CHAPTER 10
Ashstripe had traveled until the moon was rising in the twilight. Then she reached a tall wooden fence that smelled of Twolegs and kittypets. The tortoiseshell had begun to cry only minutes earlier, complaining of hunger. She tucked the kit under a tall swath of grass and jumped onto the fence, digging in her claws to balance herself. She peered into the garden and spotted a strange looking cat.
It was a very slim cat, with short fur and wide blue eyes. Its fur was a creamy color, with darker paws, tail, and muzzle. It was lying stretched across an elevated flat surface near the Twoleg den. A blue collar lined its neck.
"Excuse me?" Ashstripe forced her fur to lie flat, to look as non-menacing as possible. The cat's ears twitched and she raised her head to peer curiously at Ashstripe. "Yes?"
"Do you know of a cat here that may have lost a kit? A little tortoiseshell?"
The strange cat's expression saddened. "Yes. But Rose didn't lose it. She had an unplanned pregnancy and a couple days after she gave birth she left it in the woods. I tried to convince her not to, but she wouldn't listen." Ashstripe felt despair well up inside her. "Do you know where she is?"
The cat nodded. "She's right next door. I'll take you to her if you'd like. I'm Maisy by the way."
Ashstripe gathered the kit in her jaws and followed Maisy over the side of the fence into another garden. She beckoned for Ashstripe to take cover in the bushes while the she-cat leapt onto a ledge near the Twoleg den. She pawed at the see-through material and jumped back down. Soon, a pretty mottled brown tabby emerged from an opening in the Twoleg den, a pink collar on her neck.
"What is it, Maisy?"
"There's a cat here who'd like to see you."
"It better not be Stag again, I told him to stay away-"
Ashstripe emerged from the bushes with the crying kit and set her down between her white paws. Rose's eyes widened with shock and Maisy disappeared back to her side of the fence. Ashstripe forced herself to speak, despite the nervousness in her paws. "Are you this kit's mother? I found her all alone in the wounds and I brought her back to you."
Rose stayed silent. Ashstripe continued. "Please, she's hungry and weak. She needs her mother."
Rose stiffened. "I am not her mother." She snarled. Ashstripe was taken aback by her harsh tone. "But Maisy said-"
"I don't care what Maisy said. That kit was a mistake. You should've left her in the forest. She's not wanted here." Rose turned her back on Ashstripe and desperation rose up in her as the kit wailed louder. "But she's your kit!" She protested.
Rose shot her one last glare. "That's no kit of mine."
Then she was gone.
"Hush, little one. It's okay." Ashstripe tried desperately to calm the kit, but to no avail. Ashstripe felt as if the world was coming down around her. The cats she'd grown up around had turned the kit away and the kit's own mother had rejected her without a second thought.
This kitten is going to die, the thought crossed her mind before she could stop it. I've failed you Starclan. The kit's cries grew weaker each second and all she could do was groom the kit, hoping to soothe it.
A new voice nearly scared her out of her skin. "Need some help?"
Ashstripe's head snapped up to face a beautiful she-cat. Her eyes were a pale green, full of kindness and understanding and her fur a soft shade of gold. Tabby stripes lined her pelt and her feathery tail swept across the ground.
Her belly was round, as if she'd just kitted and a milk scent hung around her. But there were no kits in sight. The she-cat didn't wait for a reply as she moved forward and picked up the kit. Curling her body around her, the tortoiseshell immediately began to suckle at the she-cat's belly, kneading hungrily. Ashstripe laughed in relief and thankfulness. She looked up at the she-cat. "Thank you."
The she-cat smiled. "Of course. I still remember when my kits were this young. Easier to manage at this age, anyway." She raised her head to look at her. "I'm Swan, by the way." Ashstripe dipped her head to her. "I'm Ashstripe of Fireclan."
Swan nodded. "So you're one of those warrior cats, huh? Heard of them, but never met one." Her gaze settled back on the kit. "I'm assuming this is Rose's kit?" Ashstripe nodded solemnly. "She wouldn't take her back. She refused to claim her as her own." Ashstripe explained. Swan didn't seem surprised.
"I always knew she never wanted kits, but I never thought it would come to abandoning." she murmured, half to herself. Ashstripe became curious. "Do you have kits right now?" she asked. Swan smiled broadly. "Yes, they're on their first hunting trip with their father. They should return soon." She glanced at the moon in the sky. "Its late and by the looks of it, you both need rest." She picked up the kit in her jaws and beckoned her to follow. Ashstripe obeyed and trailed the she-cat all the way to a small hole in the ground, just wide enough for a large cat to fit through. Ashstripe hesitated to enter; tunnels weren't part of training in Fireclan. But as Swan disappeared with the little kit, Ashstripe tried her best to boost her confidence. Then she dived into the hole.
Her eyes adjusted to the gloom and she was so small that her shoulders barely touched the walls of the tunnel. Suddenly the tunnel widened and opened into a wide main chamber. The floor was soft and sandy, cool to the touch under her paws. Her eyes could see most everything in the cave, including the large nest made out of feathers, moss, and wide, soft ferns. It was big enough for several cats and Swan was settling down in the nest, setting the kit back down to suckle. Ashstripe walked over.
