A heavy drizzle was beginning to sprinkle over the forest as the time of sundown approached. The last patch of blue sky was being engulfed by growing, gray clouds which in turn made the forest a darker and gloomier place. Blizzardclaw was trudging through his clan's territory, a squirrel firmly grasped between his jaws. The undergrowth cushioning his steps had become more entangled with the rain and humidity, making the tom's pace slower. As droplets of collected water trickled down a tree's over hanging branch and onto his muzzle, Blizzardclaw silently thanked Starclan. He knew this storm would get worse and would help cover up his scent and trail as he continued his journey through the forest.
Earlier that day, when the weather was still pleasant, he had told Streamstar that he was going hunting. In a way this had been true since the warrior had already caught an impressive catch composed of three mice, a thrush, and two squirrels, but hunting had not been his only intention. Today marked exactly three moons since his kits had been born and he was going to meet them for the first time since the night of their kitting. On one paw, Blizzardclaw was bursting with excitement which caused his fur to prickle. His kits were finally going to get to meet him! But the other paw, anxiety was dripping into his pelt like the rain, causing it to lay flat again. What if he was spotted by somebody other than his mate? He knew just as well as Feather how dangerous it is for him to leave his clan's land and pad through rogue territory. Neither of the group of cats would hesitate to kill their rivals at this point in the war. Each time they collided into battle was guaranteed death for some unlucky cats. Blizzardclaw walking through enemy territory was as good as an idea as a kit fighting off an owl. But eventually he came close to the border.
Stepping out of the forest's cover, the tom stood at the edge of the lake's clearing. On one side of this clearing was the patch of forest he was leaving behind, on the opposite side of this stood the border. His clan's scent markers were the only things keeping Blizzardclaw away from his kits and mate. He set down the squirrel before shaking droplets of water out of his pelt, showering the nearby undergrowth. Blinking his blue eyes, Blizzardclaw gazed around the clearing in silence. Off to the left was the small lake. The common fog his clan was named after was rising slowly out of its water, making the clearing hazy. The grass covering the clearing was still torn and ragged in some areas from past battles. Two more had occurred in this clearing since the night the kits had been born and Blizzardclaw swore he could still scent blood in the air despite of the rain that had now begun to fall, replacing the earlier drizzle.
Confident that he was the only one in the clearing, Blizzardclaw picked the squirrel back up before he began to race across the clearing. He prayed he would not slip on the wet grass as he ran with sheathed claws since using his claws would risk leaving a torn path of earth leading up to the border. That might make the next border patrol suspicious as they passed by. Reaching the scent markers, Blizzardclaw slowed his pace, his fur now dripping wet. Glancing around foxily, the tom leaped over the border, leaving behind the safety of his clan as he landed onto rogue territory. Sighing silently through his nose, he wearily began to pad through the unfamiliar undergrowth, soon reentering the cover of the forest's trees. Stopping beside the base of a birch tree, he tried to remember the instructions his mate had given him when they last saw each other three moons ago. Feather told him there was an abandoned fox den near the border that they could use as a meeting spot. She had said it was near a fallen oak tree which Blizzardclaw soon noticed was behind the birch he was standing beside. Flicking his wet tail, he walked over to the oak and immediately spotted the den carved out between its upraised roots. Setting down the squirrel again, he scented the air and found the stale odor of fox. Grasping the squirrel in his jaws, he slipped into the den, wrinkling his nose at the scent of its past resident. Slowly sitting down, he sighed.
"Time to wait," he murmured to himself as he listened to the rain pattering the ground outside the den. Shaking his wet pelt again, he set the squirrel down beside him. Then he began to patiently wait for his mate and kits to appear.
Something flung itself onto Feather as she padded back into her den. She gasped in surprise as tiny claws pricked her skin and teeth sank into her ear.
"Frost, wait!" Frozenkit breathed as he raced out of their nest and towards Feather. "That's just Mom, not Dad!"
