Post by Stormflower; Mapleclaw on Jun 30, 2008 16:16:06 GMT -5
CHAPTER 1
Firestar led his clan across the open moorland as the full moon shone brightly in the dark blue sky star-studded with flittering sparkles. Strangely he could sense it was some sort of an omen with such a clear peaceful night. At the gathering all the clans had been kind, and the truce seemed to glow in all their hearts. Sudden Brightheart came hurtling across the open moor toward Firestar. He flicked his tail to Larchfire to take the lead as he bounded away, the soft turf clumping between his claws. Brightheart stopped abruptly and skidded to a halt panting. “Firestar! Tundraheart just had her kit!”
Firestar stopped and stiffened. Tundraheart wasn’t supposed to have her kit for another quarter moon! “Go back to camp and I’ll be there as soon as I can!” He shouted urgently to her.
Without waiting for an answer he raced across the moor once more and halted in front of Larchfire flicking his tail impatiently.
“Larchfire I want you to lead the clan back to camp. Tundraheart just had her kit and I must go back to help.”
Spiderleg suddenly pushed his way through the mass of cats gathering round to listen to what the leader had to say. Spiderleg meowed urgently and determinedly, “Firestar I must come too. I must make sure my kit is safe!” Spiderleg looked ready at any moment to push past Firestar and head out without him.
Daisy glared at the tom menacingly. She had been Spiderleg’s old mate but he had given her up and their kits to be with Tundraheart.
Firestar gazed at the warrior sympathetically, dipping his head respectfully meowing, “Very well. Larchfire, make sure the clan stays safe.”
Firestar whirled around and raced across the moor with Spiderleg hard on his heels. The stream separating ThunderClan from WindClan loomed ahead of them and the two cats splashed through the icy water splattering their fur with cold wet drops. Firestar leaped up to the woodland on the other side, shaking his pelt shattering drops of water in all directions. They pelted through the trees and burst into the clearing. At that exact moment Brightheart leapt over bowing her head “Sadly, only one of her kits survived. Leafpool and Jaypaw did all they could but they just couldn’t save it.” Brightheart explained.
“No!” Spiderleg’s call echoed around the camp shattering the horrifying silence. Spiderleg raced across camp disappearing into the nursery.
As Firestar listened to the warrior, his eyes clouded with grief. “That’s really too bad. I’ll go see Tundraheart and her kit and tell her my grief.” He turned away from the warrior and slowly padded toward the nursery. He squeezed in through the entrance to find Tundraheart curled up around the kit, giving it vigorous licks. A mew of protest arose from the tiny body but then fell silent as it curled closer to its mother. Tundraheart turned her head, noticing the flame colored leader enter the den.
“How’s your kit?” Firestar asked gently noticing the grief in her eyes.
“Fine, thank you,” she replied solemnly.
“I am very sorry to hear about your other kit Tundraheart. I will help in all ways possible to make sure the other stays healthy,” Firestar meowed as confidently as he could to the queen.
“Thank you Firestar. Spiderleg has just gone out to fetch me some fresh-kill. He is very worried about her,” she told the leader fearfully.
“So it’s a she-cat? Have you chosen a name for her?” Firestar asked curiously tilting his head.
“Actually Firestar, I have. I have decided to call her Midnightkit.”
He looked carefully at the kit as it squirmed around trying to find a comfortably spot close to her mother. She had a faint coat of black fur growing across the tiny body. “That sure suits her,” he meowed smiling.
“I had hoped it would.” Tundraheart said trying her best to return the smile.
“I must see to the clan now but I wish you and your kit well. I will hope to see you out with Midnightkit for her to see the forest.”
“She is a strong kit this one. She will be out and about before you know it.”
Tundraheart smiled and turned back toward her kit and curled up closely around it, closing her eyes.
Firestar turned around again pulling himself through the entrance as the brambles tugged at his fur. He managed to wriggle out giving his ruffled fur a few quick licks before padding farther into the hollow.
