Leafshade's Revenge

Chapter Ten

Leafshade blinked darkness away from her eyes, lifting her head to see Tigerflame, Darkfang, and Thornfrost sitting beside her. She glanced around. I'm back in the Nursery. Her kits snuggled against her, shivering.

"You were out for a while," Tigerflame meowed at last. "We kept your kits warm for you." His gaze flickered. He looked down at the floor, scraping it with his paw idly. His tail twitched back and forth.

Thornfrost's eyes clouded with grief. "Squirrelkit's missing," he choked out, dropping his head. I know. Part of her wanted to tell him that, but she knew she couldn't. No one could know what she'd done.

She buried her face in his fur. She killed him...but grief and guilt seemed to float around her, jabbing and biting, choking her...she couldn't take it. "I'm sorry," she mewed through gritted teeth. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry—"

+++

Her kits were getting bigger. They tumbled around the Nursery playfully, hitting moss balls around and play-fighting with each other. Wolfkit was also growing stronger, getting closer to the sizes of his siblings, even being the runt of the litter. Thank goodness, they don't remember Squirrelkit. She paused. I did the right thing, right, Splotchpaw? I will get that tom to tell me who killed you, no matter what.

Brightkit pounced on Leafshade's tail, biting at it playfully. She lifted her small head up, tail high up in the air. "Leafshade, I killed your tail," she whined, stomping her little paws. "Stop moving it! It's dead!"

Leafshade's whiskers twitched in amusement, and she let her tail go limp. "Oh, right," she meowed, nodding. "It's dead." Her heart warmed as she saw Brightkit squeak in triumph, puffing out her chest in pride.

"I'm gonna be the best warrior in BirchClan," she mewed, lifting her head.

Tawnykit looked up from her ball of moss, which was now shredded to pieces. "Well, I'm gonna be the best warrior in the world!" Her fur fluffed, and she bounced onto another ball of moss, grabbing it and shaking it back and forth, imitating viciousness.

Wolfkit pounced on Tawnykit's tail. "I'll be the best warrior in StarClan," he mewed, his eyes bright and excited like the rest of them. He tipped his head to the side, his left ear flopping over.

Willowkit frowned. "That means you'll be dead," she pointed out. "So, you wouldn't be the best warrior."

"Cats die of old age, too!" Wolfkit countered, sitting down. He planted his feet firmly on the ground, his ears getting hot.

Tawnykit's eyes sparkled. "Not me! I'll never die!"

"Yes, you will—"

Leafshade whisked her tail, looking sternly at her five kits. "Stop this right now," she hissed, and she flinched a little as she saw her kits shrink down, looking afraid and embarrassed. "You will all be great warriors, and I don't want you fighting about it."

Willowkit stuck out her tail. "All of us but Wolfkit," she sneered in her quiet voice. "He's gonna be a medicine cat—or a kittypet!"

Brightkit and Nightkit watched, her eyes wide as Willowkit and Tawnykit taunted Wolfkit.

StarClan help me, Leafshade thought, sighing.

+++

Leafshade padded out of the Nursery, leaving Thornfrost with the squabbling kits. She felt the wind brush against her fur, and she breathed in the cold, frosty air. She looked around, blinking. The snow is beginning to melt. Soon my kits can come out, for the first time.