Chapter 1

Flowerkit was abruptly woken by the sound of claws raking flesh and cats yowling in pain. The young kit stretched out her legs, letting out a yawn. Goldenflower, laid wide awake beside Flowerkit's siblings Bramblekit and Tawnykit, who were fast asleep. Flowerkit's gaze shifted upwards towards the entrance to the nursery. Squinting, she could make out the shapes of cats lunging at each other with unsheathed, bloody claws. Fireheart's bright ginger pelt glowed like fire among the fray. All the other shapes blended together. To her dismay, Flowerkit couldn't catch a glimpse of a father. Flowerkit jumped up. However, Goldenflower blocked most of her view despite her attempts. Flowerkit struggled to balance on her hind paws. She wobbled around before her front paws ended up falling against Goldenflower's side. Flowerkit shifted a bit before looking out at the battle again. Despite a better view, she still couldn't see her father. Where could he be? Flowerkit wondered.

"What are you doing, Flowerkit?" a voice gasped. Flowerkit whipped her head around toward the source of the voice. Goldenflower stared at her with wide eyes.

"I wanted to see the battle," Flowerkit explained, shifting in her place.

"Get down!" Goldenflower ordered, her tail whipped against Flowerkit's hind legs, knocking her onto her stomach. Flowerkit let out a squeak. "These are rogues that are attacking," Goldenflower explained, wrapping her tail around Flowerkit, "They don't live by the warrior code. They will kill and I can't lose you or your siblings." Flowerkit pushed her mother's tail away, standing up to shake the dust out of her fur.

"I understand mom," she replied. Hesitating slightly, she gazed at her mother with wide eyes. "They won't kill father though, will they?"

"Don't worry," Goldenflower cooed, "Your father is one of the strongest warriors in the clan. He can handle rogues." Flowerkit sighed in relief. Goldenflower ran her rough tongue across Flowerkit���s tabby fur. Flowerkit squirmed away in disgust. "Get some rest," her mother let out a giggle, "I'll protect you." Flowerkit let out a yawn and laid down on her stomach, beside her two siblings. Closing her eyes, she curled up into a ball. She flattened her ears, trying to block out the sounds of the battle as she drifted off to sleep.

As Flowerkit felt herself begin to stir, she let out a yawn and strained her eyes open. How long had she been asleep? The sun was shining through the brambles of the nursery. Gazing around, Flowerkit realized that Goldenflower was missing, leaving only Flowerkit and her siblings, Bramblekit and Tawnykit, lying beside her. They were still fast asleep. Flowerkit caught something brown out of the corner of her eye.

Glancing over her shoulder, Flowerkit saw a brown tom, his pelt adorned with stripes and deep wounds. Tigerclaw! He limped past by the nursery, toward the camp exit. Where is he going? Flowerkit's father glanced down at her, his amber eyes seemed to be looking right through her as if she were nothing more than air. Flowerkit stared at her father with wide eyes. Before she could move, teeth sank into her scruff and she was carried toward the camp exit. Flowerkit let out a squeal. She struggled in Tigerclaw's grasp as her father bolted out of camp and into the forest.

"HE TOOK MY DAUGHTER!" a distance voice cried. Flowerkit's heart pounded in her ears as the camp faded into the distance. Where is Tigerclaw taking me? And why? Kits weren't allowed outside of camp! Flowerkit was too terrified and strangely exhausted to ask. For a moment, Flowerkit noticed that the ground beneath her had become further away, as if she was flying. Her feeling was abruptly interrupted by Tigerclaw landing on top of a large brown wall. Flowerkit glanced up. The was a small strip of grass surrounded by large brown walls, almost all of which extended into another large set of walls. She'd heard about this place: it was the Twolegplace. Why had Tigerclaw brought them here? Tigerclaw leaped off of the twoleg wall, the leaves rustling beneath his massive paws. As soon as his teeth left her scruff, Flowerkit scrambled away. She backed up into a wall, staring at her father with wide eyes. Tigerclaw towered over her.

