Warriors: Descending Darkness

Chapter 1

Ravenkit woke to a paw prodding her in the side.  Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she turned to look at the four other kits who stood in the den, blocking out some of the light coming in from the entrance.  One of the kits, a torbie she-kit pulled back her paw, watching her littermate.

"Doeflight says you have to play with us."  Her brown eyes darted back to the others behind her, two of which looked excited.

Ravenkit's ear twitched as she looked around the nursery, realizing the spot where her mother had been lying was cold.  Her blue eyes focused back on her littermate.  "Has she gone with the hunting party?"

At the mention of the hunting party and the promise of food, the torbie's ears flattened down as her belly rumbled, "Yes, but when they come back, Smallkit and I get the first bite!"

The tortoiseshell standing behind her whined, "But, Featherkit, you got first bite last time!"

"So?"  Featherkit turned around and snapped, "It's not like you or Stripekit get up earlier than us.  Don't you know the early risers are the first served?"

Ravenkit rose to her paws, tired of hearing them argue, "Enough, arguing won't fill empty bellies."

Featherkit shot a glare at Ravenkit before pushing past her littermates on her way out of the den.  Smallkit gave the others a single lash of his tail before he and Stripekit followed Featherkit, leaving the two kits alone.  Ravenkit sighed as the tortoiseshell hung her head.

"Don't worry, Wingkit, it's only first bite.  You'll get your turn."  Ravenkit tried soothing her littermate.

"Yeah, but Featherkit is always so mean."  Wingkit's fur fluffed up as she hissed, "Why'd the twolegs come and make the prey start disappearing?"

Ravenkit didn't answer, only placing her tail on Wingkit's shoulder.  A couple of seconds later, the two kits could hear the sound of their littermates meowing excitedly.  Wingkit dashed out of the den and Ravenkit followed, sitting just outside the den to watch.  She watched as the hunting party walked into the camp carrying a scrawny mouse and a rabbit.  When the hunters sat down what they had onto the barren fresh kill pile, her littermates immediately began to drag off the rabbit.

Doeflight picked up the mouse, heading to the medicine cat's den where Grayspot and his apprentice, Meadowpaw were.  Ravenkit got up, going over to her littermates to find almost all of the rabbit was gone.  Hoping to get a few bites, she pushed past Featherkit, causing Featherkit to lash out, clawing at Ravenkit's face.

Ravenkit managed to back away in time to avoid being hit.  She glared at Featherkit before turning and going back into the den, laying back down in her nest, trying to get comfortable despite the gnawing hunger in her belly.

Doeflight padded in before long, laying down beside her, her eyes immediately closing from the exhaustion of hunting with an empty belly.  Ravenkit curled up against her mother's belly, wishing her mother's milk hadn't dried out as early as it did.