The Cat and the Fox

Chapter 1

I know cats don't open their eyes this early. Please refrain from lecturing me about it in the comments. I was thirteen when I wrote this.

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            Stonekit opened his eyes. He had decided it was time to see the new world. He wanted to explore his new home. His mother, Sandnose, looked down at him. "You've opened your eyes!" she said.

            Stonekit smiled at her. "I thought it was time."

            "Already making decisions for himself," a nursery queen, Hazelthorn, said.

            "And only a day old," Sandnose smiled.

            Stonekit smiled and began to explore the nursery, sniffing around. Hazelthorn's kits, Tawnykit and Lionkit, were almost six moons. They sat talking to each other about what it would be like when they were apprentices.

            Stonekit saw the two talking as an opportunity for some fun. He quickly padded over to the two large kits who towered over him. "Want to play?!" Stonekit asked.

            Tawnykit and Lionkit rolled their eyes. "Please," Tawnykit said. "We're almost apprentices. We don't 'play' anymore."

            Stonekit shrunk down and padded back to his mother. Sandnose looked down sadly at him. "Why don't you go explore camp?" Sandnose asked.

            "Yay!" Stonekit exclaimed and quickly padded out of the den. Where should he go first? The medicine cat den? The elders' den? There was so many places to choose from. He ran off when suddenly he ran into a brown tom.

            "Well look who's awake," the tom said.

            "Hi," Stonekit mewed, scared of the large leader who towered over him, shielding the sun from Stonekit's eyes.

            The leader, Birchstar, laughed at the tom. Stonekit padded off into the warriors' den before he ran into another cat.

            "Hi!" Stonekit yowled, awakening the sleeping cats.

            One of the warriors, Grassheart, groaned. "Why do these kits have to be so annoying by waking us up?"

            His mate, Frostleg, laughed. "Stop being such an grumpy warrior, Grassheart. Don't you remember your first day in camp?"

            Stonekit padded off before he caught his reply. He neared the apprentice den, ready to meet his clanmates. He gasped as he was pushed over by the apprentice, Leopardpaw.

            "Oops! Sorry, Stonekit!" she said, her spotted pelt gleaming in the sunlight.

            Stonekit smiled. "That's okay!" Nothing could kill his mood today.

            Soon enough, he was greeted by the deputy, Stormfin. "You're the deputy!" Stonekit gasped.

            Stormfin laughed. "Yes, I am."

            "How do you become deputy?! I want to be deputy someday!"

            "Well it takes a lot of hard work and effort," Stormfin replied. "You have to be ready for anything."

            "Wow! Thanks, Stormfin!" Stonepaw replied and padded off, Stormfin's "words of wisdom" repeating in his head.

            He continued his exploration as he came into the medicine cat den. Fishclaw, the medicine cat, sat, studying his herbs.

            "Hi!"

            "Hello, Stonekit!" Fishclaw said, not looking up from his herbs.

            "What are you doing?" Stonekit asked.

            "Just checking my inventory," Fishclaw said.

            "Isn't it boring being a medicine cat?" Stonekit asked.

            "No. I get to cure cats and help save them. It's the best job in the world." Stonekit couldn't imagine how curing cats could be fun, but he padded out until he came to the last den. The elders' den.

            "Hello?" he said as he padded inside, his voice echoing in the large den.

            "Hi there!" Poppystripe said.

            "Look at this fine kit," another elder, Clawtail said. "Have you come to hear a story?"

            "Story?" Stonekit replied.

            "Poppystripe tells the best stories," Clawtail said.

            "Oh, stop it," Poppystripe laughed. "I only tell good stories because I've been alive forever!"

            "Can I hear one?" Stonekit asked, sitting down on the den floor.

            "Well alright," Poppystripe said. "Back in the old days, Birchstar was only a warrior. His mate, Honeyspots, had just given birth to four new kits. It was the season of leaf-bare, so there wasn't much food to go around. Honeyspots got ill, as did her kits. Honeyspots and three of her kits died shortly after. The only one that survived was a tom named Barkkit. Barkkit always thought StarClan had killed his family, so he blamed StarClan constantly. It wasn't too bad at first, but then he fell in love with a she-cat named Angelpelt. But Angelpelt had become terrified by his bad behavior, so she left him. Barkface got mad, and he tried to kill every member of Angelpelt's family. Birchstar had no choice, but to exile him. It broke his heart, but he knew he was making the right choice."

            "Did Barkface kill everyone?"

            "No," Poppystripe said. Why was she acting so nervous?

            "Thanks for the story," Stonekit said and padded out of his den. That Barkface sure was a bad cat. He tried to kill everyone in Angelpelt's family! Stonekit would never be like that. If he ever saw that cat, he would make sure Barkface left the forest forever.

            He curled up next to Sandnose when he heard a yowl. "HE'S BACK! HE'S IN THE FOREST! PEBBLEFOOT IS INJURED!"

            "Daddy!" Stonekit gasped.