[/nyx.]

Username: /nyx.
Cat Name: (nameless)
Gender: ??? (referred to as an "it" and/or "vessel" — presumably male)
Rank: (rankless, considered a god/vessel)
Clan: Lé'echékyo
Age: (presumably) newborn
Prompt: [2694 words] (in which the cats focus on everything that probably doesn't relate to the actual prompt)

—

The wind whips at them. There is no snow, only wind. Wind and mud and ice, bits of frost that dig into their pelts, courtesy of the gale.

What a wonderful winter.

Or maybe it’s summer; they don’t really know. With how the stormy stratus clouds cloak the skies, they haven’t been able to tell.

“Walk faster!” Summoner Sovereignty, better known as Reign, commands. Six others trail behind him, heads down to protect from flying shards of debris. The land is brittle beneath their paws; it’s like walking on nettles — it stings.

Beneath his breath, Indigo whispers an enchantment to harden his paws. Most others follow suit. Sovereign doesn’t. This mission is punishment. His Unit only follows him due to a flawed sense of loyalty.

And then suddenly, it is night. The sun — previously hidden behind the clouds — disappears completely, as if someone flipped a switch. As if this was a fun simulation game controlled by a psychopath.

Sovereign clenches his teeth. He stops walking.

Unit 3G silences.

“What happened?” Hunter Onyx asks, voice barely audible over the wind — the wind that is no longer whipping. The wind that is now shrieking,

“I’m not sure!” Sovereign yells. A pebble-sized rock knocks into his jaw for the effort. He spits it out with a wince. Like his paws, now it stings. He thinks he can taste blood, but he’s not entirely sure.

Garnet whispers an incarnation, one that surrounds the cats with wards. A glowing shield envelops them. The wind silences. The pain stops. More than one feline breathes a sigh of relief.

“Thank you,” some murmur. Garnet inclines her head.

For a moment, they stand still, relishing the quiet. “I’m not sure what to do,” Sovereign admits. “We’re lost.”

Hunter Palma’s eyes fill with concern. “Have you lost connection with Rio?” Rio, being the codename of Scepter, Sovereign’s incanter. Simply put, the other half of Sovereign's soul.

Sovereign reminds himself to breathe. “As stupid as it is, I can’t hear him over the windstorm.”

“Can you hear him now?” Hunter Tourmaline inquires.

“I can,” Sovereign acknowledges — thank Garnet for her skill with wards. Reign? Rio is calling. Can you hear me? I swear, just reverse summon 3G! Surely there’s been a mistake; this is Ryker-level and you know it. Please, Reign, come back home. You are going to get yourself killed! Reign… can you even hear me? I’m — there’s something wrong with this place; it’s not in the Archives; it’s not natural—

The connection fizzles back out. “Nevermind,” Sovereign corrects. “I can’t hear him anymore.”

The cats of Unit 3G stiffen with unease. The bond between Summoners and Incanters — known as a Reil — is undoubtedly the most powerful magick to exist (excluding the abilities of certain gods). For something as simple as a windstorm to interfere with it…

“The windstorm—something’s wrong with it,” Onyx says aloud.

Sovereign tries very hard not to think about Rio’s warnings.

But then: Something’s wrong with it, the wind whispers. The cats of Unit 3G freeze.

Something’s wrong with it! It’s healthy… it’s just not right.

“Garnet,” Sovereign asks, turning to the runner. “Are the wards down?” If they aren’t, then it should be nigh impossible to hear anything from the other side.

“The wards are still up,” Garnet replies. Moons of training hide the Unit’s terror.

Indigo looks around. “There’s a blizzard,” he mutters, looking beyond the protective shield. Note: he doesn’t mean a literal blizzard.

Help me, please! Please! It’s healthy… it’s just not right!

Suddenly, something explodes. A flash flood of magick races away from its origins; it breaks through the wards and nearly suffocates the felines. Mud and ice crashes down around them; the wind continuously shifts from howling like wolves to shrieking like a banshee.

Sovereign curses. This entire mission is a nightmare, some convoluted mind-game. Shards rip past his fur and into his skin. He’s pushed back a tail-length, but manages to stay on his paws, at least. In the midst of it all, the origin point of the explosion shines like a beacon.

The entire disaster takes place within the span of a few seconds.

He, for the second time that night, reminds himself to breathe.

“Is everyone alright?” Sovereign asks, daring to take his eyes off the beacon. His teammates are in various states of healing, but they’re so used to this that Sovereign almost misses Palma casting a spell to heal the summoner’s wounds. “Thank you,” he mutters as the pain fades.

