Hello again! This chapter is a bit short, sorry, but the next will have some action in it!


Chapter 2:

Three moons had passed. A few sunrises after Jaykit's first day out of the nursery, Squirrelwhisker had moved to the nursery, expecting Sparkfire's kits. They had been born a few days before. Squirrelwhisker had given birth to four kits, but one of them had been stillborn and another was very sick. The gentle queen had been overwhelmed with grief and struggled to keep her little ones alive. Jaykit hoped that they would survive. Squirrelwhisker would be devastated if anything happened to them.

"Jaykit, come and look! Yellowflame is showing us some fighting techniques!"

Jaykit rushed out of the nursery and found the yellow warrior teaching Sunkit, Larchkit, Seedkit and Breezekit some basic battle moves.

"Can I try?" she asked the young warrior.

"Of course!" answered Yellowflame. "You just need to swipe a blow at me. If you can manage just that, I'll show you something else," he added joyfully.

"Okay," Jaykit nodded. "I just need to touch you with my paws? That's it?"

"Yes." Without much hesitation, Jaykit sprang and landed in front of Yellowflame. She lashed out with a paw, and had him staggering backwards in a heartbeat.

"I touched you!" Jaykit beamed proudly.

"Wow, that was impressive! You beat Yellowflame!" squealed Larchkit.

"No, not really," purred Jaykit. "Anyone could do that. He just wanted to see if I knew how to swipe in the right time in the right place, I think," she guessed. "Try it. I'm sure you'll manage just fine too." Yellowflame looked at her strangely, and turned to Larchkit.

"Maybe another time, Larchkit," he meowed to the tom. "Sorry for the move I promised to show you, kits, but Redwing is calling me. I need to go on patrol."

The kits waved their tails in farewell and went to sit in front of the nursery, enjoying the peaceful New-leaf sun.

"I can't wait to be apprenticed..." murmured Breezekit. "I want to learn all that stuff! I want to beat you, someday," she added in a more playful tone as Jaykit grinned at her. Jaykit didn't notice the false smile her sister gave her.

"Yeah, me too," she answered. "Sunkit, Larchkit and Seedkit are so lucky, they're going to be apprenticed in a moon! We'll have to wait for two more that them."

"Time is just too slow..." Breezekit sighed. Suddenly, a cry echoed form inside the nursery.

"No! My kit! Fetch Ferntail!" Squirrelwhisker's voice rang in their ears. Instinctively, the sisters rushed to the medicine cat's den and called for help.

"Squirrelwhisker... Kit... Help... Nursery," panted Jaykit. Ferntail looked at them and rushed to the nursery, followed by the curious sisters. Squirrelwhisker was hunched over a tiny kit, and was wailing in agony.

"He's dead!" she cried. Ferntail padded up to her to look at the kit, and checked its breathing. At once, he started massaging the little kit's chest. After a few tense minutes, he suddenly relaxed.

"Your kit is safe now," he told Squirrelwhisker. "But I need you to feed him regularly and check him up all the time. I'll come and see him once a day until he recovers completely." Squirrelwhisker nodded and gently placed her kit near the two other sleeping bundles of fur, and nursed him to sleep. Ferntail padded out of the nursery. Squirrelwhisker turned to Jaykit and Breezekit.

"Thank you for saving him," she added in a whisper. "Thank you for reacting so quickly. Nightstorm will be proud when she hears this."

"It's natural," answered Breezekit, embarrassed.

"Do you need something?" asked Jaykit to the tired queen.

"No," sighed Squirrelwhisker. But she meowed after a pause, "Actually, yes." Jaykit pricked her ears.

"I would like you to name one of my kits each." Jaykit looked bewildered.

"Really? Are you sure?" she meowed, mouth agape. "That's a huge honour!"

"Yes, I'm sure," purred Squirrelwhisker. "Go on, don't be shy."

Jaykit looked thoughtfully at the tiny bundles. Two of the kits were toms, both different shades of ginger tabbies. The third kit, a she-kit, was orange with darker spots. Breezekit spoke first.

"What about Gorsekit for the light ginger tom?" she suggested.

"That's a great choice," purred Squirrelwhisker as she looked at her kits fondly. "Have you chosen, Jaykit?" Jaykit nodded.

"Would Shadekit be okay for the she-kit?" she answered after a heartbeat of reflection.

"Perfect. I want the third one to be called Swiftkit, because your swift reaction saved his life," Squirrelwhisker mused.

"What will you call the fourth one?" Jaykit added silently.

"The fourth one?" the queen looked puzzled for a moment, but then fresh grief appeared on her face. "Oh, I see what you mean. She will need a name in StarClan."

"Yes."

"Well, her name will be Sparkkit, like her father." With these words, she closed her eyes and wrapped her tail protectively around her kits.


Hope you liked the names of the kittens!

Jaykit is a bit too perfect for a kit her age, but you'll understand soon why ;-D

Please review, it helps a lot!

-Lightning