Author's Note: Hi, dear reader! Sorry about being late. Please, please leave comments. Be mean, I don't care. This chapter is not that good, but I hope you like it! :)
*This fanfiction is officially disclaimed.
Chapter One
The screams woke Nightkit up. No, not screams. More like whimpers of pain.
He groaned and turned over in his mother's warmth. Redshadow wiggled about to make herself more comfortable. He shifted again, trying to cover his ears with his paws.
"Stop moving." Timberkit's back left paw started kicking him in the muzzle. "You're squashing me!"
"Yeah!" Silverkit batted his ear with her tail. "Some cats are trying to sleep here!"
"How can you sleep with all the screaming?" Nightkit sat up and glared at them. "It sounds like all the Clans are yelling, StarClan and the Ancient Clans included!"
Redshadow raised her head and blinked at him blearily. "Nightkit?" She yawned and turned over. Silverkit, Timberkit and Robinkit tumbled over, grumbling again.
"Mom!" Silverkit complained.
Redshadow shook her head. "Sorry dear. Go back to sleep." Her eyes closed and she fell asleep again.
"Timberkit?" Nightkit shook the dark brown tom. His tail flicked him in the face.
"Quit bothering me. I need more than two hours of sleep, you know."
"Redshadow?" he tried his mother next, but she just pushed him away with one paw.
"Go back to sleep." she whispered.
"Fine." He padded out the nursery, carefully avoiding sleeping cats. The wind whipped his fur and stung his eyes. He shivered; his fur was only kit-soft, and not nearly thick enough.
This was the first time Nightkit was out of the nursery, but he had heard the queens talking about the camp and how much they missed this and that. He had thought it was annoying, but now he was pleased. At least he wouldn't be utterly lost.
But even all the nursery tales in the world could not have prepared him for the sight in front of his eyes. Sure he could see the medecine cat's den, but it seemed more than a million badger-lengths away. The distance between the nursery and the medecine den seemed enormous and, face it, impossible for a tiny kit.
He swallowed, looked down at his paws and almost lost his breakfast. The forest floor seemed even father away then the medecine den. He knew SkyClan lived in trees, but he hadn't expected trees to be so…. tall. The very floor his was standing on was woven with branches and leaves, and all the different dens was all on different levels, so you would have to jump up and down to get around the camp. It seemed totally bizzaire, like greem moons hanging on a brown sky. He didn't really think it would be possible for warriors to get around, not to mention a tiny kit.
He glanced back at the den. But he had to try. He took a deep breath amd crouched down to pounce. He launched himself into the air.
His paws flailed and he thought for a moment he was falling, he was going to die, and he would never see his mother again and-
His paws fit solid ground, and he let out a sigh of shocked relief. He had thought he was going to die. He padded all the way to the end and scrambled over the edge and again.
When he finally got to the medecine den, he was utterly exhausted, but proud. Ha! He had beaten Timberkit!
Then he remebered the reason he had even come to the den and he dashed inside. "Ashwing! Ashwing!" he called.
The gray tabby padded out, holding a mouthful of herbs. He put them down. "Nightkit? What in the name of StarClan-?"
His voiced changed suddenly. "Night. Star." He rasped. "Fear it. Fear the Night."
"Wha…what?" NIghtkit backed up. Ashwing lowered his head and stared at him glassily, his hot breath blasting him in the face.
"The Clans are cursed. The Night will lead us to our doom. Darkness will take over."
"Ashwing? Are you okay?" NIghtkit scrambled back, frightened. His back paws hit thin air. There was nowhere else to go.
"Nightkit?" Ashwing blinked a few times, and sat back up. He shook his head disapprovingly. "What are you doing here? Wouldn't Redshadow be worried?'
"Ashwing? What was that?"
"What was what?" Ashwing shook his head, exasperated. "Look, if you're going to be annoying, I have to go. We need more goldenrod. Cloudclaw's shoulder wound hasn't healed from the battle with ShadowClan yet."
"Uh-" Nightkit decided it could wait. "Ashwing, I think Creampelt needs your help."
"Why didn't you say so?" He pushed the herbs he had put down farther into the den, and set off briskly for the nursery. Nighkit scrambled after him.
Creampelt's soft whimpers had grown into full-grown scream now. Ashwing hurried into the den. Nightkit followed. On the way in, Nightkit bumped straight into Timberkit.
"Nightkit! What are you doing here?" Timberkit exclaimed.
He grinned, and purred; despite he had been thrown to the ground. "Ha! Beat you!"
"Very funny."
Redshadow emerged from the den, carrying Robinkit and Silverkit by their scruffs. "Mom!" Robinkit complained. "I can walk."
She put them down, and they bounced over to where Nightkit and Timberkit were. "You were outside?" Robinkit said admiringly, her large blue eyes gleaming. "You are so lucky!"
Timberkit puffed up his chest. "I know!" He boasted. "It was really high, but I wasn't afraid!"
Nightkit scoffed, and nudged him. "You weren't even outside. I was the one who went outside, not you!"
"Stop yapping like a bunch of wood birds," a tired voice grumbled. A bleary ginger head emerged from the nursery entrance.
Silverkit looked at Eagleclaw quizzically. "That didn't make sense," she mewed.
