Sparksong's story

Kithood

       Sparkkit wobbled out of the nursery on her little legs, blinking up into the warm sunlight. Huge cats were everywhere, walking from here to there, talking back and forth, and sunning themselves.

      Sparkkit nearly got trampled as a huge white tom nearly walked right over her. "Watch out!" He called as he disappeared into a dark den. Sparkkit looked around and noticed her siblings playing outside of the elders den with a mossball. 

       Hmm, I could go over here and play with them, right? Her mind reeled. There were so many things to do. She trotted over to the medicine cats den. She hadn't ever been in there but she had seen the medicine cat, Featherfoot, several times.

       Just as she was waking over there, one of the apprentices, Tadpaw, burst through camp, yowling. "Ambush! Help!" He stopped at Stonestar's feet.

       "What, where?" The leader demanded. Sparkkit shrunk down and stared around wildly. Then she saw her mother grab her siblings and start taking them in the den. She scrambled to get there and tripped over her own paws.

       Suddenly a yowl sounded behind her and a bunch a strange cats burst into camp, jumping on her clanmates. Soon the clearing was covered in fighting cats. Oh, what do I do? What do I do?! She ran towards the nursery, but a huge black tom got in her way.

       He hissed and clawed her ear. Sparkkit yelped as he tom slashed hard at her face. She dodged and his blow landed on her hind leg, making a huge gash that gushed blood. She yowled in fear and pain.

      Just as the tom was holding her down and about to bite her neck, her mother came to the rescue, screeching at the tom and throwing herself at him. "Stay away from my kit! Foxheart! I'll kill you!"

      Sparkkit layed on her side, watching with blurry eyes as her mother and the tom fought, a raging ball of orange and black fur. Her leg felt like it was on fire, and suddenly the big white tom she had seen earlier, picked her up and ran her to the medicine den. "Featherfoot! This kit needs you!" He set her down and joined the fight again.

      Featherfoot started pressing stuff onto her leg. "You'll be okay Sparkkit, trust me. Drink this now." She pushed wet moss up to Sparkit's nose. She lapped at it, but then Featherfoot touched her leg a bit too hard and Sparkkit jerked, before her world went black.

                                                       *****

        "Are you sure? She's been sleeping for ages."

        "She'll be fine, she just needs to wake up on her own, Applepelt."

        "If you're sure. Tell me when she wakes, I'm going to check on the other kits."

       Sparkkit opened her eyes and looked up to see Featherfoot staring down at her, relief in her pale eyes. "What happened?" She struggled to get up, but the felt the biting pain in her leg.

      Featherfoot grabbed some wet moss. "You need to drink. Here. I'll go get you some food and tell you father you're awake." She left the den. Sparkkit looked around to see that several cats were laying in nests beside her, herbs plastered to their bodies. She recognized the apprentice, Tadpaw, and also one of the elders, Swifttail. 

       She gasped. Right next to her was her mother. She had herbs on he chest, stomach, and back and her breathing was shallow. "Mother, are you okay?" She nudged her.

       Eaglegaze raised her head and noticed Sparkkit. She murmured something Sparkkit didn't catch. She leaned closer. "You saved me. You saved my life." Sparkkit mewed softly.

       Eaglegaze looked up again and stared at her daughter. "You... deserve to live. I love you so much, my little spark... Never forget me..." Her head fell back and her eyes closed.

      Sparkkit immediately panicked. "Mother? Mom get up!" She prodded Eaglegaze's flank and head. "Mother! No!" Sparkkit realized that she was never going to wake up. She let out a long wail of greif and sobbed into her mother's flank.

     Featherfoot and Applepelt rushed in and stopped in their tracks. Featherfoot ran to Eaglegaze's side. Applepelt began breathing hard, then ran to his dead mate, licking and prodding her. "Eaglegaze? Eaglegaze! No! Don't leave me."

     The other kits came into the den and stopped at their mother's body before crying and burrying their faces in each other's necks. Featherfoot watched the greiving family, and walked out, dragging her tail, to tell Stonestar.

                                              *****

       Sparkkit looked to the stars as she sat beside her clanmates as they shared tongues with Eaglegaze one last time. Sparkkit noticed how one star in the sky was brighter then all the rest, and she felt a small gust of wind go through her fur and she could almost hear her mother's voice. I love you, Sparkkit...