Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Warriors

Reedwhisker’s Guilt

Prologue:

Dark, swelling clouds loomed overhead as a cold breeze blew through the Riverclan camp. Snow had gently fallen through the night, turning the outside of the den a brilliant, glittering silver that seemed to mirror the shine of Silverpelt. As the cold drew in, Mistyfoot shifted in her nest to more closely cover her newborn kittens, tail swept around their four wriggling bodies. It was a hard thing to give birth during Leafbare, but she had been assured that her kits were strong, and healthy, and as long as they were cared for, they’d be just fine. They’d been born only a few days ago, and still hadn’t opened their eyes yet, but still Mistyfoot looked upon them with all of the love and adoration in her heart.
“They’re beautiful, Mistyfoot.”
Mistyfoot looked up to see a shadowy black tom standing in the entrance-way to the nursery, his broad shoulders having to hunch to move past the brambles and thickly packed reeds that made up the protective den.
“Yes, they are.” Mistyfoot smiled up at her mate, Blackclaw, and purred as he rubbed his muzzle under her chin.
“They’re going to make such proud, strong Warriors for RiverClan. Just wait and see!” Blackclaw’s eyes glittered with humor and delight, but a protective instinct stirred in Mistyfoot at his words, causing her to gently curl the tip of her tail just a bit closer to the little black tomkit on the end of the row.
If Blackclaw noticed her gesture, he didn’t make a comment on it, instead choosing to quietly pad around Mistyfoot and settle behind her, his nose briefly touching hers before his attention was enraptured once more with their newborns.
“Have you decided what we should name them yet?” Blackclaw inquired, “Because I have some ideas! Uh, if that’s okay that is.”
It wasn’t often that Mistyfoot saw Blackclaw cowed like this, and her whiskers twitched in amusement.
The birth must have brought out a softness in him.

“I’ve thought of one for the cream colored she-kit. How about Primrosekit?” Mistyfoot turned to look over her shoulder at the black tom, who returned her loving gaze in kind.
“It’s perfect for her.”
“I’m glad you think so! What were your ideas?” Mistyfoot tilted her head to one side, before turning back to look at the kits.
“Well, the grey one, with the mottled markings? I was thinking he sort of has a fish-like pattern. Don’t you think so?”
Mistyfoot nodded with an amused twitch of her whiskers.
“I can see it, but please don’t try to put him on the fresh kill pile!”

A mischievous twinkle glittered in Blackclaw’s eye, his nose coming to roughly poke her ear.
“What have I told you about morbid jokes like that?” He gave a deep chuckle, tongue rasping over where he’d poked her.
“Anyway...With that in mind, I wanted to call him Pikekit. You know how deeply I respected my father, and I wanted his memory to live on, even when I’m gone.”
“Then that’s what we’ll call him.”
The two of them nodded together, matching grins pulling at both of their muzzles as they settled down to look at the third kit.
“I’ll name this one, Blackclaw.”
Blackclaw nodded his assent, gently leaning over Mistyfoot’s side to deliver soft, raspy tongue strokes to the black kit’s pelt. He was the smallest of the litter, and he had a squeaky little mew that was much louder than his proportions would suggest.

“I was thinking of Perchkit for him. His black coat reminds me of the stripes on the perch fish. So I guess we both came up with fish names in the end!” Mistyfoot quietened her giggle with a paw to her mouth, and Blackclaw had to stop himself from snickering.
“It’s perfect, Mistyfoot. Now all that’s left is this little one on the end. He looks the most like me, don’t you think? I wanted to name him Reedkit, after Reedtail. Skyheart took losing him last newleaf really hard and...I just think this might be a great way to keep his memory alive, you know?” Blackclaw’s eyes glittered with emotion, ears folded back against his head as he stared imploringly at his mate. Mistyfoot could remember, Reedtail was one of the kits Blackclaw had grown up with. Though they weren’t brothers by blood, they were kin in every other sense of the term, and even Blackclaw’s sister, Skyheart, had become his mate. When Reedtail had died in a raid at sunningrocks, both Skyheart and Blackclaw had been devastated.

“I think it’s a great name, Blackclaw. I’m sure Reedtail’s looking down from Starclan with pride.” Mistyfoot gave a soft lick to her mate’s cheek, helping the life return to him as he swam in the memory of his deceased friend.

Just as the dawn light began to filter in, causing the shells that decorated the protective den layer to glitter a rainbow of colours across the floor, Mistyfoot noticed something. The newest named one, Reedkit, was wriggling in his nest, tiny jaws opening in a yawn to show off a row of needlepoint teeth. Slowly, the kitten looked up a little, letting out a pained little grunt as ever so slightly, the kit's eyes opened to reveal dark grey eyes underneath.

