Chapter Eight: The First Snow
Note- I will be posting once or twice a month, or more.
A small grey she-kit was being hustled along in the thick snow, a large black she-cat guarding her and the other kits. Why did we leave? She cried silently, hanging her head in exhaustion. They'd been on the move for hours, and her feet were numb, snow prickling them.
"Jay, I want to stop." Pigeon mewed, feeling her feet give way as she fell in the snow. Jay flicked an ear, curling around the three kits.
The black she-cat purred soothingly, lapping at their fur. "We're almost there. Shelter and food will await you." Pigeon purred, burrowing into her mother's thick fur, falling asleep with her littermates around her.
A low growl woke her, as well as her siblings. "Pigeon, Raven, Ginger, we need to get up." Jay was speaking in harsh tones, her amber eyes anxious.
Ginger asked, "Why? I'm tired and you said we could stop." Jay nuzzled her kits, licking their foreheads one by one.
"We're almost there." She mewed simply. "How about you go and play in the bushes; I need to go hunt." Her tone was gentler now as she reasoned with them. Jay's tail was lashing, her claws unsheathed. Raven nodded, too sluggish to move quickly. Pigeon hurried her brothers along, pushing them ahead.
"Mother said we need to go, let's hurry." Pigeon reasoned with her complaining brothers, seeing their mother glance worriedly at them, pacing in the thick snow. Ginger dragged Raven into the tendrils of the bush, just as a loud snarl ripped through the air. Pigeon saw a large blur of dark-orange fur racing towards them, but Jay intercepted it with a paw across its forehead.
Pigeon darted into the bush, fur spiked up. Raven whimpered, and Ginger hissed, "Shush!"
With bright and anxious eyes, they watched the creature and their mother battle. Jay was strong, but the animal was hungry, ribs showing clearly through its thick fur. It was desperate. Saliva dripped from its jaws.
Letting out a yowl, the black she-cat hurtled onto its back, screeching and ripping at its flesh. It swung around, yelping and barking. Jay flew off, landing in a drift of snow at the base of a tree. Raven let out a screech, but Pigeon slapped a paw across his muzzle, not kindly. Too late, the creature's attention had been driven away from the black she-cat. It stalked towards the bush, as Jay shifted.
Pigeon watched as it crept closer, its amber eyes blinking coldly. Jay got up, her eyes narrowing. Sprinting towards the animal, she swung another paw at its head, battering its muzzle with a flurry of blows. Blood dripped onto the snow, staining it crimson. The creature reeled back, pinning their mother down. She gasped, clawing at its chest feebly.
Pigeon couldn't take this, letting out a quiet snarl. She leaped forward, into a drift of powdery snow. It's like you're swimming. Jay's gentle reminders came back, and the gray kit paddled confidently through the cold substance. Raven had tried to grasp her tail, but Ginger must've stopped him. Jay had gotten out of the creature's grip, and was now fighting again. Blood spattered the snow once more. It was a sickening sight.
The young kit yowled loudly, to draw the animal's attention away. It looked away, and Jay hooked a claw around its neck. It snapped its jaws around her stomach, and flung her at an oak tree, their mother collapsing with a sickening crack. It scrambled towards Pigeon, who was too shocked to move.
Mother can't be dead! She can't! Her mind swirled. She felt Ginger at her side; a puffed up ball of orange. A sleek black pelt crept up behind Pigeon, nudging her softly. They were frozen now, numb with fear as they stared at the creature.
Raven murmured, "I think it's a fox; mum told me about them once." His mew was loud enough for them to hear, but quiet enough not to carry over to the 'fox'. It snarled, and leaped. Suddenly large cat-like shapes came out of the shadows, yowling and screeching. The kits watched, their eyes wide as the cats attacked the animal, battering it with swift accuracy.
A soft and silver tail gently pushed them away from the battlefield. "Come on, dear kits. You must not be harmed." The voice was soothing, but Raven wailed loudly.
