~ Rising Tide ~

~ Chapter 1 ~

Cloudkit was told of great stories of his father, Blizzardstorm, but he couldn't remember him at all. He was too young to understand why his father's body was dragged into camp and why he wouldn't get up. His mother had been devastated, is what his clanmates told him about that fateful day. A white she cat, Whitesun, had been named the new leader. As he reached 4 moons, he was always told that he looked like Blizzardstorm. This made his mother, Mistwhisper, sad and happy at the same time. She would smile at him with a tear rolling down her cheek. Cloudkit felt he knew his father through all these stories, even though he never remember him. Cloudkit was lost in his thoughts about what his father looked like, when he felt someone crash into him. He was knocked onto his back with the strange cat on top of him. But it wasn't even a cat, it was a kit.

"Hey Cloudkit!" Cougarkit chirped. "Wanna play hide and then go seek?"

Caught off guard at first, Cloudkit stupidly replied. "What's that?"

His denmate laughed, then crawled off of him. "Come on!"

The tom kitten raced off, leaving Cloudkit trailing behind him. A group of three kits was gathered by the nursery cave when the two toms reached them. Lionkit, Rainsweptkit, and Pebblekit were chatting among themselves. As Cloudkit neared them, his sister Pebblekit raised her head with a smile at the sight of her brother.

"You got him!" She purred.

"Yeah! Come on! Who's it?" Cougarkit asked excitedly.

"Lionkit has already agreed to." Rainsweptkit responded coolly.

"Wait- What?! No I didn't!" Her brother protested.

"Uh - Huh!" Pebblekit laughed.

Cloudkit purred at his denmates antics, gazing affectionately at Lionkit as he offered. "I think you'd be good at being it."

Lionkit's face got red as he ducked in his head. "I don't know..."

"Well I do!" Cougarkit crowed. "You're the it!"

Lionkit sighed. "Fine."

The golden tom kitten covered his eyes with his paws. "One mouse... two mouse..."

The kits scattered, startling some of the warriors as he scurried underneath their paws. Cloudkit bounded off, his blue eyes searching the camp. He spotted a faint, small glow coming from behind a rock that was backed up against the wall. He ran over, sniffing at the strange rock.

"Ten mouse!"

Cloudkit felt panic rush through him as he pushed at the rock, it moved to the side easily to reveal a small cave fit for a kit. Cloudkit rushed inside, feeling a rush of cold air greet him. With much struggle, he pulled the rock in front of the entrance. Darkness covered everything, making it difficult to see. He sat in the darkness for a moment, trying to catch his breath. Suddenly, he spotted the same, faint glow coming from a small tunnel. Cloudkit stood, padding over curiously. He emerged into a smaller cave with something in the middle of it. It shone bright in the dark and Cloudkit had to squint to have his eyes adjust to the light. He blinked slowly, recognizing the shape of a crystal. It gave off a bright blue light as Cloudkit gaped at it. The cats of Mountainclan would occasionally find crystals if they ventured further into their cave and it was always a treat to see them. The cats who found them would take them and most likely would give them to loved ones or keep it near their nests. Cloudkit placed one of his paws on the crystal's surface, it was about as big as him. He was so hypnotized by the shining rock that he almost didn't hear the distant calls of his denmates.

"Cloudkit!"

"Cloudkit where are you!"

Cloudkit turned his head, squinting a little so he could see the tunnel that would lead back to the main cave. He leaped into the darkness, almost colliding with the stone wall that rested against the rock blocking the entrance. He moved it out of the way, squirming through the crack that opened up. He blinked at the bright light that shone into his eyes. He shook his head, gazing  at the group of frantic kits searching for him. Lionkit gazed in his direction, his eyes lighting up as he bounded towards him.

"There you are!" Pebblekit cried, following suite.

"We didn't know where you were!" Cougarkit laughed. "Anyways, a patrol of warriors found a kit when they were out hunting! She says her name is Moon!"

Cougarkit averted his gaze to a white she kitten who was standing awkwardly at the paws of one of the warriors that gather near the entrance. 

"She's pretty huh?" Lionkit asked, smiling at Moon.

"Yeah!" Cougarkit purred.

Cloudkit stared at Lionkit silently for a moment, ear twitching and his gaze flicking over to Moon then back. Finally, he spoke.

"Sure." He said quietly.