Warriors: Powers of The Clans ~ Paws of Life (Book 2/6)

Chapter One

(cat featured above is Smoketail)

Squeals of laughter echoed through the clearing as the calico body of Marblekit soared through the slush. "Watch out!" She giggled, crashing into her smaller brother, Thistlekit, who stumbled slightly. Paws paddered on the icy coverage.

"Ouch! Mama, Marblekit won't stop sliding around the slush." He complained, glaring at Marblekit, who raced back around to do it again. Thistlekit's small tail lashed back and forth.

Doveheart's sympathetic glance followed to Thistlekit, who pouted, slush dripping off his silver fur. She sighed, looking from Marblekit to Thistlekit. "Marblekit, don't slide near your brother. Thistlekit, you should sit somewhere away from the sludge if you aren't going to join in."

Thistlekit sighed, nodding. He got up, and began to pad away, but not before flicking snow up in Marblekits direction. Marblekit leaped up, and jumped onto a sleek line of snow, her paws scrambling over the icy surface. Dockkit watched excitedly, and krept out from behind her mother. Smoketail looked down at her, smiling warmly.

Marblekit let out a mrrow of laughter, and locked eyes with Dockkit. "Dockkit!" She called. "Come join us!" Dockkit smiled wide, and leaped out, running up the line of the slush. She tentatively placed a paw on the ice, and slipped slightly and her eyes widened.

"Steady yourself." Sootkit, her brother, instructed. He nosed her paw straight upright instead of jutting out like it had been. She extracted her claws, and stepped on with another paw. "No, sheathe your claws. You won't be able to slide, if you want to slide, you have to leap all in at once, and fully commit." Dockkit sighed. Why is it so hard to slide on a sheet of ice?

She bunched her back paws, and leaped, sliding down the clearing happily. Her heart rushed and she felt the cold breeze tickling her white and orange fur. Dockkit fixed her gaze on a large, dirty gray pile of snow ahead of her. Should I be headed that way?

"Dockkit look out!" A voice called out. Dockkit scrambled her paws nervously, and felt as her face was buried in the deep pile of snow. She screamed, salty snow entering her jaws and filling her throat.

She tried to scream for help, but her world was in darkness. Snow filled her ears and nose, and her paws punched out, but all her claws could grasp was the cold wet snow. Voices filled her snow filled ears, and she wondered if this would be how she died.

"Dockkit!" A voice screamed again, slightly muffled. A tugging pulled her scuff, and light flooded her sight again. She wailed, snow tumbling out of her mouth as she coughed up the gray mess. Her mother placed her on the floor carefully, and began to lick her ears clean. Her breath was coming in quick, and she choked up more snow.

"It's okay." Her mothers soothing voice muttered between licks as she warmed her kit.

"Dockkit are you okay?" Marblekit asked, sniffing her pelt nervously. Mud tickled her fur and she squirmed, the feeling of mud making her pelt feel thick and heavy. She shook out her fur, mud spraying around her.

"Fine." She mewed hoarsely, blinking the dirt out of her amber eyes. "I never wanna see mud ever again." She cried, bristling at the pile of muddy snow. Disgusting.

Smoketail continued to clean the mud off Dockkit, and Marblekit joined their brothers in a game of tag. Dockkits heart felt the need to join them, and she looked up at her mother, mewling.

"Am I ready to go now, mama?" She asked, looking up innocently at her mother. Her mothers eyes hardened as she flicked her gaze to the pile of snow, but it softened.

Smoketail sighed, and looked up at the other kits, where Sootkit was leaping onto Mosskit. "Yes, go on dear." Dockkit squealed, and jumped up, rushing over to Thistlekit.