I wanted to update my two stories at the same time… But this will probably be the only time I do that.

Thanks to AsTheDarknessFalls, Onyxshard, and S. Elise for reviewing.

Chapter 3

Misty pounced on her father's tail. Shard playfully growled as he swiped a sheathed paw at the young kit. His son joined in, though wasn't big enough to reach Shard's shoulders when he jumped on the tom.

"Okay, okay, I think that's enough for torturing your father," Sky meowed. She picked up Jasper and licked the fur sticking up on his head. He struggled against his mother before giving into defeat. Misty stuck her tongue out at him before jumping on her father again.

"I give up!" Shard shouted. Misty smiled as she lifted her paw off his chest. Shard licked his daughter's nose before she trotted around the tom in circles.

"I'm the best fighter ever!" she yowled happily. Jasper rolled his eyes at her. Dusk smiled as she watched the siblings.

"Oh yeah," Dusk meowed. She leapt at Misty and the two went down in a fury of fur.

Vic watched them, making sure that their small claws remained sheathed. Shard's leg had recently healed and he didn't want another cat to be injured so soon. Sky glanced at them as she tried to stop Jasper from squirming.

"Just hang on. Your fur is a mess," she scolded. Jasper groaned before listening. He always wondered why Misty didn't have to be groomed. However, he wasn't in the mood to argue with his mother.

"Got you," Dusk purred. She had Misty pinned down, pretending to growl. Dusk laughed evilly and mimed killed her friend.

"I'll get you tomorrow," Misty promised. Dusk smiled and licked the white she-cat's ear.

"I'm sure you will. Once you come back from the dead." The two she-cats went into another brawl, but laughed as they cuffed each other's ears. Sky sighed before breaking the two up.

"That's enough for today. How about we go tour the territory?" she suggested. The three kits ears perked up as they looked at her.

Vic said he'd go hunting with Shard, leaving her with the kits. Sky smiled her kits and Dusk away from the sanctity of their home.

xXx

Misty and Dusk ran ahead of the others, checking out every new scent. Prey flooded through among the ferns and brambles. Dusk could pick out mouse, but couldn't find the small creature. Sky noticed her twitching black nose as she poked around for the source.

"Even if you found it," she meowed, causing Dusk to jump, "Your scent would alert it." Dusk nodded, but her flattened ears told the queen that she was disappointed. Misty nudged her friend's shoulder, earning a playful smile. Jasper shot a glance at the she-cats before moving closer to his mother.

"Where are we going?" he asked. Sky didn't reply. She wanted to show them the road that stretched next to their small territory. If they were going to live here, they'd have to learn the danger the road possessed.

"Listen," Sky meowed. The cats stayed silent, opening their senses. Behind a wall of fauna, a whoosh sent the ferns quivering. Jasper flinched before shrinking towards Sky. Misty and Dusk had a sense of excitement as the gush of air ruffled their fur.

Without warning, the two burst through the bushes. Sky's eyes widened in fear as she raced after them.

"Stop!" she shouted. Misty didn't hear her as a blur of black flew along the dark path. Claws sunk into her fur, stopping her. She looked to see her mother holding her down. Further back, Dusk stood frozen. Her front paws touched the hard, black surface while her hind paws grazed the dusty patch. Jasper's face could be seen through a holly bush.

"Get up and get back over there," Sky snarled. Frightened, Misty nodded her head. She got to her feet and scrambled over to Dusk. Sky glanced each way before heading to the kits.

"Never, ever touch this place again. You will be flattened by those blurs before you know what happened," she warned. Shaking, each kit jerked their head in a nod. Jasper, who was terrified out of his pelt, didn't say anything on the way back home. His sister kept glancing nervously at their mother, but couldn't form any words. She was truly sorry for being reckless and for putting her in danger's way. She just couldn't say it.

"We found- what happened?" Shard asked, taking in his kin's appearance. Dusk went to her father and pushed her nose deep into his flank. Misty stayed in the background as Sky told Shard what happened.

"You need to not get in trouble as much," Jasper hissed. Misty flattened her ears, trying to keep her burning shame from spreading.

"I know. No one got hurt today and I'll be more careful," she whispered. The tom snorted in disbelief.

"You've told me that when you "accidently" pushed me into a thorn bush," he snorted. The memory of the day came back.

Misty and Dusk were chasing after a leaf that was floating in the breeze. She wasn't looking where she was going and barreled into her brother. Jasper was sent flying into the bush. Thorns covered the majority of his body, causing him to resemble a porcupine. Misty felt bad about it and repeatedly said that she was sorry.

Jasper still didn't forgive her.

Sighing, Misty waited for her parents to figure out how to punish her. She knew she would get disciplined because she put her mother in danger.

"It's alright, kits make mistakes," Vic meowed. Misty lowered her head and exhaled a deep breath. Her chest was in knots from feeling ashamed.

"But my mother-"

"Is perfectly fine. Yes, she's a little shaken up from what happened, but unscathed," he replied. Nodding, Misty looked up. Vic was smiling as he stared at the young kit. His smile was contagious and soon she found herself grinning.

"Thanks," she whispered. Vic purred as he flicked her ear with his tail.

"It's what family is for," he meowed before walking away.

Family… we're one big family. We look out for each other and take care of each other. This is the best life for a cat in the wild. But there are some that only look out for their own pelts. Misty shook her head, forcing the thoughts away. There was no way she could force other cats into different lives. It was foolish to think it was possible.

"Misty!" Sky called. The young cat rushed to her mother. The two she-cats looked at each other, their gazes mirroring in color and shape.

"Yes?"

"I want you to promise that you'll never do anything as reckless. What you did could have killed both of us," Sky meowed sternly. Misty nodded, shuffling her paws as her mother spoke the truth.

"Yes, I promise," she vowed quietly. Sky bent down and licked her daughter's forehead. A small glimmer appeared in the sun, creating a five-sided shape. As quickly as it came, the shining star vanished.

Sky blinked rapidly, trying to see if the illusion had actually been there or not. She glanced at the others, but no one else had been near. A star? Why would a star show up on my kit? Misty had already trotted towards Dusk, leaving her mother confused.

She swore that the shape was there, but there was no way now to be sure. Unable to do anything else, Sky dismissed the odd feeling prickling her spine.

I don't own Warriors.