Lucid Tides book 1 - Flowering Hearts

Chapter 4 - The Barn

Lilypaw padded towards the barn, it had been a full half-moon since he'd visited Sparrow, the loner who lived there. He walked to her corner of the barn, her kits were all a lot bigger now. They were almost half Lilypaw's size. There were five of them, the biggest was named Snowy, she was a solid white kit. The other four were all toms, three were grey tabbies like their mother and the last one, who was the smallest, was white with grey patches. Lilypaw smiled as the smallest one bounded over to him.
"Maple! You've gotten so big!" Lilypaw gasped, smiling at the tiny kit.
"Lilypaw Lilypaw! I caught a mouse the other day!" Said stripes, one of the tabby kits.
Lilypaw smiled at Stripes, and at Maple. Snowy was curled up against her mother, she looked sick or injured. Lilypaw sat down next to Sparrow
"is she alright?"
"I think she fell off one of the hay bales, she hasnt been able to get up"
Lilypaw looked at the kit, he wouldn't be able to help her alone. He had an idea.
"What if you and your kits came to ChervilClan?"
Sparrow looked hesitant 
"are you sure we'd be welcome?" The grey queen looked at her kits.
"I'm sure."
Sparrow looked at her kit anxiously. Then back at Lilypaw
"I-I'll come, we might not stay though"
"That's okay-"
Lilypaw stood, Stripes and Maple followed Lilypaw out the door. Sparrow was holding Snowy by the scruff and her last two kits followed soon thereafter. Lilypaw padded towards the soft ground that signalled ChervilClan territory, His brown tail held high. He suddenly heard a rustling sound, then another cat appeared. Lilypaw recognised the cat as the kittypet with the bird he attacked so many moons ago.
"Tide!" Sparrow called, surprised. 
Lilypaw looked at Sparrow, confused.
"You know this kittypet-?" He asked, watching as Maple chased Tide's tail. 
"Tide is one of my oldest kits." Sparrow explained, as Tide's fur pricked. 
"You're that stinky clan cat!" Tide yowled, flattening her ears.
Lilypaw narrowed his green eyes, his claws digging into the dirt.
"and you're that kittypet that stole from us!" He hissed.
"Stole? All I did was hunt myself a snack!" She retorted.
Lilypaw thought back to the day after he met the kittypet. One of the elders, Harestep had gone to StarClan. Lilypaw thought about finding her, all alone in the elder's den. He remembered her son Deerwind's pained yowl when he told him. He wrinkled his muzzle, wondering if that bird could've saved the kind elder's life.
"Come on Sparrow, Snowy isn't going to get any better talking about this." Lilypaw picked up Maple by the scruff and trotted away towards camp. Lilypaw stepped into camp, but soon realised his mistake as he felt the eyes of his clanmates turn and stare.