Not It

Chapter 11

The sky was grey with clouds that hung over the camp like a heavy, woolen blanket. The clearing was silent as every cat slept. The only sounds were Lightningstripe's snoring and some bird in the forest singing.

Swiftkit was the first to wake up in the nursery. She blearily opened her eyes and yawned. Dawn light filtered through the nursery entrance as she swiftly scrambled to her paws and turned to Pikekit.

She shook her littermate. "Wake up!" she hissed quickly.

He stirred with a groan. "Later..." he mumbled. Despite this, he still sleepily stretched, his paws reaching out. His hind paw jabbed Pigeonkit in the stomach and the kit gave a shriek and leapt to his paws. In the process, he landed on Applekit's ear, and she jumped up too, eyes wide. Her tail hit Troutkit in the face and Troutkit gasped and sprang to her paws. As she did she brushed Cloverkit's flank, and Cloverkit screeched and leapt backward, knocking into Furzekit.

Furzekit half-opened his eyes. "What's going on?" He mumbled sleepily, "Brightdust?"

Swiftkit scowled. "Way to go, Pikekit," she snapped, "Now everyone's up."

Cloverkit looked horrified as she somehow misheard 'Pikekit' and heard her own name instead. "I... I'm so sorry," she whispered, "I-I-I... I'm so sorry, Swiftkit, I'm so, so, so sorry... I didn't mean to... I'm sorry..."

Swiftkit sniffed, "I'm not talking to you, mouse-brain," she glared at Pikekit.

Cloverkit gulped. "I'm sorry. I thought you said my name- I... I'm sorry..."

"I'm going to go for a swim," declared Pikekit, ignoring his sister, "It's hot in here."

"No it's not, it's cold," retorted Pigeonkit, "And boring. Can we please just do something? It's cold. Let's play a game."

"We can play Fish," suggested Pikekit, "It's where we pretend to be different fish. I'll be a pike."

Troutkit looked uneasily from kit to kit. "I... I d-don't know," she whispered, "I-I think it's... it's cold, l-like P-P-Pigeonkit... that's j-just what I th-think anyway." She added shyly, her eyes wide and voice timid.

Swiftkit marched to the entrance, "It won't be cold if we just do something."

"It's not cold! It's hot! Let's get out of the nursery," Pikekit followed her to the entrance.

Furzekit mumbled something incoherent and stumbled after them before crashing into Cloverkit, whose nest was the closest to the entrance and falling backward. She gasped. "Furzekit, are you okay? I'm sorry," she apologized, "I'm so, so..."

Pigeonkit stalked after Swiftkit and Pikekit. "I am not swimming," he declared passionately, "I hate swimming. We need to think of a proper game. I'm so bored."

Swiftkit rolled her eyes. "Help us think," she snapped, "If you did that perhaps we'd already know what to play."

Troutkit hurried after them as they padded into the clearing, Swiftkit going the fastest in the lead. "P-perhaps we could play C-Clan again?" he suggested hesitantly.

Pikekit gave a growl. "No. We'll get in trouble."

"It's boring anyway," said Pigeonkit.

Swiftkit inspected the clearing as she left the nursery. "Perhaps we could make a camp," she suggested, "Look, if we used this rock we could hang moss over this side and it would make an overhang and then it would be a den-"

"Make a camp inside a camp?" Pigeonkit interrupted dubiously, "That's dumb. And making dens sounds boring."

"Let's just play Fish," said Pikekit, "As I said, we'll each be a fish-"