"Mommy?" Frost blinked, releasing her ear before scrambling off her.
Feather frowned, shaking out her fur. "Frost, what on Earth were you doing?" she demanded, looking down at the tom.
Frost blinked again before he purred. "I thought you were Dad!"
Mist twitched her whiskers in amusement as she sat up in their nest. "He said that's how he's gonna greet Blizzardclaw, Mommy!"
Feather's eyes widened, shaking her head furiously. "That is not how you'll greet your father, Frost!"
"But I want to show him how strong I am," Frost pouted with a frown. "To prove to him I'm better than Frozenkit," he explained proudly.
Frozenkit rolled his eyes. "Mouse-brain…" he mumbled.
"Did you find him, Mommy?" Mist smiled at her mother. "Was he outside like Frozenkit heard?"
Feather hesitated before she nodded with a purr. "Yes he was! He isn't coming into the den though," she meowed.
Frozenkit frowned before pawing at his mother's leg. "Why not? Doesn't he want to meet us…?"
"Of course he does!" Feather assured him before nuzzling his head. "Your father just wants to play hide and seek with you," she whispered.
Frost pricked his ears with interest. "Hide and seek?" he echoed.
Feather nodded. "I just talked with him outside. He told me he was going to go hide and we have to find him now."
"We can do that!" Mist purred with a smiled. She scrambled out of the nest and towards her mother and brothers. "We play hide and seek all the time!"
"It'll be easy," Frost agreed with a nod.
Frozenkit purred in agreement before glancing outside. "Wait!" he frowned, padding towards the entrance. His siblings watched his curiously as he peered out of the den's opening. "It's raining," he sighed sadly, backing away from the entrance. "You said we aren't allowed to play outside when it's wet or we might get sick," he meowed, looking up at Feather.
The she-cat hesitated again. "Um, well you're allowed to go outside in the rain just for today. It is for a special occasion after all," she smiled at Frozenkit.
"Let's go already!" Mist mewed, kneading the ground excitedly with her tiny paws. "I wanna meet Daddy!"
"Wait," Feather looked at her. "This special game of hide and seek has some rules I need to explain to you."
"What are they?" Frost blinked curiously at his mother. "No biting?"
Feather twitched her whiskers in amusement. "That's always a rule, little one. These are special rules just for today. For starters, we have to look for your father as a group. No wandering off, okay?" she meowed to them.
Frozenkit nodded. "We won't wander, Mommy! What else?"
Feather flicked her tail as she turned back towards the entrance. "No talking while we search for him!" she whispered. "Blizzardclaw said if you talk, he wins!"
Frost's eyes widened. "But I wanna win!"
"Don't talk then," Feather purred in amusement as she led them out of the den. "Follow those simple rules and I'm sure we'll find him in no time!"
The three kits nodded silently as they scampered after their mother. Feather smiled at them in relief as she began to lead them towards the border. If everything went as planned, she could easily lead them to the fox den where they would wait for Blizzardclaw. Her worst fear would be running into Storm…or Thorn. She shook those worries out of her head as she focused on walking through the safest path for her kits. Puddles were everywhere and she didn't want any of them slipping or getting stuck in mud. She stopped every now and then to look like she was searching for Blizzardclaw. The kits' response to this would be all of them stopping and gazing around, their eyes wide with expectation. Feather felt rather bad for lying to them about seeing Blizzardclaw but she felt she made the right choice. After all they were going to meet him anyways. The hide and seek was just an added detail to make their trip to the fox den seem normal. As they neared the border, Feather stopped and looked down at them with excitement in her eyes. "I think I smell his scent!" she whispered loud enough to for them to hear over the rain.
The three kits waved their wet tails in excitement as they gazed up at her. They all remembered to stay silent but the looks on their faces urged Feather to keep talking.
"You three stay here," she whispered again, rounding them up under the cover of a birch tree. "This tree will keep you from getting any wetter. I'll go see if he's hiding close by! If he is, I'll run back and get you. Then you three can sneak up on him and win the game!" she purred.
