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Chapter 3

The snow had finally arrived. Goldenkit, who has never experienced the chilling substance, raced out of the den and gazed up at the low, gray sky in wonder.

Slowly, the other kits filed out behind him. Harekit blinked away the sleep from his eyes. "It's so cold out here!" He hissed, his fur fluffing up to combat the leafbare chill.

"That's because it's leafbare, you mouse-brain!" Goldenkit giggled and batted at his friend's ear.

Harekit shook the flakes of snow from his fur. "Still, I don't like it."

The other warriors were all sleepily emerging from their dens, each one looking up at the sky. Some growled in anger and contempt, and others purred in delight.

"Now we can go ice fishing!" Lionclaw whipped his tail back and forth excitedly. "Whitepelt, you should come along! You'll blend in so well." He brushed his tail along her flank with a laugh.

"I suppose." The white warrior blinked. "Oddly enough, snow isn't really my thing." She retreated back to her nest and watched the rest of the clan from afar.

Goldenkit bounded up to the group of chattering cats. "Can I go ice fishing?" He asked, continuing to bounce up and down in place.

"Me too!" Harekit joined him.

Lionclaw stopped talking and focused his attention on the kits. "Sorry, but you're too little. Plus, Goldenkit, if you were to fall in, you'd be trapped beneath the ice."

The black and white kit growled, baring his tiny fangs in annoyance. "Everyone still remembers that! I won't fall in, I promise."

Harekit covered his mouth with a paw to hide his giggles. Goldenkit, still visibly irritated, jabbed him the side with his elbow.

"We can't take any chances," Lionclaw shrugged. "I'd feel awful if I were responsible for the unfortunate death of a kit."

"But I- oh, never mind." Goldenkit shuffled off back towards the nursery. Several flakes of snow landed delicately on his pink nose. With a sneeze, they flew away, and landed amongst the rest in the deep banks that drowned the kits.

Harekit trotted along behind him. "Now what are we going to do?" Before Goldenkit could offer a convoluted scheme in response, they were interrupted by a soft mew.

"Where'd you guys go?" A fluffy, gray and white kit poked his head out of the nursery, it was Greenkit. "Goldenkit, you're mom was worried."

"She's always worried!" Goldenkit huffed. It was true, the queen always monitored her kit, her diligence never seemed to take a rest. Many of the cats excused it as acceptable since she lost her other two, but Goldenkit still despised his mother's watchfulness. "Wanna play mossball?" He suggested with a shrug of the shoulders.

Harekit sighed and rolled his eyes. "We always play mossball, but sure."

"I think it'll be fun, here," Greenkit rolled out a ball of moss with his paw. "It's all you, Harekit! Catch!" He swung his paw and smacked the ball of moss, sending it soaring towards the ginger tom.

"I got it! I got it!" Harekit dove for the ball, but instead it made contact with his face. "Ouch! It's frozen solid!" He cried out.

"Oops, I probably should've brought it inside the den last night." Greenkit mewed sheepishly.

Goldenkit laughed at his friend's misfortune. "Well, I suppose that game is done. It's not like we can go find more moss." He glanced out at the surrounding RiverClan territory. The freezing snow had blanketed just about everything. The branches, the sand, even the elder's den (several warriors had to dig out poor old Snowfur from his namesake).

"I wish we weren't kits." Harekit grumbled. "Maybe then we could leave the camp and go find some unfrozen moss."

"Or go ice fishing." Goldenkit piped up. He sat and thought for a moment. "I suppose we don't need to be warriors or apprentices to leave the camp."

Both Harekit and Greenkit narrowed their eyes and looked at each other, wondering where Goldenkit was going with this idea. "What are you talking about?" Greenkit squeaked. "We can't leave the camp, the warriors won't allow it, let alone your mother."

"So? What can they do about it?" Goldenkit padded forward, peering around for a way out. "I got out once I can do it again."

"I don't want to end up in the river!" Greenkit wept and covered his face with his paws. "I can't swim!"

"Does everybody have to bring that up?" Goldenkit screeched. He closed his eyes, tried to hold back a slew of choice words for his friend, and bit his lip. "Anyway," he began, "lets actually go do something fun. I'm so tired of being cooped up in here, with every warrior playing babysitter."

