A/N: Hey guys! I am back with another forum challenge! This time it is from Nightspirit's The Unknown. This is the September challenge and it is a one-shot/two-shot about tragedy. I do not own the idea for the messengers, that belongs to Nightspirit but I do own Frogspirit (my messenger name I chose) and everything else. Enjoy!
It was a warm day and three little kits were playing happily with a leaf. Their mother, a golden she-cat, watched and smiled at her kits. They were only two moons old and she couldn't believe how big they already were. The youngest and only she-cat, Spark, ran up to her. "Momma? Can we go out on an adventure? Please?" she begged and her two brothers ran up to their mother, complaining also.
"Fine. When your father comes back, we can go for a short walk, okay?" she promised and they nodded.
"Can we play hide and seek?" Spark asked her brothers and they nodded.
"Sure! I'm the finder!" the ginger tom squeaked.
"No fair Grasshopper! You were finder last time!" Spark's other brother whined.
"But Dandelion, I never get to be finder!" Grasshopper complained and Spark smiled.
"You better hide before I find you!" she purred, closing her eyes. "Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven.-" She began, not giving her brothers anytime to argue. Grasshopper dove behind a rock while Dandelion crouched down in a patch of ferns.
"-Two. One. Zero!" Spark yowled. "I'm going to find you!" The tiny ginger kit bounced around, looking everywhere for her brothers. After a bit, she began to worry. "Grasshopper? Dandelion?" she called.
"You lost your brothers?" Her father, Bolt joked and Spark smiled.
"Dad!" she yowled, running towards him.
"Dad?" Grasshopper asked and both he and Dandelion rushed over to their father.
"Mom said once you got back we could go on an adventure. So, let's go!" Dandelion purred, nudging his father's paws.
Bolt chuckled. "Okay, okay. Where are we going to go?" he asked, his mate walking towards him.
"Over by the water! Please?" Spark suggested and Bolt smiled.
"Spark, would you like to lead the way. Grasshopper, you, and Dandelion make sure she won't get us lost," Bolt meowed and the three kits began to lead the way to the ocean. As they got closer to the water, the sky began to get dark.
Lucy glanced up, worried. "Bolt. We have to find shelter. It will rain soon and I don't want the kits to get sick," she fretted and he nodded.
"Dandelion! Grasshopper! Spark! Come over here!" he called and his three kits went running over to him.
"Dad, what's wrong?" Grasshopper asked and Spark looked up.
"Is it going to rain?" she asked.
Bolt, spotting a small cave that lead underground and knew it was the best place to stay overnight. "It's getting dark so we will finish our adventure tomorrow. For now, we will be sleeping in that cave," he said and Dandelion's eyes widened.
"Cool! Let's go!" he meowed, already running in. His littermates followed him in and Bolt and Lucy got in just as it started to rain.
At first it was lightly raining, but the rain began to get heavier, coming done quickly. Lucy jumped onto a small ledge, making herself comfortable. "Kits, come. It's time for sleep," she murmured and the three kits climbed up to their mother, curling up at her belly.
Once Lucy was sure they were fast asleep, she glanced at her mate, worried. "What happens if the river near the cave floods? What will happen then?" she panicked. Bolt walked over to his mate, curling up around her.
"Don't worry. We will make sure they are safe. I promise I won't let them get hurt," he meowed, licking her cheek.
"I love you Sparkleap," she murmured, closing her eyes and going to sleep.
Sparkleap, he hadn't been called that for a while. Lucy still remembered his Sandclan name. He closed his eyes, falling asleep. He didn't know that the river was swelling, water beginning to trickling into the cave. As the rain came down harder, more water began to flood into the cave.
Bolt opened his eyes, the sound of rain falling echoing off the stone walls. "Daddy, why is there water below us?" Grasshopper asked, peering down. Bolt, confused, looked down. Sure enough, the ginger kit was right. The cave had flooded and Bolt couldn't tell where the ground was or how deep the water was.
Lucy, overhearing the commotion, opened her eyes. "Bolt, what's wrong?"
"The cave is flooding. Don't worry. We will be fine," he reassured and Lucy didn't look convinced. She curled her tail around Spark, who was still asleep. As the day continued to drag on, the water did not seem to lower and Spark was scared.
"W-What happens if the whole cave floods? W-Will we drown?" she wailed, shaking. Bolt tried his best to comfort his daughter but he didn't know how to answer her questions.
"Don't be scared Spark. Mom and Dad won't let us drown. We will escape and go back to the field soon."
"Ya. We will protect you. As long as we are together, we are safe," Grasshopper reassured and Spark smiled.
"Okay. Can we play a game?"
With the three kits playing, Bolt padded over to where Lucy sat. "Bolt, I'm scared. The water is really high and I don't want us to drown. We have to leave!" she whispered and Bolt sighed. She was right.
The water was almost at the ledge and Bolt knew that it was not a long time until the water reached where his family was. Grasshopper, who was being chased by Spark, let out a laugh, not noticing the edge of the ledge was getting really close.
"Grasshopper!" Lucy shrieked but it was too late. The rocks under her ginger son's paw's fell into the water, Grasshopper following.
