"Poolfrost!" all of Meadowclan stared as the grey and white she-cat stumbled in, holding two bundles of fur. Vinestar stepped forward, "Where have you been?" Poolfrost didn't respond, just collapsed on the snowy ground. Newtpelt ran to his mate, and pressed against her as she put down the kits gently.
"Do you know how worried you made me, disappearing in the middle of a blizzard?" the cream tom demanded, angry, but worried, "We couldn't find you anywhere. Willowfeather was going crazy." Poolfrost felt guilty to hear that the other queen had been so worried about her.
"I was just going on a walk," Poolfrost explained quietly, "I couldn't get back once the kitting started and then the storm hit." The young queen whimpered and pressed herself to Newtpelt. He led Poolfrost into the nursery and his sisters Featherbreeze and Swallowpatches carried the kits inside.
"Look Willowfeather, Poolfrost is back with kits!" one of the kits exclaimed. Willowfeather smiled, touching noses with her friend before getting into her nest with her one moon old kits. Poolfrost pulled her own kits toward her as Newtpelt settled down beside her, keeping the kits warm. The silver tabby she-kit squeaked and pressed her paws against her mother's belly, and the light grey tom curled up, sleeping.
"They're so small," Newtpelt whispered, licking Poolfrost's ear. His mate smiled, and touched the she-kit with her tail, "I want to name her Dreamkit, because it has always been my dream to have a little she-cat like her." Newtpelt nodded, "And how about Coldkit for the tom, after the storm he was born in?" Poolfrost nodded, and whispered before falling asleep, "I love you my precious kits. I love you Newtpelt." Newtpelt smiled, and curled up beside her, closing his eyes.
*2 moons later
Dreamkit jumped on the black feather in front of her, sneezing as it tickled her nose. Beside her, Coldkit was carrying the rest of the blackbird feathers into the nursery to keep for later. When he came back out, Dreamkit walked over with the last ones.
"Thanks," Coldkit said, taking them from her and putting them with the others in the corner.
"We've got so many!" Dreamkit exclaimed, excited, "Maybe Crookedkit, Ferretkit, and Hookkit-"
"What about us?" the littermates turned to see their denmates. Crookedkit was in front: a dark brown tabby tom with a bent tail. His brothers, Hookkit, a black tom with a white paw, and Ferretkit, a light brown tom with darker paws, ears, tip of tail, and muzzle, were on either side of him.
"What were you saying about us?" Crookedkit asked, "It better have been good." Dreamkit shrank away a little; the older tom was such a bully and frightened her a bit.
"I was just going to say that you might want to play with us," she muttered.
"Is that so?" Crookedkit asked, stepping in front of her, looking suspicious.
"It is, so leave us alone!" Coldkit said. He wasn't afraid of the older toms, and never had been. He was the braver of the pair, and Dreamkit envied him for it.
"Whatever," Crookedkit turned his back and headed out of the nursery with Hookkit and Ferretkit right behind him. Coldkit nudged his sister, "Hey, you okay?" Dreamkit nodded, taking a deep breath, "Let's go see if Poolfrost is back from her walk with Swallowpatches and Willowbreeze." Swallowpatches had moved into the nursery a couple days ago with Hailstorm's kits. Hailstorm had been made deputy before they had been born after the old deputy Yellowfur had drowned. Dreamkit hoped for a she-cat that she could play with; she loved Coldkit, but never-the-less, he was a tom, and she couldn't talk to him about everything.
The two kits went out into the clearing. Vinestar was sharing a rabbit with her brother Ivyclaw. Thicketfur, the medicine cat, was laying some leaves from the lake out to dry before putting them in his stores. Featherbreeze was just leaving with Finchfeather and Rapidpaw to go hunting, but there was no sign of the three queens. Dreamkit sighed, "Well, what do you want to do?"
"Wanna go see Rockscar and Fishscale?" Coldkit suggested, pointing at the elders den with his tail. Dreamkit brightened, and scampered after her brother to visit the elders, only pausing to grab a mouse from the fresh kill pile.
