Sea's P.O.V
I padded after Lionkit. "Watch out!" He warned suddenly. I stopped. "What?"
"There are brambles ahead."
"You thought I didn't know that?"
"Its for Jaykit." He meowed exasperatingly. I rolled my eyes. Of course. I'm such an idiot. "I'll find a way through!" Hollykit offered, pushing into the lead and wriggling into the branches. "But the trail leads around it," Jaykit and I whined. We looked at each other and shared a laugh for the first time. "We can't afford to stay in the open though," Lionkit told us. I frowned. "Well, we can pick up the scent on the other side, once there are brambles between us and the other cats." Jaykit followed Lionkit as their sister found a narrow tunnel through the tangle of branches. "You first, Moon." Moon smiled and tugged in after Jaykit. I decided not to squeeze through so I padded around the bush. "Hey! Seakit! You're supposed to go through the bramble, not around it!" Hollykit hissed. "What? Firstly, my name's Sea, not Seakit, and secondly, I didn't want to get scratched like you all were. You okay Moon?" Moon pushed out through the other side and shook her pelt. "Yep! I even ate a few berries on the way."
The kits froze. "Aren't they poisonous?" Hollykit asked. "No. Why would they be?" I replied looking up. The wind rustled my fur and the sun warmed my pelt. That was probably because the trees were spaced evenly apart. "For you're information, the cubs are in the bracken. I can smell them." At once, the kits marveled at my scent. We walked toward the bracken and Hollykit gave me a suspicious glare. "Wait here!" Hollykit ordered. "Why?" Lionkit and I objected. "Just wait while I take a look behind this bracken!"
"I'm coming too," Lionkit insisted. "So am I. I've encountered a fox cub before when it attacked our willow tree. So there. If you can't fight them off, I will." The kits gave me a strange glance. "You don't come from a Clan?" Jaykit asked. "No, whats a clan?"
"We don't want the cubs to know we're here though," Hollykit mewed. "If all three of us go blundering in, they'll know something's up and we'll lose the element of surprise."
"My golden pelt will blend in better against the bracken than your black fur," Lionkit pointed out. "And I've helped Sea to fight off the fox cub back at our previous home." Moon complained. "And what about me?" Jaykit mewed. "We won't attack the den without any of you," Hollykit promised. "But first, you, Moonkit and I will wait here while Lionkit and Seakit find the way in."
"Aw!" Moon sighed, curling her tail around her paws. "Come back as soon as you find it," Jaykit called in a whisper as Lionkit and I disappeared into the bracken. As I padded into the den, I brushed pelts with Lionkit. "Hey, do you think you can fight of the cubs?" I meowed. "Well, yeah. I'm the strongest out of my siblings- and I'm from a ThunderClan!" He exaggerated, throwing out his chest. I giggled. Lionkit grinned, liking the way he made me laugh. Suddenly, I heard mewling. "Uh, how many cubs are there?"
"Three." Lionkit stopped, slowly peering through the hole. "Ah. The main entrance to the den is right behind this clump," Lionkit called out to his siblings. "But there's a smaller entrance on the other side of the lump of earth— probably an escape route—that leads into the back." I added. "Are the cubs inside?" Jaykit asked. "We didn't go in, but I could hear them crying for food." I replied. "They must still be young, then," Hollykit guessed. "Otherwise they'd have come out by now."
"It'll be easier to flush them out if we go down the escape passage," Lionkit proposed. "If we rush them, the surprise will be enough to get them out of the den, and then we can chase them toward the border."
"Which way is the border?" Hollykit, Moon and I asked. Lionkit snorted impatiently. "There'll be a border whichever way we drive them!" He snapped. "ThunderClan territory doesn't go on forever. Let's get on with it, before Thornclaw finds them and takes all the glory." He surged back through the bracken. I stayed put. "Come on Moon." I whispered. "Lets show them waht we've got." The bracken rustled a bit as Moon stood next to me. "The escape route is here," I heard him announce. "It's no bigger than a rabbit hole!" Hollykit mewed in surprise. "Perhaps that's what it used to be," Lionkit answered. "Who cares, so long as we can fit down it?" There was a call somewhere in the woods.
"Hurry!" Lionkit hissed. "Or Thornclaw will find the cubs first!" Moon and I rushed forward, avoiding the light of the hole. Suddenly we found ourselves in the den. Three large cubs where sitting in their nest, growling at our appearance. "Hold you're ground, Moon. You're doing great." Lionkits voice suddenly cried out behind me. "They're huge!" He wailed. "Let's get out of here!" Jaykit screeched. He turned and shot back up the escape tunnel. Then the foxes pounced. Lionkit and Holly kit rushed out the den while Moon and I dodged their lazy paws. I slid underneath them and clawed onto their back, nipping at their hindquarters as I crawled upward. Moon was doing the same with the other cub as the third one ran up the tunnel for Jaykit. I sank my claws into the foxes pelt as it tried shaking me off. "Thornclaw!" I heard Jaykit yowl. The fox shot forward, crying in pain. I leapt onto its muzzle and clawed its nose. "Halt! Its the fox cubs!" I heard a yowl. Lionkit and Hollykit were standing meekly behind them.
The third fox that was chasing Jaykit appeared from behind some trees and leapt toward the cats. Lionkit and Hollykit screeched and ran for their lives. Suddenly, Moon was thrown off her fox and landed in the middle of the third foxes fight. She yelled and followed Lionkit and Hollykit into the forest. I gripped harder on the fox and saw the second one charging toward me, snarling and growling. By now, all the 'patrol' of cats were finished with the third fox and staring blankly at me. My claws gripped into the first fox and I swiped at the second foxes nose. My tail almost got caught in the foxes teeth then I scared its muzzle with my claws. Grabbing hold of the other foxes tail, I bit down as hard as I could, tasting fox blood on my fangs. Jaws snapped near my face and I flipped upside down, battering my claws in its face. I sacred both their pelts which made them squealing in fright. At one last bite of both their ears, I leapt off and they raced toward the lake.
I stood there, my claws and fangs dripping with blood. A stream was running nearby and I padded into it, washing of the blood and stench of fox. Suddenly, all the 4 cats rushed toward me. "Who are you?" One asked. I looked up from my wet claws. "My name is Sea."
"How old are you?"
"One day away from being 6 moons old."
"Do you have any siblings?"
"No, but my friend Moon ran away with Lionkit and Hollykit."
"Who are you're parents?"
"Neither of us know."
"What Clan are you from?"
"None. And whats a Clan?" The 'Patrol' of cats stared at me silently. "I'm Firestar. Leader of ThunderClan." Said a tom with bright orange fur. "Do you know anything about you're past?" You're past, you're past, you're past. A swirl of images went through my head, making me dizzy. "WHERE IS SHE?" A voice cried. A fox bared teeth at me. A badger snapped it jaws around me. A willow tree sheltering my body. "Barely." I cried, falling sideways into the water. Then as everything went dark, I heard a voice. "You are home, dear one."
