Jan 30th 2021

Beepath growled as she felt tiny teeth bit into her tail. The young queen fluffed out her pelt, ears flattened as she glared down at one of her brother's kits.

"Do you mind?" Huffed the she-cat as she cleaned off her whiskers. A half-eaten mouse sat at her paws, and she swallowed whatever had been sitting in her mouth.

The little kitten flattened herself against the ground. Eyes wide as she looked up with slight fear glittering in her large green eyes. "S-sorry!" The kit scrambled away. Ears flat as she bumped into her mother.

Chameleaonmock hissed as she glared down the younger cat. "Don't yell at my daughter, she did nothing to you!" Snapped the split-faced queen.

Fluffing out her tabby coat she bared her teeth. "I can yell all I want," Beepath gave her chest a few licks, "and that daughter of yours bumped into me. Get her eyes checked!"

The queen's hackles raised as she brislted out her pelt. Both she-cat's tails lashed, ears flattened as they bared their teeth. "What's going on? Hey - Flytail come help me now!"

Hornetrun barreled into her side. She hissed before her three workable legs gave out and she fell, chin hitting against the ground. She yelped as she bit down onto her tongue and salty blood filled her mouth.

"You oversized furball!" Beepath narrowed her pale eyes at the tom. What made him think that was even a good idea? She could barely stand on her own without him barreling into her!

The tom blinked, almost in surprise as she hauled herself up. Flytail jumped to help her up, only yipping before he flattened his ears as teeth scrapped his paws, stepping back as he shook out his pelt.

Chameleaonmock sat down before she wrapped her tail around her paws. "Your sister snapped at our daughter," she growled, "I know shes been through a lot - but don't you dare use that this time Hornetrun!"

Hesitantly the gray warrior sighed. He gave one glance at Flytail, but the white tom only shook his head. "This is your problem." He flicked his tailtip before he slipped away.

Hornetrun fluffed out his pelt uncomfortably. "I'll talk to Beepath, okay? Just make sure Starlingkit is okay." He gave his mate's cheek a brisk lick before nudging her shoulder.

Beepath spat at him. Her tail lashed out behind her as she lowered her head. Eyes focusing onto her paws as she collapsed into a shade spot.

"Be-" The warrior stayed standing. His tail was flicking back and forth anxiously, eyes switching before looking at her and his mate.

Before he got another chance to open his mouth she spat again. Anger boiling under her pelt as she kneaded the ground, claws ripping up grass. "What was she talking about?"

Hornetrun blinked. "What are you talking about?" He sighed, shoulders falling as he let his ears unfold.

"That mate of yours said that you can't keep using I had a hard life. Do you use pity as excuses for me?" She kept clawing the grass. Cool dirt pressed against her pads, getting stuck under her claws.

Puffing out his pelt again he shook his head. A tiredness crossed his face as he smoothed out his whiskers. "Look, not everyone can deal with your..anger. Beepath..we all missed you when you were gone,"

"stolen." Growled the tabby.

"When you were stolen.." He paused. "But you and Icaruswind make a fuss all the time. And the kits were almost abandoned by you both, gladly that got sorted out."

Beepath pushed herself up. With one last pull of her lame leg she shook dirt from one of her paws. "My kits are fine. And me and Icaruswind didn't get to pick to have a perfect life like you two. Instead of growing up to become a good warrior, I was made into a queen at seven moons. Do you know how that is? Do you!"

"No," he gave her a sympatic lick on the shoulder. "You can still become a warrior. I'll train you, we can start now. Than by time your litter becomes apprentices you can finally become a full warrior."

The anger that had started to boil seemed to lessen. She shifted, unsure on of to respond. She hadn't expected that. Beepath still gritted her teeth, but sighed and relaxed. "Fine. But talk to Chameleonmock. I'm tired of her foxdung."

"Hey! That still my mate your talking about." Hornetrun raised to his paws. He gave her a quick frown before trotting over to where the split-faced queen sat.

The split-faced queen lashed out her tail in anger. Beepath sat down, she crossed her tail over her paws. A smug smile slipping over her maw as she spotted the two mates talking. Chameleonmock looked mad, even more than before.

Before Beepath could figure out what was going on the queen stormed off. She was followed quicky in suit by Hornetrun, who flattened his ears and dipped his head, looking anxious.

That's his problem. The gray she-cat raised to her paws. She had her one problems that dealing with that foxdung of a cat. "Kits!" She trotted over to where they played, with one yowl from her they tumbled over each other until they landed at her paws.

Beepath gave them an unimpressed glanced. They were already going close to five moons old, they needed to know how to walk on their own four paws if they were ever going to survive.

"That's enough." She lashed her tail. Pale green eyes narrowing as she glanced them over. She knew that Weatherkit would be better at climbing and running, he had the legs for it. And Icekit along with Leapingkit would be good at the same, although Icekit did have a more lithe build. He's going to be the best with running.

Jadekit on the other paw was looking at her with narrowed eyes. By the way she looked at Beepath gave the queen chills. She knew exactly what that look was. "Today we are going to start training," she meowed, "so that once you become apprentices you'll already know how to protect yourself."

"We get to train early?" Squeaked Weatherkit. He stood with his tail high in the air. Eyes wide as he started to bounce on his toes. "Do we get to have our ceremony early too?"

Icekit cocked his head. "Shellwhisper told me that family couldn't mentor family."

The queen paused. Since when did the fluffy white medicine cat talk with the kits? Talked with her kits? "Oh did she?" Beepath shook out her shaggy pelt. It didn't matter now, she would train them until they were given to their real mentors. "Well, they can't. But I'm not your mentor, I'm helping you prepare. You should always prepare."

Leapingkit raised to his paws. He fluffed out his pelt and started to excitedly knead the ground. "We get to learn how to fight like dad?" He meowed, eyes wide.

"No!" Beepath flinched back at her own voice. The young kit flattened himself down before he scooted out to be behind Jadekit. "I-" I'm sorry! Beepath darted her narrowed gaze away. Looking down at her paws.

"Come along now." Briskly she turned around. Ears perked as she rotated them around to listen to the kits little feet following her. She sighed. The trembling footsteps of Leapingkit were the ones that ringed in her ears before she tuned them out.

February 5 2021