Tigerstripe's mistake

prologue

Firestripe crouched over his kits. He heard a silent wail come from Tigerkit and pressed his tail against his tiny mouth.
"Shh.." Firestripe hushed the kit.
They couldn't be found. Pondfreckle's limp body lay behind them. She had passed out from exhaustion the day before from kitting their kits and hadn't yet woken up.
While on a walk together, Pondfreckle had suddenly started kitting. It was getting dark and Firestripe guided her to an old badger sett under a hollowed out hole at the base of a tree.
Soon after kitting, she named Tigerkit before passing out. Firestripe went outside of the sett, making sure he stayed close, to gather moss and grab a mouse for Pondfreckle. The scent of a fox drifted in the air. It was fresh. Firestripe raced back to the sett and dropped his moss and kill infront of his kits.
He now watched as the fox paced back and forth outside of the sett, occasionally sniffing the ground or air. It was looking for them. Thankfully, the stale scent of badger was enough to cover up their scent inside, but it remained fresh outside. It was clear this fox would not leave soon. Firestripe grew worried for his unconscious mate and their kits. He ducked down and made them promise to stay silent. He knew what he would have to do. He hid the mouse under Pondfreckle and patched the exit with the moss and some sticks he found in the sett. He ensured there would be a big enough hole for him to leave, but not one big enough for the fox to get in. Pondfreckle would need to be able to leave. He could outrun a fox, but an exhausted queen and her new kits couldn't. Firestripe turned and pressed his face into his kits. He promised to protect them and slipped out of the sett. The fox turned to look at him hungrily. He couldn't take it down on his own, but he could run. So he ran. He pelted through the forest, the fox yapping behind him. He could hear its paws thud against the leafy ground. Firestripe decided that camp would be the best place to take the fox. It was far from the sett and he knew there would be atleast one cat awake, on watch.
As he hared through the dark forest, Firestripe realised that the sound of the paws seemed to have doubled. He quickly glanced behind him to see a second fox pursuing him. This was a trap. He spun his head around and was faced with a snarling fox licking its jaws. He couldn't get away in time. A fourth fox appeared. Then a fifth. He was surrounded. A fox lunged at him and bit down on his front leg. He clawed its red face with his other paw, but another fox latched its teeth into him. He couldn't survive this. He wouldn't be able to see Pondfreckle again. He would never see his kits again. He would never watch them become apprentices. He would never watch them become warriors. They would never see him again.
Another fox grabbed onto his leg. Firestripe felt himself being torn from the middle as the foxes pulled backwards and stretched him in the air.
I'm sorry my kits..

Pondfreckle woke up, her head against an earth floor. The faint scent of a badger was quickly covered up by the scent of a fox. She quickly sat up and looked around. Two new kits shuffled around in the dirt.
My kits.
She noticed that a plump mouse had been placed beneath her. She assumed Firestripe had gone out to hunt again as he was not there, and began to eat the cold mouse.
After waiting in the sett until the sun began to rise, she grew worried of her mate's whereabouts. Her thoughts were interrupted by the mew of her kit. She hadn't been named yet, but as the dawn light shone onto her barely furred pelt, she new what to name her. Dawnkit. Tigerkit began to crawl over to his sister with muscular legs. Their names were perfect.

Pondfreckle soon left the sett, her kits in her jaws, to find Firestripe. He hadn't appeared. She watched the shadows warily, scared that a fox would jump out at her.
It didn't take long to find Firestripe. He could barely be recognised anymore. His flesh had been torn from his bones and his once bright blue eyes were now  dull. Pondfreckle stood above his corpse, stunned. She sent a silent prayer to Moonclan and was glad her kits couldn't yet see. They couldn't see their father like this. The stench of fox hung in the air like a boulder. It crushed Pondfreckle with its overwhelming strength.

After standing in horror for a long while, Pondfreckle placed her kits on the ground and pushed her head into the little amount of fur Firestripe still had on his corpse. A patrol soon came and sat down with her to share her grief. Featherwhisker helped to keep the kits with them as she comforted Pondfreckle.
As the group sat around their dead clanmate's cold body, determination began to flow through Pondfreckle.
I won't let you die, my kits.. she silently promised.