Okay, I know I said I'd wait to upload this. Anyway, I have this story, and one other one called Sink or Swim. I'll put up chapter one of both, and let you guys decide which you want first. I'll get around to both eventually, but I want a side story to work on while I finish up Silver Fire. So, romance or mystery? That is the question.
Frostkit opened her eyes, dazzled by all of the light and colours in the world. Then she abrupty closed them again. The she-kit heard her mother start to purr, something Frostkit hadn't heard her do before.
"Your eyes are the same colour as mine!" she commented proudly. Frostkit wondered what colour that was. I guess the only way to find out is to open my eyes again . . . The she-kit braced herself for the light first, digging her tiny claws into the moss of her nest. Slowly, she opened her eyes. After a few seconds, her eyes adjusted and she released her grip on the nest. The first thing Frostkit did was survey the she-cat in front of her. Her mother had sleek, pure white fur, and was quite slender for a she-cat who had just given birth a few days ago. Her eyes were a deep green, and they sparkled with joy as they stared right back into Frostkit's own eyes. All in all, the she-kit's mother was quite pretty.
"Mama?" she managed to squeak nervously.
"Yes," Snowfeather breathed as she curled her tail around her daughter. "It's me."
Frostkit purred happily and snuggled into her mother's soft fur. My mother is amazing! she thought. The two she-cats stayed in this position for awhile, enjoying their first proper moments together. That was, until another cat piped up.
"Hey look at that. The unwanted kit," they sneered. Frostkit slowly turned to face the new cat. She was surprised to see a blue-grey kitten not much bigger than herself standing at the edge of her nest. Behind him, another tom-kit stood, although he didn't look hostile. He was plain grey in colour, with a white patch on his right side. Both toms had ice-blue eyes.
"Who are they?" Frostkit whispered to Snowfeather. She twisted her head to look up at her mother. The queen was busy glaring coldly at the two toms, her expression sending shivers down the she-kit's spine, and Frostkit was just about to ask again when she answered.
"Toms," was all she spat. Frostkit glanced worriedly at the two kits, wondering what was so bad about them. The gray one seemed friendly enough, at least.
"Rainkit! Smokekit! Come back here, and stop bothering Snowfeather!" a she-cat called irritably. Frostkit peered around the two toms to see a pale queen curled up in another nest. She must be their mother, she concluded. Another kit, this one a black she-kit, was sprawled out on the queen's head, so Frostkit couldn't see her eyes.
"Come on, Smokekit," the blue-gray tom ordered. He must be Rainkit. "Let's let the stupid she-kit's mother explain what she is. I'm bored." With that, he spun on his paws, and trotted away, tail in the air. The gray tom hestitated, shooting Frostkit once last glance before scampering after him.
"I think she's pretty," the gray tom confessed not-so-quietly to his companion. He looked over his shoulder anxiously to see if she'd heard. Frostkit found herself smiling. She liked the gray one. He was amusing. When Frostkit said so to her mother, the comment was met only with disappointment.
"Frostkit," she sighed, lying down in her nest, "I think you need to know something." The orange she-kit perked up her ears, curious. "Toms . . . are bad. They may seem nice on the outside, but on the inside," Snowfeather placed a paw in Frostkit's heart, "they don't care. They will make promises to you, they will tell you that they love you, but it's all lies. I know that from experience." Frostkit wondered what had happened to her mother. What had a tom done? "You were named so that you would always remember to shield your heart. Shield your heart from love, Frostkit," she urged. "You can't trust toms."
Frostkit looked into her mother's eyes. She saw pain, love, heartbreak and . . . fear. Fear. For her. Snowfeather was scared that she would make the mistake of falling for a tom.
"It's okay Mama," she reassured, nuzzling the white queen, "I get it."
"Promise me," she meowed suddenly. The fire in her eyes was so intense, it made Frostkit uncomfortable. "Promise me that you will never fall in love."
Frostkit smiled slightly, forcing a purr. "I promise."
Snowfeather nodded and relaxed, apparently satisfied. Frostkit nodded back, wary of the sudden mood swing that her mother had just had.
"Come now, sleep," Snowfeather told her, gesturing with her tail to the nest. Frostkit nodded again, biting her bottom lip. She carefully made her way over to her place by Snowfeather's side and closed her eyes.
oOo
When Frostkit woke up, her mother was still asleep. Seizing the chance to explore, she quickly untangled her body from Snowfeather's. Frostkit padded over to the edge of the nest to investigate. Experimentally, she reached over with one paw and placed it on the ground. Frostkit frowned at the cold hardness of the floor compared to the warmth and springiness of her nest. Oh well, I guess I'll have to do this someday, she thought. Before she could change her mind about leaving, she made a short leap out of the nest.
Where to go now . . . ? Frostkit glanced around the nursery, dark green eyes searching for something to do. She just caught sight of a gray tail whisk around the entrance. Frostkit quickly made sure that her mother was still sleeping before scampering outside. The cold chill of leafbare seeped into the orange she-kit's pelt as soon as she left the warmth of the nursery. Frostkit shivered involuntarily as she searched for the two toms.
She found them by a big den on the other side of camp, playing together. They were also with the black she-kit who she had seen the day before.
"You're it!" the she-kit yowled as she tumbled into Smokekit.
"No fair, Nightkit," the gray tom whined. "You crushed me!"
Rainkit sighed. "Toughen up, Smokekit." Just then, the three kits spotted Frostkit. Rainkit's exasperated expression morphed into a cruel smirk. "Hey look! Frostkit has finally been allowed out of the den."
Frostkit felt a rush of rebellion as she corrected, "Actually, I snuck out."
Rainkit raised an eyebrow skeptically. "So Snowfeather still doesn't want you around us."
The orange she-kit shrugged and meowed, "I guess not."
Rainkit sneered, "Well, we don't want you here anyway, weirdo. What kind of mother names an orange she-cat Frostkit? Even her mate left her when he found out about you!"
Frostkit felt tears beginning to threaten to spill out as she stared back at the blue-gray tom in horror. Snowfeather was right. Toms are monsters. The orange she-kit spun around and scurried back to the nursery. Before she entered, Frostkit ran into a wall of fur.
"I was wondering where you went," a familar voice purred. Frostkit looked looked up to see Snowfeather, who looked like she had just gotten up. Her eyes were still dull with sleepiness. Frostkit buried her head into her mother's white fur, breathing in her comforting scent.
"You were right Mama," she told her. "I went up to the others and Rainkit was mean. He said that I was weird and that he didn't want to be around me."
"Oh, darling," Snowfeather sighed, curling her tail around her daughter. "It's okay. This is why your promise is important. Now you know what I meant, yes?"
Frostkit nodded. She must protect her heart, and trust no-one.
"I understand now."