AN: Ugh. I know, I know. It's been a while. I was busy. Good news is that this chapter is extra long, and I already have the next properly written. I say proper because I will have a chapter just to clarify things if you're confused before seeing Shadowkit again.
Alright. Thanks to CaptainEko for Lizardkit and Flowerkit, Ponybird21 for Snowpaw, PurpleFrenchFryAmy (she's really cool) for Nightpaw, That one person (guest) for Pinekit, and I'm really sorry, I-really-hope-not, but I couldn't think of how to work Stormfall in. Next time, hopefully.
Also, we're at 400 views! Crazy!
PEACE OUT!
DISCLAIMER: I own, like, two Warriors books. I am not Erin Hunter. Also, I now realize that I didn't do this last chapter, so this counts for then, too.
oOo
"What do we play now?" Flowerkit whined.
She, Lizardkit and Pinekit had been playing Moss Ball (Pinekit's suggestion), but it had been taken away because they had been 'disturbing the Elders' according to Cracktooth, the most annoying cat in ShadowClan.
At that, Pinekit had gone back to the Nursery and her mother, Addernose. She had never had much courage, anyway.
Lizardkit was just as bored as Flowerkit, but she didn't want to be a fun-ruiner (like Cracktooth) and instead replied with, "How about we have something to eat?"
They both padded over to the fresh-kill pile and started rummaging around. "Look at this newt!" Lizardkit crowed. "His tongue is sticking out!"
Flowerkit purred with amusement, but then her eyes lit up. "I know what we can play!" she whispered. "We put Newt at the end of the camp and take turns hunting it!"
Lizardkit nodded in agreement (do cats even nod?) and picked the newt up in her jaws, then trotted to the other end of the clearing. She put the newt down and turned around.
Just as Lizardkit turned around, Snowpaw and Nightpaw trotted out of the apprentice's den and headed towards the warm pile of prey.
Lizardkit had often wondered how Snowpaw's sleek gray pelt made anyone think of the white, fluffy stuff, but Nightpaw's almost entirely jet-black fur was accurate.
The two were now huddled over the fresh-kill pile and their voices carried over to Lizardkit.
"Fox dung, there's no bird!" Snowpaw cursed.
"There's never any, mouse-brain!" Nightpaw teased. "Just because you were born in ThunderClan doesn't mean that you have to eat their prey!"
"I might not be, though." Snowpaw countered. There was no mistaking the hopeful tone in her voice. Even though she was only a kit, Lizardkit had heard about the day a ShadowClan patrol had found a lost kit, not even with it's eyes open, along the ThunderClan border and brought it back to camp.
Lizardkit looked down at her paws and yelped when she saw her usually brown-and-ginger fur dotted with gray. She had realized a while ago that just thinking about a cat, especially that cat's appearance, made her fur start to change colour, starting form her quickly willed herself back to normal and scurried back to Flowerkit, acting as though nothing had happened. No-one needed to know how messed up she really was.
"I'll go first!" Flowerkit squeaked. She crouched down and started inching towards the newt, trying to put each paw down softly but failing every time. However, part-way through, she seemed to give up, and bounded across the remainder of the clearing before flicking a paw at the newt and letting it fall on it's back into the dust on the ground.
"Why didn't you hunt it?" Lizardkit asked her sister.
"Hunting is stupid," was all she got back.
Lizardkit flicked her tail in annoyance and started to creep across the clearing. When she felt that the newt was close enough to her, she pounced and crushed the reptile's body beneath her claws, then scratched it with all of her might.
"Little kits don't kill," a raspy voice reminded her.
Lizardkit looked up at Mallowwhisker, the aging medicine cat, and puffed out her chest. "I'm not little; I become an apprentice in a moon!" she protested.
Elderly Mallowwhisker tilted his head up and purred with amusement, and old, creaky noise that suggested that it had been a while since it was last used. "Wasting food is outside of the Warrior Code, Lizardkit," Mallowwhisker gestured with his tail and the bloody, dusty newt splattered on the ground. "although I guess your whole birth is outside the Warrior Code."
What? He couldn't have possibly guessed my secret!
Lizardkit's mother, Littlepetal, had often tolf herself and Flowerkit that heir father was Narrowstar, leader of ThunderClan, and that he was soon coming to save them from their horrible lives.
How could Mallowwhisker have guessed?
oOo
Ponybird21, I had to change Snowpaw's birth Clan because I'm using the lake (as you will soon see) ans ShadowClan and WindClan don't share a border!
Other than that, I hope you enjoyed. Please review and tell me what you thought!
- Girl with a Flower Crown xx