Shining of the Four

Chapter 8

            Lifekit opened her eyes slowly, looking around the quiet nursery den. From her tiny nest in the corner, she could see Splashleap sleeping peacefully with her two new daughters. She could see Tasha, the former rogue, licking her kits softly. She looked to see Blueocean, the newest addition to the nursery, sleeping away.

            Though Splashleap nursed her, Lifekit did not think of Splashleap as her mother. Her family was nowhere in the nursery. There was her father, Patchfur. She saw Mousestripe as her mother-figure. Thornfrost, Stormnight, and Graytail didn't mind hanging out with her too. All in all, she had a wonderful little family of her own.

            "Pst, Lifekit," a whisper came.

            Lifekit turned, seeing Mousestripe stick her head inside the den. She immediately rose to her feet, bounding out the door to greet the older she-cat.

            "Hi, Mousestripe!" Lifekit squeaked.

            "Hello," Mousestripe smiled, lightly touching her tail on top of Lifekit's shoulder. The sun was just beginning to rise, and many cats were already preparing for patrols.

            "Where's Daddy?" Lifekit asked.

            "He'll be along. He's got some patrols to do, as does Thornfrost. Come along, let's walk," Mousestripe said. Lifekit padded by her side, smiling at the she-cat. Mousestripe looked at her intently though, and Lifekit wondered why. She caught many cats doing this from time to time.

            "Will Thornfrost be leader soon?" Lifekit asked. Mousestripe's mate, Thornfrost, was the deputy of SnowClan, so there was no doubt he'd be the new leader.

            "Cloudstar is an old cat," Mousestripe told Lifekit. "He was a kit when the first leader of SnowClan, Icestar, ruled. He's outlived many cats in this clan. If it weren't for his nine lives, he'd probably have passed by now."

            "How old are you, Mousestripe?" Lifekit asked.

            Mousestripe giggled. "Never ask how old a cat is, Lifekit. I am an older she-cat, but not as old as the elders. I still have strong bones and keen skills. I could be a warrior for moons to come."

            "Daddy says your father was leader," Lifekit told her.

            Mousestripe nodded. "Yes, he was leader."

            "Was he a good leader?"

            "Well, I wouldn't say that," Mousestripe murmured, sitting down. Lifekit sat down beside the she-cat.

            "How come?"

            "Smokestar made a lot of mistakes in his life," Mousestripe told her.

            "What kind of mistakes?" Lifekit pondered.

            "Mistakes I will tell you when you're older," Mousestripe laughed. She paused for a moment, then spoke. "You look so much like your mother."

            Lifekit had heard this many times, though she didn't know why cats spoke to her about it so much. She was her mother's daughter. Wasn't she supposed to look like her mother?

            "What was Shinypelt like?" Lifekit asked.

            "She was a very brave and wise cat, Lifekit," Mousestripe told her. "Just like you," she said, poking the she-cat with her tail. Lifekit giggled as she felt Mousestripe's tail lightly touch her.