Erin Hunter - Twilight

“You only have to look at Daisy to tell she probably never killed a mouse in her life,” Brambleclaw went on, before Squirrelflight could challenge him. “She’ll need a lot of help to live out here.”

“True,” Firestar admitted. “But ThunderClan needs more young cats. We only have two apprentices, and although Sorreltail’s kits will be very welcome, they won’t begin their warrior training for moons.”

Brackenfur and Sorreltail, who had emerged from the nursery to stand beside her mate, blinked proudly at each other.

“But these are kittypets ,” Brambleclaw objected. “How are they going to learn—”

“ What did you say?” Cloudtail whirled around to face Brambleclaw, his blue eyes slitted with anger. “Have you forgotten that your Clan leader was a kittypet? That I was a kittypet? I’ll show you that a kittypet can claw your ears off any time.”

Brambleclaw took a step back, his eyes flaring. The rest of the cats looked shocked too, including Cloudtail’s mate, Brightheart. Squirrelflight hadn’t realized the white warrior was still so sensitive about his kittypet origins; they were never mentioned by his Clanmates, and he had arrived in ThunderClan as a tiny kit, long before Squirrelflight was born.

“If Cloudtail doesn’t claw you, I will,” she hissed, padding forward to stand beside the white warrior and glaring furiously at Brambleclaw.

“That’s enough.” Firestar thrust between the bristling antagonists. “Sheathe your claws. There’ll be no fighting here.”

“Thank you for standing up for us.” The quiet voice came from behind her. Squirrelflight turned to see that Daisy had appeared at the entrance to the nursery. “I couldn’t help hearing what you were saying. I didn’t intend to join anyone when I left home. I only wanted to save my kits from whatever happened to Floss’s litter. If it’s a problem having us here, we’ll leave as soon as my kits are strong enough to travel.”

“It’s not a problem,” Cloudtail assured her instantly.

“You can stay as long as you want,” Firestar added, padding across to stand in front of Daisy. “But if you decide to leave you need to think very carefully about where you’ll go. The life of a loner is tough. Are you used to catching your own food?”

“I bet she can,” Squirrelflight put in, before Daisy could answer. “Barley and Ravenpaw catch mice in their barn, so why shouldn’t Daisy and the others?”

Daisy shook her head, looking a bit embarrassed. “No, we—”

“No, she’d be too fat and lazy to run fast enough,” Sootfur interrupted, loud enough to be heard. Squirrelflight was glad when Mousefur hissed at him and gave him a clout around the ear with a sheathed paw; she would have done the same if she’d been close enough.

“The Nofurs fed us,” Daisy explained, blinking anxiously.

“We did catch mice sometimes, in the barn. But there aren’t very many mice there—and anyway, I expect it’s harder out here.”

“You’re right. It is,” Firestar meowed. “But we’ll show you how, if you decide to stay. And we’ll train your kits in our ways.”

“You don’t have to decide right now,” Cloudtail put in.

“Why don’t you go back to your kits now? You need to rest.”

“And we won’t make any decisions without talking to you,” Firestar added. He turned to the apprentices, who were hovering on the edge of the group with eyes like full moons.

“Birchpaw, fetch Daisy a piece of fresh-kill from the pile, please.”

The young apprentice bounded off.

“Come on, Daisy,” Cloudtail meowed. “Everything will seem better when you’re not hungry and tired.”

Squirrelflight saw Brightheart looking a little disconcerted as her mate touched his nose to Daisy’s flank. The ginger and white she-cat watched them walk back to the nursery, then murmured to Whitepaw, “Your father’s doing exactly the right thing. Daisy’s exhausted, and she must be scared out of her wits.”

Brightheart hurried forward to catch up with Cloudtail and Daisy. “Do you need any help with the kits?” she offered.

Daisy glanced around and let out a little squeak of alarm.

“What happened to your face?”

Squirrelflight was so used to seeing the injuries Brightheart had received from the dog pack that she didn’t notice them anymore. But she could understand how Daisy, confronted by the bald pink scars and empty eye socket for the first time, might be frightened.

She doesn’t have to show it like that, though , Squirrelflight thought crossly. Poor Brightheart !

“I was attacked by dogs.” Brightheart lowered her head and turned the injured side of her face away from Daisy. She stepped back to let Cloudtail and Daisy go into the nursery alone, then she headed across the clearing to the warriors’ den.

“Want to hunt?” Squirrelflight jumped at the sound of Ashfur’s voice behind her. “It doesn’t sound as if your patrol had much chance to bring back fresh-kill.”

“No, we didn’t,” Squirrelflight admitted. “Let’s go now.”

“We’ll need plenty of prey from now on,” Ashfur remarked as they headed to the thorn tunnel. “Four more mouths to feed!”

Squirrelflight was pleased by the warmth in his tone. He was much more welcoming to the new arrivals than Brambleclaw had been, with his scathing comments about kittypets.

I’m half kittypet myself , she thought. Do you think I shouldn’t be a warrior either, Brambleclaw ?

Ducking her head to follow Ashfur through the brambles, Squirrelflight pushed thoughts of Brambleclaw out of her mind. It didn’t make any difference where Daisy came from.

ThunderClan was desperately short of young cats, after so many had died during the famine and the journey to the lake.

Daisy’s arrival could be exactly what they needed.

Leafpool dropped the herbs she was carrying and looked down at the creamy-furred she-cat. “Cinderpelt says you need to eat these.”

Daisy blinked up at her from sleepy blue eyes, lifting her head from where she lay among the thick moss in the nursery.

In the two days since they came to the camp, she and her kits had almost recovered from their exhausting journey. Daisy had groomed her fur back into soft silkiness, while her three kits were curled up together in a purring heap. “You’re all so kind,” Daisy murmured. She chewed up the herbs obediently, wrinkling her nose against the pungent scent.

Careful not to disturb them, Leafpool bent to check the three kits. “They’re beautiful,” she mewed. “Have you given them names yet?”

“Yes. The one with cream fur like mine is Berry, the bigger gray one is Mouse, and the smallest one is Hazel.” Daisy rested her tail softly on each kit as she named it.

“Those will work very well as Clan names,” Leafpool told her. “Here they’ll be Berrykit, Mousekit, and Hazelkit. I’ll let Firestar know.”

She thought Daisy looked a bit doubtful, as if she wasn’t sure she wanted her kits to be part of the Clan, but before she could say any more Ferncloud crept in through the entrance with a mouse in her jaws.

“I’ve brought you some fresh-kill,” she meowed to Daisy, placing the mouse next to her. Purring, she settled down in the moss beside the kits. “They look fine now. I’m sure you have enough milk.”

Leaving them to discuss the kits, Leafpool said good-bye and emerged into the clearing. The weather was still gray and cold, and the trees above her head clashed in the wind.