Viper laughs bitterly. “At least we know where our destination is,” she points out. Honestly, the beacon couldn’t be any more obvious.

“What could have possibly caused such a large explosion?” Tourmaline wonders.

Her brother Onyx replies, “Frankly, I don’t want to know.”

Unfortunately for Unit 3G, they don’t have much of a choice. Failed missions almost always end in execution.

“At least the wind’s stopped,” Sovereign decides. Although he still can’t hear Rio — it’s genuinely worrying him, not being able to communicate with his incanter, but unless they ask, his Unit doesn’t need to know that. “If everyone’s ready, then let’s go.”

—

Minutes after the explosion, the beacon finally disappears. Sovereign waits for his eyes to adjust to darkness, then leads on. 3G doesn’t need the beacon to guide them — it’s like hunting, but easier. The magick is oversaturated; it reeks stronger than a skunk on a bad day.

—

A dog-sized cat drowning in fur sits beside a crater. She grins at Sovereign’s team, displaying an intimidating set of fangs.

Sovereign represses a shiver.

Without moving her maw from that creepy grin, she purrs, Something’s wrong with it. It’s healthy… it’s just not right. Sliding her paw to the side, the dog-cat reveals a... thing.

Tourmaline presses forward and scrutinizes it, then scrunches her nose. “That’s putting it lightly,” she scoffs. “It’s more than ‘not right’ — it’s broken.“

Sovereign bites back a retort in the thing’s defense. As rude as it sounds, Tourmaline’s not wrong. Whatever the creature did to itself, its flow of magick isn’t... right, for lack of better term. Technically, the kit is healthy. The explosion likely tired it out, hence its current state. That being said—

“Why did it blow? Can it not channel magick normally?”

The dog-cat licks her fangs. It can… not. Too young. Eventually, I teach it.

Palma shakes his head in disbelief — Sovereign feels for him. While his Unit has been in their fair share of unprecedentedly illogical predicaments, it doesn’t feel remotely less strange each time.

Indigo comments warily, “I thought the gods were all dead.”

Onyx replies, “They can die, but their magick doesn’t fade. It just resettles in the closest living vessel, or into the earth if no one’s around.”

Weakly, the kit mewls.

Tourmaline hisses in alarm at her team, “You’re telling me that that thing is a god?”

“Yes?” Sovereign answers, surprised that Tourmaline doesn’t know. “It wasn't born a god, which is why it’s having trouble channeling the magick, but for all intents and purposes, it does have the powers of a god.”

He turns to the dog-cat and beats down his fear. “How long has it been?” Sovereign asks.

The dog-cat blinks, and for a moment the summoner thinks its pupils flash red. First discharge.

First?! Soverign’s stomach flips. No, no way. That flood of magic, the banshee wind, the raining stones — those are the results of the first discharge. The next explosion will be twice as powerful, then thrice…

“We’re all gonna die,” Onyx realizes, taking the words straight from Sovereign’s mouth.

In theory, meeting a god is an honor. In practice, it’s anything but.

Rio was right: this place is unnatural. Why? Because it probably doesn’t even exist, hence the windstorm and the faltering Reil. Unit 3G is currently in some alternate plane of the universe dictated fully by magick — wild magick, mind you, under control of a newborn god.

Sovereign lets that sink in, then mentally curses.

“Maybe we’re thinking about this the wrong way,” Palma is saying as Sovereign recollects himself. “Maybe we shouldn’t be thinking about the future discharge—” everyone disagrees, but they don’t interrupt out of politeness “—how about… like, where did the kit come from? Why is it here? How and/or why did the portal send us to a theoretically nonexistent plane?”

Those are actually good questions, and ones that 3G can try to answer.

“For starters,” Onyx says, “we all know that the dog-cat isn’t it’s mother.”

Indigo argues, “She could be — there are no rules against followers having children.”

“Then it’s magickal tolerance wouldn’t be so low,” Viper interrupts, “and the entire plane wouldn’t have been wiped. We wouldn’t need to be here.”

“Is it wiped?” Sovereign questions. His Unit turns to face him. “Just because we can’t sense any signatures doesn’t mean that there aren’t others alive. They might be masked.” He sincerely doubts that the death of a god can wipe out said god’s entire dimension. Surely, it would be warded from that.

“If this is an original plane, then why make a kitten the ascendant?” Indigo muses. “Why risk discharges when there are stronger vessels out there?”

“Where are the other attendants?” Onyx asks. “Why only one to guard the kit?”

Tourmaline raises a paw, only speaking once Sovereign nods in her direction, “I can’t recall if this has been brought up yet, but which god exactly are we talking about?”