"And then Starlingstar was struck down by the rouge Ramos. The Forestclan leader is still greatly missed," Dreamkit's heart sank as she saw Crookedkit, Ferretkit, and Hookkit gathered around Rockscar, who was telling the tale of Starlingstar. Starlingstar had been the leader of Forestclan before Flutterstar, the leader before Vinestar, and he had been a noble and brave leader. Fishscale smiled at them, "Hello Coldkit, Dreamkit," he said, "Is that a mouse?" Dreamkit nodded and gave it to him. Rockscar looked over at them, "I just finished telling these kits about Starlingstar. What would you like to hear Coldkit?" Dreamkit tried that to feel bad; Coldkit seemed to be the favorite, so he always got asked things instead of her.
"Tell us about a battle!" Coldkit said excitedly, sitting beside Hookkit. Hookkit and Ferretkit nodded eagerly, and Crookedkit grinned, glancing at Dreamkit, who settled down quietly beside her brother.
*4 1/2 moons later
Dreampaw ran after her mentor Rapidrain. The young warrior was kind and a quick-thinker, but kind of jumpy. She was panting when they arrived at the Thunderclan border.
"You kept up well," the silver tabby tom said, smiling at her before marking the border.
"I wish Coldpaw were here," Dreampaw though for the millionth time. Coldpaw's mentor was Vinestar. Vinestar! She had said she was a lot of promise in him while she gave her to a tom who had been a warrior for half a moon. Everyone had better mentors: Crookedpaw's was Hailstorm, Hookpaw's was her father Newtpelt, and Ferretpaw's was the senior warrior Forestfur. Dreampaw could bet that Flashkit, Swallowpatches's only kit, would get Finchfeather or Ivyclaw, two other warriors that were better than Rapidrain. Rapidrain was awkward and didn't know a lot about mentoring.
"Let's run back now," Rapidrain said to her, and took off towards camp. Dreampaw groaned, thinking, "But my paw still stings from the rock I stepped on running here!" But she ran after him, only stopping to kill a rabbit that practically ran right in front of her.
When she finally reached camp, Rapidrain said, "You aren't keeping up every time on the way back. You have to learn to save energy for the way back and to not use it all on the way to the border." Dreampaw nodded, and went to get something from Thicketfur for her stinging paw. After that, she rested by the apprentices' den, eating a sparrow.
"How was the border patrol?" Coldpaw asked, plopping down next to her.
"Fine," Dreampaw muttered, but Coldpaw didn't seem to be listening.
"Vinestar taught me how to fight on my hind legs today," he said excitedly, "I'm getting really good at it." He reared up on his hid legs to show her, but Dreampaw just took another bite, feeling sad that Coldpaw was learning battle moves while she ran around doing nothing.
*8 moons later
"Dreamchaser, will you come with me and Flashpaw to collect herbs?" Thicketfur asked her, "I could use another cat today."
"Sure, I'll come," Dreamchaser responded, waving her tail at Coldbreeze in farewell. Hookfur, Ferretpelt, and Crookedtail were also warriors. Dreamchaser was pretty much over the mentor thing; Rapidrain grew to become a great mentor, and they had become and still were good friends.
"One of the few friends I have," she thought, standing beside the medicine cat apprentice. Dreamchaser smiled at Flashpaw, who grinned. Swallowpatches and Hailstorm hadn't been the happiest when the tom had decided to train as a medicine cat; the family still didn't talk much, but Flashpaw seemed okay.
"We're going to get watermint," Thicketfur said as they headed out the entrance, "Lead the way to the river Flashpaw." The light grey tom nodded, the white mark on his forehead looking a little silly. Dreamchaser hadn't got a she-cat to play with as a kit, but Flashpaw had always made her laugh. After the two medicine cats collected the watermint, all three cats carried it back to camp.
"Hey Dreamchaser, would you like to go hunting?" Dreamchaser turned to see her mother Poolfrost. She nodded, dropped the watermint beside Thicketfur, and followed her across the meadow.
"Look," Dreamchaser whispered after running for a while, flicking her ears. A fat squirrel was nibbling on a acorn near the edge of Forestclan territory. She crept toward it, feeling Poolfrost's gaze on her. She pounced, and sat up with the dead squirrel in her mouth. Poolfrost purred. Dreamchaser smiled, putting down her squirrel. She looked into her mother's aqua eyes, then jerked away as Rapidrain appeared.