"I want to see Mother!" he whimpered, and tore off. The she-cat nodded, and trailed after them, while Ginger and Pigeon stumbled behind. A loud growl caught their attention; the fox was blocking their littermate from reaching Jay. The strange she-cat sprinted ahead, attacking the fox with ferocity. The kits hurried along. Pigeon pressed her nose to Jay's cold pelt, swallowing a lump in her throat. Ginger whimpered, and Raven sat dejected at the base of the tree.
The silvery cat had come again. "Kits, you must hurry. It is not safe right here." The tiny grey she-cat nodded, meeting her siblings' eyes as she looked up from Jay's pelt, which was matted with blood. Raven was staring at the fox, his eyes cold as the mountain-tops.
Ginger let out an anguished cry as Raven leapt forward, running towards the fox. It immediately turned around, its eyes sharp as flint. The red-furred creature slammed a paw onto the black tom-kit, snapping his neck. Pigeon screamed, allowing her frustration and grief to spill out. The she-cat held her scruff, the she-kit dangling from the silver cat's jaws as Ginger clung onto the cat's back.
Pigeonfall clung to these memories, grief overtaking her. Ginger had fallen in battle soon after joining, but he had been known as Foxclaw once in FrostClan. Icelily-the new queen- was supporting the grey she-cat. She licked Pigeonfall's ear comfortingly as they gazed at the falling snow.
Hawkeye and a few other warriors had set off into the territory to look for her missing kits. Icelily didn't know her past, simply that Dawnkit and Elkkit were gone. Pigeonfall's back-story made it all the worse. She'd lost two family members that day. Her father had been killed by twolegs, as Jay had found.
It was snowing harder now, the flakes coming down in fierce drifts, the wind blowing wildly as the snow swirled about. Hawkeye hadn't returned yet.
What if my kits never come back?
This thought kept lingering in the back of her mind as she watched the thick snow. Was the snow this heavy in other territories? She wouldn't know. Pigeonfall thought about her kits. Dawnkit most likely had led Elkkit out, being the loud and curious one. Elkkit was subdued, never encouraged with what his sibling was doing. A white pelt took form as it leapt towards the nursery.
Icelily stepped out into the snow, wobbling a little. "What are you doing out here, Snowberry?"
The medicine cat shook off the snow on her thick pelt, sheltered under a group of half-withered ferns thick with snow that had grown on the den. Pigeonfall acknowledged her presence, eyes closed. Icelily's white-and-silvery pelt was visible from the corner of her eye, her figure blurry.
Pigeonfall blinked, eyes narrowing. Figures could be seen in the distance, her gaze flicked towards Highstones, where Tundrastar was hunched. Suddenly Cloverleaf burst through the entrance, blood speckling the ground where she stood. Snowberry raced out of the nursery, her white pelt barely visible. Tundrastar was bounding towards the fallen warrior, while Pigeonfall and Icelily watched, pelts brushing.
The black she-cat coughed, murmuring to Tundrastar as Snowberry packed ice onto her wounds, Lilypaw –her apprentice- by her side, applying poultices. Pigeonfall shivered, backing further into the nursery. The grey she-cat huddled in her nest, while Icelily sat beside her, silent.
The low mew of Lynxclaw sounded through the nursery, "Pigeonfall? We've found your kits." His voice was grim and serious. The she-cat felt Icelily move away, no doubt towards her mate. Pigeonfall nodded, opening her eyes a sliver. Icelily was rubbing her head under Lynxclaw's jaw, and she closed her eyes again.
Her voice was dry, and cracked a little, "May I go to see them?"
The tom hesitated. "I-I'm not sure; they've encountered a mother-badger guarding her cubs and Tundrastar said everyone should stay at cam-"
Pigeonfall didn't wait for Lynxclaw to call her name -which he did before being cut off- and raced out of camp, her fur brushing the cold stone that guarded the entrance. Will I be punished for leaving camp when Tundrastar had orders not to? The grey she-cat shook her head quickly, shrugging off these thoughts. Cloverleaf's bloody trail was visible in the snow, so she simply followed that, trotting quickly.
