| abstract
| - The Shine is half of Calthoss the Shadow & the Shine. It has no gender, and very little personality beyond a voracious hunger for worship, and death. It is not an understanding being, though it is personable, but a bad person at that.
- I curl up next to my mother, with Snowkit and Dewkit beside me. It has been a tiring day, and all of us our exhaused. Cloudtail came to visit us, remarking with pride about how well we were coping with the stress of the recent attack. Two moons ago, the Clans beside the lake were attacked by vicious cats from the Dark Forest, who no longer have any sense of the warrior code, and care nothing about killing. Lilykit and Seedkit told me that one of their flaws is their confidence: because they're already dead, they know they can't be killed, but they can kill us, the living. Our Clan knows that all too well. We lost four cats in the battle, Hollyleaf, Ferncloud, Mousefur, and our own leader, Firestar. Firestar wasn't killed in the battle, no, he was killed afterwards by a falling tree branch. His death would have been quick and painless, Seedkit explained. She and her sister know a lot more about ThunderClan than we do, having been around for three and a half moons. They're half-way to apprenticeship. It seems like moments later that Dewkit prods me awake, and gestures to Snowkit. He's already halfway out the nursery, making his way to the elders' den. We quickly hop out of Brightheart's nest, and scurry after him. The den is empty save for Purdy, a plump tabby tom with a graying muzzle. Seedkit and Lilykit say that he used to be a loner, long before they were born, and then Firestar, the previous leader, accepted him into the Clan, especially after Purdy saved the lives of two of Firestar's grandkits, Lionblaze and Jayfeather. "Purdy!" chirps Snowkit. "Can you tell us the story about the fox?" "Molepaw said that was his favorite!" "Did he now?" Purdy purrs. "No, tell us about Hollyleaf!" protests Dewkit. "I like that one." "What do you think, young'un?" Purdy asks me. "I like the one where you rescued Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and the WindClan cat from the dogs," I say quietly. Purdy chortles. "Oh, I love that one too. Now, since your sister's the she-cat, we'll go with what she wants." Snowkit pouts, but Dewkit looks happy nonetheless. "Now, we were padding away, I was with Bramblestar and Squirrelflight, an' Crow-what's-his-name, and Stormfur and Brook, and two cats named Night and Talon, who now live in the Tribe of Rushing Water, an' Tawnypelt, and then, all of a sudden, I hear something, and I turn around, and none of the apprentices are with us! So I backtrack, spot the barn, smell the mice, and think 'Huh. Those mouse-brained young'uns are probably off to catch some prey! After their father told them not to! Good thing they know about--' And that's when I realized that they didn't know about the dogs, yappity things, and I could hear a shriek right then and there, and knew that it was up ter me to go save 'em. An' so I did. When I get there that Breezepaw-what's-his-face--" "Breezepelt?" interrupts Snowkit. Purdy nods. "Breezepelt, then Breezepaw, he's cradling his tail which is ragged and bleeding, but I tell them that if they want to keep their whole selves, they had better get their whiskers up to this stack of hay in the barn loft, otherwise the dogs are gonna eat them whole!" We all gasp at this point. "Who'd they get?" whispers Dewkit. "No one," replies Purdy. "I saved 'em all." I mew in approval. "Good job, Purdy! No wonder Brambleclaw offered you a place in ThunderClan, you're brave!" "Aw, it was nothin'. Ol'...ol' Mousefur was....braver." Purdy sniffs, and turns away, wiping his face on his moss. Dewkit, Snowkit, and I exchange a glance. Mousefur had died in the Great Battle, as we began to call it, and we all knew Purdy really cared about Mousefur, just as Longtail, an elder who had died moons ago, when Millie's kits were just apprentices, did. Mousefur knew she was lucky to have so many cats who cared about her. "It's all right, Purdy," I say consolingly, and Purdy looks at me with tearful eyes. "When you go to StarClan, Mousefur will be there for you. And she's with Longtail anyhow." "Longtail," sighs Purdy. "Great cat." "We know," Dewkit mews solemnly. "I think we should be going now. Thank you for the story, Purdy. We'll visit you again sometime!" "All cats old enough to catch their own fresh-kill please gather here for a Clan meeting!" Bramblestar's yowl jerks us out of our sad silence, and we jump, turning. Bramblestar's powerful shoulders are silhouetted against the sunny sky, and the cats in the camp pad towards him. Brightheart emerges from the nursery, with Daisy on her paws and Sorreltail close behind. Lilykit and Seedkit sit just outside the nursery, and so we creep towards them. "We can't catch our own prey," whispers Dewkit. "We shouldn't be here!" Bramblestar begins to talk. "It doesn't matter," Seedkit hisses. "He doesn't see us!" "Shh," I hush. "We came here to listen, not chatter!" Sorreltail turns around and gives us a look, which quiet her own kits into furious silence. "Graystripe, Dustpelt, is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior and go and join the elders?" Both toms are clear as they reply, "It is." "Your Clan honors you and all of the service you have given us. I call upon StarClan to give you many moons of rest." "Graystripe! Dustpelt! Graystripe! Dustpelt!" chants the Clan. "There's plenty of room," croaks Purdy, and the two senior warriors, now elders, pad solemnly after him. "I wonder why Sandstorm didn't retire," murmurs Snowkit. "None of our business," I reply. "It's her decision!" "I suppose you're right," Snowkit mutters. Lilykit and Seedkit smile at me before we all enter the nursery, and, one-by-one fall asleep in the sunhigh sunshine.
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