The wind whistled as it blew past the nursery, whispering to Rainkit. She peeked outside, only long enough for her whiskers to gather snow, and darter back inside. It was too cold to play outside but the nursery was warm with all the bodies.
She turned back to her friends. Antkit had Thistlekit pinned down while Featherkit was tussling with Spiderkit. With a screech of laughter, her sister scrambled away from the older tomkit.
Rainkit pounced on top of Antkit, with a playful screech. She pushed her paws into his chest and sat on him. His ribs poked her beneath his fur. He shoved her aside with his hind paws and batted playfully at her ears. The sound of laughter was all around the nursery. "Do you surrender?" Rainkit asked, keeping her front paws on Antkit's chest.
He heaved upwards, and sent her sprawling back. Thistlekit jumped on his back with a gleeful giggle. Rainkit took her chance and batted his ears.
Antkit bared his teeth playfully at her. "Never! Windclan will never loose to Thunderclan!"
Rainkit ducked as he pounced at her. She glanced at her brother, who nodded, and together they both pounced at the same time on Antkit. His red and white pelt disappeared beneath their blue-gray fur.
Suddenly their shrieks of laughter were cut short by a growl. Uh-oh, Rainkit stopped right in her tracks. Applefur had woken up!
The golden tabby queen lashed her tail away from Featherkit and Spiderkit. She was close to kitting, and Rainkit knew that she was only annoyed because the nursery was crowded. Her pelt didn't help hide how her bones stuck out.
Featherkit stumbled back, and ducked behind Spiderkit. The brown tomkit flattened his ears. "Sorry Applefur."
The queen stood up. "You're too big to play here." She grumbled.
Rainkit sat down hastily. She didn't want to get in trouble. She knew that Applefur must have been itching for them to leave the nursery, specially Antkit and Spiderkit. They were both almost six moons old. Her mother had said that Pebblestar would likely make them apprentices as soon as the blizzard ended.
She sighed wistfully thinking about them moving on. She wanted to be an apprentice just as bad as every other kit.
Spiderkit and Antkit were two moons older than them. Rainkit knew that the next two moons would be the most boring two moons of her life.
She looked up as Rabbitthroat purred and drew her tail over them. "Come on Applefur, you know they can't go outside." Her mother meowed.
Thistlekit scowled as he glanced outside. "I don't understand why we can't play outside."
"Yeah, we could just play for a little bit!" Rainkit argued. She just wanted to get out of the stuffy nursery. And she didn't want to step on Applefur's bushy tail again.
Sorrelcloud, Antkit and Spiderkit's mother hushed their complaints. "You know Pebblestar doesn't want anyone out in the blizzard." She cast a worried glance to Rabbitthroat.
"Specially since the hunting patrols aren't back."
Her mother cast a quick look at Applefur. Rainkit thought she was sleeping but she saw her ears flick forward when they mentioned the patrols. The gray kit pushed her head into her mother's fur, suddenly aware of her hunger.
Rabbitthroat gave her ears some licks. "Don't worry about them." She continued grooming Rainkit. Featherkit and Thistlekit had settled between her paws, with Rainkit in the middle. "Pebblestar knows what he's doing."
Applefur snorted, and turned to look back at the other queens. "He has no idea what he's doing!" She hissed. "Sending off patrols into the territories beyond."
Sorrelcloud flicked her ears, but didn't say anything.
"But Mousenose said he didn't say anything!" Thistlekit pointed out.
Rainkit's chest swelled with pride. Yesterday her father had gone out in the middle of the harshest blizzard of leafbare, to try to hunt beyond their territory. They hadn't found anything though! It wasn't moorland like their territory. Her mother had told her that they had allowed sheep to roam there, and there were many dogs but that during green leaf there was a fire.
The elders also loved this story. They spoke about the brightly flashing monsters who carried water and bellowed out dreadful noises. It made her shiver just thinking about it. She pressed closer to her mother.
Sorrelcloud narrowed her eyes. "Well, there's nothing else to do, we can't just starve!" She growled. Her tail was lashing back and forth. She looked twice her size with her tortoiseshell fur fluffed out.
Rainkit's own fur bristled. What if they did starve? She glanced at Rabbitthroat, trying to memorize each of her details. She had long whiskers that tickled her when she washed Rainkit, and Thistlekit had them too. Featherkit, Rainkit and her mother shared the same delicate structure and long legs.
"Rabbitthroat, we won't really starve right?" Thistlekit asked worriedly. It was the same question that was stuck in Rainkit's tongue.
