Chapter Four

Bitingly cold winds buffeted against the stony walls that surrounded ThunderClan's camp. Thick clops of snow fell upon the ground, making the air feel even colder if it was possible. It was leafbare, and every cat that lived beside the lake could feel the icy claws that effected the Clans.

A flake of snow landed on Flamekit's nose as he stood outside the nursery. He squealed in surprise at the sudden cold that chilled him to the bone. Lilykit and Shrewkit, his siblings, peered outside the nursery to see what their brother was up to. Flamekit was always looking for ways to get himself into trouble. Just yesterday he had tried to leave with the dawn patrol. Luckily his father Oakfire had found him before he could get too far. The day before he had found an interesting looking leaf outside Dusknose's den. The old medicine cat had been so furious that he was confined to the nursery for the rest of that day.

Now Flamekit was outside once again, avoiding his siblings and enjoying the cold weather. Despite what everyone thought of the troublesome kit, he loved the outside. He couldn't wait to become an apprentice and explore the territory. Cats often complained about the cold but he didn't seem to mind. Instead he endured it the best he could without getting sick.

"Flamekit, get back inside!" His mother, Roseclaw, had found him. Flamekit groaned and turned around to see that she had herded Lilykit and Shrewkit back inside. Roseclaw was now glaring at him when she took a step outside. "What are you doing outside the nursery?" she demanded when she looked down at him.

He hated it when she looked down at him like that. It made him feel inferior to his mother, who was much bigger and stronger. He wanted to prove to her that he was stronger and better than his siblings, though he knew that wasn't entirely true.

"I wanted to see what snow looks like," he told her straight out.

It was the truth. Oakfire had told them that snow would come the other night. Flamekit wanted to see what the snow looked like in the worst way. But Oakfire had only told them to avoid yellow snow, and to stay inside when it started. His curiosity had gotten the better of him. He just wanted to see what the camp and the snow looked like after Oakfire described it to him. He already managed to explore the entire camp, and now he was beginning to see what the rest of the world around him looked like.

It's so much bigger than Oakfire ever described, he thought after noticing that the camp entrance was heavily guarded. He had been tempted to sneak out of camp that night. The snow was just the beginning of his exploring. Yet, Flamekit realized just how mousebrained that idea was. Even if he did manage to sneak out of camp undetected, he would easily get lost and never find his way back unless a patrol managed to find him.

His mother would never let him live it down if a patrol found him while he was out on his own adventure. StarClan, he couldn't imagine what Shrewkit would say if he was caught! His brother was already unhappy enough with him, he didn't want to give Shrewkit more reasons to complain.

"Get inside now before you catch a cold," Roseclaw meowed sternly.

Flamekit stared at her defiantly. He would stay outside until his whiskers froze. That would show his mother just how strong he was. He wanted to be just like Oakfire – brave, loyal, and a true warrior to the end. He couldn't do that if he couldn't stand the cold.

"Stubborn little brat!" Roseclaw hissed and grabbed him by the scruff. Flamekit yelped in surprise at her sudden attack. He wriggled around and tried to get free, but her grip was strong. She didn't release him until they were inside the nursery. "I'll be sleeping by the entrance tonight," she added when she dropped him on a nest of moss and feathers.

He glared at his mother before turning his back on her. There was no way she would get away with this. He knew just how to get under her skin, and this was one of those moments. Shrewkit was still watching him carefully while Lilykit rolled her eyes and chewed on a mouse that had been given to her.

"Wanna play catch the mouse?" he asked when Lilykit swallowed.

Lilykit's eyes lit up before she swatted the mouse towards him. Flamekit caught it between his claws and threw it towards Shrewkit. Shrewkit saw what was going on and immediately joined in the game. Once the mouse flew into the air it was caught by Heatherpelt. Flamekit's eyes narrowed into tiny slits when he stared at the only other queen in the nursery.

"You're supposed to appreciate the prey you are given, especially during leafbare," she snapped when she handed the mouse to Lilykit. "When are you kits going to learn some manners?"

She glared pointedly at Roseclaw, whose ears flattened and teeth bared in a snarl.

Their mother had always been fiercely defensive. That was how Roseclaw had earned her name. Despite the gentle sounding beginning of her name, Roseclaw was a wild spitfire waiting to erupt. At least that was what Oakfire had described her as when she wasn't around. He often spent time in the nursery to keep an eye on the kits, and Flamekit was thankful to have such a supportive father. He couldn't imagine life without one, and how much worse Roseclaw would act.

Flamekit sat near the edge of the nursery, uncertain about what he could do now. With Heatherpelt and Roseclaw watching him like a pair of hawks, there was no way he could escape. The only thing he could do was sit it out and wait. Maybe Oakfire would come back with tales of the forest. Or Hawktalon might even come and visit them.

