It's still really short... I hope I don't go senile from disappointing myself... :')

Both Birch and Spruce jumped at the sound of the she-cats voice. Out of the shadows walked an elderly cat, her fur going up at

odd angles and spikes. Despite her rather strange appearance, her eyes were gentle, and Spruce wasn't at all afraid of this new cat.

"We were just… getting a drink of water." Birch lied. The pale gray elder wasn't fooled, and walked closer to the kits where she could see them in the moonlight. "Wait a second, are you Ivy's kits? You look exactly like her." The cat looked at Birch, inspecting her tabby coat.

"No, our mother is named… Acorn!" Spruce boldly cried.

"Well alright, guess I better escort you back to Acorn's cave, she and I go a long way back. It would be nice to see her again." Birch's tail went straight up in alarm. Wait, is this crazy old cat going to take us to some other insane cat's den?

Spruce turned around and high-tailed into the forest. Birch picked up the idea and ran after her. Not looking back once, they sprinted back to the dip in the ground they called home.

Crawling into their nest, they shut their eyes and pretended to be asleep, just minutes before Ivy and Eagle came silently padding into the makeshift camp bordered by sharp bramble thickets they had put up around the nest. Each one dropping their prey in a small hole in the soft dirt, they trotted to the nest to find the kittens sound asleep. Spruce could hear their every step, and was worried that they might realize they were wet from the creek's cold waters. Spruce finally fell asleep; she and her sister were mostly dry from the run home.

-Ivy's point of view—

Ivy watched her kits sleep. Climbing into her nest, she said goodnight to her mate, and tried to fall asleep. Something kept coming into her nose, a scent, the scent of cats. She twitched her whiskers, annoyed at herself for being so paranoid.

Of course I smell cats, there are too many loners living around here to even count.

She tried to rest; each minute reassuring herself there was no threat outside. Focusing on the kits, she groomed each one carefully, trying her best not to disturb their slumber. Each one had the taste of sour water weaved into their fur, and Ivy could tell they had been out on a little adventure while she was gone.

She laughed at the thought of the two kits trying to be secretive as they snuck away. She remembered doing that when she was a kit, with her two brothers. How she missed them, they were very close as kits.

Crow, the all black tom closely resembling their father, had gone to live on the plains with his mate, Sparrow. Kind of ironic, they're both named after birds. Eagle too. Maybe my family is just attracted to feathers. Her eyes betrayed a hint of amusement, thinking of what cats would look like with feathers.

She started thinking about Dust, her other littermate, who had stayed to hunt and care for their elderly parents. He was always so kind, the first one to help a friend, but the only one that would hesitate about sneaking out. Just like Birch. I suppose Spruce is like Crow, adventurous, but not always thinking her plan through before she executes it.

How I would like to see them again. Her wistful thoughts had distracted her long enough from the strange smell that she was able to slip into the realm of sleep, her breathing joining into the rhythm of her families.

Yup, Spruce and Ivy get busted by their mom. (Well, they don't know that.) And what's that strange scent Ivy smells? We sort of get to know more about Ivy, and maybe some of the characters mentioned in this chapter will be important in the future. *wink wink nudge nudge*

Please review! :)

It's so short… bleh.