Chapter 1
"So you'll take her Lemmingfur?" Lonestar meowed, gazing at the queen and her mate, a black and white tom named Plummetfall.
The queen dipped her head in agreement. The she-cat's throat had been slashed in a battle many moons ago, damaging her vocal cords and causing her to become mute. Nowadays, Plummetfall generally spoke for his mate. Such was the case now. "Where did the kit come from?" he asked, eyes flashing momentarily with suspicion.
"We don't know." Acornpatch meowed truthfully, "She was abandoned in the forest."
Plummetfall nodded slightly, gazing at Tanglekit with suspicion in his eyes but he calmed when Lemmingfur rested her tail on his shoulder, her eyes encouraging as she gently herded the kit towards her belly, where her daughter, Snowkit, lay nestled, her tiny flanks rising and falling until she was disturbed by Tanglekit's eager suckling. The tiny black and white she-kit let out a mewl of protest at the disturbance and nuzzled deeper into her mother's warm fur.
Lemmingfur smiled lovingly at her daughter and the new kit, her amber eyes bright with warmth as she began gently to rasp her tongue over Tanglekit's silver-gray tabby fur. The kit mewled and squirmed before settling down again, nestling into the queen's fur alongside Snowkit.
Lonestar watched the kit get settled in, his gaze hard and unreadable. Plummetfall looked at his mate for a few moments before turning to his leader and meowing in a soft voice, "I promise we will raise her as our own. She need never know that she is not Snowkit's sister."
Lonestar dipped his head, "Thank you Plummetfall. I'm sure you and Lemmingfur will be the best parents she could hope to have."
Lemmingfur just smiled as she curled her tail around her adopted daughter.
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"Can't catch me!" Tanglekit yowled, darting away from her sister.
"Hey! No fair!" Snowkit laughed, tumbling after her littermate.
Tanglekit giggled and quickly bounded behind Lonestar, who was sharing a vole with his younger brother, Torrentwave. The two toms let out soft chuckles of amusement as they watched Tanglekit wait for her sister to run around them before pouncing on the black and white she-cat.
The two sisters rolled around the camp, locked in a playful tussle until Lemmingfur padded over and gently separated them, her eyes bright and her face smiling as she began grooming Tanglekit.
"Aw, mom!" the she-cat protested, ducking away from her mother's tongue and causing Snowkit to snicker and smirk at her. Tanglekit let out a playful growl and lunged at her sister, the playfight quickly resuming.
Lemmingfur's eyes shone with love and warmth as she watched her daughters roll around the camp, laughing and playing.
"I got you!" Tanglekit yowled finally, having pinned Snowkit down.
Snowkit laughed and wriggled beneath her sister, "I give, I give!" she cried, eyes full of glee.
Tanglekit grinned and stepped back, letting her littermate up, "Then I, Tanglestar, leader of SisterClan, name you Snowheart, for your strong heart. Do you promise to serve SisterClan with all of your strength?" she announced in her squeaky little voice.
"Of course Tanglestar!" Snowkit giggled, "But we may face opposition from BrotherClan!"
Tanglekit nodded, "What do you propose my loyal deputy?" she asked, her brow creasing with concentration.
Snowkit giggled again before her seriousness returned, "I say we attack!" she mewed, "Plan an ambush for them!"
"A sound plan Snowheart." Tanglekit replied, "Let us put it into action."
She quietly led Snowkit to the entrance of the nursery, where the two sisters lurked silently.
"Hey! Thornkit! Murkykit! Swishkit! Come on out!" Tanglekit called into the nursery, stifling a giggle.
There was a rustling inside the nursery and a pair of whiskers poked out, "What is it Tanglekit?" came Thornkit's high-pitched mew.
"Come on out!" Tanglekit called again, still not revealing her position.
Moments later, Thornkit and his brothers, Murkykit and Swishkit padded out of the nursery.
"Attack!" Tanglekit yowled, lunging forwards and bowling Thornkit over, Snowkit taking out Swishkit.
"It's an ambush!" Swishkit cried, playfully tussling with Snowkit while Murkykit looked startled for a few moments before leaping to help Thornkit.
Tanglekit laughed gleefully, battering at Thornkit's broad chest with her paws and quickly leaping over and head-butting Murkykit away from her. "SisterClan will prevail!" she exclaimed, letting out a yelp as Thornkit pummelled her back with his paws. "Snowheart, make sure to guard the nursery!"
Snowkit giggled and darted off towards a corner of the camp.
Suddenly, a yowl of fear split the air and Lemmingfur was herding the kits towards the nursery, fear in her amber gaze.
