Chapter two

Melancholy

Ravenkit's Perspective

Even though Ravenkit couldn't see, she felt as if something was wrong. The warmth of her mother faded away, and she knew her sister was trying her best. 'It's time. I'm ready to open them,' she thought, kicking her hind legs. "Ravenkit, what are you trying to do?" she heard a she-cat say. 'It must be my sister.' "You're kicking me, you little runt!" she giggled. Ravenkit walked over to where she could scent the cat that seemed to be her sister.

She a soft nudge to the she cat, eagerly tightening her eyelids to try to show she is opening them.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Crimsonpaw said as her footsteps battered the moss. "Yes. I am." Ravenkit said, her first full words she has spoken. To her it sounded pretty, almost like her mother's; Soft with a British accent added on. She didn't know cats could have accents. Ravenkit lifted her weight to her paws, her head facing Crimsonpaw. "I'm ready." she repeated, and slowly opened her eyes, adjusting them to the pale light in the willow.

"Wow, I've never seen purple eyes. They're beautiful, Ravenkit!" Crimsonpaw said, looking into them with admiration.

Ravenkit looked at her sister. She noticed that her eyes were unnatural as well. "Yours.. they're.. red" she said, edging closer to her face.

Crimsonpaw sat quietly, looking at her paws in melancholy. She looked up at her youngest sister, who was noticeably in love with them.

"You aren't scared?" Crimsonpaw asked, smiling.

"No way! You're amazing!" Ravenkit said, giving a warm smile back. "Where's mother?" she asked, drinking the scents in the den, not detecting Frostfur's, in which she would have recognized since she was always close to her.

"She's looking for our siblings, Emeraldpaw and Owlpaw." she said after a black and white she-kit edged closer and lie beside Crimsonpaw.

"Who's this?" Ravenkit asked, sniffing the kit was supposedly her sister.

"I'm Moonkit, your other sister." she said. Ravenkit lifted herself up and glared into Moonkit's eyes. they were irregular… the left was blue and right was green.

"You look like a Smudgekit to me." Ravenkit snorted. It was true, though. Moonkit was a white she-kit with a dark smudge on the nose, black ears, and a black tail.

Moonkit's eyes coldened at Ravenkit's remark. She quietly crept back to her nest, facing the opposite direction.

"What's her problem?" Ravenkit whispered to Crimsonpaw.

Crimsonpaw lowered her head as she spoke. "She's been like that since mother's been gone."

Ravenkit walked toward Moonkit, giving her a swift lick as she passed to exit the willow, glaring at the moon peacefully. 'I wonder why Moonkit is so upset over mum being gone. Surely she'll come back..'

"Ravenkit, Come back in!" Ravenkit jumped as Crimsonpaw grabbed her by her scruff, yanking her softly back into the hollow den.

"What was that for?" Ravenkit growled.

"Never go out there again, do you hear me?" Crimsonpaw said, her eyes were narrowed.

"Fine." said Ravenkit, thumping onto her nest.

The next morning Ravenkit awoken to her mother lapping her ear repeatedly. "What?" she groaned, her eyes burned from the sunlight drowning the willow.

"Ravenkit, I am your mother." she mewed.

"Wow." she said, looking deep into her irregular eyes. Something was wrong, something Ravenkit couldn't put out. There was a violet band strapped around her neck, and fangs attached to it.

"What this?" Ravenkit questioned, sticking her paw on it.

"It's a kittypet collar." Frostfur managed to say, it seemed she didn't enjoy the thought.

"What's a kittypet?"

Frostfur looked down, her eyes lost their color.

"It's being owned by a twoleg. Twolegs are creatures that only walk on their hind legs, strange creatures. I was captured by one and that's how I got this collar." she exclaimed.

"They'll be back for me any moment." she mumbled under her breath.

Thoughts clouded Ravenkit's thoughts.

"Can you tell me more about twoleg culture?" Ravenkit asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

Frostfur told Ravenkit about the wonderful ways of twolegs, how they draw on skinned trees and call it 'art', and how they meow words into beautiful tunes and blow instruments to make 'music.'

