A Warrior's Heart | Omen Of Darkness | Bk. 1

Chapter 18

CrowDawn woke at the sound of chirping birds. The sun was bright and glimmered with hotness."It's a heat wave!" Snarled MouseWhiskers."Ugh!" CrowDawn hissed as her fur burned. She squeaked in pain and leaped into shade."Hot, huh?" Her mother's voice panted behind her."LilyTail!" CrowDawn jumped."Sorry,"LilyTail apologized. CrowDawn kept her distance."Being to close causes hotness,"She quickly told her mother, making sure she wasn't offended."Your father would be so proud of you,"LilyTail murmured."He died when you were too young." CrowDawn didn't reply. The tension between the two cats was high, for some odd reason. No-CrowDawn suddenly remembered. CrowDawn created the tension when she fell in love!"You always seem so tense around me,"LilyTail complained."Why?" CrowDawn didn't reply again. RobinWind was underneath High-Tree."Cats with short fur gather below the shade with me!" She called. ThrushFeather, GoldenLight, SilverStrike and IvyFern gathered below."ThrushFeather will take GoldenLight and SilverStrike to mark our border with RiverClan. I'm using them for hotter areas. IvyFern will be going under oak trees with RippleTail and CrowDawn." She dissmissed the cats."Bye,"She mewed to LilyTail as she limped into the hot clearing. Hotness bubbled in her throat. Almost letting out a shriek, she gasped for cold air."The sooner we're in the trees, the better,"RippleTail muttered to CrowDawn. She grunted agreement. IvyFern rushed out of the camp. Shade towered over the hunting patrol."That better?"She asked. CrowDawn and RippleTail nodded."Well then, start hunting!" IvyFern meowed. CrowDawn sniffed. Coolness waved on her but, she felt hotness roll on her shoulders and face as she moved. RippleTail also seemed to struggle."Ugh! Heat waves!" The tom gasped for breath. CrowDawn sniffed. rabbit. She knew the rabbit must've strayed across the border of WindClan for cooler places. She dropped into a hunting crouch and stalked the rabbit. She suddenly caught the stream out the corner of her eye. Careful not to disturb the white rabbit who was tired out, she drank from the stream. Coldness flowed down her. She let out a sigh of relaxation. She stalked the rabbit again and..pounce! CrowDawn killed the rabbit with a swift bite on the neck. She dragged her prey to the meeting-place. CrowDawn flopped on her side, panting. RippleTail padded back, a mouse in his mouth. IvyFern had a squirrel and didn't seem to be hot."Lucky you, Short-Fur,"Hissed RippleTail."Calm down,"CrowDawn ordered. RippleTail snorted."Who made you deputy?" Jealousy pulsed through CrowDawn."Just because RobinWind's deputy, doesn't mean she's better than any of us!" She snarled. RippleTail surprisingly jumped."S-Sorry!" He stammered. CrowDawn lashed her tail, picking up her rabbit."I'm going to camp." She regretted her rudeness as she stalked to camp. The black she-cat panted as she dropped her rabbit in the fresh-kill pile. She rushed to shade, letting herself cool down. Her eyes were slits. RobinWind is soooo special! She thought, sarcastically bitter. She closed her eyes, eyelashes resting. Her eyelids were even hot! She didn't want to sleep in her nest. The shade out of dens were better. Besides, she wasn't ready to be around her clanmates. She sighed and drew back her breath. She ignored the heat burning her to dust. Her shoulders were aching with heat and were rose red."Swollen,"She muttered half to herself. She put herself in a cold position. She hissed as a yowl inturrupted her nap."Can't a cat get some sleep around here?!" RobinWind gave her a harsh glare. For some reason, her belly was round and swollen. CrowDawn called,"What's going on there?"Her nose pointed at RobinWind's stomache. RobinWind mewed back,"Im expecting," CrowDawn felt a surge of sadness, grief, and happiness."Congratulations!"CrowDawn meowed awkardly. RobinWind paid no attention and raced toward the yowl. FlowerBlossom. She noticed StormCloud dabbing water on a moss ball."Give her a stick!" The silver and ginger tom yowled. CrowDawn saw a stick next to her and darted to her former mentor."Bite on this,"StormCloud advised as he stepped into the nursery. FlowerBlossom chewed the stick like a bone. Her eyes were full of pain. CrowDawn remembered herself kitting. Blood drowned her and loud noises blocked her out of the real world. The only thing she'd felt was pain. CrowDawn shivered. FlowerBlossom let out another yowl. Three kittens slipped out of her."One she-cat and two toms!" Announced StormCloud. CrowDawn purred,"They're beautiful!" FlowerBlossom gazed gently at her."You were a good apprentice." CrowDawn's mood brightened. Then, BreezeKit glanced at CrowDawn. CrowDawn's heart raced now. Did her kit recognize the similarity between them? FlowerBlossom soon relaxed after kitting. Most cats left except RobinWind and CrowDawn."I'm glad you stayed here for the naming,"SilverStrike purred as he gazed lovingly at his new kits. CrowDawn glanced at the kits. BreezeKit was fast asleep. She looked at the other she-cat. She was light gray like her mother but no white and black markings. She was light gray with darker gray stripes and spots on her back. She had green eyes like her mother too."The she-cat is now RainKit." FlowerBlossom purred, grooming RainKit. CrowDawn then gazed at the first-born tom. He was light silver, almost white, with black speckles on his back, black ear tufts, and black paws."The first-born tom is named SnowKit."CrowDawn purred,"Their names are beautiful!" RobinWind nodded in agreement. CrowDawn glanced at the second-born tom. He was totally silver, white stripes, ear tufts, spotted-eye, one white paw too."And last but not least, ThistleKit." CrowDawn glanced at his bright green gaze. Their eyes were barely open. SnowKit's eyes were blue like SilverStrike's. RobinWind and CrowDawn left. It was moon-high and the air was much cooler now. CrowDawn felt her body relax in the windy air. What did StarClan have in store for her? She sighed, curling up in her nest in the warriors den. StarClan was going to do something, something not good.