Chapter 2

Well... what was I going to do now, just sit- or lay- here?

No way in Heaven or Hell!...

Ok now what? I decided to open my eyes. I was in a clearing just covered in moss... I mean, come on, what would anyone call it but the mossy clearing? There were trees all around the clearing and brambles too.

I staggered to my paws and saw a butterfly flying around my head, so I stood on two paws and batted at it. It was then I realized there was cat scent all around me. I seriously hoped they were friendly...

It was then that I just had to step on a thorn. I let out a little yip of pain and licked my delicate, light pink pad. There was a little bit of my kit blood on the moss, I hoped they didn't mind that.

I heard voices not too far away and crouched in fear.

"Ok, what can you scent Honeypaw?" I heard a female cat meow. "Hmmmmmm..." Honeypaw murmured. "I smell kit!" she exclaimed. Sniff " And kit blood! Sandstorm, you can smell that too, can't you?" Honeypaw mewed.

Sniff "Yes I can smell that. I wonder..." she trailed off.

It was then they emerged into the mossy clearing and saw me. I didn't know what to say...

SANDSTORM POV

I was surprised to see a fluffy white kit with bright, icy blue eyes staring up at us. I looked at the cat and thought 'This is like Cloudtail all over again!'but I didn't say the thought aloud.

"We should take her home and get her in the nursery, she still looks pretty young."It was Honeypaw's mew that brought me back to reality... and the kit.

I silently went down and gave the kit a thorough sniff and licking. She silently held up her paw for me to inspect. I saw a thorn stuck deep in the pad, and it was infected.

KIT POV

I felt her tongue gently licking me and heard her sniffing me, so I showed her what I did to my paw. "It hurts," I whimpered.

"Let's get you home little one," she meowed. "Honeypaw! Go ahead and warn Leafpool and Firestar that there's a kit coming into camp." she ordered. "And tell Leafpool the kit has an infected thorn in her pad!" she called after Honeypaw's disappearing tail.

She gently picked me up by the scruff and started to carry me through the woods. I had a feeling that something very wrong was going to happen on the way to her camp.

Sure enough, a fox leaped out in front us before we got far, and Sandstorm nearly dropped me in surprise. She put me down gently and faced the snarling fox with claws unsheathed and teeth bared. Upon seeing me creeping up to stand behind Sandstorm, the fox crept even closer, snarling all the way. And that was when it attacked. It happened so fast, it was just a whirlwind of fur and teeth and claws. The fox threw Sandstorm off and went after me. I squeaked in fear, my eyes were wide with terror and fear scent flew off me in waves. The fox's teeth met my body, and I blacked out.