Warriors isn't mine.

Chapter 24

"Hey. Wake up."

Owl blinked awake at the soft hiss, looking up. His sister's blue eyes looked back at him, she blinked once. She had their mother's black fur, with silver flecks mixed in by her ears.

"What?" Owl hissed back, slowly rolling over.

Dusk looked over her shoulder. "Let's go outside and play. Ripple's already out there with the others."

Owl hopped up, his tail waving. "Okay then." He agreed eagerly. He glanced over his shoulder to where his mother lay curled up, fast asleep and hesitated.

"Storm's out there." Dusk offered, "So's Buzzard, so Hawk's fighting everyone."

Owl perked up a little, Storm liked watching his kits fight, and he had been planning a game that Buzzard would probably like.

"Let's get out there before Hawk and his sisters crush Ripple." Owl suggested, taking off.

"Hey!" Dusk complained, careful not to wake their mother as they raced out of the tunnel. Sure enough Ripple was pinned beneath Hawk, the dark brown tom sitting on the black tom. Ripple swiped at him with one tabby striped leg, which Hawk dodged.

"CreekClan scum! The Pride shall conquer all!" Owl yowled, lunging at Hawk to knock him off his brother. He pinned the brown tom down, and looked for Storm. The gray tom nodded at him, grinning widely. He leaned over to Buzzard.

"I used to worry about him a little but he's gotten a taste for violence like his brother." Storm confessed, and Owl's thoughts on that statement were blocked by Hawk's paw being shoved in his eye. He bit Hawk, and the tom pulled his paw back. Owl could feel a small amount of blood over his eye where Hawk's claws had been. He released Hawk and growled.

"We shall win!"

Hawk shoved him off but Owl landed on his paws. Dusk was pinning down Moon, and Shrew and Ripple wrestled across the ground, with Ripple having the advantage.

"No! CreekClan shall defeat The Pride because we're so powerful." Hawk squared his shoulders, and Owl leapt beside him instead of on him.

"The Pride defeats all because we're stronger than all!" with that he bowled the older tom over.

Hawk yowled loudly, "Noooooooo! How could this be? We surrender and run away!"

"Ha ha!" Owl released him, and pranced around, "We have won!"

"Yay!" Ripple and Dusk cheered, releasing Hawk's sisters.

Buzzard looked at his kits carefully. "What was that?"

"We could beat them easy!" Hawk boasted, "We just lost this time because we weren't The Pride. That's how the game works."

Buzzard grinned, and gently shoved his son. "Glad you understand that."

Owl shook his head hoping to ease the stinging over his eye. Hawk had a small smear of blood on his leg where Owl had bitten him, which pleased him. He turned to look at his littermates, to make sure they were okay.

Dusk was fine, grooming her tail, while Moon licked one paw next to her. Ripple had a few claw marks on his chest, near where his tabby stripes began. Only on his legs and tail was he striped, the rest of his body, asides from his forehead had no tabby markings.

"Plus we'll be really able to beat you soon." Hawk promised, the tom gave a grin at Owl that wasn't truly friendly and made his pelt prickle. Hawk didn't use to smile that way.

"Yeah, you start training tomorrow!" Ripple muttered under his breath, flattening his ears. "Luckies!"

"There you are." Owl turned to his mother, who'd come out of the den. He watched as her green eyes, which were slightly yellow widened. "Storm, what happened?"

Storm shrugged, "They were just playing. Owl was really good today; if he keeps it up he might soon be as good as Ripple."

Ciara looked at Owl, who raised his head proudly, for a few heartbeats. He began to lower it when he saw the sad look in his mother's eyes. Had he done something wrong?

"The hunters just got back in any case." Storm meowed, "and I think these three earned a good meal. The fighters have to keep up their strength."

Ripple gave a little bounce, which ruffled his fur.

"Hawk gets first pick." Buzzard's voice carried an odd note, and Storm turned to The Pride Leader.

"Of course." He agreed, "But after that, surely you think they all earned a meal."

Buzzard dipped his head slowly. "Tomorrow Hawk, Shrew and Moon will begin truly earning their meals."

Hawk raised his head, Shrew perked up too, the creamy brown she-cat's tail waved slightly.

"I'll catch any piece of prey I want!" she meowed, pouncing on Moon.

"Hey!" he cream furred sister yelped, twisting to look at her. "I'm going to fight." With that she kicked Shrew off, and she crashed into Ripple. Owl's brother pinned her down.