Chapter Text

Chapter One:

“Come on, Reedkit! You’re so slow!”
Reedkit huffed as he chased the sound of Primrosekit’s voice out of the nursery. It was a frigid morning, and fresh snow lay on the ground around the camp that had fallen from the night before, turning the usually brown and green camp floor into a sheet of brilliant white. The pale light of the sun through the wispy clouds above dappled onto the various stones and shells weaved into the RiverClan dens, sending rainbows of light splashing into the camp like fish leaping from the river. 
For Reedkit and his siblings, this was their first day out of the nursery. They’d had their eyes open for a good moon now, but the cold had kept them from going out of the nursery.
We’ve barely left Mistyfoot’s sight, let alone been out into the camp!
Looking around, Reedkit took in the camp around him with wide, open eyes. Everything seemed so big in comparison to the nursery, and he’d barely taken a step outside! 

Suddenly, Reedkit felt something butt into his flank, knocking him off of his balance and into the snow. With a little yelp, he freed himself from the crunchy white dust, shaking off his pelt with a scowl at his equally small assailant.
Standing over him was Pikekit, his older sibling. Well, in reality, they were all his older siblings- but he’d be quick to remind them only by a minute or so! Pikekit leaned down with a smug grin and gripped Reedkit by the scruff, pulling him to his paws before beginning to dust him off with their tail. 
“Y’know, Reedkit, you gotta start looking around your surroundings instead of standing around like a struck deer!”
Reedkit rolled his eyes. “You’ve never even seen a deer!”
“Yeah, well, neither have you so you don’t know I’m wrong, either.”
Having quite enough of Pikekit’s smart aleck talking, Reedkit bowed down to his front paws and wiggled his hindquarters, preparing to leap.
“Uh huh? You think you’re so smart? Well I’m the strongest!” 
With a little leap, Reedkit pounced on his sibling, sending them both rolling around the clearing in a ball of play-hissing and giggling. The two of them stopped when they hit a snow drift, the both of them letting out a little squeak as the top of the snowdrift collapsed on top of them. 
After a moment, Reedkit broke out of the snow with Pikekit close behind him. Pikekit coughed and shook out their fur while Reedkit began spitting out the cold that had invaded his mouth and nose.

“Does everything have to turn into a fight with you two?”
Reedkit and Pikekit looked up from grooming themselves to see Primrosekit and Perchkit standing over them. It was Perchkit who had spoken, his green eyes twinkling with mischief as he slowly began to rub the warmth back into Pikekit with his tongue.
“Primrosekit, give me a hand, would you?”
Primrosekit nodded, quickly padding over to her brother, Reedkit, and beginning to copy Perchkit’s ministrations. 
“We were only playing around!” Pikekit rolled their eyes and gently shooed Perchkit away by pushing their two front paws to Perchkit’s muzzle. “Besides, you act like we’ll shatter just by being a little rough. Real Warriors don’t flinch at a little bit of snow.”
“Right” Reedkit replied, settling down on his haunches next to Primrosekit, “I don’t see why you fuss so much over us!”
Primrosekit looked up from her tongue strokes, tilting her head to one side. 
“As much as I think they’re mousebrains” Primrosekit said with a pointed stare at Reedkit and Pikekit, “I have to agree with them. You’re too sensitive, Perchkit.”

At Primrosekit’s blunt tone, Perchkit flattened his ears against his head, recoiling as if he’d been raked across the muzzle.
“Whatever! I just think there’s more to life than slapping each other around like a pair of dumb rabbits!” 
Reedkit grinned, padding away from his sister and up to his brother with mischief tingling in his paws. Perchkit was the smallest of their litter, and he’d never much enjoyed the idea of fighting. It was something his other siblings teased him about, that and how sensitive he seemed to be.
“Aw, go easy on him, guys.” Reedkit feigned sympathy in his voice, to which Perchkit looked relieved to be backed up for once, “It’s not his fault he was born such a scaredy mouse!” 

“What?” Perchkit’s fur stood on end, teeth baring in a snarl, but it was clear he couldn’t put his heart into it. He was more sorrowful than angry, and it showed in how his claws kept shifting in and out of their sheath. “I am not a scaredy mouse!” 
“Are too!”
“Am not!”
“Are too!” Pikekit joined in, delight sparkling in their eyes as they found something they could provoke Perchkit with.
“I AM NOT!”
“KITS!”

