Brightfur's Tale

## Prologue

The thunder was storming as the figures dashed through the foilage. Leaf-bare was hard on the group, but they trudged through the cold and wet snow. They could hear the howls echoing behind them. Their breaths evaporated in the air. The one in the lead yowled, and stopped abruptly, letting tne other cats in front of him. He kept note of all the cats, calling their names in their head. They were one short.

He looked around, but there was no sign of the bright white and sandy she-cat. Her name was Cinderflower, and she was a queen, expecting her kits shortly. The dogs, which had driven them from their territory, had become a bogger issue than just the fact that they could kill. Since Cinderflower was expecting kits, she had become less agile and more slow than some of the other cats, who had no trouble keeping their pace.

In the distance, the leader spotted the small she-cat, running but limping towards them. The leader along with his deputy ran for her. The medicine cat, Dauntface, came pacing up beside Cinderflower. Dauntface murmered incouraging words to Cinderflower, which got her smiling slightly. The leader dipped their head.

"Thank you, Graystar," she caught her breath, and her face turned pale, "My kits... they're coming now!" the she-cat's expression was a mixture of pain and sorrow. This weather would do no good for. the upcoming kits. The dogs were near, and the rest of their clan was staring at them, as a few yowls of protest rang through.

Then a tom from behind screetched as a pair of large, deep blue eyes stared at him. Then barks shattered the silence, as the dogs came running in, howling. Graystar tried to yell above the noise, “Run!” but only to be drowned out by the seeming everlasting barks. Cinderflower spotted Dauntface, making her way past the dogs and cats towards her, helping her.

“Where’s Jaycloud?” Dauntface asked, once they were together, her eyes wide with fear. “Oh no...” Cinderflower realized, her face pale and eyes fearful. She wanted to move, but her legs were like concrete, stuck. Then the burst of energy gave her the confidence that her mate might be alive. She started sprinting north, towards the kittypet place.

“He came to visit Marsh.. I remember.” Cinderflower reassured herself as she made her way through the damp foilage. She spotted three figures, clouded by some bushes, but still visible to her eyes. She carefully padded up to them, then asked, “Do you cats know where Jaycloud is?”

The cats turned to look at her. She recognized some familiar faces, such as Grain, Oaklee, and Taka. “Oh! Salutations Cinderflower! Why yes, Jaycloud is right to the south a little ways down, with Marsh.” Taka explained.

Cinderflower dipped her head respectively, then padded in the direction Taka wanted her to. She saw two figures, laughing together. The sleek furred tom, a grey with black speckles, turned his head towards Cinderflower. “Cinderflower?” Jaycloud asked, tilting his head and squinting his eyes. Cinderflower nodded, and the other cat, a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat turned her head away.

“Jaycloud, our kits... they’re coming soon. I need you. Dogs have taken over part of the forest and are attacking your clanmates as we speak!” her eyes filled with dread and sorrow. Her voice went down to a whisper, “Please.”

Jaycloud flicked his tail. Clearly there was something on his mind. He looked perplexed. Then, he turned his gaze from Marsh to Cinderflower. “Cinder—I can’t go with you.” his voice felt like a cold stone.

“Jaycloud...? But the kits!” Cindercloud pleaded. Jaycloud silenced her, then continued, “Leave the kits with me when they’re born. They won’t starve and die here. I’m staying with Marsh, because... I love her more.” Jaycloud’s face was unreadable. Cinderflower was devastated as she said, “You’re leaving me, with kits on the way....”

“That’s the way it works luv’. Ain’t no fair.” Marsh flicked her tail and snickered. Something seemed off about Jaycloud. “Jaycloud,” Cinderflower sighed, “I just want you to know I loved you, and I hope you have a good kittypet life.” her voice cracked when the words came out. She turned her head away, hiding her tears.

Jaycloud turned to her, a new sharpness in his voice, ”I don’t care about you. Go away! Never return here again you... you disgraceful mongrel! You will bring my kits back though, no matter what! Because, they deserve the life that is calmer, and not as bloodthirsty as you. Starclan, why did I ever love you, Cinderflower..”

“You loved me because you needed me.” Cinderflower muttered, then turned away, and padded off into the undergrowth. Tears streamed down her face as she made her way back to the small area where the dogs had attacked. The area was deserted. Small feline bodies were scattered with traces of blood dotting the surroundings.