Unbeknownst to the felines, the dog-cat’s grin grows wider. She covers the kitten beneath her fur, hiding it from danger.

“The god…” Sovereign frowns.

“Don’t tell me that — not only are we stuck in an original dimension — but also one that’s undefined?”[ Tourmaline shrieks. More than one feline tenses at the hunter’s tone.

Garnet glares at her sister. “Hush, Tigerauge,” she snaps. To the rest of 3G, she says, “We are off point. Yes, we have been transported to an original plane. Yes, it makes little sense. Stop dwelling on it. More importantly, how many hours have passed? What will we eat? Where will we sleep? The rules of survival do not apply to alternate spaces. We must figure it out.”

If Sovereign had hands, he would be clapping like a human. “Good, Runner Garnet,” the summoner applauds. “She is right: we keep getting swept off our path. Remember, it was day when we landed in a treacherous storm of ice and mud. Now it is night and we are arguing about the rationality of gods. More importantly: is anyone hungry?”

The travelers glance at each other, realizing with a start that, no, they’re not, and that doesn’t make sense.

“Is anyone tired?” Sovereign tries. “Magickly exhausted?”

Once again, the answer is a unanimous no.

Sovereign sighs. “So it’s not just me. By the way, base claim.”

—

The next hour is a flurry of movement. Under Sovereign’s command, Unit 3G creates a stable, temporary den. Rather than risking magickal exhaustion, they use magick stolen (or borrowed depending on how you look at it) from the original plane’s unnatural reservoir.

Despite the music they make, the dog-cat and the god-kit stay out of their way. The dog-cat stands guard while the god-kit sleeps — it’s been sleeping for hours, but no one feels the need to point that out.

Once everything’s ready, Sovereign approaches the dog-cat. “Attendant,” he greets politely, for all travelers are brought up on old tales — tales where attendants look like cats, but turn into demons to devour ungrateful souls. As for the gods? Well, they’re even worse. God magicks are most often volatile, and one clan is nothing in the eyes of a god. “How does the vessel do?”

The dog-cat grins once more, all fangs and danger. Something’s wrong with it, the dog-cat repeats. It’s healthy… it’s just not right. HeLP mE. This time, Sovereign swears her eyes flash red.

“We will help,” Sovereign assures the dog-cat, “but not right now. Your magic is useful, but suppressing our senses will only cause us to collapse halfway through the job. Please release your grasp on us — I doubt that my Unit noticed you masking it in the first place.”

The dog-cat cocks her fluffy head, and the spell breaks; Sovereign fails to hide a gasp as hours of wariness descends upon him. His eyes flutter closed, but he forces them open — into the den before he sleeps.

Palma finds the summoner as he enters the wood-based building. “What was that?” the hunter murmurs. The rest of his Unit either acknowledges their conversation or proves that they’re already fast asleep. Sovereign doesn’t blame them, least of all Garnet. She held up most of the wards earlier, and without any help, either.

“Sorry,” the summoner replies eventually. “It was a level twelve spell.”

If Palma had the energy to wince, Sovereign knows he would — even the most experienced casters rarely attempt a level ten. For normal felines, level fourteen results in immediate death. Level eighteen gets into dark magick and necromancy. The wards Garnet uses are only level four and they’re already draining.

Instead, the hunter nods and sinks into his nest. Viper blinks at Sovereign, presumably waiting for instructions. “Go to sleep,” the summoner commands. “All of you, just sleep. The kit-god can wait until we can all think straight.”

With that, Sovereign takes his own advice. Later, he’ll realize that it’s the best sleep he’s had in years.

—

tl;dr: Unit 3G meets a broken magical kitten-aged god who is protected by a demon but they don’t care; they just desperately want to sleep — the demon and the kitten can wait

recap / overview / other info / etc:
• Unit 3G consists of eight members:
iiiiiii- Summoner Sovereign (Reign)
iiiiiii- Incanter Scepter (Rio)
iiiiiii- Hunters Palmetto (Palma), Onicolo (Onyx), Tigerauge (Tourmaline), and Viper
iiiiiii- and Runners Akerit (Garnet) and Indigo
• they find themselves stranded in an “original plane” — basically, an alternate dimension that doubles as the residence of a god
• after walking through windstorm (that flings mud and ice shards at them), something explodes
• the explosion turns out to be the “new vessel’s first discharge”
• once a god dies, their magick resettles in the closest living thing, which becomes its “new vessel”
• oftentimes, the vessel cannot handle all this extra magick, so it “discharges” the magick in violent bursts
• the new vessel in this case is a newborn kitten who’s protected by a cat-like, dog-sized demon
• the demon asks 3G to help the kitten-god, but after hours of nonstop travel (and after dealing with the effects of being caught in a discharge), Summoner Sovereign decides that enough is enough and allows 3G to get some desperately-needed rest instead
• note: “base claim” is a command loosely translating to “congrats, we’re in the middle of nowhere; we need a den or something defendable to rest in — let’s make one out of magick”
• also note: “base claim” is very rarely used; more common is “base mark” where the den already exists (a cave, an burrow, etc..) — rather than creating one from scratch, the cats “mark” the structure as theirs

