MoonClan Fiction: Chapter 8

Starkit was trembling. She was so young, so she had no clue of the horror going on in the camp. The place that would be her home.

She blinked her little eyes open, but her mother was running with her so fast that the air hurt her eyes. She mewed out because the pain was too much, and her mother set her down. Her Father came up to her and Starkit felt a warm sensation on her head. It was so soothing, that she fell asleep instantly.

In her dream, she was being cradled by a cat. She sniffed with her little black nose, but she didn't recognise the smell. She began to cry out.

"Shh, shh. Little one. You are safe. There is no need to mew."

Satrkit couldn't help but be soothed by the mysterious cat. She pushed her nose into the cats fur, and began to purr.

Starkit woke suddenly from her dream. Her mothers toungue was rasping over her head, and her head was bobbing with it. She mewed out. That hurts! And, as if her mtoher had understood what she had thought, her tongue's strokes became more soothing. When her mother was done grooming her, Starkit opened her eyes. She was not in the same place she had seen before. It was light here, and the trees were shading her from the sun. She looked around to her mother, and she pushed her nose into her belly.

Later, he mother was speaking with her Father. Then Starkit felt her body being picked up again. Her scruff was hurting, but she knew that there was no other was for them to carry her.

She gazed out intot he forest. It was so beautiful, in the sunlight. But the cats seemed uneasy in the light. MoonClan were nocturnal.

But soon, as they kept on walking, she started to recognise the are that they were in. They were home! And as Starkit watched her mothers features change as Robinsong looked at the clearing, Starkit became sad.

When Robinsong set her down, she stared at her. "Mother, whats wrong?" Robinsongs eyes flew wide open as she looked at Starkit. "You... You can talk? Already?!"

Starkit was confused. "Yes" Then Robinsongs eyes narrowed. Then she spoke. "Well, its just that something bad has happened. Nothing for you to worry about though." She picked Starkit up again and then set her down beside Thristlekit and Rainkit. "You need to stay with Polentail for now."

Polentail looked at Robinsong. "Who are you talking to Robinsong?" And starkits mother looked down at Starkit. "Starkit. I'm just talking to her."

Polentails expression changed to amusement. "You weren't using a soothing voice. She wont understand you." But Robinsong ignored her. Starkit was confused by what Polentail had said. "Whats she talking about Mother?" Then Poelntail looked at Starkit with wide eyes. The she turned to Robinsong. "Robinsong! How can she talk already? And understand us?"

Robinsong , instead of looking at Polentail, stared at Starkit with a loving gaze, that Satrkit returned whie settling on the floor.

"I don't know, Polentail. She's special."

Starkit blinked her eyes open to the Moonlght dipping through the overhang of pines. She stared at the claw shape of the Moon in awe. How pretty! She stepped out of Polentails tail and sat in the middle of a patch of Moonlight, drinking in its light.

Then she turned her head as she heard cats approaching.
"Spring" a cat was muttering, "Always brings new kits.. But never this many!"

She didn't recognize the voice, but hen she saw two cats walk intothe nursary. A grey tabby she-cat with blue eyes, and a Brown tabby tom with green eyes. She looked at the she cat. She started to recognize the face.

Then the tom pressed lightly on her back to make her ly down. She lay, then, in a patch of moss. Is she going to have kits? And then Starkit nodded her head, in answer to her own little question. The cat she recognixed was Dawnspirit. And Dawnspirit was going to have kits!

Starkit twisted her head toward the entrance of the nursary when Shadowfang came in. He visits so much! She wactched as he dropped a peice of prey that he was holding at Polentails paws. Then he butted heads with her. And Starkit squinted, looking at Polentails belly, trying to spot Rainkit, who had become a friend of hers. She saw Rainkit looking down at two other bundles curled in Polentail. New kits? With who? She narrowed her eyes while she stared at Shadowfang. He's the father! Then she looked out of the nursary entrance and saw that Stoneclaw was loking in with narrowed eyes. Then he walked away.

Then, at a call from Foxstar, most of the cats in the den had went into the clearing. Starkit followed.

Since Dawnspirit had her kits, Frostkit and Eaglekit, Starkit had been being nursed by Dawnspirit. And Thristlekit was being nursed by Polentail. But Starkit knew why they were all gathering now. Thristle kit was born way before her. IT was time for Thristlekit to become Thristlepaw.

