Dawnberry's Escape

Chapter 1

  "Come on Morningkit!" Dawnkit hissed. Her pale sister followed warily. 

  "We're not supposed to be here!" She wailed. More hisses for silence came from her brothers, Bluekit and Spottedkit. 

  "Quiet! If sneak out, look around and come back in before Streamlight notices we won't be in trouble!" Spottedkit mewed, eyes gleaming in anticipation of leaving camp before they were apprenticed. He was the most adventurous of the litter. 

  "Yeah, Morningkit. Come on it will be fun!" Bluekit chimed in, his blue eyes twinkling. Dawnkit nodded in agreement. "Come on!" 

  Together the four kits scampered past the stream and into the forest. 

  "Whoa..." Spottedkit gasped, thrilled. "RiverClan territory is huge! This way!" He disappeared into the trees. 

  Morningkit let out a whimper. "I want to go back!" Dawnkit stroked her back with her tail tip. 

  "You can't or we'll all get in trouble!" Dawnkit meowed and followed Bluekit. Morningkit trailed behind, sulking. 

  "Yuck! Do you smell that? It smells terrible!" Bluekit wrinkled his nose. Dawnkit smelled it too, and it was horrible, worse than anything she'd ever smelled. 

  "What do you suppose that is? We have to find out! It'll be fun!" Spottedkit bounced up and down, not bothered by the smell at all. 

  Morningkit curled her tail neatly around her paws, sitting away from the stench. 

  "Let's follow it!" Dawnkit bounded over to where a trail had begun. Spottedkit pushed her out of the way. "I'm the best tracker. I'll lead!" He boasted, following the scent trail as fast as his short legs will allow. 

  "Morningkit!" Bluekit beckoned and the four kits delved deeper into the trees. 

  "What is that?" Spottedkit whispered, with a bit of fear in his voice. Dawnkit peered out from a small gap in the bushes. 

  A huge creature with a black and white striped pelt was crouching with its back facing the kits, digging away at the ground. 

  "It's a badger!" Dawnkit mewed, eyes wide. She was terrfied. "We have to go! Silverfur told me that they eat kits!" 

   "Can we go yet?" Morningkit wailed from behind, not seeing the badger. "I don't like it here; it stinks!" 

  "Shh!" The other three kits breathed. But it was too late. The badger had turned around and fixed it's beady black eyes onto the cluster of kits. It let out a rumble. 

  "Run!" Bluekit yowled, dashing away from the badger. Dawnkit ran after him, fear pulsing in her. Even Morningkit was running as fast as she could. 

  The badger followed with slow but bigger steps. The kits was no match for an adult badger. The creature roared and swiped it's clawed paws in the air. 

  "Oh no!" Bluekit moaned, horrified. Dawnkit's hope for escaping disappeared. They were facing a dead end, and the badger was just a few fox lengths away. 

  "I told you it was a bad idea!" Morningkit squealed shakily, screwing her eyes shut, as if that would transport her back to the warm and safe nursery. 

  The badger advanced, eyes glowing with triumph. Courageously, Spottedkit stepped forward and bushed out his fur, while Bluekit, Dawnkit and Morningkit huddled together, pressing their fur by the stone wall. 

  Spottedkit snarled, but the badger barely flinched. It seemed to laugh at him. Enraged, but clearly petrified, Spottedkit unsheathed his claws and swiped on the badger's paw, but it barely scraped the tough skin. 

  The badger yowled again and raked it's claws on Spottedkit's side. Spottedkit yelped in pain, and he stagged. The striped monster struck again, flinging Spottedkit into the air, who hit a tree hard and slid down, unmoving. 

  "Spottedkit!" Dawnkit screamed. She glanced up at the towering badger, it's shadow encasing her. She shut her eyes and prepared for the blow, and her early trip to StarClan. 

  The claws never touched Dawnkit, or Bluekit, or Morningkit. There was a furious battle cry, and a patrol of RiverClan warriors leapt onto the badger's back. The badger roared outrageously, and swung a huge paw at Darkstorm, who dodged it expertly. 

  Unable to move, Dawnkit stayed close to the wall, watching the fight with her unbelieving eyes. Morningkit was shuddering, her terrified gaze shooting here and there. Bluekit stared at nothing, but his eyes were panic-stricken. 

  Soon enough the badger was drove off, the warriors snarling as it limped away. Ravenpelt raced over to the huddled kits. 

  "What were you doing here?" He yowled, glaring at the kits. "Everyone at camp was frantic! You were lucky we found you or-" The black warrior frowned, and he asked, "Where's Spottedkit?" 

  He followed the eyes of the kits to where Spottedkit's bloody body was curled up. Spottedkit looked unbelievably tiny, a scrap of fur stained red. He looked as good as dead.