Leafpool and Squirrelflight Swap Roles AU!

How it all begins...

Leafkit and Squirrelkit are born, the daughters of Firestar and Sandstorm. From the very beginning, the two kits are adventurous and sneaky. The kits patrol the camp, seeing what trouble they could possibly get into. Squirrelkit was especially eager to explore the woods and see the world. Leafkit, despite not wanting to get into trouble, followed her, so she could have her sister's back. 

At first, everything seems to be going as it would in the main series. Leafkit is curious about becoming a healer. She watches Cinderpelt in the medicine cat den as she treats Sorrelpaw's broken leg. Leafkit is fascinated about the world of medicine, and she asks Cinderpelt many questions about herbs and different treatment methods. 

Squirrelkit notices this behavior, and is a bit disappointed. She wished she could have Leafkit by her side to train as a warrior. But, Leafkit appeared to be on a separate path than her. Squirrelkit starts practicing her hunting skills, tracking scent trails around camp, and pouncing on a couple of cats' tails. Squirrelkit also learns some fighting moves, and she's prepared to begin her training as a warrior apprentice. 

Yet, something changes. Cinderpelt starts beckoning Squirrelkit over to the medicine cat den, instead of Leafkit. Squirrelkit isn't very fond of medicine cat duties, but she likes to run out of camp, to fulfill some of Cinderpelt's errands. 

Leafkit is completely heartbroken by this change, and she can't help but feel some resent and jealousy toward her sister. She tries to ask Cinderpelt why she can't help her with herbs. Cinderpelt is soft and apologetic. She tells Leafkit that it's for the best, and that she'll understand in time. Leafkit just interprets Cinderpelt's words as a way to gently get her down. 

Sandstorm tries to coax Leafkit by teaching her about the life of a warrior. Leafkit is reluctant, but she picks up on hunting scent trails quickly. She even catches a mouse inside a fallen log! Yet, she doesn't feel satisfied by this lifestyle. 

Then... the nightmares started. At first, only Squirrelkit was getting the dreams.

Hot, thick clouds of smoke surrounded her, stinging at her eyes and causing her to cough harshly. Her dark ginger pelt was fluffed up, bristling. Small embers floated in the air, while flurries of ash came down from the trees above. The ground beneath was charred and black, with dying leaves littering the ground. She heard a distant caterwaul, then, silence fell for a faint moment. A roar of thunder came afterwards, and rain fell down in thick droplets, stopping the holly bushes from burning to a crisp. She caught a glimpse of a feather, but was unable to detect the bird it was from. Then, something attacked her from the side, and she fell over, flames spiraling overhead... 

That wasn't the only dream. 

Shadows surrounded her from all sides. Eyes of all different colors glimmered with malice. She unsheathed her claws, which sunk into the peaty earth beneath her. A heavy array of mist coated her eyes, and she couldn't distinguish any other colors in the bleak terrain. She looked down at her paws, noticing that her white one was stained red. She winced, backing away. Her green eyes glistened, and she realized that there was blood coating the ground in deep puddles. She looked up again, glancing around warily. She heard a deep, throaty purr. "Well done, Squirrel..." 

More dreams followed. 

Hard, dusty stone was underpaw. The light blue sky was distant, and the sum shimmered down like a beacon. The light that radiated from the sun was ferocious and hot, burning at her paws. Around her were steep cliffs with sharp grooves for her paws to fit into. She walked over to a cliff, hauling herself up the sharp rocks. After one last heave, she was in front of a cave. Warily, she padded forward, and she was instantly fit by a wave of cool air. She shivered, her paws stepping into a puddle of shimmering water. Moss lined the walls of the cave, and she swore she could see small crystals around her. Her eyes sparkled at the sight in awe. 

Then, there was the dream that left her with endless questions. 

She padded out of the bramble tunnel, exploring the woods around her. The air was thick with ThunderClan's scent, but this forest wasn't familiar at all. The ground below her was soft and padded, with grass, rock, and moss. The trees loomed overhead, with thick, twisted branches that cast both shadows and sunlight down on the ground. She walked through the tree line, seeing a crow flying overhead. A breeze rustled the leaves around her, and she followed down a path to see her sister watching her with twinkling eyes. Her face lifted into a grin, and then, the world faded away into darkness. 

Leafkit had her own dreams, but they were far more vivid and less detailed. 

Cold. She felt a cold wind blowing across her face, and she closed her eyes as frigid flakes buried themselves into her thin-furred pelt. She could hear the chirps of voices that echoed, sounding as though they were underwater. She bounded forward, laughing and smiling to herself. She caught a glimpse of an orange dawn, and her tail raised in triumph. 

The next dream was far more vague. 

Her fur was bristling, her amber eyes blazing with fury. She started screaming at someone, their pelt darker than a night sky, due to shadows hiding out all their features. She couldn't decipher any of her words. She started trembling, then turned away, her expression utterly broken. 

The last dream was based purely on emotion and color.

Pain. Anger. Red and orange hues. Hurt. Malice. Horror. Silence. 

These dreams helped set the sisters on their paths. When their sixth moon came, Leafkit became a warrior apprentice, Leafpaw, with Ashfur as her mentor. It was a strange choice, considering the gray-flecked tom was still young and learning. Yet, Firestar held strong faith in the warrior, stating that he was prepared for the task of training. And, Squirrelkit became a medicine cat apprentice, Squirrelpaw, under the training of Cinderpelt. The medicine cat held faith in Squirrelpaw's skills, saying she would learn with time. 

The first chapter of their lives, kithood, had ended. Now, prophecies, friendships, and rivalries would take form, and push the sisters further along their new path of destiny.