Berrykit opened her eyes to the light of dawn. Her mother, Flowerfur, was still asleep. Berrykit got out of the nest, and took a peek outside into the camp. She has only been outside the nursery once, and that was because she got a thorn in her paw and had to go to the medicine den. Berrykit turned her head to see her littermates, Hawkkit and Daisykit, were still asleep. I can take this opportunity to explore the camp! Berrykit’s eyes glowed with excitement. She took another peek outside, only for the glow in her eyes to fade when she realized the warriors were getting up. I missed my chance. If only I got up earlier… Berrykit’s eyes filled with disappointment. 

“Berrykit?” Berrykit jumped out of her thoughts as she realized one of the warriors saw her. “Y- yes Thornfur?” Thornfur walked up to her. “What are you doing up? You know that kits can sleep for much longer. Plus, you went to your nest late last night.” Berrykit pondered on what her answer should be. “I- uh- I guess my mind was just wide awake.” Thornfur searched the kit’s eyes as if he didn’t believe her. “Ok then…” Thornfur padded away to the fresh-kill from the day before. Berrykit herself scrambled back into the nursery to see if she could go back to sleep.

***

When Berrykit awoke again, it was Hawkkit hitting her that got her up. “Wake up! Wake up! Flowerfur says she’s gonna let us go into the camp!” Hawkkit nearly yowled. “What? Get off me so I can get up!” Berrykit got up to her paws quickly to talk to Flowerfur to confirm this beautiful news. “Flowerfur?” She padded up to her mother. “Is it true we’re going outside?” Her mother’s eyes lit up with pride. “Yes, today you are finally old enough to go outside the nursery.” Berrykit was ecstatic at the news, she was jumping around and her eyes glowed with excitement once more. “I can’t wait!” she meowed quite loudly.

Daisykit opened her eyes glowing. “Did I hear that right? Are we going outside the nursery?” She shot up to her paws. She searched both her mothers and Berrykit’s eyes and found something that made her mind confirm it. “Yes!” She started jumping around and went to go play with Hawkkit. Berrykit looked up to Flowerfur. “So when are we going to- y’know- go outside?” She tried to hide her excitement. Flowerfur looked at her with amusement lighting her eyes. “Well… how about… now?” Berrykit’s eyes opened wide as she yowled. “Yes!” Berrykit immediately realized what she did. “Oops, sorry.” She apologized. “It's alright, just you might want to go to your littermates before they leave without you. Because I think they heard.” Those words made Berrykit turn around to see her siblings racing for their mother. “You said now, right? Can we go? Pretty please!” Hawkkit rambled on about trying to get Flowerfur to let them out. Flowerfur purred. “Yes you can go. Just watch out, alright?” Hawkkit was almost out the entrance already. “Alright!” He nearly yowled on his way out.

Berrykit walked out the entrance eagerly into the stone hollow. It's beautiful… Berrykit thoughts ran around her mind. She soaked in the view. Dens made of bracken and leaves, the old tree that fell into the camp generations ago, highledge, and the tiny crack in a rock that made the entrance to the medicine den. “It's beautiful!” Berrykit cried. Hawkkit and Daisykit were already running around the place, and happened to run into Oakpaw. “Watch it!” She hissed. “Sorry!” Daisykit squeaked. Then they scampered off. 

Flowerfur leaned down to lick Berrykit’s head fur down. “How about you go meet everyone?” Flowerfur suggested. “That sounds like a great idea!” Berrykit meowed. She padded away from her mother and toward the warriors den, or, what she thought was the warriors den. It was actually the apprentices. Berrykit poked her head in. “Hello? Anyone in here?” She called. “Go away…” A very sleepy Birchpaw growled. Oops, this is the apprentices den… Berrykit pulled her head out the entrance. She observed the camp once more. That den is the one Thornfur came out of… that's the warriors den! Berrykit put together the pieces in her head.

Berrykit stumbled over a stone on her way over. Ouch. She turned over her paw. It was just stinging. She put her paw back down and continued to walk. She stuck her head inside the warriors den. “Hello?” She meowed. “Yes?” A light colored tom sat in the corner. He was fixing up his nest. “Hi! I’m Berrykit. I’m here to meet the other cats. Who are you?” She padded over to the tom. “I’m Thundertail. You probably don’t remember me, but I was there when you were born, actually. I’m Flowerfur’s littermate.” The tom Thundertail told Berrykit. “Cool! That means we’re kin!” Berrykit meowed. Thundertail finished taking care of his nest. “Well Berrykit, that's the end of that. And yes, we are kin.”

Berrykit walked out of the warriors den after Thundertail, but instead of following him, she went into the medicine den. “Hello? Riversong?” Berrykit called. “Berrykit?” The medicine cat walked out from the back of the den. “What’s up?” Riversong sat down in front of Berrykit. “I was wondering about how exactly Starclan works.” Riversong’s ears pricked up in surprise at Berrykit’s question. “I’m sorry, Berrykit, but only medicine cats and their apprentices get to learn exactly how Starclan works. But I can tell you a small amount.” Berrykit got slightly disappointed, but was still interested. Flowerfur never really talked about Starclan much. 

