Over a half moon later, Rosekit still found herself in the underground burrows of MoorClan's camp. It was a self-imposed restriction. Though the days seemed to pass more slowly here, at least she didn't have to put up with Spiderkit.

The medicine den was cool and the sweet scents of herbs filled the small space. This was where she spent most of her time, careful to avoid getting under Crowleaf's paws. Every night she would return to the nursery, only to rise while Dapplefrost and her littermates were still asleep and return to the hollow that had begun to feel a lot more like home then the nursery ever did.

Crowleaf was missing this morning but his scent still lingered fresh in the air. Rosekit assumed he had gone out to gather some herbs, or perhaps visit some of the other cats in the Clan. She did not really know what a medicine cat did in their spare time.

The tom had left a strange herb out on the floor of the den, the long green stalks laid out in a neat row. Their fronds stuck out nearly parallel, each offshoot an array of tiny yellow flowers. Curious, the kit padded closer, lowering herself closer to get a good look. The petals looked soft, and she wondered what they tasted like.

"Someone's up with the dawn again today," a dry voice said from the entrance to the hollow. Rosekit leapt up, nearly scattering the herbs.

"It's only dawn?" Rosekit asked innocently, tilting her head at the black tom.

Crowleaf purred. "Perhaps you should go see for yourself." He disappeared temporarily into the herb storage, dropping off the bundle of cobwebs he padded in with.

The ginger kit scrunched up her nose. "But Spiderkit and Stonekit and Dapplefrost will be out there."

"So will Oatheart and Creamfoot and Olivepool," the tom's voice replied from within the storage walls. "But you can't avoid your family forever, you know."

When he reappeared, Rosekit held his gaze for a long time. She looked away first.

"I know," she sighed.

Crowleaf gave a decisive nod, as if there was no more to the matter. He began to pick up the golden herbs lying around the den, gingerly placing the stalks next to each other.

"What is that?" the kit asked, approaching the pile cautiously.

He dropped another shoot on top of the rest. "Are you sure you want to go down that road?" he asked, drawing his brows together. Rosekit considered her options; if she said yes, she knew they would be here until sunhigh at least. Once Crowleaf started talking about herbs it felt like he never stopped. She had asked about herbs before but, truthfully, did not remember much of what he'd said.

Finally, she nodded her head, looking at the medicine cat expectantly.

"This herb is called goldenrod," Crowleaf began. "It is very common in our territory, and least common where SeaClan lives – sometimes, Lilyfeather trades some of their herbs for ours."

The tom continued, Rosekit half listening and half staring at the delicate golden petals, a sea of soft yellow in the musty hollow.

//

She finally left the dark of MoorClan's camp tunnels that sunhigh when Crowleaf insisted she accompany him to the surface – he had an errand to run for Tallstar and, apparently, it was very important she come along. With a slight trot to her step at the thought of being instrumental to his task, Rosekit followed as told.

"What will Dapplefrost say when she sees me leaving with you?" the kit questioned as they passed the empty nursery.

"Dapplefrost won't say anything," Crowleaf assured her. "We're not leaving camp."

Interest piqued, the kit hurried her steps.

They emerged into a bright greenleaf day, the sun shining merrily in the azure sky. A light breeze stirred Rosekit's fur and she closed her eyes for a moment, revelling in it. A part of her already missed the safety and quiet of the tunnels; the other longed to run as fast and far away as possible.

"Come now, we haven't got all day," the medicine cat said from further ahead, and the ginger she-cat immediately followed. Crowleaf's steps directed them towards another member of the Clan and Rosekit faltered as she realized who it was. Vaguely, she became aware of the eyes of her mother, watching her every move.

The black tom came to a halt before MoorClan's sole elder, a giant brown tabby tom. As Rosekit padded up, the elder fixed her with his single amber eye. Slowly, his mouth stretched into a grin, revealing long, pointed yellow teeth.

"And here I thought the kits were scared of me," Condoreye said. The ginger kit gulped as he turned his head, the pink scar over where his other eye had long ago been gouged out sticking out amongst the striped fur.

To Rosekit's credit, she did not back away, even as she remembered Dapplefrost's warnings about the elder: he's not in his right mind, don't believe a single word he says.

"Now, tell me what's bothering you." The medicine cat dropped a pile of herbs before the elder and settled down with his tail over his paws, listening attentively. Rosekit copied his stance, looking to Condoreye expectantly.

"Oh, you know, the usual," the tom replied, stretching out in front of them. "Just aching joints."

"Any pain in your eye?" Crowleaf asked, sniffing at the tom's flank.

"Occasionally, now that you mention it." The elder blinked his single eye lazily.

The medicine cat flicked his tail at one of the herbs. "Here's some daisy and ragwort for the joint pain. Why don't you tell Rosekit a story or two while I prepare the celandine for your eye?"