"Why did you bring me here?!" Flowerkit demanded, shaking. Her tail rattled behind her like a snake about to pounce.

"I wanted one of my kits to come with me in my lonely exile," Tigerclaw replied, taking a step closer.

Flowerkit's anger and fear melted. "You were exiled?" she asked. Tigerclaw nodded, laying down in the grass to get at eye level with Flowerkit. "Why?"

"The entire clan flat out accused me of trying to murder Bluestar!" Tigerstar hissed, wrapping his tail around his bleeding stomach, "And then tried to kill me!" Flowerkit's jaw dropped, her heart blazing with fury. How could her clanmates do this to her father?!

"That's horrible!" Flowerkit hissed unsheathing her claws, "I'll kill all of them for that!"

"I can help you do that," he replied, a wicked grin forming on his face. Tigerclaw's words slammed Flowerkit's back into reality and she realized what she'd just said. Eyes widened, she sheathed her claws.

"No! I was exaggerating! I-I'd never kill a cat!" Flowerkit gasped, taking a step back. Tigerclaw struggled to stand up and once again towered over her like a tree. His face was still contorted into that wicked grin.

"Oh, you're not exaggerating," Tigerclaw insisted, "You'll kill if you have the motivation. All cats do." Flowerkit's eyes widened. All cats kill?!

"But killing is against the warrior code!" Flowerkit insisted.

"Not if they are outside the warrior code," Tigerclaw argued, flicking his tail, "And do you think it's within the warrior code to exile and nearly murder a cat in your own clan who did nothing wrong?"

"No way!" Flowerkit insisted, unsheathing her claws, "You're right. Those disgusting foxhearts should pay for what they did to you!"

"Now you understand," Tigerclaw replied with a nod. Flowerkit smiled at her father's approval. I'll only kill cats who are outside of the warrior code, Flowerkit promised herself. The two glanced at the sky, which was now darkening. Tigerclaw let out a yawn. Limping into a corner of the twoleg walls, he flopped onto the ground. He pressed moss and cobwebs into his still bleeding wounds, soaking up the blood that poured out mercilessly. He flicked the moss aside.

"I'm going to sleep," Tigerclaw yawned, his eyes fluttering shut, "You can do what you want." Flowerkit padded toward her father, letting out a yawn. Curling into a ball, she inched closer to him until their identical fur pelts brushed against each other. Tigerclaw glanced down at her, his body tensing up. After some hesitation, Tigerclaw curled up around his much smaller daughter.

"Goodnight Flowerkit," Tigerclaw murmured.

"Goodnight, father," Flowerkit whispered back. A purr rose in both of their throats that easily lulled Flowerkit into a deep sleep as the sun set over the two cats.

Flowerkit opened her eyes, expecting to see Goldenflower and her siblings beside her. Instead however, she saw her father, Tigerclaw, still asleep and curled up around in some weird field surrounded by twoleg walls. How did we get here? Then the memories of yesterday came back to her. Tigerclaw had been unfairly exiled and he took her with her. Flowerkit sood up, stretching her legs out.

"Good morning," a voice yawned, beside her, Flowerkit glanced at her father, who's amber eyes were fluttering open.

"Oops, I woke you up didn't I?" Flowerkit asked, her pelt hot with shame.

"No, I was already awake," Tigerclaw replied, sitting up. He licked his paw, rubbing it on his head. He glanced at Flowerkit. "Do you know how to hunt?"

Flowerkit's eyes widened. "I… uh, no… I… I'm only three moons old I've never…" Tigerclaw rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh. Flowerkit's pelt was hot with shame. "I-I'm sorry…"

"It's fine," Tigerclaw grunted, flicking his tail. "I'll hunt." He crouched down, his legs wobbled as he crept forward, his stomach wound still pulling him toward the ground. His eyes were fixed on a blackbird. The bird pecked at the ground, it's wings fluttering occasionally. Flowerkit's entire body was stiff as her gaze was fixed on the blackbird. Tigerclaw took a step forward, prompting a crack to fill the air. The blackbird chirped, spreading its wings to take off. Without thinking, Flowerkit threw herself at the bird, her claws barely slicing through its wing as it took to the air. Feathers got in Flowerkit's face, tickling her fur. She backed away. The bird's bloody wing was stiff, unable to flap. It fell to the ground, it's uninjured wing flapping like mad. Flowerkit's shoulder twitched at the sight. Tigerclaw pounced on the bird, sinking his teeth into its neck and lifting its body into the air. Flowerkit leaped toward her father. He dropped the blackbird in front of him, gazing at Flowerkit.