—

mystery checklist: (conclusions)
• the demon is likely not the kitten’s mother
• there is something wrong with the kitten other than its magick

mystery checklist: (questions)
• who is this strange kit? what’s wrong with it?
• why make a kit a vessel when there are (presumably) more suitable felines around?
• why is the kit guarded by a demon? who exactly is said demon?
• where is everyone else? why are the two alone? surely, there should be others around?
• for what reason did 3G stumble upon them? theoretically, this dimension doesn’t exist — 3G’s involvement must’ve been planned somehow; it wasn’t an accident
• gods are nigh immortal — who is the former god? how did the former god die?

[mothbrainz]

Weeks have passed since the 'wrong' kit was brought to your camp, though you can't recall many of the details. Did the adult it had been with follow? If she had, she's long gone - and a soft of brainfog has settled over your clan in her wake.

The kitten has grown, dark points developing on its extremities with paler speckling overtop them. Its eyes, now open, are wide and purple, not the usual kitten blue. Though not able to talk yet, it squeaks and beeps when approached, seemingly healthy.

Something stirs within you. You strike out one day, kitten in tow, perhaps with permission but perhaps without. A scent pulls at you, and you follow it, nose to the ground like a tracking dog as the kitten waddles behind on short legs.

At the end of the trail is a golden-colored she-cat, emanating the scent of kitten-milk and fury.

Note - if minor details of this entry conflict with your entry's worldbuilding, you may alter them slightly!

[mothbrainz]

ROUND 2 BEGINS!

Prompt here
NPC 1 here
NPC 2 here
1500 growth here

[Archaeopteryx.]

Username: MutatedCry
Cat Name: Moonlight
Gender: Female
Rank: Kit
Clan: Clan of Eternal Sun
Age: 2 moons
Prompt:
Prompt 1

For the second time since the mysterious kitten had arrived, the darkness stirred, slinking like a strange, unnatural cat, padding through the drowsy Clan as they made the most of the cool hours of the day.

But this time, Obsidianwatcher slept on, curled around her two slumbering kittens. Unaware of the way the darkness nipped at their ear, urging them to stir. But they slept on, simply flicking an ear and shifting slightly to curl more tightly around their kittens.

That was alright. There was more than one character to this story. And so the night turned its attention to a small, dark figure slipping out of the Shelter, a small white shape on his heels. Engrossed in his thoughts, he didn't even notice the kitten toddling along behind him, making a beeline out into the night and away from the stifling atmosphere of the Shelter. Honeybreeze had no right to treat him like a kit—

He crested a hill and slowed, trying to quell the trembling in his limbs.

His scar hurt, like it always did, but the night breeze was cold against his pelt, whispering quiet apologies into his ear. It was nice out here, with nothing but the stars watching him. Somewhere amidst his anger and frustration he felt a spark of longing, of wondering whether his mother had been right and if their ancestors really walked among the stars. Were his family looking down on him, even now? Did they remember him?

A quiet meep startled Buckwheat out of his thoughts, and he finally realized he hadn't left the Shelter alone. "Little light," He hissed, but not unkindly, "You aren't supposed to be out here! C'mon, let's head back before we get in even more trouble."

She stared up at him, starlight reflected in her purple eyes, and he saw himself in her gaze.

He also saw as darkness engulfed them, starlight snuffed out.

A heavy weight dropped on Buckwheat, nearly knocking him to the sand. Terror threatened to choke him, waves of panic sweeping him off his paws. He spotted Moonlight out of the corner of his eye as claws dug into his scruff, and the half-remembered basics of warrior training finally kicked in as he began to twist out of his attacker's grip.

A lucky kick nailed his assailant in the stomach, and the claws digging into his back loosened. He lashed out, scrambling to use his body to shield the tiny kit from any harm. Adrenaline made him shaky and light-headed, but he still hissed furiously, keeping the other cat in his vision.