The other two nodded in agreement.

Goldenkit led the way, sneaking over to the entrance. The snow was melted and worn away from all the traffic, this way their paw prints won't be detected. "Lets make a break for it, there's no guards!" Goldenkit mewed excitedly.

All three kits dashed out from the entrance, and the open RiverClan territory greeted them.

"It's so big!" Greenkit gasped.

"It's bigger than I could ever imagine!" Harekit breathed, his breath escaping from his mouth in a billowing cloud.

"Seen it," Goldenkit meowed and padded along. "Now, does anyone here know how to ice fish, or just fish?"

The other two kits shook their heads slowly. None of them had even a shred of hunting experience, besides when they hunted their mothers' tails.

Harekit squinted against the bright leafbare sun and noticed some cats by the bank. "Hey it's some apprentices over there. Maybe they'll help us!"

All three scurried over to where Frostpaw, Pebblepaw and Perchpaw were playing in the snow. Frostpaw noticed the kits approaching and growled, "What are you three little minnows up to?"

Goldenkit skidded to a stop, spraying snow in the air, and stood tall, acting as though he was much larger than what he actually was. "We were wondering if you could teach us how to ice fish." He said, lifting his chin.

Frostpaw glanced back at his two companions. Perchpaw and Pebblepaw shifted uncomfortably on their paws, both knew that kits shouldn't leave the camp and that they could get in trouble. "Why?" The white tom asked.

"Because the warriors wouldn't let us join them!" Greenkit piped up.

A small, sly grin began to spread on Frostpaw's face. "I suppose you guys can join us." He paused and flashed a mischievous look at Pebblepaw, who lowered her ears and broke the eye contact between them. "In fact, how about you kits join our game? It's really fun."

All three kittens looked at each other, their eyes sparkling. An apprentice actually invited them to play! They forgot all about the ice fishing and instead were eager to play a new game.

"What do we have to do?" Harekit cocked his head to the side.
"All you have to do is prove you're the bravest cat in RiverClan by crossing the ice to Sunningrocks and back. Legend has it that anyone who completes the challenge will become a great warrior."

"That's not-" Perchpaw spat but he was silenced by Frostpaw's tail.

Goldenkit's eyes grew wide. He desired to be the greatest warrior RiverClan- no, no- the whole forest has ever seen! "I'll do it!" He raced to the edge of the ice, and gingerly stepped on the frozen surface. "So all the way to the edge?" He turned around and faced Frostpaw.

"Yup." Frostpaw nodded. Pebblepaw and Perchpaw both had matching pained expressions on their face, each struggled to watch the impending disaster unfold before their eyes.

Goldenkit skidded along the ice, using his claws as leverage. "This is easy!" He smiled with confidence.

A little ways over, a fishing patrol was gathering their catch for the day. "What is that cat doing on the ice?" Lionclaw flicked his ear in the direction of Goldenkit. "Don't they know the ice is weak out there?"

"Probably a loner," Rivertail sighed and grabbed a fish. "They'll learn their lesson."
Ravenheart remained silent. Without a warning, he dashed off towards Goldenkit, hoping he wouldn't be too late.

"Ravenheart!" Rivertail meowed.

"Get back here! The ice isn't safe!" Lionclaw called out after him.

Goldenkit made tiny steps, placing one paw in front of the other. "Easy now..." The ice beneath him made a cracking sound, as if it were under stress. His heart began to race, and he could feel it coming up into his throat. "That was n-nothing." Goldenkit told himself. "Just, n-nothing." Even though he lied to himself, he couldn't hide the truth. Fear stabbed through him.

"How are you doing?" Frostpaw yelled, his voice carrying over to Goldenkit.

"I'm fine!" The kit called back. "Just fine," he murmured to himself. There was another loud crack, followed by a series of creaks. "G-guys!" Goldenkit whimpered. He suddenly remembered what Lionclaw had said. 'If you were to fall in, you'd be trapped beneath the ice'. Goldenkit tried to push away the morbid images of himself drowning, unable to reach air because the sheet of ice was a barrier. He imagined his lifeless body sinking into the dark depths of the abyssal river, swept away by the current to StarClan knows where...

