I know I said I would wait until I had lots more chapters, but I couldn't resist updating again, so here we go. Also I just realised I mentioned the rogues in Chapter One and haven't mentioned them since, so they'll be in the story soon.
Reviews-
Cloudy Dreamcatcher- Thanks so much. It's great seeing all your positive reviews. Yeah, Horseflight isn't the best name, but it used to be Horsepool and I really wanted to change that. Foxpaw will come into the story, but no more from her POV. Sorry.
Firconekit waggled her haunches, preparing to pounce on the beetle in front of her.
"That's not how you do it," a scornful mew cut in.
Firconekit pounced, landing squarely atop the beetle.
"What are you talking about?" she growled. "I caught it, didn't I?"
She glared up at Alderkit, a growl rumbling in her throat. The bigger kit glared back.
"You have to stalk it first," he mewed with barely disguised contempt. "And the wind was blowing towards it. it would have scented you."
Firconekit looked at him incredulously.
"Beetles can't smell."
Alderkit snarled and stepped towards her. Firconekit scrambled to her feet and stood as tall as she could.
"Back off, mouse-heart," Alderkit growled.
"I'm not a mouse-heart!" Firconekit snarled, bristling.
"You're a kit. Kits are mouse-hearts," he replied.
"You're a kit too," Firconekit pointed out. "You're insulting yourself."
"But I'm nearly an apprentice," Alderkit boasted. His voice lowered and held the hint of a snarl. "The way you're going, you'd be better off as a soft little kittypet."
Firconekit snarled, her anger rising at the insult. She wasn't a soft kittypet! Alderkit stared at her, smirking, and Firconekit's control broke. She leapt at the tom-kit, but before she reached him the earth under Alderkit's paws was shoved aside as a bramble tendril rose up. The two kits stood, frozen in horror, as the bramble wrapped itself around Alderkit's legs, splitting apart and rooting him firmly to the ground.
"Firconekit!" Alderkit called.
Her body unfroze and she unsheathed her claws, slashing at the bramble. Alderkit struggled against it, tearing the brambles off with his jaws, and soon it lay in pieces at their feet.
"Kits, what are…"
A brown head appeared in the entrance to the small space behind the nursery. Her green eyes widened as she took in the scattered pieces of bramble and the scratches across Alderkit's legs.
"Get out now, both of you," she mewed urgently.
Firconekit and Alderkit crept out.
"Both of you to the healer's den, now."
"But Petalfoot…" Alderkit complained.
"I'm alright,"Firconekit said.
"That's for Violetecho to decide."
Petalfoot herded the kits to the healer's den, where Violetecho lay in a patch of sunlight, her plump white belly stretched out between her legs. She got to her feet gracefully when she noticed the approaching cats.
"How can I help?" she asked.
Petalfoot shoved Alderkit forward. "His legs are covered in scratches."
Violetecho frowned. "How did that happen?"
"A bramble crawled up his legs!" Firconekit mewed.
Petalfoot glared at her. "Are you sure it wasn't you? Last time I checked, brambles don't crawl up kits legs on their own."
Firconekit stepped back.
"I wouldn't do that!" she mewed indignantly.
"With all your fighting I wouldn't be surprised!" the queen shot back.
"I saved him from it," Firconekit said.
Alderkit snorted. "You didn't help. I got myself out of it. Like I'd need help from a kit."
He glared at Firconekit, as if daring her to challenge him. She shrunk back under his gaze. Violetecho gave them a strange look, and quickly dressed Alderkit's cuts.
"He'll be ok," she told Petalfoot. "Just no rough play until they're healed."
"AROWWW!"
Firconekit was instantly awake and alert as the screech of pain cut through the night air. Beechfoot was out of their nest straight away.
"Where you going?" asked Pinekit sleepily.
"Sorrelwhisker's kitting," Beechfur mewed tightly. "I'm going to fetch Violetecho."
In the past quarter-moon Sorrelwhisker had moved into the nursery, expecting Ivyclaw's kits.
"New kits!" Maplekit exclaimed happily.
"We'll be able to play with them when Alderkit and Nettlekit become apprentices," Firconekit agreed.
"Not that you do much playing with Alderkit," Pinekit joked.
"How many will there be? Maplekit asked excitedly.
"We don't know," Petalfoot cut in. "Now out of the nursery. Out. Out!"