Starkit watched the appentice ceremony with awe. Basilheart had become Thristlepaws mentor. And as the cats split up again, Starkit spotted Stoneclaw following the Mentor and apprentice. Starkit picked up some of what he was saying, "Foxstars orders. She siad it would be good for when I'm a mentor" Basilheart had nodded, and the three cats went out into the Forest.

Starkit tousseled in her sleep. She was having the wierdest dream. Fires, Pines destroyed, the river flodded with junk. There was a thunderstorn, it roared in her ears. She saw four figures of cats sprinting across wide plains of tall grass, while the rain poured on them. Then, as she looked closer at the cats, she saw another figure of a cat appear beside the running ones. This cat had a suttle glow.

Then her eyes popped open. It was mid-day. She didn't like the sun on her eyes. She slunk away to the shadow of a pine tree. Starkit lifted a paw and licked it. Then her ear twitched as she picked up noise from behind her. She turned her head and saw a White and Tortoiseshell tom. It wasn't a cat she recognized, and not even the scent was anything she recognized. She opened her mouth to yelp an alarm tothe clan, but he toms eyes popped wide and he ran up to her and shoved his paw in her mouth.

"W..wWw.wWmm" Was all she could get out. She narrowed her eyes at the tom. He was looking around at the den, making sure no one had woken.Then he turned back to Starkit.

"Starkit, its not use." Then when he was sure that she was calm, he took his paw away from her mouth. She spit out fur that had gotten in her mouth and then she turned to the tom. "Why not? And how do you know my name?" She demanded.

The tom just licked his paw and then he stared at Starkit. He shrugged. "Because they wont be able to see me anyway, when they attack. You'll just make a total fool of your-self." then answering her second question, "I know your name because I've been waiting for you, Starkit."

She practically ignored his explaination for knowing her name.
"How come they wont be able to see you? I can see you?" And letting some of her humorous attitude come out, "What is this?" she said in a weird voice, but she really was wondering about it.

The Tortoiseshell looked up to the sky, and for the first time, Starkit saw a suttle glow around the tom. He looked back at her. "Because I'm dead."

Starkit stepped out of the nursary with the tom following her. She didnn't tunr back to see him as she got her frestkill, but she whispered to him, "Why are you following me?" She asked.

The tom shrugged. "No specific reason. Why, am I borthering you?" She shook her head. "Not nescissarily. Its just.. wierd.."

He smiled. "Well, then, if I'm not bothering you, I'll just stick around. Its not like anyone else can see me."

As if to prove what he said, Rainkit, runnung toward the pile, ran right through him. She had flinched when he ran through him, but she could see, now what he had meant. But I don't go right through him? And I can see him.... she whispered to him. "Whats your name, anyways?"

"Who are you whispering to, Starkit?" Rainkit was asking. He had this innocent voice that a normal kit his age should have.

Starkit froze. "No one Rainkit" then she bent down and took a bite of a mouse, waiting for the tom to speak.

He didn't dissapoint.
He watched her eat her food, and she was eyeing him, waiting.
"My name is Echo."

Starkit froze for a few seconds, but then she continued to eat her prey.

Starkit licked her lips when she finished her meal. She saw Echo eying it, and looking hungry. "Why don't you take some?" she asked, curious.

Echo shook his head. "You really think I'll be able to eat? Nothing has touched this mouth in many many years. Actually, your paw was the first since I've been dead." He looked down at her and smiled. "But I would give anything to have the feeling of fresh kill in my mouth again."

She nodded, not sympathising, but understanding. The joy of eating food was something that was hard to give up.

Echo stood up and started to walk toward the nursary, and Starkit jumpped up in alarm. "Where are you going?" she asked, catching up to him. She forgot that no one else could see him. So Echo idn't answer her, but kept on walking. And Silverheart, who she was close to at the moment, stared at her in question.

"Who are you speaking to Starkit?" she asked.

"I..I wa-" but she clamped her mouth closed. She looked in the direction that Echo had dissappeared to. Then she looked somberly back at Silverheart. "No-one Silverheart."

Silverheart nodded her head, but her eys were still full of question.

Starkit padded, tail down, back to the nursary. I wonder if I'll ever see him again. She wondered. Then she curled up with Frostkit and Eaglekit In the warm nook of Dawnspirits belly.