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

Chapter 9

"Kits."

Deserve woke up to his mother gently nudging him with her nose. He opened his eyes slowly, drowsy with sleep. The hay was warm beneath him. His littermates lay on either side of him, stirring against him as they awoke. Velvet sat up and gazed down at them, her eyes clouded with sadness. 

What's going on? He wondered. She never wakes us up unless it's important. His stomach growled loudly and he swallowed, longing to taste prey. I hope she's decided to let me hunt for us. He sat up in his nest, looking up at his mother.

Boost stretched out and let out a sigh. He was hungry too. On the other side of Deserve, Song sat up, staring up at Velvet with sad blue eyes. "Are we going to have a meal today?"

Velvet lowered her head, looking ashamed and heartbroken at the sight of her starving kits. He suddenly noticed how frail she'd become. The outline of her ribs were almost visible through her fur. "Yes," She murmured. "We will."

"Really?" Deserve's heartbeat quickened with hope. She changed her mind! He stood up, looking at her excitedly. "So I can hunt for us all?"

She shook her head, and he was startled. He exchanged a puzzled look with Boost and Song. Then what's going to happen..?

"Then how are we going to eat?" Boost echoed his thoughts, sounding confused. "If none of us will hunt?"

Velvet was quiet for a moment. "I've made a decision." She drew in a deep breath before meeting the anxious gaze of her kits. "Do you remember the forest cats me and Dice told you about?" She asked softly. 

Deserve blinked. "Yes?" What do they have to do with anything?

"Well... We're going to join them," She meowed quietly. "We cannot stay in the barn any longer."

What? His heart leaped with alarm. Beside him, his siblings leaped to their paws, eyes lit with protest. 

"No!" Boost gasped in horror. "We can't leave!

Song sunk into the nest of hay as though refusing to abandon it. "This is our home!" She wailed. "Why would we want to go live in the forest?"

"You said those cats were dangerous!" Deserve added, his fur bristling with fear. "They'll kill us!" Why would she want to take us to those monsters? How could she think it's a good idea?

"Or make us one of them!" Boost jumped in, his tabby tail fluffed up. "I don't want to be a killer!"

"Kits!" Velvet soothed, her eyes filled with distress. "Please relax, it's alright. Listen to me." She gazed down at them as they stared at her in terror, hearts racing. "You remember the cat Dice told you about? Sulfur?" The kits nodded, and she went on. "He was friends with some of those cats. I didn't know him, but from what Dice told me, he was a good cat who never would have befriended a killer." She paused. "Perhaps the cats around here over-exaggerate. Perhaps they aren't that bad."

Deserve was horrified at this suggestion. Is she crazy? They'll rip us to shreds! "But-"

"I won't believe that any cat would turn away kits in need," Velvet murmured. "They'll take us in and hunt for us, and we'll be alright. When you're old enough, I'm sure they'll show you how to hunt too."

Boost and Song exchanged a terrified look, and Deserve stepped toward his mother, his black fur bristling. "But I know how to hunt!" He gasped. "I can hunt! Let me do the hunting for us!" His mother shook her head, and he went on desperately. "Please, I'll take care-"

"Deserve!" Velvet snapped, and he jumped, shrinking back. She never yells at us! After a moment, her expression softened and filled with pain. She hung her head.