Warrior Cats: Cascade

Chapter One

With one deft leap, she was launched into the air on powerful legs, soaring through the sky like the hawk she was aimed for. Her paws left the familiar sensation of grass and earth, replaced by the bitter chill of empty air. A snarl caught in her throat as she jumped - no, flew at the bird, claws unsheathed and ready to shred the mangy rabbit-brained hawk that had dared to stray anywhere near CloudClan camp.

Time stood still as she darted upwards, glimpsing the poor kit caught in it's talons, mewling pitifully. I've gotcha, she thought, narrowing her eyes as she hooked a claw into the hawk's huge, tawny wing. For a moment, she swayed, only one paw sustaining her awkward position before she was able to get a good grip, much to the utter dismay of the bird. Swinging herself up, she sank her claws into the hawk's flesh, hearing a pained squawk and feeling powerful, dangerous muscles tense under her feet. "Hold on, everything'll be fine!"

The kit nodded tersely, looking sick as she peered out and over the grip of her attacker. "Uh, Doekit?" She asked. "I think now's as good a time as any to admit that I may be afraid of heights."

Doekit frowned, slouching down on her higher perch. There were only two trees in camp, and the DeadTree was forbidden for kits. The thin, short birch was the only source of shade - and fun - that Doekit could get her paws on. Obviously Willowkit would find a problem in that. "Hush," she chided, leaning down to bat at her sister's ear. "It'll add to the realism!"

Willowkit did not share in the excited grin. The poor she-cat looked green from Doekit's perspective, and it most likely wasn't from the foliage. Willowkit was a polar opposite from her sister, in many respects, including the real-time example she had provided. She was timid where Doekit was generally outgoing, a heavy sleeper to her sister's restless habits, and, of course, not an adventurer. It was said that Willowkit favored her mother more than Doekit, too, with her black and white patches and calm demeanor. Though Doekit did share in the bicolored gene-pool, her patches were brown, and her easily excitable nature left a lot of questions unanswered.

Doekit did not know who her father was. While all the cats in the small, tightly-knit clan had visited before, none had stepped forward to answer that question. Her mother had never brought it up on her own, and distractions were common for the young she-cat. It wasn't as if she had never asked, however. Both she and Willowkit had gone on all points of the spectrum from hinting to outright begging.

Birdleap had never taken a mate, nor shown interest in anything other than parenting. If that meant not having a second pair of eyes at her side, then so be it, she had always said. Hopping down from the tree, careful as ever, Willowkit casually mentioned, "Waspclaw said that the Peace Day was coming up."

"Waspclaw told you that?" Doekit asked doubtfully, still not wanting to give up her perch. She felt like she could see the whole territory, as flat as CloudClan's moors were. Grasses swayed in the spring breeze, a wind that carried the fresh scents of heather and goldenrod, mingling with the familiar smells of home. The sun bore down on the land, gleaming on the pelts of her camp-bound clanmates as they bustled about, weaving extra grasses into the barriers, taking fresh moss and feathers to the different nests, or even just cooling in the shade, contented to do nothing for the time being.

"Well, not exactly," Willowkit replied, her voice strained as she made the final leap to the earth. With a small oomph and a bit of extra effort, she managed to land on her paws, somewhat clumsily. "He's not exactly the softest speaker."

Both she-cats shared a chuckle at that. Waspclaw and his brother, Frostwhisker, were the newest warriors, having been christened only two or three moons back. Waspclaw had always been a busy, talkative kit and apprentice, and he hadn't lost his vigor with the titles.