Well here we are again! I have to say, it's really fun writing the kits! I just love them all!
Don't forget to fave and review!
Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter.
Cats belong to me.
"Wow…it's so big out here!" Fallskit gaped as she stared above her at the high tree tops. "How far do you think those trees go?"
"High enough that none of you shall be climbing them until you're older," Leapingriver gently scolded and gently pushed her daughter forward so she wouldn't get left behind.
Her father was a fox-length ahead of them with the rest of the kits.
"Are we going to see the waterfall? Stripedwhisker said that it's so loud that you can't hear your own meow!" Quailkit questioned.
"Are we gonna see some ThistleClan cats? 'Cause if we do, I'll shred them!" Springkit growled and demonstrated a slash to prove his point.
"Like you would take on a ThistleClan warrior all by yourself, Springkit!" Whiskerkit debated. "You would scream and run behind Father."
Springkit growled and reared in front of his sister. "Would not! You would be the scaredy-cat!"
"Would not!"
"Would too!"
"Would not!"
"Would too!"
"Enough you two," Goldenstar gently reprimanded. "We're almost to the waterfall."
"Yippee!" Quailkit chirped and gave a small bounce in his walking.
"Last one there is a minnow-brain!" Springkit challenged and dashed ahead of his father.
"No fair, Springkit!" Fallskit laughed and ran after her brother.
Quailkit and Whiskerkit let out small giggles and sped after their older littermates.
"Wait for us, kits!" Leapingriver called as she and her mate dashed after their spirited kits. "I swear they act like you so much!"
"Me?" Goldenstar purred in amusement. "That's you right there in them! You were the one who dashed head-first into everything."
"Just because you're my leader and my mate doesn't mean I can't throw you into the river, Goldenstar," Leapingriver quickly snapped as amusement danced in her bright green eyes.
"Check this out!" Springkit awed as the Clan leader and his mate finally caught up with their kits near the edge of the lake. The four kits stood agape in front of the thunderous waterfall for which WaterfallClan was named for. Thousands upon thousands of life-giving water plundered over cliff-side like a horde of running monsters into the deep water below. A spiral of mist swirled around the lake and drenched the cliffs besides it.
"It's so…beautiful…" Fallskit breathed.
"And it's what you were named after, my dear," Leapingriver purred and gently raked her white-tipped tail over her daughter's ear.
"What about me, Mother? What was I named after?" Springkit demanded.
"You were named after your boundless energy, Springkit," his mother explained.
"And me?" Whiskerkit politely asked, her big amber eyes as wide as an owl's.
"You were named for your long whiskers, Whiskerkit," Goldenstar explained and gently nuzzled his daughter's forehead with his muzzle.
"And what about me?" Quailkit squeaked.
Goldenstar's bright golden eyes rested on his youngest son's pale green ones. "You were named after your grandfather, Quailfeather, who died saving me."
"Whoa, really?" Quailkit awed and his tail began to wave in excitement.
"No way!" Fallskit exclaimed.
"Why did he die, Father?" Whiskerkit asked. "Was there some mean cat trying to hurt you?"
Goldenstar exchanged looks with his anxious mate. The two have decided to not mention the battle that took place beyond the cliffs nearly a year ago, for they didn't want to alarm their kits. They also decided not to mention to them that Quailfeather broke the warrior code by having him and his other littermates so that they wouldn't be teased by their younger Clanmates. It was also the same reason why they didn't tell their kits that their mother was a former kittypet.
Well, she never wore a collar and has always despised Twolegs, but both of her parents were former kittypets…Goldenstar reminded himself, but that doesn't make her any less a warrior than any other cat in the forest.
"We'll tell you when you four are older," Leapingriver softly explained, much to her kits' disappointment.
"Aww!" Springkit whined, hoping for a great story. "But we are older!"
"When you get older than you currently are," Goldenstar further explained.
"Pretty please?" Whiskerkit pled, using her wide amber eyes as her advantage.
Leapingriver usually falls for her eyes, but Goldenstar rarely does himself.
"It's about time we starting heading home, anyway," Goldenstar announced.
"But we just got here!" Fallskit insisted.
"And we haven't seen the borders yet!" Springkit protested.
"You'll see them with your mentors when you become apprentices," Leapingriver meowed.
"But that'll take forever!" Quailkit pouted.
It's sooner than you think!
"Come on, let's go home," Goldenstar meowed and gently shoved his kits forward. "It's nearly sunhigh."
"Your father needs to do something very important when we get back to the camp," Leapingriver purred as she shooed her kits back to camp, much to their protest.
"Aww…" Whiskerkit sighed as she followed her older littermates back towards the camp and disappeared into the undergrowth.
"Little do they know about what's in store for them when we get back," Leapingriver purred. "They'll be so excited!"
Goldenstar shared a smirk with his mate before following their kits. He was surprised to find out that they were already gone by the time he appeared from the ferns. The kits were nowhere in sight.
"Kits?" Leapingriver asked.
There was no response.
"Where could they've gone?" Goldenstar asked aloud.
"Perhaps they went back to camp already," Leapingriver suggested.
