Warrior Cats: The New Course (STILL UPDATING)

Chapter Fourteen

Ravenkit was up at dawn.

She pried herself apart from her mother's side carefully before sleepily clambering up onto her paws and arched her back into a long stretch, followed by a luxurious yawn. She stretched out her front legs, letting her little thorn-like claws unsheathe and reach out until she felt satisfied, fully awake and ready to start a fresh new day.

Silverleaf's not up yet, she thought as she glanced at her mother's silhouette. Silverleaf snored slowly and silently, her breath a comforting feeling on Ravenkit's moss-covered fur. Dewkit, snoring right beside her, always slept on his back, tilting toward their mother's belly. What a kit! she scoffed in her mind. Despite always waking up by their mother's belly, Ravenkit always chose a spot that was further away from them. In any way possible, she had to prove she was independent. Like Berrykit and Shadekit!

She turned to where the two shared a nest. Since Sagepelt didn't sleep in the nursery anymore, they slept alone and she longed to be like them. Swiftbreeze and Smokekit slept close to Silverleaf's nest, while Goldsun, the newest queen, had her own nest on the far other end of the den, where she was also found sleeping peacefully like all the others.

Ravenkit finally spotted Berrykit fast asleep on her side as she peered over Silverleaf's body, the older kit's flank peacefully rising and falling as she snored. As the black-furred kit looked around to find Shadekit as well, she realized that he was not in the nursery.

I wonder where he went off to? she wondered, turning her gaze to the den's small entrance. Pale light filtered through, allowing little warmth to wash in along with fresh a newleaf breeze. Silverleaf wouldn't like the idea of Ravenkit leaving the den, especially since she was still in trouble for the fiasco she'd caused a quarter-moon ago. But the queen was asleep and wouldn't notice Ravenkit gone.

No one can stop me!

She happily trotted out of the den, ducking below the entrance before clambering out into the clearing. As soon as she saw how empty it was, she realized that it was still very early. The only cats awake were Sharpfang, Nightrose, and Fireshade, who all sat around the leader's den speaking in hushed whispers. Rainwhisker stood guard by the rogue, who didn't seem as scary as he does when awake. She spotted Shadekit sitting a few whiskers away from the leader's den, licking his paw calmly before drawing it over his ear. She approached him gingerly so that the older cats wouldn't notice her presence.

"Shadekit!" she said. "Psst, Shadekit!"

His head whipped around at the sound of his name, and when he spotted Ravenkit, his eyes narrowed. "Oh, it's you."

"Yeah, it's me," she retorted back quickly. "Anyways, what are you doing out here alone?"

Though his gray fur was already neatly groomed, he continued to draw his tongue over his chest.

Ravenkit's nose flared. "Hey! Don't ignore me!"

He looked up. "And why do I owe you an answer, little kit?"

Her eyes widened. How dare he insult her like that? Does he think that she wants nothing more than to play like a kit? He had to understand how much older and more mature she'd become from everything she'd done. Clearing her throat, she tried to shake off the feeling of agitation and offense. "Well, yeah. We're Clanmates! And I'm just curious. What's the harm?"

"Clearly," he said, "you are."

His eyes motioned to the hole that was finally patched up and strengthened by the nursery, a mistake that Ravenkit had made so casually trying to break the warrior code. She felt heat rising to her face.