Crowkit hid in the shadows of the nursery, his tiny white tail tip twitching. The orange and black butterfly slowly fluttered past him. Her narrowed his icy blue eyes, getting ready to pounce. With a heave he launched himself towards the insect, his two front paws flailing as his missed the butterfly and landed with a skid of dirt. He heard chuckling behind him and shot a toxic look over his shoulder to look at two giggling white she-cats. One with green eyes and slightly darker spots and one pure white with blue eyes.
"Great pounce, oh mighty hunter." The blue eyed she-cat, Icekit teased. "You're so impressive."
Crowkit spat at her, sticking his nose in the air. "I don't have to listen to you." He lashed his tail. "I'm older."
"That doesn't mean anything birdbrain." Frostkit laughed. "It just means you're bigger than us, but I bet when we're both warriors I'll be the stronger one."
"Plus you're only a moon older than us." Icekit added, licking her tiny forepaw. "And even that is just barely."
"Maybe you'll be stronger than Featherdawn's kits." Frostkit glanced over her shoulder at the small bundle of three kits at the white and gray she-cat's belly. "But if your hunting skills remain the same as catching that butterfly I'm sure all three of them will be a better warrior than you."
Crowkit swiped at the teasing sisters, their words didn't actually hurt them. He knew he would be a fantastic warrior, and he also knew that the two she-cats meant well. Crowkit didn't have his own sister, since she died the day they were born, but Frostkit and Icekit felt like his sisters.
"Be quiet you three." Crowkit heard the familiar groan of his mother, Riverlight. Attempting to sleep in her nest, but her eyes were half-open as she glared at the three kits.
"Sorry, Riverlight." Frostkit apologized. "Can we go outside for a bit so we don't wake you."
"Yes, just let me sleep." Riverlight groaned, closing her eyes and seemingly trying to ignore the kits. Crowkit let out a small sigh at his mother, but followed Frostkit and Icekit out of the nursery and into MoonClan's camp. The sun was high and MoonClan was starting to get active. Crowkit winced at the light, wishing for the night already. When he could see the moon and stars. He couldn't understand why SunClan loved the sun so much, but he supposed they thought the same thing about MoonClan.
Crowkit looked behind him at the burrow that was the nursery, where his mother slept. Crowkit's mother constantly slept, Blossomfrost would play with and have fun with her kits but Riverlight wouldn't. Sometimes Crowkit couldn't even get her to talk to him, he would fall asleep beside her and when he woke; she would move.
Crowkit's father, however, was constantly visiting and bringing him out to play. "She was devastated by the loss of your sister, I'm sure she'll be better once you're an apprentice. Being in the nursery is upsetting for her." Crowkit was four moons old, and wished he could be an apprentice everyday. He wanted his mother to feel better, and he didn't blame her for being upset over the loss of Ravenkit. Crowkit wished he could've met his sister, sometimes he would dream of a pure black kit with icy blue eyes. The same eyes as him, only he had white markings. He had white ear tips, tail tip a dash on his chest and a single white paw.
Crowkit sometimes wondered if Riverlight blamed him for the death of Ravenkit, but Blacksky assured him that it was just sadness making her the way she was. Crowkit shook away thoughts of his mother and focused on Frostkit and Icekit. "Where should we go?" He questioned the two kits.
"We should go see our father!" Icekit suggested.
"What if he's busy?" Frostkit asked.
"We're his kits, he can't be too busy for us!" Without waiting for a response, Icekit bounded towards the leader's den. The leader's den was a large, stone den near the back of camp. Crowkit awkwardly followed the, Owlstar wasn't his father. He kept his eyes peeled for his father's black fur, but saw no sign of him.
With his head hung slightly lower, Crowkit followed Icekit and Frostkit. They reached their father's den and poked their head inside while Crowkit stuck towards the back. Inside was a large, fluffy white tom accompanied by a slim gray and white she-cat. Owlstar and his deputy Cloudwind. Owlstar turned to look at his two daughters where his blue eyes light up like the night sky.
"What are you two doing here?" He questioned, his voice gentle. Frostkit and Icekit bounded up to him.
"Riverlight wanted some sleep so she told us to come out into the camp and we wanted to see you!" Icepaw explained, putting her paws on Owlstar's leg. The leader let out a chuckle and brought his daughters closer.
"Well you know I always want to see you." He nudged both she-cats in turn who let out happy mews. Owlstar's eyes went past them, resting on Crowkit who was still sitting awkwardly in the den's entrance. "Hello, Crowkit."
