A/N 11/1/18: I HAVE RETURNED FROM THE DEAD.
I've also moved mainly to Archive of our Own as HighWarlockMegaraBane. My Warriors fics will stay here and still be updated here, but go follow there if you're curious!
I'm in the process of reworking these chapters, adding and removing things and basically making a second draft. The basic plot will stay the same so if you don't reread the whole shebang you won't miss anything important, but I'd recommend (and also really like if) you do!
Feel free to review, and message me if you find any errors or anything that doesn't make sense.
Have fun!
"Keep up, Skykit!"
Skykit jerked her head up. Featherkit and Flamekit were racing across the clearing towards the fresh-kill pile, their tails stuck straight up. Skykit charged after them, her paws sending up puffs of dust as she ran.
"Wait up!" she yowled after them. Without warning, her littermates skidded to a halt and Skykit tripped over her own paws, tumbling to a stop at the feet of another warrior. Rushsplash stepped aside, purring with amusement as Skykit scrabbled to her paws.
"Watch where you're putting your paws," he teased, nudging her away with his nose. His mate Mossytail butted his shoulder with her head.
"He's just being a grumpy old badger this morning," she said, licking Skykit between the ears. The kit ducked away but purred lightly. "Are you and your littermates behaving?"
"Yes, Mossytail," Featherkit said, bouncing up. She was a gorgeous gray tabby with a slender tail and angular ears. Flamekit was ash colored with orange on his paws like his mother's mother. "We're fetching Creamfeather some fresh-kill."
"Well, you'd better fetch it and head back to the nursery," Rushsplash said, twisting to groom his thick fur. "You don't want to make Creamfeather worry."
"Okay!" the kits mewed obediently, ducking around them toward the fresh-kill pile.
It was the middle of greenleaf, and according to the warriors who grumbled in the shade, one of the hottest in many seasons. Skykit and her littermates had been born at the tail end of new-leaf, so they had opened their eyes in the dewy mornings of the still-chilly season. Skykit could still remember when it had started to warm up and the three of them had been allowed to play in the reeds for the first time.
The fresh-kill pile should have been full with the greenleaf-fat fish—instead, it seemed like the heat had taken its toll on even the prey. The pile was meager—two salmon and a trout. Each one was small, a fact that didn't escape Rushsplash's gaze.
"The fish should be fat," he sighed to Mossytail. "One of those is hardly enough to feed a warrior."
"It will rain soon," Mossytail replied. "StarClan won't let us starve, not so soon after the Great Battle."
Skykit snatched up the biggest of the salmon by the head and meowed, "I'll take this to Mother." Even the scales, which should have tasted moist and fishy, were dry with lack of water. She wrinkled her nose as it seemed to suck the water out of her mouth. Flamekit grabbed the tail of the salmon and helped her drag it toward the nursery while Featherkit picked up the tiny trout and jogged after them.
Creamfeather was curled up in her nest in the nursery beside Duskfur, who was grooming herself. She didn't have any kits of her own, but chose to remain in the nursery to take care of new queens instead of retiring to the elders' den. She looked up drowsily as the three kits trotted in with their fresh-kill.
Featherkit took the trout over to Duskfur and laid it by the queen. "I brought this for you," she said, looking up with bright blue eyes.
"You're so thoughtful—thank you, Featherkit," Duskfur purred, gently touching her nose to the kit's ear. Skykit prodded her mother's shoulder with one paw.
"Creamfeather, we brought you a fish," she said. Flamekit leaned forward and mewed loudly in Creamfeather's ear. The queen flicked her ears back and raised her head, blinking sleepily. When she saw the salmon, she purred gratefully and pushed herself into a sitting position.
"Are you three kits keeping out of trouble?" she asked as she began tucking neatly into the fish.
"Of course we are," Skykit said, somewhat crossly, flicking her tongue to wet it again. First Mossytail, now Mother. Why did cats always seem to think that they were going to get into trouble at every turn of a paw? She was a finely behaved kit.
Creamfeather licked her indignant kit's head. "Why don't you three go play in the clearing?" she said gently. "Just don't get under any cat's paws."
Featherkit and Flamekit instantly charged off. Skykit sat down with a thump. Now she was too annoyed to think about playing. I do not get into trouble. If anything, I keep those two from getting into trouble!
"Is something wrong, dear?" her mother asked, the kit's annoyed huff not escaping her.
"Why does every cat think that we're troublemakers?" she complained. "We're not."
"I know," Creamfeather sympathized, her eyes sparkling with understanding. "When I was your age, cats always thought that Heatherheart and I were going to burn the camp down because we had so much energy, but we never got into trouble."
"Not usually," Duskfur teased. She was the oldest queen in RiverClan, and had nursed Creamfeather's father when he was a tiny kit. "I remember one time when you got into Willowshine's den and fell into her pool? You knocked in most of her herbs too, if I'm not mistaken."