"Kit-stealer!" The stranger screeched, stumbling back to her feet. "Kit-stealing, low-life, pieces of filth! I'm going to tear—"

Wait!" Buckwheat cried out, as milk-scent and fury drifted towards him on the wind. "We didn't steal her!"

The cat hesitated, and Buckwheat saw a hint of hesitance flicker across her face, then recognition. And with a sickening sense of dread and nostalgia, Buckwheat realized he knew this cat.

"...Tansypaw?"

He flinched, opening his mouth to explain, but the other cat beat him to it. Suddenly she was towering over him, easily twice his size. Her fury had not died down, only shifted its course, and his fur bristled at her sickly-sweet soothing tone."Come on, Tansypaw," She said, determined. "Let's get you two out of here, alright? You can explain more on the way back home—"

"Our home is gone, Sugarclaw," Buckwheat hissed, feeling the fur on his back rise. "You would've known that if you had bothered to stick around!"

She actually hesitates at that, eyes darting from Buckwheat's good eye, to the scar spiderwebbing across his pelt. "...You have to be mistaken. They can't be gone. Did you look for them at all?"

And the anger Buckwheat had been keeping bay snapped. "And how would you know? If I recall, you abandoned your family to go wandering with—"

"—Don't you dare lecture me, kit—"

"My name is Buckwheat, not Tansypaw!" He shouted, digging his claws into the sand. "And quit treating me like a child! You're not my star-cursed Clanmate anymore, you stopped being that the instant you left my sister behind. You want this kitten back? Then you come back to my Clan, the Clan who's been taking care of her this whole time, and you speak to them like a rational adult instead of turning tail like you always do."

Silence rang through the desert, a cold wind howling between the two cats. Sugarclaw's eyes narrowed, starlight glistening in the corners. Behind Buckwheat, Moonlight shivered, drawing close to his leg.

He pointedly turned away, delicately picking Moonlight up. She shivered, kitten fur fluffed against the desert night air, and without looking back, he set off on a brisk pace back towards the Shelter. Honeybreeze's constant, low-simmering anger suddenly felt moons better than staying by his old Clanmate any longer.

Of course, he wasn't lucky enough to leave her behind. He felt more than saw her trot up besides him, sand-colored fur blocking out some of the stars above. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her open her mouth, and then close it again. Good. He didn't want to hear anything she had to say.

When the Shelter finally became more than a dot on the horizon, Buckwheat breathed a sigh of relief. His skin prickled at the proximity of the large, golden cat, and he wanted to be out of her range before she decided to attack him again. Every brush of the wind made him jump, every glint turned into sharp claws lunging at him—

"There you are, Buckwheat!" The voice made him jump, the sandy pelt of Honeybreeze suddenly appearing in his vision. "Look, I know I was harsh—"

"I would like my kits back now."

Buckwheat looked up at Sugarclaw incredulously.

Honeybreeze blinked at Sugarclaw, glancing down to Buckwheat and Moonlight. "Moonlight's one of yours?" She asked, casually moving to put her body between the two smaller cats and the much larger Sugarclaw. Internally, he breathed a sigh of relief, vowing to never take her aggressive nature for granted ever again.

"I would like to speak to your leader, please."

"There is no leader here."

Sugarclaw fell quiet at that, eyes glinting over Honeybreeze and staring into Buckwheat's soul. The vision in his bad eye flickered and he hissed, screwing it shut.

"Buckwheat?" He heard the unusually soft voice of his Clanmate. Only then did he realize he was trembling, and that Honeybreeze looked down on him with something gentle and protective in her gaze. "How about you go inside? I'll take care of this."

With a quick and jerky dip of his head, he slipped into the Shelter and slunk to the back, close to where Glassheart always slept. His paws shook as arguing started up again, yelling something about kits and abandonment and trespassing and assault, but he didn't want to hear it anymore. He just wanted the night to be over, wanted to sleep until the walking reminder that his Clan was gone had left.

A small, warm and fuzzy weight flopped down on his curled flank, and he opened an eye to see the white flecked fur of Moonlight's pelt nestled into the small crook his body made. Silently, he readjusted himself to a position that would make the tiny kitten more comfortable.

Slowly, his breath began to even out, and sleep began to creep up on him. "I don't know if she's your mom," He murmured to the tiny kit, "But I won't let her leave you all alone, too. You're a bit like me, aren't you? Both of us left behind, and we both have something wrong with us."

Moonlight, too young to understand anything of what was going on, let out a squeaky purr.

The darkness flickered, momentarily appeased.

Everything would be revealed in due time.

