Early Morning Frost: Chapter 9
Specklekit took one last look over her shoulder. Three of four kits of Grasstail were stiff and dead. Unlike Birdkit and Mudkit, they never had a chance to live. Spotpelt usheredd the kits away from the nursery.
"They were dead!" Fuzzykit exclaimed, terror washing over her face. "I can't believe-"
"Hush, Fuzzykit." Brightfur murmured quickly, stuffing her tail in the she-kit's muzzle as a few cats passed by.
The passing warriors exchanged worried looks before leaving the camp for a patrol. Specklekit grasped her sister's pelt when they had gone. Those kits were dead. It was a sad sight. Those three little gray scraps were just so pitiful. And the look on Grasstail's face!
"Wolfstar's gonna be too upset to do our ceremony at this rate." Quailkit muttered.
Spottedkit sighed as the brown tom mumbled selfishly.
Sproutleaf, the deputy, padded over to the kits and queens who sat in the middle of camp as the nursery was occupied by the kitting queen and leader. Specklekit gazed at the irratation in her face. Was she waiting for Wolfstar to call a meeting?
"Sorry, kits." The deputy looked down at Fuzzykit and Quailkit. "I don't think Wolfstar'll call for your ceremonies today."
Specklekit sighed. She was right. Wolfstar was probably too upset about his kits. Sproutleaf sighed softly as well. Then she padded away with a drooping tail as quickly as she came.
"Silvertooth, Goldenfang, hunting patrol?" The deputy called out to the two young warriors.
The queens moved them over to a gorse bush at the edge of the camp. Spotpelt and Brightfur laid down and pushed the kits over too. The greenleaf sun was getting warmer on their backs and the misery of the shock of seeing those poor little kits were too much.
"Are you thinking the same thing?" Spottedkit nudged Specklekit gently, turning her attention to her.
"Hm?" She looked tiredly at her sister.
"Mudkit would have made a good deputy someday."
Specklekit shrugged. "Yes, I guess so."
Brightfur yawned and nosed the kits. "Go get yourselves some fresh-kill. You all are hungry I bet." She nudged the four kits over to the food place.
Quailkit led them to the prey pile. It was full. Greenleaf and newleaf were the best seasons to catch rabbits. They all dragged a rabbit together to a patch of dry tussly grass under the branchs of a blooming gorse near their mothers. They munched on the prey silently. Specklekit looked at her friends as the ate. Quailkit was looking down at the rabbit's fur as he took another bite. Fuzzykit was looking at Spottedkit from the corner of her eyes. Spottedkit was chewing the rabbit slowly, looking up at some spot in the sky.
Specklekit shook her head and sat back licking the prey juices from her muzzle with her tiny tongue. She hoped that Wolfstar would get over their kits, no matter how harsh that sounds. From the stories the elders would tell, Wolfstar used to be a very good leader. He was a good leader, but even better before. Before last leafbare when they were born.
"I'm bored." Quailkit complained.
"Wanna get outta here?" Fuzzykit mewed bitterly.
The two siblings glared at each other. Specklekit felt a wound open up.
"Fuzzykit..." The two white and black sisters sighed.
"Hey," Specklekit stepped between the fuming denmates. "Let's go to the elders' hollow. I'm sure they're bored too."
Quailkit flexed his claws but nodded. "Fine."
"We ought to tell our mothers where we're going." Fuzzykit suggested slowly.
Spottedkit glared at the light calico she-kit, but bounded over to the queens and came back. They padded over to the dip in the sand where the elders layed sprawled out catching sunlight in their pelts. Graypaw was leaning down and searching for rabbit fleas in one of the sunning elders.
Badgerclaw raised his head and looked at them with his blind yellow eyes. "Hello," He sniffed the air. "kits."
"Hello, Badgerclaw." Spottedkit mewed.
They padded down to the elders. Tawnytail was having his fur parted by the clearly annoyed Graypaw. Smallfoot sigehd happily and sat up. A few clumps of fur fell off her pelt as she yawned.