Creamfeather purred. "Well, we didn't usually get into trouble," she amended. Turning to look at Skykit again, she licked her between the ears. "Go play with your littermates, dear. They need someone to look after them, don't they?"
The youngest kit stood up, feeling a little better, and trotted out of the nursery and into the clearing. The heat seemed to have intensified since she had gone into the nursery. The air was dry and she could see waves of heat rising from around the camp. Rushsplash and Mossytail had retired to the shade beneath a willow tree. Mistystar was coming out of her den, her pelt glowing in the glare of the sun-high sun. She stretched and went to greet her deputy Sparklesong, who was rolling around in the dust near the entrance to the camp.
Flamekit and Featherkit were hiding behind a patch of thick reeds, peeking out at where Tawnytalon, their grandfather, sat, staring into the reeds at a blackbird. His tabby tail was twitching behind him; the two kits were creeping up on it stealthily.
The reeds trembled at the entrance to the camp, gaining Tawnytalon's attention. He stood up just as the kits pounced. Their target gone, they just tumbled over each other and slammed into Tawnytalon, who fell over with a shocked yowl. His blackbird flew away with a call of alarm.
The hunting party dashed into the camp—Troutstream, Mallownose, Pebblefoot, and Graymist. Between the four of them, they had only managed to catch a water vole and two salmon. Mistystar hurried to greet them, her tail held high. Once she saw their gatherings, however, her tail lowered slowly.
"That's all?" Mistystar's eyes were dismayed. "Well, it's better than nothing, I suppose," she sighed. "Put that on the fresh-kill pile and then you can go out again after you rest." She watched them head for the fresh-kill pile, then followed Troutstream as he shambled toward the creek at the edge of the clearing for a drink.
"Father!" Featherkit cheered, leaping off of a dazed Tawnytalon and pouncing on Mallownose with Flamekit hard on her paws. Skykit dashed after them and pushed off, barreling them all over. Mallownose staggered dramatically and fell to his side, batting at the kits with carefully sheathed paws.
"Sneaky attack, Skykit!" he praised breathlessly. "Ow! Put your claws away, Flamekit! And who's got their teeth in my tail?" He rolled over, taking Featherkit with him. "You three will make great fighters one day!"
Mistystar stood a few pawsteps away, carefully out of range of the kittens' attack, and waited until Mallownose batted them off and stood up before approaching. Skykit tumbled away, wrestling with Flamekit, and she barely heard as Mistystar said something about the senior warriors meeting in her den. Featherkit barreled into them and the three kits yowled happily, play-fighting and rolling away.
"Behave, kits," Mallownose called as he padded away. "I'll teach you a battle move when I get done, okay?"
"Okay!" they mewed. Featherkit pushed Skykit over and ran away, her tail sticking straight up. Flamekit screeched with laughter and ran after her. Skykit followed, determined to get revenge.
Her two older littermates ran into the medicine den and Skykit skidded to a halt. Creamfeather had told her that they were not allowed in there without Heatherheart or Willowshine. Both of them were out collecting herbs. Skykit worked her paws in the dusty earth. I'm supposed to keep them out of trouble, she reminded herself.
"I don't think we're allowed in there," she called in nervously, her ears twitching.
"Don't be a scaredy-paws!" Flamekit shouted back. "It's awesome in here! You should come!"
"Oh, but…" Skykit nervously scuffed the ground with her paws.
Featherkit stuck her head out, looking mischievous. "We won't get in trouble if we don't get caught," she insisted. "Come on, scaredy-paws!"
"I'm not a scaredy-paws!" Skykit growled indignantly, her fur bristling up.
"Then come in here."
Steeling her nerves, Skykit charged in before she could talk herself out of it. She ran into Flamekit, and they both fell over. The whole den was dark and cool, and the strong, sweet smell of herbs hung thickly in the air. Two nests of bracken, moss, and feathers sat beside the pool, smelling of Willowshine and Heatherheart.
"Look at these!" Featherkit batted a round, hard poppy head toward her littermates with a strong swipe of her paw. It rattled as the seeds inside were tumbled around. "This would make a great plaything."
"It's a game!" Flamekit jumped to his feet and pounced on the head, kicking it away from him with a strong push of his hind legs. It hit Skykit in the chest, and she hissed in surprise, kicking it back. Featherkit leapt on it, tumbling away and bowling over a pile of yarrow. Flamekit leapt after her, kicking dust over some catmint leaves. Skykit leapt after them just as a shocked yowl sounded from behind them.
"What are you three doing?!"
Skykit skidded to a halt, whipping around with her ears flat against her head. Featherkit and Flamekit froze, the poppy head tumbling away and splashing into the fresh-water pool.