Mist, Frost, and Frozenkit all nodded vigorously in agreement. Though their fluffy kit fur was plastered onto each of their small frames because of the rain, the kits were bubbling with excitement. Feather touched each of their noses with hers before slipping away. She ignored the urge to shake her dripping pelt as her heart began to pound within her chest. Her mate was close, she could feel it.
Hiding her excitement in case a rogue was near; she began to circle around the birch tree her kits were sheltered under in wide circles before trotting up to the fallen oak tree behind it. Holding her breath in anticipation, she slowly padded up to the fox den wedged between the tree's roots. Flattening her ears, she let out a soft meow by the den's entrance. She didn't have time to listen for a response as something raced out of the den and pounced on top of her, knocking her off her paws instantly. Feather gasped in surprise as she hit the ground. Shooting her gaze up at her attacker, she relaxed instantly as she realized who it was.
"Hello, Blizzardclaw," she smiled, happiness spreading like a warmth throughout her entire body.
Blizzardclaw stood over his mate, his eyes full of love as he nuzzled her cheek. "Feather!" he purred loudly. "I've missed you so much! It's felt like forever since I've last seen you!"
"It has been forever," Feather mused. Slipping out of his grip, she pounced on him playfully. "Why haven't you visited me more often!" she teased while licking his muzzle happily.
"I've been busy…" Blizzardclaw chuckled in amusement as he wrapped his paws around her.
Feather let out a blissful sigh as she rested her head on his chest. His rumbling purr and the warmth of his body calmed her, making her forget about the rain drenching both of their pelts and of all the worries clouding her mind. As he twined their tails together, she breathed in his familiar scent and twitched her whiskers. "You smell like a squirrel!" she purred in amusement.
Blizzardclaw smiled and licked her nose. "That's because I caught you one! It's in the den," he meowed, craning his neck backwards to motion towards the oak tree. Looking back at her, he flicked his ears. "Where are they…?"
"You mean the kits…?" Feather meowed in amusement as she let him up.
"Of course!" Blizzardclaw purred as he got to his paws. "I've been dying to see them again since the night they were born! I've even had dreams of playing with them you know," he added in amusement.
Feather nuzzled him happily. "They're very close by! Go back into the den," she meowed, nudging him in its direction. "I'll go fetch them for you!"
"Alright," the tom purred in agreement as he padded towards the den. "Don't take too long though!"
"I won't!" Feather purred as she raced way. Blizzardclaw watched her go with a smiled before disappearing back into the den. He was finally going to see the kits!
Feather trotted back to the birch tree. Her eyes gleamed with excitement this time as she looked down at the kits. "I've found him!" she whispered. "Come surprise him!" she urged, racing away from the tree.
The kits blinked at each other happily before pelting after their mother, their tiny paws splashing through the wet undergrowth. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure they were following, Feather came to a sudden stop by the fox's den. "In here!" she smiled to them. "Go in and surprise him!"
Mist gave a nervous sigh as she and her brothers reached the den. Exchanging weary glances with both of them, she blinked up at Feather. "Will you come with us…?" she mewed.
Feather purred before walking over to them. "Of course, little ones," she purred, standing beside them. "Now come on! There's nothing to be afraid about!" she assured them before nudging them towards the entrance of the den.
Frozenkit swallowed his weariness before smiling at his siblings. "Come on! We gotta beat him at hide and seek!" he reminded them before charging into the den.
Frost purred in amusement before pelting after his brother, Mist close behind him. Feather couldn't help but purr as tears of happiness made their way down her muzzle. They were finally going to meet their father! Casting one last glance around the wet forest, the she-cat padded after her kits with a wide grin on her face. Nothing would or could possibly ruin this moment for her.
A/N: It's 2:18am ._. But I uploaded the next chapter :'D Hope you enjoyed! This one was almost twice the size of the last one!