Fallenkit & Echokit - The Fox Attack & KitClan Begins
Fallenkit sighed, glanced at Echokit, who was sitting next to him, staring at the ground. He lowered his head again, too embarrassed to look at anything but the ground like Echokit. The small she-kit had tears in her eyes, and Fallenkit wondered if it was grief for the loss of kin, or embarrassment for the accident being mostly her fault.
“Don’t run out of camp again!” Midnightpelt, her mother, scolded.
“At this rate you'll never leave camp!” Her father added with an angry but sad tone to his voice.
Irissun must miss his mother . Fallenkit decided.
“And you Fallenkit! You knew all about this and didn’t do a thing?” Russetwillow, Fallenkit’s mother asked, annoyed, but not as annoyed as Irissun.
Silversong shook his head at Fallenkit, pressing his side against Russetwillow, his mate’s.
“I am disappointed in BOTH of you!” The deputy, Sunowl said when he overheard the conversation. Shaking his head, he stalked away.
Echokit somehow sank lower. “I’m sorry. Really.” She muttered, sincerely but no one heard, her meow was so quiet. The she-kit shook probably from the after shock.
“She said she was sorry. I am too for helping her get out of camp.” Fallenkit murmured, barely louder than Echokit.
Midnightpelt sighed, wrapping her tail around Echokit’s back. “It’s okay honey. I was just scared, I don’t know what I could have done without you. If Hollystar wasn’t there...” She glanced at the sky, and added. “Thank you for saving my kit.”
Fallenkit supposed she was talking to Hollystar, up in the stars.
Silversong looked long and hard at Fallenkit, and then said, “Head up. Only trouble you're in is glares from the clan, some sorrys, and a half moon of chores. As long as you don’t do it again.”
“I won't.” He promised. “I’m sorry.”
Russetwillow nodded, seemly satisfied.
“Well. Echokit’s punishment will be decided later, but right now, I think she needs to be checked out by the medicine cat.” Irissun declared.
“Yes.” Midnightpelt agreed, looking over at the medicine den. “Echokit, come.”
“Can Fallenkit come with?” Echokit asked, tears in her eyes.
Fallenkit realized Hollystar’s body might still be in the medicine den, for Salmoncreek, the medicine cat was trying to save her.
Irissun looked at Russetwillow and upon seeing her aprovil he murmured. “Ok.”
The six padded across camp from where they were talking to the medicine den, a cave in the side of the gordge. Everyone stayed behind, except for Echokit who went into the dark den. She glanced back, slight fear in her eyes. Fallenkit couldn’t blame her, the den smelled weird and Salmoncreek was strange. He twisted his body out of his mothers grasp and leaped in the den after Echokit before anyone could protest.
“Thanks.” She murmured before Salmoncreek spotted the two.
“FOX! Oh KITS I smell!” She exclaimed her cloudy partly blind eyes glancing around. “I smell fear, kits, and fox. I see shapes. The blurry pelts of Fallenkit and Echokit I have here. Come here for treatment from a fox? ”
“Y-yes” Echokit whimpered nervously, shrinking into her fur. She had spotted the body of Hollystar, half cleaned from its blood.
Fallenkit pressed against her. “Echokit needs to be checked on. She was almost attacked by a fox.”
“Shush. Don’t say anything. Of course I know that that little rat over there helped kill Hollystar. Why else would her corpse be in my de-”
Midnightpelt had exploded into the den upon the word rat and cut Salmoncreek’s sentence off. “DON’T CALL MY CHILD A RAT YOU FOX-HEART!” She hissed.
Echokit shook slightly and Fallenkit wondered if it was because of the shock of the attack, her kin’s death, Salmoncreek, or her mother yelling. Probably all of that He decided.
“I-I th-think that Echokit should just get treated and get some rest!” Fallenkit hollered, his meow barely shaking.
Salmoncreek tilted her head, staring at him. He looked at her partly blind eyes for a second, but then winced away.
Midnightpelt stared. Fallenkit hadn’t ever spoken that loud. “Wha-well. I agree. Salmoncreek just treat her.” Midnightpelt decided before sitting down to watch.
“Fine.” The medicine cat said, sniffing the kit. “Look. Your kit’s fine. Just shocked. I’ll give her thyme for that. Otherwise, she needs rest as Fallenkit just screeched.”
Echokit had stiffened when the medicine cat sniffed her, but when Salmoncreek padded away to get the thyme she relaxed. Fallenkit scooched closer to Echokit. “I’m sorry. I wish I never let you go out of camp. I wish I at least came.” He murmured.
“Not your fault. Mine. My fault that Hollystars is gone. My fault that the leaders… d-dead...” Echokit whispered, sobbing slightly on the last word.
Fallenkit didn’t know what to do so he just put his tail on her back until Salmoncreek came back.
“Eat this. Sleep. Come back if you need anything.” She declared simply as she dropped the plant to the stone ground of the cave.
Echokit lapped up the thyme, scrunching her face slightly at the odd taste.
“Now get out!” Salmoncreek snapped as soon as Echokit was done, causing the kit to jump back to her mother.
Midnightpelt gave Salmoncreek a glare as she padded out of the den, Echokit at her side. Fallenkit followed in the back, unsure if he wanted to have Salmoncreek near him if he couldn't see her. But that's how she feels all the time I bet, not being able to really see… Fallenkit thought as he walked to the nursery, at the heels of Echokit and her mother. But that doesn’t matter now.
“ECHOKIT!” Shadedkit screeched once they arrived.
“OUR SISTER!” Rabbitkit added
Silentkit simply smiled.
Fallenkit sighed. Echokit’s sisters were like a clan welcoming a cat back from a battle patrol. A clan of kits to be exact. What would they be called? Fallenkit had an idea.
“KITCLAN!!” he shrieked out loud.