Hi everyone! It's Feathers again, here's the new chapter of Glitter, I hope you enjoy it!

Sadly I have no reviews to respond to this time so I guess I'll just get on with the story. *wipes away tears*

Mittens didn't understand. How could anyone be so thick-skinned? She'd told the kit again and again that she was badly injured but would she listen? Of course not!

Looking down at the fluffy black patched she cat in the box the loner shook her head. Young cats had no common sense; she didn't give up even though she must have been in excruciating pain. Speaking of which, Mittens peered down at the long gashes that marked the small she cat's side and legs. The newly formed scabs had cracked during the little idiot's foray down the alley and there was a thin film of blood on each of them.

I hope these don't get infected, Mittens thought, her forehead creasing with worry at the thought. She could deal with open, fresh wounds but infections? Not something she could treat, she'd never been taught anything more advanced than stopping the blood and inducing a scab to form. She sniffed each gash in turn, checking for the foul scent of infection, wrinkling her nose at the metallic smell of blood. Once the check was completed the black and white loner sat back, heaving a sigh of relief. At least that's one problem I don't have to deal with, yet.

Getting to her paws Mittens made her way over to a crevice in the wall that contained a few leaves and wilted blossoms. Pulling the necessary plants from crack she began carefully chewing them into a paste, just as she'd been taught.

Making sure that Magpie was still asleep the alley cat crept up to her prone form and began gently pressing the herbs onto the wounds. Once the paste had been applied Mittens leaped onto the stone wall at the end of the backstreet to sit guard.

It was a beautiful clear night, the moon was nearly full and there were no clouds to cover the stars. Looking back down at the sleeping she cat in the alley Mittens couldn't help but purr softly. The kit was sprawled out on her uninjured side, a tangle of long limbs and fluffy tail.

Why had Mittens taken her in? She didn't quite know the answer; Magpie would be nothing but a burden for a moon and a half. She couldn't hunt or fight; she could barely move for crying out loud, let alone defend the alley. She was helpless.

Helpless, that was the reason why, because she'd looked so small and helpless. Mittens remembered the moment she'd seen the black and white she cat lying by the road.

She was padding along in search of some new bedding; the last batch was just a pile of rags. She'd found some scraps of cloth and moss as she walked but nothing satisfactory. As she was about to head home in defeat she heard noise up ahead, someone shouting and then a scream.

Her search forgotten Mittens raced toward the source of the commotion, she got there just in time to see a small black and white form flying through the air. The cat landed with a sickening thump in a ditch by the road. From the opposite side of the road she could hear worried voices and someone began to wail.

"Where is she?" One voice asked.

"Do you see her? Did the monster take her away?" Another said, Mittens had no idea what a 'monster' was, maybe a car?

"I don't know, it must have, she's not there." Mittens realized that from where they were standing the cats wouldn't have seen the cat being thrown to the side.

"Come on, we should head back to camp, we need to tell the clan what happened." Another cat said, the words were followed by various agreements and the sound of pawsteps heading back into the forest.

Mittens looked down into the ditch, in it lay the crumpled body of a white she cat with black patches. Her coat was bloody and Mittens could see deep cuts and scrapes from where the car had hit the she cat. A slight motion caught the loner's eye, she looked down at the cat's chest and found that miraculously it was rising and falling.

Mittens carefully took the young cat's scruff in her teeth, doing her best not to jostle the she cat too much. The tuxedo she cat was surprised at how light the cat was, and on closer inspection how young she was. The she cat was barely out of kithood, her coat still fluffy and soft.

Adjusting her hold on the little cat's scruff Mittens began to walk home, mercifully the she cat stayed unconscious throughout the entire journey.

And now, well now Mittens had to care for an irresponsible, impatient kit who wouldn't listen to anything resembling sense. Just a moon and a half, it'll go quickly, the older she cat told herself, just be patient Mittens.

Magpie was young and strong and her wounds had scabbed over pretty quickly, maybe she'd heal faster than Mittens had expected? When she was able to walk again she'd be able to pull her weight around the alley, she could probably do basic chores. Nothing too difficult like hunting or fighting, though it would be a hard task to keep from engaging in either activity should the opportunity present itself. For someone so small Magpie had a lot of guts, determination and very selective hearing, the kind that tuned out advice and warnings.

I can probably get her to stay in the alley if I have keep watch, it's safe and I can probably convince her that it's important, Mittens thought, looking down at the sleeping she cat.

The kit cried out softly, batting at nothing, deep in the clutches of some nightmare. Leaping down from the wall Mittens nudged the other cat over until there was room for her in the box. Settling in beside the fluffy kit Mittens curled her tail around them both, gently cradling the thrashing she cat.

Mittens began to purr deep in her chest, the way her mother had when she and her siblings couldn't sleep. Magpie stopped mewling and lay still, calmed by the vibrations of Mittens' purring. The loner only ceased her purring when the fluffy she cat began to snore lightly. With a final, soft purr Mittens laid her head down and closed her eyes, allowing sleep to take her.