[1,311 words]

[miraphoenix]

Username: miraphoenix
Cat Name: Mistkit
Gender: Nonbinary [he/they]
Rank: tbd
Clan: Havenclan
Age: ~2-3 moons; slightly larger nugget
Prompt:
Part 1

Autumn was the time for frolicking, and there were no cats better equipped for it than the Starlitter, as the clan referred to the quartet of Stargift’s kits. Preternaturally large and agile, the four had just become apprentices, and were taking full advantage of their newfound freedoms, the distraction of the fall salmon run… And of the strange distraction that seemed to have fallen across the camp.

“Come on, Heart! It’s a beautiful day and you want to stay here and count herbs?”
The voice was that of Seapaw, her blue fur fluttering in the breeze that curled around the massive trunk of Forest’s Heart.

“I mean, not really…” Heartpaw began, scrunching their nose.

“Then let’s go!” their sibling insisted, shoving them in the shoulder with her head.

“Alright, alright! You go find Alder, and I’ll get Siskin; meet back here, and we’ll head out?”

In agreement at last, the two apprentices bounced off to find their other siblings, vanishing into the twisted tangle of roots and bark that led into secret places within the great clan tree.

~~~

Four sets of young paws crunched through the fallen maple leaves, kicking up the duff in clouds as the quartet raced and jumped through autumn’s fallen glories. The path towards the river was well-lined in the twisted, moss-covered limbs of hemlock and young cedar, and the four took turns scaling the bark to jump into the piles of leaves with crashes and laughter.

No-one had seen the four slip away from camp into the forest, and the four could play without the expectations of adults, or of older apprentices. Nothing could be better than this, and as Alderpaw and Seapaw wrestled in the leaves, Siskinpaw leaned back and began to hum an idle, happy song, Heartpaw providing the rhythm.

A soft, squeaky meow joined in the harmony.

Alderpaw and Seapaw froze in mid-slap as Siskinpaw’s song died away. It was Heartpaw who saw the source of the sound first, their eyes wide.

They called themselves a quartet, but they did have an honorary sibling; Mistkit, the newest—and youngest—member of Havenclan. Between his age and coloration, the young cat was unmistakable, his dark points and white fur, and his bright purple eyes.

“What… What’re you doing out here?” Alderpaw asked, dumbfounded that the kitten had somehow managed to follow them all the way out here, without any of them noticing. She shook her head as if to clear a fog; nothing seemed to make sense about this situation.

For his part, Mistkit just beeped back, sitting in the leaves seemingly without a care in the world.
The apprentices looked at each other, concerned. While Havenclan was used to their sneaking off, it was different to have a kit of not yet three moons unaccounted for.

“What should we do? Should we head back?” Heartpaw broke the silence first, looking nervously around before scooping Mistkit close. The young kitten didn’t seem at all concerned, batting at a fallen leaf with clumsy paws.

“I… I guess we should? But how’re we gonna tell the clan that this was an accident?” Siskinpaw answered, his brow furrowed. “It’s not like we took them out here; we didn’t even notice that he was following us.”

The four were quiet for another moment. How had they not noticed? A kitten wasn’t exactly a creature of stealth, but yet none of them had the faintest clue how Mistkit had managed to follow them undetected halfway to the river.

“Turning around, then? I guess Heart, if you want to think up a good way to explain this…” Seakit started, then stopped, sniffing at the air.
“Does anyone else…?”

“Smell that? I do,” Siskinpaw agreed, his whiskers twitching. “Smells like a strange cat…”

~~~

A leaf crunched, and all four apprentices jumped, the fur on their shoulders raising in surprise as they turned to face the sound.
There was a strange cat there, and her face was a mask of rage, teal eyes narrowed and golden fur bristling out like wildfire. She smelled like the caretakers’ burrow, warm and milk-touched, but the fury in her stance was plain to see.

“Wh-who are you?” Heartpaw called out, a quaver of fear in their voice. Every instinct told them to run, but with their three—four—siblings at their back, they had some belief in bravery.

“Give me back the kit,” the she-cat snarled, taking a step forward. Despite the fury in her eyes, there was an uncertainty in her movements; with all of her rage, it did not seem she had expected to find her target in the company of young cats barely out of kithood themselves.

At her demand, the Starlitter circled around Mistkit, their backs arched and their tails bushed out like the seedheads of rushes.
“Not until you tell us who you are!” Seapaw yowled back, fear and protective anger of her own flashing in her eyes and words. At her side, her siblings nodded in unison, keeping Mistkit between their bodies.

