Hey everyone, I got a little bored & writers block but I should be back to doing this. Anyways, down below is a sneak peek of "Sunfrost's Kits, Book 3: Running Dawn".
Don't like, don't read.
If you do like, please read on, review your experience, & as always- enjoy!
(TT)!
Rainstorm Is On Winter Break-
Thank you so much, and that's okay. :)
Guest/Night of Many Stars-
Thanks, but it's okay. :)
Nightpytt-
Lol, I know damn Jadepaw! But this is SkyClan before they left the forest, many many many many moons before! :D
theamazingcurlyfry-
Yeah, it was a plot twist that I & another user came up with, I'm so sorry about that but this is not the last that you will see of Swiftnose!
WARNING: If you do not wish to spoil anything, then please wait for the next chapter, don't read ahead unless you are positive that you want to spoil yourself of Sunfrost & few events that will happen in Book 2 & Book 3.
Everything belongs to rightful owners.
Cottonpaw twitched her ear as she felt something fluffy float past, she grumbled as she shook her head when the snowflake landed on her nose instead.
Well, since she's awake, might as well see what Jadestone has planned for them today. It was already two moons into leaf-bare: the sun looked icy like the moon & provided no warmth, their belly fur was mangled with snow & the prey soggy or wet, maybe both...
Cottonpaw nudged her sisters awake, Mousepaw growled in response while Oatpaw jumped to her feet. Cottonpaw stifled a purr but the glint of amusement in her blue eyes was enough to tell Oatpaw everything.
The golden mottled she-cat was bristled to twice her size with her tail arched over her back & her golden eyes wide with surprise. Mousepaw shook herself & padded outside, Cottonpaw followed her while giggling under her breath as she heard Oatpaw scramble after them.
All the other SkyClan apprentices were out on the dawn & early hunting patrols, like they'd find anything. Cottonpaw thought to herself as she glanced at the fresh-kill pile, the only thing on there was a scrawny rat & a soggy blackbird.
A brown tabby she-cat with jade-green eyes padded over to them with an air of authority.
"Mousepaw, you'll be battle training with Birdflight today. Oatpaw, could you escort Flintflower out in the forest, protect her while she gets some herbs to ease the sickness in camp?"
Mousepaw only growled in disgust of the fresh-kill pile as she bounded away to find her mentor, Oatpaw's face lit up as she eagerly nodded. Fawnstep, Flintflower's apprentice, had recently fallen ill to greencough, as well as some other cats... So Oatpaw had taken up half of Fawnstep's duties.
"Yes, Jadestone," and with that, the golden mottled feline bounded off to help Flintflower.
Cottonpaw looked back at the deputy, she had remembered her first leaf-bare as a kit...
Cottonkit looked behind her, her creamy fur blending in with the snow that blinded her eyes. Up ahead, her mother trudged in the snowy ground toward their home.
"How much longer, mama?"
Oatkit wailed, her paws numb from the cold, she hung limp in the sun-yellow & frost-white tom's jaws.
"Not long, sweetheart, the camp's just up ahead."
Cottonkit looked at a sudden thud beside her, a pale ginger-furred shape lay there in the fluffy but thorn-sharp snow.
"Keep going! I'll take him."
The tom called from behind, he settled Oatkit down beside Cottonkit. Jadestone came back with Mousekit passed out in her jaws, Mousekit's nose had turned to ice.
"They're not going to make it, Sunfrost. This is our punishment, they should've never been born..."
The tree-coloured tabby spoke softly, her voice full of regret & sorrow. The tom's yellow fluffy head shot up, his blue eyes wide with shock.
"Don't say that! StarClan only punishes me! I'll never get to see my kits grow up, Jadestone! I'll never be there for them! Snaketooth will! Don't you think that is enough?"
The tom's head shifted so that he stared at his frozen & exhausted son, a muffled sob could be heard from the tabby queen. Only Cottonkit remained awake, both her sisters passed out from the lack of food & warmth.
"I'll stay with him, I'm sorry. Please, just make sure that they all get to SkyClan safely. I'll never lay a claw on them, they will never know who their true father is, I must remain out of their lives..."
Sunfrost's tone matched his mate's, Cottonkit felt sleep tugging at her, the awaiting comfort of darkness to sweep her off her tired paws. Cottonkit shook her pelt to stay awake, snowflakes flurried out in all directions, the tom stuck out his muzzle and licked her shoulder.
"Just tell me one thing: ThunderClan cat, what was my son's name?"
Jadestone challenged sweeping Cottonkit away from the ThunderClan tom, she swept her tail over her daughters to keep them warm and away from Sunfrost.
"His name was Sandkit."
Jadestone nodded, Sunfrost's voice cracked with so much sorrow that Mousekit wailed his pain, at least that's all Cottonkit could remember. Remember of her true father, her only brother, before Jadestone took them to be raised in SkyClan as her own.
