Jayfeather's Curse

Chapter 3

"Hey Lilykit! Catch this!" Hollykit shouts lobbing a mossball at me. I reach up and neatly snag it out of the air. I toss it to Briarlight, who tosses it back to Hollykit. Swiftwater's two kits, who were born only a moon earlier, see that we are playing mossball and come to join.

"Hey! Let's play keep away from Applekit and Twinklekit!" I shout, and lob it high in the air to Briarlight. Applekit shoots himself upward, but not high enough and misses it by a mouse length. He falls back to the floor in a dark russet heap. He looks just like his father except for his ice blue eyes. His sister also shares his ice blue eyes, originating from neither parent. But she has her mother's tawny pelt and her spirit.

"So, Lilykit, I hear you're going to be apprenticed soon," Briarlight mews cautiously. "Do you have any idea on who your mentor will be?"

"I don't know, but I was hoping to get either Whitewing or Larksong. They're such good hunters and they're so nice!" I exclaim, and hurl the mossball at Hollykit. "Who do you want your mentor to be, Hollykit?" I ask.

"I would love to have Pinebreeze as my mentor!" She exclaims.

"That's just because he's the deputy," Briarlight mews. "Everyone wants his as their mentor."

"That's not true! I want to become deputy someday, so I need all the tips and pointers I can get!"

"Ha! I got it!" Applekit exclaims as he snags the mossball our from under Hollyleaf's idle paws. "I hope my mentor is Firestar himself!"

"No, goofball, that's not possible! Leaders don't take on apprentices!" Twinklekit mews and leaps on him, the mossball forgotten.

"Actually, that's not true. Sandstorm said Firestar's mentor was Bluestar, the leader before him. So it is possible, it's just very uncommon. Anyway, I can't wait to be an apprentice. I want to be the best hunter possible!" I finish, lashing my tail with narrowed eyes.

"Here, I'll teach you the hunting crouch. Or help as much as I can," Briarlight jokes. "I was a good hunter back in my day, and I can show you all the secrets I have.

After a while of practicing I had it pretty good. I see Bumblestripe pushing his way though the gorse tunnel and I call out to him.

"Bumblestripe!" I cry "Watch my hunting crouch!" I lower myself down to the ground and slowly stalk toward him, making sure my tail is still. At the last minute I pounce and cling onto him.

"Wow Lilykit! That was amazing!" He praises, and I feel very proud. Lionblaze walks up behind him, with something glinting in his eyes, but it disappears before I can make out what it was.

"Lionblaze!" Hollykit calls happily. "Do you wanna see my hunting crouch? Briarlight has been teaching us how to do it correctly!"  She begins stalking forward using perfect form, but soon slips on a lose stone and sprawls at Lionblaze's feet.

"It's okay, Hollykit, I'm sure you'll get it sometime," he mews, not even trying to hide his disappointment as he walks away.

"Ugh! Why can't I do anything right when Lionblaze is watching! Fighting? I always get beat. Hunting? I always slip up. He's so disappointed that I'm his daughter! He must be disappointed to look like me. I wish I could make him proud," she wails, and Lionblaze stops in his tracks. He turns sharply and walks back over, wrapping his tail around her.

"Hey, Hollykit, I'll never be ashamed to be your kin. You don't disappoint me, you make me proud, and I'm so happy you look like me. That'll let everyone know that this talented young kit is my daughter!" He purrs, and she nuzzles into her father's flank.

"I hope you're my mentor, Lionblaze," she whispers.

"I can't be goofball. You're my kit. You can't mentor your own kin," he whispers back. "Now get yourself in the nursery. I bet Cinderheart wants you in the nursery for bed."

As she darts back into the nursery, I nuzzle my nose into Bumblestripe's flank, say goodbye to Briarlight, promising to play tomorrow, and follow her into the nursery. I curl up in my nest beside Rosekit and Jinglekit and wait for sleep to come. After I roll around for a while, I slip out of the den and silently practice the hunting crouch and fighting moves.

After a while I hear a pebble fall, and I nervously look up to see a cat moving in the shadows. "Hello?" I shakily call, cursing myself for letting my fear show.

"Don't worry, Lilykit, it's just me," the stranger calls, and I realize it's Jayfeather. "I couldn't sleep, like you, so I decided I'm gonna go on a walk. Do you wanna come? You're almost an apprentice, and I'll need all the help I can get carrying herbs."

I was confused, because this wasn't the Jayfeather I was used to hearing. Sure, he was never directly mean to me, but that's just because I'm a kit. I was sure he was going to snap at me for waking him up. "Yeah, sure! I cant wait to be an apprentice. I'm gonna be the best warrior I can!"

"Not the best warrior ever?" He sneers, a teasing glint in his blind eyes.

"No, because there's so many people who will always be better than me, like Lionblaze! As long as I push myself to be the best warrior I can be, well then it's enough for me," I explain, and Jayfeather looks confused but admiring.

"When did you learn to talk like that? Briarlight is right, you need to move to the elder's den immediately! They  need your  advice!" He mews lightheartedly, laughter twinkling in his blue eyes.

Jayfeather is so cool!  I muse to myself. I should talk to him more often. I'm always with Briarlight in the medicine den along with Jayfeather. Why have I never had a  good conversation with him?

"Hey! Lilykit! Are you listening to me?" He asks, and I snap back to the present.

"Sorry, I missed that. Can you repeat what you said?" I mumble, sure he's going to snap at me.

"Mousebrain. You're never gonna learn anything if you don't listen," he mews softly, resting his tail-tip on my shoulder. "Let's get going so we don't get caught before the journey even begins." And with that, he bounds off through the thorn tunnel, almost as if he can see. I follow him, and with his fast pace, I struggle to keep up. He bounds past tree after tree swerving just in time as to not get hit. After a while I start to fall behind, and lose him altogether. I feel panic rise through me because there is no way I'd find my way back to camp alone. I'd be lost forever, even maybe starve. Right before I decide to dart off into the direction I think is correct, something heavy lands on top of me and I collapse with an umph.

"Haha! I got you!" I triumphant voice mews and I feel anger bubbling inside me. His face turns serious as if he can read my thoughts. "What's wrong, Lilykit? Are you embarrassed you got beat by a blind  cat?" He jokes again, and I snap.

"How could you leave me in the middle of nowhere and then decide to sneak up on me? I was scared you had left me, or forgotten about me, or got eaten by foxes!" I exclaim, and his whiskers twitch.

"Oh sweet Lilykit, you're too precious to forget," he purrs, and for once in my life, I feel appreciated.