Spark { Warrior Cats Fanfiction ; Complete }

{twenty-four}

"I can't believe you didn't tell me. You had just seen me and you didn't tell me then?" Sparkfur glanced over at the three kits that clung close to Frostheart. Gray was at the far edge of the den, nursing her three kits plus Briarkit. DrizzleClan had brought back every rogue queen and their kits safely, Gray was being extra gently with the two kits who had been separated from her. The den was too crowded for Sparkfur's taste, but the outside forest was bitter cold, with a thick layer of snow blanketing the woods.

"We planned on it, honestly!" Berryfoot assured. "We wanted to surprise you, when you did come back." Sparkfur shook her ears lightly. Gray's kits were mewing loudly, their ears were pricked and eyes wide open, trying to mew their first words.

"Yeah? What would you do if it took me another few moons to get back?" She drew her tongue over the wounds covered in poultices, and Frostheart immediately hissed for her to not touch. It had been two days since the battle, and the healing claw marks were itchy.

"We knew you'd be back soon. You just had to." Berryfoot purred, stepping closer to her where she lay. Sparkfur looked up at him, her eyes narrow. She hadn't curled up against her brother since she was an apprentice.

"Also, we wanted your help naming them." Frostheart added with a purr. Sparkfur's ears pricked.

"Hm? Oh.. Sure." She was vaguely aware that the naming of kits was very sacred, and to be asked to help was an honor in itself. There were three kits: one was a fiery ginger tabby with high white markings, another was mostly white with a ginger tabby tail. The last was a pale creamy ginger-brown, white belly fur and muzzle.

"How about Emberkit? For the ginger tom?" She looked to Frostheart, looking for the slightest hint of approval. The white queen purred brightly.

      "Oh yes!" She nodded, "It'll go nicely with Hazelkit." She gently drew her tongue over a smaller pale ginger tabby she-kit. "I've always loved that name on lighter colored cats." Berryfoot twitched his ears happily.

"What about the last one?" The tom mewed, wrapping his tail around his large paws.

Frostheart twitched her ears thoughtfully.

"Her tail is as red as a squirrel," Grey noted from her nest. Frostheart's face lit up.

"Squirrelkit!" She blurted. The white kit was larger than the others, with a thick furred red tabby tail, a splotch in between her ears.

Sparkfur opened her mouth to say something, when he crunching of snow caught her attention. She turned her head, looking out the small gap in the stone den. She could see larger paws of a full grown dark gray cat, along side a small set of lighter gray paws. The young cat poked their head in, a tortoiseshell kit swinging in their jaws. That's the kit belonged to that queen who helped nurse Frostheart's kits while she was in battle... That means that the other cat is probably--

      Sparkfur was pushed out of her best as the light gray apprentice shoved his way into the den, the dark gray cat following with a dark gray kit in her jaws.

"Cinderstep!" Frostheart purred, her mismatch eyes wide with surprise.

"Sorry to make it even more cramped in here--" the dark gray queen murmured, setting her kit down. He appeared around a moon old, his eyes wide open and ears pulled back sassily from the cold.

"Frostheart, Asterfoot's requested that you help. A border patrol just got back, they're pretty badly busted up. We're already stretched thin with all the battle injuries, we need your help." Sparkfur looked at her paws. Of course.. This was the Asterfoot's apprentice. The cat she was supposed to help pick with the blue-gray tom the day that Ryeheart had--