The Unexpected Path of a Kitty-pet

Chapter 9

"C'mon Cloverstream play with us!" Whined Berrykit. Cloverstream groaned. Why can't I nap in peace? After going on the dawn patrol, Cloverstream tried to catch up on some much needed sleep. Featherkit and Berrykit however, got all the sleep they needed. The two have become very excited now that Stormchaser was expecting Greymoons kits. Cloverstream wasn't surprised. They both were very serious, very respected, and very strict. The similar personality's must have brought them together, Cloverstream had guessed.

"We can't wait a thousands moons for Stormchasers kits to come! We'd be warriors by then!" Featherkit argued. Cloverstream chuckled, raising her head from her nest slightly. "It doesn't take a thousand moons for a queen to start kitting, Featherkit."

"Well Lilyflower said it took that long when-"

"BERRYKIT!" Lilyflower stomped into the warriors den, her fur bristled angrily. Cloverstream frowned at the queen. She's so angry at them all the time...what did they ever do to her? Berrykit and his sister both looked up fearfully at the brown-and-grey tabby she-cat.

"It's fine Lilyflower, I was going to play with them anyways-" Cloverstream began to say. The silver she-cat only got a glare from Lilyflower who grabbed both of her kits scruffs—rather harshly—and walked out of the warriors den. Cloverstream sighed, silently praying for the two kits.

"Tsk tsk." Her ears flicked towards the back of the warriors den. Littlestorm was huddled up in her nest, cheerfully decorated with bird skulls. How festive. Cloverstream thought sarcastically, wondering what the angry she-cat had to say next.

Littlestorm, noticing she had caught the former kitty-pets attention, continued to talk. "Lilyflower isn't a bad mother. If that's what your thinking." Cloverstream shook her head.

The brown tabby gave another tired sigh. "She was head over heels for Rabbitfoot—er—Rabbitpaw back when we we're younger. The clan had just started, Shadestar was much younger back then. Rabbitpaw at the time wanted nothing more than to be a medicine cat. When he was a loner, he somehow knew what the use of almost every herb was. Honeysplash would have taken him as her apprentice, of course, but Lilypaw demanded that she didn't. Instead, she 'accidentally' stumbled along a rogue queens nest and found Frostpaw who happened to be left alone."

Littlestorms shiny claws were unsheathed now, digging into her nest with anger. Cloverstream lowered her ears. Did Lilyflower steal a kit from her mother...for Rabbitfoot? As though Littlestorm could read the silver she-cats thoughts, she continued to tell her story.

"Honeysplash took the little Frostpaw as an apprentice at an early age, completely ignoring the warriors code that our ancestors set for us because of Lilypaws crush. They started Frostpaws training when she was 2 1/2 moons. Frostpaw could barely walk." Littlestorms voice broke a little.

"And when Rabbitfoot finally confessed to Lilyflower, my sister was overjoyed." Sister? Cloverstream hasn't really seen the resemblance that much, but she has no proof that they weren't related.

"See, Rabbitfoot didn't love Lilyflower as much as she loved him. When she found out she was having his kits, she expected him to ignore his warrior duty's and be with her in the nursery. Of course that backfired." Cloverstream laughed. Not in a cheerful, 'that's funny' way, more of a 'ironic' kind of manor. If my mate kidnapped a kit so we'd be together, I'd switch clans. Cloverstreams round ears perked up. Switch clans. Right! Weren't there other clans than this one?

"Hey Littlestorm?" She asked. Littlestorm raised her chin slightly. "Are there...other clans than Meadowclan?"

"You aren't thinking about abandoning us, are you?" Littlestorm furrowed her brows. Cloverstream shook her head. Littlestorm chuckled briefly. "Course you wouldn't. But yes, there were other clans. Three, actually." Cloverstream settled comfortably in her nest, ready to listen. Just as Littlestorm began to talk, Lynxtuft walked in as though he overheard their entire conversation.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?" The dark gray tom raised an eyebrow. Littlestorm narrowed her eyes, slowly shaking her head. "No. I was just telling a story."

"Well I wouldn't mind listening." Lynxtuft glanced at Cloverstream, smiling a bit. She turned away, flushing. Great starclan Clover get ahead of yourself! Littlestorm sighed, nodding to a nest next to Cloverstream. Lynxtuft walked over to it, subtly moved it closer to the pale tabby she-cat, and plopped down.

"Like I was saying-" Littlestorm continued. "There were three other clans. Forestclan, who lived in a forest nearby, Lakeclan, who lived nearby a small lake, and Copperclan, who lived in an abandoned mineshaft. Well—not in the mineshaft. Just a makeshift camp outside of the entrance. They were mostly strays anyways so I'm not surprised they lasted so long."

"I heard they died from rogues." Cloverstream twirled her paw on the ground, glancing at Lynxtuft. The dark grey tom clenched his jaw, looking away. "Yeah. Leader was a fox-heart so I'm not surprised."

The two she-cats went quiet. "You...knew Autumnstar?" Littlestorm asked suspiciously. Lynxtuft nodded. "Asked him if I could join his clan. Of course he said no. Ironically he happened to upset some other rogues who didn't take his 'no' so kindly." The tom chuckled to himself, like he made a simple joke. Cloverstream glanced at Littlestorm and the two shared a worried stare.

"Autumnstar died when I was just an apprentice...you would have only been a few moons younger than me."

"Well I was young and I needed a home." Lynxtuft blurted out angrily. "And Autumnstar had no sympathy for a lonely, helpless kit—" He looked at Cloverstream and then Littlestorm.

"I'm sorry." He murmured, hurrying out of the den.

What was that all about? Cloverstream wondered. Maybe Lynxtuft knows a little bit more about Copperclans death than he lets on.