CHAPTER FOUR
It had been ten sunrises since Chesterkit, Rainkit and Birdkit had helped out in the medicine den. Slowly Shroudedpaw had warmed up to them being there but Fangfire. It seemed he just didn't like kits in general.
"Here, put this tansy on that pile over there," mewed the giant ginger tom and prodded a pile of leaves towards Chesterkit who picked them up and placed them in the right pile. The medicine den still stunk to Chesterkit but not as bad as at first.
"Rainkit and Birdkit go throw out these old dens and make new ones using the moss from the back, Chesterkit you can help out as well," Fangfire gestured with his tail and then left the den to go do whatever it was medicine cats did.
The three kits scrambled forward. Birdkit gripped a nest in his jaws and started dragging it towards the entrance. Rainkit pushed it from the other side as the nest was too heavy for Birdkit alone. Chesterkit joined Rainkit on her end and they pushed it forward but the nest got stuck on something on the ground.
"It might be a rock," Birdkit guessed.
"Let's give it our all to shove it, Rainkit. And Birdkit you can tug on it." Chesterkit gave a signal and they pulled and pushed with all their might. The nest came loose easier than expected and Rainkit and Chesterkit stumbled forward into the nest. There was a surprised squeak and a splash as Birdkit was catapulted forward into the pool.
"Help! Help!" he squeaked, floundering his paws.
"Birdkit!" Chesterkit let out a cry and ran to the edge of the pool. Birdkit was struggling to keep a float. "We need to help him." He looked at Rainkit as she joined him by the pool. Getting to Fangfire would take too long, as the medicine cat wasn't in the den anymore and there was no telling where he had went. The black she-kit nodded her head.
"Hold onto my tail and I'll pull him out."
"Okay," Chesterkit dug his claws into the rough stone and gripped Rainkit's tail in between his teeth. He slowly lowered her towards the water. Great Starclan she's heavy. How would he be able to pull both of them out if she was this heavy herself?
"Almost there," grunted Rainkit. She had her hind paws clinging to the side of the pool and her head was stretched out trying to reach Birdkit whose wails were getting quieter as he slowly submerged.
"Get me closer," she ordered Chesterkit as her jaws closed on empty air. Chesterkit complied and edged closer to the pool his hind paws protesting as he strained.
"What are you kits doing?" came an indignant cry from Fangfire as he padded into the den. Rainkit twisted her body in surprise causing Chesterkit's hind paws to give out as he could no longer hold onto her. The both of them tumbled into the pool. Chesterkit felt the wind go out of his lungs as he hit the cold water. He struggled to push his head above the water but Rainkit's paws hit him over the face as she tried to keep herself a float.
Was this it? Chesterkit thought as his lungs burned. But a pair of jaws clamped around his scruff and he was out of the water, the chilly air cutting through his fur. Fangfire placed Chesterkit coughing up water on the side of the pool. Then he dipped his jaws in and pulled out Rainkit who had somehow managed to get a grip on Birdkit. Rainkit let go of Birdkit once she was out safely.
"What were you kits doing?" demanded Fangfire, glaring angrily at them.
"Birkdit fell in so we helped him out," Chesterkit wheezed, his lungs feeling heavy.
Rainkit tried to add something but all she did was spit out more water. Fangfire turned to Birdkit who wasn't moving. His eyes flared in concern before he started kneading his paws over Birdkit's chest. The brown and black kit was still, his eyes closed. Chesterkit and Rainkit looked on worriedly as Fangfire worked. Finally the small kit jerked awake coughing up water. Chesterkit felt relief, his friend wasn't dead. Birdkit got up to his paws shakenly and Fangfire stroked his flank. "Take it easy," he mewed soothingly. Birdkit blinked his eyes and looked around the den as if seeing it for the first time ever. "I'm not dead," he breathed.
"Not if I can help it," purred Fangfire. He began to lick Birdkit's fur to dry it and then did the same to Rainkit and Chesterkit. He wrinkled his nose at the three kits. "I knew it would be a bad idea to have kits in the medicine cat den, you can go back to your mothers now. I don't want to see you around here again," with that he pushed the kits outside.
Outside a chilly wind cut through Chesterkit's fur. The days had gotten steadily colder and the trees were almost devoid of leaves now. The prey pile was getting smaller. "I guess that means we won't have to help out anymore," Chesterkit started but no one was paying attention to him. Rainkit had turned on Birdkit. "Great job birdbrain. We got in trouble again because of you. Now we'll never be warriors!"
"It's not my fault!" protested Birdkit, confused by the anger in his denmates green eyes.
"Of course nothing is ever your fault," mocked Rainkit.
"You got us in trouble with the leader in the first place," Birdkit pointed out. "And it's not like I wanted to drown."
"Sure you didn't. If you weren't stupid like your dad then maybe it wouldn't have happened."
