"Cats of ThunderClan, gather to here my words!"

Rosekit's small, fluffy head popped out of the nursery, her ear twitching in confusion. When she noticed the Clan streaming from their dens to gather around the base of the Highrock, she ducked back inside the nursery.

"Mama, can we go to the meeting?" She squealed eagerly.

The white queen didn't look up from grooming her silky fur. "Not today."

A pale silver she-kit padded up beside Rosekit. "But you say that every time!" Icekit complained. "I wanna see Firestar! Why does no cat talk about him?"

"Hush!" The littermates stopped fussing. "You'll be apprentices soon enough. Be patient, my loves."

Grumbling quietly to herself, Rosekit sank down in the nest. Worth a shot. Then, she felt a small paw poke her side. "Hmph?" She muttered, not lifting her head.

"Rosekit!" Icekit whispered quickly. "Sit up!"

The dilute calico kit sighed, rising to her paws. "What? We can't go in the clearing until the meeting's over."

"Why not?" Her sister's eyes twinkled playfully.

Rosekit got the hint. "You mean sneak out?"

Icekit snorted at the uncertainty in Rosekit's mew. "What, are you scared?"

"Of course not!" Her fur bristled indignantly. "See, I'll go right now!" Turning quickly, the small she-cat darted over to the side of the bramble thicket, her sister hard on her paws. When she reached the small hole she and her sister had dug under the brambles to use as a second exit, she glanced over her shoulder. Her mother, Frostwhisker, was snoring softly on her pile of feathers and moss.

"Well, are you going?" Icekit squeaked, shoving past her sister in the tunnel. Rosekit purred, plunging into the hole at the same time as her sister. After struggling and growling for a few heartbeats, the two popped out of the earth behind the apprentices' den.

Rosekit turned to her sister. "Alright, let's go sneak behind the fresh-kill pile. We should be able to see from there."

"Why don't we just climb the apprentices' den? We could probably see the whole camp from up there!"

"And the whole camp would see us, mouse-brain!" Rosekit hissed teasingly, her whiskers twitching.

Icekit flicked her ear dismissively, crouching down to leap onto the wall of brambles and branches. "Not if we're careful." The sleek she-kit sprang onto the side of the den, unsheathing her claws and using them to hook herself upward to the top of the den.

This is mouse-brained, Rosekit grumbled internally as she placed a paw on the den wall. The brambles and thorns were sharp on her pads that were used to the soft dirt of the nursery. Taking a deep breath, she hauled her hind paws off the ground. She was gasping for breath by the time she reached her sister.

"Took you long enough," Icekit's whiskers twitched.

Rosekit batted playfully at her sister's muzzle. "Oh, shut up! Let's watch the meeting."

The two small she-cats turned their attention to the center of camp. Dozens of cats were gathered below a towering stone. The Highrock! She understood how it got its name. The stone loomed high above the ground below, casting a long, harsh shadow across the grass.

"Is that Firestar?" Icekit asked, pointing at the cat the was perched upon the Highrock. His bright ginger pelt gleamed in the early dawn light, making it appear to blaze like flames.

"I think so," Rosekit breathed. The tom's muscles looked hard and powerful, and his ears were covered in nicks and tears. His fur as spiked as if he had not groomed himself properly in several days, and his green gaze was accented by slitted pupils. His appearance sent a shiver down Rosekit's spine, but he seemed to have the opposite affect of her sister.

Icekit looked awestruck. "Woah. He looks like a very powerful cat."

"Yeah..." Rosekit shuffled her paws, still feeling uneasy. "Maybe we should go back to the nursery now."

"What?" Her sister snorted again. "The meeting hasn't even started yet! Just stay a little longer."

Rosekit sighed. "Fine."

The ginger tom on the Highrock cleared his throat, and the clearing fell silent. "As you all know, Tigerstar was defeated a few moons ago. But traces of his life still remain," the leader paused to rake his gaze across the cats gathered below him. "I will not tolerate loyalty to such a vile cat in my Clan. Send them forward."

Two cats, who Rosekit recognized as Swiftstrike and Dustpelt, shoved six cats forward. One, Rosekit recognized as Blackfoot, the father of her friend, Echokit, but she couldn't put a name to any of the others.

"These cats all displayed loyalty to Tigerstar," Firestar spoke again. "And they must be punished for doing so."

"I have not been loyal to Tigerstar since I found out he murdered Redtail!" A golden tabby she-cat from the group of six cats cried. "Neither have my kits! Please, don't punish them for my mistake."

The ThunderClan leader narrowed his eyes. "I will not negotiate with traitors. My loyal warriors of ThunderClan—"

Rosekit stiffened as the leader paused, hunger and excitement shining in his eyes. "Icekit, we need to go—"

"—slay them all!"

~~❤︎❤︎❤︎~~

"I think Rosekit's caught a cold," her mother fussed behind her. "Her voice trembles when she speaks, and she's been shivering under her nest all day!"

But Rosekit wasn't shivering, she was trembling in fear. She had witnessed the murder of six seemingly innocent cats. It had happened right before her eyes. Her Clan had turned on each other instantly at Firestar's command. And oh, Firestar. Rosekit had watched his gaze turn cold and eager as he watched his cats leap at their helpless victims. A hateful yet joyful sneer had formed on his face as blood and fur flew across the clearing.

"Alright, Rosekit, come out here."

The dilute calico she-kit, trembling, crawled cautiously out from under her nest. Icekit sat a few mouse-lengths away, her eyes still wide and her tail wrapped around her paws, as if to protect herself.

"Y-yes, Runningnose?" She stuttered.

The small gray and white tom sniffed her ear, then placed a paw on it. "It's not a fever," he mumbled to himself. He sat up and turned back to the anxious queen. "I don't think she's sick, Frostwhisker. She doesn't have a fever, and her pelt smells fine."

"Then why is she acting like this?" The white she-cat fretted. "Is she alright?"

Runningnose turned back to Rosekit. "What's wrong? Did Icekit say something to you? Or maybe one of the warriors?"

"N-no, I'm fine," Rosekit mumbled, trying not to let tears well in her eyes. "Just a bad dream, that's all."

The medicine cat raised an eyebrow, but rose to his paws anyways. "Well, call for me if she's not better by tomorrow," the tom meowed as he exited to the den.

"Alright, no playing today, Rosekit," Frostwhisker meowed sternly, licking her daughter behind her ears. "Get some rest. Even if you're not sick right now, leaf-bare is approaching, and I don't want you catching a cold."

Rosekit curled up eagerly next to her mother, he back towards the entrance of the den. The last thing she wanted to do was see Firestar's green eyes looming in the shadows.