MISTKIT'S FIRST CATCH
A Short Stand-Alone Fanfiction by Silver
Prologue
Crack! The stick turned to splinters in Starlingtail's teeth. "You're all done," Petalwhisker mewed, nudging the young kits to suckle at their mother's belly.
"Sunclaw! You can come in now!" the medicine cat called.
The golden tabby pushed his way in and gasped. "They're beautiful." He nuzzled Starlingtail.
"What should we call them?" he breathed.
"The light brown one looks a bit like a trout, so how about Troutkit?" she suggested softly.
"That one will be Whitekit," he added, signaling the snowy tom.
"And our daughter?" Sunclaw inquired.
"Mistkit."
"Welcome to the world, little ones," he whispered.
The Hole Problem
Mistkit's eyes stretched open. Light came streaming in through the intertwined brambles, dappling Starlingtail's dark pelt. Troutkit was already up, and he nudging Whitekit awake.
"Come on, sleepy head! Nightpaw says that if we are all up, he'll teach us some battle moves!"
Mistkit's ears perked up. "Whitekit, wake up! Wake up!" she mewled to her younger brother.
He yawned. "What about Nightpaw?" he murmured groggily.
"He'll teach us to fight off our enemies!" Mistkit mewed excitedly.
"Then we can defend Starlingtail and Graymist!"
Graymist was the other queen that shared the nursery with the kits. Her belly was getting huge, and Petalwhisker was predicting at least three more RiverClan kits. Whitekit was on his paws, but sleep still clouded his eyes.
Troutkit poked his head outside the nursery, searching for Nightpaw. The black apprentice was nowhere to be seen. "Huh," he muttered.
"Perhaps he went on the dawn patrol?" Mistkit squeaked.
We can still have fun without him!" Whitekit's eyes lit up. "How about we practice in here! I'm sure Graymist won't mind!"
The light tabby she-cat was asleep, snoring.
"I'll be the leader," Troutkit announced.
"Whitekit is Whiteclaw, my loyal deputy! I, Troutstar, leader of RiverClan declare war on ThunderClan!"
"What?" Mistkit asked indignantly. "Why do I get to be alone and in ThunderClan!"
Troutkit rolled his eyes. "Fine, you are the leader of MistClan!" That satisfied Mistkit.
"RiverClan, attack!" Troutkit commanded.
Whitekit surged forward, but Mistkit easily batted down her brother.
"You can do better than that!" she challenged, deflecting a blow from Troutkit. His eyes narrowed.
"Come on, Whiteclaw! We can take down this piece of MistClan scum!"
That woke Starlingtail up. "Troutkit!" she chided. "Where did you learn that from?"
But none of the kits were listening.
Whitekit sprung up with his hindlegs, pushing off the ground. Troutkit came to Mistkit's flank and began his attack. Her younger brother came down on her back, and she flopped down limp.
Troutkit put his paw down. "RiverClan is victorious!" he yowled as loud as a kit could. Whitekit cheered along with him.
"You will never taste victory as long as I'm alive!" Mistkit hissed playfully, springing up. Troutkit slid off his paws and right into the nest of Starlingtail.
She was just a little a bit angry. Make that very - and an angry queen is not someone you want to mess with. "What have I told you three, over and over?" she scolded.
"Not to rough-house in the nursery," Whitekit whimpered.
Her eyes softened. "Now run along kits, and take this outside, where I can see you."
"Yes, Starlingtail," they muttered in unison.
"Deputy, are you ready?" Troutkit mewed.
"Ready!" Whitekit answered. Mistkit wasted no time. Right after her brother replied, she lunged forward, catching him under his legs. Unbalanced, Whitekit tumbled right into Troutkit.
"Watch it, Whiteclaw!" he growled. Troutkit rammed himself into Mistkit's flank, and she rolled on her side into the dust. With effort, she pulled herself back up, but Troutkit was ready. He brought his paw down on her muzzle, but she pushed him away.
Her eyes glittered in amusement, when Troutkit continued to leap at her. With almost lazy swipes, she kept her brother away. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Whitekit appeared.
"For RiverClan!" he shouted. He jumped so high, it reminded Mistkit of a bird. She watched him go over her head, and into a pile of bracken. At once, he disappeared.
"Whitekit?" Troutkit asked in suprise. He quickened his pace to the bracken pile, and he saw where Whitekit had fallen through.
A very audible, "HELP!" rang through the camp.
Starlingtail rushed out of the nursery to where her other two kits were standing, gaping at the hole.
"Whitekit?" Reedstar asked, padding up. "What in the name of StarClan is he doing in a hole?"
The RiverClan leader looked sternly down at Troutkit and Mistkit. “Well? Do either of you know how this happened?”
Troutkit gulped. “Errm… It was Whitekit’s fault!”
"Hey!” Whitekit shouted from the hole. “I’m not deaf you know!” Mistkit peered in. It was a good five warrior tail-lengths down.
“How on earth are we going to get him out?” she wondered aloud.
Troutkit stopped at the edge of the pit. He stretched his silvery paw down into the hole, seeing how far he could reach.
