Warriors: A Bleeding Sky

The Weirdest Dream

     "Sagekit? Are you alright?" The familiar, soothing voice of her mother startled Sagekit even more. It was a dream. Of course it was a dream, what were you thinking, Sagekit! None of it was real. Not Emeraldpaw, Skypaw, Cherrypaw, or Adderpaw. Not the fire, or the burns she had. Of course it wasn't real. There hasn't been a fire like that here, ever. It was just a very, long dream.

     "Sagekit? Hello?" Her mother interrupted.

     "It was just a nightmare, that's all. Nothing more."

     "That's good. I was letting you get some sleep, but it's almost sunhigh. I'd like to see you go enjoy your last day as a kit. Go find Berrykit, or talk to the apprentices, and get to know them."

     Sagekit laughed a bit. Talking to the apprentices was off the list. Acepaw was very aggressive, and loud. He's mean to everyone who doubts him, yet whines every time his white fur gets muddy. Archenpaw's basically his little minion. She's very quiet, and the only cat Acepaw doesn't yell at. Gingerpaw and Leanpaw, maybe. But they're much bigger than Sagekit, and about to become warriors. Alanipaw would be the only choice.

     Sagekit left the nursery. The camp was the same as she remembered. Cats moving back and forth between dens, patrols constantly rotating, Glacierkit and Ivykit mewling at each other angrily, and certainly no fire.

     "Sagekit! Come down here, I'm bored!" Berrykit was calling from the hollow tree trunk, on the floor of the camp. She was glad to see her friend.

     She called back. "Coming Berrykit!" Sagekit padded down the mud-sealed ramp to the hollow, where Berrykit was waiting with a vole.

     "You were sleeping forever, Sagekit. Both morning patrols are already back."

     "Well, I was tired." Sagekit looked over to the vole. It was very plump, even for new-leaf. "Nice vole, are you gonna eat that?"

     "Thanks, I found it near the fresh-kill pile. I was thinking we could play a game for it. See that mouse?" Berrykit gestured towards a small mouse, moving along the camp wall, unnoticed.

     "You're on, Berrykit!" Sagekit laughed. Berrykit hid the vole under a rock, and they were off. The kits approached the mouse, as quietly as they could. A voice burst, and the mouse scurried across the camp.

     "Whatcha doing, Berrykit?" Swiftkit burst.

     Berrykit responded playfully. "Well we were hunting a mouse, until you scared it off."

     "Save the hunting for being an apprentice, not long now." Glacierkit and Ivykit came padding over.

     "Speak for yourself, I want in. Where'd it go?" Ivykit mewed, determined.

     Sagekit tried to bribe Glacierkit and Swiftkit. She wanted nothing more than to beat them, at anything. "Winner gets a vole."

     "And it's the juiciest vole you've ever seen!" Berrykit added.

     "Fine, I'll play." Glacierkit agreed.

     "I'll join, too!" Swiftkit was in too. Now all she had to do was find the mouse.

     "3, 2, 1, Split!" Ivykit yowled.

     Sagekit made sure not to run. She made as little noise as possible, and went to find a bush to hide in. The mouse came, and stopped right in front of the bush. Before pouncing, she tried to learn its scent. She wanted to impress her mentor tomorrow. WHOOSHH. Glacierkit ran past, now in pursuit. Sagekit started running too. There was no way Glacierkit was going to win this. The mouse changed directions, zigzagging to avoid them. They ended up at one end of the long, thin hollow. This was it, all she had to do was outrun Glacierkit. The hollow was full of small rocks and twigs, not to mention the empty tree Berrykit called from. Beams of sunlight broken by ferns and leaves flooding in, shining a spotlight on the mouse. Glacierkit ran towards it, so Sagekit did too. The mouse started running the same way, this was a full-blown chase. Sagekit was starting to leave Glacierkit behind her. He was tripping on rocks and sticks, but Sagekit already knew how to avoid them while running. Maybe the dream was more real than she thought. Glacierkit fell over behind her. Berrykit, Ivykit, and Swiftkit were also in pursuit, yet struggling like Glacierkit was. The mouse lept on to the fallen, hollow tree in the middle of the open space. So she did too. Sagekit landed perfectly on her feet, but didn't catch the mouse. The chase seemed to have caught the attention of the apprentices, and a few warriors, even. Possible mentors. She couldn't fail this. Sagekit did her best, copying what she saw Emeraldpaw do. Emeraldpaw. Why should she do what he did, he was a figment of her imagination. An annoying one at that. But she pounced anyway. Time slowed, she could see the mouse. Before she knew it, she had a muzzle full of dirt, but no mouse.