"Hey Dreamchaser, can I talk to you?" the silver tabby tom asked, his amber eyes sparking with nervousness. Dreamchaser nodded, ignoring Poolfrost's curious look, and followed her former mentor a little ways away.
"Dreamchaser, I just wanted to tell you that-" Rapidrain was cut off as both cats jumped, startled by a huge paw that had stepped beside them.
"Twoleg!" Dreamchaser yowled, and began to run away, but the Twoleg grabbed her. He pushed her into a weird den, and she cried out in pain as her paw hit a sharp corner.
"Dreamchaser!" she could hear Rapidrain's distressed cries, and heard the Twoleg yowl in pain.
"Run away!" Dreamchaser yelled through the webbing in front of her, clawing at it, "Get help! Please!"
"I'm not leaving you!" she could see one of the tom's ears. Rapidrain was right next to the Twoleg. She suddenly heard a smack, and then a thump.
"Rapidrain!" Dreamchaser cried out, pushing her shoulder against the webbing, hot tears beginning to form, "Rapidrain!" The webbing was pushed aside by the Twoleg for a moment, and Rapidrain was put beside her. He was unconscious, but as Dreamchaser curled up next to him, she could feel him breathing. She licked his fur gently, a couple tears falling. She huddled beside him as the Twoleg brought the den somewhere.
"You're going to be okay," she murmured to Rapidrain, even though he couldn't hear her. The Twoleg put the den down, and Dreamchaser looked out the webbing to see a monster; the Twoleg had cut open the side of it and was setting then inside!
"No!" she clawed at the webbing, and the Twoleg hit the den, yowling something she didn't understand. She shrank away, heading back to Rapidrain. He still hadn't woken up.
"Please, please wake up," Dreamchaser whispered to him, touching her nose to his cheek, "Please. I need you." Rapidrain didn't respond in anyway. The monster woke up and began moving. Dreamchaser laid beside Rapidrain, and fell into a troubled, but dreamless sleep.
Dreamchaser woke to someone shaking her. She blinked, and looked up at a ginger she-cat with a collar. She sprang up, "Rapidrain!"
"Calm down honey," the she-cat said, "You're friend's fine. My housefolk are taking care of him. Just hit his head." Dreamchaser stared at the she-cat, "Who are you? Where's Rapidrain? Where am I?" The she-cat smiled kindly, "Well, I'm Lewis. I don't know where your friend is, and you're at my housefolk's den." Dreamchaser was in shock, looking around. There were Twoleg things everywhere, things she'd never seen before, not that she'd wanted to!
"I'm glad you're here," Lewis continued, "It gets a bit tiresome with just me and Talia, Tatiana, and Moose. It'll be fun having you two darlings here."
"We're not staying here," Dreamchaser said quickly, "Once I find Rapidrain, we'll be going." Lewis blinked, looking confused. "But it's not safe in the meadow!" she protested, "There are wild cats!"
"I know," Dreamchaser retorted, "I'm one of them. My name's Dreamchaser." Lewis looked shocked, and took a few steps back.
"Moose told me that you wild cats kill house cats like me," she said quietly, "Are you going to?" Dreamchaser purred, shaking her head, "Of course not! I just want to get back home." Lewis nodded, "Come on. Moose will know where your friend is. He pays better attention than me." Dreamchaser followed the she-cat through the den, and she couldn't believe what she saw. The Twolegs had lots of strange things! Lewis went on an elevated flat surface, and Dreamchaser followed. Two tail-lengths away was a light brown tom on a squishy nest.
"Moose!" Lewis shook the tom, and he opened his eyes tiredly.
"What is it now?" he asked, yawning, "Is there another mouse in the kitchen?" Lewis rolled her eyes, but Dreamchaser felt confused, "Why would a mouse be a problem? I'd think they would jump at a chance for a real meal instead of those dry pellets."
"Dreamchaser here is looking for the tom that our housefolk brought back from the meadow. Apparently he brought back two wild cats," Lewis explained. Moose blinked, and got up, "Well, that would be a problem. Come on Dream-whatsit. I'll bring you to your friend." Dreamchaser followed the tom through another part of the Twoleg den, starting to feel her anticipation grow.
"He's right up there," Moose pointed up a weird hill.
"What is it?" Dreamchaser said, placing her paw on the first ledge.
