Book One: Dog Borne

Chapter Five - History

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Goosekit stayed low, ears pricked. The sounds of sleepy wheezing came from the den. Cocoa is asleep, he realized. He huffed. Guess I'll handle this for her, she deserves it.

He watched the movement of a furry russet cat. He recognized him vaguely, his distinctive fur and funny movements. The way he would creep about, as if sneaking up on something, but at the same time having one of the strongest fear scents a cat could give off.

He tried hard not to chuckle and bounded down. He narrowed his eyes at the ginger tomcat, trying to remember why he seemed so familiar. Then he had it.

Firecloud, he thought with a low hiss. The quester who got exiled after lying repeatedly to Poolstar...

He bounded up to him. "Firecloud?" he called. Firecloud jumped a mile in the air before seing it was only Goosekit.

"Goosekit?" he asked. "What are you doing out here? How long have you been out?"

"About a half moon," he explained. "And you for four."

The ginger quester dipped his head sadly. "I got exiled, remember? I didn't mean to lie to the leader, but I wanted to protect my family. "

"Family?" the gray tabby kit asked, sitting in front of him. "Who is your family? The rogue group?"

He nodded. "Shatter acted as my father figure ever since I was about your age. I became his number-one. But I joined the clan and lost my fighting ability... my hunting skill was always better."

"Shatter isn't your real father? Everyone thinks he is."

"Well of course not! He's a big brown tabby and I'm a weak, straight ginger. He's the ultimate fighter and I'm a better hunter. We have almost nothing in common except being rogues."

"Who is your real family?" Goosekit asked, then added, "If I may ask."

"No you're fine, I'll tell you. It doesn't matter now. I was born to a she-cat called Sorrel, a pretty tortoiseshell loner. I never knew my real father but I suspected he was a rogue. I had a few siblings, Soot and Ember. I ran away from my family to explore my dreams, and make them reality. I got lost however and Shatter found me. He took me in to the rogue group and trained me himself.

"It was about when I found out about the clans did they doubt me. They knew I always wanted to be in a bigger group. 'You aren't leaving us now,' Shatter would tell me, and I agreed, but ignored him. Finally I joined OrchidClan, and they regretted ever helping me.

"I kinda had a crush on Poolstar but don't tell her I said that. I told her of my past, of how I was actually a rogue. When I first joined I told them I was an old kittypet who lost my collar. They believed me because I smelled of Two-leg from living in the abandoned alleys.

"But I trusted Poolstar and told her I once lived with Shatter. She looked disappointed and a bit angry, demanding I tell her where they have been hiding.

"I didn't tell her, because luckily she was interrupted by Bearclaw. I escaped and went a little too far into the woods when Shatter and his goons found me. They took me back to the alley and asked me if I told the clan anything about them.

"Suffice to say, they already knew. It was no point asking. They wanted me back, to have me in their rogue group again, but I knew they just wanted a reason to torture me. I tried to escape them and failed twice, ending up in a gorge somewhere. Some rogues said something about my family and I took in the information they shared.

"Shatter let me go, but I don't really know why. I returned to the clan, and when Poolstar asked about my wounds I told her a dog attacked me. I didn't smell like a dog and she demanded the truth. I told her I had seen Shatter and she asked me, again, where their location was. I lied, explaining they moved far away to a creek. But they knew I couldn't have just seen the rogue group if they had already moved far away..."

He paused, scratching his ear. "I'm a bad liar for a good cause..." he finished with a sad chuckle.

Goosekit pitied the ginger and patted him. By now the moon had moved a little; it was closer to morning but he still wasn't tired.

"What did you find out about your family?" he asked.

"They are in this forest somewhere ... well, at least my brother is."

"Well we have a few things in common," Goosekit exclaimed. "We both have a lost family member and we are both lost in the woods, far from the clan."

They chuckled a bit. Then Firecloud looked at him. "How come you are out here, and who is your lost family member?"

Goosekit hesitated before telling him. "A few coyotes attacked camp and one took me away.. but she is super nice and protective and helps me and feeds me and gives me a home so please dont attack or worry or tell the clans!"

Firecloud laughed. "I won't. I don't think I'm even welcome at their borders." he explained, glancing behind Goosekit at the hills.

"Thank you," Goosekit exhaled with a smile. "She is like my second mother, but she lets me do things Littleminnow wouldn't let me do, like explore and hunt and fight... even though I'm just four moons."

Firecloud nodded. "That seems cool."

"You don't seem worried nor surprised that a coyote is taking care of me," Goosekit pointed out.

Firecloud looked at him strangely. "I would be worried if she was trying to kill you, but you just told me she was awesome and nice and stuff... Why should I be worried?"

Goosekit shrugged. "Point taken." he laughed before continuing to the next question. "And my family member... is actually my father, who is a loner as well. He and my mother fell in love illegally but had us anyways. Mother only told us that, nothing more. I don't know his name, even."

"Hmm. Well, if Littleminnow is gray and so are all of you kits," he explained, poking Goosekit's stomach. "He must have gray fur as well. If that even helps." He added with a laugh.

"It does! It does. Say, what are you doing out here scrounging around? I mean other than the fact that you were exiled. Shouldn't you have made a den by now?"

"I'm actually looking for my family, Soot especially. Hopefully I find them soon, and reunite with them once again." He looked at the sky proudly. At least this cat had it figured out. Goosekit would've asked to join him but didn't think it was right. Plus he wanted to stay with Cocoa.

"Anyways, sorry I bothered," Goosekit said finally. "Good luck finding your family!"

"Thanks Goosekit! I need that luck. I'll keep an eye out for another gray cat who might be your father as well," he promised with a smile. Goosekit purred.

Soon the russet tom had hit the road again. He ran across the hills and disappeared into the forest to the north. Goosekit wandered back to Cocoa in the den. He thought about his father. He had never really wondered about him before. What did he look like? Firecloud was probably right about him being gray.

He looked through the vines at Cocoa. She was sitting up and licking her side, which surprised him. "You ok?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes," she said, looking up. "Um, Goosekit?"

"Mhm?" he mumbled, shaking grass off of his pelt.

"Do you want to go back to your clan home?"

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