Moonkit tumbled around in the snowy clearing of Treeclan's camp with a squeal. Many of the kits were outside busy playing tag, and Moonkit was trying to keep herself away from the cat who had chosen to be 'it'. She hopped along through the snow, glancing behind her to see if she was being pursued. To her joy, she was. Emberpaw--one of the clan's new apprentices--was right on her tail, swiping her paw out in an attempt to touch the little silver and white kit.
"I'm gonna get you!" The pale calico warned with a laugh. Moonkit squealed out a "noo" lifting her paws higher to gain speed. The snow in the clearing was deep, halfway up her foreleg. It was hard to maneuver through it, which allowed Emberpaw--who was a few whisker-length taller--to gain the advantage. But Moonkit was a fast runner. Even in a snowbank she could outrun most clanmates around her age. She had good endurance too, tiring out the six moon old apprentice easily.
Moonkit took a nosedive into the elder's den, safely out of Emberpaw's grasp. Emberpaw gave up her pursuit of the little silver and white kit, turning her sights to another of the nursery's members who would make for easier prey. Moonkit laughed as she watched Emberpaw chase Foxkit around, his tail only a claw's reach away. With a strong leap, Emberpaw pounced onto the ginger tomkit, squashing him in the snow. This made Moonkit laugh harder. But in her fit of glee, she had forgotten to be mindful of the old warriors who napped within the den she sheltered in.
"Oi," called a cat, making Moonkit jump. "Keep it down, would you? I'm trying to sleep!" Croacked the clan's oldest elder, Daisypetal. She was Blazestar and Mothsong's mother. She was almost legendary for it and for her long life span. In her old age she was beginning to grow blind, which made her hearing even sharper than it was in her prime. Moonkit felt guilty for making so much noise.
"I'm sorry, Daisypetal. I wasn't thinking," she apologized sincerely. "I didn't mean to disturb anyone. Is there any way I can make up for it?"
Daisypetal stretched in her nest, letting out a soft purr. "It's alright, little one. Just be more mindful next time. As for what you can do to make it up to me, I suppose bringing over a nice piece of prey could work."
Moonkit beamed at the request. "You've got it! I'll be right back," she promised, dashing out of the elder's den. She hurried over to where the fresh-kill pile was being kept, considering what sort of prey she'd bring to the wise old elder. But when she arrived, Moonkit realized there was nothing left for anyone to eat. Impossible, she thought. Leafbare would be over soon. There had to be food in the camp somewhere. Moonkit moved on to another place where she thought prey might be kept. She recalled Wolfheart telling her about the extras the warriors would store in case of a food shortage. Moonkit began digging through the snow to pull out leftovers from the stockpile. She was fortunate enough to uncover a sparrow, just big enough to feed Daisypetal. Though it was cold, Moonkit was sure the elder would be grateful for the meal. But it was a very scrawny one. Moonkit wondered why there wasn't more prey to choose from. The first of the day's hunting patrols had already returned. Was there still so little out there to catch? Surely there must be better prey somewhere, hiding in the tiny spots warriors couldn't normally reach. Why couldn't they get the youngest apprentices to squeeze into the small spaces?
Moonkit gave her head a shake, clearing it of her thoughts for the time beging. Instead, she picked up the sparrow she uncovered, taking it over to Daisypetal. The old she-cat thanked the little molly for her generosity, sending her back on her way. Moonkit pranced from the elder's den again, thinking about what she wanted to do now. Across the way, she spotted Tigerkit by the dry patch where the fresh-kill pile usually sat. She could see her friend taking notice of the lack of food. Realizing she would not be eating, Tigerkit found a nearby moss ball to keep her entertained. Moonkit watched her friend play, prepared to jump in and join her. But before she could, another cat padded over to keep the tabby she-kit company.
