𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝙎𝙊 𝙎𝙐𝙉𝙉𝙔, warriors

| chapter three

few birds sang when the cool sunlight fell into the clearing. crickets and cicadas chirped on the flower field so loudly that they would wake up a badger.

marigoldkit woke shivering. otterwhisker was sheltering palekit and foxkit with her short tail. the two siblings were sleeping peacefully.
marigoldkit probably rolled in her sleep again.
she shook her pelt and peered into the camp. few cats were rising and cragstep with bobinchase talked with falconstar next to the tall-stump.
marigoldkit was proud that her father was close to the noble leader.
lakepaw scrambling out of the medicine den reminded her of snailpaw.

i hope he's better now, i should've checked him more often these four moons...
her belly twisted at the thought how the scar might look now.

few pebbles rumbled when she peered into the medicine den.

snailpaw was curled up in the mossy nest, looking calmer. finchfrost was bending over him.
"came to see snailpaw?" the gray tom hummed.

"yeah. how is he?" she meowed

"he woke up," the older tom smiled and then sighed. "though I am worried that the wound might infect. anyways, why are you wandering on your own so early? shouldn't you be with your mother or siblings?"

"i should. i'm sorry, i won't interrupt you now," she blabbered and spun around, rushing out of the burrow.

she scrambled out while she heard a faint, "come! come here!" foxkit hissed at her, standing next to the cave that formed the nursery with yawning palekit at his side.

"what happened?" she questioned him quietly.

"otterwhisker went to speak with falconstar," the dark ginger tom smirked while eyeing the slim brown tail disappearing in the leader den.

"let's go listen! maybe she will say that we are that great fighters that we can become apprentices early!" palekit suddenly burst out, excitedly lashing her tail.

"okay," marigoldkit whispered as they prepared to run into the high frosty grass beside the burrow.

three.

two.

one.

go.

they sprinted across the snowy camp and and as soon as they hit the tall frosted stalks, they tripped over one another and while they tumbled down, they became tangled in one tailed ball.

"what are you doing?!" foxkit spat, wriggling out of the tangle "they might hear us."
marigoldkit put her snow-covered tail over his mouth as a sign for silence. He spat out the flakes and pricked his ears.
they eventually heard the meows and mews from the underground den.

"...yes, they are doing well, thank you, falconstar." otterwhisker was saying. "but. you know about the thing that's luring out of the camp, and so do I."

the kits eyed themselves, confused.

"the apprentices are in a great danger, you've seen what happened to snailpaw, right? So I came to ask you.

Can they become apprentices overdue?"

marigoldkit had to put her paws over her siblings' mouths, unless they would yowl with rage.

a long pause lasted after the question.
"what do you mean, otterwhisker?" falconstar finally mewed. "you want them to be apprenticed late?"

"if you put it like that.. yes, i do."

what?! why would she do that? marigoldkit's inner voice cried out.

"you know that's against the warrior code, right? have you discussed it with cragstep yet?" falconstar asked.

"no, but puddleface has the same opinion. she wants her kits to be appretinced late too.

marigoldkit caught herself sigh with relief at the thought that mistlekit would be with her. she immediately scolded herself; you should wish the best for them!

she pricked up her ears to listen to their voices more.

"i want you to discuss it properly with cragstep and puddleface with almondtail if she already hadn't," the leader mewed and marigoldkit heard his tail lash.
"i need to think about it. you now may go."

palekit immediately nudged them with her tail deeper into the grass. they watched as their mother flicked her ear and headed for the fresh-kill pile with cragstep crouching near it.

marigoldkit stared at her siblings with shock.

"what?!" Palekit whispered.

"she can't do that! Isn't it against the warrior code?" marigoldkit cried quietly.

"she can, but we can prove her wrong!" foxkit snarled, looking at otterwhisker.

"how?" palekit sobbed and sat on the dirt with a quiet 'thud'.

"we need to find out why does she want to!" foxkit encouraged them.

"come, we'll get back to the nursery," marigoldkit sighed and spun away from them. they stalked through the grass and then shot back to the nursery, no one noticing.

marigoldkit whined and fell into the nest. palekit curled up next to her, trying to comfort her. foxkit lay next to the two sisters, putting his tail on palekit's flank, snorting.

"mouse-brained otterwhisker!" he hissed.
"why does she must do this to us?!" marigoldkit yelled, tears beginning to make in her amber eyes.
she lifted her head, tears already running down her cheeks, suddenly determined to prove her mother wrong.

"guys. we need to find out what's going on," she announced.

"she talked about a 'thing' that's luring outside," palekit reminded them.

"what could it be?" foxkit questioned, half to himself.

"talonclan warriors!" palekit smirked.

"that's bee-brained, why would they?" foxkit remarked.

"some predator, maybe? or some twoleg thing?" marigoldkit suggested.

"what's up?" marigoldkit jumped a little when she heard her friend. Mistlekit and Doekit bounded to them.

palekit began softly crying again.

"otterwhisker and puddleface are going to make us apprentices overdue!" she wailed.

"what?!" the two siblings shouted as one.

"they can't do that! it's against the warrior code!" objected the cream tom.

"they will," Foxkit mewed darkly. "if falconstar says so."

"how do you know that?" mistlekit's blue gaze flicked from one kit to another.

"we went to spy when otterwhisker when she talked with falconstar," marigoldkit explained.

"fox-dung!" mistlekit growled.
doekit sat down and dipped his head.

"we need to make a plan!" foxkit encouraged them.

"first, we need to find out why," marigoldkit ordered.

"they talked about a 'thing' that's luring outside," her sister remembered again.

"and before you came, we were talking about what could it be," foxkit ended.

"er . . . a badger or a fox . . .?" doekit meowed.

"it could be. we need to spy again, with you two helping. you want to become apprentices normally, right?"

they called their agreement, but just when marigoldkit wanted to speak, two bigger cats emerged in the entrance of the den.

"what's going on here?" a brown queen mewed with a white molly with broad gray face hard on her paws.