Goldenkit snapped back to reality. He remembered his task at hand, and took one paw step forward...

The ice beneath him broke, and just as his tail touched the frigid water, Ravenheart had swept in at the last possible second and grabbed him by the scruff. Goldenkit was too shocked to let out a scream and instead only a whimper escaped his throat. He could feel hot tears at the corners of his eyes, but he fought in vain to hold them back, lest a warrior saw him crying!

"I gotcha." Ravenheart meowed softly, trying his best to soothe the startled kit. He cautiously padded over to the bank, where he placed a trembling Goldenkit down in the snow. "Can any of you explain yourselves?" He growled, his voice surprisingly level.
Lionclaw and Rivertail had arrived, both out of breath. "What happened?" Rivertail demanded.

"They were about to explain themselves." Ravenheart told them while stepping aside. "C'mon, tell them what happened."

All the apprentices and kits were stunned, each one speechless. Little Goldenkit shivered violently, mostly from fright.

"We, uh, asked them to play a game." Frostpaw refused to make eye contact. "And the game was that you have to cross the, uh, ice and get to, um, the other side." He was clearly feeling guilty.

"I see." Rivertail looked at Ravenheart. "You take him to Grassfur, Lionclaw and I will take everyone else to Lonestar."

"L-Lonestar?" Frostpaw choked.

"Putting a kit's life in danger warrants some sort of punishment. Wouldn't you agree?" Rivertail's green gaze pierced right through Frostpaw.

Ravenheart picked Goldenkit up in his jaws and carried him over through the camp entrance and towards the medicine den. The other cats stared in amusement until they realized it was serious.

Grassfur was in his den with his back facing the entrance when he heard someone enter. "Longwhisker, I swear to StarClan if you have another bellyache I will- oh, hey Ravenheart. I was not expecting you." His smile faded when his blue eyes settled on Goldenkit. "Oh."

"He almost fell in." Ravenheart explained. "I grabbed him just as his tail touched the water. I'm sure he's suffering from shock."

Grassfur immediately went to his storage and returned with a leaf wrap. "And you are correct," he meowed. "I'll administer some poppy seeds. It's all I have to help him in this situation."

Goldenkit lapped up the seeds, and began to feel drowsy in an instant.
"He should probably stay with me for the night." Grassfur continued, putting the remaining seeds back in the wrap.

"That would be a good idea," Ravenheart agreed. "Do you need me for anything else?"
"Your assistance won't be necessary, thank you, Ravenheart." Grassfur blinked.

The dark tabby tom dipped his head and left, leaving Grassfur alone with a sleeping kit.
Though he wasn't alone for long.

Lonestar stalked in, his pelt bristling with anger. "What is this all about?" He roared.
"Kits and apprentices were being numb-skulls, what's new?" Grassfur placed Goldenkit in a small, makeshift nest made of feathers.

"This is beyond unbelievable. What about the prophecy-"

"I'm pretty damn sure that StarClan won't kill off their poster child for RiverClan's redemption." The elderly cat laughed.

"This is serious, Grassfur. You can never be too careful, StarClan can and will change the course of destiny at the blink of an eye."

"I know, I'll be the first one to tell you that. But, think about it. Would they honestly kill off the subject of the message they sent me?" Grassfur shrugged. "I'm still wondering what's so special about him in the first place."

Lonestar glanced over at Goldenkit. "Hell if I know." He grumbled. "That kits gets into more trouble than a fox. He's already getting under my skin and he's been around for four moons."

"Lets be honest, Lonestar," Grassfur laughed, "Every cat gets under your skin, no matter how many moons they are."

Lonestar had to give a smile.

"Who's going to tell-" Lonestar was cut off by a yowl.

"Goldenkit?! GOLDENKIT?!" Dewflower frantically dashed into the medicine den, whipping her head around trying to search for her kit.

"Looks like she already found out, I guess news travels fast in RiverClan." Grassfur mumbled under his breath. "Dewflower, I ask that you be quiet because Goldenkit is fast asleep. I gave him poppy seeds."