"Don't talk about my dad like that! And I'm not stupid. Your the one whose stupid and mean and bossy," Birdkit's voice wavered as he finally stood up for himself. The three kits stopped walking and Rainkit stood in a fighting position her tail lashing while Birdkit stood his ground defiantly, his ears twitching in fear. Chesterkit looked from one friend to the other. This wasn't good.
" I am not," countered Rainkit.
"Are too," Birdkit replied "Just yesterday you were ordering me and Chesterkit around to do tasks that you should have done. When we play it always has to be a game you come up with or else."
"I'm not like that right, Chesterkit?" Rainkit looked at Chesterkit for support catching the black and golden tabby off guard.
"Err-"
"Yes she is. Tell her Chesterkit," Birdkit looked at him.
Chesterkit felt trapped between his two friends. Who should he side with? Birdkit had a point. Rainkit was bossy but she always treated Chesterkit nicely. She did make fun of Birdkit sometimes but that was only normal right? Friends made fun of each other.
Chesterkit must have taken too long to answer because Rainkit turned to Birdkit. "Chesterkit seems fine with it. If you have a problem then you can just leave. I don't wanna be friends with a loser like you anyways," with that she turned with her tail and muzzle raised high and left. Birdkit was left trembling but he would not lose this argument. "That's fine with me. I don't wanna be friends with a bossy furball like you. Your…your worse than… than Peachfur," he yowled. Rainkit froze and Birdkit shrunk to the ground as he realized he had hit a nerve that he shouldn't have.
"What did you say?" she mewed quietly as she turned around to face him. Birdkit just shivered and looked up with pleading eyes. "What did you say?" she repeated. Chesterkit could feel something was going to happen.
"Guys lets not fight," but he was clearly ignored as Rainkit hurled herself against Birdkit, squashing the smaller kit to the ground. "You coward," she hissed and began to bat at him while he mewed in terror and lay there.
"Stop!" yowled Chesterkit and lunged into the fray. He tried to pull Rainkit by the scruff but she turned on him and swatted him on the nose until pain filled his eyes and he couldn't see. He let her go and she lunged back onto Birdkit who had only just started to run away.
"Stop this, this instant." The mothers of the kits rushed over and pulled them apart. Flowernose gave Chesterkit a lick on his ear while Whitenose pulled Rainkit up by the scruff. Mosspelt stood over Birdkit protectively while he cowered on the ground.
"Chesterkit and Rainkit should be ashamed," she hissed. "How could they do this? I knew they were bad for Birdkit"
"He's my friend I would never hurt him," chesterkit felt bad. If he had stopped the fight before, this would never have happened.
"Well he's not my friend," Rainkit hissed.
Whitenose dipped her head apologetically to Mosspelt. "I will have a word with Rainkit and Scarfur," she mumbled around Rainkit's fur. "I don't know whats gotten into her lately"
"No I don't want daddy to yell at me again!" Rainkit protested. The only cat that scared her besides Peachfur like this was her dad when he was angry at her. The queen and her kit pushed their way towards the warriors den. Mosspelt looked at the retreating queens back until it had faded and then turned her gaze onto Flowernose and Chesterkit.
"Mom don't be mad at Chesterkit," mewed Birdkit. His fur was less ruffled now and he was standing unsteadily on his paws. "He tried to defend me."
Mosspelt sniffed. "Is that true?"
Chesterkit dipped his head apologetically, "Yes but I failed."
Flowernose gave Chesterkit another lick on the head. "My kit is good Mosspelt. He would never harm another. So stop accusing him."
Mosspelt held her muzzle up high. "I suppose. I'll have a word with Rainkit's mother than. But first it's off to the medicine den with you." She picked up Birdkit. "But I was just there," he protested.
"Let's take a nap," Flowernose suggested, after checking Chesterkit for any wounds, and satisfied he was lacking any, the two padded over the nursery.
"I'm actually not tired," Chesterkit lied. He felt dread at having fought with his friends. What would battle as a warrior look like once he got older. Would he feel as bad about fighting then as he did now?
"Are you sure?" asked Flowernose, then sensing that there were other thoughts on his mind, rubbed her muzzle against his. "Friends fight. Its only natural."
"I don't wanna have fights. I want us to be friends."
"Maybe Rainkit and Birdkit are not mean't to be your best friends. Maybe you might meet someone who you really get along well with."
"But I want to be friends with them, they are my best friends." Chesterkit looked up as his mom who let out a sigh. "Don't worry about it, just go play with the other kits for now. Watch, by sunrise you'll be friends again."
"You promise?" he squeaked feeling a bit better already.
"Starclan willing," Flowernose replied.
"Did someone say play?" a tiny squeak sounded from behind them. Mistykit had poked her head out of the nursery and Grizzlykit was behind her.
