Shorts Stories

Ivykit's Teasing

"Oh Ivykit! Where are you?" He heard Spottedkit's sneaky mew. He held his breath as he crouched lower behind the rock, playing hide and seek with the other kits.

"You won't be able to find him because he's a ghost!"

He got to his paws, "I'm not a ghost, Snakekit!" The gray kit replied with a snicker, "yes you are, Ivykit." Ivykit stomped his right paw, "I am not!" "Streamflight told us you were named after a dead cat, and that makes you a dead cat," Skykit sneered. "But he's right here!" Spottedkit argued, "I can see him and touch him!" "The barn cats could see and touch ghost cats too," Skykit pointed out, "so Ivykit is a ghost." "Yeah, and ghosts can't play with us," Snakekit puffed out his fur, "they're creepy."

"I'm not creepy," Ivykit whined, "I'm an alive kit like all of you!" "Mistfoot did say you were named after Ivypaw, because right after he died you were here and you look exactly like him but opposite fur colors," Ashkit whispered. "Maybe you are Ivypaw!" Spottedkit shouted. "Yeah, reborn!" Ashkit mewed excitedly. "I'm not Ivypaw," Ivykit complained, "I'm Ivykit." "A ghost." Ivykit flashed his gaze to Skykit, who had a smug look on her face. He leaped at her, throwing her to the ground. "Hey! Let her go!" Snakekit hissed at him.

"What is going on over here?" Mistfoot asked, trotting up to the kits with Streamflight by her side. "Snakekit and Skykit keep calling me a ghost!" Ivykit cried, "and they said ghosts can't play with them because they are creepy." Streamflight shot an angry glare at the two kits, "did you tell Ivykit that?" Snakekit shook his head, "no." "Yes you did," Ashkit mewed, sounding confused at the lie. "And now you're lying to me?" Streamflight pressed. Snakekit looked like he wanted to disappear, but he deserved it. "He is a ghost!" Skykit objected, "you said so! You said he was like Ivypaw!" "Just because he looks a lot like him doesn't mean it's him," Streamflight shushed her, "Mistfoot named him Ivykit because Ivypaw saved his life." "So that would mean if he was Ivypaw, then you saved Mistfoot's life!" Spottedkit mewed. "No he didn't!" Snakekit argued. "He is not Ivypaw," Streamflight shushed the kits, "he's Ivykit, his own cat."

Ivykit nodded, "I'm not a ghost." "Sure you're not," Skykit murmured. "You know," Mistfoot's mew was a slight hint of cold, "I know cats that teased that didn't make it to Starclan. No, in fact, they had to go apologize to every cat they ever teased before they were allowed in. However, there was one problem." All the kits looked scared, including Ivykit. "What?" Ashkit asked. Mistfoot looked around at all the kits, landing on Skykit. "Cats can't see ghosts that need to apologize, so now they're stuck here still trying to apologize, but they'll never be able to. Do you know what that means?" "No Starclan," Spottedkit whispered. Mistfoot nodded, "they'll never be able to go to Starclan." "That's stupid!" Snakekit shouted. Mistfoot turned her cold, challenging stare to him, "then try it and find out." Snakekit held his head high for a moment, then trotted over to Streamflight's legs and hid behind her.

"Now everyone be nice," Streamflight mewed, "and no more teasing." "Is it true?" Skykit asked her mother. Streamflight sighed, "there's a Frostclan warrior still trying to apologize to one of our elders, and once they pass the cat won't be able to apologize anymore. He'll be stuck here forever." Skykit let out a terrified squeak, running over to hide with Snakekit. "We'll be watching you from just over there," Mistfoot mewed, "if there's any more problems, let us know." The two queens padded away together, snickering and laughing about something.

"You got us in trouble!" Snakekit spat at Ivykit. "I didn't do it! You did!" Ivykit argued. "Yeah, don't blame Ivykit for it," Spottedkit mewed. "He didn't do anything," Ashkit defended her brother. "I know that Ivykit is going to become one of those stuck ghost cats," Skykit hissed, "because he's already one." Ivykit opened his mouth to argue, but the two kits had run off together towards the nursery. "Don't listen to them, Ivykit." He turned his gaze back to Spottedkit. "Yeah, you're not a ghost," Ashkit added, "you're our kin." Ivykit gave them a grateful blink, "thank you." The two she-kits let out playful squeals. "Let's play!" Ashkit squeaked. "Yeah! It'll be much more fun without Snakekit and Skykit!" Spottedkit mewed excitedly.

