Tadpoledrift's Mistakes

Chapter Twelve

"Mama! Mama!" Tadpoledrift shifted awake and opened one eye, her grey and red son, Lilypadkit, was prodding her in the side.

"Yes Lily?" She lifted her head a bit more.

"Can me and Milkkit go outside and play with Squirrielkit and Maplekit?" The tiny kit tilted his head to the side.

"Of course you can, just ask Squrrielkit before you try to topple her over again."

The two kits bounced away and out of the den and she sighed to herself, standing up she walked to the entrance of the nursery where an old dark brown tabby she-cat sat with her own kits.

Tadpoledrift sat down in the shade of the entrance and watched Lilypadkit and Milkkit.

"It's such a lovely sunhigh today." The old tabby had a large smile on her face.

"It really it's been so cold recently since leaf-bare has come." Tadpoledrift added.

The old tabby nodded her head and looked up to the silver and white she-cat.

"What's your name little lady? I haven't seen you around before."

"Oh, I'm Tadpoledrift, you must be the old queen I've heard about. Grasshopperchirp right?"

Grasshopperchirp nodded her head and gave a small smile before they both looked back to the kits playing in the clearing. Lilypadkit pounced at Maplekit's tail and the red tabby she-kit turned around with a mighty hiss.

"What do you think you're doing tiny kit?" Her fluffy tail lashed.

"We just wanted to pl-" Milkkit's soft voice was cut off.

"Hey! Leave 'em alone Maplekit! All you've ever done is be mean to them and they're your kin." A large dark brown tabby cut in, her long fur fluffed out and making him look bigger than an apprentice.

"Oh no, looks like big bad Tigerclaw has come to destroy the clans again, what shall I do to such a weak cat?" Maplekit put a paw onto her head dramatically.

"Maplekit just leave them alone, they're only 3 moons old." Tigerkit's tail flicked and a small dark tabby tom came up behind him and tugged on his tail.

"Well, you're 6 moons old and yet still in the nursery and treated like a kit." The calico trotted past the larger kit. "Anyways, I'm gonna be made a kit a long time before any of you weak kits." Maplekit had a sly smile.

Tadpoledrift stood up and trotted towards her kits, Tigerkit turned to Lilypadkit and Milkit and put his paw out.

"Don't worry about her, she's just been in a bit of a mood recently." Tigerkit had a warm smile much like Grasshoppershirp's.

"Brother, can we go back and sit with mama again? My back is hurting." the small tom kit's voice was weak and he was hunched over.

"Okay Hawthornkit." Tigerkit looked at his littermate then back to Lilypadkit and Milkkit. "We can play later, see you both around."

Lilypadkit looked rather starry-eyed as he watched the other tom.

Tadpoldrift's ears flicked around as she heard a stamped of paws from the entrance of the camp. She quickly ran over to grab up her small kits.

Her eyes went wide as she saw Mothflight stumble into camp and covered from head to toe in large wounds.

"Tadpoledrift run!" The large silky furred tom ran towards his younger sister then spun around in place as they heard growling.

She picked up her two kits and ran to the Nursery. Ravenflight and Grasshopperxchirp standing up and standing guard at the entrance of the den.

Yowling and hissing came from outside of the den and she could smell a distinct and familiar scent, RiverClan had come.