The queen didn't look convinced. "Are you sure those are okay for him? What if he has an allergic reaction? What if they don't agree with his belly?"

Grassfur could not stand working with queens. "He's fine!" He snapped. "I've been giving hundreds of cats poppy seeds for the entirety of my career, no one has died yet."

Dewflower reeled back, flattening her ears and raising her hackles. Surprised by Grassfur's outburst, she was silent.

"Grassfur has everything under control." Lonestar stated calmly. "I will handle the punishments for those involved."

"The others who did this to my Goldenkit better get what they deserve!" Dewflower hissed, unsheathing her claws and burying them in the frozen dirt.

Lonestar tried not to lose his temper. "They will receive an appropriate punishment, and Goldenkit will receive his as well."

"What do you mean?" Dewflower's eyes became slits. "My Goldenkit did absolutely nothing wrong."

"He broke the very obvious rule concerning kits leaving the camp." Lonestar brought up. "It was his choice to leave the safety of the camp and to walk across the ice."

Dewflower tried to string together strong words into a sentence, but her anger resisted. All that came out was a sputtering growl. "This is unfair," she finally managed to say.

Goldenkit kicked a little in his sleep as he was dreaming. Dewflower noticed this and quickly went to grab him, but Grassfur leaped to block her path. "No, he's staying with me for the night so I can monitor him."

"Then may I stay with him?"

"No. You may continue sleeping in the nursery, in your own nest. The medicine den is exclusively for cats who need my assistance." Grassfur shoved her out of the den. "Now please, do us a favor and calm down, go grab a piece of fresh-kill or take a nap."

Dewflower attempted to protest, but Grassfur gave her one last shove. Admitting defeat, she left to find Dusktail.

"What a drama queen," Grassfur snorted. "Are you going to be addressing the others?" He walked over to Lonestar, who was watching the entire spectacle with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Oh, yes of course. I will do that immediately." Lonestar gave a purr. "Drama queens, that was a good one."

Description

Chapter 3

The snow had finally arrived. Goldenkit, who has never experienced the chilling substance, raced out of the den and gazed up at the low, gray sky in wonder.

Slowly, the other kits filed out behind him. Harekit blinked away the sleep from his eyes. "It's so cold out here!" He hissed, his fur fluffing up to combat the leafbare chill.

"That's because it's leafbare, you mouse-brain!" Goldenkit giggled and batted at his friend's ear.

Harekit shook the flakes of snow from his fur. "Still, I don't like it."

The other warriors were all sleepily emerging from their dens, each one looking up at the sky. Some growled in anger and contempt, and others purred in delight.

"Now we can go ice fishing!" Lionclaw whipped his tail back and forth excitedly. "Whitepelt, you should come along! You'll blend in so well." He brushed his tail along her flank with a laugh.

"I suppose." The white warrior blinked. "Oddly enough, snow isn't really my thing." She retreated back to her nest and watched the rest of the clan from afar.

Goldenkit bounded up to the group of chattering cats. "Can I go ice fishing?" He asked, continuing to bounce up and down in place.

"Me too!" Harekit joined him.

Lionclaw stopped talking and focused his attention on the kits. "Sorry, but you're too little. Plus, Goldenkit, if you were to fall in, you'd be trapped beneath the ice."

The black and white kit growled, baring his tiny fangs in annoyance. "Everyone still remembers that! I won't fall in, I promise."

Harekit covered his mouth with a paw to hide his giggles. Goldenkit, still visibly irritated, jabbed him the side with his elbow.

"We can't take any chances," Lionclaw shrugged. "I'd feel awful if I were responsible for the unfortunate death of a kit."

"But I- oh, never mind." Goldenkit shuffled off back towards the nursery. Several flakes of snow landed delicately on his pink nose. With a sneeze, they flew away, and landed amongst the rest in the deep banks that drowned the kits.

Harekit trotted along behind him. "Now what are we going to do?" Before Goldenkit could offer a convoluted scheme in response, they were interrupted by a soft mew.

