Tawnystar's Secret

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Tawnykit opened her eyes. Now she was three moons old! She sighed at the weight of Sedgekit draped over her.

"My little warriors awake! How about you go and explore the camp again?" Bluestorm nudged her.

Tawnykit yawned and stretched, but she couldn't say no to an invitation to explore. "Okay!" She scrambled out of the spongy moss and headed for the entrance.

"Stay in camp!" Bluestorm called after her.

Tawnykit raced out of the nursery, and looked around for Applefire. There! He was eating a fish with another warrior, Blacklight. "Applefire!" She yowled, racing at him. She bunched her muscles before leaping onto his back.

"She's got me!" He yowled, flopping onto his side. Tawnykit sniffed the fish.

"Wanna try some?"Blacklight offered. He pushed the fish towards her, and it's scales sparked in the sun.

Tawnykit took a bite, and almost spit the fish back out. It took force for her to swallow it. "Eww!" She mewed.

Applefire purred in amusement. "So your not that much of a RiverClan cat, huh? Don't worry, your mother was the same." He stood up. "Why don't you go see the elders?"

"Okay!" Tawnykit let Applefire lick her forehead before he scampered over to a hollow log.

Tawnykit picked her way in, and before she knew what was happening, she had been given a slobbery lick on her forehead.

"Hello Sundance." She mewed cheerfully. The elders always made her feel so at home, as if they were her real family, other then Applefire.

Tawnykit sat down beside Sundance. "So, Bluestorm told me that I'm not her real kit. She also told me that the elders knew almost everything, so I suspect you knew my mother?"

Sundance sighed. "She was my kit, Tawnykit. She had been suffering terrible Greencough the night you were born, but thank StarClan you survived. Your mother, Minnowtail, also has a sister. If you want to know stuff I can't tell you, maybe Salmontail can."

Tawnykit looked up at Sundance. "Can you tell me who else I'm related to?"

Sundance shook her head. "We are all related."

Tawnykit stared up at Sundance in amazement. "How?"

Sundance smiled. "Long ago, there was only four cats in each clan. They had kits, and their kits had kits. And our clan keeps on growing. Every generation is still related to those four original cats. So you even might have ancestors from a different clan."

"How? Isn't that against the warrior code?" Tawnykit asked, excited about the subject.

"You see, love is too strong for some cats. Borders and the warrior code can't hold it back." Sundance explained, suddenly sounding like a leader.

"Oh." Tawnykit sounded less then impressed. "But that would mean that I might have some ShadowClan blood?"

"You might." Sundance purred.

"But they eat rotten CrowFood!" Tawnykit spat in disgust.

"Now, now. Don't go around thinking the other clans are mouse-brained. They have strengths, and tricks, that we don't even know about. The other clans are strong, Tawnykit." Sundance tried to explain evenly.

"Is it wrong to think that RiverClans the best, then?" Tawnykit asked.

"Oh no! Dear kit, RiverClan is your home. Your family. Of course it's alright!" Sundance then added something more sternly. "But never call the other clans names."

Tawnykit stood up. "I'm going to go see if Bluestorms got Stormkit, Sedgekit, and Sparrowkit up yet!"

"Okay, run along now." Sundance meowed quietly, already lost in thoughts.

Tawnykit emerged out of the nursery just as Aspenfrost and her sister, Poppyleaf emerged from the ravine, panic striken.

Skystar padded out of his den. His long white fur floated like a cloud. "What's wrong?"

Poppyleaf stepped forward.

"ShadowClan is attacking!"