Spiderleg burst into the clearing panting, with his jaws full with a large, plump vole and a fat wood pigeon. He disappeared into the nursery within a heartbeat.
In total, the nursery had three kits. Whitewing had just given birth to her two kits; Willowkit and Spottedkit two sunrises ago. They would be perfect play mates for the newly born Midnightkit.
As Firestar stood in the clearing he heard a rustling in the bracken and the cats from the gathering started to push through to the camp. Murmurs broke out as they entered the hollow speaking of the new arrival of Midnightkit. Exhausted, Firestar leaped up the rockfall to the highledge and squeezed into the large break in the sheer cliff where his den was made. He slowly padded over to his mossy nest lined with feathers and dropped down onto his nest, closing his eyes as sleep engulfed him.
Firestar opened his eyes sleepily as the bright, warm morning rays seeped into his den awakening him. He scrabbled to his paws, finding that his sore muscles and joints pierced him like badgers teeth. Half stumbling, half sliding Firestar crawled down the tumble of rocks into the hollow.
It was a long while after dawn so most of the cats had gone off hunting or on the dawn patrol. He gazed down at the fresh-kill pile noticing that it was fairly full but there was no harm in making the pile a little larger. He trotted into the warriors den, finding Cloudtail and Brightheart curled up together on a large bed of moss.
“Cloudtail, Brightheart? Would you like to go hunting?” He asked quietly.
Cloudtail popped open his eyes, apparently full of energy. Brightheart got to her paws more slowly, her jaws gaping in an enormous yawn. She shook her self vigorously, shaking off any moss that dared stick to her pelt.
“Of course, I have been as bored as picking ticks from the elders pelts, sitting around the camp all day doing nothing! It is time I did something worth my while,” Cloudtail almost shouted.
Cloudtail bounded over to the edge of the camp, shouting, “Come on! You are as slow as a kit with two legs!”
He turned and raced through the woods, leaving the two cats behind.
“Come on, we better hurry up if we don’t want to get left behind,” Firestar meowed to the she-cat by his side.
They pelted through the forest, racing after the white tom. They stopped abruptly as they noticed Cloudtail stalking a fat mouse. Cloudtail leaped at the small helpless creature his eyes narrowed, killing it with one quick swipe of his massive paw.
“Good catch!” Brightheart exclaimed, nuzzling Cloudtail gently on his shoulder.
Cloudtail opened his mouth to retort something but clearly thought better of it.
“Thanks,” he meowed instead.
Firestar parted his jaws, scenting the air for prey. Almost immediately he scented mouse, starling, and a stale scent of fox, about a quarter moon old. He spotted the mouse more by scent than sight, scuffling among some thick, prickly, bramble thickets. It cautiously crept out, not noticing the large cat as he crept closer. All of the sudden the wind changed direction sending Firestar’s scent with it. The mouse tried to dart under the spiky bramble thicket but Firestar was too quick. He leaped at the mouse its, tiny body crushed beneath the weight of a muscular leader.
The day soon passed, and when the small patrol reached camp it was already sundown. The patrol had caught two mice, a vole, a rabbit, and a fairly plump starling.
Firestar padded over to the fresh-kill pile and took a large rabbit about the size of himself, and dragged it over toward Sandstorm where she was sitting, just outside the warriors den speaking with Brackenfur.
“Hi,” Firestar meowed between mouthfuls of rabbit fur.
“Hi,” she replied, turning her head to hold Firestar’s gaze.
Firestar dropped the rabbit at her paws, meowing, “would you like to share? This rabbit’s as large as I am,” he joked.
Sandstorm smiled and nuzzled his gently, “Of course I would you stupid furball.”
They ate in silence as Brackenfur ripped into a squirrel, devouring it within heartbeats.
“I’ve got to go on the dawn patrol tomorrow so I better get a good sleep,” Brackenfur explained to the two cats.
“Bye!” Sandstorm called.
