Warriors: The Prophecy of Stream

Chapter 2- Snowfall

A cold breeze blew through the nursery, swirling the cats' fur that lay asleep within its woven walls. One cat sneezed, another coughed in the night. Thistlekit peeked her eyes open slightly, seeing her brother's round shape in the dark beside her.

"Tigerkit!" She hissed, jabbing him sharply in the side with her paw.

Tigerkit groaned and open his eyes, revealing a dark amber. "what?" he growled back.

Thistlekit rolled her eyes, annoyance sparking her pelt. Tigerkit never wants to do anything but sleep some days! "Lets go outside!" her excitement pushed the annoyance away. "Heatherfall told me it snowed after we came in to sleep last night!" The two kits were born at the start of the winter season, and due to a dry summer and autumn the first snowfall came late, when the two were already a moon old.

"And Heatherfall will tell you to go back to sleep!" A quiet voice murmured in the dark. Thistlekit recognized her mother's voice. "Sorry Heatherfall! I just want to see the snow outside!" Her voice sounded in a squeak.

Heatherfall rolled over, moving closer to her two kits and sighed. "Go in the morning, its hardly close to dawn Thistlekit." Thistlekit's excitement eased its way out, then turned to anger when she caught Tigerkit's smug eye. She wrinkled her nose. "Fine. But I want to be first." She curled up to sleep, still prickling with annoyance, and only slightly, with tiredness.

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A while later, Thistlekit awoke, and a soft golden glow had crept into the nursery through its entrance, lighting the den with a warm light.

"Tigerkit!" Thistlekit launched herself on top of her brother, not wanting to be held back from the snow a second time. His dark pelt almost golden in the light. "Wake up!"

She turned as a purr of amusement rose from behind her. "Catch a tiger for breakfast, did we Thistlekit?" Her mother's eyes shone with amusement, and the white flecks on her pelt reflected brightly against her russet fur. Thistlekit hadn't realized she was sitting practically on top of her brother. "Sorry Tigerk-" She cut off when laughter bubbled inside her. Tigerkit's fur looked like it was pulled in countless different directions, his amber eyes dark with anger and mischief.

Heatherfall got between her kits first, gently smoothing Tigerkit's head fur with her rough tongue. "Be careful outside, don't slip on any ice, don't bother the senior-!"

But Thistlekit hardly heard her, she was too excited to see the snow, and to see it before Tigerkit! Bounding out of the nursery she blinked into the blinding light, struggling to focus as she ran into a dark shape.

"Hey!" A familiar voice hissed. "Watch it!" Mudear glanced downwards, seeing Thistlekit, and let his fur lay smooth again. Thistlekit saw Tigerkit run triumphantly into a snowbank, hissing under her breath she looked up to Mudear. "Sorry!"

A different voice answered. "Oh- it's alright Thistlekit!" Saltfur had appeared almost from nowhere, her beautiful white pelt blending perfectly with the snow. "He has to get used to more kits underpaw anyways!"

Kits? Thistlekit  thought of the nursery with cats other than her brother and mother, she liked it.

Saltfur must have seen her confused look, and she glanced at Mudear. Leaning down till her nose almost touched Thistlekit's, "We're expecting kits!" Excitement shone in the young queen's eyes.

Saltfur was Thistlekit's father's littermate, and the thought of having more kin excited her, and the thought that they would be in the nursery with her was even better! "Congratulations!" Thistlekit couldn't hold back her excitement. "I wonder if one of them will look like Gorserunner?"

This time Mudear answered, purring deep in his chest. "But you already look so much like your father Thistlekit! Do we really need more little Gorserunners owning the camp when you do it perfectly?"

Thistlekit puffed her chest with pride. She was almost an exact copy of her father, dusty pelt with cream streaks, her legs and ears darker than the rest of her. But her eyes were nothing like either of her parents, instead she had a light green, similar to Saltfur.

"I guess so." Thistlekit raised her head importantly. "I can't just let everybody down." She flicked her tail, and suddenly felt small teeth and claws grabbing onto the skin. A familiar scent hit her tongue. Tigerkit...

With a yelp Thistlekit turned around sharply, wriggling her haunches in the move to squish her brother. She heard purrs of amusement come from Saltfur and Mudear. I'll be like them one day, a mate of my own and kits! The thought sent a surge of excitement through her, aiding in her leap at Tigerkit.

He screeched with joy when she toppled into him, sending them both into a pile a snow. The small white flecks on his dark pelt made Tigerkit look almost like an exact copy of Heatherfall. Love prickled her pelt, and she was surprised with the strength of emotion that she felt towards her brother.

Nothing will ever come between us! She swore to herself as they tumbled out of the snow bank. We will be as strong as tigers, with claws sharp as thistles, no cat stands a chance!