(Outdated) Warriors: Clouded Skies #1 - The First Storm

Chapter Ten

Ravenpaw opened his eyes to find himself in a familiar woodland, though he couldn't see Echo anywhere around him. He could see the Twoleg fence in the distance, and a large oak tree with a strong she-cat scent underneath. Scrambling to his paws, he stretched out his muscles then padded forward, peeking through the roots that were showing above the ground, giving light to a den hidden inside.

The den was small and would probably only fit three or four cats, and currently, Sage was stretched out on the ground, her belly bulging up as she slept soundly. "Echo?" Ravenpaw called, looking around and sniffing the air, but the StarClan resident wasn't to be seen, heard, or scented.

But, as he was sniffing the air, he caught another scent. Even though he hadn't seen the tom for a few sunrises, he recognized Bat's scent, though there were three other cats with him he didn't know. Soon the group appeared, showing Bat with his powerful frame with a she-cat and two young toms. The she-cat was a pretty silver-gray tabby, while the two toms were both gray.

"Sage?" Bat called as he padded up, and Ravenpaw stretched his claws hesitantly on the ground before deciding to slip forward into the den. He went into the corner and watched with curious eyes, Echo fading from his mind.

"Hmm?" The old kittypet raised her head, blinking her yellow eyes to clear them from sleep. "Bat? Are you back?"

"Yes, my love," Bat answered, sliding into the den, followed by the silver-gray tabby she-cat. "This is Creek, the cat I told you about," he introduced.

"Hello, Sage, I've heard a lot about you," Creek meowed, stepping forward.

"Who's outside?" Sage ignored the greeting, her ears flicking scaredly. Creek purred, seeming to not care about the rudeness.

"Those are my sons, Smoke and Flint. Bat hunted for me when I was raising them, and I had owed him ever since. When he told me about you, I knew I wanted to help you until you were ready. I was very scared my first time, too," Creek's mew was soft and her blue eyes glowed kindly.

"Thank you," Sage murmured, sounding embarrassed. "I really don't want to be rude, but is there possibly any prey?" Sage looked like she regretted the question immediately.

Creek chuckled with a light purr in her throat. "Don't worry, I'm sure you've noticed you've been eating a lot more. And yes, Flint caught a sparrow on our way here." The she-cat turned to look at the den entrance.

Flint, the bigger of the two littermates with dark gray fur and deep green eyes, stepped in and dropped the prey-Ravenpaw was surprised he hadn't noticed it-then quickly left, wanting to give space to the two she-cats, and Bat seemed to agree and silently slipped out after him. "Smoke will stay to help you two with anything, and we'll go hunting," Bat meowed, then looked at the two toms, searching for agreements or arguments. But both the toms nodded and followed his orders.

"How old are they?" Sage asked as she pulled the sparrow close and began plucking away the feathers, her belly growling from the warm blood that dripped from teeth marks.

"Smoke and Flint? Eleven moons. They were born in the middle of newleaf. A strong season to be born." Creek's eyes glowed, and she moved forward, settling onto her haunches. "Do you mind if I feel? I'll hopefully be able to tell if the kits are coming soon."

"Of course," Sage answered, sliding back down from the uncomfortable crouch she had to spread out, her sparrow not yet finished, though she had taken a few bites while she put the feathers in a pile next to her stomach. "There's four of them," she added.

"Four? Well, good luck. I could barely handle two!" The loner let out a small mrrow as she moved one of her large white paws forward, and she felt gently around on the she-cat's side. Ravenpaw remembered how Mossrain had taught him the same thing. How had that stayed throughout so many moons, but yet this story was hidden in a bush full of thorns?