The she-cat pursed her lips and sheathed her claws with a frustrated snarl; despite the theft, these not-kits were ignorant, and had parents of their own somewhere that would feel the same wrath at their injury as she felt in the moment.
“Fine, then,” she spat back, gathering her thoughts. “I am Roselight; if you will not give me the cat, take me to your clan. I will negotiate with those who have actual power.”

Seapaw’s fur bristled, and Heartpaw swatted their sibling on the shoulder with a claw-sheathed paw to stop her from saying something that the group would regret.

“Should we take her to camp? What if she—”
Alderpaw never got to finish the sentence, as a Havenclan scouting party melted out of the undergrowth around them. It seemed Mistkit’s absence had been noticed after all.

“Back away from the apprentices. Now.”
The voice was Herringfern’s, and by the set of the tall warrior’s jaw and ears, they were not willing to take no for an answer. Behind them, Kelpfloat and Bitterntuft emerged from the bushes to make sure none of the young cats were injured, while Strawberryvine watched balefully from a limb overhead, staring down at the strange cat with bright eyes.

Seeing that she was outnumbered, Roselight took several steps backwards.
“I was not going to harm them,” she stated, and the anger was still audible in her words. “I had just finished telling them that if they would not hand over the kit, to take me to their clan so I could negotiate.”

Herringfern looked up at Strawberryvine, a quick gesture as communication passed between the two. Satisfied, they sheathed their claws and nodded.
“Come with us, then. We are Havenclan; we will take you to meet Hawkstar. You can present your case to them, and we will convene for a decision.”

Roselight’s eyes narrowed, but it was clear that this was not the time for causing a stir.
“Alright. I will come with you… For now.”

With Herringfern leading the way, the group headed back towards the shelter of the mighty cedar the clan called home. Roselight was watched carefully by Strawberryvine, and the remainder of the patrol circled the young cats, Mistkit carried by Kelpfloat so he would not be left behind.
As they walked, the Starlitter shared anxious glances with each other; what had they gotten themselves into this time?

[1233 words]

[aglassman]

Username: Aglassman 163733
Cat Name: Dog
Gender: ?
Rank: Kitten
Clan: Shattered StoneClan
Age: Kitten
Prompt:

Silver Dollar scrabbled desperately at the window frame, desperately trying to loosen the wobbly latch with her teeth. She had never tried to escape before, but she had seen the humans do it often enough that no kitten was allowed near the kitchen window. But this was no kitten. The longhaired cat glanced, whale-eyed, back at the tiny creature, the moonlight grazing its soft white fur serving only to highlight the awful shadow that loomed in the dark around it. One by one Fontaine’s new litter had faded, each of their tiny bodies failing in turn, as this thing suckled. And when there was just the one left by sleeping Fontaine’s side, it had revealed its true nature to her.

Head buzzing with acrid static, Silver Dollar could scarcely bear to remember what exactly had set her off just a few minutes before.
“Dolly…”
A shadow?
“You’re still up…?”
There! Bigger than before!
That shadow!
The beast!
“Where are you going?”
Terror! The beast! The beast!

Dizzy with fear, the world lurched around Silver Dollar, and she barely caught herself from tumbling headfirst through the now-open window. Heart pounding, she dove her flat muzzle into the whirling cloud of shadow and nearly flung the silent kitten with her out into the night. She didn’t know where she was going, but she had to get it as far away from here as possible.

Freed from the confines of the Twoleg nest, the beastly shadow around Silver Dollar and the kitten loomed large enough to blot out the moon. Buzzing and hissing, it boiled and stung at the kittypet’s heels like angry mayflies as she dashed erraticly through the unfamiliar streets, leaving a heavy blanket of mind-numbing fog to settle over the neighborhood.

Through the open window, a pair of black-and-green eyes cut through the haze like malachite knives.

---
Later that night, Granite paced in tight circles, his clenched claws tapping quietly against the dumpster’s lid. The otherwise empty alley glittered lightly with the remains of the broken Twoleg waste that he had smacked clean into the concrete wall. Even enforcer Cottonmouth, usually so eager to please during his shifts as bouncer, had wisely disappeared. The rogue boss was livid.

When Delilah had declared that she was going to raise her kittens on the streets, Granite gave the vain bruiser three days until she got bored playing house and came home. But after weeks of silence, he finally gets word that she’s holed up with Mother Goose Thrushfur, and what’s worse, she’d somehow inspired that lost kitten Gravel to defect with her! He couldn’t afford to have those two off wasting time hunting for who-knows-how-many farm brats, not when they were needed at home! The carefully-crafted web of control that Granite had woven for himself and his kin was tumbling apart, and Delilah had pulled the first string.
“Rubblestomp!” he shouted at the moon, just visible in the narrow alley sky. “Where are you, dammit!”