"Where'd you guys go?" A fluffy, gray and white kit poked his head out of the nursery, it was Greenkit. "Goldenkit, you're mom was worried."

"She's always worried!" Goldenkit huffed. It was true, the queen always monitored her kit, her diligence never seemed to take a rest. Many of the cats excused it as acceptable since she lost her other two, but Goldenkit still despised his mother's watchfulness. "Wanna play mossball?" He suggested with a shrug of the shoulders.

Harekit sighed and rolled his eyes. "We always play mossball, but sure."

"I think it'll be fun, here," Greenkit rolled out a ball of moss with his paw. "It's all you, Harekit! Catch!" He swung his paw and smacked the ball of moss, sending it soaring towards the ginger tom.

"I got it! I got it!" Harekit dove for the ball, but instead it made contact with his face. "Ouch! It's frozen solid!" He cried out.

"Oops, I probably should've brought it inside the den last night." Greenkit mewed sheepishly.

Goldenkit laughed at his friend's misfortune. "Well, I suppose that game is done. It's not like we can go find more moss." He glanced out at the surrounding RiverClan territory. The freezing snow had blanketed just about everything. The branches, the sand, even the elder's den (several warriors had to dig out poor old Snowfur from his namesake).

"I wish we weren't kits." Harekit grumbled. "Maybe then we could leave the camp and go find some unfrozen moss."

"Or go ice fishing." Goldenkit piped up. He sat and thought for a moment. "I suppose we don't need to be warriors or apprentices to leave the camp."

Both Harekit and Greenkit narrowed their eyes and looked at each other, wondering where Goldenkit was going with this idea. "What are you talking about?" Greenkit squeaked. "We can't leave the camp, the warriors won't allow it, let alone your mother."

"So? What can they do about it?" Goldenkit padded forward, peering around for a way out. "I got out once I can do it again."

"I don't want to end up in the river!" Greenkit wept and covered his face with his paws. "I can't swim!"

"Does everybody have to bring that up?" Goldenkit screeched. He closed his eyes, tried to hold back a slew of choice words for his friend, and bit his lip. "Anyway," he began, "lets actually go do something fun. I'm so tired of being cooped up in here, with every warrior playing babysitter."

The other two nodded in agreement.

Goldenkit led the way, sneaking over to the entrance. The snow was melted and worn away from all the traffic, this way their paw prints won't be detected. "Lets make a break for it, there's no guards!" Goldenkit mewed excitedly.

All three kits dashed out from the entrance, and the open RiverClan territory greeted them.

"It's so big!" Greenkit gasped.

"It's bigger than I could ever imagine!" Harekit breathed, his breath escaping from his mouth in a billowing cloud.

"Seen it," Goldenkit meowed and padded along. "Now, does anyone here know how to ice fish, or just fish?"

The other two kits shook their heads slowly. None of them had even a shred of hunting experience, besides when they hunted their mothers' tails.

Harekit squinted against the bright leafbare sun and noticed some cats by the bank. "Hey it's some apprentices over there. Maybe they'll help us!"

All three scurried over to where Frostpaw, Pebblepaw and Perchpaw were playing in the snow. Frostpaw noticed the kits approaching and growled, "What are you three little minnows up to?"

Goldenkit skidded to a stop, spraying snow in the air, and stood tall, acting as though he was much larger than what he actually was. "We were wondering if you could teach us how to ice fish." He said, lifting his chin.

Frostpaw glanced back at his two companions. Perchpaw and Pebblepaw shifted uncomfortably on their paws, both knew that kits shouldn't leave the camp and that they could get in trouble. "Why?" The white tom asked.

"Because the warriors wouldn't let us join them!" Greenkit piped up.

A small, sly grin began to spread on Frostpaw's face. "I suppose you guys can join us." He paused and flashed a mischievous look at Pebblepaw, who lowered her ears and broke the eye contact between them. "In fact, how about you kits join our game? It's really fun."

All three kittens looked at each other, their eyes sparkling. An apprentice actually invited them to play! They forgot all about the ice fishing and instead were eager to play a new game.

