Chapter 11: First Explorations

Rougefoot woke up bright and early the next morning. He hurried to the nursery where Berrykit and Sandkit were pacing anxiously. Brownkit stayed back but her eyes glowed with excitement.

"Now kits," Leafstream meowed. "You stay with Rougefoot and don't get into any trouble or there will be consequences."

"Yes mother," all three meowed in unison.

The kits excitedly bounded outside into the camp with Rougefoot.

"Wow! It's so big!" Brownkit meowed.

"Where do you want to go first?" Rougefoot asked.

"I want to go see my daddy!" Sandkit meowed.

"Me too!" Berrykit screeched. Her small tail was straight up in delight.

"Follow me, but you'll have to be very quiet." Rougefoot instructed.

The kits nodded and Rougefoot anxiously paced to Snapstar's den.

"Why are you so scared?" Sandkit asked. "Isn't he your daddy too?"

"Yes but he is the leader." Rougefoot mewed quietly.

"Sweet!" Brownkit squealed.

"Let me guess, the new arrivals on their first outing." Snapstar meowed as he emerged from his den with Bloodtooth behind him.

Bloodtooth snorted.

"Wow Rougefoot! Who is that big black cat?" Berrykit asked.

"This is Snapstar," Rougefoot flicked his tail at his bright red leader. "And this is Bloodtooth the deputy."

"He has a scary name." Brownkit flinched. "Will he hurt me?"

"Oh no little one. I couldn't even think about hurting the Clan leader's kits."

"Then how did you get that awful name?" She pressed.

"See this scar?" Bloodtooth pointed a claw at a nasty gash above his top jaw.

Brownkit nodded.

"Well when I was born that was open. And blood ran down my teeth. So pretty much the name stuck as Bloodkit."

"You seem like a nice cat." Brownkit meowed.

"I am unless you are in another Clan." Bloodtooth meowed.

Brownkit nodded.

"Bless you taking your three siblings on a walk." Snapstar meowed. "Must be hard keeping up."

"It is." Rougefoot meowed.

"We'll leave you to it then." Snapstar and Bloodtooth meowed and returned to the den.

"Where is your den?" Berrykit asked.

Rougefoot pointed to the side of Snapstar's den where a few scraps of moss were hastily thrown together.

"How about I show you some warriors?" Rougefoot suggested.

"That'd be so cool!" Sandkit meowed.

Tinyflight, Snowclaw, Crowflight and Littlepaw were returning from a hunting patrol.

Rougefoot flicked his tail at them. "Go say hi."

The three kits dashed to the patrol and eagerly sniffed and talked the warriors and Littlepaw one by one. The each returned with their tails and heads held high.

"Why don't we go bug the other apprentices now?" Rougefoot meowed.

He walked towards the entrance of the apprentice's den where Specklepaw, Pebblepaw and Brackenpaw were sharing tongues.

"Meet the new arrivals." Rougefoot meowed.

The kits sprang up to the apprentices and talked to them in turn as well. Rougefoot then took them to the medicine den, showed them the Warrior's Tree, the elder's den which was now vacant and the kill pile. By the time they were done it was Peak Sun and the kits were tired. Rougefoot herded them back into the nursery and walked over to the kill pile.

He grabbed a mouse and started munching hungrily on it. Specklepaw approached him quietly.

"Rougefoot can I do something? I'm so bored!" She meowed dramatically.

"If you really want to go hunting. I'm beat right now. Take Brackenpaw out with you or something."

Specklepaw nodded and waved Brackenpaw over. They disappeared out of the camp without another word.

Rougefoot quickly finished off the mouse and curled into his den for a quick nap.

He awoke to the scent of new prey. Brackenpaw and Specklepaw were back with a huge load of new kill. They set it down on the pile and quietly talked to each other. Pebblepaw came up to Rougefoot quickly.

"Rougefoot can I talk to you?" she pleaded.

"Um sure I guess." He meowed.

"Thanks." She meowed and curled her paws under her chest.

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, I really like Brackenpaw but I think he likes Specklepaw. I think Littlepaw does too. What does my sister have that I don't?" She wailed.

"Nothing, you are sisters. I think you have the prettiest blue eyes. I want to show you someone that I know very well who has taken a liking to you," Rougefoot flicked his tail to Tinyflight who was glaring down at him from the top of the tree.

"Tinyflight? He likes me?" Pebblepaw asked.

"Yep. He's my best friend. He thinks you are beautiful and has the sweetest personality."

"He is kind of handsome. He's really small though." Pebblepaw meowed.

"If you don't like him it's ok. You're only an apprentice. There are new cats to look for when you get older."

"I'll get to know him better." Pebblepaw meowed. "Am I prettier than my sister?"

"You both are very pretty." Rougefoot meowed. "Each in your own separate ways."

"Thanks Rougefoot." Pebblepaw meowed. She walked off and climbed to the very top of the tree where Tinyflight was now nuzzled in between two branches.

Rougefoot heaved himself up and padded over to Rashthroat and Squirreltrack who were sitting by the camp entrance looking bored.

"Want to join our hunting patrol?" Rashthroat asked.

"Sure. I was just going to go out hunting." Rougefoot meowed.

"Well let's go then." Squirreltrack meowed and padded out of the camp. They headed towards the EarthClan border.

"I was thinking I could take this border. You could hunt near the Hollow Squirreltrack and you can take the MoonClan border Rougefoot." Rashthroat suggested.

Squirreltrack and Rougefoot nodded and plunged in their separate directions. Rougefoot stalked through the now thick undergrowth of Green Leaf. He saw Icechest hunting but she was with Oakhead, Tigershadow, Darkheart and Buzzardstone. He dove further into the trees following the scent of a mouse. He leapt and killed it with one swift bite to the neck. He scraped dead pine needles over it so he could collect it later. A little bit into the distance he smelled a stench so horrific he nearly gagged. He quietly slipped over to a den in the ground. It was fox, several of them by the smell. The scent was fresh so he quickly picked up his mouse and fled to where Rashthroat was hunting on the EarthClan border.

"Rashthroat," he panted. "We have a problem."

"Yes we do Rougefoot." He snorted. "You only have a mouse."

"No Rashthroat. There's fox. A whole den of them by the smell. Fresh too."

Rashthroat stopped. His jaw dropped in horror. "What about the kits? Hurry Rougefoot take the mouse and warn Leafstream!"

Rougefoot picked up his mouse and ran as fast as he could back to camp. He threw it on the kill pile and ran up to Leafstream, who was searching every which way.

"Mother!" Rougefoot cried. "There's a fox!"

"Sandkit is missing! Oh what do I do?" She wailed.

Rougefoot didn't even bother to listen to anymore. He dashed out of the camp smashing his nose to the ground trying to find Sandkit. He was just a tad bit out of camp, face to face with a mean, hungry fox.