Dawnberry's Escape

Chapter 3

  Dawnkit sat up, Bluekit and Morningkit still snoring gently. Streamlight was nowhere to be seen. 

  "Mistpool?" Dawnkit mewed. The gray queen looked up. "Yes, Dawnkit?" 

  "What's going on?" She asked. Mistpool looked uncomfortable and there was fear in her eyes. "Streamlight went to see Spottedkit... I don't know I think he's better. Go back to sleep." 

  "But I heard a yowl!" Dawnkit protested. "It doesn't mean anything good, does it?"  

  Mistpool sighed. "I don't know, Dawnkit. I honestly don't know." 

  "I want to see!" Dawnkit started to crawl out of her nest, but Mistpool stopped her. 

  "No, Dawnkit. If you go out, Streamlight will be more angry than she already is. You cannot leave your nest unless she's watching." 

  "But you're her friend! She trusts you! So you can watch me when I go out!" Dawnkit argued, but Mistpool shook her head. 

  "I'm sorry Dawnkit. I can't." But there was sympathy in her eyes. Dawnkit scowled and plopped back into her nest, waking Morningkit.

  "Hey!" She complained drowsily. "Sorry." Dawnkit muttered. What did the yowl mean. 

  After a while, Streamlight staggered back into the nursery, and Dawnkit pretended to sleep with ears pricked, but her mother didn't say anything. She just collapsed in her nest and gave herself a wash. 

  "I know you're up Dawnkit." It was a soft chiding tone, but as young as she is, Dawnkit could sense something else in her tone. She was hiding that something. 

  Reluctantly Dawnkit sat up and opened her eyes, tilting her head to look at Streamlight. "Hi." She squeaked, afraid that Streamlight will get mad at her again. 

  Streamlight didn't reply. "Promise me." She meowed. "Never to go out of camp without permission. Never." She said it in a way that Dawnkit felt like she had to agree. 

  "Promise." Dawnkit looked down at her paws. Why isn't Streamlight telling her off? 

  "Good." Streamlight gave Dawnkit a few fierce licks to the top of her head as Minnowkit and Whitekit tumbled in the nursery, play fighitng. 

  "You're up!" Whitekit purred towards Dawnkit. "You three have been asleep for ages. You must be tired after seeing the badger!" 

  "Now, now, Whitekit." Shellflower scolded softly, giving her a hard stare. Minnowkit pawed some moss together. "Let's play moss ball outside! Do you want to come, Dawnkit? We can play!" 

  Dawnkit glanced up at Streamlight hopefully. "No." Streamlight snapped. "She's not allowed out of her nest for a half-moon. Nor is Bluekit or Morningkit." 

  "Besides, I told you to come back in for a reason." Shellflower sounded strange. "Come on now, let's leave playing to another day, okay?" 

  "Okay." Whitekit and Minnowkit hung their head. "It's so boring in the nursery!" Whitekit complained. "I can't wait to be apprenticed. I'm just a moon away!" 

  A thought struck Dawnkit. What if her apprentice ceremony was delayed because of Spottedkit? Or delayed as a punishment? Dawnkit didn't want to be stuck in the nursery for any longer. The reason she agreed to sneak out was because she felt cooped up in the nursery. 

  "Don't even think about your apprentice ceremony." Streamlight glared at Dawnkit, seeming to know what she was thinking. "If I was Brightstar, I will make you an apprentice when you're twelve moons old!"