Puffs crouched over his sister as he listened for things up on the surface. He was drowsy, and his sister had already fallen asleep. But he was waiting for his parent's desperate return. He must've sat and remained in that one spot for hours, because the sun had begun to set and cast its final rays over the murky forest. Puffs yawned and shivered when he felt the ground above him rumbling.
"Mouse-dung!"
Spike!

Puffs propelled himself out of the burrow, colliding right into his father's sturdy frame. Dust and mud covered his father's pelt. He looked over his shoulder and saw Spoon limping toward them with a mouth full of dusty bird feathers. Fresh-kill scent came off them in waves, with also a hint of something unknown.
"We had an encounter with dogs. We had to lead them away from here so it took longer than normal to get home. Dumb Twolegs, they never look after their things." Spike murmured, his tongue working away at his claws. Brown and red tinted them, which sparked the question.
Was that dog blood or prey?

"You have to tell us all about it!" Piper erupted from the burrow, skimming her head on the top of the entrance. Her tail quivered with excitement to see both their parents safe. She thrust her head up under her mother's chin, hiding under her stomach.
Spike got up and disappeared for a moment, returning with some mice.
"If you really want to know, you'll have to be quiet. My ears are ringing from running all over. Spoon sprained her paw. So be extra careful with your mother; kits."

By the time Spike had finished explaining what had happened that day, Puffs and Piper were full-fed and were lazying about against their parents.
"...I don't get how you ever lived in a barn, so close to Twolegs; Spoon." Spike purred, leaning over to lick Spoon's ears. Spoon let out a mrrow of amusement.
"Well, if there's a place brimming with mice I'm there." She licked her lips and then scooped up Piper by the scruff. Piper squealed in indignation, her paws churning in the air. Puffs soon followed, swinging from Spike's jaws.

"It has been a long day, bed time for both of you." Puffs was lowered lightly into soft bedding, yawning and curling into the warmth. He didn't know if he could trade this life for anything else, as it was so great and peaceful. The other thing that bothered him was the fact that dogs were lurking about. But they had been fairly quiet, so he let the thought slip his mind. Sleep greeted him eventually, putting his mind to rest.

The next morning Puffs woke up first, after being crushed by his father. He had rolled right over and was smothering him with his dark fur.
"Get off me!" He squealed, pummeling his pelt as he tried to escape from underneath Spike. Spike woke with a start and sat up, letting Puffs squeeze out from under him.
"Yuck! You're so heavy!" He squeaked, trying to spit out an unwanted mouthful of fur. Spike snorted in amusement and stretched. Piper began to stir and yawned, walking right out of the den.
"Where do you think you're going?" Spike followed after Piper, Puffs in pursuit.

Mist had settled in the air. It was heavy in his lungs, as he came out of the dank air. Puffs shook his pelt and turned away from his parents, climbing the hill that his family's burrow was in. A strong tree sat on the top of the hill, its branches shaking in the air. Golden rays of sunlight glowed in the distance, turning the sky a bright red. His eyes widened in awe. It was beautiful. He could see so far from where he was standing. He inhaled sharply, tasting the fresh air.

He strained his vision to see where the hills sloped down steeply into an endless expanse of forest, mixed with pines and oaks, all clustered together, their leaves rattling in the morning wind. The wind flattened his whiskers to his face, and he felt himself break into a purr. He felt like the strongest cat ever, in which he was going to be. He puffed out his chest, and gave it a few proud licks. He'd follow in his father's footsteps and he'd show the whole forest who was the biggest and the bravest.

"Puffs come down from there! I don't want you to fall. Again." Spike sighed, and Puffs scampered down to join his father. He wondered what it was like past the clearing. He hadn't met any cats other than his family, and he wondered if they were dangerous. Why was he so isolated from the rest of the great unknown? Perhaps he'd adventure there someday.
Perhaps today?

Spike pushed a mouse toward him, and he distractedly took a bite. I'll go explore today when Spike and Spoon go to sleep. I don't want Piper to come with me though. Puffs lifted his head and looked around. He knew his mother kept a store of herbs in the burrow, and he heard that poppy seeds would make you sleepy. If he put one in Piper's food, he could potentially leave without getting caught!

