What if Mapleshade's kits lived

Chapter 6

The long journey back to the Barn was travelled in dead hanging silence. Patchkit shivered in fear. While Appledusk stared at the floor, his eyes blaring with a green flame. Exhaustion and hunger were starting to overwhelm her, as she struggled to keep steady on her paws. Luckily, the large looming red shape of the Barn in the thick fog of the dark night. The shift in the air; from crisp and chilled to fresh and warm, told her that dawn slowly approached.

By the time they entered inside the gloomy towering insides of the Barn, Tulipfur immediately came over to the greet them. Mapleshade stood there unfocused and lifeless. Her head and tail drooping. "Oh, you poor thing.", Tulipfur whispered. Her mother took hold the dazing kit from Mapleshade and flicked her tail towards a large bundle of hay.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of Patchkit, you just get some sleep.", she took a hard look at Appledusk, "Both of you, I guess.", she mewed reluctantly. Tulipfur softly placed Patchkit in a pile among his sister and brother. She didn't have to energy to argue or even say 'Thank you'. All she could do was pad over to the edge of a golden lining and fall into it in a giant heap. The straw was itchy, digging into her skin slightly. Feeling Appledusk lay next to her, fur pressing against her. His breath hot on her face. She couldn't even be bothered to push his away. Consciousness slipped away like trying holding clear water in your paws. Murky darkness forming over her sight. Within heartbeats, she gave in to deep yet restless sleep.

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As she began came round, she found herself lying on a stiff back, her belly exposed and hollow of food. Glowing orange light surrounded her. Her nose twitched as she tried to make sense of the world around her, like a newborn kit opening their eyes for the first time. A scent was urging her to get up, something familiar. Not wasting time, she heaved herself up, feeling heavy, sluggish and dazed. She allowed her nose to guild her as her eyes still adjusted. The feeling of homecoming over her. She blinked. A small chestnut-brown plump mouse lay at her paws. Fresh too.

Smiling, she knelt down gratefully, starting to chew at slowly. The juicy taste of the meat filling her tongue. Mapleshade purred. Much better than Appledusk's frog. Then she spotted Tulipfur padded past her, more mice dangling from her jaw, "Enjoying it?", she asked. Mapleshade swallowed another mouthful, "Yes, thank you.". Tulipfur placed more mice at Mapleshade's side, "And you'll be getting more where that came from", she confirmed.

"I knew you still had the hunting instinct in you.", Mapleshade commented. Tulipfur nodded proudly, "And it will be for a long time to came. It takes a lot to bring down this old she-cat!". The two shared a purr of laughter.

Mapleshade grabbed the half-eaten mouse in her mouth, about to pad over to her kits but the lilac cat dashed forward, stopping her. "Don't worry.", like she always said. Her mother insisting her, "You'd been through a lot, so just relax. I'll keep your kits in line.". Mapleshade shrugged, maybe it would be nice to have sometime to herself. Tulipfur turned and walked away, "It might be the last time I see them anyway.", she mewed sadly. Mapleshade's head hang lower.

Then she noticed the itchy texture in her fur. She twisted to see her back, it was covered in Appledusk's cream moulted hair in her ginger and black pelt. Gross. Then came his loud snoring as behind her as he slept. And there went the good mood...

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The rest of the day was sent in a dreamlike daze. Tulipfur agreeing to stay until Sunhigh at least. They sent the next several hours relaxing on the endless layers hey as the Larchkit and Petalkit played. Patchkit is the corner, staring blankly at the wall. Mapleshade licked her lips with stratification, her belly bloated with the mouse. But Appledusk just grumpily complained that it wasn't fish. The walls of the barricaded any glimpse of sky, all sense of time lost.