applestar, her sisters, the weather, the state of the moss they all slept in. She never came to listen to any of the stories the elders told, and she never wanted to play; instead, all she did was sleep. What with Rainkit and Briarkit continually off together, Fernkit found herself constantly put in the position to choose to be alone, or to spend time with Emberkit. As a result, she spent much more time alone than kits her age usually did. She tended to wander around in her thoughts for a while.

A voice jolted her out of her thoughts. "Hey, Fernkit."

Fernkit looked around and saw Briarkit sitting next to her. "Briarkit!" she exclaimed, unable to hide her surprise. "Why aren't you with-"

"Rainkit?" Briarkit finished, and Fernkit nodded. Briarkit flushed. "Well, I was just playing with her, and we got into an argument, because Rosefoot gave me a piece of her fish, and I ate it before Rainkit came along, and she accused me of being a prey-stealer. So, long story short, we're not talking."

"Oh."

Fernkit nodded. It was odd to be with Briarkit, but she liked it.

"Hey," Briarkit said, "there's Emberkit, finally coming out of her nest. For once."

Fernkit stifled a meow of laughter and looked over to where her sister was pointing. Sure enough, chubby Emberkit was heaving herself out of the den. It was pretty sad- every few steps she stopped for a breath.

"Wooooow," Briarkit muttered. "I can't-"

"It's getting late," Fernkit noted with a glance at the sky. The moon was indeed almost at its highest point. "We should probably get to the den."

"Yeah," Briarkit agreed. "Anyway, I'm tired. Come on." She led the way back, and Fernkit was secretly glad that Rainkit and Briarkit had had their fight. She had, for once, spent some time with someone other than herself. It was nice.

-=-

Those feelings of calmness faded away the second Fernkit fell asleep.

She was standing in a forest. Mist swirled around her. She could see almost nothing through the fog in the trees.

"H-hello?" She called, then cringed. Cliché much?

Voices screamed, and she realized she was witnessing a slaughter. She couldn't see anything, but she could hear the shouts and cries of cats she didn't recognize at first sight. Cringing, she moved forward, and stopped in shock.

She was seeing her Clanmates fight.

Blood spattered the ground, vibrant crimson stripes of color. She gingerly stepped around them and gaped at the scene unfolding in front of her eyes. There was her mother... attacking...

Attacking... Goldleaf? Her not-real-according-to-the-strange-cat, pretty dead father? Didn't Applestar love him?

And it wasn't just them. Her Clanmates were wound together, fighting in packs of cats too tightly intertwined for her to make out who, exactly, was fighting who. And it wasn't just her Clanmates. Fernkit's eyes widened. Cats she didn't recognize were fighting her Clanmates. A broad-shouldered tom whose pelt flickered in the night pinned down Whiteswirl, who screeched and clawed at the strange tom's stomach. Hailheart and two burly she-cats grappled, wrestling on the ground. He yowled with pain as a third came up behind him and... Fernkit couldn't watch.

Fernkit realized she was shaking her head. She turned to run, to run from this terrifying scene, and found herself face-to-face with the worst scene yet.

It was Rainkit, Briarkit, and herself, but older, maybe apprentice age. They were standing together, their eyes huge and bottomlessly sad, observing the battle, standing shoulder-to-shoulder.

"Emberpaw," they whispered together, which confirmed Fernkit's assumption that they were apprentices.

"For Emberpaw!" they bellowed, louder, and kicked off. Together, they ran forward, cutting through the crowd of cats.

Then they leapt, latching onto who seemed to be enemies and fighting viciously and relentlessly. Fernkit was frankly shocked that she could preform those fighting moves and wondered if this was a vision of the future. If it was...

She didn't want to think about what might have caused it.

If we're only apprentices here... she thought, what's going to happen in the next few moons that will mean this will happen? That will mean my sisters and me will have to learn these moves?

It didn't seem like an exciting prospect. She didn't want to think about what might have to happen to make it so that they had to learn those moves, fight this battle.

She realized she was frozen in place, and as soon as she realized, heard a voice in her mind.

This is in your future, young one. Remember: the bond of family is stronger than death...

The words were repeated. Stronger than death.

Stronger than death.

Stronger... than death....

 Early update YAY!

What did you think of the chapter? Do you like the dream? >:) Oh man you guys are going to HATE the ending for this book. Mwahaha.

Thoughts onnnn... Fernkit? Emberkit?

Hint: they are REALLY important!

All for now, bye!

~Rainfeather