"What do we have to do?" Harekit cocked his head to the side.
"All you have to do is prove you're the bravest cat in RiverClan by crossing the ice to Sunningrocks and back. Legend has it that anyone who completes the challenge will become a great warrior."

"That's not-" Perchpaw spat but he was silenced by Frostpaw's tail.

Goldenkit's eyes grew wide. He desired to be the greatest warrior RiverClan- no, no- the whole forest has ever seen! "I'll do it!" He raced to the edge of the ice, and gingerly stepped on the frozen surface. "So all the way to the edge?" He turned around and faced Frostpaw.

"Yup." Frostpaw nodded. Pebblepaw and Perchpaw both had matching pained expressions on their face, each struggled to watch the impending disaster unfold before their eyes.

Goldenkit skidded along the ice, using his claws as leverage. "This is easy!" He smiled with confidence.

A little ways over, a fishing patrol was gathering their catch for the day. "What is that cat doing on the ice?" Lionclaw flicked his ear in the direction of Goldenkit. "Don't they know the ice is weak out there?"

"Probably a loner," Rivertail sighed and grabbed a fish. "They'll learn their lesson."
Ravenheart remained silent. Without a warning, he dashed off towards Goldenkit, hoping he wouldn't be too late.

"Ravenheart!" Rivertail meowed.

"Get back here! The ice isn't safe!" Lionclaw called out after him.

Goldenkit made tiny steps, placing one paw in front of the other. "Easy now..." The ice beneath him made a cracking sound, as if it were under stress. His heart began to race, and he could feel it coming up into his throat. "That was n-nothing." Goldenkit told himself. "Just, n-nothing." Even though he lied to himself, he couldn't hide the truth. Fear stabbed through him.

"How are you doing?" Frostpaw yelled, his voice carrying over to Goldenkit.

"I'm fine!" The kit called back. "Just fine," he murmured to himself. There was another loud crack, followed by a series of creaks. "G-guys!" Goldenkit whimpered. He suddenly remembered what Lionclaw had said. 'If you were to fall in, you'd be trapped beneath the ice'. Goldenkit tried to push away the morbid images of himself drowning, unable to reach air because the sheet of ice was a barrier. He imagined his lifeless body sinking into the dark depths of the abyssal river, swept away by the current to StarClan knows where...

Goldenkit snapped back to reality. He remembered his task at hand, and took one paw step forward...

The ice beneath him broke, and just as his tail touched the frigid water, Ravenheart had swept in at the last possible second and grabbed him by the scruff. Goldenkit was too shocked to let out a scream and instead only a whimper escaped his throat. He could feel hot tears at the corners of his eyes, but he fought in vain to hold them back, lest a warrior saw him crying!

"I gotcha." Ravenheart meowed softly, trying his best to soothe the startled kit. He cautiously padded over to the bank, where he placed a trembling Goldenkit down in the snow. "Can any of you explain yourselves?" He growled, his voice surprisingly level.
Lionclaw and Rivertail had arrived, both out of breath. "What happened?" Rivertail demanded.

"They were about to explain themselves." Ravenheart told them while stepping aside. "C'mon, tell them what happened."

All the apprentices and kits were stunned, each one speechless. Little Goldenkit shivered violently, mostly from fright.

"We, uh, asked them to play a game." Frostpaw refused to make eye contact. "And the game was that you have to cross the, uh, ice and get to, um, the other side." He was clearly feeling guilty.

"I see." Rivertail looked at Ravenheart. "You take him to Grassfur, Lionclaw and I will take everyone else to Lonestar."

"L-Lonestar?" Frostpaw choked.

"Putting a kit's life in danger warrants some sort of punishment. Wouldn't you agree?" Rivertail's green gaze pierced right through Frostpaw.

Ravenheart picked Goldenkit up in his jaws and carried him over through the camp entrance and towards the medicine den. The other cats stared in amusement until they realized it was serious.

Grassfur was in his den with his back facing the entrance when he heard someone enter. "Longwhisker, I swear to StarClan if you have another bellyache I will- oh, hey Ravenheart. I was not expecting you." His smile faded when his blue eyes settled on Goldenkit. "Oh."

