Warrior Cats; Smokeskull's Revenge [ 1 ]

Chapter 9

When Smokekit awoke at sunrise, the only thing she could think of was the rough sleep she had. She remembered a few moments after moonhigh, Smokekit was awakened by Hollywish groaning and moaning in her sleep. She was upset by the fact she had to share her den with Lionstripe's new ignorant feline friend-mate.
Smokekit lifted her head to realize it was almost sunhigh. Her eyes darted across the nursery. She couldn't help seeing Willowkit's tiny head poke out of Coalstorm's underbelly.
The pale she-kit looked like a small golden ingot by her lightly striped ginger tabby fur-and her eyes sparkled like tiny circular emeralds glinting off the strong light.
At first, Smokekit couldn't help herself but stop thinking of her problem with Hollywish. Her eyes locked on her sister curiously.
"Hiya!" Willowkit mewed sweetly. Smokekit noticed her whiskers twitching.
She was unsure what to say. But she thought of something quick before the kit felt a surge of uneasiness towards her. "Hello," she meowed in return.
Before she could think anymore of it, Willowkit swiftly hopped over Coalstorm's body and sat in front of Smokekit as if having no fears at all. Her ears perked up like the rocks on Foxclaw Hill. Her eyes gazed sharply and happily at Smokekit. Her pelt continued to glow with golden light in the peering sun.
Just before the moment became awkward, the grey she-kit meowed, "How are you..?" She asked slowly.
Smokekit shook her head and got onto her paws when Willowkit was giving her answer proudly, "Good. Thank-you, sister!"
She ignored the moon-old she-kit without hesitation. "Sorry, Willowkit, I have things to do. I can't talk to you now." Smokekit croaked, feeling a bit irritated.
"Oh," The pale she-kit sighed and then added more brightly, "Can I help?" Willowkit got out of her sitting position in front of Smokekit's nest and padded up to her sister.
Smokekit gritted her teeth and thought on it, Could she really be a useful cat? Would she really help me stop Hollywish from lying to everycat and blinding Lionstripe to turn away from me? She looked over her shoulder at her side where Willowkit stood with a smile. "I guess so-"
"Eeeeeeee! Thank you, sister!" Willowkit mewed excitedly, jumping up and down on the spot. "What can I do for you, sister?"
Smokekit flinched. "First of all," she started, then paused. Would she really be up to the task? "You can start by calling me by my name; Smokekit." She told her before turning to the clearing.
Willowkit followed her outside where Smokekit sat down. Her pelt reflecting the light off her dark grey fur. "Okay, Willowkit. Are you ready? Are you sure you're up for this?" She asked, still a little uncertain of her sister's intelligence.
"'Course!" Willowkit mewed.
"Okay then. Follow me."
Smokekit walked quietly across the clearing with Willowkit prancing along at her side. "Willowkit!" She snapped, spinning around at her pale-pelted sister, "This is serious! If you don't want to help, go back to the nursery."
After a short moment of silence, Willowkit hung her head. "I'll help." She dared to say, lifting her emerald-green eyes up to lock onto Smokekit's.
"Fine. Look," Smokekit turned into the warriors' den. Her ears poked along the side of the large cave-den. They were very close, close enough to see the inside.
Willowkit copied Smokekit's glare. Their eyes searched the den until Smokekit continued, "That over there is Lionstripe; he's the biggest warrior with a long yellow pelt and dark stripes."
Willowkit shifted her eyes in search for the warrior. When she found him, she nodded briefly.
"He is my best friend; the cat with a new mate named Hollywish." Smokekit moved her eyes to glance at Willowkit. She's obedient. She thought to herself.
"You mean that queen that just moved into the nursery?" Willowkit whispered, "She's a pretty feline!"
"Yeah? Well, she's also a liar!" Smokekit growled and turned her head the other way. "She's not what she tells other cats she is."
Willowkit dipped her head in understanding and gazed into her sister's eyes. "So...she isn't a queen?"
The grey she-kit shook her head and looked at her paws. "She just takes more freshkill than any other cats in CloudClan. She lied by telling all of CloudClan she has the same signs as a cat with kits in her stomach." Smokekit sighed and looked back at Lionstripe in the warriors' den. His chest lifted and fell within every moment.
