Cedarkit was a fearless warrior. This was a known fact. In front of him? The most vile, beastly creature the Clans had ever encountered. It stretched its evil arms up to the sky, higher than Cedarkit could see. The prophecy foretold that it was only he who could slay it, and with a slash of his mighty paw-

"Cedarkit! There you are!"

Cedarkit turned his head with a start, claws still stuck in the bark of the towering tree before him. His mother came up at a trot. She plucked him from his place among the roots without another word and started for the nursery.

Uh oh.

At her feet, his sister Iriskit pranced smugly. Ivoryeye had her mouth full, but Iriskit was more than happy to scold Cedarkit in her place.

"You know you're not meant to be out of camp!"

Cedarkit hissed at her. "Who are you to talk, fish-breath?"

Ivoryeye growled a warning as she jumped nimbly across the stepping stones. Cedarkit frowned, but a bark of laughter replaced his annoyance as his sister slipped, wetting her paws and getting mud on her tail. "Nice one," he snickered.

Iriskit ignored him. "Mom was so mad looking for you. Weren't you, mom? Weren't you mad? She didn't know where you'd gone and I told her, oh I told her all right. I said to her, I bet he's outside again where he's not meant to be-"

"That's plenty, Iriskit," Ivoryeye sighed, setting Cedarkit in the nest. They had made it to the nursery. "Out with you. Go play with Larkpaw, and see if she'll clean that dirt off of your tail."

Iriskit stuck her tongue at Cedarkit and skipped away. Once she had gone, Ivoryeye turned to level a stern glance at Cedarkit. He shrunk down. "As for you. You're to stay here for the rest of the evening. How many times must I tell you to keep in camp?"

"But mom, the tree is barely a tail-length from-"

"I don't want to hear it. No is no, kit. Rules are in place for a reason; it's dangerous for you out there, alone. You'll get your dinner with the others, but I'd best not hear a peep from you until then."

"Yes, mom," Cedarkit sighed, looking away with a petulant frown. Ivoryeye began to groom his forehead, making his already unruly fur stick up in the most peculiar way. 

"Ugh! Mom! Stop!"

She smiled fondly at him. "Stay in the nice, safe nursery where you belong, and maybe I wouldn't have to do it."

With this she left him, disheveled and defeated. Faintly, he could hear her telling his dad that she'd found him 'in his usual spot'. He sat down with an annoyed thump. How could he help wanting some alone time, especially with a sister like Iriskit? Was that really his fault? 

"Mouse-brains," he muttered. Behind him, someone snorted. He whirled. From the nest on the other side of the den, a pair of grey ears and gold eyes peeked at him. Cedarkit grinned.

"Moonkit! I'm glad you're here. You and Tidekit are just about the only ones I want to see today."

Moonkit came to sit beside him, purring. He began to fix the fur on Cedarkit's head, laying it back down meticulously. Cedarkit sighed happily, and curled closer to his friend. After a few minutes of warm, comfortable silence, Cedarkit spoke.

"I was playing pretend when they caught me. Want to join? We can keep going right here."

Moonkit nodded eagerly. Cedarkit explained the plot of his adventure, and soon the two were battling it out. Moonkit took the place of the evil beast, and their fight was grand. As Cedarkit was about to deliver the killing bite to the Creature's neck, Tidekit poked her head in.

"What are you two doing? I could hear you from outside!"

Cedarkit let go of Moonkit, rolling his eyes. "It seems like every cat has to spoil my quest just before I get to finish it."

Tidekit tilted her head in askance. "Huh?"

Moonkit shook with silent laughter. Cedarkit, after a moment, joined in. When they'd settled, Tidekit came padding over. She sat next to the two and curled her tail over her paws. Her smile was sly.

"So I heard from a little bird that someone was where they weren't supposed to be, and that that same someone is stuck in the nursery for the night. Could this bird have been correct?"

Moonkit looked around theatrically, eyes wide with feigned shock shaking his head in a 'not me' gesture. Cedarkit playfully bumped him.

"Yeah. Iriskit is a snitch."

