Foxleap's Story [A Warriors Fanfiction]

Chapter One

Foxkit awoke in the nursery, huddled up beside her mother. Her amber eyes stared around the nursery walls of the RavenClan camp. Foxkit's ginger fur had moss pieces in it, and her mother beckoned her over and began to ease the pieces out of her daughter's fur. "Good morning, love," she purred, giving Foxkit's fur a couple of licks after she got the moss out.
Her amber eyes stared up at Emberpelt's yellow eyes, and she giggled, falling over. She was a bit bigger than a new born kit, being 4 moons. Foxkit purred, and it seemed as if nothing bad could ever happen. "Moma? When you die will I still see you?" she asks, getting a bit wary at the thought of death. Emberpelt's eyes narrowed.
"Why would you be thinking of my death, sweetheart?" she asked, her tail flicking. Foxkit shrugged. "I was only wondering," she giggled as her mom touched noses with her. Emberpelt gazed at her kit. "You have no need to worry about that now– for I'll live for many more moons," she reassured Foxkit, and got to her paws.
"Where are you going moma?" Foxkit mewed, her tail twitching.
"Just outside. Stay in here, it's chilly this morning," Emberpelt told her, and slipped out of the den.
Foxkit sighed, letting herself fall backwards in her nest. She lay on her back, staring up at the nursery ceiling. If only she could see the stars from here. At night she could see them perfectly, but in the morning and in the nursery she couldn't. Foxkit sighed, and she heard voices outside.
"You never come to see your daughter! She barely knows who you are!" Foxkit heard her mother snap.
"She is not my daughter. Foxkit is of no use to me, for she is no tom. She isn't strong enough," he growled, defending himself.
Emberpelt's tail lashed. "I can't believe you, Whitewhisker. I thought we'd grow and thrive in a family, and be happy. But I guess not," she turned away sharply, her ears flattened to her head.
These words came from her jaws; "You are no longer my mate. Don't come near me, or Foxkit ever again,"
Foxkit's eyes began to tear up. Was it her fault that her mother and father had broken up? Emberpelt entered the den with a frustrated look on her face. She avoided her mother's gaze, her eyes on her paws.
"Foxkit? Are you alright?"
She turned, her gaze meeting her mother's. "Is it my fault you and father broke up?"
Emberpelt's eyes widened. "Of course not! It is his own fault. Tom's are idiots! You are the best kit in the forest," she purred, giving Foxkit a lick on the head.
Foxkit grew happy again. "Okay," she purred. "Can I go outside, please?" Foxkit begged, her tail flicking. Emberpelt looked at her daughter, then sighed. "Alright. But stay in the clearing," Foxkit jumped up in excitement. "Okay!" she scrambled from the den as Emberpelt came from behind her, leaping at a leaf on the ground, biting into it and shaking her head.
Larkpaw watched Foxkit, and he walked towards her. Foxkit looked up at the apprentice, her ears perked. "Hi!" she mewed, walking around the tom's legs. He purred, watching the kit. "Can you teach me some stuff?" Foxkit asked, stopping in front of him. Larkpaw's tail flicked, his fur buffeted by the strong winds. "I'm not sure. I think you ought to get older. You'll be an apprentice soon, won't you?" he asked, lying down so he could look directly at the kit's face.
Foxkit wrinkled her nose. "Yeah! But I am too impatient," she sat down on her haunches, curling her tail around her paws neatly. The sun was in the middle of the sky, shining down on the camp, showing it was the afternoon. "Eh, I guess I could teach you the hunters crouch," he smirked, tail lashing. Foxkit's eyes sparkled, and she jumped to her paws. "Yay!" Larkpaw stifled a laugh, and lowered the front of his body. "Okay, so lower your chest to the ground, then straighten your tail out," he instructed, demonstrating.
She nodded, and did as he said. Foxkit stalked forward, leaping on an ant that was crawling on the ground. Larkfoot chuckled as she looked underneath her paws in confusion, the ant missing. Foxkit shrugged it off and stood up, turning towards Larkpaw. "Did I do it right?" she mewed, shuffling her paws. The tom nodded. "You'll surely be a great hunter," he praised the kit, Foxkit beaming with excitement. She felt the glare of Whitewhisker against her pelt, and Foxkit's head bowed, her eyes gazing at her paws.
"Larkpaw!" a voice called out. Larkpaw looked back. "I gotta go. Bye, Foxkit!" as Larkpaw left, she was alone, and she walked back to the nursery, her father's cold stare on her pelt. Foxkit entered the nursery, curling up in the nest as Emberpelt entered behind her. "Did you have fun?" she asked, interested in her time outside. Foxkit shrugged. "Larkpaw taught me the hunters crouch!" She got to her paws, showing her mother. Emberpelt purred, pullingher kit closer to her with her paws.
"Foxkit, listen. Whatever your father thinks of you, ignore it. You are an amazing she-cat, and you might even grow up with your own family," she told her, giving her a few licks to her fur. Foxkit nodded, and curled up beside her mother. She was a bit tired, having staying up a bit later. Emberpelt nuzzled her, her gaze sparking with pride. "Get some rest," she murmured, and rested her head on her paws.

