Okay, it seems like a lot of people have been looking at this. Some feedback would be nice to know what I need to inprove on, but I'm not too fussed. I've decided to get up a second chapter of both stories, to give a bit more of what it would be about. Overnight, and I'm not kidding, this has somehow gotten three favourites and four follows. Huggles to all you people. I'm going to decide which story to continue in a few days.
Frostkit yawned and opened her eyes, scanning the nursery. Everyone else was asleep, except for -
"Good morning," Snowfeather murmered drowsily. Scratch that, Mama's awake.
The orange she-kit bit her lip thoughtfully. What could she do today?
"Mama, where am I allowed to go today?" Frostkit asked, deciding that she would explore the camp a bit.
"Go?" Snowfeather echoed, sounding confused. She yawned and replied casually, "Wherever you want, I guess. The elders can tell you stories, the warriors could tell you a bit about ShadowClan's territory, I don't know. Go think of something."
Frostkit nodded happily and gave her mother a parting nudge before picking her way out of the nest. Outside, the sun had risen, albeit not very far. It was still quite chilly as the orange she-kit started looking around for something interesting. Warriors leaving on patrol, warriors coming back from patrol, oh look, that cat's orange like me . . . Uh, brown cat walking - wait, is that leaves in his mouth?
Curiousity ignited, Frostkit scampered over to the strange tom. Tom. Mousedung, she thought, turning to leave. But it was too late. He had already seen her.
"Hello Frostkit," he greeted. The brown tom put down the leaves and offered a small smile. "How's ShadowClan been so far for you?"
Frostkit blinked in surprise. This tom was being nice. Not at all like Rainkit. Still, she eyed him warily.
"Who are you?" she asked cautiously. The brown tom raised an eyebrow, eyes beginning to sparkle with amusement.
"I'm Mudpool," he introduced, "ShadowClan's medicine cat."
Frostkit let down her guard, curiousity taking over. "What does a medicine cat do?"
"I heal cats when they get hurt, and also help queens have their kits," Mudpool explained. So he can heal hurt cats . . .
"Mama got hurt," Frostkit remembered. "Can you heal her?"
The brown tom frowned in confusion. "I'm not sure I understand. Was there a thorn in her nest last night?"
"No," the orange she-kit mewed. "She fell in love." Mudpool blinked once, before understanding dawned on his features.
"Oh, you mean what happened with your father? No, I cannot fix a broken heart," he muttered, shaking his head.
Frostkit sighed. Oh well. If you can't fix it, that's probably why she doesn't want my heart broken.
"Cheer up kit," Mudpool meowed, flicking her with his tail. "Do you want to come inside my den? I could show you some of my herbs."
Frostkit immediately brightened and chirped, "Yes please!" The medicine cat chuckled and picked up his leaves before leading the way inside.
"Woah," Frostkit murmured in awe, taking in all of the differnt leaves and berries around the den. "You can actually use all of these to help cats?"
"Yes," Mudpool meowed, amusement lacing his voice.
"What do they do?" Frostkit asked, bounding over to a pile of red berries.
"They're juniper berries," the medicine cat explained after peering at the berries. "I use them to cure bellyaches."
The orange she-kit nodded and pawed a berry absentmindedly.
"What about those black dot things?" Froskit inquired, sniffing the tiny herbs.
Mudpool glanced at the dots in question before answering, "Those are poppy seeds, and they make cats drowsy so that they can sleep better. It also acts as a painkiller."
Painkiller . . . They might help Mama. Frostkit nodded again and moved onto a different pile of herbs. The more she could learn, the more she could help Snowfeather.
"Teach me more," she pleaded. Mudpool chuckled and nodded.
Frostkit spent the next few hours in the medicine cat den, learning as much as she could about herbs. Mudpool was happy to teach her, and even gave her a small quiz. It was sunhigh by the time Snowfeather got worried and started searching for her kitten.
"Mudpool, have you seen Frostkit?" the white queen asked urgently, sticking her head through the entrance of the den. "She's not in the elder's den, or the warrior's den, or with the other kits, or-"
"Calm down Snowfeather," Mudpool soothed. "She's been with me." Frostkit peered over a pile of dock leaves to see her mother. Snowfeather's normally sleek fur was ruffled and messy, and her deep green eyes were dark and troubled. When she spotted Frostkit, however, her face lit up like the sky at dawn. Snowfeather immediately rushed over to her kit and covered her with licks.
"I was looking all over the camp for you," she scolded lightly, leaning back to survey her work.
Frostkit flicked her ear, mewing grumpily, "You said I could go wherever I wanted."
"Yes, but I was half asleep, dear," Snowfeather sighed. "And you still didn't tell me where you went."
Frostkit wanted to argue that she hadn't told her to tell her where she was going, and that she didn't even know herself, but decided against it. There was no point in wasting her breath. Besides, she was exhausted after learning so much.
"I'm tired," the orange she-kit yawned, snuggling into her mother's white pelt.
"Okay, let's go back to the nursery," Snowfeather meowed, picking up her daughter by the scruff.
Frostkit barely remembered to thank Mudpool for the lesson before falling asleep in Snowfeather's jaws.
oOo
"Look at that, it's Frostkit," a cat sneered. Frostkit blinked awake and yawned sleepily. Rainkit was sitting at the edge of her nest, glaring at her. Behind him was Smokekit, who kept shifting his paws uncomfortably.
"What about her?" the gray tom-kit mumbled.
Rainkit gave his brother a sharp stare before hissing, "She's weird, and her mother's weird too! If she was anywhere near normal, Snowfeather would have named her Firekit or something. Frostkit is a stupid name." Smokekit's pale blue eyes flickered to Frostkit for a moment, before landing back on his littermate.
"I think her name is pretty," he disagreed quietly.
Rainkit's face twisted out of rage as he spat, "No! Weirdkit is a loner and doesn't deserve any love! Do you want to be like her?!" Smokekit's eyed widened in fright and he cringed, shaking his head wildly. The blue-gray tom nodded and padded out of the nursery, tail in the air. Smokekit sent one last apologetic glance at Frostkit before scampering after him.
Frostkit gazed sadly at the point where the gray kit disappeared. You're alone now . . . No-one will ever love you anyway. The orange she-kit knew her mother's warning about toms, so why did she feel stung by Rainkit's words? She wasn't supposed to love. And now it looks like I can't even if I wanted to . . . Frostkit fought back tears as she glanced around the nursery.
There was only one other nest in the den, which was Smokekit and Rainkit's. Right now it was occupied by a pale she-cat who she guessed was their mother. Lying horizontally across the queen's stomach was the black she-kit she had seen around a few times. How much sleep do those two need? she wondered.
"Frostkit, are you okay?" Snowfeather asked, padding into the nursery. The white queen looked slightly worried as she curled herself around her kit. "I saw Rainkit and Smokekit just come outside. Smokekit looked guilty about something. Did he do anything?"
Frostkit bit her lip and shook her head. It was just Rainkit, she thought. I don't think Smokekit actually wanted to be there. But she didn't say this out loud, not wanting to add to her mother's troubles. Snowfeather's been hurt already, Frostkit thought firmly. She doesn't need to have to worry about Rainkit too. I can handle him on my own.
"If you say so," Snowfeather sighed, drawing back. Her deep green eyes searched Frostkit's for a moment before she turned and padded back outside.