"This is amazing, Swan. How'd you ever find it?"
The golden tabby helped the kit curl up in the nest and gestured for Ashstripe to join her there. She complied, curling into the soft materials next to her new friend and the content kit.
"My mate, Jones, and I were in a rough spot. It was leaf-bare and there was very little. We didn't have a permanent home, but one day I stumbled carelessly in a hole covered by snow. It had stale rabbit scent so we climbed down here and well- the rest is history, I guess." She explained, her gaze sweeping over the walls of the cave. Ashstripe felt honored to have been invited into Swan's home; for the she-cat to trust her so much. She wondered what she should do. She wasn't going to just dump the kit on Swan and take off back to her clan. But what other options did she have? Starclan guide me.
Paw steps almost made Ashstripe leap to her paws, her pelt bristling. Suddenly, two balls of fur burst from the tunnel, both carrying a piece of prey. They had excitement coming off them in waves as they shoved their shoulders against each other. They froze when their eyes landed on Ashstripe and her fluffed pelt. Their eyes widened as they dropped their prey.
One was a dark tabby, dark gray with black stripes, but his paws were pure white. The other was a golden brown tabby, with darker stripes. Both cats fur was still fluffy with kit down. The brown one said cautiously, "Mama?"
Swan got to her paws and nuzzled both of the small cats. "Its alright, guys. This is Ashstripe." She leaned closer to their ears and said in a mock awe voice, "She's a warrior cat."
Both cats instantly widened their eyes even more, in awe and shock. "Woah." whispered the gray tabby. There were more foot-steps and a rough, handsome dark, smoky tabby emerged from the tunnel. He carried two more pieces of prey, which he dropped next to the kits. "Didn't know we were having company tonight." He said gruffly, looking Ashstripe up and down. His nostrils flared. "She smells like a clan cat."
Ashstripe felt like this was a good time to introduce herself. "I'm Ashstripe of Fireclan. I had rescued a kit not far from here and your mate offered to feed it for me." The tom glanced at Swan. "Rose?"
Swan nodded grimly. Jones looked back to her. "Welcome to our home then."
Swan swept her tail across her kits' backs. "This one," she started, her tail on the black tabby, "Is Liam." Her tail twisted onto the back of the gold tabby. "And this is Caspian."
Liam nodded at her. "Hi." When his brother stayed silent, he roughly shoved him with his shoulder. Caspian stopped staring with his sea blue eyes and nodded also. "Hello."
When Jones approached her, she noticed a limp in his confident gait. Her eyes traveled down his left leg; almost halfway down, pink scars were scattered across his leg and two of his toes were missing. She caught herself staring and she rose her head in embarrassment to see Jones chuckling. His stormy blue eyes glittered with amusement. "That, darling, is what happens when you tangle with a fox alone."
His voice was accented, sounding almost foreign to Ashstripe's ears. The small family stalked over to their nest and began to tuck in. Caspian and Liam settled a couple tail lengths away from where Swan and Jones were curled into each other. Ashstripe laid down on one side of the kit, who was placed so she could easily crawl to Swan if she got hungry.
"Thank you all again." Her words sounded small and frightened in her own ears. There was a muffled 'no problem' from Jones and Swan murmured, "Of course, Ashstripe. You two can stay as long as you like."
Ashstripe felt strange sleeping in a den other than one in the Fireclan camp. She pondered whether her clan wondered where she was. She hadn't planned on being gone more than one day. She rose her head when a familiar blue glow came into the cave, illuminating the chamber. "Russetsplash?" The tabby and white she-cat bounded into the cave and stopped in front of her. Ashstripe looked to her new companions, but none of them stirred.
"What am I supposed to do, Russetsplash? I failed Starclan and I failed the kit. Am I supposed to leave her with Swan? Am I supposed to convince Rose to take her back? I'm just became a warrior, how do you expect me to take all this on?" Her anger at Starclan, at Rose, at herself, came out in one long breath. She lowered her head, strong emotions making her unable to face the holy cat.
She felt a soft tail brush her chin and lift her head upwards. She looked into the eyes of Russetsplash, who kept her tail resting on Ashstripe's face. Her tone was gentle when she murmured, "Starclan can't give you all the answers you need, little one. But we can tell you that there is a warrior in that kit. We're counting on you to show that warrior to Fireclan. And no matter what, Ashstripe, you're not alone."
A peace settled over Ashstripe and she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the cave was dark and she was laying in the nest, as if she had never risen in the first place.
She glanced around, then to the kit. We're counting on you to show that warrior to Fireclan. Russetsplash's words rang in her ears and a plan slowly hatched in her head. It might not appeal to her clanmates, but it would possibly ensure a spot for the kit. Ashstripe then decided that it was time for the kit to have a proper name. She touched her nose to the tortoiseshell's forehead.
"You used to belong to tame cats, who never experienced the hardships of a warrior. You are a wild cat now. You are Wildkit." The name didn't only suit her Wildkit's new life, but also her unruly, fluffy fur. The kit meowed softly, as if approving of the name.
"It won't last a night. Look at how weak it is." Tigerpouce's simple statement ran through her mind again. Ashstripe was going to make sure of Wildkit's survival. No matter how long it took.