The she-cat looked to the medicine cat incredulously. This was her task?

"What would she like to hear about?" Condoreye said, turning his focus to the ginger kit. "Perhaps a story about Twolegplace? Or the Junkyard Gang? Or maybe a story of DarkClan?"

"She won't be hearing about any of them."

The cold voice stopped Rosekit, whose eyes had lit up at the mention of DarkClan, mid-word. She'd heard the name before but anytime she came close to finding out about it Dapplefrost would cut in – just as she did now.

Crowleaf regarded the queen with cold eyes. "And why not?"

Rosekit turned to Dapplefrost and saw her confidence waver for just a moment. Spiderkit and Stonekit stood just behind her, watching the proceedings with positively bored expressions.

"They're too young to know about any of that," the tortoiseshell finally managed, narrowing her eyes at the medicine cat. "And don't tell me that you know what's best for my kits."

"I never said such a thing," Crowleaf replied calmly. "But I do think that kits who are nearly ready to be apprenticed are old enough to know a thing or two about their own history."

"It's not their history," Dapplefrost snapped.

"Maybe not directly," the tom acknowledged. "But it's yours, and it's mine, and it's that of the entire Clan. Like it or not, your kits are part of this Clan."

Rosekit looked between the two cats with wide eyes. Dapplefrost's fur was prickling, making Crowleaf's calm facade seem ever more eerie.

Finally, the queen broke the silence. "If anyone is going to tell them about DarkClan, it's going to be me."

At this, Condoreye broke into a snorting laughter. "You would take away the single pleasure of the Clan elder just to ensure your kits never hear about their roots? Knowing about DarkClan won't hurt them. Besides, DarkClan is dead and gone."

"Exactly, and I won't have them hearing your side of the story," Dapplefrost hissed.

This time, it was Condoreye who stared down the tortoiseshell, fur bristling as he drew himself up to his full height. Rosekit shrank back and even Crowleaf looked ruffled.

"Enough of this!"

Into their midst stalked an irritated Jaystrike, his amber eyes flashing. Rosekit felt like she might curl in on herself from all of the tension in the air. Her fear only heightened when Tallstar joined them, his normally kind face wearing a frown. His eyes settled on each cat for a brief moment; when they fell on Rosekit she found she could not meet them, though she knew she had done nothing wrong.

"First, I'd like to thank all of you for the contributions you have made to MoorClan," Tallstar began. "Condoreye for your service in helping to rebuild the camp and the skills you continue to share with our warriors despite your inability to fight; Crowleaf for your continued service in healing the members of our Clan and providing spiritual guidance through StarClan; Dapplefrost for bringing into the world and raising strong kits who will one day make fine warriors.

"But this bickering is unacceptable. Yes, we all come from different paths of life – Dapplefrost from DarkClan, Crowleaf from the rebels, and Condoreye from the alley cats – but we are all one Clan now. We did not defeat DarkClan to have it continue to divide us."

Out of the corner of her downcast gaze, Rosekit saw Dapplefrost shuffle her paws ashamedly. Tallstar's words made little sense to the kit, however, and she didn't know how to react. If not for the fear of incurring her mother's wrath, she might have asked to learn more.

"Stories are boring anyway." Spiderkit's voice broke the silence.

Dapplefrost lifted her head higher, a slight tilt to the corner of her lips. "There you have it. The kits don't want to hear stories."

In that moment, Rosekit thought she might shred the unattended pile of herbs before her into pieces. She ground her fangs against each other but did not open her mouth to say anything. It wouldn't matter that she happened to want stories. The disappointment and injustice welled up inside her.

"Well, if they want to, they're always welcome to come to me," Condoreye replied, fixing Rosekit with what looked like a forced expression of pleasantry.

Dapplefrost only flicked her tail in reply. With another wave of it, she signalled for her kits to join her. When Rosekit did not rise, the queen narrowed her eyes. The ginger she-cat stared back, praying to StarClan that someone – anyone – would come to her rescue, but the others did no such thing.

Resignedly, she got to her paws. It looked like her brief reprieve from her controlling mother was finally over.

But, just as she was about to give up all hope, Crowleaf spoke.

"Rosekit, why don't you join me tomorrow. I could use some help sorting the flowers in my herb stock."

She saw Dapplefrost grimace and the absolutely murderous glare she shot in the direction of the medicine cat looked like it could turn him to stone.

But, in that moment, she didn't care. It was another day out of the nursery and another day closer to the apprenticeship that would finally free her from Dapplefrost's grasp.

// Poor Rosekit, always the scapegoat while Spiderkit plays golden child.

I'm finally back! Took my last exam of the semester yesterday so I now have much more time to devote to writing. I'm hoping to publish another three chapters before 2018 hits!