Dovepool hooked the mossball on her claw, and dangled it above Pikekit's head. The little kit jumped about, trying to get it. The silver-haired queen smiled playfully, and flung it across the nursery. Pikekit chased after it, picked it up, and started playfully tossing it around, like a little kitten playing with a toy.

"It's so interesting, how easily he's entertained by something so insignificant. It's also kinda cute."

Blossomleaf lay in the corner of the nursery, watching Dovepool play with Pikekit.

Dovepool turned to her.

"Yeah, it is kinda cute. It's not every day you find a kit that can easily entertain itself with something as simple as a mossball."

"Even Thornkit can't entertain himself that easily."

Dovepool returned her gaze to her son, who was still playing with the mossball. She eyed his nicked ear, her gaze following the line of the cut the little kit had gotten when Thornkit had hit him.

"Yeah, although I'm not happy with what happened a few days ago."

Blossomleaf abruptly looked over at her.

"They're just kits, Dovepool. They're just starting to learn to be aware. You can't blame them that much for accidents like that."

"I know, it's just...I feel like I need to be more protective over him than I really need to be."

Blossomleaf sat up.

"It's because Graystorm isn't around to help you and support you, isn't it?"

Dovepool nodded submissively.

"I...yes, it is. If Graystorm was around, I wouldn't feel this need to be overly protective of Pikekit."

"You know that at some point you're not going to be around to protect him."

Dovepool guiltily looked down at the ground.

"I know, I know. And I just wish I didn't feel the need to be so protective. It puts a lot of stress on me. Maybe I just need to back off and let someone else deal with him for a little while..."

Pikekit picked up the mossball and flung it up, and it tumbled out of the nursery. He went outside to go get it. Suddenly, Adderkit came up and playfully knocked it away.

"Hey!" Pikekit threw himself onto his sister, who playfully fell onto her back, pretending to be defeated. She let Pikekit beat her, before grabbing him and lightly tossing him aside. She then reared up, and fell back as Pikekit jumped on her again.

Dovepool watched anxiously as Pikekit started play-fighting. Blossomleaf turned to her and gave her a reassuring look.

"Don't worry, I've got my eye on them. I'll make sure they don't get in any trouble."

Dovepool hesitated, then nodded, and retreated to the back of the nursery.

After play-fighting for awhile, Adderkit got up and suddenly thought of something.

"Hey Pikekit, let's play hide-and-seek! You can hide first."

"Ok."

Adderkit closed her eyes and turned around. Pikekit took off, in search of a place to hide.
He chose to hide in the hollow of a rock pile near the nursery. He hunkered down in the small space, in a crack between two boulders, waiting for Adderkit to find him.

The sound of hissing from behind suddenly alarmed him, and he whipped around to see what it was. Emerging from a crevice behind him was an adder, its sand colored body and brown zigzag pattern barely visible on the tan stone, flicking its forked tongue out at the kit.
Pikekit backed away in fear, as more of the snakes emerged from the crevice, and spread out across the floor of the hollow.
The snakes slowly advanced, and Pikekit backed away until he was trapped in a corner of the space, between the wall of the camp, and a boulder, far from the hole where he'd come in. Three of the adders reared up, threatened by the kit intruding their nest. Terrified, Pikekit crouched down, his eyes fixed on them, watching their every move.
The adder's eyes glittered. One of them opened its mouth, revealing a pair of needle-sharp fangs. Pikekit yelped, scared that the snake was going to lash out and bite him.

Adderkit suddenly appeared, attracted by Pikekit's fearful cry. She was utterly shocked when she saw the adders. Pikekit looked up at his older littermate, pleading her to help him.

"Adderkit, do something!" he cried out fearfully, as the snakes got even closer to him.

"I'll be right back, Pikekit. I'm going to go get mama."

Without a moment's hesitation, she disappeared, calling out to her mother.

Dovepool, who was talking with Blossomleaf outside the nursery, abruptly looked up when she heard Adderkit calling her name.

"Adderkit, what is it?"

"It's Pikekit. You have to come see."

From the tone of her voice, Dovepool could tell something was wrong. She took off after Adderkit, to the rock pile. Looking down inside, she saw her son crouched down, cornered by a group of adders.

"Pikekit!"

At the sound of his name, Pikekit glanced up, looking directly at his mother. His eyes were full of terror.

"Mama, help me!"

One of the snakes made the motion like it was going to strike, exposing its fangs with a menacing hiss. Pikekit shrieked, and tried to make himself as small as he could.

At that, Dovepool leaped down into the space, ran over to where her son was, and stood defensively in front of him. Pikekit slowly crept forward, watching his mother. There was not a trace of fear or aggression in her stance, and the way she gazed down at the adders.

I'm not afraid of you, but I won't attack, unless I need to.

Sensing the young queen's confidence, the snakes backed down and retreated into their hole.

Dovepool relaxed for a moment, then turned to her son.

Pikekit was still crouched down on the ground. There was a look of pure terror on his face, and he was trembling slightly. Dovepool picked him up, and held him close to her. He buried his face in her chest as he started crying out of fear.

Dovepool soothingly stroked his head, trying to calm him down.

"It's okay, Pikekit...it's over...no need to cry...it's okay...it's okay..."

Pikekit relaxed a bit and stopped trembling, but he didn't stop crying. Being faced with those adders had scared him so badly it was almost to the point the incident had traumatized him. Every nerve in his body tense with pure fear, he could only relax enough so he was no longer shaking.

Dovepool relaxed her grip a bit on Pikekit as she took him back to the nursery, Adderkit close behind. Upon coming out of the rock pile, dozens of warriors were standing around, watching, alarmed by the scared cries of a mother and her kit.

"What happened?"

"Is everyone okay?"

"Don't worry, no one's hurt," Dovepool replied. "Just really, really scared, and caught by surprise. It was adders. There's a bunch of them in that rock pile. I believe their nest is in there, given how territorially aggressive the snakes were behaving."

As soon as she finished, she took her son to the nursery, where she continued to try and calm him down. She looked down sternly at Adderkit, who had her head down, in dread.

"Adderkit, I don't want you playing with Pikekit for awhile."

At that, Adderkit abruptly looked up at her mother, in shock.

"It wasn't my fault. I didn't know there were adders in there. I didn't know they even lived here."

"Don't be so hard on them," Blossomleaf reminded her. "They're only kits."

Dovepool looked at the light-haired queen, but said nothing. She averted her gaze down to Pikekit, who was still sobbing with his face buried in her chest. Keeping her arms around him, she went to her nest and sat down, where she resumed comforting her son, gently stroking his head.

Pikekit softly whimpered, and silently gazed up at his mother. Dovepool looked down at him, her gaze a mix of worry and comfort. After a few seconds, he closed his eyes again and nuzzled his head up against her. He'd stopped crying, although tears still streamed out of his eyes.

As Dovepool leaned her back up against the nursery wall, she traced her finger along the kit's nicked ear, and couldn't help but be reminded of her mate, Graystorm.

And be reminded that her son was yet to be told about his father...