"Let's play, um, well," Ivykit glanced around, looking for something to play. "Let's play warriors and badgers!" Ashkit suggested. "Yeah! Ivykit, you can be the badger and Ashkit and I will be warriors!" Spottedkit playfully shoved him. Ivykit nodded, excitement bubbling inside of him, "okay." "Hurry, go hide and pounce on us when you're ready, okay?" Ashkit mewed. Ivykit nodded, turning to run while his sisters turned their gazes away. He found a good place behind a new rock, one a lot of warriors would sit on daily. He wanted to sneak up on them and scare them, making them fall over and not be ready. He could see them sniffing the air, looking for him. He ducked down when Ashkit flashed her gaze in his direction, but she quickly turned away. "Hey, what are you doing?" Leafstride's whisper startled Ivykit, making him look up to meet his father's gaze.

Leafstride had managed to sneak up on him and was sitting on the rock staring down at Ivykit. "Leafstride! You're going to give my hiding spot away!" Ivykit protested, nudging Leafstride's nose with his paw. "Ah, Badger?" Leafstride leaned up, glancing over his shoulder. "Yes, now, don't give me away!" Leafstride picked Ivykit up with his paw, placing him beside him. "Hide behind me," Leafstride whispered, "or even better, climb onto my back but hide, okay?" Ivykit's paws started twitching with excitement, "okay!" Leafstride crouched down, letting Ivykit climb onto his back. He ducked as far down as he could, flattening his ears and keeping his tail still. "Hold on," Leafstride muttered as he got to his paws. Ivykit dug his claws into his fur, holding on as tight as he could. "Leafstride!" Spottedkit greeted him. "Have you seen Ivykit"? Ashkit asked. "No, I haven't. Has he been missing for a while?" Leafstride's mew sounded worried, he was always good at faking stuff. "No, we are playing Badger and Warriors and he went to hide to get us, but he's hiding really good," Ashkit whispered, "we can't find him." "Oh, okay, well, let me know if you do find him so I can watch," Leafstride mewed. "Okay." Leafstride turned to walk away but muttered under his breath, "now." Ivykit got to his paws and let out a battle cry, launching himself at his sisters.

Spottedkit spotted him first and let out a terrified squeal, Ashkit following as he crashed into her. "Got you!" Ivykit play growled. He turned his gaze to Spottedkit, "you're next!" She let out a playful, scared squeal, running away. "Ashkit, help me!" Spottedkit cried. "I'm coming!" Ashkit called back. Ivykit was reaching Spottedkit's tail, he was gaining on her. Finally, he got close enough and whacked her hind leg with his paw, making her roll forward and land on her side. "Now it's your turn!" Ivykit made himself look big like that badger he was supposed to be. He leaped at Spottedkit, but was taken down by a shove on his side. "Hurry, Spottedkit! Help me!" Ashkit called, holding Ivykit down. Ivykit heard Spottedkit trotting over to them, and he pushed with all his strength and shoved Ashkit off, facing Spottedkit now.

He flung his paw out to hit her, but she dodged it. She pounced, but Ivykit ducked just in time. She landed behind him. "That's it! You're dead, badger!" Ashkit announced. "No, you both are dead, warriors!" Ivykit shouted. Ashkit let out a growl and charged at him. Ivykit hurriedly jumped to the side, sending Ashkit flying straight into Spottedkit. Once she crashed, all of the kits let out little laughs, and Spottedkit even snorted. "Are you two okay?" Ivykit asked. "Yes." They were in sync with their answers. "She went straight through the ghost!" Snakekit's loud mew joined in the laughter, stopping it all at once. "What do you want, Snakekit?" Ashkit asked, no more playfulness or happiness in her mew, just annoyance. "I was watching, but I thought it was so funny watching you run through a ghost and crash into Spottedkit," Snakekit sneered. "Wait a second," Spottedkit came padding over, "only 'crazy' cats can see ghosts, right? So if Snakekit and Skykit keep saying that they are seeing these ghosts, they must be crazy." "That's right!" Ashkit gasped, "and 'crazy' cats are creepy, and we don't play with creepy cats." The two she cats turned their gazes to Ivykit, who nodded, "you're right."

"Sorry, Snakekit, we're not playing with you anymore!" Ashkit mewed. Snakekit looked angry, but the kits left before he could say or do anything. "Thanks you guys," Ivykit mewed. "He deserved it," Ashkit grunted. The three of them stopped as a small, white thing fell out of the sky and onto the ground. Spottedkit started wiggling, "is that snow?" "I think so, it is cold and Mistfoot and Leafstride said it's cold white stuff that falls out of the sky," Ivykit mewed. Spottedkit started bouncing up and down, "it's snow!" "It's snowing!" Ashkit joined her, jumping up and down. Ivykit looked up, only to see a lot more snow falling from the sky. "Look." His sisters looked up and let out more excited squeals and hops. It was snowing the first snow the kits would see, and Ivykit had to admit, he was excited for it too.