"Hi." Crowkit responded, shuffling his paws awkwardly. He was sure that for Icekit and Frostkit it was normal to be with Owlstar, with him being their father but for him it was awkward just wandering into the leader's den.
"Your father should be back from patrol any minute now if you want to wait for him." Cloudwind mewed, Crowkit perked his ears up eagerly. Did the deputy sense how awkward it was for him? He nodded, bid farewell to Frostkit and Icekit and bounded into camp keeping his eyes peeled for Blacksky.
He sat patiently in the clearing, staring at the camp's main entrance. His tail twitched with anticipation as his icy blue eyes scanned for Blacksky. Soon enough, he heard voices in the distance and jumped to his paws. Crowkit watched as a patrol came over the hill and descended into the clearing. At the front of the patrol was a gray she-cat named Ashbird, following her was Whiteriver, Ivystone, Silverpool and finally, Blacksky.
Excitement buzzing in his paws, Crowkit ran over to his father making an attempt to jump onto him. Blacksky greeted him with a laugh and nudged him playfully. "Hey there." He purred. "What are you doing out of the nursery."
"Riverlight wanted us out so she could sleep." Crowkit explained. "Frostkit and Icekit went to see their father so I wanted to see you." The rest of the patrol disbanded as Blacksky stayed with his son.
"Well I'm glad, 'cause I wanted to see you too." Blacksky dropped into a playful crouch, batting at Crowkit.
Crowkit jumped at Blacksky, landing on his shoulders and pretending to swipe at his back. "I got you!" He declared. Blacksky laughed and gently knocked him off.
"You'll have to try harder than that." Blacksky declared, jumping around while Crowkit swiped at him. Crowkit growled playfully and kept going for him. Blacksky dodged, but Crowkit didn't give up.
With a mighty jump, Crowkit landed on Blacksky's head, holding on as tightly as he could. Blacksky fell to the ground, pretending to cry out in pain. "You got me! Mighty warrior!" Crowkit laughed and burrowed into his father's fur. There was nothing better in the world than playing with his father.
"Blacksky?" Crowkit looked up to see a small gray she-cat with amber eyes. It was Cinderpaw, Blacksky's apprentice. "I finished my duties for the elders." She mewed. "After that you said would take me hunting."
Blacksky nudged Crowkit off gently and stood up with a heave. "I did promise you that." Crowkit's heart dropped, he stared at his paws. "Sorry, Crowkit." Blacksky nudged. "But I have duties as a mentor. But I promise that the day you become an apprentice, I'll take you hunting just you and me." Crowkit looked up hopefully, his heart growing slightly lighter. He could wait to go hunting with his father!
"Sorry, Crowkit." Cinderpaw apologized, standing beside Blacksky.
"It's okay, I understand." Crowkit mewed, keeping his head high. Inside however, he was secretly jealous. He was Blacksy's son, he should come first! He knew arguing wouldn't help however, he just had to deal with it.
Blacksky left with Cinderpaw behind him, leaving Crowkit sitting alone in the camp. He glanced towards the leader's den where he was sure Frostkit and Icekit still were. His only real choice was to go back to the nursery with his mother, who was probably still sleeping. He didn't want to sleep, he wanted to play some more! Dovekit, Nightkit and Badgerkit were too young to play, Featherdawn kept them close and safe.
Crowkit flattened his ears and began padding towards the nursery, feeling somewhat defeated and sad. He had nothing else to do, sometimes he wished that Ravenkit would've survived so he could have a littermate to play with. Crowkit walked slowly, his tail dragging on the ground behind him and his paws dragging along.
"Why so sad little one?" Crowkit looked up as a warrior spoke to him, he saw the silver tabby she-cat, Silverpool. "I don't think I've ever seen a kit move so slow."
Crowkit twitched his whiskers, what did this warrior want? "My father had to go out with his apprentice while I was playing with him and Icekit and Frostkit are with their father. I have no one to play with."
Silverpool's ears twitched. "How about you play with me?" She questioned. "I have nothing to do."
Crowkit tilted his head. Why would he play some random warrior? He shrugged, Silverpool was his Clanmate and he did have nothing else to do. "Okay. What are we going to play?"
Silverpool looked around, her blue eyes focusing on something a few tail lengths away from them. She padded over to it and picked a smooth black stone. "We'll bat this around. If you can get it behind me, past the warrior's den you win. If I get it past you at the apprentice's den then I win."
