Crimson Stains

Chapter 4

I'm walking in the forest. Somehow my leg has healed, not even the scar is left. It's bright and sunny in the forest. Outside the cave, kits are playing happily in the sunlight and laughing. I smile, but something feels off. I take a closer look at the kits. They're all Floatingcloud. Her short orange fur reflects the fire of the sun. As the kits run up to me, their vibrant blue eyes sparkle. It's blinding.

I step back, shaking my head, wishing the light would go away. Deep red welts spread along their- her- back. I choke, startled as crimson blood drips onto snow. The light fades. Water rushes behind me and cats start fighting. It's just Auburnkit now, mewling for help. She screams at me.

I cry out as the cold stings my paws and sudden agonizing pain fills my leg. "Failure, failure, failure, failure" Auburnkit chants as my hind leg twists into something unrecognizable. The snow melts beneath my injured paw. Bubblekit and Fernkit reveal themselves from behind the trees. "Failure, failure, failure, failure" they chant in unison, their eyes dim and grey.

I try to scramble away but my paws freeze Pain snakes up my leg into my back. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, my kits, I'm sorry!" My tears fall. The mangled body of Floatingcloud rises and hobbles towards me, her broken jaw hanging limp. One leg is twisted behind her, her paw leaving a red trail. Auburnkit looks back at her, then at me. Her eyes turn grey. "Will I die like that, daddy? I don't wanna die. You'll save me, right daddy?" She begs me, tilting her head lightly.

I shake my head, still trying to break my paws free from the ice. "I'm not your father! Lizardstripe is your mother now! I can't care for you! I can't do it! I'm sorry! I'm sorry my kits!" I plead with her to understand. Her body becomes gaunt and undernourished. I tremble as her eyes sink in. The bodies of Bubblekit and Fernkit contort into how they looked when they died as Floatingclouds maimed body sits behind them, her eyes blank. I scream, unable to move. I kick desperately and break the ice. I hear a scream and wake with a start.

"Ow! Scamperstep you mouse brain you kicked me! Stop screaming!" Quincefall yelps and shifts in her nest. My breathing slows as I look around. It's the beginning of New-Leaf. The snow has melted. I'm okay. I sigh and stand, "Look, I'm sorry Quincefall it was just a nightmare." Her angry gaze softens. "I know. I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have snapped." She chuckles and lays her head back down. I trot out of the den.

The pads of my paws get colder upon walking into the cold stone. I can still see my breath in the air. I sigh again, then sit. A tear falls onto the frigid rock floor below me, forming a dark patch. The image of my kit's bodies flashes in my mind. Close my eyes and blink the image away. Attempting to ignore the fading splotches of red still in the stone, a monument of tragedy, I walk slowly out of camp. I nod my head at Inkstar as he guards the camp. He dips his.

I can tell he hasn't slept, his eyes dark and his fur unkempt. I wonder if I look the same. I pad out of camp, the cool air filling my pelt. As I walk through the forest, it's as if I can still imagine my kits back in camp, sleeping peacefully. The sounds of small critters scuttling at night fill the air. I can hear the river running gently in the distance, not nearly as terrifying as in my dream.

I decide to hunt, tasting the air for prey. I quickly catch scent of a mouse. I lower my body to the ground, my fur brushing the grass. It isn't long until the mouse runs into view, not noticing me. I leap, landing square on the mouse and killing it with a swift bite. Suddenly I smell, something, a kit. "Auburnkit?!" I call out. The small ginger kit trods out, disappointed. "You caught me" she whimpers, hanging her head.