Chapter 4: Just a visit

At nearly five moons old the three kits were almost old enough to become aprentices and they began to understand the way things work in the world they had only begun to explore. Blackkits bright green and yellow eyes shine with determination as he thinks about the clan and how so many cats had rushed to help the clan leader even when they knew it may have been the last thing they ever did, and how even as Darkstar lost his lives one after another he refused to run knowing his clan needed him.

Featherkits light golden eyes, angry with the thought of a medicine cat that had abandoned his duties, a warrior turning on his own leader, and the very idea of betraying the ones you live with, no matter how much you despise them, set her heart aflame.

Foxkits deep silvery gaze focused on something that the others couldn't see, looking as if she were listening to someone, as indeed she was.

Darkstar greets her almost cooly, flicking his tail for her to follow. He wanders around the corner of an old passage in the twoleg place gesturing again for her to follow. She excuses herself from her mother and littermates, quickly following Darkstar as he leads her around through the abandoned twoleg place, along deserted allyways and through to the edge of the twoleg place.

This Isn't unfamilliar territory to her, in fact it was here that she and her littermates had found themseves most, looking out on the forest only four foxlengths from where the almost abandoned twoleg place abruptly ends. There was no fence, no river, not even a thunderpath, the twoleg place just ended in rubble and overgrown yards. Just as Foxkit thought that they would go into the forest not a tailslength away, Darkstar stoped. He didn't turn to look at her, didn't wait for her to ask, he simply said, "This is your home, this is our home, and some day you will know what it means to fight to keep it." Then he was gone.

She blinked as the early morning sun broke over the tree tops. When she realized that Blackkit had followed her she jumped as he walked up beside her. "Was that Darkstar?" Thrown off by his question Foxkit just stood there with her mouth hanging open. "Are you going to answer or are you going to stand there waiting for a bird to mistake you for a nest?"

Laughing as he circles around her toward the nearest tree She shuts her mouth embarased "y-yes... you saw him?" she quickly adds.

He tries out his claws on the old birch tree and seemingly satisfied with himself grins misceviously back at her, "wouldn't you like to know."

Foxkit realizing that her brother was fooling with her fakes a sigh and gloomily walks over to the other side of the birch. Blackkit seeing his sister apparently put out hurries over to comfort her, only she was no longer there. Featherkit and Willowsong were padding over just as Blackkit was hit from above by a flying ball of light red-brown fur. Foxkit had climbed just high enough not to be seen by Blackkit when he had come around the tree, when Featherkit saw that she was being left out she jumped on top as well. The three kits wressled for a while forgetting the world and their worries. Willowsong smiles in understanding as she lifts her gaze to the sky surrounded by the familliar scent of Darkstar lingering in the air.

Morning sunlight streams in through a gap in the abandoned twoleg nest, a cool morning breeze wakes Willowsong, the first scent of leafbare waifting through the air.

Noticing the shift in the air Willowsong gracefully gets to her feet, puffing out her fur for a moment, then wanders over to the opening of her den. The sunlight strikes a glittering piece of rock on the ground making it seem to be alive with fire and ice. A sadness enters willowsongs eyes as she remembers the prophecy but she quickly banishes the unhappieness. Nothing was going to spoil this day. It was nearly two moons since her kits had learned the truth about Willowclan and it hadn't seemed to bother them much, in fact it seemed to spur them on harder than ever toward an uncertain future. Strangely enough though this didn't seem to bother Willowsong today, not with the sun shining down and a cool breeze blowing through the trees.

Drifting on the wind a voice whispers "It's time..," the world seems to slow down and then stand still.

Willowsong turns to find she isn't alone, a huge red and black tom is standing a foxlength away in the shadow of the twoleg den. He smells of rot and stale water. His scent hadn't allerted her, it was a common scent near the abandoned twoleg place, it was his intent. He didn't look at her, in fact he didn't even seem to notice her. He was looking at her three kits napping under a felled tree. He shifted into a hunting crouch and qickly and soundlessly covered the distance between him and his prey. His intent was almost palpiable and Willowsong was ready. She was on him before he made it close enough to pounce. She landed squarely on his back an sank her teeth into his scruf. The tom is nearly twice her size and strong. The surprise on his face when he was the one being atacked faded soon after he lost his balance. He rolled shaking Willowsongs grip from his neck as she let out a hideous screech. He hissed back and found his footing again, he would not be taken by surprise by this she-cat again. They circled one another the now very awake kits peering out from their hiding spot. Blackkit and Foxkit sheltering a terified Featherkit behind them. Foxkit was shaking badly but managed to stand her ground as the fight between her mother and a rouge tom grew nearer and nearer as Willowsong lost ground to the larger cat.

The tom and Willowsong were both covered in blood from various wounds. The fight was going badlly for willowsong and she was wearing down fast. The battle for her kits seemed to last an eternity with each tail lenght he won from her. Why didn't they run? Why didn't they leave her when she was clearly losing and none of them could help her? The tom landed another blow on willowsong and she repaied him in kind as she raked her claws along his hind leg. Then she staggered leaving herself open but the tom didn't take the opertunity, in stead he lunged toward the kits barly a tailength away now. Blackkit and Foxkit were ready for him. Foxkit went for his legs while Blackkit ducked completely under him and then behind him. The tom was unprepared for resistance from his young prey and triped over Foxkit hitting the ground right in front of Featherkit. Blackkit was on him the instant he hit the ground raking his back and tearing at his scruff. Foxkit joined him by clamping on to his hind leg.

The tom let out a yowl of pain as the kits atacked and when Willowsong joined them, replacing Blackkit by tearing at his pelt on all sides the kits backed off. He was beaten. They let him limp away, reluctantly. He would not be back any time soon, if he knew what was good for him.

Time began to pick up its pace once again, the breeze cool with leafbares arrival. Featherkit began to sob as her world became frightnigly real, running to her mother and worrying over her wounds. Blackkit sat and wondered what he was going to do, what he should do after something like that, and Foxkit crouched on the ground ears flat mouth open scenting the air, witing for an ambush from another cat or for the foolish tom to come slinking back.

Nothing but the comming of leafbare, the previous battle, and the now familiar scent of Willowclan lingered in the wind.