Chapter 9 - Moon 6

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"And for my final announcement," Acornstar continued, forcing the cat's cheers to die down with her calm meow, "the gathering is tonight. I will be bringing Birchpaw, Oakwhisker, Riverflower, Runningmouse, Larktail, Winterpaw, Pebbleclaw and Snowpaw with me. I am leaving Branchfall in charge."

"Aww," Ivypaw meowed, slouching her shoulders. She suspected Blackstripe had asked to stay behind so he could be with Sunshine.

"This meeting is dismissed. Please prepare to leave." Acornstar leapt down from the stump to land next to Pebbleclaw.

"You guys are BOTH going??" Ivypaw complained.

"See?" Birchpaw replied, continuing an old conversation, "There are benefits to being a Medicine Cat. I get to go every moon."

Ivypaw rolled her eyes, "That's the ONLY benefit."

"The onl-" Birchpaw started, but Winterpaw nudged him.

"Everyone is leaving," he meowed in his usual flat tone.

"Ah, right," Birchpaw turned to go, glancing once behind him, "Catch ya later Ivy!"

Ivypaw watched him walk away, feeling strange. When he'd said Ivy, she'd almost... no. Almost nothing. Ivypaw turned back to the camp, scanning the warriors who'd stayed. Branchfall, Redpaw and Blackstripe.

Ivypaw was about to go lay in her nest, when she spotted a little face peeking out of the nursery. Sunshine's kits! They must be a lot older now. Ivypaw caught up to Blackstripe and his mate before they entered the nursery, "Sunshine? Can I meet your kits again?" She remembered how cool and mysterious Birchpaw and Winterpaw had been when she was a kit, and felt herself smiling at the thought.

"Of course!" Sunshine purred, "I can't convince them to go to sleep anyway."

Ivypaw gave the queen a respectful nod before entering the nursery.

Two of the kits, Ivypaw couldn't remember their names, wrestled over a feather in the middle of the nursery, while the one who'd been spying on them ran over to her father, squealing in excitement.

Ivypaw was happy to see her bad memories and experiences in the Nursery being chased away by the lively balls of fluffy energy. "Um, hello, kits." Ivypaw meowed, awkward. She glanced over, but Blacktripe and Sunshine were in the corner of the nursery, murmuring to each other, gaining her confidence. "I'm Ivypaw."

The two little squeaks in the center rolled over each other while attempting to straighten up. "I'M NIGHTKIT." the little black tomcat bellowed.

"I'M MORNINGKIT!" the little black she-cat yowled, equally as loud.

The third kit, who must be Daykit, hid behind his littermates shyly.

Ivypaw murrowed in amusement, pleased to see how confident they were. Image if I started out with this kind of confidence, Ivypaw mused, where would I be now? "Okay, who wants to learn some fighting moves?"

"Me!" the kits chorused unsurprisingly.

"Okay, okay," Ivypaw laughed, "now crouch like this..."

She began to teach them the little she'd learned from Blackstripe and Larktail, delighted at how focused they were. She quickly pinpointed their personalities; Daykit was the most confident, and learned quickly, giving him extra energy to annoy his siblings, particularly Morningkit. What Morningkit lacked in confidence and skill, she made up for in sheer noise. EVERYTHING she said was loud, a concept that Ivypaw, a quiet cat by nature, couldn't fathom. The last kit, Daykit, was the only one of the three who Ivypaw could relate to. He was smaller than the other two, quiet, and determined.

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