His eyes lit up at the thought of seeing Hawktalon again. Roseclaw's brother was almost always too busy to visit the nursery. But when he did he spent much of his time telling the kits what it was like to be deputy. Hawktalon had a good sense of humor despite his harsh sounding name. He was nothing like Roseclaw, who would snap at anything that got in her way. Flamekit suddenly wondered how a pair of siblings could be so different.

Then he thought of Shrewkit, who acted and behaved nothing like him. Flamekit's lips curled in disdain as he thought of all the remarks Shrewkit had made about him. They were always rude and full of jibes that would make Flamekit so angry. Shrewkit had tried acting like he was the better kit by listening to Roseclaw. In truth Flamekit saw him as nothing more than a coward.

"Flamekit always manages to somehow get us into trouble," Shrewkit complained as he sat beside Lilykit. She simply ignored him and continued eating her mouse until it was gone. "Why can't he just act like a normal kit for once?"

"Because normal is boring." Flamekit was thankful for his sister's support. Lilykit's eyes were glowing with warmth when she looked at Shrewkit. "You know as well as I do that we'd be bored stiff if it wasn't for him."

He had to restrain a purr that threatened to follow at his sister's affection. One thing he had always been grateful for was the fact that Lilykit always seemed to take his side when it came to making rash decisions. Shrewkit was just an old bundle of fur who didn't like doing anything that broke the rules.

"It's not like you've ever come up with good ideas anyways," Flamekit snorted when he reached them.

Shrewkit glared at him. His claws unsheathed and he dropped into a crouch. A squeal sounded from Lilykit and she jumped aside when Shrewkit lunged. Flamekit was ready for the move, though. He met Shrewkit's lunge with an equally powerful blow to the muzzle. He swatted his paw across Shrewkit's nose and managed to send his smaller-sized brother tumbling.

Once he recovered from the attack, Shrewkit sprang to his paws and bounded forward once more. This time Flamekit grinned and dodged to side, letting his brother's fur brush against him. Shrewkit tumbled into Roseclaw's belly, and their mother hissed at him in annoyance.

"Why can't you two get along just once?" she demanded in a heavy sigh.

"He started it," Flamekit grumbled. He stuck his tongue out at Shrewkit before feeling Roseclaw cuff him over the ears. "Ow!"

He squealed indignantly and skirted away from her reach.

"Just try and get some rest," she muttered. "Tomorrow if it isn't snowing you can explore the camp."

Flamekit's eyes lit up at the thought of exploring the camp. He'd checked out every den so far. Now that he knew the camp so well there was no need to explore it. There were so many things that could be done while his siblings were exploring.

"I don't know if I can sleep now," he groaned when he circled his nest.

Lilykit was already curled up with her tail wrapped around her nose. Shrewkit padded forward and hissed at Flamekit before curling up beside her. Flamekit avoided his brother and slept alone. Something told him that it would be a long night.

…

Flamekit's eyes snapped open when he realized that voices were whispering around him. He found himself standing in a forest. Trees surrounded him, towering above him.

Where am I? he wondered as he glanced around. For the first time he felt real fear grip his stomach. He didn't know where he was. The scents were unfamiliar to him, as was the path that laid ahead of him. This was one dream that felt too real.

He stiffened when a pale outline began to show in the distance. A pair of yellow eyes gleamed as bright as the sun. Flamekit stared at the figure in alarm. He didn't know what was happening, or what this figure looked like.

"Dead… supposed to be dead…"

The words that were whispered sent chills down Flamekit's spine. He couldn't move his legs despite the fear that surged through him like a storm. He knew he should have fled the moment he heard those words. But something was holding him in place. His heart was racing with dread when he stared into the darkness that seemed to surround the figure.

Teeth were bared and a powerful looking cat erupted from the shadows. Flamekit let out a wail of surprise when he felt dagger-like claws pin him down. He felt utterly powerless against the claws that held him down. And not for the first time, panic gripped his chest as he struggled to free himself from whoever was tormenting him.

"Not alive… dead…"

Flamekit was about to yowl in horror when he felt something poking at his side. He closed his eyes and thought of what would happen to him if he didn't wake up. Cats weren't supposed to feel pain in their dreams. So why was he?

The paw jabbed harder this time, and Flamekit's eyes snapped open. He gasped when he found himself back in the nursery. Lilykit was staring at him in alarm, her eyes wide with terror. Shrewkit glared at him when he realized that his brother was awake.

"You were having a bad dream," Lilykit whispered. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied.

His voice was still shaky as he stared at her with huge eyes.

Lilykit murmured something inaudible and rested her head on her paws once more. Once Flamekit had recovered from the shock of his dream, he felt exhaustion weigh down heavily on his shoulders. He laid down and closed his eyes. This time no nightmares filled his dreams.