Lost Hope: Book 3: Flame and Snow

Chapter 3

Foxkit sat in the nursery with his sister, Lilackit. They were conversing quietly with each other in a corner of the nursery, heads close, just out of earshot of their mother, Phoenixwing, who was grooming her red fur in her nest.

Just from looking at them, you wouldn't think they were siblings. Foxkit was a brighter ginger than his mother with deep blue eyes that could be compared to the night sky. Lilackit, on the other paw, was a paler gray with a cool shade of blue for her eyes.

Foxkit was boisterous and excitable, while Lilackit was calm and calculating. Even when they were smaller, Foxkit was always the one screaming for milk while his sister was always napping or sitting quietly with her mother.

They were very different, but, somehow, they always got along. Whenever Lilackit was down, Foxkit could cheer her up. Whenever Foxkit was bored, Lilackit would play with him, gracefully batting at their moss ball with her dainty paws.

They weren't playing mossball now—Lilackit insisted they were too old for that. Instead, they were mulling over what happened that night at the EchoClan-BrookClan battle, how they were convinced by Viperfang to help her.

See, everyone has secrets, including kits. And theirs was more dangerous than most.

Viperfang had given them the opportunity to do something they always dreamed of. Something that always seemed to get their mother riled up if they asked. Meeting their father. A mysterious cat shrouded in mist they couldn't quite reach. But now, with Viperfang's help, they could finally make their dream come true.

"You'll have to do something in return for my kindness," Viperfang had said. "But don't worry, it wont be difficult."

Foxkit had eagerly promised, Lilackit had calmly accepted after asking many questions. They didn't think the task would be difficult, all Viperfang wanted was a little pearl that Stonestar had hidden away in his den. Besides the sneaking into the leader's den without anyone noticing part, stealing a pearl should be quite simple.

And almost three moons later, Foxkit and Lilackit still hadn't gotten their paws on it.

Their first obstacle was their mother, and coincidentally the hardest one to overcome. The two kits were convinced she had invisible eyes in the back of her head. The two times they had tried to sneak out, Phoenixwing woken up and snapped at them. They hadn't tried again after that.

"We need to find a way to distract her, get her out of the den for awhile. Or we wait until we're apprentices and have more freedom." Lilackit's voice lacked much conviction.

"You know we can't wait another moon to be apprenticed, Viperfang is getting impatient with us," Foxkit responded despairingly.

"What are you two whispering about?" Phoenixwing asked loudly from the other side of the den, looking up from her grooming to place two beady amber eyes on them.

"Nothing, mama," the two kits recited automatically in unison.

Foxkit gave a little sigh when his mother's head had turned away. "We're never going to get that. . . you-know-what." He added that last part more quietly.

"Yes we will," Lilackit hissed. "We just need a distraction."