"I had many adventures like the one you had, young Willowkit." The old she-cat smiled softly at the kit below her. "But- but you're so old and wise Olmsplash!" Willowkit protested. "Ha!" she responded. "Every kit is mischievous. Even your mother. She thought that as soon as she could live without my milk she could live without me! She snuck off to go hunting when she was just four and a half moons old." "Wow.." Willowkit said, eyes huge. "And to think, I'm already five moons and I've never caught anything." "Whoever said Reedbloom caught anything?" The kit cocked her head, but Olmsplash kept talking before Willowkit could say a word. "She did, of course, but not until her fourth escapade, when she was a quarter of a moon away from apprenticeship." "Oh thank Starclan," she muttered. "I still have time to be a great hunter before I'm an apprentice." Olmsplash flicked her tail as the kit realized she had meowed out loud. "Don't worry kit, I didn't hear a word." Willowkit sighed in relief, then asked in a low voice, "why aren't you trying to stop me?" "I believe it's important for every kit to have adventures," responded the elder just as quietly. Raising her voice, she added, "I'll tell you about some of MY adventures if you get the ticks on my tail." Willowkit nodded quickly in agreement. "Long, long ago, when I was about four moons old, I thought I was already old enough to be an apprentice. I told my brother Wolfcloud, 'We should be apprentices by now! The other kits were made apprentices a few days ago!' He wasn't too convinced, but after a bit he agreed to come. "We waited until we could see the moon shining right above us. We had faked sleeping, and we snuck out through the den. We went all the way across the clearing, behind the elder's den, and pushed a rock aside. There was an old tunnel that led through the rock wall on that side of camp and out. We had found it while playing 'Dark-hider and light-finder'." "Is it still there?" interrupted Willowkit. "Oops! Don't tell anyone I told you that. Yes it is." Willowkit looked smug. Olmwhisper lay down, and Willowkit followed suit, having finished the ticks. Olmsplash continued. "We looked and looked, going farther and farther into the meadow. No sign of prey. We were getting tired, so we took a break. When we woke up though, we saw that it was climbing-sun. We couldn't remember which way was home. We started off, in the total wrong direction, as we later found. Meanwhile, back at camp, everyone was panicking. They were organizing search patrols for us." Willowkit's eyes looked so wide they were on the verge of popping. "You were so awesome..." she whispered. "But naughty." Olmsplash winked. "Anyways, we kept on going, but we were getting pretty hungry. After a while we found half a dead raven and devoured it. I think we got sick a few days after because of it. We wandered all the way to the twoleg place nearby, and that's where I met a cat named Ash who helped us get back in the right direction, where we were found." "That's all so cool! but didn't you get in trouble?" Olmsplash chuckled. "Of course! They put off my brother's and my apprentice ceremony for a quarter moon just because of that!" I escaped with that tunnel many more times though, without my brother, and unnoticed. "By the time I was an apprentice, I had already memorized the territory. Since my brother was far less troublesome than me, he didn't get another half-moon delay, while I did." The kit was incredulous. "You had to wait a full half moon extra to be an apprentice?!" "Yes I did. And a quarter moon to be a warrior. Not too fun, kit. You should avoid being as troublesome as I was." She nodded her fluffy head seriously. "I won't." "Good. Well, when I was waiting to be an apprentice, I didn't have any friends. My brother was no longer interested in being seen playing with a kit. So I snuck out, saying I was hunting, to look for the only cat I could remember who I thought would play with me. Ash, the kittypet who helped us go home. I found my way back to the border near twoleg place. I hunted nearby for a while, then found the den where I could remember Ash living. "I climbed up the walls and looked for a cat. Not seeing one at first glance, I jumped down into the kittypet territory. Suddenly, something leaped onto my back from behind and pinned me down. 'What are you doing here?' I saw a familiar reddish-black paw next to my head. 'Ash?' I asked. He stepped off, recognizing my voice. 'Wait, do we know each other?' "I came here when I was younger, I was lost.' Shaking my fur, I sat up and faced him. He wasn't much older than me, and he wasn't as plump as I had heard of about kittypets. 'Olmkit. From the clans.' 'Oh yeah, you were pretty fun. I'll never forget that name,' he joked. 'Well, I didn't choose it. When I'm a warrior it'll have to be much prettier.' He cocked his head. 'I don't know what any of that means.' 'A warrior is a full-grow cat who gets a different, new name. (continued)
(continuing) Mine would be Olmpelt, Olmpool, Olmwhisker, or something.' 'So would mine be Ash, then another thing?' 'I guess so. Sometimes even I don't know how it works!' We talked for a long time. By the time the sun was setting, we had agreed to talk again in a few days, the same spot. "We kept meeting as I became an apprentice, then one day he came to camp with me. His twolegs had left, and he was too lonely without them. I explained everything to the leader. I was punished by delaying my warrior ceremony even more, and Ash agreed to start training. I had to do that, since no one else wanted to." "This is crazy!" Willowkit said. Olmfrond nodded, winking. "After another quarter moon, I finally received my warrior name, which is still my name now. Four moons later, Ash became Ashleap. "My brother hated me even more now that I had brought a kittypet into the clan. I didn't care, and mostly ignored him. Eventually Ashleap and I became mates. You may know what happened next. Reedbloom, Silvertalon, and Willowfrond were born." "But... I'm the only cat called Willow in the clan." The elder's gaze saddened. "She was pushed over the edge of the gorge in a battle and got stabbed by a sharp rock on the cliff. She didn't survive the night. You were ironically born while the battle was being fought, so when your mother found out, she named you after her. Your fur is the same pattern but a different color, and your unique eyes are exactly like hers." "I never knew... She seemed really brave." "She was. And kind. Her mate was devastated that they never got to have kits, because of how much they wanted them." Suddenly Reedbloom popped her head into the den. "Willowkit! There you are. What have you been doing for so long? Surely you've finished her ticks?" The older cat answered. "I was telling her of her namesake." Tears welled in the queen's eyes. "I put it off too long. It hurt to talk about." "Now you don't have to. Go on Willowkit, you've finished here." The two cats left, and Olmfrond sighed. "It's good to tell someone of my adventures." Ashleap's figure came in suddenly. "Just in time too. Come." So Olmsplash went to Starclan.