Ravenkit was fascinated, the knowledge spread in her thoughts. "You're so smart, mum." she said, nudging her mother's shoulder.

Suddenly several paws trudged into the den, the sound of laughter echoing. Ravenkit shied deeper into her mother's long fur, glaring at her older siblings which she hadn't met. The first to come in was a pretty grey she-cat with darker flecks and golden eyes, Owlpaw. Then a black tom with one white paw and green eyes emerged afterwards, Emeraldpaw.

Both apprentices padded over to Ravenkit, glaring at her with soft eyes. "So this is your newborn." Owlpaw said, touching noses with Ravenkit. "Sorry we couldn't be here in time to see you open your eyes." Emeraldpaw added.

"It's alright." Ravenkit finally mewed, her voice shaky.

Frostfur landed her tail on Ravenkit, warming her from the cold leaf-fall breeze. "This is Ravenkit, she is only one moon old so be gentle when you play with her." she purred.

Lastly a dark-gray tom entered, his fur marked with frost and battle scars, some fresh. In his muzzle he carried at least five mice, all hanging by their tails. The tom gently laid them onto a neat stack in the middle of the large den.

Ravenkit moaned when her mother stood up and padded over to the tom. "It's cold!" she shouted.

Quickly Crimsonpaw padded over to her, huddling over her for warmth.

"Thank you, Crowwing. Finally we get some prey around here. I'm starving!" she mewed, taking one from the pile. "I'll share this plump one with you." she added.

"Alright," he chuckled.

After the family ate, Frostfur was curled up next to her mate, purring loudly. Ravenkit watched in curiosity, wondering what it'd be like to truly be in love. The thoughts silenced as Frostfur spoke. "Where have you, Emeraldpaw, and Owlpaw been? I got captured by twolegs trying to find you!"

None of the cats spoke, they only exchanged glances. "Well…" Emeraldpaw continued. "Owlpaw and I were going hunting but were lost in the woods and couldn't find the way out." he finished as Owlpaw nodded slowly.

"I was only looking for them, the rascals are so hard to find when they're up in trees looking for birds." Crowwing added slowly.

"Don't you ever go out there without one of us with you, understood?" she growled, her eyes were blue fire.

Emeraldpaw and Owlpaw nodded with disappointed expressions on their face. "It serves you right." Ravenkit mumbled to herself.

Crowwing padded over to Ravenkit, giving a warm smile. "I'm your father, Crowwing, incase no one has told you." he said, looking over at Crimsonpaw who was smiling nervously.

'Moonkit is awfully silent..' she said, looking over at the lazy white kit. It seemed Frostfur noticed too, for she trotted over to the silent kit, whispering something in her ears. Ravenkit edged closer to see if she could catch some words, but it wasn't any use, she was far too quiet and it wouldn't be hard to notice her trying to listen.

After minutes of curiosity, Frostfur finally lifted herself up and padded back to Crowfur. She was awfully clingy to Ravenkit's father. 'Something must be happening.' she thought to herself. Suddenly Ravenkit remembered how Frostfur said, "They'll be back for me any moment."

Ravenkit's eyes narrowed, her breath shortened. Would this mean her mother would be taken from her and never to be seen again?

Night has come, and Ravenkit sat up as everyone slept. Thoughts swirled in her head, she could hardly focus with blocking thoughts. Behind the sound of thinking, she noticed something. Something that frightened her a bit to where she was curious to find out. Her father, Crowwing, was not in his nest with Frostfur. Slowly she pawed her way out of her mother's flank, padding toward the den entrance. Ravenkit's fur bristled as she heard a piercing yowl coming from outside. Slowly she crept outside of the lichen and brambles, a jolt of fear made her loose strength. A dark brute was lashing furiously at her father's neck, blood spilled onto the frosted grass. "Help….. me.." he stuttered, unable to fight back. Ravenkit was sprinting closer to him, her tiny claws unsheathed and teeth bared. "STOP!" She cried, her claws slashed at the dark tom's face. The brute bashed at Ravenkit with one hit, sending her into the air.

