Ash stared ahead of him, his heart sinking as he stared at the monsters roaring past him and the kits on the large thunderpath. Lightening stretched his neck forward, wanting to sniff at the hard surface but too nervous to leave the larger tom's side. His siblings crouched beside them, their eyes wide.

The gray brown tom herded the three kits behind him then stepped forward. Craning his neck he attempted to see as far as possible for a gap between the beasts. He flattens his ears as he fights his fear then steps up onto the rough surface, gaining some more sight to how wide the thunderpath is. His paws felt unsteady as the ground shook from the monsters sprinting past him. Through the glints of their shiny pelts Ash saw that the other side of the path was several foxlengths away. Glancing back at the kits huddled together he sighs and watches the monsters rush past for a bit longer hoping for any sign of a gap. The tom was about to turn back and try to find another spot to cross when he could see in the distance a large space. Flicking his tail he hurries the kits beside him and explains quickly to them.

"We have to hurry, monsters stop for nobody. Not even other monsters. Stay close, and do not stop for any reason." The earthen tom meows sternly. The three kits nod and watch the monster stream by, their chance getting closer by the second. Ash takes a big breath. "Go!" he meows pushing forward quickly. He looks to the side as he hears a loud roar and a monster pushes in front of the others. The tom's heart stops as the monster speeds towards them, they are not even halfway!

"Wait!" he yowls, stopping quickly. His thoughts get fuzzy as he tries to decide what to do. "Go back" he mews. "Go back, go back!" he looks around him to make sure the kits heard him, glad to see Drizzle and Soot's tails disappearing over the side again. The roar is almost deafening when he looks back and sees Lightening a tail length in front of him. Sprinting forward he grabs the young tom's scruff and pulls him out of reach of the monster. The two cats stumble and Ash crouches over the golden kit. The monster that saw them is past them now and the stream of beasts is back, ignoring the two cats.

"I think I'm gonna get sick" Lightening mews quietly. Ash looks around them. They are in the middle of the path now, monsters going past them either way, leaving a line between them. The gray brown tom can feel the kit shaking under him. Ash straightens up and stares back the way they came, trying to get a glimpse of the other two. All he sees are the blurry pelts of the monsters and the flashes of light coming off of them. Was the dream true? Did I mess up? The tom takes a breath and looks down at the golden fur. How long has it even been? He looks back up. Flexing his claws he is filled with determination. Who cares about the dream or how long it has been or if he had made a mistake. Right now he is stuck in the middle of a thunderpath with a kit and two more waiting for them on the side.

"Lightening." Ash meows. Green eyes meet his blue, fear showing in the forefront of them.

"I-I'm sorry Ash" The small tom stutters. "I shouldn't have gone ahead so much, I'm sorry." Ash wraps his thick tail around the kit, their fur whipping in the wind from the monsters.

"You're fine," The tom meows, "we have to get back to your brother and sister, okay? As soon as we have a chance we have to go and I think we figured out that you are too big for me to carry you." Lightening nods, a bit proud to know he is getting bigger. "So you need to run fast. Faster than than you have ever run, okay?" The smaller tom's head bobbed as he agreed. Ash crouches beside him and watches the flashing pelts pass them. The kit slowly stops his tremors and Ash purrs for a second to reassure him. The two dart back across quickly at the next gap and they are tackled by the other two kits.

"We were so scared!" Drizzle cries as she nuzzles both of the toms and Soot purrs loudly, unable to express his happiness any other way. The group laughed and Ash purred loudly.

"Lightening was very brave, not just on the way back but also taking the lead on our first try." The golden kit looks up at the earthen tom, his green eyes shining. His siblings purr they're praise and follow Ash as he walks alongside the thunderpath for a different way to cross.


The mood is light hearted as the small group eat a few mice Ash caught that evening. They had managed to find a a spot that the thunderpath made a bridge and the four cats could walk under. The tom watches the kits quietly as they start to lick their paws and fur clean. They've grown so much, he thinks to himself remembering how small they were just a moon ago. How unsteady they were walking. He remembers when they had not even opened their eyes yet. The gray brown cat sighs to himself.

"I think you can start learning how to hunt tomorrow." Ash meows suddenly and the kits look at him surprised. It takes a moment but then their squeals of excitement fill the air. They bounce around him excitedly.

"Really?" Lightening meows happily. The older tom nods.

"I'll need help to get enough food for all of us soon." The excited mews of the kits make Ash purr. "but for now I think it's time to sleep. I'll start teaching you tomorrow."

The kits struggle to settle down at first but the group quickly falls asleep.


Ash purrs softly as Root drops a squirrel at his paws. Her eyes shine with excitement as she looks into his own.

"Well done, you are a fantastic hunter." He licks her cheek and brushes his muzzle against the ginger she cat's. She returns the affection gently.

"I have a fantastic teacher." She murmers. The pair sit together quietly in the brush simply enjoying each other's company.

A snap in the undergrowth cause the two cats to separate, Root shrinking into the grass almost as if to try to hide herself. A large dark spotted tom turns around a bush flanked by two smaller tabby toms. He lets out a laugh deep in his throat as the sight of the squirrel between the two. Root flattens her ears in fear.

"I guess it wasn't so bad to let you teach her how to hunt after all, Ash." The larger cat's golden eyes pierce through Ash's blue. "She'll actually be useful outside of a nursery now." The earthen tom narrows his eyes as the big cat continues his advance. Stopping at the squirrel he leans down and picks it up. Ash swallows.

"Root caught it, Pepper. She should get it." Ash states, trying to not show his uneasiness. Pepper's eyes flash with anger before amusement takes over. A low rumble in his chest is his chuckle. The big tom drops the fresh kill but bats it to the waiting tabbies. They tear into it immediately. Pepper thrust his muzzle into Ash's face.

"We're being generous, Ash. Letting you join us. Do you show your thanks by questioning the cat who is protecting you?" The smaller tom backs up a small bit.

"N-No, not at all. She just worked so hard to learn i thought she could use a reward. To promote continued behavior." Ash glances at Root. She's watching with wide eyes, as low in the grass as she can get herself. The tom has to resist the urge to go to the she cat. Pepper's voice brings he attention back to the towering tom.

"Do you know what promotes continued behavior just as good, Ash?" His eyes glare into what Ash feels is his soul. He shakes his head and reacts too slow as the large tom rears up and brings his claws down onto his back. Ash cries out as he feels Pepper dig his claws into his sides. Warm breathe blows past his ear. "Fear." Pepper lets go of Ash and pads towards Root. The she cat is dwarfed by the massive tom. He pushes her and beckons with his tail to follow. Giving Ash one more scared glace she follows Pepper and is quickly flanked by the two tabbies. Ash hangs his head in shame.


Ash lays curled around the sleeping kits. They were very excited to learn and quickly caught on. They were still a bit unsteady on their paws from still being so young, but they will get better. Drizzle showed a lot of promise, as she almost caught a mouse. The tom looks through the branches of the bush at the stars glinting in the sky above them. Things were feeling okay. He was not quite sure why, but he felt they would soon finish their journey. He sighed and laid his head back down. Root should be here with them. She should see their new home. He drifts off to sleep as a familiar scent wraps around him.


A/N Thank you to those who reviewed! I appreciate all of you! I also apologize for the super late update. Again, feel free to review. Stay safe and bye bye for now!