Brackenfur flicked his tail, indicating that he had heard her.
“I better go too. It’s getting late and I’m quite tired. Would you like to go hunting tomorrow though?” Firestar asked her quietly, making sure not to wake the sleeping cats.
“Sure. Just make sure you don’t get up at almost sunhigh like yesterday.”
Sandstorm smiled, leaping to her paws, padding into the warriors den.
Firestar stood and gazed at where she had disappeared for a few moments but then whisked around and bounded up the slope to the highledge. He squeezed through the narrow cleft in the rock entering the large cave. Padding up to large nest of moss, he circled it twice, laying down into the soft nest.
It had been four sunrises since he had last seen Midnightkit, and as he padded down into the hollow, he spotted her bouncing around joyfully in the open clearing. She would run around to sniff hear and there pretending to be a warrior.
“Mommy! Look I’m a warrior!” She whisked around and ran straight into Firestar. She fell over backwards looking up at the leader.
“S-sorry,” she meowed shaking herself, but as she gazed up at him with big round eyes and meowed excitedly, “are you the leader my mommy told me about? The one who had saved Brambleclaw from the fire when he was a kit, and saved WindClan from being torn to pieces by taking a patrol to help them?”
The young kit gazed up at him questioningly.
“It was the whole patrol who saved WindClan not just I,” he meowed modestly to the tiny kit.
“But you were the one who led them!” She argued.
“Midnightkit!” Tundraheart called loudly. Midnightkit gazed up at the leader with questioning eyes.
“Bye!” She called reluctantly as she turned away from the leader and raced after her mother tumbling right into her.
“Sorry!”
Tundraheart smiled warmly and nudged her back into the nursery.
Firestar stood watching the spot where they had disappeared for a few moments, then strode off to find Sandstorm to go hunting again. He had promised her he wasn’t going to be late so he padded swiftly over.
Midnightkit looked just like Hollypaw-the same green eyes and the same black pelt.
“Kits can be kits.” He told himself quietly as he reached Sandstorm.
Firestar led his clan across the open moorland as the full moon shone brightly in the dark blue sky star-studded with flittering sparkles. Strangely he could sense it was some sort of an omen with such a clear peaceful night. At the gathering all the clans had been kind, and the truce seemed to glow in all their hearts. Sudden Brightheart came hurtling across the open moor toward Firestar. He flicked his tail to Larchfire to take the lead as he bounded away, the soft turf clumping between his claws. Brightheart stopped abruptly and skidded to a halt panting. “Firestar! Tundraheart just had her kit!”
Firestar stopped and stiffened. Tundraheart wasn’t supposed to have her kit for another quarter moon! “Go back to camp and I’ll be there as soon as I can!” He shouted urgently to her.
Without waiting for an answer he raced across the moor once more and halted in front of Larchfire flicking his tail impatiently.
“Larchfire I want you to lead the clan back to camp. Tundraheart just had her kit and I must go back to help.”
Spiderleg suddenly pushed his way through the mass of cats gathering round to listen to what the leader had to say. Spiderleg meowed urgently and determinedly, “Firestar I must come too. I must make sure my kit is safe!” Spiderleg looked ready at any moment to push past Firestar and head out without him.
Daisy glared at the tom menacingly. She had been Spiderleg’s old mate but he had given her up and their kits to be with Tundraheart.
Firestar gazed at the warrior sympathetically, dipping his head respectfully meowing, “Very well. Larchfire, make sure the clan stays safe.”
Firestar whirled around and raced across the moor with Spiderleg hard on his heels. The stream separating ThunderClan from WindClan loomed ahead of them and the two cats splashed through the icy water splattering their fur with cold wet drops. Firestar leaped up to the woodland on the other side, shaking his pelt shattering drops of water in all directions. They pelted through the trees and burst into the clearing. At that exact moment Brightheart leapt over bowing her head “Sadly, only one of her kits survived. Leafpool and Jaypaw did all they could but they just couldn’t save it.” Brightheart explained.
