Warriors: Shooting Star Book #1 A Star Is Born (#Wattys2015)

Chapter 5

"Sparrowpaw!" Stripeclaw hissed. "Stop bugging Bramblepaw! You know you have training to do!"

"But Bramblepaw and Berrypaw are going on an assessment!" Wolfkit put his paws over his ears, irritation from being woken up welling up inside him. Sparrowpaw was complaining, while Stripeclaw yowled at her. Bramblepaw and Berrypaw weren't going to made warriors two or three more moons!

Wolfkit was still stuck in the nursery. Poundkit and Meadowkit were finally given permission to play with the older kit. The most he'd play were games that taught them to have energy to go to the Gathering at night, run from enemies, and catch prey. Hazelnose would watch from the nursery with pride shining in her emerald eyes. Goosetail, however, never showed any signs of being prideful of his son. Wolfkit began to think that the warrior didn't even like him.

Adderstar, Glaregaze, Poppystream, and Hazelpaw walked in to camp with fresh-kill in their jaws. Wolfkit was showing Poundkit how he should pin his enemy down using Meadowkit. Glaregaze set his fresh-kill down and watched along with Adderstar.

"Now, remember we're just playing so don't use your claws." Wolfkit explained, letting Meadowkit go. After a nod from Poundkit, Wolfkit bared his teeth got in a crouch he saw Hazelpaw do. "I'm a ShadowClan cat and I'm going to hurt Lambpelt! Bellowvoice is wounded and he can't stop me from getting all three of y-ah!" the kits attacked him before he could finish his sentence and began batting at him with sheathed claws.

"Protect the nursery from any of his allies!" Poundkit ordered Meadowkit. "I'll take care of-" Wolfkit shoved the brown tom off and ran off. He could hear Poundkit chasing after him.

What would a ShadowClan do in this predicament? He tried thinking hard about the different Clans. Hazelnose had told him that each Clan had their own special skills for catching certain prey in their territory. ThunderClan could climb trees, WindClan was fast and skinny, SkyClan could jump high, RiverClan could swim, ShadowClan.... Wolfkit remembered when he met Glaregaze. There was a dark area behind the bracken and Wolfkit noticed a small puddle of marsh and mud.

He pelted off toward the bracken and pounced in. Mud splattered all over his silver pelt, turning it brown. The darkness and the mud would keep him hidden when Poundkit neared. Hazelnose would scold him later after this. He could smell the little tom getting closer and saw his amber eyes glowing in the darkness.

Once Poundkit was close enough, Wolfkit let out a mighty roar making the younger kit squeal and bolt away. Wolfkit followed after, but tripped as he escaped. He rolled over until he hit the fresh-kill pile. Something suddenly then landed on him, making Wolfkit jump away with a squeak of fear. He spun around to see an adder had fallen from the fresh-kill pile and landed on his head.

Brackenfoot and Dustytail let out mrrows of laughter. Joking about how dead prey attacked a living cat. Wolfkit could feel his fur burn with embarrassment. Hazelnose quickly trotted over and picked Wolfkit up by his scruff, huffing at the warriors. She went to the nursery and began cleaning Wolfkit's pelt of the mud.

"Really, Wolfkit, you're more reckless than Goosetail was as a kit!" Hazelnose purred.

"What... Was Goosetail like as a kit?" Wolfkit asked. He'd probably get his questions answered about Goosetail from a story, anything could help Wolfkit understand more of his father.

"Abnoctious, untrustworthy, and too ambitious!" Wolfkit looked to see Glaregaze had come to the nursery and heard Wolfkit ask his question. The kit glared up at the older warrior, but almost jumped when a flash of a small tom with a face full of joy went by. But, after blinking, the only cat Wolfkit saw was the sour look of Glaregaze.

"But after becoming a warrior he grew out of it." Hazelnose put flatly, not looking to the dark grey tom.

"He clearly hasn't grown out of those enough!" Glaregaze hissed.

"Don't you have hunting to do?" Hazelnose growled, turning her head to face the warrior. "Now if you please, I'd like to clean my kits pelt!"

Glaregaze scowled and, with the flick of his tail, stormed off. Hazelnose then returned to washing Wolfkit. The kit decided to not ask anymore questions. He still wouldn't get the answers he wanted.

Wolfkit looked frantically around the camp. He could still hear Hazelnose counting to give him time to hide. Beginning to get worried Wolfkit ran to the area in the bracken hid there. He waited for Hazelnose in the dark hiding spot.

It seemed like forever, before Hazelnose had finally found Wolfkit and pulled him out from the bracken. Poundkit and Meadowkit were learning how to do battle and hunting crouches from Bellowvoice while Lambpelt went for a walk with Poppystream and Hazelpaw.

That's when Wolfkit had an idea. "Hazelnose, can we take a short walk through the forest?" He asked, looking up her. "Just a short one, not very far!"

Wolfkit's heart dropped seeing Hazelnose's worried and skeptical look. Wolfkit wanted to see what the ShadowClan border looked like and he wanted to show his mother the caves.

Luckily, Adderstar stepped out and overheard the question. "It's okay for him to go out the camp for a few moments Hazelnose, he is almost an apprentice and it will be good for him to get a head start."

"Very well," Hazelnose rolled her eyes, "but we're only going out for a moment." she began heading out the gorse tunnel, followed by Wolfkit.

As they trekked through the wood, Wolfkit got a whiff of Goosetail's scent. Hazelnose probably could smell it too, because Wolfkit noticed her pelt bristle. They followed the trail, until they came to a berry bush. Hazelnose stopped so she could have Wolfkit hide underneath the bush until she returned with some prey they could eat.

Once Hazelnose was out of sight, Wolfkit picked his ears up to hear talking not far away. He stepped out from under the berry bush and walked up to a nearby tree. Poking his head from behind the tree he saw Goosetail and that she-cat lying in the grass with their heads on each other's necks. Their tail were intertwined and their nose touched. Wolfkit could hear the purring come from both of them. He couldn't help but be angry. His claws dug in the ground as he watched his father betray not just him and Hazelnose, but all of ThunderClan.

That's when he felt the blazing emerald eyes of a hurt she-cat behind him. "I knew it!" Hazelnose growled quietly, her claws digging in to the dirt. "That giant pile of fox dung! He is seeing another cat! From another Clan no less! Come on Wolfkit, we're going back to camp now!"

When they returned to camp, Hazelnose immediately stormed to the nursery. Wolfkit stayed outside and sat down. He knew she only be furious with him if he was the one to tell her about Goosetail's betrayal. She was going to have to see the truth herself. It pained Wolfkit to see his mother so upset. He lied down and let out a long, sad, tired sigh.