BOULDERFUR PADDED INTO the ShadowClan camp, with Blackkit dangling in his jaws by her scruff, and the two other kits stumbling behind him. He gently set his daughter down and wrapped his tail over her small body, fluffing it out to protect her from the cold. 

"Kestrelstar! We found the missing kits!" Doeclaw's voice rang clearly in camp. The dens rustled and cats emerged, running with relief shining clearly in their eyes. 

"They found them! They're okay." 

"Boulderfur? Where did you find the kits?" 

At last, the leader seemed to walk calmly out of her den. She shook her brown fur and flicked her gray ears.  

Shadowkit flattened his ears and ducked his head, while Sagekit looked around, still shaking with fear. 

"I want my mother!" she wailed, fright edging her meow.

Littleberry licked her head, and blinked her eyes slowly. "She'll come little one." She said in a calm voice.

Blackkit heard a quiet gasp and a sound of paws running. She lifted her head drowsily and saw Dawnbreeze and Emberheart  come running out of the nursery, stumbling over the small bodies of Seedkit and Blossomkit, who had also come to check on their denmates. 

"Where have you been?!" Emberheart scolded all three of them, while licking Sagekit's face angrily,. "You could have been killed out there! What would we have done if we had lost all three of you? Sagekit, I expected you to be smarter than this" 

Dawnbreeze said nothing as she hurried to her two kits. She nuzzled Shadowkit and sniffed his pelt, then turned to check on Blackkit. 

"Oh Blackkit... You're bleeding!" Her eyes rounded in fear, and she looked panicked around in camp. "Fernpelt?! Fernpelt!!" she yowled, her fear scent filling the clearing. 

"Mother, I fought a fox." Blackkit purred, exhausted. "Wait till I tell Lionpaw!" 

A dark gray tom came running out of a den, located in the far end of the camp. His eyes scanned the clearing, until he noticed the small body of Blackkit laying with her parents fussing over her. "I'm here!" he meowed and waved his tail.

"What has happened?" Kestrelstar asked sharply, her yellow eyes searching the warriors' faces for answers. 

"We found them in a smaller clearing. The had obviously been playing with the snow when the fox came around.  And this young kit attacked it!" Doeclaw spat and looked at Blackkit. "She could have gotten herself killed, and these two could have been eaten." She flicked her ears angrily and looked at Fernpelt, as he examined the dark-furred she-kit. 

"Then the fox threw her off, and she hit her head in a tree." Littlebelly murmured softly. 

"Oh my little precious kit." Dawnbreeze whimpered, fear filling her eyes as she looked at Blackkit. She drew Shadowkit closer to her body, nuzzling his face with her nose. "How could you have let this happen? What were you thinking?" 

"We only wanted to help..." Shadowkit looked at the ground, sadness shining in his eyes. "The dawn patrol was a little late, so we figured we could do it while the warriors rested for a bit."

"They've been so tired lately. Because of the cold weather." Sagekit said, distress filling her meow. "We never intended for Blackkit to get hurt." 

Fernpelt looked up from Blackkit, purring. "There is nothing wrong with Blackkit. All she needs is a little rest and some fresh kill. She'll be up and running about in no time." 

"Very well." Kestrelstar said. "Take her to your den Fernpelt. Emberheart, Dawnbreeze take the rest of the kits to the nursery. I will have a word with your mothers later about your behaviour. And I also need to think about your upcoming apprentice ceremonies. We might have to delay them a little." She twitched her whiskers and turned, looking at Boulderfur. Amusement shone in her eyes, but the kits couldn't see that of course.

All Blackkit could feel at that moment was anger and regret at her foolish acts. She sighed, feeling dizzier than ever. "I'm sorry." she muttered. 

Then, she passed out. 

✦✦✦

Blackkit woke up, feeling well rested and pain-free. She looked around, taking in her surroundings, only to realize she was in the medicine cats den. She had been there too many times in her short life. Always getting into trouble with her brother Shadowkit. And yet, only she seemed to get hurt. 

"It's because you're a she-cat." Shadowkit always meowed. "Toms are just so much stronger than she-cats. Just look at me, I never get hurt!"That day, Blackkit had bit his paw out of frustration. She laughed as he bled a little, and cried when her mother scolded her. "Shadowkit was mean!" She had wailed. 

"You must never hurt your littermate!" Dawnbreeze had said in anger. "Never, ever!" 

The smaller kit yawned and stretched her sore muscles. She purred at the memory and licked her paw, then drew it over her face. That night, she and Shadowkit held a ceremony when all warriors were asleep. She had sworn to protect and defend her brother, even at the cost of her life, and so had Shadowkit done. 

Blackkit jumped up from the nest she had been sleeping in, and shook her fur.

"Oh Blackkit, you're awake!" Fernpelt, the Shadowclan medicine cat, purred as he padded into his den. "How are you feeling?" 

"Much better. My head isn't hurting me anymore." Blackkit chirped and sat straight up, curling her tail neatly over her paws. 

"Yes, that must be the poppy seed that I gave you earlier. Do you remember that?" He asked her and started sniffing the top of her head. 

"No?" Blackkit meowed, confusion in her voice. "When did I wake up?" 

"A little while ago. You were in pain, so I gave you some seeds to ease your headache. Well, you're not bleeding anymore thank StarClan. And there doesn't seem to be any infection going on,  that's why-"

Blackkit's stomach interrupted Fernpelt, as it let out a loud growl. "Oh!" she flattened her ears in embarrassment. 

Fernpelt purred and nodded. "Yes, that's what I was going to say. Your appetite must have returned, so I want you to go and get yourself some fresh kill. Drink loads of water too. If you feel any pain again, come straight here and tell me." 

