For the Clan of Frozen Mountains Forum!
It was a warm greenleaf day and Cloudkit was in the clearing. He was playing with his sister, Driftkit. "Driftkit!" He called. "Over here!" Driftkit had gotten distracted from the mock battle and was playing with a butterfly.
"She can't hear you, Cloudkit." Blossompool, Cloudkit and Driftkit's mother, told her tomkit gently. Cloudkit padded over to her, his tail drooping.
"I know," the amber-eyed kit sighed, staring at his sister, who hadn't even glanced up from the butterfly. As he watched, it flew away, and Driftkit shrugged as she returned to the spot where Cloudkit had been playing. When she realized he wasn't there confusion filled her brilliant blue eyes, then happiness as she found a moss-ball, totally unaware of thumping noise coming from the barrier of camp. Cloudkit and Blossompool whirled around to see two apprentices pelt into a camp, followed by—two badger cubs and their mother!
Blossompool looked terrified as she grabbed Cloudkit by the scruff. "Everyone leave camp! Senior warriors will keep the badgers busy while queens, kits, and elders escape to the ledge!" Tanglestar ordered, racing at a badger with unsheathed claws. Kits pelted out of camp in packs. Cloudkit found himself racing alongside Applekit, Mistkit, and Timberkit.
So where was Driftkit?
Blossompool was fighting the badgers. All the other queens were busy carrying Havenwisp's day-old kits. And the only warrior Cloudkit knew well, his father Rainstorm, was also fighting the two badgers—wait, two badgers? Where was the third?
"Cloudkit!" Applekit screeched, her brown pelt bushed up to twice its normal size. "We have to run!" Mistkit and Timberkit were already safely hidden on the high ledge where the elders sheltered. Havenwisp and her kits were there too.
"Cloudkit!" Applekit repeated. Cloudkit stared at her, worry in his amber eyes.
"I can't see Driftkit!" He wailed. "And I can only see two badgers!" Applekit's eyes were round with shock.
"Driftkit's not anywhere I can see…" she started. Suddenly her tail bristled. "Cloudkit, look!" The third badger had raced off into the forest, holding a small white bundle in its jaws…
"NO!" Someone yowled. Cloudkit realized it was himself. "Driftkit, no!" But the badger was long gone. Blossompool and the warriors had sent the other badgers fleeing, but at a cost. Driftkit was gone.
Driftkit's version
I was playing with little white, the one who looks like me, when I saw a pretty butterfly. I chased it around till it flew away, then remembered little white, and turned back to him, but he wasn't there. I was sure he was with big white, who feeds us. And when I found a moss ball, I forgot all about him and batted it around.
Then the camp was empty. Nobody was there. I thought they might be sleeping or eating, so I kept playing. Suddenly, I was lifted into the air by my scruff and carried out of the thorns. I thought big white was holding me, so I didn't resist.
We reached a dark, big hole, and I got scared. I started to thrash around until I caught a glimpse of yellow fangs. Then everything went dark.
I don't remember much after that, except that a cat with sparkly fur came and brought me to a place where all the sparkly cats lived happily. That's where I live now.
In case you didn't realize, 'little white' is Cloudkit and 'big white' is Blossompool. Driftkit dodesn't know their names because she's deaf. The sparkly cats are StarClan.
Words in story: 577