Dawn Reads: Aspen Claws

This 'story' has only a prologue and a few paragraphs of the first chapter. Yeah. So enjoy the prologue I will probably never want to see again.

Prologue

Aspen curled up in her makeshift nest of dried leaves, quivering with exhaustion. Her newborn kittens mewled and wriggled with life as she guided them to her stomach. Creative, 2016 me.

Night may have left me, but this experience has given me a new meaning of life. Pffffttt ahahahah Aspen thought as she stared at her tiny kittens. One kit was rippled silver-and-black, like Aspen, another was a very dark, shimmering blue-grey kitten, like Night. I hope it has Night's eyes, she thought. Lovesick softie. I'd think Night left you for a reason.

The last one, the smallest, well, of course it's the smallest was a swirled silver with black paws. I think that one got the size from me! Aspen purred to herself. So you're small as hell? She shifted in her prickly nest, rubbed her nearly-black dark blue eyes, and drifted to sleep. Nearly black? Geez.

A few moons later, not even a linebreak signifying a time-jump? Just pressed return and typed some more? the kittens were trotting around on their little feet with their tails sticking up in the air. Aspen had named them Ripple, Shadow and Luna. Creative names ftw! Ripple, the swirled silver-and-black kit, you see? Creative! was male while the other two were female. Shadow and Luna got Aspen's very dark blue eyes not to mention, nearly black ones! while Ripple got Night's amber. Of course. The male always gets the father's eyes, while the females get the mother's.

"Mama, we're hungry!" Yelped Luna, her soft silver fur gleaming. And, that random description was needed? Aspen purred.

"Come on then, little kittens." The little trio stumbled over together and started to suckle in a little grey, silver and black bundle. After the kits fed, they later started to play-wrestle. Face-palm.

"Bet you can't get me!" Ripple squeaked to Shadow and Luna. Aspen watching lovingly as her little kits played and batted each other with soft paws. You're not scared they're going to become murderers, or something? What if they're secretly trying to kill each other to see the alpha male/female? The swirled silver-and-black she-cat looked up at the bright, round Moon and sighed. You capitalised moon. You capitalised. Moon. Moon!

"It's time for sleep." She murmured to her kittens.

"Aww, but we just started playing!" Ripple protested. Did you not have the whole day to play? Or were you lazy things sleeping through the summer heat? Shadow nodded.

"I know, but it's nearly Moonhigh again. Capitalised Moonhigh. and we need to get up bright and early." Why? Aspen yawned.

"Because tomorrow I'm going to teach you how to hunt." Oh, great. What are you now? A mentor? Shadow's near-black eyes rounded with excitement and Aspen purred. Shadow was a very quiet kit, and hardly ever spoke. Thanks for that. That tidbit really helped.

"Come on, now." Aspen mewed as she rounded up her bouncing kits. Bouncing? Like, on a trampoline? As she settled down to watch her kittens sleep, she soon went to rest in rhythm to the kit's breaths. To the kit is breaths? Sorry, 2016 me, but you don't know your its and it's.

...

Aspen jumped awake as she heard yowls from outside the den, which was carved inside a cave. Wow!

She looked down at her kits. All of them were there, sound asleep. Her heart beat fast and the scent of other cats wreathed around her. Gr8 lemme guess they're going to die She started to drift back to sleep as the yowls had stopped, but a loud scraping sound boomed into the cave. Scraping sound?

Aspen leaped up, waking up her kits, but she laid her eyes on the den entrance. A ragged, white-furred tom had entered the den, his mouth drawn into a snarl. His green eyes were laid onto her and then the kits. there's the murderer!

"W..who are you?" Aspen whispered. "None of your business!" Snarled the white tom. Thank you! She doesn't need to know if you're about to murder her and the kits! He turned around and yowled again. And that is when Aspen knew that something was wrong. You only just realised?

Two more cats appeared at the entrance, a ginger tom and a tabby she-cat. They burst into the den along with the white tom, pushed Aspen aside and grabbed a kit each from behind her. What? Kill the mother first!

"Leave my kits alone!" She hissed. Suddenly defensive and using only your words to fend them off? Boy, you could become the next, like, River Ripple, or something! The cats said nothing and didn't react to the kitten's squeals, and then they dashed out of the den. Aspen chased them in pursuit for her kits and suddenly froze as she saw what was happening in horror. What? What was happening? The tabby she-cat had pinned Ripple to the ground and placed one paw onto his chest and the other onto the side of his head. Oh no. She forced down and Ripple let out one last shriek as his neck was snapped. His amber eyes clouded and he stopped struggling. Dead kit.

"No!" Reasonable reaction to seeing your kit get their neck snapped in front of you.

Aspen's head started spinning as she watched her son die, and tears blurred her vision. A stone was lodged in her throat as she saw the white tom slice at Luna's throat with unsheathed claws. Red blood pooled at the wounds and Luna coughed and struggled until she finally went limp. That was.. the fastest death I've ever read about.

This.. this can't be happening! What did I do to deserve this?! She screamed in her mind. Apparently you can stutter in your mind, too! Do I have to watch all my kittens die for no reason? Yes, for the plot. Aspen gulped as she saw the ginger tom pick Shadow, the timid, shy kit Aspen loved, up by the scruff and sprinted over the hills with his companions. What? Kill the last one!

Aspen tried to give chase and she finally caught up to the cats who murdered her kits. The white tom spun around and shoved Shadow into a ditch, leaving her whimpering and limp with fright. are you even a mother, Aspen? Save your freaking kit.

"What do you want, trespasser?" The tabby hissed.

"What are you doing?!" Aspen whispered.

"You were trespassing on our territory. We gave you peace for moons, the time is up. Ruler's orders." The white tom snapped. That is the worst excuse I have ever seen in my whole entire life. Why kill the kits, if they've been residing in your territory without doing anything? The tom stepped forward and slashed at her nose why not the ne-eck? while the others snapped and sliced at her body. Aspen howled and dashed out of sight, into the forest. So, those cats didn't pursue her? Is the forest not apart of the cats' territory, or something?

Oh, what did I do to deserve this? Aspen thought as she stumbled into a tree, clumsy with fright and anger. Remember? You invaded their territory and stayed there for apparently moons without knowing you were invading. So they decided to kill your children.

"I'll get my revenge!" She howled out loud. Ooh. Scary. She went insane after seeing her children die. Original.

"And you'll regret laying a claw on me and my kits!" She shook with a new anger and she unsheathed her claws. She slashed at a tree until her claws felt like fire, but her anger didn't subside. Aspen collapsed and fell into a troubled sleep. 2/3 sentences of horrificly bad insanity.

"Mama, help us!"

"Don't leave us! We're scared!"

"Mama!" No.

Aspen stood frozen at the pitiful squeaks of her lost kittens. Had they survived? If not, is Shadow still okay? Really?

"I'm coming, kits!" She howled as she skidded towards the sounds. Aspen's blood went to ice as she heard high-pitched squeals. No! She dashed over, heart beating fast but she nearly fell over at the sight in front of her.

Her three kittens were lying dead and bloody at the feet of three, wraith-like black shadows, their blank eyes betraying nothing. Well.

"What have you done!?" Aspen screamed. They killed your kits, obviously.

She awoke to the sound of birds, and sunlight pooled through parts of the trees that didn't block the sun. It was all a dream.. Aspen thought. She felt hollow, but her fur itched for revenge.. how does your fur itch for revenge?

That was terrible.

Well, that does it. Aspen Claws: the Prologue.