Mistyfoot’s voice rang out around camp, and all four of the siblings looked up to see their mother standing only a foxlength away, fury glittering in her eyes. Perchkit finally lost his nerve to his siblings and quickly ran back to his mother, weaving between her legs and hiding his face in her fluffy ankles. Mistyfoot gently put a spare paw on his head, curling her tail around him protectively. Reedkit looked up, and it was then he realised the whole camp was watching them. Some looked shocked, some hostile, but everyone had disappointment glittering in their eyes. 
Primrosekit gulped behind him.
“Uh oh...Busted.” She quickly padded up to Reedkit, pressing against his side as Pikekit came up on his other flank.
“Yeah, no kidding…”

Mistyfoot sighed, leaning down to whisper something into Perchkit’s ear. With a little nod, Perchkit ran off towards the medicine den, where Mudfur was waiting. The light brown tom shook his head before turning away from the scene and into the medicine den, presumably to look after Perchkit. Reedkit looked away from where his brother had gone and back to his mother. Mistyfoot had her ears flat back against her head, and she was working her claws in and out of her paws just like Perchkit had done. Only this time, instead of seeing indecision, Reedkit thought that his mother looked incredibly threatening. With his tail down, Reedkit began to quickly trot back towards the nursery, followed by Perchkit and Primrosekit. Once they’d overtaken her, Mistyfoot gathered herself with a large sigh, padding behind them. As Reedkit disappeared into the nursery, he could just hear the bustle of the RiverClan clearing returning to normal. 
I think we made everything awkward for everyone…

As he sat down, Primrosekit stepped forward, dancing from side to side on her forepaws as her tail swished anxiously.
“Mistyfoot, we-”
“I know exactly what you three were up to, Primrosekit, and you’re all in big trouble!” The hardness in Mistyfoot’s mew made clear her frustration, but then her gaze softened, and her voice gave way to something more benign. “I just want to know why? I’ve told you three before not to bully your brother, but never has it gotten this bad.”
Mistyfoot curled around the three of them while she awaited an answer, taking to try and groom the snow out of Pikekit’s fur. Primrosekit fell silent. She was never the best talker of their group, and often found herself losing her nerve when getting scolded. 
After a few moments of silence, Pikekit spoke up in a hesitant mew.
“We uh...Well, Perchkit just isn’t...Strong, y’know? Whenever we try to joke around and stuff he’s always berating us, like he’s better than us, y’know? It’s frustrating!”
“Yeah!” Reedkit put in, “Like, like, just now! Me and Pikekit were playing and he was all haughty about it, acting like he’s more right for being weak!” Reedkit appealed to his mother, straightening his back to try and come off as more dignified and intellectual. Despite himself, however, he felt a jolt of doubt work its way down his throat like spoiled prey.
Is that really how Perchkit feels though?

Mistyfoot looked at Reedkit intently, twitching her whiskers when she noticed he’d dipped his head in shame. 
“Perchkit isn’t weak, nor does he think he’s more correct than you.”
“He doesn’t?” Pikekit quiered. 
“No, absolutely not.” Mistyfoot confirmed. “I know that you three admire your father very much, but you need to know that strength doesn’t always come from his much you can claw someone else- or how easily you can push them over into the snow.” She cast a warning glance over at Pikekit before they could interject, the young kit looking down at their paws and scuffing the moss of the nest with a forepaw. 
“I guess…” 
“But if Perchkit isn’t weak” Primrosekit finally looked up, coming in closer to settle into her mother’s warmth “Then why doesn’t he like to play fight and stuff?” 
Mistyfoot mulled over the question for a moment, making faces as though she were mulling it over in her mind. 
“Well,” she began “Primrosekit, your favourite prey is carp, right?” When Primrosekit nodded eagerly, she continued.
“But Reedkit’s favourite food is trout. You don’t think Reedkit is wrong for liking trout, do you?”
Primrosekit shook her head, and a sparkle in her indicated that she seemed to understand.
“I guess I get it. So everyone has different strengths and stuff, just like how everyone has a favourite food?”
“Or a favourite colour!” Reedkit put in, shooting his forepaws into the air.
“Or a favourite game!” Pikekit added, looking over to Reedkit with mischief in their eyes. They quickly leaped from their place near Mistyfoot’s belly and into Reedkit’s side. Reedkit wasn’t about to be bested, however, and as Pikekit threw their weight onto him, he quickly rolled backwards onto his back, using the momentum from the blow to carry him before kicking out his hind legs to toss Pikekit away to the other side of the den.
“Pikekit! Reedkit! Behave!” 
Reedkit’s tail shot up with indignation, looking up at Mistyfoot with a little pout. 
“But they started it!”
“Yeah, and you followed through.” Pikekit quickly padded back to the group, playfully sticking out their tongue while Primrosekit giggled in the corner.
“Anyway,” Mistyfoot interrupted them pointedly before the argument could escalate, “What the three of you did was very wrong. It’s never okay to bully any cat, no matter what their interests are. It’s cruel, and you wouldn't like it if your positions were reversed, would you?”