"So. Nothing good to eat, huh?" Moonkit heard Rainkit mew as she sat nearby. Tigerkit shook her head, while Moonkit eyed her sister suspiciously. She recognized the tone the other kitten was using. No doubt that there was something mischievous stirring in the little molly's mind.
"It really sucks. But, that means you can help me with something."
Tigerkit paused in her play to look at the white and gray patched mollykit. "Depends. What do you need me to do?"
Rainkit stepped closer to Tigerkit, lifting a paw to cup over her ear to keep anyone nearby from hearing. Moonkit wondered what they were whispering about. They seemed to bicker back and forth for a few heartbeats before taking another pause. Tigerkit seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before grinning and nodding at the white and gray patched mollykit. With that, the two kittens split up. Rainkit skipped over to speak with Blazestar's sons while Tigerkit made her way over to Moonkit.
"Moomoo, Rainkit and I have come up with a super cool plan!" she proclaimed.
"What is it?" Moonkit asked, curiosity piqued.
Tigerkit gave a glance over each shoulder, bringing herself closer to her best friend. "We're planning on sneaking out into the forest to hunt. While we're supposed to be taking a nap, we'll slip away through a secret passage in the blackthorns that Rainkit found."
Moonkit looked at her skeptically, tail-tip twitching. How were they supposed to go hunting? They weren't even apprentices yet, they didn't know the first thing about catching prey. Tigerkit rolled her eyes.
"I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. The clan is starving. We're tiny enough to fit into things like mouse holes and rabbit burrows. We can catch the prey that the warriors can't. We'll be heroes! Plus we all have to do our part to take care of the clan; this is something we can do."
Moonkit thought it over for a heartbeat. "It sounds a little dangerous. But we are starving, so... alright. I'll come with you."
"Great!" Tigerkit cheered. "Meet me at the front of the nursery at nap time. I'll see you later, Moomoo."
Sunhigh arrived a short time later. The kits were herded into the nursery by Sweetclaw, and nudged into their nests by their parents. Everyone settled down inside the den for a nap. Or at least that's what the kits made the queens believe. When only the sounds of snoring and soft breathing filled the nursery, the kits rose. Silently, they gathered in an empty spot of the nursery, speaking to each other in the Silent Language.
"Does everyone know where we're going to get out?" Tigerkit signed, standing on her hind legs momentarily to create the word "out". The other kits nodded.
"Good, then follow me."
Most of the kits were excited to complete the task, while others were skeptical. Berrykit, Black-kit, and Beekit decided to stay back as the rest of the kits made the trek up the incline and out into the chill of mid-day.
With Rainkit and Tigerkit at the lead, the kitten patrol sucessfully snuck out of the nursery. Many of the clan's warriors were taking shelter from the cold in their dens, and those who weren't were out on patrol. With the coast clear, the Treeclan kits could slip under the blackthorn bushes by the Entrance Tree. The bushes were a lot thinner on this side of camp but even still it proved to be a challenge to crawl under if one had long fur. Carefully, each kit made their way under the blackthorns and into the vast forest beyond. Rainkit stepped forward to sniff the air as the final stragglers huddled with the rest of the group. She was the best tracker out of the kits, and was happy to lend a paw in checking to see which way they should go.
"The patrols went that way." Rainkit pointed with her tail at some tracks in the snow. "I can still faintly smell them, too. They must be a good distance away from camp by now."
"So we should go that way," Tigerkit proclaimed, leading the hunting party in the opposite direction.
For a while the kits searched for the scent of prey on the ground, trying to hunt like warriors did. But they found themselves unlucky in successfully nabbing anything. At one point they had spotted a pregnant squirrel, but the crunching of snow under their paws alerted it of their presence and sent it scrambling up a tree. If this had been any other season a cat may have attempted to climb after it. But the tree branches were far too icy to get a grip on now. Frustrated, Adderkit stepped forward and offered to lead the kitten patrol.
