Elemental Warriors: Shadowed Steps

Chapter Five

The den was quiet when Wolfkit opened his eyes, he heard movement outside the den and glanced towards the entrance. The nursery was dark still which either meant it was sunrise when the light didn't reach the den entrance, or it was still late at night. Getting up carefully Wolfkit maneuvered his way through his littermates, careful not to disturb Icefur as he did. Without Maplespring and her three kits in the den there was lots of extra room making it much easier to exit the den without anyone noticing.

Creeping out of the den Wolfkit noticed that the moon was still high in the sky, the breeze in the air was soft as it brushed through Wolfkit's thick pelt. Nights like this made him miss Ashpaw, they used to sneak out late at night and play. At least they did until Talonspirit caught them one night, he'd been on guard duty that night and heard rustling in the bushes near the entrance. When he went to investigate he'd found the two mischievous kits playing they'd gotten an earful from the old warrior, but when their mothers had nothing to say they suspected the senior warrior hadn't told anyone else about his midnight catch.

"Can't sleep?" A voice called from behind him pulling him from his thoughts, turning to look he say Goldpaw curled up outside the apprentice den. He hadn't noticed her there when he'd exited the nursery.

"Just woke up." He replied, it hadn't occurred to him to try and sleep again, sleep was boring but exploring the camp at night, well that was exhilarating. Moving closer towards the older apprentice he noticed just how big their size difference had become even curled up she seemed closer to Icefur's size then his own. "Are you having trouble sleeping?"

"Birchpaw keeps yowling in her sleep, keeps me up. The more she talks the more her littermates talk back. It's like they can all communicate while they're dreaming." Goldpaw rolled one of her green eyes, "apparently my littermates can sleep like the dead. They have no problem blocking out the noise."

"They didn't talk in their sleep in the nursery," Wolfkit commented, his small body shaking as the wind picked up blowing through his fluffy kitten pelt. As he trembled Goldpaw reached out with her tail pulling the young kit into her thick gold fur.

"It's cold tonight with the wind, you should be getting back to bed." With a yawn she lay her head down on her paws, "I have to be up for dawn patrol so either sleep here or back in the den. Just don't go sneaking around camp at night, it's not safe in the forest for young kits. Haven't the elders ever told you about the big owls that snatch kits in the night."

Wolfkit nodded curling up into her side as he did, the stories were told to all the kits when they were young. Ashpaw told him that not all the stories were true, but that they'd been made to scare the kits into listening. Even in the whistling of the wind though, if Wolfkit really tried to listen he could hear the hooting of owls in the distance. Wither all the stories were true or not, every kit knew that there were much larger, much more dangerous things past the camp borders then owls. Foxes, badgers, large wild dogs there were even stories about bears which required all the clans to band together to get rid of the mother and her two cubs. Closing his eyes Wolfkit focused his hearing on Goldpaws heartbeat syncing his own he began to take slow deep breaths until the world around him began to fade.

"Dark....camp........warn them.....duty...." When Wolfkit woke up again he was curled up in the clearing Goldpaw was beginning to stir from behind him slowly pulling herself away from the young kit,

"Did I wake you?" She asked when his bright blue eyes stared up into her green ones, yawning and stretching out Wolfkit shook his fur out.

"No but I should probably slip back-" as he spoke the nursery burst into life as Icefur came tumbling out of the den. Frantically her eyes scanned the clearing settling on her missing kit with furious eyes, "gotta go!" Hurriedly he ran towards his mother the fire in her eyes dimming as she confirmed her kit was safe.