The coppery scent of blood soon made her head spin a little, and her lips curled back. The she-cat leapt behind a rock, almost bashing her head on the stone. She felt her fur warm in embarrassment, and watched the on-going battle with a flick of the ears. Pigeonfall could make out the colors of Dawnkit and Elkkit, Dawnkit's black hindleg standing out in the snow, while her brother's brown pelt was plainly visible. Badgerstrike guarded them fiercely, his muscles rippling underneath his sleek grey pelt as the badger attempted to get to her kits.
Hawkeye was on the badger's back, shredding its back. Blood stained the snow crimson, from both species. Cloudspots had a large yet shallow injury on her hindleg, trying to get behind the mother-badger to the cubs that hid in the roots of a fallen tree. Hawkeye leapt off as the badger rolled over, and limped over to Cloudspots, yowling.
Pigeonfall heard footsteps behind her, and Lynxclaw, Bearfang, Sleetfeather, Blizzardstorm, Tundrastar, and Dovefeather flew into battle, snarls filling the air. Dovefeather ran towards her kits, forcing them to follow her by nudging them swiftly, but they were tired and stumbled often.
She should never become a mother. The silver tabby was disgusted and angered, and tore down the snowy hill, skidding to a stop, and raced towards her kits.
"Pigeonfall!" Dawnkit squealed, stumbling towards Pigeonfall and nuzzling her foreleg. She was a shivering bundle of fur. Elkkit walked over, more careful with his steps. Pigeonfall purred, and shot a sharp look at Dovefeather, who was bristling.
The deputy snarled. "You know, I got them. You didn't need to intervene." Her silky-silver fur bristled, but what for Pigeonfall didn't know, and didn't want to.
"They were tired, and didn't need to be rushed along like that!" Pigeonfall snapped back, sweeping her kits under her belly-fur.
"It's their fault for wandering off!"
Badgerstrike looked back, blood dripping from his pelt. His amber eyes glowed with surprise and Pigeonfall thought she saw a glimmer of amusement. "Calm down. Dovefeather is the deputy, Pigeonfall." he reminded her gently, "Even though they may be your kits, she knows what's best."
His expression didn't match his words, but Dovefeather looked satisfied, her blue eyes gleaming. Pigeonfall cast another glance at Badgerstrike. "You should probably get your injuries treated…" she offered, nodding at his bleeding injuries that painted his grey tabby pelt red.
Badgerstrike shrugged, pointing his tail towards Snowberry. "I'll be taken care of sooner or later."
The queen nodded, and returned her attention to her kits.
Pigeonfall picked Elkkit up, the brown tom seeming more exhausted than Dawnkit.
"Climb onto my back." the she-cat ordered Dawnkit, bending down so the pale-grey she-cat could clamber on. Her tiny claws sank into Pigeonfall's thick fur.
She craned her head up, to look at the clearing gray sky. Thank you StarClan… It felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and began trudging back to camp, -ignoring Dovefeather- Elkkit dangling from her jaws.
The she-cat had reached camp, and Lilypaw, the medicine cat apprentice, was darting out of camp at the moment, almost knocking the queen over. After murmuring a muffled 'sorry', the white she-cat had sprinted off again.
Tundrastar was sitting in the nursery as Pigeonfall walked in, hunched down due to his height. Icelily was kneading her nest, her golden eyes showing relief at the sight of the other queen. Lynxclaw was sitting beside Tundrastar, silent. Tension was thick in the air. Dawnkit slid off of Pigeonfall's back, quickly falling asleep in their nest. Elkkit curled up next to her, and Pigeonfall settled down beside them as they burrowed into her thick fur.
"I told you not to leave camp, Pigeonfall." Tundrastar reminded the queen, ears flicking. Icelily stared at the nursery wall.
Pigeonfall nodded, not responding.
The broad-shouldered tom sighed, and stretched his front-legs, looking uncomfortable. She noticed grey around his muzzle. When has Tundrastar grown this old?
"I will excuse you from it, but your kits will be apprenticed a half-moon later."
"Fine." Pigeonfall almost snarled, but kept her voice even.
Tundrastar nodded, and quickly left the den, Lynxclaw on his tail.
After once last glance at her kits, Pigeonfall fell asleep. Icelily stayed awake, staring blankly at the nursery's stone wall.