"It's a staircase," Moose said matter-of-factly, "It goes to the upper part of the den." Dreamchaser nodded, "Thanks Moose." Moose nodded, and headed back the way they had come. Dreamchaser headed up the staircase, and looked around for Rapidrain. She looked in a room that had almost nothing in it and saw the small den with the webbing that she had been out in coming here. A pile of silver fur was lying inside of it.
"Rapidrain!" Dreamchaser ran to the den, and clawed at the latch. She then grabbed it with her teeth and yanked it down. The webbing popped loose and she pushed it aside with a paw.
"Rapidrain?" she whispered. The tom looked up at her, his eyes cloudy, "Dreamchaser? Is that you?"
"Are you okay?" Dreamchaser pressed, sniffing him.
"I'm fine," Rapidrain responded, "I'm just a bit dizzy."
"Come on," Dreamchaser pushed him up, "Lean on me. We're getting out of here." The tom leaned heavily against her, putting his nose to her cheek for a moment before walking with her. They had a bit of trouble with the staircase, but they managed it.
"Hi!" Dreamchaser turned to see two dark brown she-cats, "You must be the wild cats! Lewis told us about you while you were upstairs." Dreamchaser nodded curtly, "You must be Talia and Tatiana." The she-cat with green eyes nodded, "I'm Talia. She's Tatiana. We're twins." Tatiana smiled, her blue eyes twinkling, "Do you need help with anything?"
"Can you show us a way out?" Rapidrain asked, standing on his own. Dreamchaser still stood close to him in case he needed her help again. Talia looked confused, "Um, there is no way out."
"What?!" Dreamchaser demanded, "How can there be no way out?" Talia shrank back, and Tatiana stuttered, eyes wide, "Our-our housefolk to-took out the cat flap af-after Stanley ra-ran away."
"Foxdung!" Dreamchaser thought, her blue eyes a bit wide, realizing, "We're stuck!"
*1 moon later
"Come on Dream, they'll be fine," Talia said, a bit exasperated. Dreamchaser hesitated, biting her lip so she wouldn't correct her; all four kittypets had shortened their names to just Dream and Rain. They didn't seem to be good at remembering long names. Rapidrain was talking to Moose on the window cushion, Tatiana was grooming, and Lewis was sitting a little ways away from them, by a cushion with five silver kits: two silvery grey, two silver tabbies, and one just silver. Dreamchaser felt a rush of affection and protectiveness.
"My kits are only three days old Talia. I don't want to go for a walk," she said, heading back to the kits. Rapidrain had been extremely proud when they born. They had named the three she-cats and two toms together: Tinykit, Moonkit, Silverkit, Wildkit, and Jaggedkit. Dreamchaser curled up around them, feeling sad.
"They'll never see Meadowclan," she thought, feeling her eyes water slightly, "They'll never catch their own prey, know their parents' parents, or anything about clan life." She closed her eyes, ready to sleep, but she heard a tap.
"Probably just a bird or rock," Dreamchaser thought, ignoring it. There was another tap. Then another, and another, and another. They were getting louder. Dreamchaser sat up, annoyed, but when she looked out the clear door, she jumped up.
"Flashpaw!" she cried, running over, putting her paws against the smooth surface, "Flashpaw, you found us!" Flashpaw looked excited, "Dreamchaser, are you okay? And it's Flashfur." Dreamchaser felt happy for the younger tom, "Congratulations! And I'm okay. Rapidrain is here too, and we can't get out! The kittypets here said there's no way out." Flashfur nodded, "I'll help. Get Rapidrain so he knows." Dreamchaser nodded, and ran over to Moose and Rapidrain, who had been in the kitchen. Moose wasn't there, but Rapidrain was, grooming.
"Rapidrain, Flashfur's here, and he knows a way out!" she said, gasping. Rapidrain looked happy and relieved, and licked his mate's cheek, "We're going home Dreamchaser!" Dreamchaser smiled, then ran back to the door with Rapidrain. Flashfur was waiting for them.
"You see that flap?" he said, pointing up. Dreamchaser looked up to see the thing the Twolegs pushed down to open the door. The two clan cats nodded, and Flashfur continued, "One of you is going to have jump up there and push it down so the door will open. I'll push from this side." Rapidrain nodded, "I'll get it." He crouched, and leaped into the air, putting his paw up to push it down. He just missed, and Dreamchaser looked around.