A yowl splitted through the air as patrols went into battle against a fox that had broke into the camp during the night. Emberpelt was panicking, trying to get Foxkit somewhere safe. She walked against the camp wall, hiding beneath the shadows. The fox was screeching as the cats of RavenClan fought to chase it off. Emberpelt made it to a gap in the wall, and she slipped out of the camp, Foxkit in her jaws. Foxkit mewed, her tail curled around her leg. "Let me down!" she told Emberpelt. Emberpelt did as she said, gently. "Keep up," she told Foxkit, beginning to walk alongside her kit. Foxkit stayed silent as they walked towards the river.
Emberpelt and Foxkit slowed their pace as they neared the nearby river, far enough away from the fox although still near camp. "Moma? What was that?" Foxkit mewed, her ears flattened. Emberpelt's ear flicked as a raindrop hit against her ear. It began sprinkling, and Emberpelt frowned. Foxkit had begun shivering, but her question had still not been answered. Emberpelt picked Foxkit up, and sat her in a hollow at the bottom of a tree trunk beside the river, and Emberpelt sat at the shore, staring into the water, but also watching her surroundings.
"Emberpelt?" a familiar voice came from the bushes as a white tom appeared. "Are you alright?" Whitewhisker mewed, trying to act kind. Emberpelt snapped at him, baring her teeth. "Get away from me," she ordered, her tail lashing as she was turned towards him, her eyes full of hate. Foxkit watched from the hollow, to afraid to come out. Whitewhisker snarled. "I was only trying to be kind and help you and–" he paused, looking around. "Where is our kit?" he asked, his tail twitching.
"My kit, you mean? Remember, you abandoned her? Said you didn't want her? What a father you are," she growled sarcastically as she looked back into the water. Whitewhisker's gaze was cold, staring at the turned away face of his old mate. "Are you accusing me of abandoning my family?" he hissed, his fur rising. Emberpelt sighed. "You said it yourself, Whitewhisker. Don't be such a stupid to–" Foxkkt heard sudden splashes in the water, and she peeked out the see Whitewhisker forcing her mother's face under water, his claws digging into her head. Emberpelt struggled beneath his paws, fighting for air. Foxkit stared in horror, unsure of what to do. Whitewhisker let Emberpelt come back up for air, glaring at her.
"Foxkit....! Whatever happens...... I love yo–" Emberpelt's face was forced underneath the water once more, her movements becoming sluggish. Foxkit's eyes were wide, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. Suddenly, her mother's body went limp, convulsing once. Bubbles came to the surface of the water, signalling her death. The ginger kit turned around, huddling against the hollow wall. Foxkit sat there, crying as it rained. Whitewhisker had left without a word, heading the opposite way of camp. She heard cats coming this way, and she ran out to her mother's body, nudging it. "Moma...?" Foxleap cried, huddling over Emberpelt's body.
She heard cats closer, but then all the sound was drowned out of her ears. Several cats crowded around her, one grabbing her. Foxkit suddenly went back to reality. "Moma!" she yowled, her paws reaching for the warmth of her fur. It was wrong. Her head was wrong. Bad things can happen. This happened. Her mother was gone, and she had no one else.