Swiftstar's Prophecy - Unofficial version

Chapter Two

"Kits, stay with me, now," Dapplefur meowed gently, her spotted tail sweeping Swiftkit and her littermates close. The calico she-kit can feel Dapplefur's swollen stomach of kits press up against her, but her amber eyes were wide in shock. What she saw...was that Eelheart? The dead warrior?

Webkit stood on her hind legs and prodded Dapplefur's leg with her front paws. "Dapplefur, where is Echoflower going?" she asked, but Dapplefur responded, "Echoflower is going to grieve for Eelheart. Best to leave your mother alone for a bit." The pregnant queen now sat down in her nest, licking a paw. Maplekit looked over to Swiftkit, and he whispered, "Is Eelheart okay?"

"How would I know?" Swiftkit lied to him, suppressing the truth the best she could. Maplekit whined, and pressed himself against her. Ripplekit stayed with Webkit, the two twins huddling close. Swiftkit rested her head atop of Maplekit's ears. She wondered if Echoflower was okay.

Soon enough, the beautiful cat emerged from outside, her eyes still bright like as though nothing happened, but she was a bit quieter than normal. "Alright, kits, how about you all take a short nap? All that playing must make you all tired."

"I'm not tired, Echoflower!" Ripplekit groaned, while Swiftkit meowed, "Yeah, we aren't tired!"

"Listen to your mother," Dapplefur meowed to them gently, and beckoned them with her tail. Maplekit easily went to Echoflower, yet Swiftkit thought that Echoflower didn't want her and her littermates to witness her sorrow. The calico kit padded over, and her twin littermates followed reluctantly.

As Echoflower laid down in her nest, Swiftkit rushed to lay beside her mother's cheek. "Echoflower, are you okay?"

"Of course, my dear. Just...overwhelmed," The black and white she-cat meowed, her tongue running across Swiftkit's ears. Maplekit found a comfortable spot near Echoflower's shoulders, while Ripplekit and Webkit stayed by her flank. Swiftkit laid down, pressing against Echoflower's cheek before closing her eyes.

The kit didn't know why she couldn't sleep. Her littermates could, as she heard Ripplekit snoring, along with Webkit and Maplekit's small yawns. But the older kit couldn't rest.

She didn't feel Echoflower's cheek when the queen moved, and Swiftkit didn't know how long it was until she heard Echoflower's voice.

"Dapplefur, how long ago was it that Juniperberry died?"

"Only two moons ago. Oh, TideClan is undergoing so many faults and deaths," the tortoiseshell queen meowed quietly to Echoflower, but Swiftkit could hear them slightly.

"Our clan is suffering. And I'm scared that the kits won't go past their apprenticeship,"

"Echoflower, don't say that! You must trust in Redstar, or, TideClan, that they will defend your kits!"

There was a heartbeat of silence, before Echoflower murmured, "Even if he is the leader, not many cats respect him as much as they did with Mallowstar."

~

"Webkit, keep your head above the water! Maplekit, use your paws!" Echoflower instructed them, as she sat not too far from the small stream that was by the watermint patch in camp. It was the very next day after the dead warrior was named, and Echoflower insisted on teaching Swiftkit and her littermates to swim.

Swiftkit's paws paddled against the gentle stream soothingly, her long fur guiding her. Ripplekit was beside her, trying to help Webkit. But Maplekit was having trouble, as his slightly inverted paw was giving him trouble. Swiftkit let the current take her back to her brother to help him.

"Maybe let that paw extend out!" She meowed to him, but Maplekit whined, "If I do that, the current will tip me over!"

Just then, Echoflower dipped her muzzle to grab Maplekit's scruff to take him out of the water. That gave the other kits the signal to leave the water as well, shaking their long fur dry. "I can't swim!" Maplekit whimpered, but Ripplekit intervened, "No, you can! You just have to learn how to cope with your paw!"

Swiftkit gave Maplekit a reassuring lick on the shoulder, but the kit looked down. Poor Maplekit. You're so strong, though.

An uproar of chuckling erupted from behind Echoflower, as Brackenstalk's obnoxious kits laughed. They were Fallowkit and Acornkit, much older than Swiftkit. "Its so simple to swim! Maybe you should wait for them to grow big, Echoflower!" meowed Fallowkit, the pretty she-kit sitting beside her brother. Maplekit's pelt bristled, "Hey, shut up you fish-brains! I'm learning!"

Webkit squealed, "Yeah, leave us alone!" Ripplekit's pelt bristled as well, while Swiftkit growled, "Quit picking on Maplekit!" Echoflower set down a paw in front of an angry Ripplekit, while Swiftkit wanted to storm over to the older kits. That was when Echoflower's meow made the older kits quit their mockery, "If you both don't stop, I will report you both to Redstar. Bullying is not permitted."

Brackenstalk had just padded over when the brown queen groaned, "I'm sorry, Echoflower, were my kits making fun of one of your own?"

"Mocking, actually," Echoflower let out a slight growl. Swiftkit looked up at her mother proudly. No one messes with Echoflower!

"Fallowkit! Acornkit! That was very rude! Apologize!" Brackenstalk scolded, her tail lashing angrily. Acornkit rolled his eyes, "We didn't mean to. It was just a joke. But sorry, Maplekit."

"Yeah, sorry," Fallowkit snarled slightly at the red tom, before the two brown kits followed their mother into the nursery. Swiftkit growled and roared, "I want to bite Fallowkit's ear off!"

Echoflower gently licked Maplekit's bristling fur while she meowed, "Swiftkit, be careful what you say about your clanmates. You may never know when she may be your closest ally."

"Ally? More like enemy!" Webkit meowed, and Ripplekit snarled, "Let me at Acornkit! So I'll make sure he won't make fun of Maplekit anymore!"

Swiftkit's pelt bristled. No one makes fun of my littermates. Not even my clanmates.