Crowkit looked past the silver she-cat, the burrow that made the warrior's den was about equal distance from the apprentice's den behind him. Silverpool was larger, but Crowkit was probably faster. "What do I get if I win?" Crowkit asked, trying to make this little game more interesting.
Silverpool chuckled. "How about I teach you something? I could teach you a simple battle move or how to hunt something."
"And if you win?"
"When you're an apprentice, you have to bring me new moss for my nest." Silverpool sneered, twitching her ears.
Crowkit nodded, he would be getting moss anyways as an apprentice, but he really did want to learn something. "Okay." He agreed. Silverpool placed the stone between the two of them and then stepped back just before the warrior's den.
"Go!"She called and Crowkit broke into a sprint towards the stone. Silverpool had to take less steps towards the stone but Crowkit did manage to reach it first. He batted it with his white paw and it skipped across the clearly behind Silverpool. She reached around, knocking it back towards him. Her strength made it go farther but Crowkit kept up with it.
He knocked it back to her, nearly causing her to trip over her paws. Crowkit followed the stone, wanting to knock it even farther. Silverpool intercepted him, knocking the stone back past him. Crowkit spun around on his paws, stopping it before it reached the apprentice den. With a powerful swipe, he knocked it even farther. Silverpool attempted to stop it but she missed and the stone skidded past the warrior's den.
"I win!" Crowkit jumped up in joy, feeling energized and proud. "Now you have to teach me something!" He bounded over to Silverpool. The she-cat looked slightly out of breath, but Crowkit felt more alive than ever!
"Very well." Silverpool purred with amusement. "A deal is a deal. What do you want to know?"
Crowkit thought for a moment. "I wanna know how to hunt!" He declared, he would impress his father the first time he went hunting with him.
Silverpool nodded and dropped into a crouch. "The key to hunting is to keep your body low but free. In MoonClan we chase a lot of rabbits, so you have to be quick, fast and smart. Go over there and pretend to be a rabbit. When I go after you, you try and run away."
Crowkit nodded and eagerly went to where Silverpool instructed him to go. He waited for the she-cat to attack, and when she did he took off. He nearly made it to the nursery until suddenly Silverpool cut him off. He skidded to a stop, kicking up dirt and grass.
"The key to hunting rabbits is to be smarter than them. They may be faster, but you're smarter. When a rabbit runs, you run around it so you can cut it off. It also helps if you have another cat to hunt with." Silverpool explained.
"Wow." Crowkit was amazed, he had already learned how to catch rabbits and he wasn't even an apprentice yet! Wait until he told Icekit and Frostkit, they would be so interested! "Thank you for teaching me, Silverpool." He thanked the she-cat.
"You're very welcome, Crowkit." Silverpool purred. "Thank you for playing with me, we'll have to play again sometime."
"I hope so!" He felt excitement buzzing through his paws, but noticed that the sun was starting to fall. His mother would want him back in the nursery soon. He glanced over at Owlstar's den, Frostkit and Icekit were just leaving it. "I should get back to the nursery." He told Silverpool. "Thank you, again!"
"Anytime, Crowkit." She purred and Crowkit bounded off to meet Icekit and Frostkit, they greeted him kindly.
"You look excited." Frostkit pointed out. "What did you do? Did you play with Blacksky?" She questioned.
"For a while I did," Crowkit mewed, falling in beside the two she-cats as they made their way to the nursery. "But then he had to take Cinderpaw out hunting, so I played a game with Silverpool and she taught me how to catch rabbits!"
"Really?" Icekit's eyes went wide. "That's awesome! Can you teach us?" As Crowkit opened his mouth to respond, he was cut off by a yawn.
"I will," He mewed once his yawn had finished, he suddenly realized how exhausted he actually was. "But it will have to wait until tomorrow, I'm exhausted." Frostkit and Icekit agreed and they finally reached the nursery.
Icekit and Frostkit went to Blossomfrost who welcomed them with loving licks and purrs, Riverlight, however, was still asleep with her back turned to the nursery entrance. Trying to hide his disappointment, Crowkit climbed into his nest. He curled into a ball, feeling his mother's warmth nearby and closed his eyes.
His thoughts drifted, showing him images of hunting rabbits with his father and teaching Icekit and Frostkit how to hunt as well. He couldn't wait to become an apprentice, and maybe then his mother would notice him.