ColdClan: Sky Of Blood [2]

1. Skyleap

"Batkit... Don't you dare! Antkit, look out!"

The jet black kitten had her paw raised behind her brother's mahogany brown pelt with a sly look on her face. Skyleap recognised that look - she'd seen it on her own sister's face many a time when they had been kits! Surprised, little Antkit dodged out the way, letting Batkit go flying into the mud that her brother had been sat next to. Skyleap glanced down at Mothkit, who sat in the identical position her mother was in. Gracefully, the pretty silver kit's eyes met her mother's, and she rolled them slightly; Mothkit's pelt did not have a speck of dirt on it.

Striding forward and attempting to look angry, Skyleap picked up Batkit by the scruff of her neck, the tomboy letting out a grunt of annoyance.

"I just cleaned you, and now look at you!" Skyleap moaned through a mass of Batkit's fur. She put the kit down at the entrance to the queen's den, and ushered her inside.

"Sorry, Skyleap." Batkit looked at the floor.

Icekit skittered over to Batkit's side, failing to stop and so collided with her, sending her flying. Once again, Batkit's fiery side came through, and Skyleap saw herself reflected in her daughter.

"Watch it, Icekit!" She hissed, her little paws swiping at the grey tom.

"It was your fault, Batkit, you got in my way!" Icekit responded, however Batkit was having none of it and jumped on him, the two of them rolling around on the moss beds.

Skyleap decided to intervene. "Stop that, Batkit. You need to be cleaned up for Echopaw and Rosepaw's ceremony. You don't want to miss watching them become fully fledged warriors, do you?" Her sparkling blue eyes glared at Batkit's pale green ones in a questioning manner.

As if realizing what she would miss if she didn't get a move on, Batkit squirmed with delight and ran over to her mother. "Hurry up, hurry up!" She groaned. Icekit, Antkit and Mothkit sat patiently together, talking about adventures they hoped they would have when they became warriors.

Webfall appeared in the entrance, obviously searching for Mousecloud, who was expecting another litter of kits. The tom had always been rude to Skyleap, but today he was particularly cruel. He swiped Mothkit out of his way as he strode around the den, the kit letting out a terrified squeal as she flew into her adopted brother Icekit and her blood brother Antkit. Mothkit was not one to sit idly by and watch, and she charged after Webfall. "Hey, you! What did you do that for, you mousebrained fool!"  Her voice tumbling out as a tiny squeak.

Spinning round angrily, the tom gave a hiss of annoyance. "You were in my way, you half-clan piece of foxdung!"

Surprised by Mothkit's sudden outburst and angered by Webfall's comment, Skyleap left Batkit and strode over to the two cats.

"Mothkit, go and sit with your siblings." She said in a commanding voice. The lithe kit puffed her chest, but did as she was told.

Skyleap stood between the huddled group of kits and the slightly larger tom, her sharp eyes glaring into Webfall's. "Leave my kits alone. They've never done anything wrong to you, and neither have I. Now get out of the queen's den, before I fetch Mudstar." Her voice was slow but harsh, and Webfall seemed to get the idea. He turned on his tail, but threw a hateful look back at them as he left.

Obviously confused, Antkit stepped forward. "Skyleap, what does it mean to be half-clan?" The thin tom questioned, his head tilted slightly.

Skyleap hardly wanted to answer that question. Of course her kits knew of their father in HeatClan, but they didn't really understand what having a father truly meant. They'd seen other kits playing with their father's and hadn't understood the concept of a father's role, but then who could blame them? They were only four moons old.

Thankfully, she didn't have time to answer, as there was a loud call from outside. It was Mudstar calling a clan meeting, his deep voice shrouding the clan with a commanding respect.

When she left the den followed by her kits, the HeatClan medicine cat apprentice Ivypaw sat nervously at the base of the high rock. By her side was her escort, clearly to protect the apprentice from any cats that tried to attack. Skyleap recognised it as Reedfang, a vaguely new warrior of HeatClan who happened to be Ivypaw's sister. However, the rather large she-cat was no less capable as a warrior, even though she was only young. Compared to her sister, she looked like a fully grown adult.

As the clan began to sit down, Mudstar prepared to speak. Skyleap noticed that her beloved clan clearly wasn't going to be welcoming to the HeatClan cats - the look on their faces radiated anger. She guessed they were still not over the battle that occurred four moons ago. Four moons ago was different, she thought to herself, glancing once more down at Mothkit, Antkit and Batkit. I didn't have these precious kits then.

Sunstorm's friendly face and bright, ginger body appeared by Ivypaw's side. She spotted her sister with her kits near the queen's den, and flicked her tail in acknowledgement. Redflight hushed the clan, and Mudstar spoke.

"Cats of ColdClan, I thank you for being patient. I was hoping to conduct Rosepaw and Echopaw's ceremony, but another matter has arisen. To you both, I hope you understand, and if I get chance towards the end of this gathering, then the ceremony will go forward." Rosepaw and Echopaw didn't seem to be too bothered, although their mother looked twitchy from her place behind them.

"Ivypaw has something she needs to tell you." Redflight and Mudstar exchanged a glance that only a few cats noticed, Skyleap being one of them.

"Can't it wait till the gathering!? It's only half a moon away!" The impatient voice of Webfall sounded from behind her, and it made Skyleap's tail curl in anger from what had happened with her kits.

Mudstar looked like he was going to respond, but Ivypaw appeared to have had a sudden urge of confidence and spoke for herself. "It certainly cannot!" Her claws flexed on the rocks she was on, the she-cat puffing her chest a little.

"Well tell us then, we haven't got all day!" Murmurs of agreement from the crowd.

In despair, Ivypaw glanced back at her sister. Reedfang gave her a nod of encouragement, though she herself seemed to have tensed after Webfall's unwelcoming attitude had shown.

Continuing, she tried to look bold again, though her dark fur stood on end along the back of her neck. "Yes-Yesterday morning, a patrol went out, and.. and they found Foxstar's body." She took a breath to compose herself. "It appeared that he had disappeared in the middle of the night. His wounds are too horrible to describe in front of kits..."

Reedfang was apparently bored of her sister taking forever to get to the point, so she stood up and called out loudly to the clan. "Foxstar was murdered, and we'd like to know who by!"