Sunny stalked after the little mouse, which was oblivious to the ginger and white she-cat behind it. With a single push of her back legs, she pounced on the mouse, and killed it by quickly nipping its neck.
Sunny toke the mouse to her nest. Falcon had helped her make it, and it was made of moss, straw and hay from the shack and feathers. She lay down on it, letting it support the weight of her belly swollen with un-born kits.
The expecting she-cat leant over, and started eating her kill. With each bite, delicious warm juices flooded into her mouth, seeping trough her body in a warm, pleasant feeling. Soon, however, the mouse was finished. Sunny swiped her tongue over her whiskers. She lazily scented the air, mouse, hay, pigeon and a group of about four cat's coming her way.
Sunny jolted upright, fear showing in her blue eyes. Again, she scented the air. She could smell a group of four cat's coming towards her.
Sunny peered out from behind the wooden boards that hid her nest. She could see three cat's at the entrance to the shack she lived in. Fearfully, she hid behind the boards, only allowing her blue eyes to remain visible.
One of the cat's, a brown tom, paused to pace a scent marker at the entrance of the shack. "Hey, Swiftfang, that's it I think." he said to the black and white tom once he was finished.
Swiftfang paused to scent the air, "Timberpelt, you mousebrain! There's cat-scent here, a fresh one too."
Sunny shrank back, scared of the broad-shouldered patched tom.
The brown tom, Timberpelt he had been called, also shrank back, before scenting the air himself. With one mighty leap, he was right next to the boards that hid her den, and spotted her. "Here she is!"
Sunny shrank back more, scrabbling to get away.
Swiftfang also bounded over, and Timberpelt gabbed her by her scruff and dragged her out of her hiding place. "Your coming with us!" he growled furiously.
Sunny's eyes widened in fear Oh, Falcon, where are you?
"Stop!" yowled the she-cat, who had came over. She had deep green eyes, and a pretty dappled gray pelt.
"Oh, calm down, Ferndapple!" replied Timberpelt.
"She's an expecting queen!" The she-cat whacked the tom over the head, causing him to drop her. "We're taking her to Mallowstar, maybe she can stay in the nursery?"
Swiftfang reluctantly admitted defeat to the dapple gray she-cat, and followed her as she led them out of the shack and deeper into the words.
After they had excited the shack however, a small, red ginger she-cat bounded over to them, proudly carrying a fat water vole and sparrow.
"Good job, Redpaw!" purred the she-cat called Ferndapple.
The ginger she-cat stared at Sunny, the cats eyes pricking her pelt. "What's she doing here?" the smaller cat asked.
"She," replied Timberpelt, "is an expecting queen we found in the shack. We are taking her to Mallowstar."
Redpaw nodded, setting down her prey.
"Would you like help carrying it?" asked Ferndapple, kindly.
Redpaw nodded gratefully, and picked up the water vole.
~ ~ ~
Sunny felt millions of eyes on her as she entered ThunderClan Camp. That's what Ferndapple had called it, anyway.
There were lots of cats here, and she could see blacks, whites, grays, browns, tabby's, solids, tortoiseshells... cat's of every shape and size where staring at her as she walked into camp with Swiftfang, Timberpelt, Ferndapple and Redpaw. Redpaw ran over to drop her water vole and sparrow on a large pile of prey, and Timberpelt ran ahead and bounded up to a small cave in the wall's of the camp.
Sunny self-consciously licked the fur on her chest down, conscious of the many pair's of eyes on her. Swiftfang and Ferndapple seated them-self's beside her her on either side.
Soon, Timberpelt excited the den, leading a pale gray she-cat out of the den. Sunny shrank under the she-cat's gaze, she had the air of authority and power.
"Mallowstar," said Swiftfang, bowing his head to the she-cat once she had reached them, "We found her in the shack as we expanding our territory. She's expecting."
Sunny could hear venom in his words, but if Mallowstar noticed, she didn't react.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Sunny."
After some time, Mallowstar spoke. "You can stay in the nursery. Nightfeather will show you to it and build you a nest."
Turning to the rest of the Clan, Mallowstar said "Sunny will be treated like a member of our Clan, and her kits will be trained as Warriors."
Sunny opened her mouth to protest, she didn't want any of this! She just wanted to go home, and wait for Falcon! But, Mallowstar's expression, and the cat's response to her words made it clear to Sunny, this cat was leader, and any who defied what she said would pay for it.