"Thanks," he grunted. "With some training, you could make a great fighter one day." Flowerkit smiled, her tail perking up. The two tabbies crouched in front of the catch, gobbling it down. Once they finished, Tigerclaw pushed the bones aside. He glanced up, sniffing the air. His eyes narrowed. Flowerkit raised an eyebrow, parting her lips to taste the air as well. Her face scrunched up. There was an acrid tang of fox and crowfood in the air.

"Keep still! Someone's coming!" a voice exclaimed. Flowerkit's ears pricked. That scent is supposed to be cats?!

"Has a ThunderClan patrol found us?" Another voice asked, full of worry. "We can't stay here and be trapped like rabbits!"

"Hush! They'll hear us!" Yet another voice. Tigerclaw's ears were flattened against his head. He slipped through a crack in the twoleg wall, hissing at the cats on the other side. Flowerkit stumbled after him. Before them, stood five horrid-smelling cats. Flowerkit got into a hunting crouch, ready to lunge at them but Tigerclaw stopped her with his tail. Flowerkit sheathed her claws, raising her eyebrow.

"Tigerclaw!" a scrawny brown tom exclaimed. There were claw marks across his face. "You survived."

"No thanks to you, Clawface," Tigerclaw snarled, his eyes narrowed at the brown tom. Clawface, what a fitting name.

"We were going to come back for you once our wounds had healed," the white tom protested, his black paws scraping the ground.

"I'm so pleased to see you," the she-cat meowed, stepping closer to Tigerclaw. The white tom caught Flowerkit's eye, his gaze shifting toward her.

"Who's that with you?" he asked, pointing his tail at Flowerkit.

"This is my daughter, Flowerkit." Tigerclaw informed, resting his tail on Flowerkit's back.

Blackfoot cackled. "That ball of fur?! Your daughter?!"

Flowerkit's fur bristled. How dare this rogue call me that? Flowerkit unsheathed her claws. Lunging in front of the tom, Flowerkit raked her claws across Blackfoot's nose. Blackfoot let out a yowl, stumbling backward. Flowerkit let out a hiss. The nose was one of the most sensitive parts of a cat's body, due to the lack of fur. It filled Flowerkit with pride to know that weak spot. Blackfoot pressed his paw against his nose.

"No one messes with my daughter!" Tigerstar announced. He gazed down at Flowerkit and in a softer voice informed, "Good job." Flowerkit felt her chest swell with pride. Tigerclaw looked back at Blackfoot and Clawface, flicking his tail. "Where are the others?" he asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Scattered throughout the forest," Clawface answered, with a shrug. "I think Mowgli went toward Shadowclan territory."

"Then we're heading toward Shadowclan territory as well," Tigerclaw replied, padding toward the twoleg fence. Clawface and Blackfoot padded after him. Flowerkit rushed after them, stumbling through the grass. The three toms jumped onto the twoleg wall, balancing like birds before jumping down to the other side. Flowerkit sank her claws into the wood. She scrambled on the wall, attempting to get to the top. A brown shape lunged over the twoleg wall. Clawface! The tom sank his teeth into Flowerkit's scruff, leaping onto the fence with Flowerkit in her jaws. Clawface placed her down in the grass. Flowerkit backed away, glaring at the tom with a hiss.

"I didn't need your help!" Flowerkit snarled, slashing at him. Clawface backed away, just before Flowerkit could strike his nose.

"You're welcome," Clawface growled, flicking his tail. He turned away with a scoff, padding after the rest of the group. Flowerkit stumbled after them.