"You said we'd search in places warriors can't," he reminded Rainkit, his tone harsh. "So let's stop acting like mouse-brains and actually look in holes and stuff!" Bravely, the ginger and white tom charged through the snow over to a tree with a hollow underneath. He sniffed at it before slipping inside, a determined look on his young face. The other kits paused, waiting close by the tree. The sounds of Adderkit growling and thumping around exploded from the hole, dying down after a few heartbeats. The others held their breath, staring intently at the tree until Adderkit emerged, dragging out a young rabbit almost as big as he was. Both the prey and the tom were splattered with blood. The rabbit had a jagged tear in its neck, its head hanging at an awkward angle. But still it was dead, and the triumph in Adderkit's orange eyes was unmistakable.
"Adderkit!" Rainkit trilled, bouncing up to him to bump her forehead against his affectionately, tail held high. "Talk about acting like a mouse-brain. What happened in there?"
Adderkit dropped his catch at his paws. "I had to wrestle the rabbit to pin it down. It put up quite a fight; I was scared it would bolt out of the hole."
Tigerkit pranced up to them. "It looks all mangled. What'd you do, sit on it?" Adderkit simply hissed at her in response.
"Well I guess prey is prey. The warriors are gonna be so impressed though! Grab it and lets keep moving."
A long while went by. The kits continued to walk through the snow, peeking into holes and under bushes, attempting to catch some prey. Only the eldest kits managed to catch anything, though most of it ended up half destroyed from inexperience. Annoyed, Moonkit froze mid stride. She was fed up with all this walking and searching. They were barely making any catches for this expedition to be worth it. And their families would probably notice they were all missing soon. The last thing Moonkit wanted was to make anybody worried.
"I think we've done enough hunting for today," she decided, sitting down. "We should go home."
"What?" Tigerkit gasped, walking up to her. "No way, we're doing great! If we stop now the clan won't have enough for the warriors to eat. We can't have a clan if all the warriors starve to death."
"The clan won't have a future if all of its kits freeze in the snow!" Moonkit countered. "And if the warriors starve, the clan will need us to take their place. How can we, if all of us are dead?"
Tigerkit growled in frustration, turning around to continue forward. "If you want to go home, fine, go. But the rest of us will keep hunting."
Moonkit let out a huff, pushing herself back onto her paws. If everyone was going to be so adamant about continuing the mission, then she would have to persuriver along with them.
Soon, the day grew older and snow began to fall again. It cascaded down in large white flakes, coating the kittens' soft fur. They huddled together for warmth as they trudged on until their paws could not carry them any further.
"I-I-I think we-we should g-go back," mewled Tinykit, her teeth chattering.
"But...how?" Squeaked Flamekit, whipping his head around. The world around them was turned into a curtain of foggy white, stunned into complete silence. The flurry had begun to turn into a snow squall, obstructing the kittens' vision. And their tracks had long since been covered over. There was no way of knowing which way to go now.
Thinner coated kits huddled closely to longer coated ones, burying their snouts into their fluff. The fluffier kittens laid down, covering their faces with their tails. Adderkit and Rainkit held the prey under them protectively, providing their bellies just a little protection from the snow covered ground beneath them.
"I want my mama," Moonkit sniffled, hiding her face.
Sunkit pulled away from the others, receiving protests from those who were cuddled around him. The ginger and white tom stood on tip-toe, inhaling deeply. "Heeeelp!" He wailed. He paused momentarily before trying again. "Somebody! Help us!!" His voice traveled through the trees; echos dying in the wind. Disappointment darkened Sunkit's green gaze as he settled back down with the others. Moonkit shivered vigorously, cursing herself in her mind. Why did she even agree to go along with this plan? Now they were all hungry and freezing in the snow. Would the warriors be able to find them in this weather? She let out a deep sigh, hiding her face into Tigerkit's plush tabby and white coat. Moonkit shouldn't have listened to her. She should have gone home like she wanted to earlier. But she couldn't leave her friends and littermates out here alone. She would never be able to forgive herself if she had left and they had never returned. This was a predicament they had all agreed to get themselves into; they would go through with this together until the end.
