Signs Of The Moon Book 2: Moon High

Chapter 1

Moonkit scrambled to the side of the nursery on her tiny kitten legs. Her paws barely touched the ground as she skidded across the earth. She whipped her head around looking for a good place to hide herself before she was caught. A fox-length away, one of her denmates was busy counting, their tiny voice echoing inside the hollow tree.
"..five, six, seven..."
Moonkit looked back at the kit, wiggling her whole body with excitement. Today they had chosen to play hide-and-seek, a favorite game of any Treeclan cat. Moonkit was determined to win, deciding already that she was the best hider of all the nursery residents. But in order to prove that, she'd actually have to find a spot to stash herself. By the wall, Sweetclaw the Den Mother was napping in her nest. Thick moss surrounded her cream colored body, and Moonkit bet there was enough there to provide her some good coverage. Quickly she dived down under the nest, covering herself in the soft moss and hoped nobody would notice. Moonkit pricked her ears, listening closely as Tigerkit finished counting.

"...sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, aaand twenty! Ready or not here I come!" She squeaked. Moonkit giggled quietly, covering her mouth with her paws. She listened carefully to her surroundings, trying to figure out where the other kitten was. One by one, Moonkit's denmates were found, each squealing or meeping when their hiding spot was discovered. Moonkit felt confident that her hiding place was the best and that she'd be winning the game this time. Suddenly she felt a unexpected weight fall upon her. The little silver and white kit jolted, shrieking out in surprise.

"Gotcha!" Tigerkit squealed. Bursting from the moss, Moonkit whirled around to see the other standing in front of her, her feathery tail high in the air in triump. Moonkit pouted, all of her downy kitten fur standing on end. The other kit giggled. "Sorry, Moomoo," she mewed.

"You could have killed me, Tig!" Moonkit spat, trying to relax. Tigerkit just giggled at her again before bounding off to search for the last kit. Moonkit watched her friend with interest as the fluffy tabby and white molly searched the whole den. But Tigerkit seemed out of luck. The last kit, Moonkit's brother Skunkkit, was nowhere to be found. Had he gone to hide outside the nursery? Moonkit wondered.

"Ok, you can come out now. I can't find you, you win!" Tigerkit shouted in defeat, sitting down with her front paws between her legs. Two tail-lengths away, Moonkit heard some shuffling, followed by a loud yawn. She turned her head, smiling at the sight of her brother.

"What are you yowling about..?" The kit mewed from their shared nest.

"Skunkkit! You were asleep this who time?!" Tigerkit hissed. Skunkkit yawned again, stepping out of the nest with a stretch.

"Yeah. Why, were we doing something?" He asked, shaking out his pelt. Moonkit purred with amusement, catching the annoyed glint in Tigerkit's eyes. It wasn't fair that Skunkkit hadn't told anyone that he'd lost interest in the game, but Moonkit had to admit it was pretty funny her brother had won regardless. Tigerkit puffed up her fur, showing off her agitation.

"We were playing hide-and-seek, mouse-brain! I thought you were hiding so good I couldn't find you. But here you are taking a nap instead. You're as lazy as a kittypet and you're only four moons old," the tabby kit spat angrily. Skunkkit just groomed himself, uninterested. The rest of the kits who had been playing along with them all came tumbling over to greet and play with Skunkkit. Adderkit laughed at him, while Beekit tackled Skunkkit to the ground to cover him in licks. Deerkit merely shook his head and Flamekit made a remark that Moonkit didn't bother to listen to.

"Stop yowling already, I think they can hear you all the way over in Mountainclan," grumbled a larger mollykit. Moonkit whipped around to see the other kitten standing by the den's entrance, her blue eyes seeming to glow within her shadow. Her long black fur was fluffed with annoyance, her tail kicking up a small cloud of dust as it wagged. Tigerkit stuck her tongue out at her rudely.