((As a word of warning, I am an atrocious speller. So if my spell-checker missed anything, I am sorry.))
Snowshimmer awoke as the sharp bark of a dog broke the silence. She glanced down at her kits. The three little cats had not been affected by the noise. "It's okay. We'll be safe..." she said, mostly to herself. Another bark filled the night air, muffled snarls. The white she-cat looked up into the night sky. The moon shone powerfully tonight, just as it was when she last spoke to Firefury. He had not said a word since that night at Broken Stump, nor had he been present much. Icekit kicked in his sleep, shaking her from her thoughts. She stood, careful not to wake her kittens, and went of in search of her mate.
The time had come. She had to be strong.
Firefury hissed as he was prodded from sleep. But the white tail he saw resting near his face relaxed him. His mate looked down at him, her eyes full of sadness. "This will be the last time I see you," she said.
The red tom sat. "I know."
"And I just wanted to tell you," she said, her eyes lowered. "That I forgive you, for everything you have done in the past." The red tom's eyes lightened as he looked up at her. His teeth parted as he prepared to speak. But he silenced himself. She did not truly mean it. All of those he had hurt, all of her loved ones he had killed, all of the danger he had put her in. She could not truly forgive him.
He shook his head. "I know..."
Snowshimmer know this was all she would manage to get out of him. She nodded professionally and padded back to her kits. Her heart ached for her mate, but he knew that she was doing the right thing. She could no longer think of herself.
"I must be strong. For the kits..." she whispered as her shoulders broke through the forest's thick brambles. She sat atop a hill and looked down and the chaos below. Stacks of trees were piled on sleeping monsters, and a deep hole was cut from the ground, its insides scattered about the sight in large piles. Snowshimmer was use to this sight, but it still broke her heart whenever she sighted it.
Her kits had just begun to wake. She rounded them up and began to head towards FrostClan territory. She looked back, but she could not see her mate.
The rising sun peaked over the sight, illuminating the mountains in a blanket of soft orange. Snowshimmer watched the sunrise as they walked, feeling herself slowly relax. But the feeling was lost as the pungent smell of clan cat filled her noes. The brambles rustled softly and a small black body pushed through, followed by a muscular gray female and a black and white kit. "My, my," said the black tom. "What do we have here?"
"My name is Snowshimmer," she said bravely. "And I have come to seek refuge from FrostClan."
The black tom's eyes narrowed. "We are not looking for rouges. Take your kits and leave." Icekit hissed and the clan kitten hissed back. Although the clan cat was older that him, Icekit held his ground. But Firekit huddled behind Snowshimmer's tail.
The gray female flicked the black and white kitten with her tail. "I am Stormcloud," she said confidently. "I would be glad to present you to our leader, and-"
But the black tom cut her off. "We will /not/ be taking rouges to Midnightstar. We are not a charity here."
"She has a warrior name, Thornscreech. And we are obligated to take her and her kits to camp." The gray she-cat turned away from the black tom and smiled. "Please follow me..."
(( Please review, guys. I'd love to hear what you have to say!))
