Chapter Three
Heart of the Enemy

Flowerkit turned.

A huge russet t looming over him, lip curled in a threatening snarl. The tom had a white tipped tail and distinct white markings around his eyes and muzzle. The warrior's muscles were tensed and his claws were extended. Another cat was slinking towards them, a dark gray tabby with hostile green eyes. Flowerkit quivered.

"What are you doing here, ThunderClan?" the russet tom repeated with a snarl. "You're a little far from home." He growled threateningly.

Flowerkit crouched down and flattened his ears under the ShadowClan warrior's fury. He didn't dare reply - and he didn't think he could speak even if he wanted to.

"Come to steal prey, it looks like," the tabby she-cat growled. Her malignant green gaze was locked on Flowerkit, who was reminded strongly of Mosskit. Except that this cat could actually hurt him.

"We don't take kindly to prey-stealers here, ThunderClan," the tom spat. "Even kit ones."

By this time other ShadowClan cats were stirring. Some had emerged from their dens to watch the commotion with glittering eyes. Most of the cats looked angry. Flowerkit shrank back.

"What's wrong, kitten? Cat got your tongue?" the tabby jeered.

"Oh, lay off!" an unknown voice spat. "Can't you see that he's scared out of his wits?" Flowerkit didn't dare take his eyes off the two cats facing him to see who had spoken.

"So he should be!" the gray tabby snarled back, looking at whoever had spoken. She returned her glare to Flowerkit. "You thought you could just stroll into our camp and take our prey, did you?" She laughed, but there was no humour in her voice. "I always knew ThunderClan cats were frog-brained, but I didn't think they were this stupid."

"I am not stupid!" Flowerkit hissed back before he could stop himself. The familiar feeling of anger had returned. "I found my way here, didn't I?"

"That just proves my point," the ShadowClan warrior growled. "What in the name of StarClan possessed you to come here in the dead of night?"

Flowerkit lowered his head and scuffed his paw against the ground. "I did it on a dare."

"A dare?" The tabby she-cat wasn't the only one to speak this time. Multiple voices echoed the words from around the camp. The gray tabby's eyes flashed with outrage. "You came to raid our camp in the dead of night on a dare?"

"Be at ease, Willowfang. I will deal with this," a new voice spoke from behind him.

Flowerkit whirled to see who the new rumbling voice belonged to. He found himself staring into narrowed amber eyes.

"Of course, Thicketstar," the tabby, Willowfang, replied in a suddenly subdued voice. Flowerkit bristled. Thicketstar? The cat in front of him was ShadowClan's leader?

The tom was white, with pale brown markings that gave his fur a dirty appearance. His amber eyes were dark and brooding, and his voice was low as he spoke. "Foxmask. Take a patrol to survey the area. Make sure this isn't a trap."

"Yes, Thicketstar," the russet tom who had first confronted Flowerkit responded. He turned away, calling out a few names. "Rosefur, Sparrowcry, Thornscar! Let's go."

The ShadowClan leader returned his glare to Flowerkit. "You made a grave mistake in coming here, kit," he rumbled. "Your quest was hopeless. Tell me, what brought this on?"

Flowerkit met Thicketstar's gaze evenly. He forced his fur to lay flat, willing it not to show his fear. "I thought if I could steal some of your prey, the other kits would respect me," he mewed loudly. "And I almost did it, too!"

Thicketstar chuckled darkly. "My warriors were following you since you crossed the border, foolish kit. You had no chance of success."

Flowerkit's eyes widened. He'd been followed? The ShadowClan cats had watched him wander the forest in circles all night? Embarrassment heated his pelt. He shuffled his paws. "What do I do now, then? Are you going to send me back?" Sharp, painful anger pricked him as he thought of returning to the ThunderClan camp in shame.

"Back?" Thicketstar echoed with a tone of mild surprise. "Not a chance, kitten. You aren't going anywhere."

The kit froze. "What do you mean?"

"Willowfang, take our prisoner to the hole and find someone to guard him," Thicketstar instructed, turning away from Flowerkit. "If all is clear when Foxmask's patrol comes back, I'm going to return to my nest."

Something grabbed Flowerkit by the scruff and lifted him. Flowerkit squirmed. "Let me go!" he hissed, but the cat held him easily and began carrying him towards a broken tree stump at one side of the camp. He was dropped in front of it.

