Today My Life Begins

Lichenkit poked his tiny head through the reeds of the nursery. His pale green eyes took in the large, alien like camp. His mouth opened slightly, revealing the light pink insides of his mouth. His little brown nose quivered with the all the new and fascinating scents that started to swarm him like the angry bees elders sometimes told about. Apprehensively, the tiny kit stuck a little paw out, then the other, until he had taken an entire step out of the nursery. Even though he had stopped to get his bearings, he gasped again, widening his eyes even further and looking around wildly, thrashing his head this way this way and that. There was so much to see! So much to do!

Firstly, he decided to fully see what the nursery den looked like. He spun around, his long and fluffy tail sweeping the ground as he did. Slowly, he backed up, craning his head up and squinting into the bright shiny thing in the sky. He let out a loud squeak of thrill; it was so large! Spinning around, he dashed off to the next den. As he neared, sweet and tangy smells wafted into his nostrils. Something stirred inside his white tummy, and he was drawn closer. Little did he know, he was nearing the medicine cat den, home of RiverClan's medicine cat, Morningfur. His eyes widened once more when he reached inside the den. Fluffing out his kitten fur, he sweeped the room with his icy green gaze, finally spotting Morningfur in the corner. His heart leaped, and he bounced in joy. "Morningfur, Morningfur!" he called out, over joyed. "My mother said I can come out of the nursery! I found your den, I found your den!" he said, bouncing over to the other cat, stopping in front of her by far longer legs and peering up at her. "Aren't you proud of me? Are you, are you?

Morningfur, who had been washing her pelt, smiled down at the kit. She leanded down and licked Lichenkit on the head. "Yes, little one," she said, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I'm so very proud of you! Would you like me to show you the other dens?"

Lichenkit nodded his head up and down quickly, bouncing up to lick Morningfur's leg in returned affection. "Please, oh please, Morningfur!" he begged, bunching down playfully, his fluff radiating off him. "That would be so lovely!" he chirped, standing up to prance out of the den, his patterned fur bouncing in waves.

Outside, the sun gleamed bright, hurting his eyes. He squeaked, crouching down again and scrunching his eyes shut, trying to block out the bright light. "Morningfur!" He called, angrily. "StarClan is trying to kill me! They want to kill me! The bright light!" he wailed. "It's following me and waiting for me everywhere!"

Morningfur followed the kit out, her whiskers twitching with amusement. She leaned down and whispered in the kit's ear, "It's called the sun. It's what brings life to the forest and the world around us. Without it, it would be eternally dark. Of course, it does get dark, but do not fear, that is just the great night falling upon us. The sun goes to sleep, like we do, and the moon comes out to guard us while the darkness of night ensues." She looked up at the sky. "Nothing is trying to kill you. It is nature."

Morningfur glanced back down at the kit. "Just don't look directly at the sun," she said, laughing slightly to herself.

((Can she tell him about StarClan?))

Lichenkit squeaked, straightening his legs with his eyes still closed, and turning so he faced the medicine cat den. Opening his eyes finally, he nodded, interested. "Tell me more about the sun! And the moon! And the day! And the night! Why does the sun go down? Does his mother make it take a nap?" the young kit asked, skittering to hide under the medicine cat's legs. "Is it because it gets tired and sleepy? What does it eat? What does the moon look like? Does it talk to us? Does the sun talk to us?" Lichenkit asked question after question, shaking from excitement, his tail quivering. "It's so bright!" he exclaimed loudly, closing his eyes once again.

Morningfur let out a mrow of laughter. "Slow down, little one," she said. She glanced up at the sky, then sat down, careful not to sit on the kit so that he was still under her front legs. "I don't really know why the sun goes down. Maybe it does get tired, or maybe it does have a mother somewhere, telling it that it is time for bed."

Morningfur paused. "The moon is a big white shining...thing in the sky. I say thing because it changes. It gets bigger and bigger every night until its a full circle, then it gets smaller and smaller until theres nothing in the sky. Those are always the darkest of nights. When the moon is full, we gather with the other four clans at Fourtrees under a truce and exchange news because the moon is bright enough to give us light.