Mallowstar nodded her head to he cats watching her, signaling the meeting was over, and strode back into her den in the walls of the Camp.
She could see the cat's return to what they were doing before she arrived, and a black she-cat padded over to her. "I'm Nightfeather," she meowed, "I'll show you into the Nursery."
Sunny once more opened her mouth to protest, and this time, succeeded, "I don't want to come into your Clan, I just want to go home."
Nightfeather smiled sadly, "I'm sorry, Sunny, but Mallowstar is our leader, and what she says goes."
Sunny nodded, sadly, she was right about Mallowstar being their leader, but now she was a captive of this group of cats. All she wanted was to go home and wait for Falcon!
"Come on" murmured Nightfeather, "I'll show you the Nursery." She led Sunny to a den under a large Bramble bush, reinforced with large roots. Underneath, Sunny could see two nest's set out, one covered in the scent of Nightfeather. The other was occupied by a tortoiseshell she-cat, who was talking to three little kits, a little dark brown tabby she-cat, a calico she-cat and a brown tabby tom.
"You're the new cat - Sunny!" exclaimed the little calico she-cat.
"Come on, Birdkit!" said the tortoiseshell she-cat, leading her kits outside.
"You stay here, I'l go build you a nest." Nightfeather padded out of the den, leaving Sunny on her own.
Sunny looked around, scared. All she wanted to do was go home and wait for Falcon. Her kits would be born soon, and... she shuddered, the thought of Falcon and her kits being born here saddened her. She had always imagined her kits being born free, wild, with no leader, no one to tell them what they should do.
Then, however, Nightfeather padded back into the den with large wad of moss in her jaws. Setting it down in front of her, Nightfeather got to work making it into a nest. "So," she asked Sunny, as she formed the moss into a nest, "Who's the father?"
Sunny detected cheekiness in Nightfeather's question, but she brushed it off. "Falcon" she replied.
"Is he your mate?" asked Nightfeather, curiously.
"Yes" mumbled Sunny, a little embarrassed, "You have a mate and kits?"
Now, it was Nightfeather's time to be embarrassed. "Yes," she replied, scraping together the moss, "Eagletalon. I did have kits, but they are Warriors now, Spiderfur, Hawkwing and Smokecloud. I chose to stay in the nursery and help out other mothers."
By now, Nightfeather had finished moulding the moss into a nest, and Sunny gratefully lowered herself into the nest.
~ ~ ~
* Half a moon later *
Sunny purred as she looked down at the two wriggling kits around at her belly. There was a dark smoky gray she-cat, who looked just like Falcon, and a white and ginger patched tom, who looked a lot like her.
"How does the Warrior naming for kits go again?" she asked Nightfeather, who was also watching the kits. She knew the Clan expected her to raise her kits as a member of ThunderClan, and she had to name them according to their naming customs. Nightfeather had told her a while ago, and, to Sunny, it all seemed quiet pointless and confusing. All kits name ended in 'kit'; and she remembered that all Apprentices, cat's in training to be a Warrior or Medicine Cat, names ended in something like 'foot' or 'paw'. Leaders names ended in 'star'.
"Kit's names end in 'kit', so, when my kits were kits, they were Spiderkit, Hawk-kit and Smokekit. Apprentices name ends in 'paw', so they were Spiderpaw, Hawkpaw and Smokepaw. When cats become Warriors, they get an unique name ending, reflecting on there personality and skills, Spiderfur, Hawkwing and Smokecloud. Leaders names end in 'star', like Mallowstar."
Sunny nodded, she had gotten them right, for the most part.
She looked down at the little white and ginger tom. His pelt reminded Sunny of the flashes of lightning she saw during Thunderstorms. Once, she and Falcon sat atop a hill during a Thunderstorm, watching the pouring rain and flashing blots of lightning, and hearing the thunder roll across the sky. "Flashkit" she murmured.
Nightfeather nodded her approval, and Sunny shifted her gaze to the other kit, the really dark smoky gray she-cat. Her pelt reminded her, just a bit, of her friend Nightfeather's pelt. "Nightkit" she whispered, naming the kit after her friend.
She could feel Nightfeather gazing at her questionably, and she explained, "She's named after you."
Nightfeather purred, and meowed "Beautiful names for a beautiful kits."
Sunny nodded in agreement, the kits looked so much like there parents... Nightkit reminded her of Falcon, and Flashkit's pelt matched her own.