"Yea. You wanna go play outside?" Chesterkit offered.
"Sure. And guess who wants to join?" Mistykit mewed. She gestured at Grizzlykit who let out a big yawn.
"Not join, more like be forced to join," he muttered. Chesterkit rarely saw the big kit awake for more than a few hours at a time. And if he was he was either lying around or eating. But for some reason he was bigger than any other kit in the nursery despite being only two moons old. Maybe all that sleeping did have an effect. Maybe I should try it, Chesterkit mused.
"So what are we gonna play?" Chesterkit asked as Flowernose left back to the nursery.
"I left a ball of moss behind a fern," Mistykit prodded through the plant until she pulled out what she was looking for.
"Ugh do we have to? It's so annoying running around chasing moss," Grizzlykit complained.
"Come on, you'll never be a warrior like this," Mistykit chided. "Unless you wanna be a medicine cat."
"No way!" Grizzlykit's eyes opened wide in shock. "They smell nasty."
"Or maybe you'll even become an elder," added Chesterkit. "Since all you do is sleep and so do they."
Grizzlykit shook his head vigouroulsy. "Never"
"So then lets play," Mistykit bounced around. The three kits rolled the ball of moss around until Chesterkit dropped to his belly, tired. Grizzlykit had given up long ago and took to grooming his thick fluffy pelt.
"I'm done," Chesterkit announced and his stomach rumbled in agreement.
"come on, just a bit more." Mistykit didn't look tired at all. In fact she looked even more energetic.
Chesterkit shook his head. "I'm gonna grab something to eat." He padded over to the freshkill pile and took a measily mouse. It was smaller than him but he didn't care. A familiar scent filled his nose and Chesterkit felt his heart beat happily. It was Sharpclaw! He was behind Chesterkit and the young kit turned around to face him.
"Dad," he mewed.
"Hey Chesterkit," his father mewed awkwardly as Chesterkit stuck out his muzzle to touch noses. Sharpclaw looked down hesitantly as if Chesterkit was a hedgehog, before lightly touching noses with his son.
"When are you gonna visit mom and me?" Chesterkit asked. He hadn't seen his dad for moons and missed him. Sharpclaw was hard to find around camp.
"Err-" his father looked around uncomfortably as Flamefur and Patchcloud padded up behind him. "I'll talk to you another time okay? I have to go on a patrol."
"It's alright, you aren't scheduled for a hunting or border patrol," Patchcloud reassured the gray warrior. "Spend some time with your kit," the deputy dipped his head to pick up a vole to share with Flamefur.
"Err- well I had to go help someone with something anways," Sharpclaw mewed hastily and then padded away.
Chesterkit felt his tail droop. Why did his father seem to hate him?
"Don't worry," Patchcloud reassured Chesterkit. "I've known Sharpclaw for a while. He loves you, he just doesn't know how to show it."
"Whatever," Chesterkit muttered crossly. If his dad didn't love him that was fine with him. Chesterkit had felt this might be the issue. Sharpclaw always looked uncomfortable talking to Flowernose and Chesterkit. Every other kit's dad cared for them. Maybe it was because he was a bad kit? But Rainkit's dad still loved her no matter what she did. Chesterkit would just have to prove to his dad that he was a good kit.
He padded over to a tree stump where he ate his mouse. Mistykit was trying to get Grizzlykit to play with her but he just kept padding away from her. Silverkit and Goosekit were also out of the nursery which was rare. They were talking when Goosekit noticed Chesterkit. She padded up to him, her eyes narrowed.
"Eating by yourself mousebrain- or should I call you leafbrain. Looks like your gonna be a medicine cat in the future."
"No, I'm not Goosekit," Chesterkit replied tiredly. He wasn't in the mood to listen to Goosekit. She was always bothering the other kits. No one liked her.
"You sure? You smell like one already," she took an overexagerrated sniff.
"Maybe it's your scent that your picking up," Chesterkit tried to keep his fur flat.
"Well if I smelled like herbs then my father would hate me too."
Chesterkit swallowed back a growl. Had she noticed what happened before?
"Peachfur tells me Sharpclaw doesn't even love you or Flowernose," Goosekit continued.
"Well Peachfur's a liar!" the yowl burst out of Chetserkit before he could even stop himself.
"Then why does the rest of the clan know that this is true?"
"Goosekit don't bully him," Silverkit had hesitantly joined her sister. "It's not nice to do so."
But Goosekit ignored her. "Maybe its cause Sharpclaw used to be Shadowclan. You can never trust a Shadowclan cat."
"He's a loyal Thunderclan cat." Chesterkit felt anger propel his legs and he knocked Goosekit over, who looked surprised, before running into the nursery.
"Chesterkit!" Silverkit cried out his name but he didn't look back. His father couldn't possibly be Shadowclan, could he? This made no sense.