Phantom of the Clans

Chapter 5

Early-morning sunlight streamed down onto the forest as Spiritpaw darted through the trees. Two moons had passed since he and his brother had begun their training. They felt at ease in this environment now. Their senses had been awoken and educated in the ways of the woods.

They had both been sent on hunting duty, but had split up a little to cover more ground. Spiritpaw padded along the side of the thunderpath to see if anything had wandered by and to put new scent markers.

He flicked his ears as he heard a scuffling noise. A mouse. He turned to see it sitting on a tree stump, mindlessly munching on a nut. He got into a hunter's crouch and stalked forward. He lunged and caught it in his jaws before snapping its neck. It was a plump one.

He was about to bury it when the scent of ShadowClan hit his nose. He turned back to the thunderpath. His eyes narrowed at first when he noticed a ShadowClan queen, but then widened when he noticed a kit dangling from her jaws. The queen darted across the thunderpath to ThunderClan territory. He set the mouse down. "What are you doing on ThunderClan territory?" he asked calmly. Surely there was a reason a queen was out here with a kit.

The queen looked horrible. She was covered in claw marks and didn't look as though she'd make it much further. She gave Spiritpaw a pleading look. "Please. Please take my kit. Take her to safety in ThunderClan. My leader.... Brokentail... has..." she didn't manage to say anything else before crumbling down to the forest floor at his feet. The kit that had been dangling in her jaws mewled pitifully. Spiritpaw nudged the queen. She didn't respond to his prodding. Spiritpaw could already smell death coming from her fur. He did the only thing he could think of and dug a hole near the base of the tree. He dragged the queen over to it and buried her. He then came back to the kit. 'What am I going to do?' he thought. He then saw it's eyes. They were the same color as Sam's.

The little kit looked up at him and mewled again hungrily. It's fur was matted with blood and it looked as though it hadn't eaten properly in a moon. Spiritpaw shook his head. Whatever happened, he needed to take this kit to Spottedleaf immediately.

He looked around before picking the kit up gently by the scruff. He hurried back towards the Thunderclan camp, going as quickly as he could without jostling the starving, injured kit. He burst into camp. Several of the clan cats looked up at him with startled expressions.

"Is that a kit!?" one of the queens wailed.

Spiritpaw set the kit down gently. "Someone get Spottedleaf!" he yowled.

Spottedleaf hurried out and looked horrified at the sight of the tiny kit. She didn't ask any questions. She just picked the kit up by the scruff and hurried to her den. Spiritpaw padded after her.

"Spiritpaw, go out of the camp, find some moss, and soak it in water. Quickly now." she ordered.

Spiritpaw nodded and left as fast as he could to do as he was asked. He went to the closest stream and tore some moss off a tree. He took it to the river and soaked it as much as he could before racing back. He set it beside Spottedleaf.

"Thank you." she flicked her ears gratefully and moved some of it toward the kit. "Lap at this little one. It'll make your throat feel better." she urged.

The kit lapped at the moss reluctantly at first, but then began to lap at it more readily.

Spottedleaf got some goldenrod poultice and rubbed it over the kits wounds.

"Will she survive?" Spiritpaw asked worriedly.

"Yes. Thanks to you getting her here so quickly. Where did you find her?" Spottedleaf asked.