Warriors: Whitekit's Dream [Book One of the Voiceless Series]

Chapter Five

"Three. . . Two. . . One. . ."

"EEK!" Tumblekit cried out as Finchwing leapt from the center building to the next.

The she-kit squirmed, scaring Finchwing as they were in mid-air. Luckily, the deputy's strong legs had pushed far enough to land far past the window, letting them both reach safety.

Next, two warriors went, each time they jumped, they were focused and all of the clan was silent. It was truly the leap of faith. Willowshade was up next, and she had not leapt for a long time. It was dangerous, but she knew she had to make it. Not only for herself, but for her kits.

"Come on, Willowshade!" Thunderfoot cried. "Don't be afraid, we must keep moving!"

Willowshade glanced back to her mate, knowing that the coyotes would catch them all if she kept delaying. With that, she leapt off the ledge of the windowsill.

A scream was heard. It cut through the air and in a split second, the clan gasped in unison to see the queen hanging on to the ledge of the windowsill, her claws fully extended.

At this, the coyote pack looked up to see the cat barely hanging on. Her hind claws dug into the stone, she was trying to push herself up.

Mama! Whitekit screamed in her head. She dashed out from the crowd of warriors, watching in horror as her mother tried to escape her death.

"Whitekit!" Willowshade cried. "No. . . Don't look!"

Whitekit shook her head furiously, jumping up and down, trying to get a warrior to save her beloved mother.

Wildstar took no further hesitation. The coyotes would try to climb up, and then they would all be dead. He shoved cats out of the way, taking a leap from the window. Successfully landing on the other building, he bent down to carefully bite down on Willowshade's scruff.

Thunderfoot watched with fright, trying to step up on the ledge of the window. A warrior--a tom--stopped him.

"Don't," He warned. "Wildstar would be taken by surprise and drop her."

Thunderfoot frowned, his eyes filled with worry. He stayed perched on the ledge, eyes intent on his leader who could end or save his mate's life. The clan was silent. . . The camp was eerily quiet, even the pack of coyotes. They stood down below, waiting to see if the queen would plummet to her death. Wildstar looked concentrated, and it looked like he had a firm grip on Willowshade's scruff.

A loud howl sounded from below, one of the coyotes was impatient and started to bark. This startled Wildstar, who was pulled forward by Willowshade's weight. Thunderfoot's eyes widened with fear, his tail swishing back and forth with a great amount of worry.

Jaggedwing--a tom of the Flight Team and Wolfkit and Tumblekit's father--stepped forward. "I know what to do," He mumbled.

Thunderfoot looked to him. "Please, anything!"

Jaggedwing nodded, gesturing for Thunderfoot to move to the side. Once he did, Jaggedwing took the tom's place on the windowsill. He didn't look down at the coyotes, his gaze was fixed on the window directly below Willowshade. It was open, with no glass to hurt a cat or get in its way.

Next, the tom said something quite unexpected. "Drop her."

Finchwing looked at the tom with surprise. "Don't be a rat-brain! That move is extremely dangerous!"

"Either we try it, or lose the queen," Jaggedwing replied to the deputy. "Ready when you are, Wildstar."

Whitekit met her mother's gaze, her blue eyes wide and scared, her small body trembling with fright. Willowshade smiled, and the queen whispered to herself, "It'll be alright,"

Wildstar looked to Jaggedwing and blinked. With a grunt, he let go of Willowshade. The queen stayed as calm and as still as she could--Whitekit wanted to scream. Palekit and Ryekit did however, their wails louder than the barks of the coyotes below. . . The coyotes awaiting their prey.

Jaggedwing was fast, however. He took a gulp of air and pushed his strong hind legs. Time seemed to stop for Whitekit as she watched Jaggedwing meet Willowshade in front of the window, pushing her inside the building.

Palekit and Ryekit were still screaming, but Whitekit had not moved. Did. . . Did that just happen? She asked herself, replaying the scene in her mind. It all seemed too quick for her.

Heatherstone, the medicine cat, was kind and gentle, calming Whitekit's two siblings. "Shh, shh. It's alright, young ones. It's alright."

Palekit sniffed, while Ryekit gasped for air. "I don't want to jump!" Ryekit cried out. "I'm scared. . . I want my Mama, I'm scared!"

Echomoon, a cat of the Flight Team, glanced sympathetically at the tom kit. "We must go," She told Ryekit. "Don't worry, I'll bring you back to your mother, I promise."

Ryekit turned away as a tear rolled down his face. "I. . . I don't want to die!" He cried.

"Please," Echomoon pleaded. "Ryekit, we need to go!"

Ryekit looked up at the warrior. "Pro. . . Promise?" He asked between sniffs.

"I promise," She replied, smiling for the kit. Her eyes were wide with worry. When Ryekit nodded, she didn't hesitate for a second. She grabbed Whitekit's brother by the scruff and stood on the ledge, pushing off with a much needed force. Ryekit squealed loudly as they were in midair, Whitekit sighing in relief as they both flew through the window.

Stoneleap had a shaking Palekit in his jaws, Whitekit's sister was curled up, swinging from his grip. Whitekit bit her lip, still trying to understand what would happen to them once they reached the other side. The tom hurried to the windowsill, positioning himself into the leaping pose--his hind legs tucked and his front paws slightly forward. With that, he pushed off, letting Palekit screech as they both landed safely through the window.

"Jaggedwing!" Heatherstone called. "You must come back to get Whitekit!"

The strong tom nodded, climbing up to the windowsill to make a return. A call of a coyote was heard, and one of the warriors gasped with fright.

"Wildstar!" The warrior--a she-cat--cried out. "They're coming! They're coming up the steps! Hurry, Jaggedwing, so the rest of us can go! Hurry!"

Jaggedwing grunted, taking on the leaping stance. With a swift movement, he pushed off, landing in front of Whitekit and Thunderfoot.

Whitekit looked up at Jaggedwing with fright. He was one of the two cats Wolfkit respected, and was indefinitely tough. She crouched back in fear, her small brown ears flattening against her head.

"We need to go, young one. Please," Jaggedwing said soothingly. Whitekit bit her lip, twitching her nose as a strange scent traveled into her nose.

"The coyotes! They're nearly here!" A shrill cry warned.

"Whitekit, come on!" Jaggedwing pleaded. Whitekit took a deep breath, and stood back up, letting the warrior grab her scruff.

On the windowsill, Whitekit could see Ryekit. . . Palekit. . . and her mother. They're safe! They're safe! She thought excitedly. Looking down, her smile quickly faded and her stomach dropped. No, Jaggedwing! Please, no! No, no, no, no! She thought, feeling light-headed as she felt Jaggedwing assume the leaping position.

And with that, he pushed off.

A/N:

Hope you liked this chapter! I got pretty into it in the end😅

Be sure to comment any thoughts and theories about what's going to happen with the coyote pack! Thank you for the reads <3 🐾