"Mama, where are we going?" Snowkit asked, blinking her bright green eyes up at her mother. "We're going home." Darkwhisper purred. "We are home!" Silverkit wailed, flattening her dark silver ears. Darkwhisper bent down and licked the dark grey she-cat between the ears. "This isn't home. This was a temporary home. Our home is a place called PebbleClan. Do you remember me talking about it?" She started walking, the kits bouncing after her. Riverkit perked his ears. "Oh, yes, I remember that! You said you were born and raised there!" Darkwhisper purred. "Exactly. And while you weren't born there, you will still be PebbleClan cats and you will still be raised there. Emberkit let out a thoughtful meow. "Why did you leave PebbleClan in the first place? Surely you would have been safer in the nursery." Darkwhisper looked at her eldest kit. He was the biggest of the litter, taking after his father in coat coloring and eye color. And while he still played like a kit, he was also thoughtful, more mature than the others. "I left because I feared someone would try and steal you away. Now that you are a moon old, I am more comfortable going back. Your father understood, and he should be fully prepared to help me protect you." "Who wanted to steal us?" Silverkit asked. "My rival. We had been fighting back and forth for your father's affections, and when he chose me, my rival was furious. But instead of killing her love, she was planning to steal any kits I might have. She would probably have killed me in the process, to complete whatever revenge she had planned." "This rival... I'm not sure I wan't to meet her." Snowkit flicked an ear. "I'm not sure I want you to meet her either." Darkwhisper grunted. "Emberkit, what's wrong? You keep glancing behind you." Riverkit squeaked. "I... feel like we're being followed." Emberkit answered. 'So he picked up on it, eh?' Darkwhisper thought. "I know. I've been keeping an eye on it. It's stayed back for now, so let's keep going." All at once, something large and russet exploded out of the ferns at Darkwhisper's left. She let out a yowl of alarm and the kits cried out. "Is that a fox?!" Riverkit yowled. "Yes!" Darkwhisper yowled back. "Find somewhere to hide!" She looked around frantically while keeping an eye on the fox. "That tree there! Get in that squirrel hole! GO!" The kits scrambled for the tree. The fox tried to leap for them, but Darkwhisper lashed out, knocking it back. Once all four kits were out of its range, the fox turned on Darkwhisper with a vengeance. Darkwhisper fought the fox with all her strength, but it was hungry and it wasn't small. Her vision momentarily went black as the fox raked four, large, sharp claws across her side, up her back and down her other side. Darkwhisper shrieked and stumbled. 'No! My kits... Pineleaf... I can't die here!' Darkwhisper thought through the haze of pain. "Darkwhisper....!!!!" 'Huh? Pineleaf? I must be hearing things. I told him not to come!' "GREAT STARCLAN, ARE YOU DEAF?! I SAID MOVE!" Suddenly something slammed into her flank, causing Darkwhisper to fly into a clump of ferns. She lay there, winded and light headed from the blood loss. When she came too, she saw the russet tom with dark russet tabby stripes that she had longed to see for a moon. "Pineleaf!" She cried. She realized that other PebbleClan warriors were with him. There was her sister, Rowanstorm, and her brother, Hawkstrike. The deputy, Moonwish, was there too, her blue eyes blazing. Darkwhisper didn't see her rival, Amberstrike, but she did see Aberstrike's apprentice, Sunpaw. Suddenly, something was pressing against her back. Darkwhisper let out a cry of shock, only to halt as she smelled the sweet scent of herbs. It was Spiderpool, the medicine cat. "Just rest, Darkwhisper." Spiderpool soothed, her voice a welcome sound. "My kits... are they safe." Darkwhisper murmured. "Were are they?" "In a squirrel hole... in one of these trees." "I haven't heard or seen anything, so I assume they are fine." Spiderpool soothed. "Goldenpaw, fetch that marigold." *A while later* "Darkwhisper! Oh thank StarClan you're okay!" Pineleaf leaped to his mates side. "I'm okay now. But I need to check on my kits... our kits." Darkwhisper pushed herself to her paws. "No. Stay. I'll get them. Were are they?" "In a squirrel hole in one of these trees." Darkwhisper answered, sinking gratefully onto the ferns. Her wounds were on fire and she was still light headed. Pineleaf nodded and leaped away. Darkwhisper could just imagine her kit's shock and terror. Suddenly, four tiny streaks of fur were flying across the clearing. "Mama!" Silverkit wailed. "Are you okay?!" Darkwhisper let out a purr. "I'll be fine." She wrapped her paws around Riverkit and curled Snowkit in her tail. Silverkit settled down next to her mother, pressed against her. Emberkit climbed up onto his mother's flank, minding her wounds. "Everything will be fine now." Darkwhisper promised.
Lallygo Just a little clarification on who is who... Darkwhisper--black she-cat with the darker grey ear tips, tail tip and paw. Amber eyes. Silverkit--dark grey she-cat with dark silver ears and tail stripes. Amber eyes. Gets her coloring from her mothers line. Riverkit--dark blue grey tom with ice blue eyes. Gets his coloring from his mothers line. Snowkit--small ginger she-cat with white ears, paws and tail tip and a white spot on chest. Bright green eyes. Gets her coloring from her father's line. Emberkit--large russet tom with dark russet ears, tail and paws/legs. Green eyes. Gets his coloring from his father's line. I like how this one came out, especially the shading. I tried to make Darkwhispers wounds look fresh, but I think I failed >_<' The reason she doesn't have cobwebs over them is Spiderpool ran out and she and Goldenpaw are trying to find more. And she's lying in front of a rock. I couldn't put it in the story for sake of length >_<'
