Chapter 8, Streamkit

"Streamkit!' Shadowflight yowled, chasing the kit out of the nursery.

Deathkit, Flamekit and Rabbitkit followed there sister. Deathkit unsheathed her claws and leapt on Flamekit.

"She's quite something," said a voice. Shadowflight turned. It was Graystar. "Deathkit, I mean," he said.

Shadowflight smiled. "Yes she is." She watched Deathkit's claws with narrowed eyes. Suddenly she scratched at Flamekit's flanks, and he wailed.

"Deathkit!" Shadowflight scolded, leaping forward and pulling the kit off.

"She had Tigerstar's claws," Graystar commented.

"Yes," Shadowflight meowed.

"I had a dream," Graystar meowed, "Bluestar told me that Tigerstar was your father."

Shadowflight gazed into his eyes, "Yes," she meowed, "He is."

Graystar nodded. "I have my eye on you," he told her, "Both of you," he finished, flashing a look at Deathkit.

He doesn't trust me! Shadowflight wailed inwardly.

The kits, who had listened to the whole conversation, gathered around Deathkit. Ferncloud had been telling them the stories of Tigerstar.

"Rough!" spat Streamkit, "Traitor!"

Rabbitkit dashed up and bit her tail. Deathkit gave him a slash with her claws.

Shadowflight jumped at the brown kit and spat, "Tigerstar isn't just Deathkit's grandfather, he's yours too!"

Rabbitkit looked at her with wide, scared eyes. "I don't have his claws!" he spat, "So he's not my grandfather, either!"

Shadowflight unsheathed her claws, "I do!" she snarled, "and they could hurt an out-of-line kit like you!"

Rabbitkit looked down at the claws, and then fled over to the nursery. Streamkit and Flamekit followed, but not Deathkit.

She opened her moth to say something, but it didn't come out. Shadowflight felt another pang of worry. Deathkit never talked, not once in her young life.

Deathkit looked up at her, and her eyes said, 'thank you.'

Shadowflight licked her pelt. "Come on Deathkit, just speak."

Her green eyes said another phrase. 'I cannot talk.'

"Deathkit!" Shadowflight wailed.

The kits green eyes softened. 'But I can hear.'

Shadowflight licked the little kits head. Then she walked back to the nursery, head and tail low.

OoOoO

"Let's go see daddy," Shadowflight meowed.

Rabbitkit jumped up, and his long hind legs sprang into action. "Let's go!"

"Come on," Shadowflight told the other kits.

Soon they reached the border.

Skystar came up out of the river.

"Hello, Shadowflight."

"Skystar," Shadowflight meowed, "Deathkit is mute."

He looked shocked. "Deathkit," he meowed, "Speak."

'Hello father.' Her eyes said.

"She speaks with her eyes," Shadowflight told him, "She means, 'hello father.'"

"Say hello," Shadowflight instructed.

'Hello.'

"I can't see it," Skystar meowed, sounding disappointed.

Shadowflight shrugged. "Come on, Deathkit, let's go."

She bounded back to the border and into ThunderClan.

Energetic Streamkit bounced on ahead. "Come on mom, let's go!"

She bounded on out of sight.

"Wait here," Shadowflight commanded the other kits.

She raced after Streamkit. "Get back here, Streamkit! Streamkit!"

Panic froze in her chest when she realized they were nearing the Thunderpath. Shadowflight ran faster.

"Streamkit!"

A shrill cry answered her voice. Streamkit.

"No!" Shadowflight yowled, putting on an extra burst of speed.

Streamkit lay motionless on the side of the Thunderpath. Blinded by terror, Shadowflight bounded over. Streamkit's hind leg was bleeding heavily. It looked broken.

"What a careless little mite," said a cold voice.

Shadowflight turned around. "Mousefur," she spat, "I wonder what you're doing here? I don't need your comments, you know."

She turned back to the kit. She was absoulutly still, except for a tiny flicker of movement on her chest.

Shadowflight picked her up gingerly, and began to drag her toward camp.

"Where do think you're taking her?" Mousefur snarled.

"To the camp, dodo, where else?"

"No way. It would be better if you kill her now. We don't want Tigerstar's granddaughter in the Clan. We don't want any of your kits. We don't want YOU!"

Mousefur stood up and bounded in the direction of camp.

By the time Shadowflight entered camp all the cats were looking at her strangely.

Graystar came bounding up. "Get out of here. We don't want a cat that kills her own kits in the Clan."

Farther away, Ferncloud began herding her kits toward the nursery.

Graystar looked harder at her. "You killed your own kit. Leave the Clan."

Shadowflight gave him a shocked look, then turned and sprinted out, still holding Streamkit.

She reached the place where the other kits where still waiting.

Mousefur! She thought venomously. She set Streamkit down on a patch of bracken.

"Streamkit," she whispered, licking the wound, "Streamkit."

Grief and cold froze her limbs. Streamkit did not move other then the rising and falling of her chest.

Deathkit looked up at Shadowflight. 'Is she dead?'

"No," Shadowflight whispered. She curled her other kits around her.

Shadowflight continued to lick Streamkit's leg the rest of the night, while her kits slept uncomfortably in the curve of her belly. Deathkit let out little mewling noises, and she stood up and let out a cry.

"Deathkit!" Shadowflight yowled, "What's wrong?"

'Go to sleep, and I will tell you.'

Yes, Deathkit is a little weird, and she has a big part in this story. Next chapter is really, REALLY strange! Oh, and I have a note to a flamer, Flamestorm101. I don't need your mean comments! I don't have to follow the exact ways the real warriors goes, do I? It doesn't matter that Leafpool and Squirrelflight weren't in my other story, or that Leafpool has her warrior name and Squirrelpaw doesn't!