Willowshine and Heatherheart stood at the entrance to the den, looking shocked. Willowshine's eyes traveled slowly around the mess the kits had made, and her shock slowly turned to carefully controlled fury. She seemed to bite back what she wanted to say, however, and merely stalked forward to fish the poppy head out of the pool.
Heatherheart, however, was less reserved in her anger.
"You three!" she hissed furiously. The kits shrank close together. Skykit's heart was slamming against her ribs hard enough that she swore Heatherheart could hear it.
"W-We didn't mean to make a mess, Heatherheart," Flamekit said in a small voice. "We're sorry."
"'Sorry' catches no prey!" She snatched Flamekit up by the scruff and whipped around, stalking out of the den, leaving Featherkit and Skykit to scramble after her. Flamekit threw his tail between his legs, his wide blue eyes scared. He knew better than to argue, even though he hated being carried. Skykit could taste the fear-scent from both of her littermates.
Outside of the medicine den, Heatherheart dropped Flamekit onto the dry, dusty ground and yowled, "Creamfeather! Creamfeather, where are you?"
The cream-colored queen poked her head out of the nursery, startled. Upon seeing her kits and a bristling Heatherheart, she pulled herself fully out of the den and bounded across to her kin. Cats from around the clearing turned their heads, ears pricked at her yowling.
"What's going on?" she asked, startled. "Heatherheart, what happened?"
"Your kits happened!" she screeched, her fur bristling furiously. "Just go look at the mess they made in the medicine den! They ruined a perfectly good store of yarrow and catmint, and we've lost most of our poppy seeds!"
Creamfeather shot her kits looks. "Did any of you eat anything?" she demanded.
They all mutely shook their heads. Skykit could feel Featherkit and Flamekit trembling beside her, and they all shrank under her mother and Heatherheart's stern looks. Their mother seemed to soften faster than the medicine cat.
"Look," Creamfeather soothed, touching Heatherheart's shoulder with her tail, "I'm sure they didn't mean any harm. They've got rebellion in their nature."
The look in Heatherheart's eyes softened and her fur fell flat. Something seemed to pass between the she-cats, a memory that Skykit didn't understand.
"If it'll make it better," Creamfeather continued, "and if Mistystar agrees, then you can have them tomorrow for collecting more herbs."
Alarm flashed momentarily in Heatherheart's eyes. Skykit didn't miss it. "But catmint and yarrow only grow near the Twolegplace."
"Kits, go back to the nursery," Creamfeather said.
"A-Are we in trouble?" Featherkit squeaked tenderly.
"We'll discuss that later," their mother said. "Go back to the nursery; Duskfur will watch you until I get back."
Skykit tipped her head curiously. What are you going to talk about that we can't hear? I hate being left out!
Flamekit and Featherkit scurried away, tails low. Skykit made like she was going to follow, and then ducked into the reeds next to the nursery where she could see her mother and her mother's sister. She flattened herself to the ground and crawled back towards the two she-cats, ears rammed forward to catch what they were saying.
"They're going to have to meet him sometime," Creamfeather was saying.
"Do you know how devastating it would be for them to know? And if they let something slip to the Clan? Mallownose—"
"Don't drag Mallownose into this," Creamfeather hissed suddenly, her eyes blazing. "He has nothing to do with this."
Heatherheart paused. "I know you think that you're keeping the kits safe by not letting them know about him, but I think you're making a mistake. They deserve to know. I can't change your mind, and I won't tell them myself, but if we run into him tomorrow, then I won't keep him from telling them whatever he wants to tell them." She touched noses with Creamfeather and walked past her. "I'm going to go talk to Mistystar about letting me have them tomorrow."
She padded away. Creamfeather sat down heavily, bowing her head.
"Oh, kits," she whispered to herself, in a voice Skykit could only hear if she strained. "I just don't want you to get hurt."
Backing out of the reeds, she crept quietly into the nursery and sat down beside Flamekit and Featherkit. Duskfur had her back turned to the kits sitting in their nest, so Skykit didn't have to answer any questions.
"Where were you?" Flamekit hissed in her ear as she dropped into the nest.
She decided in a split second not to tell her littermates about what she had overheard. She didn't even know if there was anything to tell.
So Skykit shook her head.
"Nowhere."
Okay so. My OC's.
Let's start at the top. Sparklesong and Tawnytalon, both OCs, are mates. They had Creamfeather and Heatherheart. Heatherheart became Willowshine's apprentice following Mothwing's death. Creamfeather found a mate (in Mallownose, not an OC, he's in the allegiances in The Last Hope, I did my research :D ), and had Skykit, Featherkit, and Flamekit. They're all about three moons old here (and already getting into heaps of trouble!).
More chapters to come, hopefully soon! PLEASE leave a review and let me know what you think, and what you want to see!
~Falling Feathers~