"I don't care," Eagleclaw lifted herself of the bed of moss. "You're too loud. What's all that racket? You shouldn't even be outside. You're only a moon old!"
"Ashwing's evacuated the den so no one would disturb Creampelt from her kitting," Timberkit answered.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?" the ginger she-cat scrabbled out of the den, stretching stiffly.
Robinkit shrugged. "Ashwing said you weren't disturbing any one, because you sleep like you've been knocked out, so he let you stay."
Nightkit spoke up. "How is Creampelt doing?"
"She's fine." Redshadow bounded out of the den and laid down a small package in front of Eagleclaw. "Eagleclaw, you're up!" She pushed the bundle towards her. "Bite through the sacking and start licking the kit backwards to keep her warm. I'm going to go help Ashwing." She slipped back inside.
Eagleclaw crouched down and nipped at the package. "This is harder than it looks." she muttered. The kits crowded around. Her teeth managed to work their way through the slimy membrane.
"Eww," Silverkit muttered to Nightkit.
"Eww is right," he agreed.
Eagleclaw dragged the tiny she-cat out of the bag and began licking her. Redshadow pushed out another kit.
"Here," she pushed it at the nearest kit, who happened to be Nightkit. "Do what Eagleclaw did." She disappeared into the leaves.
Nightkit set to work. The skin was tough and slimy and stuck to his teeth. It was also incredibly slippery, and his teeth glanced off every time he tried. It didn't help that it was almost the same size as him.
He continued scraping his teeth along the slimy surface, hoping to catch a nick on it. No luck. He tried in vain to scrabble a hole in it with his claws.
"Let me help," Eagleclaw reached over and helped him hold it steady while he sank his teeth into it. He glanced around, guiltily relieved when he saw he siblings were having trouble too. He pulled his teeth down, ripping an opening in the membrane. A tiny cat tumbled out, almost falling on him. Her pelt was yellow and black, striped like a tiger's pelt.. A scar ran across her face, starting from the top of her face and ending slightly above her muzzle, crossing straight through her eye. He licked her vigorously, trying to wake her.
Come on, come on….
"Please don't be dead, please don't be dead," he muttered. His tongue wet her fur.
She was as cold as ice.
"Eagleclaw? Little help here?" Nightkit called.
The queen padded over carrying a tiny kit by its scruff. "What is it?" she asked, putting it down.
"Is that kit…. dead?"
"Nonsense!" Eagleclaw reached over and turned over the kit, and licked it harshly. She looked up, a horrified light dawning in here eyes. "She's…. she's…. dead"
Ashwing padded out of the nursery, carrying a kit. "Who's dead?"
Eagleclaw pointed a paw at it, like she couldn't stand to see it. "Creampelt's kit. It's dead."
"What about the rest?" he asked calmly. Timberkit dragged a large black and white tom over.
"This one's alive, at least." He mewed cheerfully.
Ashwing put down his kit. She was a blue-gray she-cat, with a white muzzle. "Good work, Timberkit." He said. Timberkit puffed up his chest in pride.
Eager to please, Robinkit darted forward. "Mine too! Mine is alive!" This time it was a tom, with snowy fur like his mother.
Ashwing surveyed him calmly. "We should bring them to Creampelt. And the dead one too."
Timberkit picked the tom, even though he was only slightly larger than it. Robinkit tried to drag her kit along, but it kept kicking her. She ended up half- carrying it by its scruff, and half-dragging it. Nightkit tried to get his teeth around the body, but since she was dead, he didn't think it would matter if dragged her.
They headed into the nursery. Creampelt was lying in a corner, looking tired but happy. Ashwing, Timberkit and Robinkit brought their kits to show her, but Nightkit stayed behind, embarrassed to have her dead kit.
Creampelt smiled. "I could have sworn there were four," she told Ashwing. "Where's the other one? Is something wrong?"
Redshadow nudged Nightkit. "Go on," she whispered.
Nightkit dragged the body forward. "I'm sorry, Creampelt," he said. "She's dead."
Creampelt gave a cry of dismay and started licking the three newborn kits so hard they squirmed. "You won't die too," she muttered. "I'll protect you."
"I'm so sorry, Creampelt," Nightkit said again. He set down the kit in front of her.
Creampelt didn't seem to hear. "I'll protect you with my life. You can't die."
A tail flicked into his nose. "Hey!" He mewed. "Stop that, Silverkit!"
Silverkit glanced at him, puzzled. "Stop what? I didn't do anything? Besides, I'm nowhere near you!"
She was right. Nightkit glanced around. No one was nearby. Then were all crowded around Creampelt. He glanced at the dead kit again. Was it possible-?
The kit swiped his nose with her tail again. She wasn't dead after all.
"Redshadow! Creampelt!" he yowled. "She's not dead?"
"Who's not dead?" Redshadow asked absently.
"The kit! She's not dead!"
"What?" Creampelt perked up. She reached over and grabbed the kit. She peered at it, raising it in front of her eyes. "It's not dead." She said, amazed. "It's not dead."
Ashwing shook his head. "I don't understand," he mewed. "She should be dead." He was smiling, though. "Not that I mind, of course."
Nightkit grinned. She wasn't dead after all. Everything was all right again.
Then Creampelt decided to scream. "Her eye! It's open!"
