"Midnight, is that you? You can come in now. Your mate just gave birth."
A big, muscular black tom walked into the barn.
"Thank you Melody, can you give me and my mate some time alone?"
"Of course"
Midnight walked over to his mate who was a beautiful white and silver she-cat. She lay in the barn's hay, her tail wrapped around two newborn kits. Midnight peered at the kits and he gently licked both on the head.
"Swan they're gorgeous" Midnight whispered to her, making sure he didn't wake up the kits.
"Thank you, guess what" Swan whispered back.
"What?"
"I already came up with their names"
"Really, weren't they just born?"
"I came up with names when I was pregnant"
Midnight nodded then looked at his two new kits. One was a dark tom just like him. The other was a white she-cat with silver paws and a silver tail tip, like her mother.
"What are their names?" Midnight finally asked.
"The black tom name is Badger, and the white she-cat I want to name Spirit" Swan looked up then looked start at her mate "Are those names ok?"
"Their better than ok, those names are perfect"
Swan purred then looked down at their kits. Midnight sat with her and watched the young kits sleep.
"I love you Swan"
"I love you too"
Swan paced the wooden floor of the barn. It had been a week since Badger and Spirit were born and so far everything was fine. Except for today, this morning Midnight had gone off to hunt in the forest it was night now and he still hasn't returned. Swan paced in worry, a million scenarios went through her head. He could have been eaten by a badger or maybe a twoleg kidnapped him. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her kits wailing.
She sighed then went back to her hay nest and began to feed her kits. She lay there waiting for her mate to walk through the barn doors. Before she knew it she and her kits fell asleep.
Swan woke with a jump. Opening her eyes she saw the barn doors open and standing in the entrance was her mat Midnight. It looked like he was walking outside. Through the doors Swan could see that it was still night. Her head felt groggily, like she was in a dream.
"Midnight?" she called to him.
Midnight turned around. Swan could see that he was holding something in his mouth. It was… her kits. Swan looked down and saw that her kits were no longer at her belly.
Midnight quickly turned around and started to run. Swan was to shocked and confused to move, nut motherly instincts picked her up and made her run after the black tom.
The two ran through the forest that was just outside the farm. Midnight was faster than Swan but the kits he was holding slowed him down. Swan still couldn't believe this was happening; this had to be dream. Her body won't stop, even if Swan told it too. All her adrenaline rushed through her, she slowly and gradually was catching up with the tom.
In the pale, dim moonlight Swan saw Midnight drop one of the kits. Now with less weight to carry, Midnight raced ahead and disappeared into the night.
The dark tom sat outside the barn. He was looking up and watching the clouds go by. He heard the sound of someone leaving the barn. He sighed then faced her. It was the brown she-cat that lived in this farm with him.
"How she doing Melody?"
The brown shook her head "She not going to recover, you better go and say your final good byes"
Badger sighed then entered the barn, there on the hay stack lay his sick mother.
"Badger could you come hear"
Badger nodded and ran to his mother's side.
"Badger remember how I told you that your father tried to kidnap you when you a kit, but I stopped him" Swan said in a hoarse voice.
"Yes I do but I don't think we should talk about that right now"
Swan ignored him "You need to go to the forest"
"What, why? Do you think I'll be lonely when you leave, don't worry I still have Melody and the family that lives in the wheat field"
"Remember how I told you that your father tries to kidnap you when you were a kit"
Badger let out a soft hiss of annoyance. He knew that the disease that his mother had infected her memory but he didn't want his last memory of her be this.
"Yes but as I said before I don't th-"
"I lied"
The entire barn becomes completely silent.
"W-what?"
"He dropped you so he could go faster"
"So what your saying is that he dropped, not that you attacked like you told me"
She nodded.
"Well that's alright, it doesn't matter as long as I'm okay"
"Remember how I told you that your father tries to kidnap you when you were a kit"
Badger sighed "yes"
"I lied, he dropped you so he could Spirit"
"Spirit?"
"He took two kits, but I got one back"
"You mean I had a sibling, and my father kinapped her?"
"You need to go to the forest"
"To rescue her?"
"Remember how I told you that your father tries to kidnap you when you were a kit"
"Yes"
"I lied"
"We are past that"
"Badger"
"Yes mother?"
"You need to save my daughter"