HOME | DD

Description
"Have you found them yet?" asked Firepaw, padding into the nursery with a mouse dangling from his jaws. He set it down before Icedrop, who was sitting hunched over in a corner of the den.
"No," she meowed, shaking her head. "Dreamstar's taking another search party around the river. He's such a good father, but he's doing nothing but wearing himself out. He'll lose lives for those kits, and they're gone."
Firepaw sighed, his own grief and anguish tied up in the single noise. He'd enjoyed playing with Icedrop's litter before they went missing. Each had their own personality. Ravenkit had been shy and scared, but bright. Silverkit was pretty, yet kind, and Sunkit, the white she-kit with dusty yellow eyes, had been loving and true-hearted. Firepaw would miss each one of them.
"Eat the mouse, please," he meowed. "It will help keep you strong. You haven't slept since the kits have gone missing, which was days ago." Icedrop looked up at him, pain in her liquid blue eyes, but she obediently tucked her head and ate.
Firepaw backed out of the den, and couldn't help feeling proud of himself despite his grief. Icedrop had listened to him with no protest. Did that make him wise and respectable? Could he be the leader of Rainclan when he grew up? I could be the leader of the pack, too. Neglect trusts me enough...
-
Firepaw sat outside the pack's cave, pleased to have found it himself. He recognized the pack's scent so well now. He supposed it was because the cave was on his own territory. He meowed loudly to announce his arrival, then walked in.
"Hi, Firetail," meowed a brown tabby tom that Firepaw had come to know.
"Good evening, Shard," meowed Firepaw. "How are Shatter and Fang?" Firepaw quite enjoyed playing with Shard's kits, which were only slightly younger than him. If they were clan cats, they'd be apprentices like me.
"They're fine, thanks," purred Shard politely, then his face brightened up. "Which reminds me, Neglect has kitted! They've got the makings of fine warriors, just like their father, my brother." He puffed out his chest proudly, and Firepaw purred. "Swishstep!" screeched Shard. "Come show Firetail to Neglect's nest!"
A brown tabby she-cat limped out of a tunnel a few moments later, and Firepaw nearly gasped in surprise and sympathy. This cat's fur was short, but matted, and she had bald patches. Her silver eyes were dull like stone. "Come this way," she meowed, her voice hoarse. Firepaw purred a goodbye to Shard and followed.
They entered the pitch-blackness of a tunnel, and when Firepaw could no longer see the light at the end, the she-cat stopped.
"Please turn back," she begged, and Firepaw waited for her to say more. "Neglect wants nothing but soldiers! She wants you to steal prey and herbs from your own clanmates and bring them to a pack full of murderers. She convinces young clan kits and apprentices as well as loners to join by telling them how 'special' and 'different' they are, and then she trains them to kill at her command. You are innocent and young! You are strong enough to outrun these cats, so by Starclan, run!"
Firepaw had nothing to say to this she-cat. She obviously knew of Starclan, for she spoke of them and bore a clan cat name, but she was against Neglect, his trustworthy friend and companion. "You aren't running," he growled, surprised at how icy his voice sounded.
"I had no chance," whispered Swishfur, sounding on the verge of tears. "My father was Dare, the former leader of this pack, and my mother was a clan cat. When she had my brother and I, she hid us until she thought Dare had forgotten about us. We were captured by Neglect and Shard, and my brother pledged his loyalty to the pack. As we speak, he is living among the clans as a spy." Firepaw's eyes grew wide, but he pushed past Swishfur, deeper into the tunnel towards a light!
"Stop!" wailed Swishfur. "They have Silverkit and Sunkit captive!" His eyes grew wider and he turned around.
"Excuse me?"
"Your leader's kits are here, except for one. He escaped, while his sisters believed Neglect's lies. They think she'll make them strong leaders, but she's planning to use them as bait!"
Firepaw's heart raced. Could this be true? Neglect, his friend, snatching his other friends from under his clan's nose? Then he remembered his promise to Neglect.
"Thank you for this information," meowed Firepaw, pressing his nose into Swishfur's ragged pelt. "I will get you and the kits out eventually, but I think Neglect means well for me, and I love this pack." He sighed. "Besides, I've got a job to do."
-
"Where have you been?" Beepaw drowsily asked her brother, Firepaw, as he entered the den. It must have been at least midnight.
"I had a bad belly," meowed Firepaw. "I was at dirtplace forever!"
Beepaw felt a rush of sympathy for her brother. His mentor had been busy patrolling today, and had felt that Firepaw was working too hard, so had left him at home. Snakesteps, along with Berryfur, Fogstorm, and Beepaw herself had been running around, feeling the wind in their fur, and Firepaw had been gorging himself with bad prey.
"Go see Nettlepaw," she suggested. Her other brother was already becoming quite an excellent medicine cat. Just yesterday Beepaw had trodden on a thorn, and Nettlepaw had made the pain go away.
"No, thanks," meowed Firepaw shaking his head. "I'm much better now."
-
The following day, Beepaw sat at the fresh-kill pile, debating on which to have for breakfast: a freshly caught fish, or a plump mouse.
Fogstorm padded up to her, interrupting her dilemma. "We can get more," he meowed. "Let's go to the river; it was time you learned how to swim."
-
Beepaw pulled herself out of the water, feeling cooled and refreshed. Her fur was shiny and sleek, and shed the rain like a holly leaf, or like a monster's colorful pelt.
"How was that," she asked her mentor, and all Fogstorm could do was purr, but he seemed distracted.
"Fogstorm?" Asked Beepaw. "Are you okay?"
"Of course!" exclaimed her mentor, giving himself a shake. "There are times when water frightens me, that's all."

