Flamekit wailed as he saw his mother, dead, lying limply, in the clearing. The fox grunted and bounded away. When they smelled the scent, their mother had shoved him in the bush and fought the fox. Now, there she was, her eyes closed and covered in blood. "NO!! Sparrowwing! Mom......" he leapt out of the bush, his tail bushing, and buried his tiny ginger head in Sparrowwing's shoulder. He hated that fox. He wanted to find the fox and shred it to pieces. But he knew that he was too vulnerable to fight that fox single-pawed. He SO wanted to change into a fire cub and bite that stupid fox. 

"Ooh, what's this?" a sneer sounded from behind him. Startled, Flamekit whirled around. He saw a big, muscular tom. His paws were black, and his tail was tipped with black. There were swirls of brown across his pelt, embedded with scars, an ear-tip torn, and now he was staring with hatred in his amber eyes as he glared at Flamekit. 

"Who-who are you?" Flamekit faltered, backing off. "Have you come here to kill me?"

"Oh, of course not, silly kit." the cat spat. "I just saw your mother getting killed, and now I want you to join Darkclan. I am the leader of Darkclan, and my name is Gloomystar." the cat loomed over Flamekit, his shadow so dark that it also darkened Flamekit's fur, which usually still shone when he was in the shadows. 

"You're not my father! My father is Firewhisper, descendent of Firestar, and I shall transform into a huge lion and devour you! You're not my mentor! You're not my boss!" Flamekit snarled, digging his claws into the sodden earth as he crouched down, ready to spring. He felt his magic swirl inside him, ready to explode. 

"You are so weak. You have no more guardians to care for you, so you must come with me if you want to live." Gloomystar growled. His tail tip flicked a stone so hard that it flew in the air before landing with a tiny splash in the river behind him. 

"Uh-fine."Flamekit gulped. He needed to rest, and he was also hungry. Most important, he wanted to live. Gloomystar dipped his head in acknowledgement and padded off, stopping to look at Flamekit if he wanted to follow. Flamekit, with a fast-beating heart, pelted after him. 

Is this camp where I'll be starting my life without Sparrowwing?