"At night, the moon is also surrounded by thousands of little glowing points of light called stars. Each star represents a deceased warrior. When a warrior dies, they go to StarClan, who are our ancestors. They guide us and send us prophecies, telling us the future. StarClan grants the Leader of each clan nine lives so that they may fulfill the needs of the clan to the fullest. They speak to the clan through the Medicine Cat." She leaned down and looked at the kit through her legs. "That's me!"

Morningfur sat up again. She decided against telling the young little kit about the Dark Forest. He would learn soon enough, but right now, it might terrify him to think about it, so she refrained. Instead, she sat there, wondering if Lichenkit had any more questions

Lichenkit cuddled close to Morningfur's stomach, listening with wide eyes. Everything Morningfur was telling him interested him. He really did wish that she knew why the sun went down. His ears perked at the mention of the Gathering. All four clans at once? Even ThunderClan? His nose scrunched up against the thought of those mangy territory stealers that the elders have told him about.

But then, Morningfur mentioned something about StarClan, a clan of warriors that watched them from the white dots around the moon. Lichenkit gasped, full of wonder. "You mean?" he asked slowly, staring straight at Morningfur with wonder. "That you talk to dead cats? And these dead cats help us? And they watch us? And they know what's going to happen?" he whispered, almost scared that if he asked any louder, he would spoil the special secret that he some how believed was just for him and the medicine cat.

Morningfur though for a second. "Yes...I do talk to dead cats. Well, their bodies are dead, but their spirits live on to lead us and, yes, help us. One day, we will join their ranks, and we will know everything, and we will forever live in peace and get to run through the forests and feel the wonderful breeze in our fur and hunt with the others from StarClan forever."

"Does that mean, that all of the clans live together in StarClan?" Lichenkit questioned, still amazed. Slowly, he wobbled out from between she she-cats legs, looking up at her from uner her head, his green eyes peering. "What else do you do, Morningfur? Other than talk to StarClan?" he asked, plopping down once again, leaning against her left front leg, still peering up at her.

"Yes, all the clans live peacefully in StarClan with each other," she said, watching the kit. She listened as he continued to ask questions. "I heal the clan," she answered. "I know all about herbs and I heal cats who are sick or injured, even if they are not of RiverClan. It is my duty to heal cats, and as a Medicine Cat, I am not divided by the borders as Warriors are. If a ThunderClan cat was horribly injured, I would try and help him as best I could."

Lichenkit gasped in shock. "Even though ThunderClan tries to steal our territory?" he asked, shock so thick in his voice that he could hardly contain it. "Does that mean you can go onto theirs whenever you want? And just walk around? Wouldn't the warriors attack you? Where do you get the herbs? Does StarClan make them for you?" he asked more and more questions, the shock leaving after a few seconds.

Morningfur sighed, but she was not annoyed. "No," she said. "I still have to ask permission first to go onto another clan's territory, although if the need was great enough," she leaned down, lowering her voice and saying, as if it was a secret, "I would not wait for permission, and just go ahead and cross the border." She sat up again. "But only if I truly had to."

"In answer to your next question," Morningfur continued. "the herbs grow around our territory. I get them from there. Maybe when you're an apprentice, I could show you sometime."

"I wanna be your apprentice!" he declared broadly, jumping up to his paws. "I think it would be fun! Could you tell me about StarClan some more, sometime, Morningfur? And the sun and the moon? I want to know more!" he shrieked happily, leaping around the medicine cat's paws. "I want to meet the clan, too! And StarClan! And all the other clans!"

Morningfur's whiskers twitched with laughter. She let out a purr and licked the kits head. "Of course I will. I have lots of stories for you if you ever want to hear them." She stood. "Being a Medicine Cat takes a lot of responsibility. You still have time to think about it if you do. Now, do you want to go meet some other cats in the clan?"

Lichenkit nodded. "Can I meet Froststar, Morningfur? Mother says she is a very beautiful, noble leader." he said, nodding his head up and down quickly, twitching his fluffy tail in excitement.