"He almost fell in." Ravenheart explained. "I grabbed him just as his tail touched the water. I'm sure he's suffering from shock."

Grassfur immediately went to his storage and returned with a leaf wrap. "And you are correct," he meowed. "I'll administer some poppy seeds. It's all I have to help him in this situation."

Goldenkit lapped up the seeds, and began to feel drowsy in an instant.
"He should probably stay with me for the night." Grassfur continued, putting the remaining seeds back in the wrap.

"That would be a good idea," Ravenheart agreed. "Do you need me for anything else?"
"Your assistance won't be necessary, thank you, Ravenheart." Grassfur blinked.

The dark tabby tom dipped his head and left, leaving Grassfur alone with a sleeping kit.
Though he wasn't alone for long.

Lonestar stalked in, his pelt bristling with anger. "What is this all about?" He roared.
"Kits and apprentices were being numb-skulls, what's new?" Grassfur placed Goldenkit in a small, makeshift nest made of feathers.

"This is beyond unbelievable. What about the prophecy-"

"I'm pretty damn sure that StarClan won't kill off their poster child for RiverClan's redemption." The elderly cat laughed.

"This is serious, Grassfur. You can never be too careful, StarClan can and will change the course of destiny at the blink of an eye."

"I know, I'll be the first one to tell you that. But, think about it. Would they honestly kill off the subject of the message they sent me?" Grassfur shrugged. "I'm still wondering what's so special about him in the first place."

Lonestar glanced over at Goldenkit. "Hell if I know." He grumbled. "That kits gets into more trouble than a fox. He's already getting under my skin and he's been around for four moons."

"Lets be honest, Lonestar," Grassfur laughed, "Every cat gets under your skin, no matter how many moons they are."

Lonestar had to give a smile.

"Who's going to tell-" Lonestar was cut off by a yowl.

"Goldenkit?! GOLDENKIT?!" Dewflower frantically dashed into the medicine den, whipping her head around trying to search for her kit.

"Looks like she already found out, I guess news travels fast in RiverClan." Grassfur mumbled under his breath. "Dewflower, I ask that you be quiet because Goldenkit is fast asleep. I gave him poppy seeds."

The queen didn't look convinced. "Are you sure those are okay for him? What if he has an allergic reaction? What if they don't agree with his belly?"

Grassfur could not stand working with queens. "He's fine!" He snapped. "I've been giving hundreds of cats poppy seeds for the entirety of my career, no one has died yet."

Dewflower reeled back, flattening her ears and raising her hackles. Surprised by Grassfur's outburst, she was silent.

"Grassfur has everything under control." Lonestar stated calmly. "I will handle the punishments for those involved."

"The others who did this to my Goldenkit better get what they deserve!" Dewflower hissed, unsheathing her claws and burying them in the frozen dirt.

Lonestar tried not to lose his temper. "They will receive an appropriate punishment, and Goldenkit will receive his as well."

"What do you mean?" Dewflower's eyes became slits. "My Goldenkit did absolutely nothing wrong."

"He broke the very obvious rule concerning kits leaving the camp." Lonestar brought up. "It was his choice to leave the safety of the camp and to walk across the ice."

Dewflower tried to string together strong words into a sentence, but her anger resisted. All that came out was a sputtering growl. "This is unfair," she finally managed to say.

Goldenkit kicked a little in his sleep as he was dreaming. Dewflower noticed this and quickly went to grab him, but Grassfur leaped to block her path. "No, he's staying with me for the night so I can monitor him."

"Then may I stay with him?"

"No. You may continue sleeping in the nursery, in your own nest. The medicine den is exclusively for cats who need my assistance." Grassfur shoved her out of the den. "Now please, do us a favor and calm down, go grab a piece of fresh-kill or take a nap."

Dewflower attempted to protest, but Grassfur gave her one last shove. Admitting defeat, she left to find Dusktail.

"What a drama queen," Grassfur snorted. "Are you going to be addressing the others?" He walked over to Lonestar, who was watching the entire spectacle with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Oh, yes of course. I will do that immediately." Lonestar gave a purr. "Drama queens, that was a good one."