Leafshade's Revenge

Ravenkit's Hope Preview

         Ravenkit opened his eyes, blinking drowsily. He glanced around him, seeing two smaller kits and two big cats staring at him. He sniffed, confused, and walked forward clumsily, missing a step and falling on his face. He flinched, shaking out his fur.

"Hello, Ravenkit," the white tom meowed softly. He crouched down, gazing warmly at Ravenkit and the two other kits beside him. "I am Snowfang," he continued, his voice quiet. "These are your siblings, Frostkit and Mistkit."

He blinked at his siblings. Frostkit was light gray with white paws and white ears, and she had long fur and pale blue eyes. Mistkit was a shadowy gray-black, and she had short fur like Ravenkit, and gray eyes.

The ash-gray tom with broad shoulders stared kindly at them. "I am your father," he meowed. His long fluffy tail flicked, and Ravenkit watched it with his eyes. The tom dipped his head, murmuring something to Snowfang, and then padding out with him.

Ravenkit tilted his head, turning around. "Who are you?" he squeaked to the gray she-cat next to them, who had a fluffy tail and short fur. She blinked at them. "I'm Feathermist," she told them. "I'm your mother." Her gaze flickered, and she bent down to lick Mistkit's ears.

"Can we go out?" Frostkit begged. "I want to go explore." Her tail lashed excitedly, and her fur prickled along her spine. She shifted her paws, her claws sliding in and out.

Feathermist shook her head. "Not yet," she told Frostkit. "When you get a little bigger, I promise I'll go out with you." Her eyes were warm, and she twitched her whiskers in amusement. Ravenkit grunted.

"It'll take moons before we're bigger!" Ravenkit protested, frowning. He glared at his mother stubbornly, his tail sticking straight up in the air. He sniffed.

"When you're older," Feathermist meowed again, and Ravenkit sighed and curled up beside Frostkit and Mistkit. When I'm older, I won't have to wait for anyone's permission, Ravenkit thought to himself drowsily.

+++

Ravenkit bounced, pouncing on Feathermist's tail. "Come on, come on!" he mewed. "I'm bigger! I'm—"

"It's been only four minutes," Feathermist responded, sounding tired. "And the last time I told you no, I said you'd have to be three moons. How many moons old are you?" She stared at him, her face annoyed and sleepy.

Ravenkit sighed. "Two moons," he squeaked ruefully. He looked at her pleadingly. "Please, I'm so bored!" he added. He pricked his ears as another cat walked in. He had a dappled gray pelt with glowing eyes.

"Feathermist," he meowed, greeting her. "Would you mind if I took the kits to the medicine den? I would love to show them all the herbs, and it'd be most fun to talk to them." He waited, glancing at Ravenkit.

Feathermist flicked her ears. "I don't know," she mewed hesitantly. "I don't think they're old enough to be out of the Nursery yet." She looked down at her three kits, who were all staring back at her with hopeful eyes. She sighed. "Ok, but be very careful; I don't want them getting into trouble." Worry flashed in her gaze, but Ravenkit ignored it and bounced over to the tom.

"Alright, of course," he responded. "Come along, kits," he said, leading them out of the Nursery and into the clearing. The sun was bright and it felt hotter now that they weren't in the shade of the Nursery. Ravenkit tried to stay in the tom's shadow. He trotted cheerfully after him, his tail high in the air.

They approached a small rock cave that had a narrow entrance, but the tom slid through it just fine. He waited for all the kits to gather around him before continuing. "I am Ashtail, the StreamClan medicine cat." He paused, his eyes glimmering. "What does a medicine cat do?" he asked them, and Ravenkit hated the feeling of being a kit. I hate it when cats do that, he thought. I'm not a kit, I can think! Medicine cats heal others; anyone, even a mouse-brain would know that!

Mistkit tilted her head. "They heal other cats, right?"

Frostkit nodded eagerly. "And they speak with StarClan!" she added, her paws shifting on the ground. "Right?"

Ashtail nodded. "Yes, you are both correct." He paused, looking at Ravenkit for a moment, and then turning back to his siblings. "A medicine cat is very important to his clan," he continued on slowly. "Yes, every clan needs warriors to fight. But they also need a cat who can heal and have compassion for everyone, even those outside of the clans."

"I'll never have compassion for anyone but StreamClan warriors," Frostkit squeaked, trying to sound fierce.

Ravenkit blinked. "I think it's good to be compassionate," he mewed thoughtfully. He licked his paw and ran it over his ear a couple of times. His pelt felt hot as Ashtail seemed to be examining him, curious. No, I'm not going to be your medicine cat apprentice! he thought, holding Ashtail's gaze. I know that's why you brought us in here. It wasn't to let us have fun, or to take us off our mother's paws. You just want someone you can boss around, don't you?

Ashtail broke away from Ravenkit's gaze. "Er, you should probably head back to the Nursery," he decided. "Run along now." Ravenkit felt Ashtail's eyes on his pelt as he followed Frostkit and Mistkit back to the Nursery.

I shouldn't have spoken, he thought ruefully, relived to be back in the cover and shade of the Nursery. Now he's going to bug me right up to the day until I get my warrior mentor.