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In the seasons before Rusty's arrival, ThunderClan was struck by a series of greencough outbreaks that claimed the lives of many of their kits (including Cherrypaw and Chestnutkit from Robinwing and Fuzzypelt's litter, Featherkit and Cricketkit from Dappletail's litter). The sole surviving kit was Ravenkit, who was weak, small, and timid after surviving the illness. Knowing tensions were mounting with RiverClan over the Sunningrocks dispute, Bluestar and Redtail worried there would be no new warriors to help defend the borders.
Bluestar instructed her warriors to keep watch for abandoned kits, particularly near the TwolegPlace border. She'd heard reports of kits being abandoned and found dead there, causing her to suspect unusual activity from the cats living there. She was right - these kittens were abandoned by BloodClan cats, but unfortunately Bluestar wouldn't live long enough to see her suspiciouns realized. Bluestar's decision to look for abandoned kits was controversial among her warriors. Though the Warrior Code instructs that all kits must be cared for, some cats believed Bluestar was looking for trouble by purposely seeking out kits. Nonetheless, her warriors would obey her orders.
The first kit retrieved was a pale ginger she-kit, named Sandkit, found by Whitestorm. The second was a brown tabby tomkit, named Dustkit, found by Redtail. The third was a gray tom-kit, named Graykit, found by Willowpelt. However, Bluestar could tell Willowpelt was recently pregnant, and suspected she'd had an affair with an outsider and was using Bluestar's recent directions as a cover, since Willowpelt's previous son, Darkkit, also had an unknown father. Due to Bluestar's own past, she felt sympathy for the young, distraught queen and let this slide.
Willowpelt and Robinwing nursed the three new kits alongside Ravenkit, and all the warriors took a share in caring for their new Clanmates. Bluestar noticed, however, that Willowpelt stayed very close with Graykit, while Dustkit and Sandkit didn't form parental attachments to any single cat, which she saw as a confirmation of her suspicion of Graykit's parentage. Young warrior Mousefur was the only to refuse caring for the kits, expressing distress at the idea of being in the nursery. Some older cats saw her as bratty or petulant, but Bluestar allowed her to do extra hunting for the kits and queens instead, to alleviate her stress.
Patchpelt often helped his younger sister Willowpelt take care of Graykit, staying in the nursery with him when Willowpelt grew restless. As a result, Graykit developed a very close relationship with his uncle, thinking of him as a secondary parental figure. Graykit hoped that he would be apprenticed to Patchpelt, but Bluestar thought he would need the stronger guidance of Lionheart. Regardless, Graystripe remained very close with Patchpelt as well as his mother Willowpelt, and when Patchpelt died of smoke inhalation in the fire that ravaged ThunderClan's camp, Graystripe mourned him as if he had lost his father.
Sandkit, Dustkit, and Graykit all grew up to be healthy and strong, with most outside the clan never suspecting that they had been brought in as kits.
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