Warriors: Deserve's Beginning (Short Story) (COMPLETE)

Chapter 6

Morning sunlight shone into the barn. Deserve purred in content as the rays warmed his fur. It hadn't been this warm in days. He rolled over in the hay. What a nice morning...

"About time you woke up!" Boost snorted, and he opened his eyes to see his siblings standing over him, staring down at him in amusement.

Song purred. "Hey sleepyhead!"

I slept in! Deserve yawned and rolled to his paws, shaking bits of hay from his fur. Velvet lay beside him. "Good morning," She purred, leaning over and licking his head. "You slept a while. Did you not sleep well last night?"

"I did..." Deserve blinked away sleep. Didn't I? He suddenly remembered last night. My mouse! He leaped to his paws. "I have a surprise for you!" He purred.

Velvet purred, her blue eyes gleaming. "Do you?"

"Yup!" He raced past his littermates across the barn to the pile of hay where he'd left his mouse. He found the dead creature right where he left it. He picked it up in his mouth and trotted back to his mother, his head held high.

Velvet purred as he dropped it in front of her. "Where did you get that?"

"I caught it last night!" Deserve purred proudly.

Her eyes widened, flashing with surprise. "Really? All by yourself?" Beside her, Boost and Song looked amused as though they didn't believe him.

"Yup! Dice taught me last night!" He meowed happily, his tail high in the air. "It's for you!" He nudged it toward his mother.

Boost rolled his eyes. "You didn't catch that!"

"Yeah, you couldn't kill a mouse," Song added.

"He did."

They looked up to see Dice padding into the barn, his yellow eyes shining. "He caught his first mouse last night," He told Velvet, unable to hide the pride in his voice. "He learns very quickly, and he's going to be a great hunter when he's older." He looked down at Deserve warmly. "He already is."

Deserve's heart burned with pride and happiness at his father's praise. He sat down and puffed out his chest.

Velvet purred softly. "My little Deserve hunting! I never thought I'd see the day." She gazed at him proudly. "You're going to be just like your father."

Really? I want to be! He's the best cat ever! Deserve stared at her happily. "I hope so!"

Boost and Song looked jealous at all the attention Deserve was getting. "I could hunt too," Boost protested, leaping to Deserve's side. "I bet I'd be even better than you!"

"No way!" Deserve playfully nudged his brother.

"I want to hunt too!" Song jumped in, looking up at Dice curiously. "Will you teach me too?"

"And me!" Boost added.

Dice let out a purr. "Of course!" He gazed down at them proudly. "Why don't I show you both tonight?"

"Awesome!" Boost jumped up and down excitedly, his tabby tail high in the air. "I can't wait!"

Song purred happily. "I'm going to be the best hunter!" She looked back at her mother hopefully. "Won't I?"

"Of course," Velvet purred and nuzzled her. "You'll all be wonderful hunters."

It would be fun to go hunting with Boost and Song! Deserve purred. "We could have competitions to see who catches the most prey!"

"Ooh!" Song looked excited.

"I'd win!" Boost raised his chin.

Deserve rolled his eyes. "Maybe they should have called you 'Boast' instead of 'Boost'."

His brother let out a playful growl and tackled him. Deserve laughed and battered Boost's striped flank with his paws.

Song watched and rolled her eyes. "Toms!"

"Kits!" Velvet purred and stood up in her nest. "Why don't we play in the field? It's such a nice day outside."

"Yeah!" Boost and Deserve leaped apart and ran toward the exit of the barn. Song raced after them, while Velvet followed more slowly.

Deserve paused and turned, looking back at his father who was padding toward their nest. "Aren't you coming?"

Dice paused and looked back at him. "I was going to take a nap," He meowed. "I've been out hunting all night."

"Oh, okay," He understood. He couldn't imagine how tired his father was. "Good night!" He turned and ran after the others while Dice settled in his nest, letting out a sigh of content.

***

Deserve and his littermates ran around in the field, laughing as they played together. Velvet lay a little ways away from them, basking in the warm sunlight.

"I'm too quick for you, Deserve!" Song purred as she ran through the warm golden grass.

"Don't be so sure!" Deserve purred back and charged after her happily.

Boost was pouncing on a grasshopper. He paused and looked at Deserve. "Just because you can hunt doesn't mean you can run!" He teased.

"Ha!" Deserve pounced on Song's back and rolled her over into the grass.

She laughed and batted her white paws at his ears. "Hey!" She pushed him over and gently bit his ear.

Boost leaped into them, knocking Song away. "Haha!" He and Song rolled together through the grass.

"Ooh look, a Boost mouse!" Deserve let out a playful growl and sprang onto his brother's back, pinning him.

"Oof!" Boost grunted and twisted, rolling Deserve off of him. Song watched and giggled.

The kits laughed and yowled as they continued to play.

Deserve heard Velvet let out a purr. "Dice!" He broke away from his siblings and turned to see his father padding over to them.

"Dad!" Deserve ran to him and purred, arching his back and rubbing his side against his leg. "I thought you were resting?"

Dice purred. "I didn't want to miss all the fun." He settled beside Velvet and purred. "The warm grass feels nice."

"Dad!" Boost and Song noticed his arrival and raced over. Boost jumped on his back, while Song cuddled against his side.

Deserve let out a purr of happiness. "Now we're all together!"

The kits tumbled off of their father and ran to Velvet as he sat up. Deserve jumped at his fluffy white chest and laughed. "Got you!"

Dice chuckled and fell over onto his back. "So you did." He looked at him. "How about after I show your brother and sister how to hunt mice, I teach you how to catch birds?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed eagerly. "That would be great!" He rested his chin on his father's chest and gazed at him happily. "Do you think I can do it?"

Dice purred and nuzzled him. "Of course you can! I'll teach you everything I know, and you'll be a better hunter than me someday."

"You really think so?" Deserve asked hopefully. "How can any cat be a better hunter than you?"

"You will be, because you're my kit," Dice purred. "You'll be the best hunter around."

Deserve hesitated. "What if I forget something?"

"Then I'll be there to help you," His father purred and licked his head. "Always."

He purred and laid down on Dice's chest, getting comfortable. He looked over and saw Boost and Song playing beside Velvet. Their mother gazed at them lovingly. 

Deserve let out a purr, happiness warming him from his ears to his tail. He closed his eyes as he and his family relaxed in the sun. It was a great, warm day, and he was with the cats who meant everything to him.Everything is perfect!