Blackkit nodded. She said her goodbyes to the tom, and ran happily out of the den. 

Skittering to a halt in the clearing, her eyes looked around for the familiar pelts of her kin. 

"Hey Blackkit!" 

A voice to her left made her stop her hunt for her parents and brother and turn her head. She saw Lionpaw hurrying towards her. His long fur seemed ruffled and snow clung to his tail in clumps. 

Blackkit purred and walked slowly towards him, her paws instantly getting drenched and cold because of the snow. 

"Lionpaw!" she meowed happily. 

"How are you feeling?" Lionpaw purred as he reached her, and touched his nose to hers in greeting. 

"Much better, thanks to Fernpelt and a couple of poppy-seeds. And why do you look like you've battled a big snow monster? The snow is hanging from you in clumps!" Blackkit tilted her head, and poked some snow on his belly. 

Lionpaw swatted her paw away and growled playfully. "I was cleaning the warriors den when some of the roof gave away and the snow fell on me. Now the warriors have to clean their own den." 

Blackkit looked towards the den, and just as Lionpaw had said, some of the roof had fallen. All warriors where working on fixing the branches. There, she spotted Boulderfur's big body and bushy tail. She meowed happily and walked towards him. 

"Talk to you later Lionpaw. I must go check on my father." 

"See you!" Lionpaw meowed.

Blackkit walked as fast as she could, without falling in the snow. She reached her father and jumped, grabbing his tail in her paws. 

Boulderfur grunted in surprise and looked back, only to see his younger kit dangling from his tail. 

"Blackkit.. I should have known it was you." He purred and twitched his whiskers. "How are you, dear?" 

"I'm well. Where is mother? I'm starving! Hey, stop doing that!" Blackkit swatted her fathers face away from her, as he had started nosing her. 

"I'm just checking you for other injuries." Her meowed and stopped sniffing her. 

"Fernpelt already did that. Are you sure you didn't want to be a medicine cat?" 

"Go find your mother before I put some cobwebs on that mouth of yours." Boulderfur said, and waved his tail. 

Blackkit purred and nuzzled her face into his chest, then she hopped away. 

She walked carefully towards the nursery. Suddenly, her paws slipped on some ice, and she tumbled inside. 

Emberheart and Dawnbreeze both looked up, only to see Blackkit laying awkwardly on the soft floor. 

"I'm okay!" She meowed lightly and stood up. 

"I never thought I'd say this, but we missed you!" Emberheart said, and licked Blackkit in her face. "Promise me to never do that again."

"Sorry Emberheart. I promise to never do it again." 

Blackkit pulled away from Emberheart and padded slowly over to her mother, her tail down and ears flattened. 

"Hi..." She muttered, not daring to look her in the eyes. 

"Oh come here you silly kit. Why are you acting so weird?" Dawnbreeze grabbed the young kit by her scruff, and placed her between her paws. She showered her with licks and purrs, only mothers could do. 

"I missed you!" Shadowkit wailed and jumped on top of her. 

"Shadowkit! Move you big badger!" Blackkit pushed him away and purred as she leaned into him. "I'm here now. And I can smell your scent on my side of the nest. You traitor, I told you to never sleep here!" 

Her brother's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. "What kind of nose do you own?" He asked, bewildered. 

"One that's better than yours, of course." Blackkit purred and swatted at him playfully. "I also missed you. Even though you stink like a fox. Right Sagekit?" 

"Right!" A small voice, muffled by the fur of her sleeping sibling sounded from Emberheart's side. 

"Sagekit?! Are you still awake? I told you to sleep." 

A frightened meow was heard, then Sagekit fell silent once again. 

"Mother, I'm starving." Blackkit meowed to Dawnbreeze. 

"Me too."

"Stay out of this Shadowkit. When are you even full?" Blackkit rolled her eyes at him. 

"Why are you bullying me? Dawnbreeze, Blackkit is so mean to me all the time." Shadowkit wailed and glared at his sister. 

"Hush, both of you. Can't you see Emberheart's kits are trying to sleep? Let's go see what i can find in the fresh-kill pile." Dawnbreeze rose from her nest and shook her fur. She then padded outside, with Shadowkit and Blackkit walking behind her. 

As the three cats emerged from the nursery, Kestrelstar, the ShadowClan leader, jumped onto a branch that hung on top of her den. This is where she usually address the clan. 

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the branch for a clan meeting!" 

Warriors let go of whatever work they had been doing and gathered in the clearing. Their confused faces showed Blackkit, that none knew what the gathering was about. 

"Yesterday, three young kits left camp on a so-called adventure. They were attacked by a fox, and one got injured." 

Blackkit felt her pelt growning hot, as all warriors turned and looked at her. She shrunk in her fur and hid behind Shadowkit. 

"I am happy to announce the fox has been driven away from out territory, but that is not why I have gathered you here today. I must say something else. Something, about some kits that have been nothing but trouble, since the day they were born."

Emberheart padded quietly out and sat beside Dawnbreeze. She muttered something to her, making Dawnbreeze give her a worried glance. Then, both queens turned to look at Shadowkit and Blackkit. 

Blackkit heard the camp entrance rustle, and in walked Lionpaw, and Harepaw with moss dangling from their jaws. 

Oh great, Blackkit thought. Even Lionpaw is here to hear my leader scolding me. She eyed the clearing once more, and noticed that everyone were present. Even Sagekit, Blossomkit and Seedkit had woken up from their nap. The whole clan is here to hear my leader scolding me..

Kestrelstar locked eyes with Blackkit and gave her an angry look. She squinted her eyes at her and curled her lip, showing her white,  sharp fangs. 

Then, with an ice cold voice, she said: 

"Shadowkit, Blackkit. Step forward!"