Of Kits and Queens - #Wattys2016

Chapter Three

Although the light of evening streamed through the windows of the camp buildings, inside it was dusk. Through the open door came the thuds of the nightly leaping game, and now and then, murmurs and meows of approval.

Kestrelsong and Blossomthorn came into the darkening nursery together, seeing Smoketail and Halfkit across the hall in the elder's den. Blossomthorn tossed a half-eaten mouse to Smoketail, who frowned before reluctantly taking a bite and passing it along to Spottedfur.

Kestralsong said, "Oh StarClan! I don't know how we're going to get Halfkit to settle down in the nursery. He'll want to sleep in the elders den with Smoketail. We'll have trouble, then. He doesn't know his own strength."

There was a thud outside and a little cheer of voices. The warriors were doing their nightly leaps.

Blossomthorn smiled. "I love the bond you and Halfkit share," She admitted. "I hardly ever saw that kind of bond with EmpireClan kits."

"Well, why not?" She asked.

"Oh, I don't know. I suppose just because the kits are in a lot of danger here--with the tall buildings and all. The queens are usually very strict."

"I suppose--Halfkit may be a little off-centered, but he isn't mouse brained. He wouldn't leap." She said confidently. "I suppose I'm not too bright, either. Halfkit tends to get in a lot of trouble, and I've always got to stop him."

Blossomthorn nodded. "So, why'd you really leave IvoryClan?" She asked. She sensed a little doubt. "Was it only for Driftmask?"

Kestrelsong frowned and lowered her voice so the kit and elder couldn't hear. "Funny, I used to think that it'd be wondrous--having a kit of my own. Used to play around with him in the nursery and watching his every move because his brain is a little slow. The other kits would make fun of Halfkit, and play jokes on him, but he never noticed. He laughed along, not knowing that they were laughing at him and not with him."

She breathed to continue. "There a little pool in the camp which StarClan refills for us, for fresh water."

Blossomthorn nodded. "And we have one in the medicine den,"

She nodded. "Well, one day the older kits told him to jump in. So he jumped in. Why, he just puts so much faith into other cats. So I grabbed his scruff to pull him out, or he would've drowned. Dawnstar delayed their apprenticeships."

"After that, he was still so nice to those kits--he completely forgot about them telling him to jump in! Well...they never did anything like that ever again," She finished, kneading her paws on the carpet.

"He's a kind kit," said Blossomthorn. "He doesn't need any sense to be nice."

Kestrelsong nodded and began to move around the soft moss in her nest. The warriors of EmpireClan cheered outside as they successfully leapt from building to building. The moonlight shone through the open windows, and a chilling breeze entered the room.

"He's nice, all right, but sometimes...sometimes he really is a mouse brain. Like what happened in IvoryCla--" She looked alarmed and peered over to Blossomthorn. "You wouldn't tell any of the other warriors, right?" She asked.

"What happened over in IvoryClan?" She asked, sitting on her haunches and curling her tail over her paws.

"You wouldn't tell? No...no you wouldn't."