My Kits! Where are my Kits?

[froststream]

Paleflower was having a nice dream, full of soft clouds and plump prey. In her dream, she was running along the silky clouds, until... They split apart, and she tumbled down. Falling... Falling... And she woke up. She was panting, so she gulped down her breath. She concentrated on the comforting lumps of fur that were her kits until she started rifting off.

Wait. Where were those comforting balls of fur. Her head shot up. They weren't next to her. She looked behind her. Nothing. The nest was cold there, indicating their departure earlier. She stood, thinking that perhaps she had rolled onto them.

No kits.

In a frenzy, she considered maybe tehy had gone to the bathroom. She bounded outside, nearly tripping on Poppyfrost. The camp was just as deserted as her nest.

"My kits!" she screeched. "Where are my kits?"

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Earthfoot, for a while, had managed to find a somewhat comfortable spot outside the nursery to rest. He had dozed off for a little while, exhausted by the day. He was brought back to consciousness when he heard a sudden yowl coming from the nursery. His first reaction was to wonder if the newborn kits were alright, but Paleflower was already coming from the entrance of the den.

"Kits?" He repeated. He remembered two kits in camp earlier, but didn't know their names. "I-I don't know where they are." Once again he wondered when ShadowClan's medicine cat would come back. He didn't belong here; he didn't know any of the cats here. He needed to be back in ThunderClan with his new apprentice, and Littlebird needed to be here. "We'll have to look for them." he offered.

[froststream]

Paleflower gaped at him. He was calm. She understood why, but how could he? Her kits were missing! The world was coming to an end! Her babies!

Somehow, in her frenzy of panic, she caught herself and logically told herself that Earthfoot had no idea what they looked like.

"Duskkit," she panted. "Long grey fur. Green eyes. Tawnykit. Calico. Pale blue eyes. Small."

Then, with another cry, she propelled herself behind teh nursery. No kits. Suddenly, the protected camp seemed to be as dangerous as a badger den for her kits.

[:c a i:]

Darkflower was never one for sleeping early. In fact, she spent very little time in her nest and went to bed long after most cats and rose with the sun. It seemed to be a family trait, since her sisters were both awake when the moon was high overhead too. At the present moment, Darkflower was walking, talking in a low voice with Blackfeather. Her sister was irritable and bad-tempered over something, though Darkflower was unclear as to exactly what. There seemed to be an unusually large number of cats awake tonight, and Darkflower assumed it was something to do with the Gathering.

Finally, Darkflower vaguely registered Blackfeather telling - Or rather snarling - her that she was going to her nest. Now alone, the she-cat stalked her way through camp before a desperate yowling caught her attention. She was in half a mind to ignore the sound and just walk away, seeing as she'd already had too much goody-goody spirit in her today, what with the fiasco with Poppyfrost's kits. But with an irritated sigh, Darkflower acknowledged that she would have to go and find out what was wrong with whoever was yowling like a wounded fox.

"What is going on?" She demanded harshly. "Why are you yelling? Are you trying to wake up the entire forest?" She snapped as she swept behind the nursery and found the source of the ruckus to be Paleflower. Oh, how typical. Another mother. And there was Earthfoot. This was far too familiar a situation for her liking. "Because if you hadn't noticed, it is night-time!"

[froststream]

"My kits! !" Paleflower screeched loudly at Darkflower. She screamed it loudly and harshly, unlike her usual self. "They're gone!"

She yowled again, calling out Duskkit's and Tawnykit's names again and again. Louder each time. She never knew her voice could attein such a volume, but there it was: Her voice screeching over the treetops. Where could two kits go in the middle of teh night? Knowing Duskkit's curiosity and Tawnykit's rebelliousness, they could be anywhere. She felt like brreaking down, but for the sake of her kits she kept calling. She ran into the thick thorns behind the nursery, but her fett plunged into deep water. No kit could pass through here. As a sudden, terrified afterthought, she checked the water for any drowned kits.

[Ki]

Duskkit had become increasingly tired as she padded ahead of her father and sister. Her legs became like huge logs that weighed her down, her eyes closing often only to reopen quickly. The tiny kit only had so much energy. When it looked like she'd fall asleep on her feet and have to be carried the rest of the way, Duskkit heard the yowlings of her mother. How distressed she sounded! Guilt tore at her heart, and she took off running towards the camp. As she became increasingly tired the open marshes became much more frightening. Duskkit took off in her clumsy lope, rushing towards the camp.

"MOMMY! MOMMY! I'M HERE, MOMMY!" Duskkit yowled, trying to be heard of her mother. She hadn't meant to make her mother this upset. The kit felt like breaking down herself.

[froststream]

Tawnykit sprinted after her sister, echoing her words. "Mommy! Wait! I'm here!"

She flew after her sister, paws sinking into the swampy earth. "No! I'm here!"

Alfa lingered back, then fluffed out his pelt and stood proud. He strutted in behind the kits, pausing casually in the neterance of camp.

Paleflower whipped around. Her kits! They were rushing towards her, sprinting as fast as their little legs would carry them. No limps... Nothing seemed to be wrong with them, except tehy looked tired. Paleflower gasped in relief. She ran to Duskkit and swept her up with her tail, convulsing with relief and shock. Tawnykit launched herself to her mother, and was pulled into an embrace. Too emotional for words, Paleflower sighed into her kits' pelt. She raised her head a bit, and saw a familiar golden pelt... Her eyes raised up to the muscular chest, to the broad head. And to the golden eyes.

