Honey sat outside her den and watched as two red birds pecked at seeds under the snow. Her stomach rumbled at the sight of prey. Leafbare was terrible and it had been awhile since she had real food.
She crouched down low and swiftly glided across the snow. Her heavy stomach was full of kits and made it harder to crouch.
Soon, Honey was close enough to the bird she could almost taste it.
She wiggled her haunches and prepared to leap.
The red birs lifted their heads and fluttered off in a heapof blood-red feathers. Honey sloppily leaped for the birds but all she managed to grab was a tail feather or two. She grunted with annoyance.
Whatever scared my kill will be taught a lesson!,
Honey snarled. Her anger was cut off by wailes of agony. It peirced the cold morning air and made her ears hurt.
Honey thought of ignoring it but then it started to sound familiar.
The noise was low, almost a moan... MOUSE!
Honey pelted through the forest, ignoring the annoying tendrils and brambles that tried to trip her.
The moaning grew louder and louder until Honey couldn't bare it any longer.
"I'm coming Mouse!" Honey yelled, her paws becoming dumb from the snow.
She jumped over a tangle of twigs and thorns. When she landed, Honey's paws sunk into a wide gaping hole. She stumbled and rolled three tail leangths across the freezing snow. Its icy cold powder flew up Honey's nose, making her sneeze.
A frail and shakey mewl sounded super close by.
Honey raised her head only to see the shaking body of a newborn tortoiseshell and white tom.
Honey saw Mouse caressing the tiny kit's head before whencing and moaning once more.
"You had kits!" Honey wailed. Why hadn't her sister told her this sooner?
Mouse's shocked expression told Honey she probably didn't want anyone to know.
The tiny tom kit wailed as it shook in the freezing snow. Honey curled around it's freezing body and let it nurse her while she tried desperetly to calm her panicking sister.
"Help i'm scared." Mouse hissed. Her teeth chattered from the cold. Another spasm hit her like a wave of water. A tiny, dark grey tabby she-kit wriggled onto the freezing snow.
Honey handed the squirming bundle to Mouse, who bit the sak and warmed the kit with her laping tounge.
After a long moment of awkward silence Mouse spoke.
"I can't let anyone find out." She mumbled.
"Why!" Honey mewed in disbelief. Mouse shook her head and studied the two tiny kits layed at her stomach.
"It wasn't my destiny..." She said, trailing off. "I didn't listen though."
Honey licked her sister's head.
"What are gonna' do with them?" She asked.
"They have a father, but he has too many cats to feed anyway."
Honey felt sorry for her sister, all she wanted was a mate, but this burden of being a medicine cat held her down like prey under a cat's claws.
Mouse looked deep into the forest and two kitswailed in protest when they couldn't suckle.
"Grab one." Mouse mewed flatly.
Honey grabbed the grey she-kit by the scruff and Mouse grabbed the tom. She swiftly ran off before Honey could ask were she was taking them.
Honey padded by her silverish-grey sister, making sure not to sling the dangling kit too much. Mouse stared for a moment at the dense wood before walking again. Honey, heavy with kits, was getting tired from walking.
"Mouse, were are we going?" She asked out of breath. Mouse dropped the tortoiseshell and wrapped her tail around him.
"Their father mentioned a group of wild cats who lived not to far away...," Mouse whispered, still looking at the kit. "maybe it was a clan."
"So we abandon your kits to a random cat." Honey hissed crossly under the kits fur. Mouse narrowed her eyes to thin slits and her neck fur began to bristle.
"It's not like that, mom said cats called 'queens' help take care of kits!" She hissed. Her gaze softened as she gazed at her mewling son. "They'll take care of them." Mouse mumbled, picking up the frail kit.
Together she and Honey padded blindly into the forest.