ThunderClan's Loyalty, Book One

Chapter Four

-April 20th-
-Cloudkit is 1 moons old-
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Cloudkit woke on a chilly morning amongst her nest of fluff. Kitten fluff to be exact. The fluffy fur of her two littermates, to be even more exact. Tulipkit and Fernkit were sleeping soundly beside her, and behind them, blocking out the breeze from the nursery entrance, was their mother Softpelt, a long-furred gray queen.

   Cloudkit, who was a ball of velvety downy-soft russet fluff, opened her baby blue eyes and yawned silently, showing off all of her ten teeth and bare pink gums. She then splayed her paws out in front of her and made a short squeak as she stretched her limbs.

   She felt her back paw snag on something furry and looked back to see Fernkit blinking open her own blue eyes one at a time, her gray tabby fur fluffing up in her wakefulness.

   "Cloud. . .kit? Why you pushin' me?" she mewed.

   Cloudkit huffed. "I didn't. I was stretching and you got in the way of my paw," she retorted quietly.

   Fernkit got up. "I did not, I was asleep. You should 'ave been lookin' where youse was stretchin'," she mewed, licking sloppily at one paw.

   Tulipkit —beside Cloudkit— stirred, her spotted ginger and white pelt was ruffled and the fur on her head was wild and sticking up everywhere. "Would you two quiet? You gonna wake Softpelt," she scolded them in a hushed voice. Cloudkit nodded and closed her mouth as she got to her paws.

   Fernkit giggled softly. "Let's go owt and see camp," she suggested.

   Cloudkit frowned. "But we not supposed to go out unless a queen is with us," she said.

   Tulipkit snickered. "That's what makes it fun," she whispered, getting to her paws and climbing down out of the moss. Cloudkit followed her, Fernkit close behind.

   The three kits crept around their mother's sleeping form and around the two other queens and their kits. Cloudkit stopped to look at Nightkit curiously; she had always liked his silky jet black fur. It was so dark compared to everyone in the nursery and it was an exact opposite of her messy red velvet.

   She quickly caught up with her sisters as the two poked their heads out the entrance. Cold air hit Cloudkit head on, it was so sudden that she squeaked and stumbled back.

   "Shhh!" Fernkit and Tulipkit both hushed from the entrance. Cloudkit gave her chest fur a few licks and followed them out.

   Out in camp there were clouds overhead, fluffy and gray. A chill was in the still air and the three kits shivered at the same time. Only a few cats were in camp, and they were stretching and yawning, shaking the sleep from their brains.

   Mallowfang yawned as she sat down on the remains of the fallen tree, waiting for cats to wake and gather for their assignments. Cloudkit watched in awe as more and more warriors approached the deputy, and the broad shouldered she-cat started meowing orders to them that Cloudkit couldn't quite pick up from where she was standing.

   Fernkit jumped out all the way and Cloudkit followed her onto the wet grass sparkling with dew.

   "Wow, it's like the ground is covered in stars!" Cloudkit whispered. Tulipkit nodded as she stepped after her. "But why would StarClan be in the ground?" Cloudkit asked.