Lavenderpaw's Destiny

Chapter 2

Turtlefoot followed the patrol through the forest as they headed towards the edge of clan territory. She was glad to be out of camp today. Her and her mate, Rowanroot, had fought last night, and she was dreading being in camp with him. He had asked her to have kits with him, but she wasn't ready for that. She was a new warrior, and she didn't want to give that up to be a queen quite yet. She wasn't sure if she ever wanted to give that up.

The head of the patrol, Alderbush, stopped abruptly. "I found the scent trail, let's follow it". 

Turtlefoot tasted the air, smelling fox and cat scent mixed together. The tortoiseshell she-cat shuttered; she couldn't imagine what they were going to find at the end of the trail. The poor cat had probably been stalked by the fox, and then attacked and killed. She couldn't help wondering what the cat had been doing on clan territory in the first place, but she brushed it off. It didn't matter now. 

As they walked, she noticed Goldencurl tasting the air inquisitively. "There's another scent mixed with fox and cat, but I can't quite make it out. It's similar to cat scent, but smells a little different". 

The patrol paused, all three cats tasting the air. Suddenly, Turtlefoot realized what the scent was, and her fur stood on end. "It's kit scent. The cat had a kit with her! Hurry, we have to see if we can find them!" 

She raced through the pine forest, following the scent trail with the rest of the patrol close behind her. Reaching the edge of the border, she hesitated. She'd never been outside of clan territory before, and didn't know what dangers lay beyond it. 

As she hesitated, the rest of the patrol raced past her, following the scent. Turtlefoot shook off her fear and ran after them, catching up when they paused. The cats tasted the air, sniffing nearby bushes and trees.

"The scent is strongest here, and is mixed with fear scent". Goldencurl noted. "This must be where it attacked". 

"Search the area, see if the cat or kit are around". Alderbush ordered, heading towards some nearby trees. 

Turtlefoot nodded, heading towards a group of bushes. The first few bushes didn't have much scent on them, and Turtlefoot moved on to the others. A large group of them were crushed, like the fighting animals had fallen onto them. The scent of kit, cat, and fox were all stronger here, but especially the kit scent. The tortoiseshell she-cat cringed, not wanting to look any further. What if this was where the kit had been killed? 

Before she could look further, she heard a call from Goldencurl. "I found the cat". She mewed sorrowfully. 

Turtlefoot knew by the sound of her mew that the news wasn't good; the cat must have been killed by the fox. She turned her attention back to the bushes, hoping that the kit was still alive. Her hopes weren't very high, but she should look anyway. Nosing through the bushes, she got a fresh whiff of kit scent. Further into the bushes, she spotted a tiny silver tail on the ground. Turtlefoot quickly cleared the rest of the bushes and saw a tiny silver kit lying on its side. Hanging her head, the warrior realized that the kit must be dead. She turned around, heading towards the rest of the patrol to tell them the grave news.

Suddenly, she heard the kit take a deep, gasping breath. Turtlefoot whipped around and raced back to the kit, picking it up gently. It was a tiny she-kit, no older than three moons. There was a large cut on her head, but the bleeding seemed to have stopped. The tortoiseshell warrior quickly returned to the rest of the patrol. The other warriors turned around, their faces shocked as they spotted the kit. 

"Is it alive?" Alderbush asked worriedly. 

"Yes, she's breathing, but I can't wake her up. She has a cut on her head".