"In such a hurry? I don't think so," Goldenstar dismissed and instantly bad thoughts were beginning to fill his mind.
"Heelllpp!"
The sudden shriek filled the air as birds hastily flew away from the source of the sound.
"That sounded like Whiskerkit!" Goldenstar cried and before letting his mate react dashed after the cry of his daughter. He leapt through the undergrowth and soon heard the sound of his mate not far behind him. Goldenstar leapt out of the ferns and skidded to a halt near a large animal. The animal was mostly black with a silver underbelly and muzzle and a fluffy black tail. Its muzzle was longer than a cat's and had large pointed ears. The creature resembled a fox except for its color and size; the creature was about three times the size of a young fox. What Goldenstar noticed was that it had Whiskerkit in its jaws by the flank. The young kit let out a feeble wail and her wide amber eyes stared at the ground. There was a small amount of blood dripping from her flank and shoulder which was in the creature's mouth.
Four other creatures were next to the first one. They were similar to the first one in some ways; some had shorter muzzle lengths or were smaller with small legs, others were just as tall as the first but smaller and droopier ears and thin tails.
The pack of wild creatures stared wild-eyed at the two newcomers. They let out growls and dared the two cats to come any closer.
Goldenstar used this moment to scrutinize the clearing for his other three kits. He found them crouching under a bush and recognized Springkit's wide golden eyes among the leaves, Quailkit's tail sticking out next to a branch, and Fallskit's white paws and muzzle.
"Leapingriver, go get Moonshadow quickly," Goldenstar whispered to his mate.
"What?!" Leapingriver quietly snapped as one of the creatures let out a warning growl. "You're asking me to leave my kits with these behemoths while you stay here and most likely get yourself and our kits killed?"
"Yes." Goldenstar flicked his shorten tail as Leapingriver stared at him in shock. "And as Clan leader, I expect you to obey my command. Go find Moonshadow and tell him to bring as many warriors as he can command."
Leapingriver's green eyes were filled with hurt and she slowly nodded and obeyed her leader's order. Without another word, she swiftly disappeared into the undergrowth.
Goldenstar let out a growl and took a paw-step forward. "Who's first?" he answered.
Somehow the creatures understood him and a small, long-haired white female leapt forward with jaws open wide. Goldenstar easily dodged the white female and managed to rake his claws against its white pelt. A second creature, this time a long-haired rowan male, snapped forward during this moment and caught ahold of Goldenstar's left ear.
The Clan leader managed to hold in a yowl of pain and pulled back. The rowan male had a strong grip on the tom's ear and Goldenstar swiped at the male's muzzle. The creature let out a yelp as the white female recovered and tackled Goldenstar's flank. Goldenstar ducked around the yippy female and struck her flanks with his sharp claws.
Goldenstar sensed another creature coming from behind and leapt into the air as a soft brown female's jaws slammed shut right where the rest of tail used to be. Goldenstar landed on the brown female's back and dug his claws into her back. He raked his claws across her forehead and bit her ear for good measure. The female growled and quickly shook her fur and the WaterfallClan leader was flung off the creature and landed not far on his paws.
Another creature, this time a mottled golden-brown male, came up from behind Goldenstar and roughly grabbed him by the scruff. The male took this moment and shook the Clan leader like a rag doll. Goldenstar had to close his eyes in order not to get too dizzy as the creature threw him to the side. The tom struggled to his paws as the white female came back for retaliation and nipped his side. Just as the golden tabby tom was about to swipe at her, the brown female came up on his other side and bit his other flank. Blood dripped downwards and Goldenstar felt himself being cornered by the four creatures while his daughter still lay in the first creature's jaws not far. Goldenstar was painfully aware of his three other kits watching him in the bush a fox-length away.
Great StarClan, if I die now they'll surely feast upon my kits!
As if to answer his prayers, a screech was heard from beyond the bushes and out came Moonshadow with his claws outstretched with several of his best warriors behind him. Goldenstar recognized Leapingriver and Cedarstep among them.
"Dogs!" Moonshadow hissed as he neared the mottled male. "I knew I recognized their filthy stench!"
They're dogs! No wonder I couldn't recognize their scent!
Cedarstep, Auburnwhisker, and Ryeleaf leapt on the rowan male's back while Leapingriver and Otterwhisker dealt with the small white female. Nightstrike, Pineheart, and Cliffjumper hissed and growled treacherously at the brown female while Moonshadow, Meltingice, and Privetdrop viciously attacked the mottled male.
Goldenstar used this chance to recover and launched himself at the silver and black mutt, who merely stared at the cats. The mutt flung his daughter to the side and met the Clan leader with open jaws. Goldenstar dodged its attack and dove under its paws. He hissed and dealt blow after blow on the mutt's belly. The dog barked and leaned forward and managed to grab Goldenstar by the back and throw him into the air. Goldenstar wildly tried to grab a paw-hold of something, but his luck failed him as the mutt caught him in his jaws and flung him against the nearby tree. The Clan leader felt blood drip off the wound and he was painfully aware of Moonshadow rushing across the clearing to meet him as his vision began to fail.
The last thing he saw was his daughter's limp bloody body a whisker-length in front of him along with the sound of a howl.