(Outdated) Warriors: Clouded Skies #2 - Frost

Chapter Fifteen

"This den is much too crowded!" Alder pushed his little paws against Bat's back, letting them sink into his father's thick coat. "I want more room!" he cried.

"Stop whining," Sage growled, but the young tomkit continued to whimper and mewl in disagreement.

"Sage, he's a kit," Bat warned her softly, eyes glowing in the darkness. "And he's not wrong. Flint and Smoke have been sleeping outside the den, and look at poor Creek." He nodded to the she-cat, who was curled at the entrance, fur ruffled and body tight to not take up room.

"Then she can go back to her own den," the silver tabby grumbled, shifting her body weight. Crow and Ash were curled against her stomach, with Alder right next to them--he began to close his eyes and fall asleep again--but Echo had refused to sleep next to her mother, and instead was tucked against Bat's chest, little nose twitching.

Ravenpaw watched the tiny version of the first leader of his Clan. He was awkwardly sitting right in front of Creek, his tail draped inside of her body and his front paws through Bat's front legs. It was strange, being there but yet not at the same time. He felt bad for little Echo, who obviously was overwhelmed by her mother. Knowing that, someday, she would be leader of his Clan, he wondered when her transition from a tiny, defenseless kit to a great, wise warrior would begin to take place.

"All three of them are helping us," Bat argued quietly. "Flint and Smoke help me hunt, and Creek helps you with the kits."

"You're a perfectly fine hunter by yourself! The only reason we need their extra prey is that they eat it themselves," Sage hissed back quietly.

"And what if one of the kits catches a cold? Do you know how to treat it?" Bat shot back, eyes glowing in the darkness. It was clear he was trying to remain calm, but his mate was making it hard to do so. Ravenpaw wondered how they fell in love, when they seemed so different. How did Bat, a loner, become so close with a pampered kittypet, that obviously had no skills for the outside world.

She must get better in the future, Ravenpaw thought, if she was the leader of a Clan alongside her daughter, son, and mate. A sudden shiver went through him. If they were all family, parents, and kits, why did they separate? It would be strange being in a different Clan than his siblings, mother, and father, so why did these cats choose to go their separate ways? He burned to know more of the future. Or, more correctly, more of the past.

Sage let out a quiet grumble. "What did you say?" Bat meowed, sounding a little calmer.

Surprisingly, the mother let out a light growl, and Bat flattened his ears in shock. "I said, I should've stayed with my Twolegs."

Bat let out a soft mewl, sounding just like one of his little kits. His eyes were full of distress. "You would lose our kits, Sage, if you stayed with them."

"At least they'd be safe, and they'd have room."

"They are safe," Bat told her softly. "I'm one of the best fighters in the forest, and I've taught Flint, Smoke, and Creek everything I know. And if you want more room, there are plenty of dens to choose from, all of those safe as well. I told you the first day you came here that this den was temporary because it was so small. We can always move to Creek's den by the river, or one on the moor, in the dense forest, even in the marshland. Anywhere you and the kits want to go, I will follow. So will Creek and her kits."

Sage was quiet for a few moments, eyes unreadable. Finally, she nodded. "Okay, Bat, I trust you. But we must wait until the kits are bigger, they're much too small to travel far. Especially Echo." The she-cat suddenly sighed, sounding utterly lost and sad. "Oh, Bat, how will she ever survive? I used to know a blind cat. He could originally see, but he lost his sight after getting attacked by an evil dog that lived next to him. He was never the same again, and couldn't do a thing by himself. If a blind cat is useless in a housefolk den, how will one survive in the wild? Perhaps we should give her to my housefolk, so she can be taken care of better."