**OLD** Valley Cats: Of Sky and Stone 1- Daughters and Darkness

Chapter Two

 Outside, Twisterkit braced against the bitter cold. It was the very middle of winter now. The air was still, with no wind or rain and not a cloud in sight. But the air was almost painful to breathe in. A thin frost outlined everything in the morning sunlight, although it was melting away before their eyes. Icicles hung down from the trees, seemingly shining in the light. The forest was beautiful, but freezing cold.

 Twisterkit gazed downhill, trying to remember which way they went last time. All of the dead leaves and bushes on the forest floor seemed to blend together. She paced around, picking up the scents of the recent patrol.

 "This way!" she raced ahead through a cluster of tall, stiff yellow stalks. Brightkit followed closely, while Galekit struggled to keep up. "Wait on me!" her younger brother called.

 Twisterkit skidded to a halt in the sandpit. She turned around, leaping out of Brightkit's way as he nearly collided with her. Galekit slowly trotted up to his siblings. "I didn't expect to run around out here," he panted.

 "Maybe we should split up so we don't slow each other down. I mean, how would we hunt otherwise?" Brightkit suggested.

 Twisterkit circled around in the sand, eager to hunt. "Of course we will. How would two cats stalk the same prey?" she snapped impatiently. 

 Brightkit nodded, then turned on his heels and sprang away through the trees, while Galekit wandered off into the bushes.

 Twisterkit shivered in the cold air. She sniffed the ground, searching for any sign of prey. All she could smell was the fading scent of Squirrelpaw and another apprentice, either Lilypaw or Daisypaw. She paused to shake out her fur before trotting off into the forest.

 After only a few strides, she paused by an evergreen tree and listened intently. The last time she and her brothers were here, mice were running across their path. But now, all was quiet. Of course, last time it wasn't this cold.

 She heard something- the flutter of wings nearby. Twisterkit turned towards the small thumps of tiny claws hopping along the forest floor. She silently stepped around the evergreen tree to peer at a robin pecking a some pinecones.

 She dared to take a few steps closer. Only a few tail-lengths away, she could smell the bird. But just as Twisterkit was crouching down, she heard a yowl through the forest. The robin's head shot up.

 Taking the chance, Twisterkit pounced. She drastically underestimated the distance and barreled into the bird, only to skid into another evergreen tree. The robin was tangled in her claws, thrashing around and chirping frantically. Twisterkit gripped it firmly to bite it on the back of the neck. It went limp in her paws.

 She heard another yowl, much closer now. Twisterkit leaped out from under the evergreen bristles just as Shadowsweep burst through the forest.

 "Thank SpiritClan you're safe!" she hissed, circling around the kit furiously. "Dovetail said you guys went inside the nursery but when I checked on Snowspirit you were gone!" she said worriedly.

 "Well, I'm fine , so..." Twisterkit mumbled around her catch. 

 Shadowsweep stared at the robin for a long moment, eerily quiet. She straightened up suddenly as if she had just awoken from a nightmare. 

 "What?" Twisterkit demanded.

 "You... you caught that?" the healer looked shocked.

 Twisterkit puffed out her chest proudly. "Yep! All by myself!" she bragged.

 Shadowsweep rubbed her eyes with a paw. "Woah. I think I just had a vision."

 The kit's mind reeled. A vision? About what? 

 Before she could ask any questions, Sandyfur crashed through the underbrush and skidded to a halt in front of Twisterkit. "There you are! You and your littermate had the whole Clan terrified!" she scolded. 

 Twisterkit was unsure whether the deputy was being cheerful or irritated. "I caught a robin!" she declared. Sandyfur nodded hurriedly before looking around nervously. "Yes, yes, that's great. Let's get you back to camp before you freeze out here." she rushed.

 When Snowspirit saw her kits prancing into the camp, she stood up alertly. But instead of love or pride, her eyes burned with fury. The queen marched firmly  towards the mud-covered kits.

 "How dare you!" she was looking at Twisterkit and no one else. "Again! For the second time in a moon!"

 The young kit glanced around at her shameful-looking brothers for support, but they backed away silently. She humbly turned to face her mother, placing her prey at her paws. "But... I caught a robin," she looked at her mother for approval, but only saw her gritting her teeth in anger.

 "You want it?" Twisterkit attempted a smile and nudged the bird towards Snowspirit.

 "What do you think you're accomplishing!" the queen snarled. "What kind of mother would I be if I can't even keep my kits in the camp!" she lashed her tail passionately. 

 Sandyfur stepped in front of the kits defensively. "Alright, let's calm down now. They didn't make it that far, Snowspirit. It isn't the end of the world." she reasoned.

 The queen bristled. "You calm down!" she snapped. Ravenflight rushed over to herd the kits inside the nursery, away from their furious mother. Twisterkit glanced over her shoulder to see the white she-cat digging her claws into the frozen dirt, growling something at Shadowsweep.

 Dovetail was in her nest, grooming Finchkit and Sparrowkit. Mothtail was awake, curled around her newborn kits. She looked up as Ravenflight corralled the kits into their nest, mumbling under his breath.

 "Isn't that, like, the second time this moon? They're pretty good at sneaking out." Mothtail commented.

 Ravenflight settled down in the moss and mumbled something to the queen, but Twisterkit was barely listening. She was pawing at Magpiekit, who was fast asleep beside her, completely oblivious.

 Her younger sister blinked slowly. "Oh, hey, Twisterkit," she managed sleepily. Her expression turned darker. "I'm sorry, by the way."

 Twisterkit curled up next to her, confused. "For what? All you did was hang out here while we snuck out." she reasoned.

 "Oh. I kind of ratted you out." Magpiekit looked away quickly.

 "Seriously?" Brightkit snorted from behind her. "Magpiekit totally snitched on us!" he snarled to Galekit beside him.

 The young she-kit sighed. "Sorry. Dovetail asked me where you were and I didn't know what to say." she explained apologetically.

 Brightkit glared at her. "Why didn't you just say we were with the elders or something?" he accused. 

 Magpiekit hung her head sorrowfully. "I know, I know. Next time we sneak out, I'll just... take a nap or something. Then I'll be out of the way." she said miserably.

 "There won't be a next time." Ravenflight said suddenly, startling the four kits.

 Magpiekit looked up at the healer sorrowfully. "You mean... we'll be kept kits forever?" 

 Ravenfligth shook his head. "No. Quite the opposite, in fact. You won't have to sneak out because Sandyfur is making you apprentices. The four of you are nearly seven moons old, for snakes' sake! My sister can't keep you in the nursery forever." he informed them.

 Twisterkit's two brothers let out squeals of joy, while Magpiekit just looked relieved, if anything.

 "When are we being made apprentices?" Twisterkit demanded. Ravenflight was already stepping towards the sunlight when he paused. "Tomorrow." he said simply, not even bothering to look back at the kits.

 He was halfway out of the nursery when he glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, and Twisterkit," he grinned. "Nice catch."