She shooed them out of the nursery and left them alone in the clearing with the older kits and Ivyclaw, who was pacing nervously around the clearing.
"We should try get to in the apprentice's den," Nettlekit suggested.
"Yes!" Firconekit mewed. "Then we can be real apprentices!"
Alderkit cuffed her over the head.
"You're only four moons," he growled. "You're nowhere near being apprentices."
"Watch it," she growled back. "I'll be Firconestar one day."
"Alderstar seems more likely."
He took off, Nettlekit chasing him to the apprentice's den. Firconekit and her litter-brothers dashed after them.
"What are you doing here?" Rosepaw growled sleepily.
"Sorrelwhisker's kitting," Nettlekit explained.
"Can we sleep in here?" Pinekit asked, yawning.
"Sure. Just don't bother me," Rosepaw mewed, curling into a ball and closing his eyes.
"Great!" Firconekit exclaimed, trotting into the apprentice's den.
She chose a small nest in the corner of the den and curled up, feeling her denmates settle around her. She closed her eyes to the sound of the apprentice's snoring and Sorrelwhisker's cries.
"Get up you three, you've slept for long enough."
Firconekit blinked and opened her eyes. Her father was leaning over her.
"Cedarsong!"
She lunged at him, and he dodged her playful attack.
"How's Sorrelwhisker?" Maplekit asked.
"How are the kits?" Firconekit added, suddenly remembering the events from the night before.
"She's had four," Cedarsong purred.
"Three she-kits and a tom," Thornpaw added from his nest.
"How do you know?" Cedarsong asked. "You haven't been to see them yet."
Thornpaw looked at him, puzzled. "I…" he trailed off, blinking and looking even more confused.
"Come on," Cedarsong sighed, exasperated.
Firconekit and her littermates jumped up and followed Cedarsong to the nursery.
"Can my kits come in?" he called.
Hazeltail's striped head poked out. "Of course. Just be quiet, kits."
Firconekit crept into the nursery. Sorrelwhisker was lying in her nest, four tiny kits huddled at her side.
"Hey Firconekit, Pinekit, Maplekit," Sorrelwhisker mewed weakly, raising her head.
"What are the kits called?" Maplekit asked eagerly.
"This one." Sorrelwhisker ran a paw over a pale grey she-kit. "Is Ashkit. This is Pollenkit." She nodded to a ginger and white speckled she-kit.
"It looks like she's covered in pollen!" Firconekit mrrowed in amusement.
"Why do you think I named her that?" Sorrelwhisker laughed. "This little tom's Yewkit." She stroked the black tom-kit with her tail, and he purred quietly.
"What about the brown and black tabby?" Maplekit asked.
The last kit was the smallest, far tinier than her littermates.
"She's Sapkit," Sorrelwhisker said, looking fondly at her kit.
"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Oakstar yowled.
"What now?" Sorrelwhisker sighed.
"Let's go!" Firconekit mewed.
"We're not old enough to catch our own prey," Pinekit pointed out.
"Have you ever tried?" Firconekit asked.
"Hurry up!" Maplekit called, already outside the nursery.
Firconekit and Pinekit pelted after him, scrambling close to Beechfur's grey and white pelt. The Clan was gathered in a loose semicircle around the Highledge, leaving a space in the centre. Oakstar stood atop the Highledge.
"PlantClan has been blessed with four healthy kits," he began. "And the nursery will be overflowing. So what better time to make new apprentices? Alderkit, Nettlekit, step forward."
"They're being made apprentices!" Maplekit hissed in a mixture of amazement and envy.
"Shhh." Beechfur prodded him.
Alderkit and Nettlekit had stepped into the centre of the watching Clan, and Oakstar had leapt down to join them.
"Until she receives her warrior name this apprentice shall be known as Nettlepaw," Oakstar said. "Her mentor will be Ivyclaw."
Nettlepaw's eyes widened, and she padded over to Ivyclaw and touched noses with him.
"Until the day he receives his warrior name," Oakstar continued. "This apprentice shall be known as Alderpaw. His mentor will be Acornshade."
Alderpaw bounded over to touch noses with the fluffy brown she-cat.
"Nettlepaw! Alderpaw! Nettlepaw! Alderpaw!"
Not a very exciting chapter, I know.
Did you like Firconekit? I tried to make her a good character, but I'm not sure if I did that well.
-SkyStorm