"Bolt. Get Dandelion and Spark out of here! I have to save Grasshopper!" she yowled as she jumped into the water to look for her son. Spark watched Grasshopper's head vanish beneath the surface as he struggled to swim.
"Spark, Dandelion, follow me!" Bolt yowled, trying to see if he could climb any higher. It was no use.
"What will happen to momma and Grasshopper?" Spark wailed and Bolt looked down at the dark, swirling water.
"We have to swim out. Just paddle your paws as if you are running," he said to his kits. He jumped in, gesturing for his kits to follow. Dandelion jumped in, paddling a bit. "Spark! You have to jump!" Bolt cried and the small ginger she-cat nodded, jumping in.
"Follow me!" Bolt managed to cough out, water threatening to enter his mouth. Dandelion managed to keep up but poor Spark kept being pulled under, waves tossing her around.
Bolt grabbed her scruff, half carrying her as they continued to swim. He was worried. What if we don't make it? What happened to Lucy and Grasshopper? He continued to swim, the cave entrance not too far ahead.
"Dad! Help!" Dandelion cried out and Bolt turned around to see his son struggling to get his paw free. Some rocks must have fallen and trapped his paw.
"Spark, keep swimming. I'll get your brother and meet you outside," he told her, swimming over to his son.
Spark was paddle as best as she could, but the waves kept tossing her everywhere. She let out a yelp as a strong wave slammed her against the side of the cave, pain searing through her back leg. Her muscles ached and the spat out water.
I have to make it! I can't let momma and dad down! She thought. With the last bit of energy, she pushed herself forward, getting out of the flooded cave. Coughing and spluttering, she collapsed on the wet grass, too tired to move. She closed her eyes, letting darkness take over.
When Spark opened her eyes, she realized she wasn't in the cave. The cave! She ran over to it, hoping to find her parents or brothers. The water had lowered and rain had stopped. Spark swam in, searching for her parents. Not too far away, she spotted her mother. Swimming over, she grasped her mother's scruff and swam back outside.
She carefully placed her mother's body on the grass, letting her rest. Then she went back in to find her father and brothers. She saw Grasshopper's body floating peacefully on the water and she brought his body outside beside their mother's. Once she had gotten her father's and Dandelion's bodies outside, she began to get scared. Her mother hadn't woken up yet so Spark nuzzled her neck, shaking her gently.
"Momma, please wake up!" she wailed, shaking the sodden body. "Mom?" She ran over to her father's body, doing the same thing. "Dad? DAD!" she wailed. "Please wake up! This isn't funny!" she yowled, tears streaming down her cheeks.
She shook Grasshopper's body. "C'mon Grasshopper! Wake up! You said we would be safe!" she cried but her brother didn't wake. "D-Dandelion? Why won't you wake up? Please don't leave me!" she sobbed, her body shaking.
"No, no! Please don't let them die! Starclan, where ever you are, you can't take them! Not yet!" she yowled but she knew it was too late. She was all alone.
'I'm sorry Spark. They are gone.' A white she-cat murmured. Her blue-grey eyes glowed ominously and Spark shrank away, pressing herself against her mother's soaked golden fur. 'I am Frogspirit. I will bring your family's spirits to where they belong.'
Spark narrowed her tear filled eyes. "You took them! It's your fault they are dead! I lost everything!" she growled and Frogspirit shook her head.
'I can't do anything to help. I really wish I could Spark,' she said quietly and Spark ignored her.
"Go away."
Frogspirit walked closer to the kit. 'Spark-'
Spark glared at her. "I said, GO AWAY!" the small kit growled again.
The messenger watched quietly as the tiny kit wailed, desperately begging her parents or brothers to wake up. "Please wake up. What am I supposed to do?" she wept.
A/N: Poor Spark! Most of you don't know, but Spark is one of the characters I made up for Roleplaying in my forum, Emberclan. I loved making her tragic backstory that revolved around her sharp tongue, sarcasm, lack of contact with other cat and how she always keeps her feeling bottled in when she is older. Trust me; she is a very complicated she-cat.
Characters:
Spark- lithe, messy furred, bright ginger she-cat with indigo coloured eyes flecked with purple. (These are from after the incident) She has a slight limp to her walk and a long v-shaped nick on her left ear. Has a patch of fur missing from her right front paw.
Dandelion- golden-brown tom with brown paws, ears, and dark blue eyes.
Grasshopper- ginger tom with pale ginger flecks, pale ginger ear tips, and amber eyes.
Lucy (rogue, former kittypet)- pale ginger she-cat, more of a sandy brown colour with dark blue-grey eyes; nick on her left ear and plumy tail.
Bolt (rogue- formerly Sparkleap from Sandclan) - dark ginger tom with long scar on his side, thick fur with lighter tabby markings and white paws. Has amber eyes with flecks of gold and orange in them.
Also, I got yesterday-and finished it yesterday- Bramblestar's Storm! It was good, but I expected more from it. No spoilers will be given, so don't worry! I hope you guys liked this challenge. Why not go and join Nightspirit's The Unknown forum? It is a really nice forum!
-Grasswing.