"Hey!"
Jadestone's sharp voice cut into Cottonpaw's thoughts, maybe that's juts what they were... Nothing but meaningless daydreams!
"Uh, sorry..."
"Bad night's sleep, huh?"
When Cottonpaw only stared down at her paws & didn't reply, Jadestone swept her dark tabby tail over her daughter's flank, it was probably the only affection that she showed to her surviving kits.
"Why don't you stay in the camp, today? Shimmerpool needs your help with the kits, anyway."
Cottonpaw only nodded as Jadestone leapt away, Cottonpaw didn't mind helping out with the kits. Cloudpaw & Bramblepaw had recently been apprenticed so it was just Shimmerpool's foster kits. Cottonpaw padded over to the Nursery, the four kits had shown up to camp with Fawnstep, Jadestone, Cinderberry & the WindClan warrior, Greydawn one day. No one knows who they belong to or why the clans allowed for SkyClan to keep them.
Cottonpaw couldn't blame them though, the kits were so special. Shimmerpool got the first piece of fresh-kill every leaf-bare morning, just because she had looked after six kits during leaf-fall.
Cottonpaw poked her head into the dark den, the scent of milk & snowmelt hit her instantly, bringing back memories of when she & her sisters had first explored the SkyClan camp & even showed the other kits; Twitchkit & Fallowkit a way to sneak out of the camp. All the she-kits had returned from tackling a pigeon, Sparrowstar didn't know whether to apprentice them early or not! Cottonpaw smiled, the pigeon had been shredded and wasn't any good but the she-kits enjoyed their first fresh-kill anyway.
"Cottonpaw's here!"
Cottonpaw's crystal-blue eyes shot open as four orange kits streaked over to her, a tortoiseshell queen sat up in her nest with a sigh of relief.
"Well, I guess its time for me to stretch my legs. Thanks Cottonpaw, also I'll send Mosscloud or Stoneshard around in a few."
Cottonpaw purred as the queen brushed past her, Cottonpaw greeted the kits.
"Hello, Buzzardkit." The strongest; a muscular ginger tom with green eyes, it had once been said by the SkyClan deputy herself that Buzzardkit had walked back to SkyClan's camp the first time without any troubles. But even Cottonpaw doubted that.
"Hey Stoatkit." The bravest; an orange & white tom with amber eyes. Stoatkit was always getting into trouble by trying to sneak out of camp or attack Sparrowstar just to show off, Cottonpaw thought.
"Hi, Hazelkit." The loveliest; a orange tabby she-kit with green eyes, she reminded Cottonpaw so much of Oatpaw. Hazelkit loved to help & listen to stories, Hazelkit was really a gift from StarClan.
The last, a thick-furred ginger she-kit with a white tail, tottered over to Cottonpaw and stumbled on her paws. Cottonpaw padded over to the runt of the litter, the she-kit's amber eyes popped open with horror in embarrassing herself in front of her best friend & litter-mates.
"Are you alright, Maplekit?"
The ginger tortoiseshell she-kit leapt to her paws, her amber eyes fiery. "Yes, I'm fine!"
Cottonpaw only purred in amusement, being the weakest of your litter wasn't always fun, Maplekit & Cottonpaw usually stuck around each other. During Greenleaf, Cottonpaw had snuck Maplekit out of the camp once & let her watch Cottonpaw as she tackled prey & tour the borders.
"What are we gonna play, Cottonpaw?"
Stoatkit asked, fluffing up his ginger fur to keep himself warm, Cottonpaw twitched her ears in thought. I have to keep these kits moving for them to stay warm!
"I know! How about we play tag?"
The kits bounced & cheered, Cottonpaw grinned. Hazelkit, being the fastest, was it first. Cottonpaw went to go join in when Oatpaw burst through the ferns with excitement & worry prickling her pelt.
"Cottonpaw! Guess what?"
"Ooh, what!?"
Maplekit, who recently just got tagged out of the game, squealed in delight.
"I found him! I found Sunfrost!"
Damn... Yeah so there you have it! Also, the kits & apprentices are actual Erin Hunter characters: Oatpaw, Mousepaw Cloudpaw, Buzzardkit, Hazelkit, Stoatkit & Maplekit. Also, Birdflight is an actual warrior of SkyClan, for those of you who didn't recognize it. :)
If you can recognize one or more of them, you can only research through books! So any SkyClan warriors, as well as 2 ThunderClan she-cats you might want to keep an eye out. Go through & read their names & descriptions, it should be easy to spot. ;)
Just tell me what their warrior names are eg. Stoatkit if Stoat-blahblah, I'm not spoiling it!
Sorry to have updated so late, I'm working on this other story "Don't Smile" if anyone wants to check it out, it still needs a few more OCs for the other clans... Anyways, tell me what you think & see you in the next chap! :D
-Star4