Description
"Have you found them yet?" asked Firepaw, padding into the nursery with a mouse dangling from his jaws. He set it down before Icedrop, who was sitting hunched over in a corner of the den.
"No," she meowed, shaking her head. "Dreamstar's taking another search party around the river. He's such a good father, but he's doing nothing but wearing himself out. He'll lose lives for those kits, and they're gone."
Firepaw sighed, his own grief and anguish tied up in the single noise. He'd enjoyed playing with Icedrop's litter before they went missing. Each had their own personality. Ravenkit had been shy and scared, but bright. Silverkit was pretty, yet kind, and Sunkit, the white she-kit with dusty yellow eyes, had been loving and true-hearted. Firepaw would miss each one of them.
"Eat the mouse, please," he meowed. "It will help keep you strong. You haven't slept since the kits have gone missing, which was days ago." Icedrop looked up at him, pain in her liquid blue eyes, but she obediently tucked her head and ate.
Firepaw backed out of the den, and couldn't help feeling proud of himself despite his grief. Icedrop had listened to him with no protest. Did that make him wise and respectable? Could he be the leader of Rainclan when he grew up? I could be the leader of the pack, too. Neglect trusts me enough...
-
Firepaw sat outside the pack's cave, pleased to have found it himself. He recognized the pack's scent so well now. He supposed it was because the cave was on his own territory. He meowed loudly to announce his arrival, then walked in.
"Hi, Firetail," meowed a brown tabby tom that Firepaw had come to know.
"Good evening, Shard," meowed Firepaw. "How are Shatter and Fang?" Firepaw quite enjoyed playing with Shard's kits, which were only slightly younger than him. If they were clan cats, they'd be apprentices like me.
"They're fine, thanks," purred Shard politely, then his face brightened up. "Which reminds me, Neglect has kitted! They've got the makings of fine warriors, just like their father, my brother." He puffed out his chest proudly, and Firepaw purred. "Swishstep!" screeched Shard. "Come show Firetail to Neglect's nest!"
A brown tabby she-cat limped out of a tunnel a few moments later, and Firepaw nearly gasped in surprise and sympathy. This cat's fur was short, but matted, and she had bald patches. Her silver eyes were dull like stone. "Come this way," she meowed, her voice hoarse. Firepaw purred a goodbye to Shard and followed.
They entered the pitch-blackness of a tunnel, and when Firepaw could no longer see the light at the end, the she-cat stopped.
"Please turn back," she begged, and Firepaw waited for her to say more. "Neglect wants nothing but soldiers! She wants you to steal prey and herbs from your own clanmates and bring them to a pack full of murderers. She convinces young clan kits and apprentices as well as loners to join by telling them how 'special' and 'different' they are, and then she trains them to kill at her command. You are innocent and young! You are strong enough to outrun these cats, so by Starclan, run!"
Firepaw had nothing to say to this she-cat. She obviously knew of Starclan, for she spoke of them and bore a clan cat name, but she was against Neglect, his trustworthy friend and companion. "You aren't running," he growled, surprised at how icy his voice sounded.
"I had no chance," whispered Swishfur, sounding on the verge of tears. "My father was Dare, the former leader of this pack, and my mother was a clan cat. When she had my brother and I, she hid us until she thought Dare had forgotten about us. We were captured by Neglect and Shard, and my brother pledged his loyalty to the pack. As we speak, he is living among the clans as a spy." Firepaw's eyes grew wide, but he pushed past Swishfur, deeper into the tunnel towards a light!
"Stop!" wailed Swishfur. "They have Silverkit and Sunkit captive!" His eyes grew wider and he turned around.
"Excuse me?"
"Your leader's kits are here, except for one. He escaped, while his sisters believed Neglect's lies. They think she'll make them strong leaders, but she's planning to use them as bait!"
Firepaw's heart raced. Could this be true? Neglect, his friend, snatching his other friends from under his clan's nose? Then he remembered his promise to Neglect.
"Thank you for this information," meowed Firepaw, pressing his nose into Swishfur's ragged pelt. "I will get you and the kits out eventually, but I think Neglect means well for me, and I love this pack." He sighed. "Besides, I've got a job to do."
-
"Where have you been?" Beepaw drowsily asked her brother, Firepaw, as he entered the den. It must have been at least midnight.
"I had a bad belly," meowed Firepaw. "I was at dirtplace forever!"
Beepaw felt a rush of sympathy for her brother. His mentor had been busy patrolling today, and had felt that Firepaw was working too hard, so had left him at home. Snakesteps, along with Berryfur, Fogstorm, and Beepaw herself had been running around, feeling the wind in their fur, and Firepaw had been gorging himself with bad prey.
"Go see Nettlepaw," she suggested. Her other brother was already becoming quite an excellent medicine cat. Just yesterday Beepaw had trodden on a thorn, and Nettlepaw had made the pain go away.
"No, thanks," meowed Firepaw shaking his head. "I'm much better now."
-
The following day, Beepaw sat at the fresh-kill pile, debating on which to have for breakfast: a freshly caught fish, or a plump mouse.
Fogstorm padded up to her, interrupting her dilemma. "We can get more," he meowed. "Let's go to the river; it was time you learned how to swim."
-
Beepaw pulled herself out of the water, feeling cooled and refreshed. Her fur was shiny and sleek, and shed the rain like a holly leaf, or like a monster's colorful pelt.
"How was that," she asked her mentor, and all Fogstorm could do was purr, but he seemed distracted.
"Fogstorm?" Asked Beepaw. "Are you okay?"
"Of course!" exclaimed her mentor, giving himself a shake. "There are times when water frightens me, that's all."