Swiftpaw's tale

Chapter two

Speckletail's kits were coming. So naturally, we were kicked out of the nursery and told to entertain ourselves without getting in anyone's way. But, as every kit knows, to warriors, doing one is like doing the other.

Even though it was nearing the end of leaf-fall, the afternoon was warm, the sky, a mellow,greyish blue with wispy strands of cloud. The atmosphere at camp though, was far from relaxed. Spottedleaf and the queens were constantly going in and out of the nursery, expressions of worry on their faces. An apprentice was once sent to fetch more herbs. The elders were quite preoccupied in discussing the coming of the kits. Their conversation went something like this:

Elder one (probably Oneeye): "Have the kits come yet?"

Elder two: "Not yet." Oneeye would go back to sleep.

Elder three: "I think there'll be two toms and two she cats."

Elder four: "No, one tom and one she-cat, just like last time."

Elder five: "I think she'll have three kits..."

Oneeye: "Have they..."

Another elder: "No, they've not we'll wake you when they're here. Go back to sleep."

Oneeye: "No? Oh, now Im really, really hungry."

All the elders exchanged glances. Elder six: "You were asking about the hunting patrol and not the kits, right?"

"Oneeye a cannibal! Who would have known. One more story to scare the little ones with, when the queens go out!", Nimblekit gleefully whispered in my ear. His snide comments were my lifesavers.

We turned around to look at 'the little ones'. Thornkit snoring in the shadow of the trunk the elders sheltered in. Brightkit and Honeykit's heads were nodding in unison on either side of him. Brackenkit was staring fixedly at a pretty fallen leaf, while Cinderkit and Galekit (not one of them) were holding back purrs of amusement while trying to entangle his tail in the bark of the trunk without him noticing. When they saw us looking, Galekit mouthed 'don't tell him'. Cinderkit deftly added finishing touches to her job and yelled at Nimblekit,"Can we go? It's o boring here."

Thornkit, Brightkit and Honeykit were jerked into consciousness. "Wh... wh... what happened?", Thornkit asked.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep.", said Galekit in a flawless imitation of the elder. Cinderkit, Nimblekit and I burst out laughing. Brightkit, Thornkit and Honeykit stared at us in confusion.

The elders too looked up from a passionate debate on the colours of the pelts on the kits, whether from the sound of our laughter or Cinderkit's yelling, I didn't know. I wondered if they'd been like this when my litter was due. Had any of them anticipated the arrival of a black and white tom? Or a grey an white she-cat like Galekit? I was sure they'd foreseen Nimblekit's appearance, he was a chip of the old block.

"Kits!", Rosetail called out. "Bored? Why don't you go and play?". Rosetail was one of my favourite elders. She never got annoyed with us, and played with us and told us great stories. Embarrassing stories of our parents as kits. She was our Clan Leader's best friend, and often shared fresh kill with her, so we were in awe of her.

We were more than happy to go. "Race you to the nursery!", Galekit said. It was unfair on Frostfur's litter. My littermates and I left them coughing out dust as we ran for all we were worth, all three of us neck-and-neck. We neared the finish. And then, at the last possible moment, Spottedleaf, our medicine cat stepped in our way, her mouth loaded with herbs, hurrying on her way to Speckletail.

We crashed. The three of us into her. She fell over. Her herbs fell down. We fell on her. A chunk of fur went in my mouth and my nose. I choked. Spottedleaf's sweet scent was all around me. I was dazed. The world was a muddle. Then, I felt myself being lifted up by the scruff of my neck. And being put down on the ground on the ground a little roughly. By Frostfur. She looked really angry. I'd seen her sad, frustrated, annoyed, worried, anxious, but never angry. Sparks flew out of her eyes. She picked up Galekit the same way she had picked me up and put her down besides me. "Oww.", she grumbled. Nimblekit, meanwhile, had stood up by all by himself. He was Nimblekit after all. He stumbled over to us.