Chapter 18: Greyleaf

Greyleaf awoke to a dark nursery. Squinting, she made out the shapes of her mother and her kin. They had returned while she had been sleeping, and the two brown and one gray kits were huddled close to their mother. They'll be apprentices soon...

Greyleaf bent down to lick her own kits, reluctant at the idea of them growing up to leave her, as her brother and sisters would soon leave Featherstorm. As she did so, a sharp pang of hunger rang through her belly, and she realized how much of a hankering she had for prey.

Greyleaf cautiously and carefully stood up, tucking her kittens into the soft, warm moss as she did so.

"Don't worry, little ones," She mewed quietly to them, even though they were asleep and couldn't hear her, "I won't be long."

She silently padded out of the den and into the twinkling hollow. Though her steps were heavy with fatigue, she felt lighter and freer than the had in a while. She had known that being a queen had slowed her down, she just hadn't realized how much!

She purred happily as she grabbed a scrawny squirrel from the meager fresh-kill pile. It wasn't much, but it was something, and Greyleaf was too happy to care about the smaller prey items of Leaf-bare. She then quietly walked across the starlit hollow to eat by the, now cooled, sunning rocks.

Unbeknownst to her, someone else was awake, and they watched her from the warriors den with sharp, calculating eyes.

Greyleaf took no notice of her surroundings, only focused on eating her fresh-kill and then getting back to her kits. She quickly scarfed down the squirrel, not bothering to savor it, and was on her way back to the nursery when a dark shadow flashed quickly crossed her path. She froze, and a low, menacing voice drifted from the rocks behind her.

"I know." The words echoed around her, sending the grey she-cat's pelt bristling.

Greyleaf spun around, claws unsheathed, to face the source of the voice, but it was gone. All that was there were a few empty rocks. She bounded over to them, trying to make out a scent, but all she could smell was the stench of dirt-place.

Warily, with every hair on end and every sense poised, she crept back into the nursery and curled protectively around her kits. No one was going to hurt them, not if she could help it.

It had been five moons now, and the mysterious voice had not come back again. Greyleaf had almost forgotten about it, almost.

Her three once tiny kittens had now grown into healthy young cats. In their either moons, they had played with their older kin, but Squirrelpaw, Volepaw, and Sandpaw were apprentices now.

Greyleaf had been the only queen for a while, until Lilytail moved in, expecting Bramblepelt's kits. Sparrowkit, sporting her mother's vivid green eyes, had asked so many questions of the ginger-white queen, always wanting to know how to help. Greyleaf suspected that she might be a medicine cat.

Nightkit, however, was more aloof, and he could be frequently found staring at the clouds or stars, his intelligent amber eyes searching for something. But what, his mother did not know.

Goldenkit, with her blue-green eyes, was an endless source of bafflement for the grey she-cat. Her golden pelt was so unlike anyone from Greyleaf's family, and it didn't resemble Pinestar in the slightest.

It would only be a moon until they were apprenticed, and Greyleaf anxiously awaited the day.

She had seen very little of Pinestar in the previous moons. He had kept his distance from her, shame easily read on his face. Goldenfur had, as well, stayed his distance. It was as if he was planning something, his eyes always darting to her kits, but she had no idea what. She, though she hated it, lightly suspected him of being the voice.

Shaking her head to fend off the accusing thought, Greyleaf decided to go for a nice stroll to calm herself.

"Hey, Lilytail," She asked the blue-eyed queen, "Would you mind watching my kits for me, I need to get out of camp for a while." The white and ginger she-cat nodded, and Greyleaf purred her thanks, before racing out of the camp and into the forest.

It felt like she hadn't had me-time for ages! She raced happily through the trees, their lush branches reaching down to hug her. She jumped joyfully over bushes, scaring away the little mice underneath them. And she even dived paws-first into the lake, but she came up spluttering, regretting it.

As she groomed her fur with long, unhurried strokes. She heard a shuffling in the bushes, and froze, her tongue still out.

"I know." The voice growled. It was louder this time, more threatening, more guttural.

Greyleaf sprung at the underbrush, the rage of a protective mother who's kits are in danger fueling her quick response. All her claws out as she pounced on the shrubbery, but there was nothing there, just the reek of dirt-place yet again.

Greyleaf hissed, her fur standing on end and her tail fluffed out, and swiped at the air. She raced back to camp. Maybe I can find whoever smells like the dirt-place in camp. That's where they're bound to go.

She sprinted home as fast as she could, the vibrant colors of the New-leaf trees going past in a blur. Greens and pinks blended bit he blues and browns, and the only things that Greyleaf could see were her paws pounding is front of her.

She panted in quick breaths, trying to get as much air to her body as she could. Her legs ached and her heart thumped so quickly that it felt like it would burst, but she still went as fast as she could.

Bursting into camp, Greyleaf saw the light reflecting off of light fur. Blue eyes gazed down at the crowd of cats gathered below, three kits in the center. Greyleaf would have let out a yowl if she had any breath. On top of the stone that was usually used for the deputy, Goldenfur stood above the crowd, his eyes alight with triumph.

"These are not Blackfur's kits!" The golden tom yowled, his voice echoing across the hollow.

CLIFFHANGER! Question of the chapter: What do you think will happen next.

Anyways, sorry for not updating in a while, I was revising the story. I realized how little I had developed my characters, so I decided to go back and fix my story!

As I'm typing, I realized I probably already explained this... Wow... I forget things so much.