“So Starclan is our ancestors. When a clan cat dies, their spirit joins the stars you see at night. Those same spirits tell medicine cats prophecies, or encrypted messages of the future.” Riversong tried to explain Starclan to Berrykit. “So… dead cats tell you medicine cats the future in weird ways from the stars?” Riversong flushed as the kit explained in a much simpler way than she did. “W- well… yeah that’s right.” Riversong dipped her head. “You explained that much simpler than I did, huh?” Berrykit flicked her ear. “Yeah I guess so huh. Anyway, bye Riversong! Thanks for explaining!” She padded out the small cave. So we listen to dead cats, because they say stuff to us to get us to make them come true. I’m smarter than you think, Riversong. Berrykit walked back to the nursery. 

She was getting hungry and sleepy. Maybe a feed and a nap would be good…

***

Berrykit awoke for the third time that day when Oakpaw came in to give Flowerfur a mouse. “Here you go Flowerfur! The best mouse caught today. Caught by me nonetheless.” Oakpaw seemed to glow with pride. “Hi Oakpaw.” Berrykit stood up and she greeted the apprentice. “Oh hello Berrykit. I was wondering where you went.” Oakpaw leaned down and quietly meowed in Berrykit’s ear. “I got a moss ball behind the nursery if you wanna come play. Just don’t tell Birchpaw. She thinks we can’t play games anymore now that we’re apprentices.” Oakpaw pulled her head back up and walked out the nursery. I just got invited to play mossball by an apprentice. Berrykit looked at the entrance where Oakpaw was just at.

Berrykit turned her head over to Flowerfur. “I’m going to go play in camp.” she meowed as she walked out. “Okay!” Flowerfur called. “Just play safe!” Berrykit turned around and walked behind the nursery. There was a bramble thicket woven into a wall, but a small enough hole for a cat the size of a young apprentice to squeeze through. Berrykit walked through carefully, making sure not to touch any thorns. “Oakpaw?” She meowed on her way in the hole. “I’m here. I knew you couldn’t resist.” Oakpaw held a ball of moss in her teeth. “Let's play!” She dropped and hit the ball lightly toward Berrykit. The small kit got excited quickly and jumped on the moss, then hit it back. Oakpaw caught it between her paws. She hit it back slightly harder than before. Berrykit and Oakpaw played mossball until the sun started to set.

“Oops,” Oakpaw started, “they are probably wondering where we are. It’s about feeding time.” Oakpaw and Berrykit snuck back out the bramble thicket to face Hawkkit. “There you are, Berrykit!” Then Hawkkit noticed Oakpaw. “Wait… no fair! You’ve been playing with apprentices!” Hawkkit complained. “Why can’t I play with apprentices?” Amusement sparkled in Oakpaw’s eyes. “Well Hawkkit, think about it. You’ve been playing with Daisykit all day. Berrykit was alone all day, I just offered to play with her because she looked lonely.” Hawkkit still was pouting.

“Well Berrykit could have joined us at any time!” Berrykit felt like they forgot she was still there. “I’m still here.” Both Hawkkit and Oakpaw jumped. “Oops, sorry Berrykit.” Oakpaw apologized. “Well, gotta get going, apprentice duties, you know?” Oakpaw padded away to find her mentor. “Well that was odd.” Berrykit commented. “Yeah.” Hawkkit agreed. “Well, let's go ask Flowerfur if we can feed.” Berrykit and Hawkkit walked back to the nursery entrance where Daisykit was waiting. “There you are! Thanks for finding her Hawkkit.” Daisykit walked up to Berrykit. “Flowerfur said it was feeding time. Let's go!” Daisykit turned around and headed into the nursery.

“Sorry I’m late Flowerfur.” Berrykit walked in behind Hawkkit. “It’s alright, you were playing.” Flowerfur didn’t seem to mind. They fed and Berrykit decided to sleep for the night afterwards. “Night Hawkkit, night Daisykit, night Flowerfur.” She said to her littermates and mother. Then she remembered. “I need to go say goodnight to someone!” Berrykit ran out of the nursery and headed into the warriors den. “Thundertail?” Berrykit looked for the light tom. “Right here.” Berrykit jumped as she realized Thundertail was behind her. “What is it?” He asked. “I just wanted to say goodnight. You’re my kin, so it's only nice to say it.” Thundertail looked at her with kindness in his eyes. “That’s very nice of you, but aren’t you forgetting someone?” That made something click in Berrykit’s mind. “I forgot Ivyclaw! How could I forget my own father!” She raced out the den as she thought Ivyclaw was on night guard duty. It’s probably the fact that I haven't seen him yet today that I forgot him… 

Berrykit scanned the camp with her eyes to look for her father. Her gaze finally caught him at the edge of camp. “Ivyclaw!” Berrykit ran over. “Berrykit?” Ivyclaw turned around to see the she-kit. “I just wanted to say goodnight.” Berrykit informed him. “Oh. Well then, goodnight Berrykit.” Ivyclaw leaned down and licked Berrykit’s head. Then Berrykit went back to the nursery and laid her head down for the last time that day.