Reedkit shrugged. It made sense, in a way. Maybe the three of them had been too hasty in how they treated Perchkit. 
I definitely wouldn’t want him to feel too bad...I thought we were just joking around. Maybe Mistyfoot’s right, but Perchkit is still too sensitive.
“We understand, Mistyfoot. We won’t poke fun at him anymore.”
Primrosekit began washing her shoulder, tail twitching from side to side.
“Yeah, it isn’t like he often hangs out with us anyway- he’s too busy off in the medicine den with Mudfur. I’ll bet he’s being made to eat super yucky stuff!” 
“I don’t think Mudfur would do that” Pikekit argued, lifting up their haunches as Mistyfoot began to clean the base of their tail, “He’s pretty nice if you don’t mess with his stuff. Did you hear that he used to be a Warrior?”
Reedkit scrunched up his nose in disbelief, tipping his head to one side as he worked his little needle-like claws into the moss to make a little moss ball.
“A Warrior? That can’t be right. Mudfur’s a medicine cat, dummy.” 

“You’d best believe it, kits!”
A new, gruffer voice sounded at the entrance to the nursery, humour in his mew but muffled by something in his mouth. Reedkit looked up instantly, joy flooding through him from nose to tail tip when he recognized who it was.
“Blackclaw!” Reedkit quickly pelted over to his father, throwing himself against the Warrior’s shoulder with a play growl.
“Wooaahh, there, tiger! You’ll tear my fur off with moves like that!” Blackclaw gently ushered Reedkit back towards his mother, settling in beside her and dropping what he was carrying, a mouse, at her paws.
“Our hunting patrol just got back. I brought you the fattest mouse in the forest.” Blackclaw’s mew was thick with affection, and when Mistyfoot heard it she gently pressed her muzzle to her mate’s.
“Thank you, Blackclaw.”
“””Ewwww!”””
All three kits looked away, sticking their tongues out and gagging at the show of affection. Reedkit dramatically threw himself onto the moss, ears drooping and writhing like he’d just been sick. 
“One day, when you’re older, you kits might not mind it so much” Blackclaw chuckled, but swiftly moved the topic on while Mistyfoot took grateful bites out of the prey. “So I hear you three got up to mischief today!”
Reedkit looked down dejectedly. So the whole Clan knew? He wondered if Crookedstar was going to punish them. He’d heard that Crookedstar could be as crooked as his name when it came to punishments! 
“Yes,” Mistyfoot began with an exasperated sigh, “They’ve been teasing Perchkit again.” 
“Awh, I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.” Blackclaw leaned down and ruffled the fur atop Pikekit’s head with his muzzle, chuckling as Pikekit fell over and squealed in delight.

“Blackclaw, it was that bad.” Mistyfoot’s tone was terse and more serious now. It was clear she wanted Blackclaw to take this seriously. Reedkit looked up as Blackclaw turned back to Mistyfoot. There was exasperation in his expression, as if he couldn’t believe she was talking about this again.
“Mistyfoot, kits play and tease each other. It’s just a part of growing up.”
“It’s not just ‘growing up’ when Perchkit is so distressed about it!”
“We’ve talked about this, Perchkit needs to grow a bit of pelt on his spine- he’s too sensitive!” 
Reedkit noticed that what Blackclaw had said was mirroring what the three of them had said to Perchkit during their argument. He wondered what else he’d just mindlessly copied from his father. Mistyfoot looked incredulously at Blackclaw, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her hackles raised slightly at her mate’s tone, but it was clear she was trying hard not to show her irritation in front of her kittens. 
“And we’ve also talked about you unnecessarily dismissing his feelings.” 
Blackclaw and Mistyfoot fell silent for a moment, and all three of the kittens looked at each other in dismay. Why were their parents fighting like this? Didn’t they love each other?
After a tense silence, Blackclaw rolled his eyes and stood up again, making his way towards the entrance to the nursery.

“I can’t talk to you when you get like this” he called over his shoulder, the fur on the back of his neck standing on end, “call me when you’re not acting so hysterical.” 
With that, Blackclaw quickly exited the nursery, leaving behind a cold, eerie silence where he’d once stood. Reedkit looked over at Pikekit and Primrosekit. Primrosekit was staring anxiously at her mother, who quickly and wordlessly picked her up by the scruff, tucking the young kit into her belly and vigorously covering her tiny body in licks.
Pikekit, on the other hand, was staring out of the nursery towards where their father had left. Their expression was unreadable, but their tail tip twitched back and forth as they stared.
Reedkit was caught between the two of them. On one hand, he loved his father, and admired how strong and brave he was...But could he excuse how he’d talked to his mother like that? Surely that couldn’t have been right, Mistyfoot had taught him to always be polite.
What even was that, anyway?