Forest Of Guardians

Chapter 1

                                                                                     

Raven slowly opens her eyes, trying to take in all of the world. The sun is shining, the wind smells sweet, and she can hear her denmates playing not far off in the den. She slowly rises onto all fours. As she takes a few paw steps down out of her nest, her paws get stuck in the dry and tangled moss, and she tumbles down onto the cold hard cave floor.

"Ow!" She cries out in pain. She tries to get up, but to no avail. Every time she stands up, pain shoots through her front paw. She knows that she should look at it, but she is afraid of what she will see. She looks down at her paw, and it is bent at a strange angle. She grits her teeth, and tries to limp towards the entrance. After getting about halfway there, she falls down. She tries to get up again, but she is in too much pain. But then she realizes that she can no longer hear her denmates. The sound of joyful playing has been replaced with eerie silence. She tastes the air, picking up scents of fear. Instantly she can tell that something is wrong.

"Hello?" She mews, "Is there anyone there?" She gets no response. Raven tries to drag herself to the entrance of the den, but she cannot move an inch. But before she can call her denmates, she smells a disgusting scent. But the scent carries something else too... a strong tang of blood. Raven is filled with fear.

"There... There is something REALLY wrong..." She thinks. Raven tastes the air again to find that the scent is coming closer. Then she can see where it is coming from. A red-orange face peers around the corner. It has white underneath its chin and down on its chest, and has some white around its long narrow snout. Its clever amber eyes haven't noticed Raven yet. She takes her chance and starts backing up. Then she freezes in her spot. Voices! She can hear voices!

"Has anyone seen the kits?" A voice asks. Raven can hear someone outside the nursery. She tastes the air again, and she can smell cats!

"Yep!" Another one replies, "RainPelt has them."

"Wait....." someone trails off. She can hear uncertainty in that cats voice. "Where are my kits?!" The queen cries out. "All three of them have disappeared!" "My kits! My kits! Oh where have you gone?" She wails out. Raven recognizes that voice.

"Could it be... my mother? But wait... she said three kits are missing... where are my sisters?" Raven is filled with panic. "If my sisters are gone... did that foul creature get them....? NO! It couldn't have!" Raven snaps back to reality when she hears a sharp yip behind her. She turns around and is face to face with the foul creature she saw earlier.

"But... but... but... it was in front of me.." She says out loud. Raven turns herself around and desperately tries to drag herself away. But it is of no use. In her dismay, there was not one of those things, but there are two. With no other way to escape, she backs up against a wall, and she bears her teeth. The skin and fur around her nose scrunches up, and she lets out a slow long hiss. As the creatures get closer, she closes her frosty blue eyes, and prepares for it to end. But right before one of the creatures lunges at her to make the kill, it rears back in pain and lets out a yelp.

"That's what you get! Come a us you dirty fox heart!" Exclaims a familiar voice.

"Yeah! Stay away from our sister! Don't you dare hurt her!" another one yells.

"Sister?" Raven wonders. She gasps when she comes to a sharp realization. "My sisters! It must be Leaf and Hazel! But... it is not safe.. They're going to get hurt!"

Raven pushes herself to her paws and limps closer. When she can see past the foxes, only Leaf is in view. But then she notices something else. Only one of the foxes is focusing on her sister. The other fox is closing in. She can see its clever amber eyes gleaming. As the fox pounces on Raven ready to dig it's teeth into her neck, something bites her scruff, and drags her across the floor. By the gentle pull she can tell that whatever or whoever it is, it won't hurt her.