Smokekit noticed Willowkit bite down on her own teeth. She bared her teeth in a short kit snarl. "What a useless furball! Who would lie about having kits?" She growled, "But wouldn't the smart thing to do would be to leave her be until the Clan realizes she won't have kits because she's been a queen so long? She's just fat." Willowkit meowed with a straight face and twisted eyes.
Purring with amusement, Smokekit thought of how her sister and her were alike. Alike in so many ways, yet so different. "I guess you're right. It won't be long until they find out the truth." She mewed with delight before turning off. Her eyes closed in a long blink when she began to sprint off with Willowkit at her side.
Then, Smokekit bashed into something in front of her. "Hey!" She growled and looked up, angrily twitching her whiskers.
Lionstripe peered down at her with worried eyes. He must have come out of the warriors' den when Smokekit and Willowkit were giggling together. "May I have a word, Smokekit?" He meowed down to her.
The grey kit growled in the bottom of her throat, then glanced at her sister who was a few paw-paces behind. "I'll meet you at the nursery later," She mewed over her shoulder, still purring quietly at her new younger sister. "We can discuss our matters afterward."
Smokekit watched Willowkit nod and prance away. She saw Coalstorm pick her up half way there and head back into the nursery, tail flicking back and forth in greeting to the cats inside as if she was just appearing to them now.
"What is it?" Smokekit asked, turning her head back to face the warrior with uncertainty in his generous- looking green eyes.
Lionstripe didn't give an answer, but flicked his tail towards the back wall of the nursery.
The grey kit glanced across the clearing at where he pointed. "You want to talk there?"
The warrior nodded and stalked cautiously towards the crawl space in between the nursery and the Highrock. Smokekit followed not too far behind, copying his every footstep.
When they got into the small space, Lionstripe gazed down at her. His tail wrapped around his paws at he sat down. "What's it like being in a litter of one, then having another newborn in your life?" He mewed delicately, looking around as if to make sure no cat heard.
Smokekit was surprised; Since when did Lionstripe care? "Well, it was very confusing to me at first. Especially how every cat was ignoring me and all..." She began, looking into the eyes of the striped warrior in all seriousness.
"Hollywish is going to have my kits...and I'm worried I won't be a very good father." Lionstripe's eyes shrunk into slits. He was recklessly tearing himself apart. His head was clearly swirling and he was fairly alarmed of his surroundings. "I keep getting off the wrong claw with you, Smokekit, and I don't want to do that with my kits." Lionstripe struggled to keep his cool. After all, a warrior should always he cool and collected.
"First of all," Smokekit touched his chin with her nose gently and comfortingly. "Calm down. The least thing you want to do is be stressed out. You're going to put stress on Hollywish, and everything will be harder on both of you." Smokekit looked in his eyes, showing only the feeling of determination in hers.
"You'll be a great father, okay?" She mewed and pressed her pelt up against his flank. She sat down beside him and curled her tail around her paws, reflecting the warrior's position but not his slump.
Lionstripe's back was bent over in a haunch. "Okay." He meowed, stiffening his neck and gazing over at the grey kit. "Thank you, Smokekit."
But then, his head slumped again. "But what will I do? If I'm not a good parent, Hollywish won't want me to be her mate. If she isn't my mate, she'll forbid me to see my kits. If I'm forbidden to see my kits, I'll never know who they are. If I don't know who they are, I won't be a good father. If I'm not a good father-"
"Shut up, furball!" Smokekit growled with a hint of playfulness in her voice. "Have you got bees in your brain? That'll still only has a half percent chance of happening when hedgehogs fly." She taunted and smiled, even though she hated lying to her best friend.
Lionstripe flickered his eyes from Smokekit to his paws. He was clearly upset and nervous. Would it be the right thing to do if she were to tell him the truth about Hollywish?
"What I am saying is you shouldn't be worried about something you have nothing to worry about."
Smokekit's tongue-tied words made Lionstripe chuckle. "Thank you, Smokekit, again. You have helped me so much."