~ ~ ~
* Half a Moon Later *
"Haven't they grown up..." murmured Nightfeather wistfully, gazing at the kits. They were playing with the other kits that Sunny had seen as she first came to the Clan. "Got you, Birdkit!" squeaked Flashkit, tapping the little calico's she-cat's shoulder with his nose.
Sunny sighed. Nightfeather was right, The kits had grown up fast. But, that just convinced Sunny even more that now was the time to leave. Every day without Falcon hurt her, ever since she had meet him, they had never been apart for so long ever since they had met each other. Normally, his adventures lasted half a moon at the most.
"They are going to be so cute as apprentices" sighed Nightfeather.
Sunny stiffened, and Nightfeather turned to look at her. "What's wrong?" asked the black she-cat.
Sunny sighed, now her friend was asking her. She couldn't lie, she just couldn't! "I'm sorry, Nightfeather, but I'm running away with my kits. I never wanted to be a part of this Clan, and me and Falcon always wanted our kits to be free, with no leader to control them or boundaries to dash their dreams."
Nightfeather looked Sunny in the eye. "I've known ever since you've some to this Clan that you planned to do this someday. And, I know Mallowstar expects you to do it. You will need help to get away. I will be that help."
Sunny purred, and rubbed against her friend, "Thank-you, Nightfeather!"
~ ~ ~
Sunny poked her head out the Nursery entrance. Nightkit and Flashkit were still asleep, curled up next to each other. She could see the clearing, devoid from any cats except from Nightfeather. Nightfeather had asked Mallowstar if she could be the Night Watch that night, and Mallowstar had reluctantly agreed.
Sunny lowered her head, and gently nudged Nightkit and Flashkit awake with her nose.
"What is it?" asked Nightkit, once she woken up.
"Shh!" I whispered, "Follow me." She lead the kits out of the Nursery, and around the back of it, where they could talk with out being heard, and stand without being seen. "We are running away tonight-"
"Why?" asked Flashkit.
"I'll explain once we are out of Camp. Now, I'm going to sneak into the Dirt-Den, and when I give you the signal, you have to follow me."
"What's the signal?" squeaked Nightkit.
"I'll beckon you over with my tail."
Seeing her kits understand, Sunny dashed over tot the other side of the Clearing, and wriggled into the Dirt-Den. She looked around, and, seeing no-one watching her but Nightfeather, beckoned Nightkit and Flashkit over with her tail.
The two kits bolted across the clearing, their paws drumming against the firmly packed earth. Sunny winced at the noise, but brushed it off. They were only kits, and any-cat would just see it as two kits going to make dirt. However, just to be sure, she hissed "Shh!"
Softly, she padded out of the Dirt-Den, Nightkit and Flashkit following her. "Stay here!" she told, them firmly, "I'll be back in a few heart-beats."
Leaving her kits, she doubled back around so she was one the outside of the Entrance to the ThunderClan Camp. "Nightfeather!" she called softly.
Making sure no-body was watching her, Nightfeather snuck out of the camp, and the two she-cat's headed to where the kits were.
Thank goodness! thought Sunny, happily, as she saw Nightkit and Flashkit sitting side by side where she left them.
"i'll miss you..." murmured Nightfeather, pressing her nose to Sunny's.
"Me, too" replied Sunny. She and Nightfeather had grown very close the past moon.
With one final sad glance, Sunny led her kits away from the ThunderClan camp and territory.
~ ~ ~
* A Quarter of a Moon later *
"Falcon!"
The smoky gray tom in the distance swung his head around, his green eyes dull. When he saw them, however, they lit up, like the lightning Flash was named after. Son after they had left the Clans, Sunny had removed the 'kit' part of her kits names, and the two where already familiar with their new names.
Falcon bounded over to her, a purr rumbling loudly in his throat. He nuzzled her head and muzzle, and Sunny could feel the love and care from his touch.
"Are these... ?" he whispered staring down at Night and Flash.
"Yes," she replied happily, "Night, Flash, this is your father."
"They're beautiful!" Falcon exclaimed. "I'm so sorry..." he murmured, pressing his nose to her ear gingerly, worry flashing in his green eyes.
"Never mind," she replied, "Now, let's go find a place to stay."
Falcon nodded his agreement, and the two padded off together, tails twined and pelts brushing, into the sunset, two kits scampering around at their paws.
So, how did you like it?
~Rain