Mosskit Book 2: The Journey

Chapter 3

              Mosskit opened his eyes to see an empty den. Where was Ginger? He nervously got up and began to sniff around. The scent on her vacant nest was stale. Did the she-cat not care about him? Maybe she would come back. Maybe she wouldn't.

            Mosskit tried to ignore the fact that if she didn't come back, he would be on his own. There was enough prey in the den at the moment to last him a few weeks. He knew where water was. Once the prey ran out, though, he would have to go off again.

            His thoughts of worry came to an end, however, when Ginger stepped through the entrance of den, carrying two large robins.

            "Ginger, you're back!" Mosskit exclaimed. "I thought you left me!"

            Ginger dropped the two robins in the prey pile. "No, Mosskit. Don't you ever think I would leave you. I couldn't leave a kit out in the woods all alone. If I'm not here in the morning, it means I've been hunting or getting some water. If one day I do not return by afternoon, come looking for me or stay put so another cat can find you."

            "Okay," Mosskit said. If Ginger did not return, then what would he do?

            Ginger picked up his worried face and spoke again. "Mosskit, don't worry about me. Remember what I told you? There are no cats in these woods except for loners that pass by. The nearest cat you would find is by the twoleg place."

            "Okay," Mosskit said again. He began to eat one of the robins that Ginger had caught. Once he became full, he laid down to nap.

About a week had passed since Ginger had been taking care of Mosskit. She fed him, gave him water, and even taught him some fighting and hunting moves. She didn't mentor Mosskit though. She explained to him that once he became older, she would teach him some valuable hunting and fighting moves.

            "Mosskit!" Ginger yowled. "Let's go hunt!"

            Mosskit smiled and bounded out of the den towards the she-cat. Together, they padded into the forest.

            The forest had once been a dark and dangerous place to Mosskit. He still remember that night of the fire where he had ran through the forest all night until he came to the meadow that was now his home.

            The forest showed new light now. He realized how resourceful it was. The forest gave him food and water and offered him protection from a storm. He was no longer scared of entering the woods.

            They walked for awhile until Ginger came to an abrupt stop. She paused and crouched down in the grass. Mosskit stood, knowing she had spotted some prey. Suddenly, Ginger pouched and came out of the tall grass with a mouse in her jaws.

            "Wow, that was amazing!" Mosskit exclaimed.

            "Shh," Ginger said. "Not too loud. You'll scare all the rest of the prey in the woods with your mewing."

            "Sorry," Mosskit said and looked down.

            Ginger smiled. "Why don't you try to catch something?"

            "Okay," Mosskit whispered.

            He padded around the forest with Ginger right behind him. Suddenly, something caught his eye. It was a plump ground squirrel. It chewed cautiously on a nut, looking around for any predators.

            Mosskit crouched down in the grass and kept his tail low, trying not to drag it on the forest floor. The squirrel stopped eating for a split second, almost noticing Mosskit, but soon he continued eating.

            Mosskit approached as close as he could. He crouched, ready to pounce. The squirrel looked around again, but Mosskit jumped and clasped his paws together. Mosskit was thinking that he would feel the paws of his pads touch each other, but instead, a large squirrel laid between his paws. The squirrel squirmed, but Mosskit bit its neck, causing the squirrel to go limp.

            What had just happened? Had he just caught a squirrel? The squirrel was almost the same size as him. He turned around with the prey. Ginger gasped.

            "You have an excellent hunting ability, Mosskit. I have no idea how you caught that squirrel. I thought maybe you could've caught a mouse, but a squirrel of that size? Not a lot of cats can do that, especially kits like you."

            Mosskit smiled. "I'll carry your squirrel," Ginger said. "You can carry the mouse." Mosskit held the mouse between his jaws while Ginger carried the squirrel.

            The two came into the den, dropping their prey on the prey pile. Mosskit wasn't too hungry and decided to save his squirrel for later.

            "In the clans," Mosskit began, "we hunt for our clan first. Then we get to hunt for ourselves."

            "That seems silly," Ginger said. "You caught the prey."

            "Momma said that we are a team. We are all loyal to each other. Our clan comes above everything else...well except StarClan."

            "Even your family members?" Ginger asked.

            Mosskit nodded.

            "That must be tough," Ginger said.

            "Not for me," Mosskit said. "All my family is dead."

            "I'm sorry," Ginger said. "Your clans are very interesting though. I've always wondered what the clans were like. How do you know so much if you were a rogue?"

            "Momma told me everything. She was a clan cat. We did return home one time after we were captured, but Momma said it wasn't the same. Everyone she loved was gone. She taught me all about the clans though," Mosskit said.

            "So you are a clan cat through blood?" Ginger asked.

            Mosskit nodded. "Yes!"

            Ginger smiled and Mosskit laughed. He enjoyed the she-cat very much.