~~~
Three moons later . . .
~~~
As if the howling wasn't enough, then came heavy pawsteps.
The clan was shaken in fear. Never before had they faced coyotes - not for many moons. Poolstar was good to them - and for so long the leaders had been.
The guardians were scattered around the camp, claws extended and tails all swaying in different patterns. Questers stayed in their dens, along with most apprentices. The elders all babbled about what they thought would happen. "We're dead!" cried Smalltoes. "We'll beat 'em!" howled Vultureflight.
Poolstar stood on her Rockledge, glaring around at the edges of the camp. The clan camp was an open, sandy clearing with many rocks. No cat could go hiding from Dog relatives. The blue she-cat scanned the forest floor, eyes along the underbrush. Bearclaw was among the guardians on the ground, circling the area and checking on everyone in each den.
Rivershade and Specklestep were murmuring to each other, ready to heal anycat if need be. "I swear to you, Specklestep," the blue-gray she whispered. "It'll be a bloodbath, They'll need the both of us, and maybe Creampaw." She looked back at her apprentice, who was with Clearpaw in the healers' den. She huffed.
"I'm not so sure," Specklestep insisted. "I hope the coyotes run off. Who knows, they might not even attack."
She flicked her tail towards the nursery behind her.
The rocky fragment of a den was dark and uncomfortable. Goosekit woke again, heart beating rapidly. He blinked around. Was he dreaming again? Were the coyotes gone?
As if to answer his question, he heard howling somewhere to the east. Nope, he thought. Not yet. Not again! Don't go back to sleep, Goosekit, or you'll have another death dream. Do not go back to sleep.
"Are you alright?" Silverkit asked, nudging him. He shook his head to his sister.
"I had another bad dream," he explained. "This time, the coyotes invaded and killed Mother. Then they killed Bearclaw and started to take away all of Poolstar's lives!"
"She still has seven, that's how you know it's a dream," Silverkit observed with a know-it-all tone. Goosekit wished he had her confidence, but he didn't.
He sighed and looked out of the nursery at the moon. It was a half moon; soon t'would be a full moon, when he would finally turn 4 moons old. I'm close, he thought. Apprenticeship, here I come!
But another howl interrupted his daydreams, which was then cut short by the most unsettling of silences. He heard some murmuring from the guardians outside -
Suddenly a fury of barking and yipping filled the air. Everyone's fur was put on end. Littleminnow grabbed Silverkit and pulled her close. She reached out for Goosekit, but absentmindedly, he wriggled from her grasp and ran outside.
Cats fought coyotes in a flurry of roaring, yowling, claws, blood and fangs. Fur flew and fangs pierced at skin. Claws raked and jaws clenched, but no matter what the cats did, the dog-like creatures seemed stronger.
What was more unsettling was that there was three - only three - coyotes, and quite a few fighting cats. He watched, fascinated and intrigued, when Littleminnow snapped at him.
"Goosekit, get back inside right this very instant!" She hollered, shielding the others with her tail. "Goosekit!"
But he ignored her. This war, the bravery and confidence in these cats... he wanted to be a Guardian Apprentice. He wanted to protect and attack. He wanted to be the strongest, most talented fighter, no matter what his older brother said.
"Goosekit!" His mother yelled again. At this point Specklestep saw him and gave him a look.
"Goosekit, get back inside!" She mewed. She wavered her paw but he craned his neck to look over her. Rivershade was out, trying to get cats back to the healers' den. She yanked one back by the scruff and away from the mayhem, dragging them safely to aid.
"Goosekit look out!"
He barely heard his mother, distracted by the amazing fighting, that he hadn't payed attention to the third coyote. Bearclaw and another guardian were fighting one, everyone else at the other. He didn't notice that one snuck up to him.
Terrible jaws grabbed his small scruff and picked him up. They were clumsy and wet and he hissed in confusion.
Specklestep reared back and leapt at the thin coyote but it merely turned and stalked off. She fell on her face and Goosekit heard his mother's terrified shriek.
"GOOSEKIT!"
He cried out for help as the coyote ran into the darkness of unfamiliar trees. Finally it stopped at a tree line to a field, far far away from OrchidClan territory.
Goosekit was so frightened he couldn't really move. The two other coyotes had finally caught up with the one that took him and now, they were all sniffing Goosekit. He hissed and they backed away, but soon came back, but this time, aggressively. One tried to snap at him but the thinner one from before barked back, putting a paw over the gray tomkit.
By now Goosekit was befuddled. He gawked up at the lean tan coyote as the others bounded away, uninterested. It picked Goosekit back up, gentler this time, and they disappeared into the forest again.
He didn't know what would happen to him. What was going to happen to him? Did the coyote want him as prey all for itself? Or did it think he was its baby?
Somehow he wondered if it was actually the second option. He gulped uncomfortably.
They entered a very shady, smelly part of the forest. An owl hooted from a tall pine tree nearby. A few nightingales joined in the chorus of annoying bird calls.
Goosekit looked around wildly - or as much as he could with a dog holding his scruff.
Finally they settled in a small hollowed out area in some roots. The coyote dropped Goosekit gently on a nest of grass and curled up around him. He wished he could speak to it. He wanted to ask it what it was planning to do with him.
But with the fact that it wasn't eating him, he decided it wasn't important now. Maybe he could try in the morning.
He curled up beside it and snuggled into its tail. The coyote was more comfy than his mother, but he hated to admit it. He shifted himself again before closing his little eyes.
And then, the small, young cat fell asleep, lost in a large forest, snuggling up to a coyote. The thought bewildered him. He wanted to laugh, but didn't, he was too tired.
Slowly he drifted into sleep, forgetting everything that happened previously, and took advantage of the coziness, all for himself and the coyote's.
~~~
YOU ARE READING
Book One: Dog Borne
Fanfic"It trotted off warily, leaving the kit in the nest, but if Goosekit learned anything in his time, it was that new adventure awaited if you didn't listen - which was a terrible moral but he decided it was an exciting one to live by." Goosekit had...
