Lionheart and Dappletail sat at the entrance to the camp. The crescent moon was rising quietly over the dark horizon, and except for the crickets trilling, and the sound of a few cats heading off to their dens, the forest was dead quiet.

A good time had passed and the moon was completely above the horizon before Lionheart heard a sound out in the darkness. Somewhere far off in the forest there was a quiet ringing sound. His ears perked up trying to find the faint sound, but it was too far away to accurately detect its source.

"Do you hear that?" he whispered to Dappletail.

"Hear what?" She yawned obviously disliking her late night guard duty.

"That tingling sound! Be quiet and listen." he murmured, straining his ears.

"Well, you were the one talking…" She grumbled.

They listened for a few minutes, but the sound did not repeat. The forest was once again as silent as it had been for the majority of the night. Lionheart was just about to relegate the noise to his imagination when another noise began. It was a pitiful, mournful, sound that made the fur on Lionheart's back stand up by its sheer eeriness. Dappletail was listening now.

"It sounds like a kit!" She whispered to her partner.

Lionheart stood up. "I'm going to see what it is, you stay here."

"I've been a warrior longer than you." She muttered to no one since Lionheart had already trotted off into the dark woods.

Lionheart kept up a brisk pace as he searched the woods for the source of the wailing. He had to stop a couple times when the noise stopped but eventually focused on an old fallen tree not far from the sandy hollow. He crept up on the decaying oak, and then he saw the source of the mysterious noises.

A lone black kitten with a single white paw had caught itself by its collar on one of the tree's branches. He struggled to break free but only succeeded in jingling the bell. His attempts at freedom thwarted again, he began to wail pathetically. When he saw Lionheart approaching he hissed.

"Hey there," Lionheart said gently, trying not to scare the kit, "Are you lost?"

The kitten became more frantic to escape from the tree branch, tugging with all its might.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." His voice had a nervous lilt to it. It would definitely be a bad thing if the kit ran away into the woods, he would be perfect prey for a hungry fox or owl.

The kitten finally succeeded in its attempt to free itself from the tree, as it finally snapped the thin branch from the rest of the enormous plant. His victory was short, however, as Lionheart quickly scooped him up.

"Lemme go! Lemme go! I'll getchu!" the little cat yowled, flailing wildly. Lionheart did not respond, as it would be impossible when he was holding the scruff of a hurricane of a kitten in his jaws. He padded off into the woods, back to the worried she-cat that was waiting for him.