Five moons have passed now and Wolfkit was finally eating fresh-kill. Wolfkit raced through the clearing and sat beneath the highledge. He got up a few moments later and ran to the elder's den. He found old Blackclaw just getting to his feet.
"Hey, Blackclaw!" Wolfkit mewed.
"Hello, Wolfkit." The old black tom responded. He headed for the clearing.
"Where ya going?" The grey kit asked.
"To get a sunhigh snack." Blackclaw answered.
"Wait for me!" Wolfkit meowed. He raced up besides the old tabby. "You going to the Gathering tonight?"
"I am." The elder nodded as they stopped by the fresh-kill pile. "You, on the other paw, are not."
"I know, I know." The kit groaned. "Too young. One more month."
Blackclaw picked up a shrew and started back towards the den. Wolfkit chose a mouse and sat down outside the nursery. He began eating it.
"Hey, Wolfkit!" Foxkit's squeaky voice came.
He looked up at her and her brother, Stormkit. "Hey."
"Wanna play?" Stormkit asked.
"When I finish eating." Wolfkit answered through a mouthful of mouse.
"Yay!" The two three-moon old kits cheered.
Wolfkit snorted in amusement as he finished his last bite. He got up to play with his denmates. "What game are we doing?" He asked them.
"This one!" Stormkit snarled playfully. He jumped onto Wolfkit's back making him yelp in surprise.
Foxkit pounced on his tail. Wolfkit gently flipped Stormkit off of his back and flipped Foxkit over, where her belly showed. He poked it playfully.
"Alright, alright, you win!" Foxkit giggled.
Wolfkit pat her on the head with a paw. Stormkit jumped back on top of him, making him yelp in surprise. "Stormkit!" He complained.
The small dark grey tom laughed and hopped off of his friend. Wolfkit walked towards the medicine den to check on Stonepool.
He entered the den, wrinkling his nose at the smell of herbs. "Stonepool?"
"Hey there, Wolfkit." The stone gray medicine cat meowed. He was putting some poppy seeds in the back with the other herbs. He turned back to Wolfkit. "How are you?"
"Bored." The kit admitted. "There's nothing to do."
"I was about to go pick some juniper berries." Stonepool offered. "Want to come with me?"
"Sure!" Wolfkit almost jumped with delight.
"Let's go then, little one." The medicine cat meowed.
They padded out of the den and into the clearing. They reached the thorn barrier and went through it. They padded through the forest.
Wolfkit sniffed around curiously. "Wow! I never knew the forest was so…cool!"
"It may seem interesting now, but for you it will be easy to get lost. So stay with me." Stonepool told him. "There are many dangerous things in the forest."
"Okay." Wolfkit agreed. He walked next to a bush. There was a strange, disgusting smell coming from it. He sniffed extra hard, sneezing afterwards. "Yuck. What is this smell, Stonepool?"
The medicine cat sighed and walked up next to him, sniffing the air. The cat tensed.
"What is it?" Wolfkit questioned, sensing the fear in the other cat.
"Fox." Stonepool murmured. "Don't worry, the scent is stale."
"So that's what a fox smells like." Wolfkit mewed.
The two cats went farther away from the camp. They reached thicker bushes covered with blue berries.
"Here we are." Stonepool meowed. He began carefully picking the berries off of the plant. "You get the lower ones."
"Okay." The kit agreed.
He began using his paws to take the berries off of the plants. Soon, both cats were loaded down with berries. Stonepool gave the signal to return to camp. The only thing they could smell or taste was the berries.
They weren't too far from the camp when they heard a low growling from the left and saw a flash of redish brown fur through the undergrowth. The scent of fox filled the air.
Stonepool's ears flattened and a growl escaped the medicine cat's throat.
Wolfkit's eyes grew wide in alarm and he flattened his ears too. He felt his neck fur bristle and his tail puff up.
He heard leaves rustling and prey running away from the fox. Suddenly, the creature burst from the undergrowth, snarling viciously. Wolfkit and Stonepool started racing for the camp. He felt hot breath on his tail and heard teeth snap right behind him. Wolfkit's fear increased. He dropped the berries, hoping it would help speed him up.
"Run, Wolfkit!" Stonepool meowed loudly. He had dropped his berries too.
The grey kit couldn't go any faster. He was running at his fastest pace and losing breath. He heard the fox's paws pounding hard on the ground, picking up speed. He saw Stonepool go through the barrier and into the camp.
He closed his eyes in fright, hoping it was all a dream. He felt his feet slip and his body get plunged into midair. He opened his eyes to see that he was falling into the camp. He screeched, all of his fur standing on end. He felt his body hit the ground. His eyes fell shut.