Warrior Cats: The New Course (STILL UPDATING)

Chapter One

Icestar's belly felt warm. He was lying on his back, his face toward the sky as he rested in a patch of grass that bathed underneath sunlight. His fur heated against the fresh and cold new-leaf air; he felt grateful to have such a moment once again. Slowly, his eyes closed as he drifted off into a nap.

For a few moments, Icestar was able to remain like this. He felt relaxed, and his heartbeat steadied. After fixing up the camp, hunting and patrolling for so long, he hadn't been able to catch a moment of rest for what seemed like the entire two moons since the day of the battle. Recovering MoonClan had been more important above anything else, and rest wasn't easy. So finally, he felt like he had some peace . . .

Suddenly, a heavy weight landed on his belly, and his eyes opened quickly as he lost his breath, startled.

"Ha! I made it here first!" a high-pitched meow exclaimed. "You're so slow, Dewkit!"

As Icestar regained his vision, he recognized soft black kit-fur and a pair of light amber eyes staring down at him.

"G'morning, Icestar!"

"Ravenkit . . ." he gasped, his voice low.

"I-I'm not slow!" Dewkit stammered, cutting Icestar off. "Before I got the chance to say go, you went off on a head-start!" His white fur fluffed up as he stared at his sister with an angry expression.

Icestar felt slightly annoyed that his kits were already bothering him so early into the morning. Before Ravenkit had the chance to protest, he turned himself over, causing them to fall onto the ground with surprised squeaks. He looked down at both of them as they scrambled to their little paws. Dewkit sat down respectfully, scared of a punishment, but Ravenkit stared at Icestar with the same type of annoyance he had.

"What's with that look, Ravenkit?" he asked his daughter. "You seem—"

Ravenkit snorted. "I'm not mad."

Dewkit snapped his head towards her. "You obviously are, genius!" Icestar glared at him, and when the white-furred kit noticed, he looked down to his paws, ashamed. "Err, sorry."

"You better be sorry," Icestar said. When Ravenkit snickered, he added, "Both of you. Now tell me why you're bothering me again?"

"It was Ravenkit's idea," Dewkit mewed quickly. "She's the one who said that we should race, and whoever reached you first would win." His big dark blue eyes stared up at his father, trying to look convincing. "I—we're not in trouble, are we?"

Icestar took a deep breath, calming himself down again. Sometimes he wondered how he could contain his self-control, but it was probably because these were his kits. Ever since they became more independent, all they wanted to do was either mess with his head or compete with each other. Despite that, he still loved them with all his heart.

"Are they bothering you, Icestar?" a new voice rose up. Even though he recognized the voice, he turned around to see his silver-furred mate.

He nodded, accepting her warmth as she stood beside him. "They are, Silverleaf. I think they deserve punishment; did they come outside the nursery without permission?"

"They did," she said with a sigh. "Honestly, you two are a pain in the tail!"

Ravenkit stood up taller, her black fur sticking out at the end angrily. "That's not true, we're old enough to go outside on our own! We're almost two moons!"

"That's not old enough," said Silverleaf, shaking her head. "You've only began eating real prey a quarter-moon ago. Just because you get to do it like the other warriors, it does not make you a warrior." Her voice was stern. "I can take it from here, Icestar."