“Don’t fall–” Mistkit’s brother wobbled off the ledge, and a few moments later, the surrounding cats could here a screech of pain.
“In.” Sunclaw finished, shaking his head.
“Get off me, you mouse-brain!” Whitekit muttered.
“I wouldn’t even be with you if you hadn’t jumped in the first place!” Troutkit retorted.
“It’s not my fault this hole happened to be here!”
“But it is your fault that you jumped into it!”
“Hey!”
“Hey yourself!”
“Just leave me alone!”
“Ha, sorry, I’m in a hole with you, if you haven’t noticed!”
“Kits!” Sunclaw roared. “Would you liked to be rescued or not?”
The two brothers grumbled. “I guess.” The deputy’s eyes flared.
“Then stop your arguing, and maybe, just maybe, a warrior will be kind enough to have pity on you!”
Mistkit could see Whitekit trying to make himself as small as possible in next to Troutkit.
“Kits will be kits,” Reedstar murmured. “Brightfoot, fetch me a long sturdy stick. We’ll see what we can do about this situation.”
The cream she-cat returned a few moments later, dragging a tree limb behind her. Sunclaw took it from her, and lowered the end into the pit.
Mistkit heard her brother scrabbling to get a hold on the branch. Reedstar helped Sunclaw lift the kits out of the hole.
As soon as he was out, Whitekit scampered off the stick, and hid behind Starlingtail. Troutkit licked his chest fur in embarrassment, scooting his way slowly over to the nursery.
Mice
"It's not my fault we're confined to the nursery!" Troutkit sniffed pompously. Mistkit rolled her eyes. "Actually it is." Whitekit let out a sigh of relief.
"How?" Troutkit retorted, baring his teeth in anger. They glinted in the sun that seeped through the tightly woven nursery walls.
Mistkit stood her ground. "It was your idea to playfight, you know!"
"So? Just because I suggested we tackle you, doesn't mean it's my fault Whitekit jumped in the hole!"
"Maybe we could have prevented this!"
"Maybe you're trying to get me in trouble!"
"When did I suggest that?" Mistkit hissed, claws digging into the mossy ground.
"Isn't it obvious? You just want to get out if here, leaving your innocent brother behind!"
Mistkit blinked in confusion. "Innocent?" she laughed sarcastically. "Innocent?"
The siblings were interrupted when Starlingtail entered the den. "What are you two bickering about this time? Who gets what part of the nest?"
"No, actually-" Whitekit started. He was cut off by Troutkit's dangerous glare.
A sweet aroma filled the air, waking Graymist up. "Is that mouse I smell?" she asked.
"Yes, indeed." Starlingtail replied.
"Mind if I share?" the other queen asked, a twinkle in her eye.
"Not at all."
"Mistkit! Stop trying to make holes in the wall. Troutkit, what did I say yesterday? No - Whitekit! Crawling out of the nursery will get you lost!" Starlingtail shook her head. She swept her kits back to her using a brown tabby tail.
She nudged a freshly-killed mouse to Mistkit. "Try some."
"I want milk!" Whitekit squeaked.
Graymist purred in amusement, as she ate the last bits of her mouse.
Mistkit bit into the soft body of the rodent. It was still warm. Her eyes lit up in excitement. With a mouthful of mouse, she mumbled, "Can I have some more?"
Troutkit bravely sunk his teeth into the prey. Immediately, he spit it out. "Gross!" Mistkit squealed.
"What is this?" he growled.
Whitekit timidly nibbled a bit of the mouse. Moments later, half of it was gone. "It's not too bad," the light tabby decided.
"Are you kidding me?" Troutkit spat. "That was vile!"
"Now," Starlingtail mewed firmly. "We don't speak about prey like this. We give thanks to StarClan that they allowed our warriors to catch this prey."
"Whatever," he muttered. "It tasted terrible."
Mistkit grinned teasingly. "Now you're going to have to survive on disgusting leaves and roots!"
Troutkit gasped in horror.
"That's disgusting!" Whitekit exclaimed.
"Mama!" Troutkit asked frantically, "Will I have to survive on plants?"
Starlingtail was suprised. "No, of course not. There's different prey, that tastes different. Perhaps tomorrow you can try vole or squirrel."
His eyes brightened. "See, Mistkit?" he yowled. "I can still eat meat!"
Mistkit tried to think of a sharp tongued response, but nothing came out.
Newcomers
"What's that noise?" Troutkit whined as a loud shriek split the air.
"Graymist is kitting, dear," Starlingtail replied. "After several sunrises you'll be able to play with them."
Another screech filled the nursery.
"You're doing well," Petalwhisker soothed. "The next spasm will bring your first kit. When I say now, push!"
Graymist's flanks heaved, as Petalwhisker mewed, "Now!"
Starlingtail nipped the kitting sac and gently brought it toward Graymist's belly.
After a few moments, there was no more shrieks of pain. At Graymist's stomach, feeding, were four kits; two she-cats and two toms.
Their father, a large brown tabby called Oakfur licked his mate's ear affectionately, as they named the small bundles of fur.
Mistkit, Whitekit, and Troutkit watched round-eyed. "Did you and Sunclaw do this for us?" Mistkit wondered aloud.