"Do you know a dark grey tabby tom? With amber eyes?"

Sunstream, the ThunderClan medicine cat, thought about it for a moment before getting back to Clawkit. "I'm afraid not. Sorry that I was not of any help," she meowed apologetically.

"It's okay," the kit responded, frowning.

"Why did you ask?"

"I was curious..." Clawkit trailed off, contemplating whether to tell the truth. She's the medicine cat, and speaks to StarClan... so I think I can trust her. She might even help me.

"Well, the other day... I thought I saw that cat in the camp," he explained. "He seemed familiar, yet I don't know him at all!"

That sentence made no sense whatsoever.

Sunstream's green eyes reflected confusion. "I see..." she murmured. "Don't worry too much about it. You were probably seeing things, but if you see that cat again, tell me as soon as possible. Got it?"

"Yes," Clawkit mewed, relieved that the golden medicine cat was taking him seriously. When that incident first happened, he went straight to Specklebreeze, but she brushed it off, saying that it was a trick of the light. Fireclaw made no comment as usual.

As much as he respected the elder, he felt disappointment, annoyed even, at her nonchalant reaction.

Since then, he had been asking every cat he could, but the search came out dry.

With no luck, Clawkit decided to follow Sunstream's advice and wait. He was sure, that if that cat reappeared, he would get his answers.

The dark brown tabby tom just needed to be patient.

~~~~

It turned out to be easier said than done.

Clawkit grew restless each day, his mind focused on uncovering the identity of the mysterious tom. It was especially so during the days without Emberstorm's visits.

As Lilyflower washed him with deft licks, he squirmed in her grasp, feeling too restless to keep still.

"What's wrong, Clawkit?" his foster mother asked in concern, releasing him. "You don't usually fidget this much."

He rubbed his ears. "I'm just getting frustrated over not finding anything about that cat I saw. It's been a moon since it happened!"

"I'm sorry to hear that," Lilyflower meowed sympathetically. "I wish I could help, but I do not know any cat that fits your description. Perhaps you should ask Sunstream - maybe it was a StarClan warrior."

"I did," he huffed. "She told me to wait."

The queen let go of him, sighing. "Patience is an important virtue for a warrior, Clawkit. That is something that you have to overcome."

He realised that he could - should - not argue with her, so he nodded reluctantly. The light grey she-cat seemed satisfied and ushered him outside to play with his adopted littermates.

When the tom told the other kits of his plight, Wildkit and Sandkit were less sympathetic.

"You were probably seeing things," Sandkit dismissed it quickly.

"Yeah, or you were making it up to get attention," Wildkit meowed irritably.

"I'm sure he did not mean that," the cream tom mewed, intending to stand up for Clawkit, much to the dark brown tabby kit's surprise.

"Oh really?" she narrowed her eyes.

With that, the two of them started bickering again. Embarrassed, Clawkit snuck away from the littermates' conflict. If only I don't cause them to argue whenever I come along...

He noticed that Cinderkit was standing away from them as well, looking nervous. As he approached, the dark grey kit visibly flinched.

Something was amiss. Cinderkit never reacted like that whenever they interacted.

"What's wrong?" Clawkit asked.

Immediately, Cinderkit looked guilty as he stared down at his paws. "I-I'm sorry. I... err... let's talk somewhere else."

"Okay." The older kit didn't like how the situation was going. He could practically taste the apprehension forming in the air as he followed the other kit to another spot.

As soon as they got there, Cinderkit began to speak, keeping his voice down. "The other day... I was hanging around in camp with Wildkit and Sandkit. They started arguing again, so I decided to go somewhere else."

"Then, I overheard what a few warriors were talking about."

There was a spark of fear in his eyes as he continued. "They were talking about you."

"Me?" Clawkit blinked.

Cinderkit nodded. "Remember those stories? The ones about that huge, terrible battle?"

"Yes." Every cat knew of the great battle that almost destroyed the Clans more than four moons ago. Moreover, his own mother's life was taken in that battle so it was natural that he would know.

"Those warriors... they said that you," Cinderkit gulped, "looked like him... the one who was the cause of that battle."

Clawkit knew he had a bad feeling about this.

"Snarlfang."

Suddenly, everything made sense. Why Clawkit received dirty looks from a few warriors, why Hailstar was especially hostile to him...

It was his appearance, something that no cat could ever control.

"Clawkit... there's one more thing you should know..." Cinderkit took a shaky, deep breath. "It's Hailstar. He had that... that look in his eyes..."

As Clawkit opened his mouth to ask the younger kit more about it, they heard distant calls for Cinderkit. As the dark grey kit turned to leave, he looked back, his eyes reflecting all the dread in the world.

"Please... be careful."