I took my place at the back of the bush. Tally had quickly filled me in on the basics of the mission while Timber got into place. "But I don't think I can steal a kit," I whimpered. I didn't really want to do this job, even if Timber wanted me to."

"You'll be fine," Tally urged. "We've had our eye on these kits for a while now. They're smaller than you, so you shouldn't have any trouble carrying them. It will be easy." He didn't understand.

"If you say so," I said, settling near the branches of the bush. He disappeared around it's side. I flattened my ears and waited. Every muscle in my body tensed in preparation for action. It felt like moons had passed while I sat there, waiting while nothing happened.

MREOWW! The silence was broken by an awful screeching noise. The bush beside me started to shake. This is it.

"Stay away from my nest," came an unfamiliar screech, followed by Timber's hiss. Ripping sounds filled the air as the cats dragged each other away from the bush.

"Now Ice," I heard Tally whisper.

"Okay," I whispered hurriedly, squeezing under the branches. "Ow!" Bark and thorns dragged at my pelt as I wormed my way through the maze of branches toward the center. The scent of warm nests and milk led me onward. I can do this. I can do this. Everything will be fine.

Before I realized it, I slipped off a branch and landed in a shallow scoop under the bush. Three wide eyed kits, no more than 3 moons old stared at me. One squeaked. "Mama!'

"Hush, hush," I pleaded, gently placing my tail over his mouth. "It's okay. I'm here to get you out of harm's way." The lie burned in my throat.

"Who are you," another piped up. She backed away and pressed herself against the nest wall.

"I'm a friend," I said, trying to plaster on a fake smile. My heart was pounding. I had to get them out of here fast.

"Are you really?" The third kit cocked his head and stared at me. He didn't seem afraid at all.

"Of course I am, silly," I said. I even threw in a little laugh. That seemed to help. The other two kits visibly relaxed a little. An idea popped into my head. "I'll even prove it to you. Let's play a game."

All three of them pricked their ears in excitement. "A game! What kind of game," the first kit said, drawing closer.

"It's called, Let's Hide. In this game, I'll give each of you a badger ride. I'll give you a nice hiding place where you can stay while while another tries to find you. You can't make a noise even if you're found, though, or you lose the game."

"No problem," kit number three said. "I never lose."

"Do too," the second kit cried, pulling away from the nest wall.

The sound of fighting was getting louder. "Hurry up, Ice," Tally's voice drifted through the leaves. Time was running out.

"Well we'll see who is the winner, but nobody wins if they don't start being quite right now." They all clamped their mouth shut. A sigh escaped me. "Thank you. Now you," I said, pointing to the second kit. "You're first." She'd probably be the hardest to take care of, so it was best if she went first.

She hesitated a second before digging her little claws into my white back and hauling herself up. It was a struggle to slip back through the branches with the extra weight. I didn't want to hurt her.

She whimpered as a thorn caught her fur, but thankfully stayed silent. It was a relief to make it to the edge of the branches. "Here's your stop. Stay here and hide." She nodded and crouched down until she was pressed against the ground. "Tally," I hissed before turning around and going back for the other kits.

Behind me, I could hear a rustling as Tally pulled the kit out from under the bush. "Found you, little one," he whispered. The kit didn't answer. Thank goodness. She actually listened to me.

The next two were easier. Especially the third kit. He ducked under branches for me when we had to make a tight squeeze. "Is that all," Tally asked, lifting the outer branches for me to squeeze out.

"Yes," I panted. He took the third kit off of my back. "There were only three."

"Good," he nodded. "Take one. I can carry the other two. I don't know how long Timber can keep her fighting." With a scoop of his head he had the little she kit and the first tom hanging from his jaws by their scruff.

The she kit squeaked in surprise. "Hush. The game's still going on," I reminded her as I scooped down and picked up the remaining kit. She immediately fell silent.

Good. Almost done. My paws kicked into high gear, tearing down the side of the thunderpath towards the fence. Even with my head start and lighter load, Tally passed me easily. His long legs took effortless strokes as he ran toward the fence and leaped up.

"Comf- Om Ife," he said, struggling to speak around the kit's fur. I pumped my legs harder. Almost there!

"MY KITS!" A heart shattering scream tore across the space from behind me. The mother had spotted us as she fought Timber and knew what we were doing. Footsteps pounded as she broke away from the fight and took chase. I didn't look back. Didn't want to see the pain and fear in her eyes. Almost there.

Something slammed down on my tail. I jerked to a painful stop, kit tumbling out of my scratch. The little tom wailed at the sudden drop. Poor thing.

A look behind me showed exactly what I had feared. The mother had me, paw planted firmly on my white tail. Her eyes widened as I looked up at her fearfully. "You're still a kit yourself?!"

"Y-Yes," I stammered, paralyzed. Not that it mattered. There was no getting away anyway.

"But you-" A blur of grey flashed between me and the queen. Then everything went red. Blood red. The mother's eyes became glassy as mirrors. Blank of all soul. Her body teetered, then collapsed on top of me. The warm wet liquid was everywhere, gushing out of a gaping hole in her neck.

So I guess it ended in a semi-cliffhanger. Not what I wanted to do, but oh well. To be honest, I had tried writing out this chapter so it wouldn't end that way but it was just getting too long. On the bright side, I'm almost done with the next chapter so you can expect it soon. ;)

Also, I now have a finished full body drawing of Iceshadow up on Deviant art if anybody was ever curious.

Here's the link: iceshadowsheart. / art/Iceshadow- 569915806 (You'll have to remove the spaces. Sorry.)