"Duh." She looked outside, then back. "Everyone is talking about important things. Want to eavesdrop?"

Cedarkit nodded. With unspoken practice of two siblings used to a life of mischief, they made a kit-shaped pile of leaves in the nest. From the den entrance, it was convincing enough. Cedarkit looked at Moonkit, a silent question. Moonkit yawned pointedly, and shook his head.

"Okay, see you later. Have a nice nap," Cedarkit told him, and then he and Tidekit were off. They managed to avoid any cat who would send them back to the nursery, and together they settled under a bush. From a grown cat's height, they were all but invisible. They shared a conspiratorial smile.

It was quiet for a small while, but they didn't have long to wait. Palestar and Shellbelly, waiting on the current patrol to return so the next could leave, sat down quite close. They began to speak.

"I'm worried, Palestar. They keep pressing in. You know how Snakestar can be, and if we keep letting them step on our tails...:

"We have no proof of anything. A few less rabbits than usual could be because of anything; hawks, twolegs, disease. If we were to act, it would be on suspicion alone. It sets a bad precedent."

Shellbelly sighed loudly. "So, what? We just allow them to steal? What are we doing about this?"

"More patrols. The apprentices are almost at their ceremonies, and the kits only a few moons from their mentors. We stay strong, and we watch. When we catch something– which we will –then we speak on it at a gathering. If we don't uphold code, what standard does that show?"

Shellbelly inhaled to retort, and without warning Tidekit sneezed three times in rapid succession. The leader and deputy went quiet. 

Cedarkit glared.

"Come on, then. We heard you."

With big eyes, both kits crept into the open. Shellbelly looked angry. Behind him, Palestar wore an amused expression. Shellbelly twitched his tail, signaling them to approach.

"Do you two understand that what you're doing is rude? Very rude?"

Cedarkit would talk back to his sisters any day. He'd trade banter with apprentices and even, on occasion, his parents. The leader and the deputy, though? Oh boy. Not a chance. His father would throw him to the crows. He dutifully looked down.

"Yes, and we're sorry. We just wanted to know what was going on, is all."

"Yeah, Shellbelly! Can't we know things too? Palestar said it herself, we're almost apprentices! We're practically grown up," Tidepaw chimed in, cheerful and flippant. Cedarkit grimaced at how insolent she was. Shellbelly, incensed, opened his mouth. Palestar brushed past him before he could speak, however.

"Kits," she said, looking down at them with kind yet stern eyes. "If you want to know things, you must ask. We do not listen in on conversations; that's something only a sneaky cat will stoop to. If there's something an older cat won't tell you, it's because you aren't quite grown enough to hear it yet. Does that make sense?"

Cedarkit nodded, mouth slightly agape. He had never been spoken to by Palestar. She dropped by the nursery on occasion, but that was usually to see the queens. Never had she talked to him directly. He was in awe of his leader.

Tidekit sighed, subdued. "Our mom says things like that all the time. She loves to teach us lessons and morals and other boring things."

Palestar smiled gently. "She's a smart cat, and you'd do well to listen to her instead of creeping under bushes."

Embarrassed, Tidekit looked away. "We're sorry," she finally managed, meeker than before. Cedarkit nodded again, agreeing fervently. Palestar flicked her tail at them.

"As long as you don't do it again, consider yourselves forgiven. Best get back to the nursery. It's getting dark."

Without any further ado, Cedarkit and Tidekit scampered off. Cedar waited until they were out of eyesight to nip at his sister's tail.

"Bad-Idea Badger is what they should call you!"

"Oh sure, as long as they call you Suck-up Skunk! You should have heard yourself. It's all 'yes, Shellbelly' this and 'oh, we're so sorry Palestar' that. You think you're so hot, but I wonder what Shellbelly the Great would say if he knew you called him a wet-tail behind his back like everyone else!"

Cedarkit scoffed. "You think I'm bad? Did you even listen to yourself talk to Shellbelly? Dad would make crowfood of you if he'd heard that!"

A booming voice came from behind them. "Heard what, now?"

"Nothing!" the two squeaked, turning to face their dad. He shook his head, pawing at them playfully. Tidekit hopped away, giggling.