Rabbitthroat drew her tail over them, but it didn't help the fear that prickled her fur. Vaguely she noticed her mother turning to share tongues with Thistlekit, while Sorrelcloud reassured her own kits that Pebblestar and Starclan wouldn't allow them to starve. Rainkit wasn't so sure. What could her leader do if there was no prey? He couldn't simply make rabbits appear. Fear and hunger gnawed on her belly as she turned absentmindedly to share tongues with Featherkit. But even her sister's soothing tongue did nothing to help her fear.
Rainkit woke to the sound of a cat clambering into the nursery. She opened her eyes drowsily. The smell of rabbit wafted up in the air. It smelled of snow and leaves. Rainkit jumped to her feet. The rabbit was cold and had snow stuck to its pelt.
It was the first rabbit that Rainkit had seen in days! She prodded her sister awake. "Featherkit!" She clambered over her brother, who was eyeing the rabbit with hungry eyes, and went on to wake her mother.
Her mother purred when she woke up. Rainkit just wanted to dig in, and never stop eating. She stopped herself from charging the rabbit, and focused on the cat who had brought it.
Pheasantface dragged the rabbit to the middle of the nursery. "...it's not much." He was telling Sorrelcloud and Applefur. "I'm afraid all of you will have to share." Even though he was talking to both queens, his eyes were fixed on Applefur, his mate.
Rainkit studied the rabbit. It was feeble, but it was the biggest prey they'd seen in a moon. She licked her lips in anticipation.
Rabbitthroat sniffed the rabbit. Her head shot up with a hiss. "What have you done!?" Her lips were drawn back in a snarl that stopped even Thistlekit on his way to the rabbit.
Rainkit shied away from her mother. Rabbitthroat never yelled, not even when Featherkit insisted on venturing somewhere they weren't supposed to. Sorrelcloud had stood up to sniff at the rabbit. She and Rabbitthroat shared a worried glance.
Rainkit struggled to understand what was going on. She didn't know why her mom wouldn't let them just eat it! The rumbling in her stomach reminded her they hadn't eaten at all since the blizzard hit.
Applefur hissed, but Pheasantface was quick to defend himself. "I couldn't let anyone starve." He held his chin high, but Rainkit saw him flatten his ears.
The older cats had begun to hiss and growl ah each other, but Rainkit was lost in the conversation. She tried to keep up with how fast Applefur and Sorrelcloud talked but her attention was dragged back to the rabbit. Her attention snapped back when she heard Pebblestar mentioned, but as soon as she glanced back the grown-ups went back to hushed voices.
Rainkit just wanted to eat. The empty hole in her stomach didn't mind reminding her with loud growls. She shared a glance with Featherkit, who was pouting. Her sister took a step towards the rabbit. After a brief moment of hesitation, Rainkit followed.
However Rabbitthroat didn't seem keen on letting them even near it. Her gray tail was holding back Featherkit. Her mother's fur ruffled along her spine. Rainkit grew wary of how Pheasantface hissed. She had never ever seen a cat look as angry as her mother did right now. She peeked out from behind Rabbitthroat's leg. Then Sorrelcloud laid her bushy tail on Rabbitthroat's shoulder, and nudged Spiderkit towards the rabbit.
"We haven't had anything." She sighed. Sorrelcloud spared Pheasantface one more long look, before nodding to her kits. "We can't let them starve."
Rainkit looked hopefully at her mother. Rabbitthroat's blue eyes blazed for a heartbeat later and then she nodded. Rainkit raced forward to the rabbit with Thistlekit by her side.
She had barely sunk her teeth into the rabbit when a yowl rang throughout camp. Rainkit's head shot up. Oh no! Was there a dog in camp? She couldn't see outside because the blizzard was too strong.
"Thunderclan is-" the screech was cut off abruptly. Rainkit didn't have time to glance at her mother. As quick as a hare, her mother had pushed them back and away from the rabbit. Rainkit was jostled into the back of the nursery with the rest of the kits. Featherkit pressed reassuringly next to her. Spiderkit and Antkit's fluffed up hair made them look twice their size.
For a moment all Rainkit could hear was the blood roaring in ears. Then the sound of screeching cats made their way to her. She could hardly make out words, but she caught some insults. Rainkit peeked at her mother, who was standing at the entrance of the nursery with Pheasantface and Sorrelcloud.
Something jumped from behind the white blanket of snow. Thistlekit squeaked beside her, and jumped away.
"Prey-stealers!" With a growl that chilled Rainkit to her bones, the figure turned into a cat. It turns into a cat who was going straight for her mother.
Hey! I hope you guys liked it! It was a little hard to start but ahyways, hope you enjoy!