An unmeasurable amount of time passed. The kits began to grow weaker by the heartbeat. All hope seemed to be lost. Moonkit, head heavy from the cold, looked up from the warm body next to her. Her nose tingled from the bitter chill, but that was the last thing on her mind right now. In the distance she could see an orange shape traveling through the snowfall. Is that a Starclan warrior, coming to lead us to Silverpelt?
An unrecognizable voice called out, the words spoken lost in to the distance. Beside the orange shape, more dark shadows began to appear, drawing nearer. Hope swelled inside of Moonkit.
"Guys, look," she mewed, getting the attention of her peers. "Help...help..!" She tried to cry out. The other kits joined in the call. Soon, the shapes in the distance became the warriors a bear length away. Fluffy, stocky warriors surrounded the kits, with Blazestar at the head of the party.
"There you are!" Sweetclaw exclaimed, a purr of relief rumbling in her throat. She dashed forward and bent down to lick some frost off of each kit, chiding them for running away. After each kitten was cleaned the warriors picked them up, carrying them back in the direction of home.
"My prey..." Adderkit mewled weakly as his father carried him up and away from his catch. Rainkit grabbed hold of it before Wolfheart picked her up. The white and gray patched kit smiled at Adderkit who blinked at her with gratitude.
"My babies!" Brightsky cried, running out from the nursery, over to grab her kits from the warriors. More of the queens spilled out of their den to collect the kits as they returned home, wailing out in relief as they were safely reunited. They led the kits down into the shelter of the nursery tree, licking the little one's fur backwards to warm them. Moonkit purred as Brightsky rasped her tongue against her downy fur vigorously, feeling returning to her frozen body at long last. All the while, Sweetclaw counted, making sure every nursery resident was present and accounted for. As the last of the kits was tugged into their nests, Mothsong came trotting along, herbs clenched tightly in her jaws. She dipped into the nursery, checking on each kit, feeding them herbs to help ward off frostbite and hypothermia. Tigerkit let out an audible squeak of disgust as Mothsong shoved a wad of ragweed and lavander down her throat, her mother fixing her with a harsh glare to warn her of spitting them back up. Brightsky let her five kits share their herbs, each taking equal amounts at once to get it done and over with quickly. After, the queens gathered their little hunters in the center of the den, curling their bodies around them. Moonkit nestled herself by her mother's warm belly, sighing with relief. She drank in her calming milky scent, shutting her eyes. Tigerkit squeezed her way through the pile to come settle beside her, her long fur heating the silver and white mollykit up even more. Moonkit purred, grooming her friend's cheek. She was mad, yes, but grateful they had all made it back alive.
"Whose idea was it to go out into the forest?" Brightsky asked, her voice laced with temper. Moonkit's eyes fluttered open, ears pinning back against her head. She wanted to tell her mother all about what had gone on, but she didn't want her sister and Tigerkit to hate her for speaking up.
"Well?"
No kit dare speak up for quite some time, only the sound of the wind whistling outside occupied the space with its sound.
"It..it was Rainkit and Tigerkit! " Beekit finally piped, the pressure getting to her. Both guilty kits hissed at her with anger. Brightsky's eyes flickered onto them, judgement riddled deep within her blue gaze.
Speckleface let out a deep sigh, shaking her head. "What are we going to do with you?"
"We will figure that out in the morning," Sweetclaw responded to the question that was clearly rhetorical. "For now, we should let these brave little warriors rest."
Rest, yes, that sounded good to Moonkit. She was exhausted from the cold and the journey they had taken, even after eating the strengthening herbs. Moonkit could feel her eyes growing heavy, and allowed them to droop closed once again. Soon sleep blanketed over her, pulling the kit into its warm embrace.