"You're a fool, Blackfrost, you had to go that far with my kit?" Crowwing growled, slowly pushing himself up, kicking his back legs, releasing the brute from his tight grip.

Blackfrost snarled, leaping into the air and back onto Crowwing, but Crowwing's claws were unsheathed, and into the brute's shoulder. 'So much blood spill.' Ravenkit thought as she pushed herself up, limping back over to her father. "I'm not giving up.." she cried.

Blackfrost snorted, walking back into the woods, leaving Ravenkit's father in a pool of blood. As Ravenkit reached her father, it was nearly too late. "Ravenkit…" he moaned blood spilling in all directions. "Tell the family I love them, and please, I want you to get your revenge on Blackfrost for having to see this. I love you, my kit." he choked. "I… love you too" she mewed, touching her nose to his.

He was cold, the life in his body slowly lifted away, into the stars in Silverpelt. In pain, Ravenkit cried, letting them drop onto her pad. It wasn't ordinary tears, it was tears of blood.

Frostfur's Perspective

Frostfur awoken, the sound of a shrill rang in her ears, "CROWWING!" she shouted as she recognized his tone. Peering outside, she found her and her tribe leader, Blackfrost, clawing at his flank. He hated Crowwing because of an accident caused, an accident that sacrificed his beloved mate, Silent. One day in a heavy storm, Crowwing was passing the monster path with Silent, she had recently had kits and was weak. Unfortunately she couldn't keep up, and was hit by a roaring since he blamed it on him, never to forgive him for the accident.

'I have to get my kits out of here before he finds us..' she thought, grabbing Moonkit by the scruff. "Crimsonpaw, Emeraldpaw, and Owlpaw. Get up, we must hurry and get out of here!" she said as loud as she could without Blackfrost hearing her. The apprentices awoken, all running out of the den into a group. "Where's Ravenkit?" Crimsonpaw asked, her voice shook with worry. Frostfur's eyes narrowed, she searched the den but couldn't find her. "It doesn't matter anymore, we have to go." she said, not believing what she heard. 'It doesn't matter? My latest kit doesn't matter?' she thought, moving forward. "I'm looking for her." Crimsonpaw said, stomping the grass with unsheathed claws. "Alright." Frostfur said, watching Crimsonpaw turning the opposite direction.

Transition (Back To Ravenkit)

"No.." Ravenkit cried, glaring at her family as they walked away. She sprinted toward them, but it was too late, they were out of sight.

Ravenkit padded slowly back to her father, who then took his last breath, his eyes in the direction where Frostfur stood with her other kits.

"Don't leave me alone!" she cried, her paws wrapped around her dead father. Her tears soaked the lifeless tom's fur.

She grabbed Crowwing's body by his scruff, slowly dragging him into a narrow hole she dug, burying him into the black dirt.

Ravenkit ran back to the den, drinking the sweet scent of her mother's flank, and Crimsonpaw, and the two others she had just met that night before bed. She slowly picked up brambles and rocks, and tying and stacking them with others until the entrance with blocked, only to where a strong cat could escape. The only prey that could come in would be squirrels or tiny mice, but Ravenkit didn't even know how to catch prey, especially fast prey like squirrels.

Two moons past, the only water Ravenkit could drink was from the moisture in the moss that was once her sister's. Ravenkit felt sick, weak, and felt as if her mind was going to break into insanity. The hollow was dark and lonely, there was no sound but trickling rainfall that came every so often. "It feels like I'm in Dark Forest." Ravenkit cried, shifting her paws on the wood. "There's nothing I can do now but wait."

"Wait…" she repeated quietly, her eyes drooping in weakness.

Suddenly a large paw broke into the brambles and rock, tearing each strand and pebble to make an opening. Ravenkit stepped back, yowling in horror.