"Get in the hole," Willowfang commanded when Flowerkit turned to face her. She fixed him with a glare that made him swallow his protests. Flowerkit turned again and saw what he hadn't before: a tunnel that led under the tree stump, framed by its sturdy roots. Willowfang nudged him roughly from behind and sent him sprawling into the tunnel.

It was small; but Flowerkit had gone no more than four pawsteps before it opened up into a larger space. Flowerkit couldn't see just how large, however, because Willowfang was blocking the only source of light.

"You'll stay in here until Thicketstar decides what to do with you," the tabby growled from outside. Flowerkit could just barely see the glint of her green eyes as she stared down at him. "And don't even think about trying to escape. This is the only exit. If you try digging your way out, the earth will probably cave in on you, and we won't bother getting you out."

A little moonlight reached Flowerkit's eyes, and he could see Willowfang as she stood from her crouch. But then she turned and lay down, her body blocking the entrance, and the kit was plunged into darkness once more.

When Flowerkit's panic finally subdued minutes later, the wave of exhaustion that hit him nearly knocked him off his paws. The tom slipped to the ground, and he was asleep before his eyes were fully closed.

He woke to the sound of loud voices. Flowerkit blinked open his eyes, and for a heartbeat didn't know where he was. Why wasn't Ashenbird beside him? And why wasn't he in a nest?

Suddenly he remembered. I'm in ShadowClan! Flowerkit looked around. He was in the hole underneath the tree stump. Sunlight came in from the tunnel entrance, which was no longer blocked. He heard voices coming from outside the hole, but he couldn't see anyone. Cautiously, he made his way out into the clearing.

An unfamiliar black marbled tabby had her back to Flowerkit. She was arguing with another ShadowClan she-cat, a calico with pale orange eyes. The calico spotted him immediately.

"So you're the little trespasser that woke us all up so rudely last night?" The calico said with a glare. When Flowerkit didn't reply, she snorted and swished her tail. "I lost a good chunk of sleep because of you. Don't you think you should repay me somehow?"

"Oh, lay off, Gingerclaw," the black tabby meowed. She had turned around, but was still looking at the calico she-cat. "You know how kits are, you have your own!"

"Perhaps, but my kits know better," Gingerclaw said with a haughty sniff. Flowerkit immediately took an intense disliking for the queen. She fixed him with a beady stare. "A dare, honestly! A newborn would have more sense than that."

Flowerkit bristled at her tone. He hated cats who talked about him like he wasn't there. Especially Mosskit. But this she-cat was really getting under his nerves. Unfortunately, just as he opened his mouth to say something in his own defense the calico queen turned and ambled off, with a last scowl over her shoulder. Flowerkit fumed silently.

"Don't mind her, dear," the other she-cat, evidently his new guard, mewed gently. "She means well."

"Sure," Flowerkit scoffed. He said nothing more, and instead glared at his paws, seething. The black tabby sat beside him.

"Where's Willowfang? I thought she was my guard," Flowerkit said eventually, after sitting in silence for a while.

The marbled tabby's whiskers twitched. "She was, but she's in her nest now. I'm sure it was a long night for her."

"Oh." Flowerkit looked up. The sun was already fairly high in the sky. He'd slept a long time. He wondered if ThunderClan had even noticed his absence. The kit's shoulders slumped as he considered it. But no, of course Mosskit and the other kits would have noticed. He scowled to himself. They were probably laughing, glad they had gotten rid of him!

"Will Thicketstar let me go?" Flowerkit questioned the warrior. It was a few moments before she replied.

"It's hard to say." The tabby's tail swished. "He might decide to hold you as hostage for a price, and make ThunderClan give up part of their territory to get you back." Shock filled Flowerkit, but then she continued, "Or he may just send you off with a warning. He has to keep the code in mind, too."

"I didn't think I could hurt ThunderClan like that," Flowerkit whispered. "Would they really give up their territory to get me back?" He would have to find a way to escape before that happened.

"What do you think?" she countered.

Flowerkit sighed. "I doubt it. They don't even like me."

"Why not?" the warrior asked. "I thought everyone liked kits." Amusement lightened her mew.

"No way. I bet they're all glad to be rid of me. They probably won't even bother to look for me."

"I'm sure that's not true," the ShadowClan cat purred. "Your clan will be in a panic right now, trust me. But for now, that's not our worry. I'm sure you're hungry, aren't you?"