"Always the mystery, you kits are," he said. He looked at Cedarkit. "Better get inside before your mother sees you."

Cedarkit huffed. "Today is my day for trouble," he grumbled. Brightrock laughed.

"Maybe if you didn't chase it all over camp... and out of it, too. What's this I've been hearing about a tree?"

•••

Cedarkit's days were more and more of the same. He liked to play with Tidekit, and to tease the life out of Iriskit, and to make up new signals with Moonkit. The nursery was tolerable for a while.

After the last time he'd been punished, Cedarkit had dutifully stayed in camp. His mom's wrath that day, paired with his first real brush with Palestar, had knocked the spark of mischief from his head. It was beginning to rekindle, though.

It started because he had nobody to visit with. Tidekit, sick with a cough, was bound to the medicine-den. Moonkit was sleeping. His other sister wasn't even an interesting option in the first place, so that was a clean sweep of every cat his own age. This left the apprentices, but all were busy. His parents were on patrol. The elders had already shooed him out for the afternoon.

The tree was calling to him.

He'd first noticed it when looking up one day from the nursery entrance. It was taller than the other trees, and it had different leaves. It didn't seem to belong.

This had piqued Cedarkit's interest.

When his mother finally began to let him and his sibling explore, he snuck out of camp to see what kind of tree it was. He was delighted to find that it was a cedar. It had his name.

He remembered touching his paw to its bark in reverence.

As often as possible, he'd find ways to get out and climb the tree. It became his new favorite spot, a place no cat would bother him or tell him what to do. 

Today, he was going to climb his tree.

As he hopped the stepping stones, he got an idea. He would climb higher than ever before. Today he would climb so high, they'd be able to see him from camp. His father would be proud he had such a strong son, and his mother would tell him how brave he was.

At the base of the tree, he nodded to himself. He was determined.

He began the ascent.

It wasn't too long before he found himself at his current record for climbing. He knew because, in the branch, he'd meticulously carved a thick line into the wood. The line went deeper than the bark, and he touched it fondly before he pushed forward to the next branch.

Then the next. And the next.

Soon, Cedarkit found himself in need of a rest. He took the time to look about.

From where he was, the world looked vast. He could see further than he ever had. 

He began to daydream. 

He imagined a wave of Thunderclan cats coming to attack, claws out and fangs bared. Not far behind was all of Shadowclan, their mangy, swamp-stinking pelts leaving horrible trails of black fumes in their wake. Windclan came from the other side, their best warriors a vicious, speeding pack. Cedarkit was alone in this battle, but he knew he'd win it. In this imaginary war, Starclan sent a million cats to aid Cedarkit. 

He didn't need a single one. 

The enemy rained down upon him, but he stayed strong. No cat from any clan was a match for the fearsome Riverclan kit. As the last leering Shadowclan cat was struck down, Cedarkit's clan came rushing to him. They chanted his name, calling him their hero. This fantasy celebration, however, was short lived.

"Cedarkit! What are you doing so high up?"

Cedarkit peered down to find Tidekit and Iriskit staring up, jaws agape. Iriskit glared at Tidekit.

"See? Told ya he'd be here!" She looked back up. "I'm telling mom again!"

Iriskit, the size of a beetle from where Cedarkit sat, scampered away gleefully. Tidekit watched her go, and then looked back up.

"How'd you climb so high?"

He grinned proudly. "I'm taller than you two, so I can reach that first branch down there. Then I just kept going," he told her. She nodded. 

"Neat! When I grow some more, I'll come up with you. That would be fun, you and m-"

Suddenly, with a rush of air and feathers, a bird swooped to land right next to Cedarkit. He gasped and, instinctively, he stepped backwards.

Unfortunately, his paws met nothing but air.

To the sound of his sister's shriek, Cedarkit plummeted. Twigs and leaves bit at his eyes, and he snapped them shut. He flailed his body, hoping desperately to catch onto something.

He felt a slicing pain in his lower back, and a moment later he hit the ground with a loud thud.

Then there was nothing.