Facing A Forest of Shadows

Chapter Eleven {Edited}

"Frostkit, be careful!" a soft voice called from somewhere behind. Frostkit turned to look into the wondrous green eyes of Foxstreak.

"I'm being careful," she puffed. She lifted her paw to take another playful swipe at Pinekit. He growled and wiggled his haunches, crouched low. With a quick leap, he threw himself on top of Frostkit.

"Ugh! You're too heavy!" she squeaked as she pushed her brother off of her. He flattened his ears and bared his teeth to show her his tiny, kit fangs.

"Maybe I wanted to squish you!" he teased, his black fur spiked all over the place. As soon as he lowered down to take another leap, Blizzardstar padded into camp at the head of a patrol. Frostkit waited as he strode over to them, his head held high.

"Blizzardstar!" Frostkit and Pinekit squealed in unison as they ran towards their father. Foxstreak got up from her shaded resting spot and also started to slowly plod after them.

"They've been rather rambunctious today," Foxstreak commented as she sat down at Blizzardstar's side. Frostkit and Pinekit had thrown themselves onto his flank. They used their hind legs to propel themselves onto his back.

"Didn't Smallkit want to play with them?" Blizzardstar asked. He looked towards the nursery entrance in the hopes to see the tiny, orange and white kit.

"You know he'd rather just play by himself. Frostkit and Pinekit get too rough sometimes," Foxstreak reminded him. She lifted a paw to gently pat the kittens off of their father's spine.

"Come on you two. Blizzardstar has more important things to do than to play," she chided. Frostkit reluctantly slid down his flank, with Pinekit on her tail..

"But playing is important!" Pinekit puffed, a serious expression on his face. Blizzardstar purred and bent over to touch his nose to Pinekit's forehead.

"You're right, playing is important. So maybe you two should go try and play gently with Smallkit?" he offered, his voice soft with love for his offspring.

"Maybe we can play moss ball," Frostkit squealed, "Smallkit likes that game!"

"That sounds brilliant Frostkit," Foxstreak purred while she curled her tail around to brush the she-kit's fuzzy, white fur.

"Yes, that is a good idea. You should both go and find him so that Foxstreak and I can have a private talk," Blizzardstar instructed.

"About what?" Pinekit inquired as he stretched out a paw to tap at Blizzardstar's tail tip.

"Just a rogue scent on the border. Nothing you kits need to worry about," he assured them. His tail tip flicked to hit Pinekit in the nose.

"A rogue," Frostkit repeated, her eyes widened in awe. "What's a rogue?"

"Just a cat who lives without a Clan. Sometimes they can be trouble, but usually they just stick to themselves," Foxstreak explained.

"I feel like this one was spying on us," Blizzardstar cut in. He and Foxstreak exchanged a serious glance. "The scent was almost familiar... it reminded me of BreezeClan."

"BreezeClan..." Frostkit echoed, "I didn't know there was a BreezeClan."

"You actually lived in the BreezeClan nursery when you were just a few days old," Foxstreak told her, "that was back when your mother was still alive."

Frostkit shook out her fur. It still felt uncomfortable to talk about her mother. She couldn't even remember her, but sadness overwhelmed her heart whenever she was mentioned. She wished she could have known her.

"You remind me so much of her," Blizzardstar murmured as he gazed at Frostkit. She shuffled her paws as sorrow thickened in her chest. "Maybe one day she'll watch you lead IceClan from Silverpelt."

"Lead IceClan?" Frostkit asked, clearly puzzled. Why would he say anything like that? Is something going to happen to Blizzardstar?

"Don't look so startled. I'm sure no cat knows for certain where your destiny will lead," Foxstreak soothed as she shot Blizzardstar a stern look. "Until then, we will be here to care for you."

Pinekit started to stomp around in a circle while his tail waved in the air above him. "My destiny is to become the best hunter in IceClan!"

Frostkit watched him as her thoughts wandered. Foxstreak pulled her closer to her side with her tail. She could vaguely feel her foster mother's tongue as it lapped over the top of her head. But I don't want to be leader, she thought fretfully.

Surprisingly, a strange sensation crept over her pelt, like narrowed eyes that watched her from the shadows. She whirled around and blinked to find herself in an unknown nest. Pineheart and Smallfire were still fast asleep next to her.

She took a deep, steady breath. She remembered that she was no longer in her beloved camp. Their journey had started and she had been forced into a destiny she did not want. As she lay there and stared at the bush, that strange sensation started to wash over her again.

"Is someone there?" she hissed. She squinted to try and make out the glint of eyes in the predawn darkness. Slowly, she stood up and slid out of the makeshift den. There was no one in sight.

Surprisingly, after a few moments, Brokensong appeared from her resting spot. Her pelt was ruffled and unkempt, like she had tossed and turned all night.

"I've had nightmares," she whispered as she slid over to Frostfeather's side, "I feel these lands are still plagued with evil. We should leave as soon as the others wake up."

Frostfeather studied the undergrowth that surrounded them. She knew that she, too, had felt an evil presence in the area. "I'll go and wake up Pineheart and Smallfire. Atleast after we cross the mountain, we should be safe from that sickness."

Brokensong grunted, but Frostfeather wasn't sure if she agreed. She retraced her steps back to the bush so she could rouse the others. Does Brokensong think the sickness isn't the only evil lurking here?