She noticed an all-to familiar face among the dead. It was Mousefur! Mousefur was Cinderflower's sister, and there lay her pale gray body, her eyes stricken with fear, though they were motionless. Cinderflower collapsed in a heap beside her sister, when she head a familiar voice.

She turned to see Graystar, calling to her, his pale eyes illuminating in the night. Cinderflower rushed over to him, crying. Graystar asked what was the matter, and Cinderflower told him everything.

Graystar nodded. "Jaycloud always was a fool." He shook the thought away, then said, "Come, the clan waits. We seek shelter near the old horseplace. He flicked his tail in the direction they were headed. Cinderflower nodded, and hurried behind her leader, thinking about what had happened. Her mind felt like a blur as she made her way through the foilage, damp with water from the rain.

She noticed Dauntface, Greenstep, and Oaktail sitting together, talking. Cinderflower ran over to the group, giving them all affectionate licks. Dauntface smiled, then tilted her head, "Felt any pain?"

"Emotionally or phyically?" Cinderflower joked. Dauntface rolled her eyes, nicely. "Fine--yes! A few kicks in m' side. And my emotional status has gone down at least ninety-five percent."

"Why?" Oaktail piped in, confused. "Well--it's Jaycloud. He... he's going to live with Marsh."

"Marsh!? The KITTYPET?" Greenstep hissed.

"Yes, Greenstep, that Marsh. Well, Jaycloud asked me to.." she paused, as she tried to stay confident, "He asked me... when the kits are born that I should... I need to give them all to him to 'live the better life.'"

Oaktail sheathed and unsheathed his claws rapidly, "I could kill that smug little cat." He hissed something under his breath.  Da have... a crazy idea. It'd take courage and heartbreak."

Dauntface looked up at Oaktail, then Greenstep, then Cinderflower, a smirk on her face as she turned back to Oaktail.

"I'm serious, Dauntface! Listen... what if you give him all but one kit! Or, say it was a foul litter, which died on the first night."

"He wouldn't believe me. We went to Dauntface, and it came out positive we were gonna have kits."

Dauntface nodded her approval, when they heard a yowl from Graystar. "Come! We waste no time." All the cats got up, and proceeded on their way. They reached a small sheltered area, with the lush forest around them acting as a large bush.

They all settled down, and organized the ranks into their different sleeping quarters. They had four warriors standing guard, with backups waiting in the small dens. Cinderflower slept in Dauntface’s makeshift medicine cat area.

“Just in case the kits are ready..” Dauntface mewed reassuringly, taking precautions. And in the middle of the night, a yowl awoke the camp, as they lept up and meandered towards the noise, their eyes like crescent moons, half open. It was indeed Cinderflower, who was with Dauntface, clutching the stick in her mouth as Dauntface worked her way around the feline.

The kits were there, and they looked so warm. Dauntface cleaned them while Cinderflower lay there, panting. She finally got a chance to look at her little bundles of joy. Then she remembered Jaycloud’s words. “Bring them to me when they’re born!” His voice echoed in her ears.

She turned her head away from her kits, and small tears formed down her face. “How many, Dauntface?” she whispered. Dauntface read the expression on her face, “I’m sorry, but... there’s four. That’s bad in some cases...”

“I know! Jaycloud will take all four! Why!” Cinderflower cried. “We must.” She whispered, “We must.”

## The Father And A Fake Mother

“Daddy?” the small grey tom asked his father.

”Yes?” replied the darker grey tom. He swished his tail happily at his son, who was like a spitting image of him. *He’ll be strong,* he thought, *Just like me.*

”When can I catch prey?” the small feline whined. “It’s been at least...” he counted in his head, “three moons!”

“Oh, Kano. Soon you’ll be able to catch prey. The same time that Cole, Fox, and Emerald do. I promise.”

Kano snorted, then fluffed out his chest, “I’m super strong! And speedy! And intelligent! I can catch prey now! I’ll show you!” Kano got on the ground, his chest touching the gravel pavement. He leaped at an imaginary mouse as he wrestled with the air.

”Jay! I told you!” a small tortoiseshell she-cat scolded, “We have enough nutrients without hunting!”

“Oh for cryin’ Starclan—“ Jay started.

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