“No!” Spiderleg’s call echoed around the camp shattering the horrifying silence. Spiderleg raced across camp disappearing into the nursery.
As Firestar listened to the warrior, his eyes clouded with grief. “That’s really too bad. I’ll go see Tundraheart and her kit and tell her my grief.” He turned away from the warrior and slowly padded toward the nursery. He squeezed in through the entrance to find Tundraheart curled up around the kit, giving it vigorous licks. A mew of protest arose from the tiny body but then fell silent as it curled closer to its mother. Tundraheart turned her head, noticing the flame colored leader enter the den.
“How’s your kit?” Firestar asked gently noticing the grief in her eyes.
“Fine, thank you,” she replied solemnly.
“I am very sorry to hear about your other kit Tundraheart. I will help in all ways possible to make sure the other stays healthy,” Firestar meowed as confidently as he could to the queen.
“Thank you Firestar. Spiderleg has just gone out to fetch me some fresh-kill. He is very worried about her,” she told the leader fearfully.
“So it’s a she-cat? Have you chosen a name for her?” Firestar asked curiously tilting his head.
“Actually Firestar, I have. I have decided to call her Midnightkit.”
He looked carefully at the kit as it squirmed around trying to find a comfortably spot close to her mother. She had a faint coat of black fur growing across the tiny body. “That sure suits her,” he meowed smiling.
“I had hoped it would.” Tundraheart said trying her best to return the smile.
“I must see to the clan now but I wish you and your kit well. I will hope to see you out with Midnightkit for her to see the forest.”
“She is a strong kit this one. She will be out and about before you know it.”
Tundraheart smiled and turned back toward her kit and curled up closely around it, closing her eyes.
Firestar turned around again pulling himself through the entrance as the brambles tugged at his fur. He managed to wriggle out giving his ruffled fur a few quick licks before padding farther into the hollow.
Spiderleg burst into the clearing panting, with his jaws full with a large, plump vole and a fat wood pigeon. He disappeared into the nursery within a heartbeat.
In total, the nursery had three kits. Whitewing had just given birth to her two kits; Willowkit and Spottedkit two sunrises ago. They would be perfect play mates for the newly born Midnightkit.
As Firestar stood in the clearing he heard a rustling in the bracken and the cats from the gathering started to push through to the camp. Murmurs broke out as they entered the hollow speaking of the new arrival of Midnightkit. Exhausted, Firestar leaped up the rockfall to the highledge and squeezed into the large break in the sheer cliff where his den was made. He slowly padded over to his mossy nest lined with feathers and dropped down onto his nest, closing his eyes as sleep engulfed him.
Firestar opened his eyes sleepily as the bright, warm morning rays seeped into his den awakening him. He scrabbled to his paws, finding that his sore muscles and joints pierced him like badgers teeth. Half stumbling, half sliding Firestar crawled down the tumble of rocks into the hollow.
It was a long while after dawn so most of the cats had gone off hunting or on the dawn patrol. He gazed down at the fresh-kill pile noticing that it was fairly full but there was no harm in making the pile a little larger. He trotted into the warriors den, finding Cloudtail and Brightheart curled up together on a large bed of moss.
“Cloudtail, Brightheart? Would you like to go hunting?” He asked quietly.
Cloudtail popped open his eyes, apparently full of energy. Brightheart got to her paws more slowly, her jaws gaping in an enormous yawn. She shook her self vigorously, shaking off any moss that dared stick to her pelt.
“Of course, I have been as bored as picking ticks from the elders pelts, sitting around the camp all day doing nothing! It is time I did something worth my while,” Cloudtail almost shouted.
Cloudtail bounded over to the edge of the camp, shouting, “Come on! You are as slow as a kit with two legs!”
He turned and raced through the woods, leaving the two cats behind.
“Come on, we better hurry up if we don’t want to get left behind,” Firestar meowed to the she-cat by his side.