"I'll go get you a mouse to share with me, Piper!" Puffs called, racing into the burrow. He quickly selected a mouse from the meager pile of prey and rummaged through the leaves and seeds. Spoon had shown him what they looked like before, and warned him not to eat any of the herbs or eat too many. He shoved it within the mouse and carried it down, dropping it in front of Piper.
I hope this works. He took a careful bite, sitting down next to Piper who quickly devoured the mouse.

"I'm going to sleep. Don't you kits get in trouble." Spike turned around and headed into the den, disappearing in an instant. After Piper had finished eating the mouse she had pushed Puffs toward the tree where he was standing earlier.
"Isn't it pretty up here?" She yawned, laying against the tree. Her eyes were closing slowly.
Yes! My plan is working! Excitement fizzed under his pelt. He began rhythmically lapping her head, lulling her into a deeper sleep.

Be safe, I'll be back soon. I just want to see the forest down there. Puffs charged down the hill, losing his footing and rolling the rest of the way. He squeaked when he hit the bottom, falling awkwardly on his hind leg. He moaned in pain, whipping his head around to make sure he hadn't broken it. He got up and tested it, and it seemed to only hurt a little. He began licking it, trying to get rid of the hurt. He glanced up when he heard a bird squawk loudly from above. He headed into the sun dappled forest, thankful the sun had risen a bit.

He had been walking in a straight direction for a while, because he was picking up on all new kinds of scents. Cats? He wondered, stopping where it was the strongest. He followed it for a bit toward a river curb, where it stopped and eventually trailed along the river. He continued to aimlessly pad after it, his tail quivering with excitement. He could detect so much prey nearby, it was delicious! He saw some rustling reeds in front of him, and began to sneak up on them. Maybe a mouse? Do mice like reeds?

His haunches waggled and he jumped onto of a heap of writhing fur.
I caught something! I caught something! He was so excited. He attempted to bite into its neck, but it screeched and whipped around.
"You're biting my tail!" It yelped, and raced out of the reeds with Puffs still attached to it. Puffs let go, seeing a reddish brown tom with angry amber eyes. Puffs exploded into laughter, his eyes screwing up.
"I thought you were a mouse." Puffs snorted, looking the tom-kit up and down.

"Oh yeah? Well, I thought you were a snake! You have some grip for a kit. I've never seen such a fat rogue kit now that I look at you." The tom-kit purred in amusement, flashing him a teasing glance.
"One might think you were expecting kits of your own!"
Puffs looked down at his rounded belly and then froze.
"It is just muscle, something you don't have you skinny twig!" Puffs scooped up a pawful of mud and flung it at the tom-kit, who hissed and tackled him.

"You have some nerve invading ChiveClan territory; you trespasser!" The kit exclaimed, pinning Puffs down by his shoulders, his underbelly exposed. Puffs yowled and kicked upward, throwing the tom off of him and he raced away. The other kit remained in pursuit, grabbing onto his haunches and dragging him down.
"Get off me! You are worse than a burr." Puffs attacked the tom's big tufted ears, attempting to bite them. The tom reached a paw forward and Puffs bit down on it, causing him to pull back in astonishment.

"Hey! That hurt. I was only playing." The tom pouted, sitting down, defeated.
"Digging your claws into my flanks isn't playing." Puffs twisted his head around and began licking his pelt. "Did I hurt your pride?" Puffs spat, knowing he had won the fight. The tom rolled his eyes and rolled over on his back.

"Enough. Now tell me, sharp-fang, what's your name? Mine is Adderkit. I am a future warrior of ChiveClan." Adderkit puffed out his pale brown chest, giving it a few pride licks. He sat up straight and his eyes bore down on him. "You're on my territory and I should be driving you off it right now, but you put up a good fight." Adderkit explained, yawning as if he really wasn't all that impressed. He remembered his parents warning him about rogues and Clan cats, so was Adderkit a Clan cat? He decided this much, and got up. He glanced at the sky and noticed it was getting cloudy.

