Warriors Ironheart's Love

Chapter 1

Iron flicked her ears towards Tin. Her litter mate had curled up next to their mother, Silver for the night while they waited out the storm. He rested peacefully but Iron couldn't sleep. She felt something calling towards her, but mother wouldn't want her to leave. Mother wanted her to stay with her for a few more moons with Tin. At least, that's what Iron hoped she wanted for her.

The den mother had made many moons before wasn't the warmest. It was made with cracks, letting the cold icy wind seep slowly into the den. They were the furthest away, but at the rate the snow was piling in they would be trapped in until Newleaf came. It would be moons since leafbare just arrived and she couldn't wait to see her first Newleaf. Apparently there would be bigger prey and things called flowers! It filled Iron with excitement she could feel all the way to her small tail tip.

Maybe she could even find something called a rabbit! Apparently they have long ears and paws but are really chubby! It seemed weird for Iron for a creature to be so different from herself. Mother hadn't given them any sort of hard prey yet. Only little scraps that she tears up for them because their teeth aren't strong enough to tear the pieces apart themselves.

Silver lifted her head from her paws and snarled at Iron. "Stop daydreaming about nothing important or you'll freeze your paws off! I don't want my time raising you to be wasted." Iron looked down at her paws and padded towards her mother. "I'm sorry. I will know better next time." Silver snapped at her, "You don't know if there will be a next time! Sometimes I wish your brother survived instead of you." Silver muttered not so quietly underneath her breath. I wish so too. Iron thought silently and curled up next to Tin. I wish I could escape from this place.

~~~~~

"Come on Iron! Mother said she would take us out the den!" Tin pulled at her ear, attempting to wake her. "Ouch ouch! I'm up Tin! Your teeth hurt you know!" Iron pushed her litter mate off her and rubbed her ear. "Who's ever out of the den first is a wild cat's litter mate!" He yowled running out of the den to meet their mother outside. Iron got up out of the makeshift nest made of rotten leaves and onto her paws. The bitter, cold ground latched onto her paws, chilling her almost instantaneously. She put a paw step forward, and each one she could feel her warm leaving her. Her kitten fluff would only hold out for a certain time, but she couldn't seem weak in front of her mother.

Mother didn't like weakness. Mother wanted strength out of her cubs. If Iron wasn't strong, mother wouldn't want her. That's what happened to Steel. Her litter brother wasn't strong as Iron or Tin, so he didn't survive past a half moon. Mother blames it on him, but she had her litter in leafbare. Maybe Steel is watching over Iron and Tin from above, making sure their paw steps weren't in harm's way. Sometimes if she was lucky she could sense something watching over her, and she thought it was the spirit of Steel.

Iron didn't have any memory of her litter brother, but only know it from her mother's 'talks'. The 'talks' consisted of how she didn't have time to take care of such useless kits, which was mostly because of Iron. When she arrived outside, the winds blasted her off her paws and she only stayed on the ground because of Tin. Her brother had grabbed her scruff and pushed her down onto her stomach. "Mother said to stay as close to the ground as possible to not be like the birds."

Iron nodded to her brother and stayed as low to the ground. She shivered as the icy cold floor met her stomach. How is Tin able to do this already? Iron was amazed at her brother being able to do this so well within their few seconds of being out of the den. She guessed that he was just a quick learner, and why that Tin was mother's favorite of the surviving litter. Mother always gave special privileges toward Tin compared to Iron. Tin always ate first, got grooming first and taught hunting moves way before Iron ever heard of them.

Iron didn't fault her mother however, as she was just a burden to her mother. All she did was take up more prey, play around in the den and be clumsy. Her big paws were always in her way, making her trip and tumble into undesirable situations. Tin seemed to be growing into his, gripping the ground easily with his claws while Iron couldn't even get herself situated on the frigid ground. The blizzard around them was getting worse when Iron spotted in the distance their mother coming towards them.

She blended in so easily with the world around her. Her long legs allowed her to cover the distance around her without a struggle, and her beaten up pads had hardened over the many moons that she has lived through. Even her eyes seemed tired, though they still had the determination to get through her litter's lives before Iron and Tin are able to live on their own and she'll once again regain her peace that she's been longing for.

She looked at her kits and bared her teeth. "You foolish kits! I hadn't even arrived yet you come out of the den! Do you realize that you could've been killed waiting for me?" Iron flinched at her mother's tone, while Tin spoke up to their mother. "You told me earlier that Iron and I could leave the den. I got so excited that I told her and we waited outside for you. I'm sorry." Tin dipped his head to their mother. She glared at her kit then started walking away from the two kits. "Well, are you coming to learn how to survive in these conditions or are you going to wait until a wolf comes to find you?" She had glanced back but barely slowed her pace.

Tin started racing after her while Iron scrambled after them. "Wait up!" Iron yowled after them. Tin seemed to catch up quickly but Iron was having a hard time traveling through the mounds of snow. She tried everything to get over them faster, but nothing had prevailed. "Tin! Hold up!" Her litter mate glanced once at her but kept on going with mother, and left Iron in the snow to try and keep up with the moving duo. They slowly move out of her gaze, until she could no longer see them.

Soon after losing sight of Tin and their mother, a thick layer of snow had covered their tracks nearly immediately. She couldn't find their tracks, no matter how hard she tried. "Mother! Tin! Where are you?" She called out to them, but the snow was building up quickly that if she didn't find higher grounds soon she would be engulfed in its unwelcoming embrace.

She looked back to where she came from, yet it would be no use to try and find her way back through the blizzard. Within seconds her tracks were covered. There were no trees to climb up and hide within their blanket of leaves, just open lands with long stretches of snow. If wolves decided to follow her scent, well Iron would be a sitting rabbit on its back. She had no trees to climb like mother once said.

Iron was shivering heavily, and she couldn't feel any warmth within her pelt any longer. It felt as if she was moving a whole tree every paw step. Iron sluggishly continued onward, falling muzzle first into the snow multiple times. After what seemed like an eternity of falling, walking and trying again, she felt hopeless. Iron felt extremely tired, just wanting to lay down in the snow to sleep for a little while. Maybe Steel could help her, but she couldn't sense her brother anywhere near her. He probably didn't care about the useless litter mate who couldn't even find her way back through the snow.

Iron fell once more to the ground, yet couldn't will herself to get up anymore. The strength she once had hours ago was sapped from her. She closed her tired eyes, letting the darkness take over her without protest.