They pelted through the forest, racing after the white tom. They stopped abruptly as they noticed Cloudtail stalking a fat mouse. Cloudtail leaped at the small helpless creature his eyes narrowed, killing it with one quick swipe of his massive paw.
“Good catch!” Brightheart exclaimed, nuzzling Cloudtail gently on his shoulder.
Cloudtail opened his mouth to retort something but clearly thought better of it.
“Thanks,” he meowed instead.
Firestar parted his jaws, scenting the air for prey. Almost immediately he scented mouse, starling, and a stale scent of fox, about a quarter moon old. He spotted the mouse more by scent than sight, scuffling among some thick, prickly, bramble thickets. It cautiously crept out, not noticing the large cat as he crept closer. All of the sudden the wind changed direction sending Firestar’s scent with it. The mouse tried to dart under the spiky bramble thicket but Firestar was too quick. He leaped at the mouse its, tiny body crushed beneath the weight of a muscular leader.
The day soon passed, and when the small patrol reached camp it was already sundown. The patrol had caught two mice, a vole, a rabbit, and a fairly plump starling.
Firestar padded over to the fresh-kill pile and took a large rabbit about the size of himself, and dragged it over toward Sandstorm where she was sitting, just outside the warriors den speaking with Brackenfur.
“Hi,” Firestar meowed between mouthfuls of rabbit fur.
“Hi,” she replied, turning her head to hold Firestar’s gaze.
Firestar dropped the rabbit at her paws, meowing, “would you like to share? This rabbit’s as large as I am,” he joked.
Sandstorm smiled and nuzzled his gently, “Of course I would you stupid furball.”
They ate in silence as Brackenfur ripped into a squirrel, devouring it within heartbeats.
“I’ve got to go on the dawn patrol tomorrow so I better get a good sleep,” Brackenfur explained to the two cats.
“Bye!” Sandstorm called.
Brackenfur flicked his tail, indicating that he had heard her.
“I better go too. It’s getting late and I’m quite tired. Would you like to go hunting tomorrow though?” Firestar asked her quietly, making sure not to wake the sleeping cats.
“Sure. Just make sure you don’t get up at almost sunhigh like yesterday.”
Sandstorm smiled, leaping to her paws, padding into the warriors den.
Firestar stood and gazed at where she had disappeared for a few moments but then whisked around and bounded up the slope to the highledge. He squeezed through the narrow cleft in the rock entering the large cave. Padding up to large nest of moss, he circled it twice, laying down into the soft nest.
It had been four sunrises since he had last seen Midnightkit, and as he padded down into the hollow, he spotted her bouncing around joyfully in the open clearing. She would run around to sniff hear and there pretending to be a warrior.
“Mommy! Look I’m a warrior!” She whisked around and ran straight into Firestar. She fell over backwards looking up at the leader.
“S-sorry,” she meowed shaking herself, but as she gazed up at him with big round eyes and meowed excitedly, “are you the leader my mommy told me about? The one who had saved Brambleclaw from the fire when he was a kit, and saved WindClan from being torn to pieces by taking a patrol to help them?”
The young kit gazed up at him questioningly.
“It was the whole patrol who saved WindClan not just I,” he meowed modestly to the tiny kit.
“But you were the one who led them!” She argued.
“Midnightkit!” Tundraheart called loudly. Midnightkit gazed up at the leader with questioning eyes.
“Bye!” She called reluctantly as she turned away from the leader and raced after her mother tumbling right into her.
“Sorry!”
Tundraheart smiled warmly and nudged her back into the nursery.
Firestar stood watching the spot where they had disappeared for a few moments, then strode off to find Sandstorm to go hunting again. He had promised her he wasn’t going to be late so he padded swiftly over.
Midnightkit looked just like Hollypaw-the same green eyes and the same black pelt.
“Kits can be kits.” He told himself quietly as he reached Sandstorm.