Warriors: Deserve's Beginning (Short Story) (COMPLETE)

Chapter 10

Deserve trembled, his heart pounding madly at his chest as Depthstar rested him on the ground. Beside him, Bluerain and Crowmask dropped Boost and Song beside him. The three kits immediately huddled together.

"She left us!" Song cried, her eyes round with distress. "Mom's gone!"

Boost's fur was bristling as he stood, frozen with shock. "She has to come back!"

This can't be real... This can't be happening! Deserve could hardly think straight as waves of terror and shock washed over him. It can't! How could she- How could they- He jerked his head up to the ShadowClan leader as he sat down and looked at them. "How could you?" He cried out, anger pulsing through him. "You sent our mother away!"

"I thought we'd at least still be together!" Song wailed. "Now we're all alone!" She and Boost pressed close together, whimpering while Deserve glared up at Depthstar, trembling.

The ShadowClan leader stared down at the kits, his eyes filled with sadness, maybe even some regret. "You won't be alone," He promised gently. "You'll be safe and well fed here in ShadowClan."

But we'll never be happy! Deserve thought miserably. We've lost our home, our parents, everything! 

Beside Depthstar, Bluerain was gazing down at the kits sympathetically. "Everything will be alright," She murmured. Beside her, even Crowmask looked saddened at the sight of the heartbroken kits.

But the silver she-cat's words didn't comfort Deserve. Nothing will be alright! Nothing will be alright ever again!

"I'll call a clan meeting." Depthstar turned away and headed toward a large rock at the side of the clearing.

For the first time, Deserve began to take notice of his surroundings. He and his siblings sat toward the front of a large clearing. Pine needles covered the ground. He saw several different dens, one or two built in the shelter of rocks and boulders, while others were made out of bushes and woven branches. We have to sleep in there?

He grew nervous when he saw how many cats were in the clearing. There had to be at least ten. A few were sitting and talking together, and he saw a couple more eating by a pile of fresh kill. He was shocked at how big the pile was. It was full of frogs, mice, birds... More fresh kill than he'd ever seen in his whole life! His stomach rumbled at the sight of it, and he longed to taste some of the prey.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather for a clan meeting!" 

Deserve nearly leaped out of his fur at Depthstar's yowl, and he shrank back, pressing close to his siblings. The blueish black tom was standing ontop of the large rock, looking down on the cats below. Crowmask and Bluerain sat on either side of the kits.

"G-guys!" Boost whimpered, and Deserve gasped in disbelief as even more cats streamed out of the dens. He pressed close to Boost and Song, his heart racing in his chest as the cats gathered below the rock around them. I've never seen so many cats in one place! He thought in terror. If they decided to attack, they were dead meat for sure. Perhaps they'd throw them onto the fresh kill pile! He felt vulnerable and alone. Several cats were looking at the kits, surprised and confused. 

"Are those kits?" A young white and cream tom whispered to a darker cream striped she-cat. "What do you suppose they're doing here?"

His companion shook her head, looking puzzled. "I've never seen them before, Milkblaze."

A golden tom with black tufted ear tips narrowed his eyes. "They smell like rogues!"

Beside him, a dark brown and gray tom bristled. "The same ones who killed Pinetail?"