Alfa.

[Ki]

Duskkit purried her face in her mother's soft, long fur. For the entire journey back to camp almost, she'd felt like there was something bad following behind her. Like a clever fox, waiting to get a meal of kits. The feeling had terrified her. Whether it be instincts or StarClan, something was telling her something. If the Clan met a fox or a badger on the way back from the Gathering, she'd faint. Duskkit hadn't scented anything but herself and her father, but good hunters could mask their scents. Whatever it was, something bad had been following her for the majority of the journey. Duskkit was just happy she was back up against her mother's soft, sweet pelt.

"We're sorry Mommy. Really, really, REALLY sorry!" Duskkit mewed into her pelt. The last thing she wanted to do was cause Paleflower pain. She licked her mother's soft fur, ears flattened completely against her skull and eyes shining with distress. She knew they were in trouble. BIG trouble. At the moment, though, she just wanted her mother to calm down. To not be upset anymore. Paleflower could yowl and scream at them all she wanted, so long as she stopped being sad.

[froststream]

Paleflower sniffled and shook her head. She believed her kits were sorry, but how could they? For now, she was just grateful they were safe. "Help!" She yelped out, She pushed her kits safely behind her as she snarled at Alfa.

"You were stalking my kits, weren't you? You horrible, dirty monster! I know what you do to cats who are practically kits ! I know what you did to me ! And I was barely a warrior! You fox hearted..... Monster!"

She was trembling with rage now, but Alfa just responded with fake innocence. "Paleflower, come on now. All I did was escort the kits home. If it wasn't for me, tehy'd be out there in the cold, even now. You should be thanking me."

[Ki]

That didn't sound like a heart-warming reunion of two mates. More like a very angry she-cat who was protecting her kits from a a badger. Duskkit didn't dare come out from behind her mother. Queens always knew what was best for their kits. If Paleflower wanted the two of them safely behind her, they would stay that way. Duskkit peered around her mother's flank to look at Alfa. There was a distinct hatred from Paleflower's word. That kind of hate couldn't be acted out to fool Clanmates. It was a type of anger and hate that Duskkit had never seen. And never expected to see from her mother.

"Mommy..." Duskkit set a paw on her mother's flank, ears back. "Why're you yelling at Alfa?" Duskkit had her claws out now. Not to harm her mother, of course. But to protect herself. She didn't like how angry Paleflower was. How tense she was.

[Kitty]

Icepelt led the way into the ShadowClan camp. His ears twitched awkwardly. The queen Paleflower was yowlingat some cat he couldn't see, nor did he care about. All he was interested in was finding Earthfoot for Smokeheart.

"Earthfoot!" he yowled. "Smokeheart's hurt! We think her leg is broken!" He trotted off to look for the ThunderClan medicine cat, and that was when he noticed the scent. An unknown cat...but that wasn't what caught his notice. It was the same scent he noticed on Smokeheart when she first came to heim.

[hedgie]

Smokeheart kept her head down, eyes loked on the ground. Until she heard his voice, smelled his scent. She rebelliously hobbeled away from Icepelt, her eyes filled with fire. It was eerie, to see such a sweet she-cat so angry.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" She yowled, tail lashing behind her like a whip. If her leg wouldn't have been broken, or whatever it was, she'd rip Alfa to shreds.
"You ruined my life, you...you...Monster! You......I hate you."
It was more than hate, it was loathing. Her eyes drifted across to Paleflower. These were her kits? Alfa was their father? This wasn't good. Paleflower would know what was going on. Smokeheart hoped and prayed the queen would keep quiet.
"Please..." she mouthed "Don't say a thing to anyone, please?"

[Kitty]

Icepelt wasn't surprised. He strode up to stand beside Smokeheart, eyes narrowing angrily. He was beyond words. How dare this tom come to ShadowClan's camp after doing what he did to Smokeheart? And apparently something happened between him and Paleflower. He resisted the urge to stalk up to so-called Alfa and ruin his good looks by a few slashes to the ears.

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Earthfoot looked toward the camp's entrance as he saw what he could only guess were Paleflower's kits coming through the entrance. They matched the description their mother gave him. He stiffened as another, non-ShadowClan scent caught his nose, and instinctively drew his claws out, his fur bristling. What was a loner doing in the camp? Already protective of these ShadowClan cats, though they weren't his Clan, he would still be willing to defend them from intruders that had no business there.

He didn't understand why Paleflower was so angry at him. Most likely because he had come into camp with her kits, though he sensed there was more to it than that. He bared his teeth silently at the loner, still staying where he was.

"Earthfoot! Smokeheart's hurt! We think her leg is broken!"

His attention was drawn to the entrance again where two more cats were coming in. Reluctant to turn his focus away from the loner, he hoped there would be some warriors awaking to the commotion soon, and bounded to the two ShadowClan cats. He took a step back as Smokeheart exploded with fury, now throughly confused. He glared back at the loner and simply waited for Smokeheart to calm down, glancing at her leg.

[hedgie]

Smokeheart turned around, taking notice of Earthfoot.
"Sorry about that." She mewed meekly, turning around. Let Icepelt deal with Alfa, seeing as he could do more damage to that creep than she probably could.

I presume you want to take a look at my leg, huh? Thank goodness you're here, Earthfoot. It hurts so bad, you know?" She grimaced as she tried to straighten it out a bit so the brown tom could see it better.

"Sorry to cause you even more trouble. You look busy enough already. I know I shouldn't be apologizing, but I really am sorry."