Her words immediately made Flowerkit conscious of the clawing hunger in his stomach. He'd been trying to ignore it up to now. The tabby caught his expression and laughed gently. "I'll get you something to eat, then we can talk more."

Flowerkit bit back a sharp reply - What if I don't want to talk more? - but the prospect of food was making his belly ache even more. He hadn't eaten since the thrush the day before. "Thanks," he murmured.

"Of course. Follow me," the warrior said and she stood, beckoning to Flowerkit with her tail. Flowerkit followed eagerly. She led him over to the fresh-kill pile, and picked out something small from it. She dropped it at his paws, but when Flowerkit saw what it was, he recoiled in disgust.

"A frog? You eat frogs?" he hissed, staring at the small creature, its legs splayed awkwardly against the ground. He curled his lip. "That's gross."

"We eat what we can," the tabby meowed with a sigh. "Go on. You should be grateful we're feeding you at all."

Flowerkit hedged. The frog did NOT look appetizing in the slightest. But his hunger was adamant, and what the ShadowClan cat was true... He touched it with a claw. One of its limbs flopped over, and he jumped back, fur bristling. "I'm not eating that!" he hissed.

"Fine, fine." His guard set it back onto the pile, exchanging it for a small mouse. Flowerkit accepted it gratefully.

"What are you doing, giving the trespasser a tour?" a voice called out. The marbled she-cat waved her tail dismissively. Flowerkit didn't know who had called out.

As he munched on the mouse, he noticed two pairs of eyes watching him from the shadows at the edge of camp. He stared back, and the eyes disappeared. Flowerkit returned to his meal.

A moment later two kits came scampering out towards him. They were the eyes he'd seen. These kits were actually smaller than him. One was a tiny, solid gray fluffy she-cat and the other was a mottled ginger tom. Flowerkit glared at them, muscles tensed.

"Are you really from ThunderClan?" the gray kitten asked in a squeaky voice. Her eyes widened at Flowerkit's nod. "Wow! Is it true, then, that you live in the trees like squirrels?"

Flowerkit snorted. "Of course not. Our camp is in a hollow, not a tree."

"How old are you?" the she-kit mewed, barely even acknowledging his previous answer.

"Three moons."

"Really? I'm almost two," she replied proudly, puffing out her chest. "We both are. This is my brother, Duskkit," she said, flicking her tail at the tomkit beside her. "And I'm Graykit. Who are you?"

Flowerkit hesitated before responding. "My name's Flowerkit," he finally meowed grudgingly.

The younger tom, Duskkit, looked surprised. "But that's a she-cat's name," he said. "Are you a she-cat?"

"No!" Flowerkit spat. "I'm a tom. It's not my fault I have a stupid name."

"I like it," Graykit declared. "Flowerkit is a good name. I like flowers."

"Yeah, because you're a she-kit," Flowerkit hissed. "I'm not!"

Duskkit scowled. "You don't have to get mad at us about it," he muttered.

"Graykit! Duskkit! I thought I told you to stay away from him!" Gingerclaw was stalking towards them, her expression furious. She swept the two young cats away from Flowerkit. "Don't disobey me! Go back to the nursery!"

"Aww!" Duskkit complained, but they both obeyed the fuming mother. Graykit glanced back over her shoulder. "Bye, Flowerkit!" she cried before scampering after her brother.

Gingerclaw now loomed over him. "Stay away from my kits," she hissed, before turning and padding away after them.

Flowerkit flattened his ears and hissed at the queen's retreating figure. Stupid ShadowClan queen! He hadn't asked them to come over! He started when a light pressure touched his shoulder. The tom turned his head to see the black tabby standing beside him, resting her tail on his shoulder and smiling down at him.

"If you're done your mouse, let's go. We should probably return to the prisoner's den," she meowed.

"Fine," Flowerkit grumbled. He ducked away from her touch and fell into step behind her.

They had almost reached the hole when a raised alarm yowl sounded. "Tresspassers!" It became a chant, spreading through the camp like wildfire as cats turned towards the entrance, fur bristling, claws already out. "Tresspassers, tresspassers!"

Flowerkit looked around in confusion. ShadowClan already knew he was here! What was going on? But then he spied a familiar gray pelt, flanked by two larger ShadowClan cats. His heart thudded.

"Why are you here? State your business before you get shredded!" Thicketstar snarled. The ShadowClan leader's voice was easily heard over the hisses of his clanmates.

"I have come for my kit," Ashenbird declared.