"Rapidrain, stand on this table and jump off it!" she said, nodding at the table beside the door. Rapidrain nodded, jumped on the table, and leaped at the flap. He hit it down, and there was a click and the door was pushed open by Flashfur.
"Let's go!" he said, turning to run.
"Wait!" Dreamchaser said, looking back, "My kits! We need to get my kits!"
"Kits?" Flashfur asked, looking at both of them. Dreamchaser nodded, and Rapidrain ran with her to the cushion.
"How are we going to carry them?" she said, suddenly scared out of her fur, "They haven't even opened their eyes yet!"
"We'll help," Dreamchaser and Rapidrain turned to see Moose, Lewis, Talia, and Tatiana. Lewis had spoken, and continued, looking a bit sad, "You're not happy here. If you are leaving, we'll help you."
"Thank you!" Dreamchaser said, pressing her pelt to Lewis's, looking at all of them, "Thank you so much!" All the cats but Moose grabbed one of the kits and ran back to the door, Flashfur waiting for them.
"Now listen," Flashfur said, looking at the kittypets, "If you stand by me, we'll get away. Somehow..." Dreamchaser heard him mutter the last word, and looked down at Tinykit, the kit she was holding. She knew that the others had given her the smallest kit because she had only kitted them a few days ago.
"Thicketfur had shown me around Twolegplace to learn some of our reserve catmint places, just in case it stops growing in Meadowclan territory," Flashfur continued, "I know my way around, so come on!" He walked over to the fence, and through a hole in the corner. Lewis want next, then Talia, Dreamchaser, Rapidrain, Tatiana, and Moose came last. Rapidrain stayed close to Dreamchaser, their pelts brushing. Dreamchaser was glad for the support; she needed it.
It didn't take long to get to the edge of Twolegplace. Dreamchaser looked across the meadow, feeling free. She was almost home! The kittypets put down Wildkit, Jaggedkit, and Moonkit, Rapidrain still holding Silverkit. Flashfur picked up Moonkit, and Dreamchaser pulled the toms to her, keeping her tail around them.
"Thank you for your help," Rapidrain thanked their friends, "We couldn't have gotten this far without you." Talia, Tatiana, Moose, and Lewis nodded, murmuring goodbyes. The three clan cats dipped their heads to them, turning away. Rapidrain grabbed Wildkit as well as Silverkit and Flashfur grabbed Jaggedkit and Moonkit. Dreamchaser licked Tinykit's head before picking her up again. Dreamchaser glanced at her kittypet friends one last time, then followed Rapidrain and Flashfur across the meadow.
"Wait!"
*14 moons later
Dreamchaser watched Hailstar lick Tinywhisper's head, her heart expanding in pride and love.
"Jaggedclaw! Silverspeck! Wildleap! Tinywhisper!" the clan chanted her kits new names, and Rapidrain purred beside her. Beside them, two elders, a ginger she-cat and a light brown tom, and two warriors, two dark brown she-cats, cheered.
Moosefur, formerly Moose, and Lichenstream, formerly Lewis, the elders, smiled. Quailfeather, formerly Talia, and Owlwing, formerly Tatiana, walked over to congratulate the new warriors. The four kittypets hadn't wanted to go back to their housefolk; the life was uneventful and tedious. Vinestar had accepted them immediately when she learned what they had done for her two lost warriors and their newborn kits. Both Vinestar and Thicketfur had died soon after, making Hailstar the new leader and Flashfur a full medicine cat. Moonshine had been apprenticed to Flashfur, and she was a great medicine cat. Hookfur was deputy, and was an accomplished one. Crookedtail and Ferretpelt were very proud of their brother. Dreamchaser's parents Newtpelt and Poolfrost were elders, as well as Swallowpatches and Featherbreeze. Many other things had happened, the warriors Dreamchaser had grown up around were in Starclan, and she was nursing her second litter of kits: Icekit and tom and she-cat with running up to their older siblings, congratulating them. Dreamchaser sat closer to Rapidrain, their pelts brushing. Rapidrain licked his mate's ear, and they watched their kits had their moment.