I was originally planning on posting this chapter tomorrow or something, but I couldn't wait! Behold! The first official chapter of Emberstar's Calling! I hope you guys enjoy, because this is another one of my 'late-night-about-to-go-to-sleep 'Eurika!' moments! And yes, Snowtuft's Pain is full of those. So once again, I hope you enjoy!
Emberkit heard voices. They weren't harsh or angry, but warm and welcoming.
"Emberkit!" Wailed a tiny voice. By the sound of it, it was a tomcat. The little she-kit squirmed and grumbled angrily.
"Hush, Skykit." A sweet voice told the other kit. "Emberkit will open her eyes when she is ready."
Emberkit recognized the voice as her mother's.
"But I want her to open them now!" The kitten wailed again.
Emberkit was starting to get really annoyed, she was getting sick of Skykit whining every second of the day. She hissed to herself and forced her eyes open. She squinted as harsh light flooded in from the opening in the den.
"Emberkit!" Cloudsweep purred. She pulled Emberkit towards her with her tail. "You've opened your eyes!"
Emberkit purred back. She gazed at her mother. Cloudsweep was a beautiful white she-cat with dazzling brown eyes.
A white and black striped kit bounced up to her. "Finally!" he whined. "I've been waiting for ages for you to open your eyes!"
"It's only been five sunrises, Skykit." A cream she-cat with blue eyes meowed.
"Same difference!"
Emberkit was still taking in her surroundings; the bramble walls of the nursery stretched high above her head. Soft moss covered the floor and nests made of bracken, moss and feathers sat on opposite sides of the den.
"Can we go outside now?" Skykit pleaded. Emberkit tilted her head. There was more than just the Nursery?
Cloudsweep sighed. "What do you think, Daisytail?" She asked the cream queen.
"As long as they don't get into any trouble." She replied. Just as Skykit was about to drag Emberkit out of the den, a ginger tom with amber eyes walked into the den. The tom's eyes glowed as his gaze rested on Emberkit. The little kit pressed against her mother warily. This cat smelled familiar, though. She screwed up her eyes, trying to remember.
The tom walked up to Cloudsweep, purring. "She's opened her eyes!" He pressed his muzzle against Cloudsweep's.
Emberkit gazed at the muscular ginger tom, puzzled. "Who are you?" she asked. The kit padded up to him and smelled his single white foot. He kind of smelled like her.
"I'm your father, Leopardclaw." The handsome tom meowed. His amber eyes sparkled.
Emberkit gasped. Now she remembered him! He had visited her when she was only a couple days old. She smiled and pressed against his leg.
"She looks just like you." Emberkit's mother mewed to Leopardclaw.
Emberkit looked her father up and down. His ginger pelt shone brightly in the sunshine and his amber eyes gleamed. Did that mean that she had amber eyes too?
"Cloudsweep, what do I look like?" Emberkit meowed. Her mother and father looked at each other.
"Why don't you come see?" She purred. Leopardclaw swept Emberkit and Skykit up on his shoulders.
"Look after them!" Daisytail called anxiously from her nest.
"Don't worry, we will." Leopardclaw called back. The two kits squeaked with delight as Leopardclaw pushed his way out of the nursery. Light blinded Emberkit; it made the nursery seem like a shadow compared to this. She squinted her eyes and looked around. Soon she got used to the sun and fully opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings.
Emberkit looked at Skykit and saw her aw reflected in his face. She purred and stared around the camp. A large bush rested opposite from the tunnel; large cats were walking in and out of the plant.
"Woah." Emberkit whispered. She heard her parents purr. On one side of camp, there was a fallen tree, under it a clump of ferns rose high into the air, through it she could partially see some bodies of cats curled up in nests.
"Look Emberkit!" Skykit squealed. "That's the apprentice den!" The black and white kit motioned towards a tree stump with a clump of ferns next to it; a light brown tom with eyes like ice padded out. Next to him another she-cat stood, her coat was pale grey.
Skykit jumped up and down causing Leopardclaw to grunt. "And that's Icepaw and Dovepaw!" he whispered in awe, "They're siblings. And look how big they are!" The two apprentices looked giant compared to the kits. Then a large night black tom walked up to Icepaw and Dovepaw.
Emberkit snickered, "They don't look so big compared to that warrior." Skykit laughed next to her. Her gaze rested on a giant rock on the edge of camp. Under it sat a dark brown she-cat with a black tail, paws, chest, and face. Next to her sat a black tom with leaf green eyes. As Leopardclaw and Cloudsweep walked toward the two cats, the she-cat's green eyes rested on the two kits.
She stood up and went to touch noses with Cloudsweep. "I see ThunderClan's two kits are venturing around camp." She purred.
Leopardclaw dipped his head at the brown she-cat. "Foreststar." His amber gaze traveled to the black tom. "Mintleaf."
Mintleaf flicked his tail in acknowledgement.
"Actually," Cloudsweep meowed, "Emberkit wanted to see what she looked like."
"And me!" Skykit added.
"And Skykit." The white queen purred.
"Well sadly there are no puddles right now." Foreststar mewed. "But you could always go to the river."
"Well, I would if they were older…" Cloudsweep started to explain.
