|Warriors| Hunted [Hiatus]

Chapter 1: Moonhigh Play

I'm woken by a paw prodding me in the ribs. I open my eyes with an annoyed hiss and find myself looking into stormy blue eyes. I narrow my eyes at the tom kit, tail flicking. "Why did you wake me up, Stormkit?"

"Come on, Echokit, Mistytail and Lilyfeather are asleep let's go exploring!" I stare at him, worry and slight excitement run through me. "But we're not suppose to leave. It's not safe." Stormpaw rolls his eyes, unafraid. I've always admired his bravery but it almost always got him into trouble.

"Don't be such a fraidy cat! I'll protect you," he says puffing out his chest slightly. I roll my eyes but give a slight purr of amusement. Stormkit is one of my closest friends along with Dawnkit and Onyxkit. Stormkit is also the son of our deputy, Adderfang.

"I'm not a fraidy cat," I whisper getting to my paws. "Then let's go," Stormkit whispers back exiting the nursery. I listen to the soft snoring of my mother, Mistytail and my nurserymates before following Stormkit.

I watch Stormkit, waiting for me, shivering in excitement, eyes wide. I pad up to him, feeling the same excitement. He leads the way to the edge of camp. The warrior on guard was Duststorm, a black tabby tom with a white tail tip and stern brown eyes.

He's sitting up straight, his ears flicking searching for signs of alarm, Tigerstripe sits beside him, Mosseye's eldest son. Stormkit crouches down and I follow suit. We sneak out of camp and stop in a moonlit clearing. I look around sniffing the air.

Stormkit does the same and pads closer to the small stream, giving a mischievous look in my direction. I watch him suspiciously as he scoops up a pawful of water and threw it at me. It hits my head, trickling into my eyes and soaking my fur. I let out a quiet squeak of alarm and surprise.

I shake my head scattering droplets. Suddenly I'm knocked off my paws by Stormkit, he pins me to the ground as I furiously paw at my eyes. "Not fair, Stormkit!"

I open my eyes and see him looking down at me smugly. He purrs in amusement and I use my hind legs to throw him off me. He hits the ground and I meow with laughter as half his hindquarters are in the water.

He pulls himself out shaking out his whole pelt. "Alright, I'll give you that one Echokit." I purr, whiskers twitching. He lunges at me but I slip to the side and he sails past me. I bat at him with my paws playfully.

We continue to play and I jump on top of him. Suddenly I hear a loud rustle, I get off of Stormkit and stare at the moving reeds. My gray pelted friend pushes me back, glaring at the reeds.

His fur is standing on end, his ears flattened against his head. Suddenly a dark shape bursts from the undergrowth. It's golden eyes gleamed, narrow snout open, letting out a growl. It's orange pelt gleamed in the moonlight, white tail tip flicking.

Stormkit hissed in warning, unsheathing his tiny claws. "St-Stormkit, that's a. . . fox." The creature looks small and lean. Its eyes filled with hunger. Stormkit growls lashing out with his claws. The fox's ears flatten but it refuses to run.

I shake in fear, pressing myself against Stormkit. "Go away! Leave us alone, mange pelt!" Stormkit orders swiping at the fox's snout. The creature yips in pain, rearing its head back, snapping its jaws angrily.

I knew it was only a matter of time before it pounced on Stormkit, latching its teeth into his body. "Perhaps we should sound an alarm, Stormkit? This thing will kill us!"

"He's not so scary," my friend says swiping at the larger animal. The fox seemed to grow tired of this, its steely eyes settled on me and my heart stopped.

Suddenly the fox lunges at me and I screech in surprise. I feel its teeth enter my shoulder and I yowl in pain. The fox lifted me off the ground and shook me furiously. "Echokit! Let her go you piece of crow-food!" I hear Stormkit's voice and I attempt to scratch at the fox's face.

The creature just bit down harder. Pain filled my body and I couldn't think straight. "Let go of my kit!" An angry tom screeches. I feel myself hit the ground, squeaking in pain.

Someone pushes me to my paws and I hiss in pain. I open my eyes and see my father on the fox's back, clawing and biting furiously. "Birchpelt!" I look up and see Reedrunner, my father's brother, a light brown tom with one white paw. The warrior growls in rage before rushing to my father's aid.

The fighting had drawn the Clan out of their dens, looking around in panic. More warriors rush from camp to help drive the fox away. The fox dislodges Birchpelt and Reedrunner then turns away, running, yipping in defeat.

My father shakes out his pelt, huffing angrily. He turns and sees Stormkit, who's helping me stay standing. Birchpelt rushes forward snarling in Stormkit's face. "Why were you out here?! No doubt this little adventure was your idea, you nearly got Echokit killed!"

"Birchpelt, the kits have been scared enough," Flintwhisker says, she's a smoky gray she-cat with long whiskers and green eyes. Birchpelt looks at my wound his eyes softening.

"Your mother is not going to be happy." Birchpelt says, I wish I had stayed in the nursery. My father pushes me forward gently with his head. "You need to see Robinpelt, quickly." We enter the camp and I limp past the nursery, entering the medicine cat's den.

Stormkit attempts to follow me but Birchpelt stops him. "Go back to your mother, and you can be sure that I'll be having a talk with Adderfang." Stormkit seems to shrink under Birchpelt's gaze.

He looks at me before turning and sulking back to the nursery, tail trailing behind him. Birchpelt pushes me gently farther into the den. Robinpelt is already pulling out herbs. "I heard the commotion, Blossomheart told me that a fox came close to the camp. Who's hurt?"

The ginger she-cat called from the herb store. "Echokit." There is silence before Robinpelt comes out, holding goldenrod. She pads up to me and inspects my wound. "I'll apply a poultice and cobwebs, she'll be fine once her wound heals. When Dapplestar makes her an apprentice she'll have to take it easy." Birchpelt nods, sitting down, wrapping his tail around his paws.

"You should go to your mate and tell her, her little one will be fine." My father looks at me for a moment then nods and leaves the den. "So Stormkit convinced you to sneak out did he?"

The ginger she-cat asks making her poultice. "It wasn't Stormkit's fault. We were just exploring!"

"There's a reason why kits are suppose to stay in camp where their mother's can care for them and keep them safe. There are much more dangerous things out there than foxes."

"I know badgers, owls, and hawks." Robinpelt stares at me, her gaze makes my paws twitch, my wound aches as well. "Even worse than those." I stare at her, her words sounding ominous.

"Like what?" I whisper, looking into her green eyes. She doesn't answer as she goes back to making her poultice. She stands up and applies the poultice to my shoulder. The herbs felt cold, I watch as Robinpelt went back into the herb stores, she came back out with cobwebs wrapped around her paw.

She put them on my shoulder to help stop the bleeding. "There's a nest for you against the den wall, I'll get you some poppy seeds to help you sleep." I nod and limp toward the nest and lay down in the moss, sighing.

I rest my chin on my paws and wait for Robinpelt. The ginger she-cat returns holding two tiny black seeds on her pads. She sets them in front of me and I lick them up as instructed.

Robinpelt lays her tail comfortingly on my back before going to her own nest. I curl up in the nest, closing my eyes letting sleep overtake me.