Shattered Roots #1: The Last Leaf

Chapter 1

An orange she-kit with brown and white patches stood still in a patch of tall grass. A soft breeze filled the air, swaying the grass back and forth. She took slow, gentle steps with her tiny paws as she felt the dirt underneath her as she tried her best to not make a sound. She was hunting a mouse.


The mouse was eating a piece of corn, standing still between the grass. It's an easy target for any cat. She inched closer and closer. The mouse looked back, but it was too late. The kit took a big leap. She tackled the rodent that squirmed in her paws.

'Yes, I finally did it,' she thought with pride.

"Roar!" a gray she-kit mewed. "Haha! Caught you again, Leafkit!" She knocked over Leafkit, bumping into her side as if she were an enemy warrior.

The mouse escaped Leafkit's grip. "Fox dung! Silverkit, I almost caught it..."

Silverkit looked confused at first, then chuckled. "Hey, watch your language! You aren't catching prey again, right? C'mon, look at this cool place I found!"

She dashed across a pebble covered trail, leading to what looked like narrow cave. Leafkit followed close behind. Although she often tripped on the tiny stones, she managed to catch up. She peeked into the so-called "cool place" that Silverkit mentioned. Through the mossy entrance, she could see glimmering rocks. The sound of a trickling river filled her ears, but she had no idea where it came from.

"I think there's a secret entrance around here. I heard the apprentices talking about a cave with a pretty river," Silverkit explained.

"How are we supposed to get there, wise ol' Silverkit?"

"Geez, I'm not that old! I'm 5 moons only, practically the same as you!" Silverkit fumed. Leafkit laughed hysterically, almost falling to the floor. "As I was saying, I found a rock blocking a possible entryway, but it's too heavy for me to push. That's why I need your help!"

She scampered to a rock with Leafkit who was trailing behind her. The two kits used all their strength to push it away. Soon enough, they managed to thrust it, uncovering a hole in the cave. As the dust rested on the ground, Leafkit admired the dazzling sight. A bundle of shiny pebbles lit up the cave, accompanying a small stream which burbled near the shore. There was a hole at the top of the cave, almost perfectly in the middle of the ceiling. Light shimmered through the cracks. Leafkit couldn't help but stare at the sight with awe.

"I bet you can't catch me!" Silverkit challenged. She leaped onto a high ledge, puffing up her chest mockingly. Leafkit ran up and tackled her. The two kits tussled, pretending they were two warriors in battle.

"Have you found them yet?" a cat called out from outside the cave.

Another cat answered, "Not yet! Their scent is getting stronger, though!" The frantic sound of pawsteps came closer and closer. Leafkit anxiously waited for what would happen next. 'Oh no! What if someone find us?' she thought.

"This hole wasn't here before," a cat commented, pointing at the entrance Leafkit and SIlverkit used. "Maybe they went through here!"

The group of cats dug through the hole so that they could fit. Once they managed to get in, they continued to search.

"Ah! Who are you?" Leafkit shrieked, her fur standing on its end.

A large spotted cat with cream fur stepped forward with a stern look in her face. She scolded, "It's just us FrostClan cats. Why were you off on your own with Silverkit? You could've gotten hurt! You know that kits aren't allowed to play outside of camp."

"Sorry, Pebblestar," Leafkit mewed apologetically, facing the ground. "It won't happen again, I promise!"

Pebblestar simply sighed and carried Leafkit, holding onto her scruff. Another cat carried Silverkit as well. The group of cats returned to camp.

—————

"It's not fair!" Leafkit complained, lying on the ground. "I just wanted to have some fun outside for once! I don't want to be stuck in the nursery."

Silverkit reassured her friend, "Don't feel too bad about it. We'll only need one more moon until our apprentice ceremony! Once we're six moons old, we can go and explore whenever we want!"

"I know... it's just taking so long."

"Stop moping around about that. Oh yeah, have you heard about FrostClan's newest kit?" Leafkit's face instantly lit up with curiosity. "I heard its name is Sheepkit. I think it's a she-cat!"

Leafkit chuckled, "A she-cat? You thought Torrentflow was a she-cat too even though he's a tom! I think Sheepkit is a tom."

"Nah, sheep sounds like a she-cat name. C'mon, I wanna see her now! Hurry!" Leafkit simply rolled her eyes in response.

—————

They finally arrived at the nursery, excited to see the clan's newest arrival. Foxtuft, one of the queens, was seen feeding a fluffy, white kit. 'That must be Sheepkit!' Leafkit thought.

"Hey there, ya' two! What brings ya' here?" Foxtuft greeted them.

Leafkit replied, "We wanna see Sheepkit!"

Foxtuft gave a warm smile. "Ah, he's being fed at the moment. He certainly is a fiesty lil' one!"

"How many moons old is she?" Silverkit asked.

Foxtuft laughed, "Oh, honey, Sheepkit is a tom, not a she-cat! He's just three moons old by the way."

"Told you," Leafkit whispered. Silverkit groaned as Leafkit chuckled.

As she finished speaking, a tom entered the nursery - it was Swiftstrike, a senior warrior. The sleek tabby glared at Leafkit coldly as he walked in, muttering something under his breath.

'Look at that scar on his flank,' Leafkit wondered with amazement when she spotted a scar on Swiftstrike's striped pelt. 'Do all warriors get nasty scars like those? I wonder if I'll get one too.'


Swiftstrike turned his head towards Foxtuft and spotted her new kit. "Ah, a new kit, Foxtuft?" he asked.

"Yeah! This lil' guy here's Sheepkit. How are yer' wounds, Swiftstrike?"

"Don't worry, it's just a couple of claw marks. I've been through worse."

Swiftstrike inspected Sheepkit closely. He continued, "FrostClan is lucky to have a new kit, after all we lost many warriors during the battle yesterday. But he doesn't resemble you or your mate. Is he your own kit?"

"Oh, no. He's a kittypet that got lost, so I brought him back-"

"Wait, a kittypet?" Swiftstrike scrunched his face up.

"Yeah, he's a kittypet. Ya' got a problem with that?" Foxtuft asked with a hint of anger, moving her tail to Sheepkit's side.


"Why did you take him in?" Swiftstrike's tone was bitter.

Foxtuft wore a sour expression. She closed Sheepkit's ears, then exclaimed, "Of course I took him in! He was alone and could've be in grave danger. Pebblestar doesn't mind it anyway, why are ya' so riled up?"

"That's no excuse. Just because he needed help doesn't mean that he could just join our Clan," Swiftstrike growled. "FrostClan is a Clan, not a haven for loners or kittypets where they can come and stay as they please. You should know better than that, Foxtuft."

Foxtuft grew furious. "Silverkit, Leafkit, I think it's better if ya' go outside," she warned the two kits.



A/N: Swiftstrike is racist and he sucks bye