"But we don't think it would be safe." Leopardclaw finished. His mate nodded gratefully at him.
"But we will listen!" Emberkit piped up.
"Yeah! We won't get into any trouble! We promise!" Skykit mewed.
"Please?" Emberkit whined.
"Please!" Her black and white friend put in.
"Please?"
"Please!"
"Plea-"
"Ok that's enough!" Cloudsweep meowed sternly.
"As long as you behave." Leopardclaw added. The two kits squealed in delight. Foreststar waved her tail and murmured a 'good luck' to the two warriors. Emberkit's mother and father trotted through the gorse tunnel. Scents washed over Emberkit and she stumbled back, bumping into Skykit. He tumbled off of Leopardclaw's back and onto the forest floor.
"AH!" He screamed. "IT FEELS WEIRD!" Emberkit's eyes lit up.
"I wanna try!" She squeaked. But as she jumped down, Leopardclaw grabbed her scruff and swung her up in the air.
"No, Emberkit." He meowed through her fur.
"Why not?!" Emberkit complained. "Skykit gets to!"
"Well he fell down. And I don't want you –either of you, stepping on thorns." Leopardclaw explained. Cloudsweep hurried over and picked up Skykit who was rolling around in the leaves. The two warriors carried Skykit and Emberkit the rest of the way. Emberkit looked around and saw the leaves on the trees were abnormal colors. They were a mixture of red, gold, yellow, crimson, and orange.
"Why are the leaves different colors?" Emberkit asked. "Aren't they supposed to be green?" As she spoke, a crimson leaf fell on her face. She squeaked and shook it off.
"Well, dear." Cloudsweep told her daughter, mew slightly muffled by Skykit's kitten fluff. "It's Leaf Fall, and that means the leaves turn different colors and then fall down."
"Oh."
"Aha! We're coming up on a stream kits." Leopardclaw meowed. The kits cheered.
"Now be careful!" Cloudsweep warned them. "Do not lean too far over the stream and do not try to get in it. Because if you do, we are taking you straight back to the nursery!"
The kits chirped an ok as the two warriors set their loads down on the ground. Emberkit scrambled up to the edge of the trickling water. Skykit followed more cautiously.
"It's beautiful!" Emberkit whispered. The stream was the best thing the little kit had ever seen! She fell in love with it right away; they way that the water could overflow or shrink, the sparkle, the clarity. It provided prey and kept cats from dyeing of dehydration.
"Yes, you are, sweetheart." Cloudsweep purred, resting her tail on Emberkit's back. Leopardclaw sat next to his kit and rubbed his muzzle against her flank. Emberkit realized that her parents were talking about her; she was talking about the river. Emberkit shook her head and looked at her reflection. She gasped at what she saw. A bright ginger and white tabby cat started back through bright amber eyes, just like her father's. Whoa! I do look a lot like Leopardclaw!
Emberkit looked up at her father and pressed into his side, purring.
"I look like that!" Emberkit heard Skykit squeak, sounding annoyed. He looked at the family sitting beside him. "I thought I'd look like Foreststar!"
The ginger kit tilted her head. "You don't like what you look like?"
"No!" The black and white striped kit pouted, his blue eyes sparking frustratingly.
Cloudsweep stepped up to Skykit. "But you're a very handsome kit; you look strong and handsome like your father. Your pelt is a mix between your mother and your father's pelts."
Skykit lifted his head proudly. "Yeah! I look like my father!"
"So do I, Skykit!" Emberkit squeaked proudly.
"Cool!" Emberkit's best friend replied. They started chasing each other around, squeaking in delight. Suddenly Emberkit slipped and tumbled into the river.
"Emberkit!" Leopardclaw yowled. He scooped his paw into the stream and quickly dragged Emberkit out. Her long furred pelt was wet and dripping, amber eyes sparkling with fear and excitement. Cloudsweep's fur was spiked up; she started roughly licking Emberkit's fur the wrong way, trying to warm the shivering kit up.
"That's it, we're going back. I don't want Skykit falling into the stream too." Leopardclaw meowed hurriedly. His mate nodded in agreement. The ginger warrior picked up his daughter while Cloudsweep picked up Skykit.
As Emberkit settled down to sleep, curled up against her mother's belly fur, she couldn't help thinking of that day's events. It didn't matter that her parents told her that rivers were dangerous and she should never be by one by herself, or told her that it would be okay, or whispering in 'secret' to each other saying that she would be scarred for life; because that ordeal had left her shaking in her fur; but not with cold, not with fear, but with excitement and curiosity.
As far as Emberkit was concerned, the river was something to be enjoyed, not feared.
So...that was the first chapter of Emberstar's Calling! I don't really know what to say...sorry. It's 10 at night at I'm really tired. But, eh. What're gonna do. Oh, wait. I could sleep. Psh, nah. Sleeping is for losers. Not that I'm saying you guys are losers! Oh jeez, yeah I should sleep. I'm starting to ramble. *Sigh* Oh! Yeah, QOTD!
QOTD- What do you think about Emberkit and Skykit?
And yeah! That's it for now! See you in the next chapter! Hasta la vista (baby)!