"Here for a story?" Smallfoot asked happily.
"Yes, please." Specklekit meowed politely.
Tawnytail and Badgerclaw curled up in the sand again. Specklekit figured they were not up to telling stories. Graypaw huffed and came over to Smallfoot as well to look for more fleas.
"Right there, Graypaw," Smallfoot said as the she-cat apprentice ruubed her back looking for the nasty bugs. "So you want to hear a story? One mouse fee."
Quailkit rolled his eyes. He had picked up a mouse from the fresh-kill pile to bring, knowing that Smallfoot liked to charge for things. Smallfoot gladly accepted the offering and gulped it down quickly.
"What would you like to know about kitlings?" The gray elder tilted her head in question.
Fuzzykit looked over her shoulder and looked back at the old she-cat. "Wolfstar. When he was younger."
"Ah yes," Smallfoot laid down, making Graypaw lean. "Wolfpaw was quite the-"
"We mean when he was newer at being leader." Quailkit huffed.
"Ah, I see. Wolfstar when he was younger. Well, he isn't much older than Brightfur."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Fuzzykit growled.
Smallfoot ignored the kit. "Wolfstar became leader during leaf-bare. The leader before him, Silverstar, had died from illness. I remember the very day. Whitecough and greencough had ravaged the Clan. Snow and frost made every cat freeze to their bones. Not a single piece of prey was anywhere."
"Stripedfoot said the time that we were born was just like that." Quailkit murmured.
"Yes, and we lost a lot of cats during leaf-bare." Smallfoot nodded. "Silverstar died from illness. So he became Wolfstar. When new-leaf rolled around, RiverClan was looking to advance their territory into the moors. Likewise, RiverClan had tried to take Sunningrocks from ThunderClan. This is important: The two Clan scuffled in the bramble and rocky for Sunningrocks. ThunderClan won just by a whisker. Both Clans walked back to camp with mud and blood smeared in their fur. When news had reached WindClan, Wolfstar was disgusted of how the other Clans fight their battles in the dark and in the mud. So, when RiverClan tried to take a slice of our territory, Wolfstar made sure to keep the fight noble."
"Noble..." Specklekit whispered. Was being noble important to be a good warrior?
"They stayed in the open and never drawled in the dirt. WindClan showed mercy to RiverClan when Wolfstar had their deputy in his claws."
"So he was noble and strong?" Spottedkit said. "But he's so skittish now."
"I don't know," Smallfoot shook her head. "Last leafall he seemed to change. He's not old..."
"Well, thanks for the story," Specklekit dipped her head.
"Let all WindClan cats old enough to feel the wind in their paws gather beneth the Tallrock for a Clan meeting!" Wolfstar yowled above the wind, his voice carrying into the sandy hollow.
"Oh, maybe it's time for our ceremonies!" Fuzzykit squealed.
"Perhaps, young ones." Smallfoot purred, nudging them to their paws.
Brightfur and Spotpelt called for them. "Kits, hurry up!"
The four kits scrambled up to them. Brightfur pulled in Quailkit and Fuzzykit to wash them.
Spotpelt laughed. "Brightfur, you can groom them on the way."
Brightfur licked Fuzzykit's fuzzy fur as they walked to the Tallrock. They sat close to the rock. Spotpelt quickly washed Quailkit as they waited for Wolfstar.
"Fuzzykit," Wolfstar called softly to the she-kit.
"Go on," Brightfur gave her daughter a nudge.
Fuzzykit scrambled over to her place. Spotpelt gave Quailkit a final lick with a nod. Specklekit could see both of them fidgeting excitedly and nervously. Although Fuzzykit seemed to be trembling since she was in front of the entire Clan while Quailkit was still by her side.
Specklekit saw one of the warriors squirming as well. They were probably going to be Fuzzykit's mentor. Then Specklekit spotted Dandelioneyes stalking to the Clan meeting. Wolfstar gave the medicine cat a curt nod before starting the ceremony.