"I have to get to my home. Goodbye Adderkit, maybe we will meet again one day." Puffs scampered off, and heard Adderkit call out to him.
"Wait! You didn't tell me your name! Come back!" But Puffs was too far away already. He pressed on, knowing he was heading the right way. Some of the things he passed looked familiar, which made him feel safe, even in unfamiliar territory. He hoped his parents wouldn't be worried that he was gone long.

Rain fell with heavy drops, splashing on the ground and spraying him. The feeling was unpleasant. He yelped as one hit him right in the head. He needed to get back before the storm made him so wet he got ill. He was hungry now, and by the time he reached the hill he was drenched in water. He slowly climbed it, his muscles screaming for him to stop. He collapsed at the top and inhaled, before dragging himself the rest of the way to the burrow. He couldn't see or hear anything from the heavy rain, and perhaps the occasional bark of a dog. He trudged down into the burrow, and noticed it was empty.

His head lifted with shock. Why would they all be out in the pouring rain? He looked out the den and saw nothing but falling rain. It hissed as it came down, making him shiver. He whimpered and receded into the corner of the den, hoping he would wake up and Spoon, Spike, and Piper would be back.

Hours later, he woke up to the faint sound of something barking in the distance. He got up and stretched his body, his ribs rolling beneath his skin. His tail quivered as he looked around, hoping to spot any member of his family. But their scents were stale; and their nests were untouched. He padded toward his mother's nest and heavily inhaled its scent, hoping to find his mother's location.
"Spoon?" He called, racing out into the open. The rain had washed away most of the scents, and the aroma of fresh mud sat heavy in the air. It was a soothing smell he was used to, but now it seemed so lonely and frightening being by himself.

"Puffs? Is that you?" A weak voice called out, and he whipped around. He had wandered a ways way from the clearing, and he now saw his mother shivering against the underside of a log, which was surprisingly dry beneath. Ferns swayed above his mother's head. A scrap of grey bloodied fur sat beneath her paws; immobile. Puffs shot toward her, burrowing into her fur. But a hiss of pain left her lips, and he turned his head to see a deep gash in his mother's flank. Her eyes held a tired; haunted look. Reddish-pink flesh accompanied the wound, and cobwebs were strewn across it in a messy manor.

"I'm sorry, Spoon! I should have never left the burrow." He cried out, licking the dried blood that stained her dark fur. Spoon let out a dry wheeze and shifted herself, and began grooming the fur at her paws.
"I'm glad you're safe, Puffs. It isn't your fault there were dogs. At least one of my children will survive." Spoon's voice cracked with emotion, her eyes heavy and dark. They were clouded in pain; not from her wounds; but an emotional one. It looked unbearable, as if it were tearing her apart at the seams.

Spoon's tail flicked and she pushed herself stiffly to her paws. Puffs' eyes widened with shock as he glanced at Piper's body. Her head was bent at an unnatural angle, as if it had been snapped. Blood smeared her pelt. Her eyes were closed by the corner of her mouth betrayed death, as blood had dried and hardened. Spoon staggered toward a patch of sunlight and began digging at it slowly. Her claws worked away at the dirt as Puffs sat at Piper's side, his heart heavy and his mind lost. His ears flattened to his head and he looked at his mother.

"This should've been me." He moaned, falling to Piper's side. He should have been there to protect her! But he had gone off on his own, hoping to explore more of the world. He did, and he paid the price. Stupid Clan cats! Adderkit had distracted him. His search for more cats had him in a daze, and he missed the opportunity to protect his family.
"Don't say that, my son. You'll grow up to be a wonderful cat one day. Don't blame yourself for a mistake. It would've happened either way, but it would have ended with you perhaps dying or watching your family die." She hissed under her breath, but her eyes were filled with sympathy. She padded over to Puffs and bent her head down to rasp her tongue slowly over his head.

"Now, please come here and help me, Puffs. It is time to put Piper to rest."

yeet this was an edgy chapter which I am known for

Leave a like in the comment section above! Thanks for reading my d-dudes ;)

-widenum