Firestar awakes from a dream in which he was remembering something from long ago, when he met an ancient cat who gave him a prophecy about three descendants of his. He feels afraid and and realizes the three have come and the prophecy is about to reveal itself.
Jaykit dreams of walking through the snow, unable to find his mother but able to hear her. He wakes up to find Hollykit and Lionkit (his sister and brother) playing in the nursery. He joins his siblings and they play, tossing a mouse around. He accidentally lands on Ferncloud's two kits and worries he has hurt them. Ferncloud tells him he is too small to do that and sends the kits to go play in the clearing. Jaykit is upset over Ferncloud's comment about his size. He is even more upset when Ferncloud says that Firestar needs to make them apprentices and he knows she is looking at him with pity. They leave the den and continue playing with the mouse. Stormfur catches them and tells them to show more respect for their food, but his words are not harsh. Lionkit points out that they are practicing their hunting skills and Jaykit points out that soon they will be apprentices. Stormfur pauses for a moment then licks Jaykit telling him he forgot. Jaykit feels even more frustrated that no one will treat him his age. Lionkit gives the mouse to Hollykit and Jaykit and goes to the fresh kill pile but Jaykit stops him before he can take anything. Jaykit smells something wrong and pulls out a wren full of maggots. Leafpool comes by and congratulates Jaykit for spotting it. Jaykit asks Leafpool if she needs help gathering herbs. He is eager to leave the camp and explore. Leafpool understands his wants but tells him he must wait until he is old enough. Jaykit is frustrated. Being Firestar's grandson and Brambleclaw's son means every cat is careful not to give him special treatment. As they eat Spiderleg anx Thornclaw come rushing in. There is a dead fox.
Brambleclaw and Firestar start giving out orders. The fox had kits and they need to find them and deal with them. The kits decide they want to find the fox cubs to prove they are ready to be apprentices. Sneaking out of the camp they follow the scent trails and find the den, but Thirnclaw and his patrol are close. Lionkit goes ahead to check it out and Jaykit is worried they will attack without him. Hollykit assures him they won't. Lionkit comes back and they decide to go through the back entrance. They go in but Jaykit realizes the fox cubs are much bigger then they thought. The terrified kits run back out they way they came in. Jaykit calls for Thornclaw and gets separated from his siblings. As he races away with a fox on his tail he falls over the cliff at the edge of camp.
Jaykit feels pain everywhere. A ThunderClan medicine cat he has never seen before cleans him up and gives him water to drink. Tired, he falls back asleep. When he wakes up he asks Leafpool where the other cat went. He talks about how she checked his wounds and give him water to drink. He describes her to Leafpool and she finally tells him it was Spottedleaf. As they talk she tells him he will be fine and he should have never left the camp. Jaykit gets angry and insists he should be allowed to do things like other cats. He asks Leafpool if Firestar will delay him becoming an apprentice because of this. Leafpool tells him she thought he understood he can never become an ordinary apprentice like Hollykit or Lionkit. She tries to tell him there are other ways to serve his clan but this just makes Jaykit more angry. She asks him more about his dreams and asks him what herbs she used to treat him. Happy with his answers she suggests he could become a medicine cat. Jaykit becomes furious, saying he doesn't want a half life like she has. He wants to be a warrior and hates being blind.
Hollykit and Lionkit sit in the clearing waiting for their parents and Firestar - and to find out just how much trouble they are in. Overhearing Sorreltail and Brackenfur talking about Jaykit, Hollykit gets upset. She and Lionkit have to wait for punishment while Jaykit gets to stay in Leafpool's den. Lionkit asks her what is wrong and she voices her frustrations. He counters with they never should have taken him with them and she argues that Jaykit would have been furious if he was left behind. But then she thinks about how he kept up with them and how she would have felt if he had died and she acknowledges that none of them should have gone. Firestar, Brambleclaw, and Squirrelflight approach the kits, upset with them. Hollykit insists they were just trying to help the clan but Firestar tells her Jaykit's death would not have helped them and they almost led the foxes straight to the camp. Firestar says for now they must stay with Ferncloud or Daisy at all times and get their permission to leave the nursery. He will discuss their apprenticeships later. After Firestar leaves, Lionkit asks if Jaykit is returning to the nursery too. His parents tell him that for now he must stay with Leafpool. Hollykit asks if Jaykit will recover in time for the naming ceremony. Squirrelflight tries to tell her kits that Jaykit can never become a warrior. Hollykit angrily insists her brother can become one. Lionkit is sent back to the nursery and Holkykit gets to visit Jaykit. While there she starts thinking maybe she isn't meant to be a warrior but a medicine cat instead. When she asks Leafpool about taking an apprentice Leafpool refers to her potential one as a he. Hollykit worries that Leafpool already had someone in mind but Leafpool assures her that she has made no choices yet. Ferncloud calls for Hollykit. Frustrated she can't stay, Hollykit returns to the nursery.
So, first of all, very good writing. I did not see Jaykit being blind coming at all. I went back and reread some areas but the only place where it was actually stated that he could see was in his dreams. The rest of the time the writing just gave the illusion that he could - plus, his siblings acting like he is no different then them helped. As everyone else fussed over him I thought it was just because he was so small.
I think, very clearly, StarClan intends Jaykit to be a medicine cat. Just as clearly, Jaykit intends to be a warrior. And Hollykit clearly has her sights on being a medicine cat while Leafpool clearly expects her apprentice to be Jaykit. And I completely understand Jaykit wanting to be a warrior - it is everyone's destiny so of course he wants it - any yes he can "see" very well, but it would be very hard to learn every single patch of land and even harder to race though the trees. I was always sad Longtail went blind and had to retire - especially since his other senses were heightened - but looking at Jaykit I think I understand why it had to happen. And Longtail knew the land... At least Lionkit seems to have a clear future ahead of him, unlike his siblings. Still, stories thrive on conflict.
So I just realized now that there are three stars in Leafpool's dream and there are three kits. I feel a bit silly for not noticing that before. Also, what is up with Brambleclaw knowing (okay, suspecting) there is a traitor in their midst. Am I just supposed to forget that story line? Because I can't. And still nothing about Graystripe... I was hoping that would finally be resolved. I am glad that Stormfur and Brook are officially ThunderClan cats now but, again, is that too going to be explained or ignored?
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