"Mama, what's going on?" Tanglekit mewled, startled as yowls continued to break out in the camp. The fear in her mother's eyes was enough of an answer as she continued to frantically push the kits into the nursery.
Feathersoul, who had been dozing in the nursery, was on her paws in an instant, her fur bristling as she quickly mewed to Lemmingfur, "Take care of my sons." With that, she turned and darted out into the camp, her claws unsheathed.
Tanglekit was terrified, "Mama?" she called as her own mother stepped outside of the nursery, standing sentry at the entrance. "Mama, what's going on?"
Tanglekit poked her head out of the nursery to see streams of scruffy-furred, scrawny cats pouring into the camp, their claws unsheathed and their eyes full of bloodlust as they met her clanmates in battle. She could see Buzzyowl grappling with three scrawny black toms and Acornpatch pinned down by two she-cats who were ripping out clumps of her ginger-golden fur.
It seemed as though blood was spattered everywhere and Tanglekit shrank back but not before she saw something that made her heart seize in her throat. "Snowkit!"
Her sister was cowering in a corner of the camp near the nursery, her eyes wide with terror as a skinny brown tom advanced on her, his eyes crazed and glittering with bloodlust.
Tanglekit, despite her fear, ran forwards. She could hear Thornkit and his littermates' yowls but she ignored them as she threw herself at the tom, clawing at his face and whatever she could reach, "No!" she wailed, "No, you can't have her!"
The rogue let out a hiss of annoyance and lashed out, sending Tanglekit reeling. She could taste something coppery and felt something warm trickling down her face as she stumbled over to Snowkit, who was trembling with fear.
The tom lunged forwards, pushing Tanglekit aside as he clamped his jaws down on her shoulder and neck. Blood spattered onto Tanglekit's face and she let out a wail as she leaped forwards, raking her claws across the tom's eye.
The rogue let out a yowl of pain and leaped back, blood leaking from his ruined eye as he glared hatefully at Tanglekit. He began advancing again and the small she-cat stood her ground. She was in her rightful place, between him and her sister. She was ready to die when suddenly the rogue was bowled over by a black and white streak.
Plummetfall! "Daddy!" Tanglekit cried, and the relief coursing through her mingled with the fear she felt for Snowkit. There was blood, so much blood.
Then, as soon as the battle had begun, it was over. The rogues retreated as swiftly as they had come, leaving the camp full of blood and wounded warriors.
Tanglekit pressed against Snowkit's flank but her sister collapsed, her eyes rolling back in her head.
"No, no, no!" Tanglekit mewed, her eyes wide with fear, "P-please! Somebody, anybody, please somebody help me!"
The young she-cat desperately tried to staunch the blood that gushed from her sister's neck and shoulder with her paws but it just kept coming, "Please, somebody help!" she wailed.
After what seemed like moons, but was probably only moments, Sprainpaw was at her side, examining Snowkit's wound.
"It's deep," he mewed, almost to himself as he began chewing a poultice. "but I think she'll heal in time. Help me get her to the medicine den." Tanglekit could tell he was just saying that to reassure her. He didn't really know.
But the young she-cat nodded, feeling numb as she helped the limping apprentice drag her sister into the medicine den, where he skillfully worked to patch up her wound. Finally, he turned back to Tanglekit and she was suddenly aware of the blood that covered her fur, still leaking from a cut above her eye and another under her ear.
"Here, let me take a look at those cuts." Sprainpaw mewed gently as he dribbled a little marigold juice into the scratches before placing cobwebs over them with nimble paws. "Now, Tanglekit, can you go find your mother and father for me? I'd like them to come see Brokenwing about Snowkit."
Tanglekit nodded and darted off, tears welling in her eyes. What if this had been all her fault? She had told Snowkit to 'guard the nursery' during their playfight. Maybe if she hadn't, this wouldn't have happened. What if her sister died?
((A/N- Hey readers! This is your author speaking. Yeah, I wrote just about all of this between 4 and 6am in the morning while pulling an all-nighter with strep throat. Yeah, bad idea. Anyways, if there are mistakes and whatever here, please don't crap out on me for them, just mention them kindly since, yeah, I'm sick and I haven't slept so my brain probably isn't at full mental capacity at the moment. Thanks to those who pointed out that since Lemmingfur wasn't supposed to have a tongue, she shouldn't be able to groom her kits so I have edited that to make it make sense. Special Shout-out to Winnebago- hope you liked that I made Snowkit important and hope you like what I've got so far!- Please Read and Review!*that goes for all of you ;)*))