"Why don't you want to be good at fighting?" Ripple demanded. "That's what I'm going to be best at!"

Shrew shoved him. "You're a tom like Hawk. I'm supposed to hunt."

"Well you're all supposed to eat." Buzzard replied, cutting into the kits' argument. Hawk was tucking into a mouse he'd pulled off the pile.

"You three head to the den to eat." Ciara meowed strangely, making Owl look up at his mother. She placed her paw on his shoulder and licked his forehead.

"Mom!" he whined, "That's my battle scar!"

His mother sighed, "You're too young to have a battle scar." She whispered, "Go join your siblings."

Owl gladly scampered away from her, to where his brother and sister were dragging off a rabbit to their mother's den.

"Ciara. Ciara!" Storm crossed camp to stop their mother outside the den. "What's your problem? Aren't you happy, Owl's finally acting like a fighter?"

"Happy my son wants battle scars before he's even a moon old?" Ciara's voice was soft, and Owl was glad he wasn't the one in enough trouble to be spoken to that way. "Happy that my kits whose fur is still kit fluff are going to start training in not even half a moon? No, Storm, I'm not thrilled."

"That's how The Pride does things Ciara." Storm's voice was hard, and Owl backed up, glancing at his brother and sister. They looked scared of their father too.

"So get used to. I will train them to fight CreekClan for The Pride. I will make Owl and Ripple great fighters, cats will someday fear them. You should be proud of that."

Owl couldn't see his mother through Storm's flank. "What about Dusk?"

"She's a she-cat. She'll hunt." Storm replied calmly. "Their training will start soon, so don't pamper them too much, I don't want them getting soft. Owl's finally showing his claws."

Storm trotted back over to Buzzard, leaving their mother alone at the den entrance.

She ducked in, and looked over the three, "What did you get?"

"It's a rabbit, Robin promised it was fresh." Dusk meowed, her ears pricked. "Ciara?"

Their mother shook her head, "I'm fine kits, go ahead and start." She looked at Ripple's legs, and her eyes darkened.

Owl gently shoved his brother, who nipped his ear, and Dusk leapt at them, they always play fought over their food.

Owl laughed as Ripple kicked at his back, careful not to squash Dusk too much as he rolled over.

Dusk used her spot to shove Ripple backwards and Owl twisted to take the first bite.

"No!" Ripple let out a saddened cry, but grinned. "I never get the first piece."

"I'd say otherwise." Dusk muttered, still pinned underneath Owl, but not complaining. "You get it all the time; I never get the first piece."

Ripple joined them, "Fine then, you can get the first bite next time."

"Can I? Really?" Dusk looked up at Owl, who nodded, chewing before he responded, just like Ciara had taught him.

"Sure."

Dusk purred, and took a bite from the rabbit.

Owl got off her to move to a different spot, He took a nibble here, a bite there, and tore off a small piece. After he ate that he backed off, feeling full. His stomach felt heavy and he blinked sleepily.

"I'm done." He announced, curling up next to Ciara, who curled her black tail around him.

"Mother?"

She turned her head to look down at him, "Yes, love?"

"I'm like Storm right? I want to be like my father." Owl raised his head, and watched as his mother's eyes clouded slightly, he never understood why she looked at them that way sometimes.

"I thought you were most like your father before today Owl." she whispered, standing up to go over to the rabbit.

"What does that mean?" Owl whispered to his littermates, who'd curled up next to him. "Ripple's the most like Storm."

Ripple raised his head. "You think so?"

"We all know it." Dusk muttered under her breath.

Ripple grinned, "Thanks." He glanced at Owl and shrugged. "I don't know about you."

Owl considered his mother's words as he licked his pelt. "I don't either."

Dusk stretched slightly. "Do you think we'll be as good fighters as Storm?"

"Of course!" Ripple wiggled slightly, making Dusk mew indignantly, and Owl grunt when she was shoved into him.

Ciara's quiet voice cut into their thoughts. "Kits."

Owl turned, careful where he put his paws so he didn't shove Dusk, to look up at his mother. She wasn't staring at them; her gaze was on camp outside. "Promise me, no matter how badly you want to be a good fighter, no matter what happens, you will always protect each other."

Owl swallowed, and nodded. "I promise."

"Me too." Dusk agreed softly.

Ripple nodded, "and me."

Ciara sighed softly, turning to look at them. "You're good kits. Get some rest so you can spend the afternoon with the other kits."

Owl yawned, curling up closer to Dusk as the soft sound of his mother's purr lulled him to sleep.