(Outdated) Warriors: Clouded Skies #2 - Frost

Chapter Nine

Ravenpaw was barely paying attention to the three young kits playing before him. The biggest kit, Alder, was struggling to pin Crow with his paws, while Ash maintained a small mossball. Sage was watching them with eagle eyes full of protection, while Bat was out hunting with Smoke and Flint. Creek was nearby, keeping a tiny silver and black tabby still with her paws.

Echo's sightless eyes shined with anger as she struggled to get free. "I wanna play!" the moon old kit cried.

"Echo, you will stay with Creek or you will go back into the den!" Sage snapped, and the kit muttered something but sat back with a huff, tail flicking.

"I could take her to the river--" Creek began, but Sage's look of absolute horror forced her to stop short.

"Never! She is much too small!" Sage hurried over to the pale gray tabby and took her kit by her scruff, bringing her over to her littermates and locking Echo under her chest.

"Much too blind, you mean," Echo muttered. Despite being a young kit and rather small, she seemed to be moons older than her littermates on the inside.

"You're not strong enough!" Sage told her firmly, giving her a fierce lick on her head. Echo ducked away with a tiny hiss and curled up in a ball, tail tip flicking her nose softly. She seemed like any other kit, but her mother's close eye forced her to stay hidden.

"Will Blossompaw be okay?" Ravenpaw mewed softly, looking over at adult-Echo, but the she-cat was staring forward at her young self with a sad green gaze. "How come your eyes are green? And not white, like when you were a kit?" Ravenpaw finally asked.

"Because I chose to have sight in death," Echo replied. "If I hadn't been blind, then I would've had green eyes." Her gaze sparkled with sad memories. Ravenpaw nodded numbly and watched the kits again.

"May I go?" he asked. "I enjoy these meetings, but I want to see my sister." Her injury had only been caused yesterday, and the events were still fresh in his mind. The dog stalking from the shadows, his sister clinging to it's muzzle in attempt to protect her littermates, the horrifying thud as she hit the tree, Boulderclaw appearing to save her--he swallowed and shut his eyes to cut the memories out.

"Of course," Echo responded. "Let StarClan walk your path."

Ravenpaw was a little frustrated with the she-cat, and was happy when she faded. He had begged for information on his dear sister's health, whether she would live to see herself become a warrior, but Echo had refused to answer any questions about the living world.

Ravenpaw blinked open his eyes softly, his jaws quickly parting into a large yawn that he struggled to fight back. He tiredly turned his head, upset to find his mother gone. He was still settled next to Blossompaw, but the place his mother had taken was gone, replied with a warm-blooded mouse that made his stomach rumble in hunger.

He guessed it was for himself, and rolled over, stretching knots from his spine and legs before neatly eating the piece of prey. After, he cleaned his muzzle with a paw and leaned close to Blossompaw, sniffing at her cheek, then her back. Her fur was slick with a poultice of comfrey roots along her back, with the stick still holding her spine straight to heal it.

Ravenpaw pulled back, his whispers brushing over her cheek, and her eyes twitched. He froze, staring intently at her face, and his heart lept for joy when her eyes began to peel open. Her green gaze was confused and dull.

She groaned softly, blinking very slowly, then her gaze tried to focus on Ravenpaw. "Rave...Ravenpaw...?" she murmured drosily. "Is that you?"

"It's me, Blossompaw, it's me," he whispered, curling closer to his poor sister. Her mew was so soft and quiet it sounded like a young kit's.