In response, the wind whistled just a whisker more quietly and a shadowy cat slipped up the dumpster and brushed smoothly against Granite’s side. The small ticked tabby flinched at the cold touch, then huffed, now more exasperated than angry. “You’re here. Where have you been all night? I needed you.”

“You’re in luck, my leader. There is an empty nest at the Little Ghost’s foster,” Granite’s advisor chuckled to himself, as if at a private joke. “A new mother there just tragically lost her litter. Her entire litter. How fortuitous that there is a warm, safe home for Delilah’s kits, despite the girl’s insistence that she deliver them in a ditch. I am sure that the grieving mother would not hesitate to take them in. Send Cottonmouth in the morning.”

Granite closed his eyes, slumping fluidly to a seat. The old cat had done it again: anticipating his needs before he even knew to voice them and vanishing like a magic spell to resolve them. Lucky indeed… he thought ruefully as he tried unsuccessfully to roll out the knot between his shoulderblades. But even luck wouldn’t be able to keep this machine running forever.

“What would I possibly do without you?”

---

The next few weeks were tense for everybody, save perhaps the prodigal mother herself. As The Stones’ silver-tongued enforcer failed, infuriatingly, to contact either Delilah or her kittens’ “new” mother, the ragtag group of cats operating out of Thrushfur’s barn had troubles of their own.

After, well, (nobody could agree on her features anymore but) it must have been somebody who dropped the strange purple-eyed kitten named Dog on their doorstep--after they had vanished without a trace, Charlie was inconsolable. It’s strange that memories of a bitter argument linger so clearly, even when everything else has faded, isn’t it? She had said terrible things to Thrushfur, and she had been wrong. Whoever had delivered the kitten wasn’t its mother… No mother would willingly abandon her newborn, even to such capable paws as Thrushfur’s. And as for Thrushfur, the two old cats had found every reason to avoid each others’ company as the dust settled, but Charlie had still been shocked and concerned as the rest of the clan when Thrushfur had left for a day’s journey to consult with a colleague about the kits’ unusual conditions and never returned. Now, days later, young Celeryseed has taken charge where he could, but Cherviltail was at the end of her rope without her mother’s guidance, and the everpresent threat of the farmer’s attention only worsened as more adults now than kittens resided in the barn’s loft.

On this particular morning, Charlie had been left to her own devices. Celeryseed was out with Cherviltail and Gravel looking for a new place that they could camp, and they had quietly left without waking her. More and more frequently now, Celeryseed was gently finding reasons for the old cat to stay home and rest. They pitied her, she knew. It was miserable. Up in the loft, Whistlingwren and Delilah were resting in the brief, quiet moments before the kittens awoke. They wouldn’t want her around either. She could see clearly enough how shy those two were with each other even without a sad old widow getting in the way. Charlie turned to pad out the barn door, squinting into the rising sun. She could still hunt, at least.

But as the morning fog burned away--and was it really morning fog at all?--she stumbled over a fluffy kitten seated in the middle of the doorway like a little doll. Dog turned their big, violet eyes towards Charlie’s and beeped matter-of-factly as a squadron of cats emerged over the hill like a mirage. Snippets of their voices travelled:

“I want to thank you again, Miss Fontaine, for accompanying us out here. I know it must be difficult for you…”

“...But I assure you, once you see them, you’ll just fall in…”

“...And here we are. Delilaaaaoooh no. Of all the rotten--” but the small, dark cat that led the group snapped his mouth shut as the bereft sunshine queen streaked out in front of him as she laid her eyes on Dog.

“That’s them! That’s my baby!” she mewed joyfully, before clarity slammed into her eyes like ice walls. Charlie stood frozen like a lost fawn as Fontaine turned back to Granite, dripping venom. “I thought they were all dead! You… you lied to me!”

Is this Dog’s mother? Dog’s true mother?

“I assure you, I believed that your children were deceased as well,” Granite replied through clenched teeth, his tail twitching.

But Fontaine had already turned back towards the barn, her eyes flicking back and forth as if she were reading a book being written in front of her. “Why do you have my kitten? Dolly told me that… Dolly didn’t tell me anything. Why did Dolly have my kitten? Who are you? What have you done to me?”

And with that anguished wail, suddenly Charlie could remember too. The big grey cat carrying the tiny white kitten in the dead of night. A yowl of shock from above told her that Delilah and Whistlingwren had regained their memories as well. In horror, she watched as Granite followed her involuntary glance up to the loft, and to Delilah and her kits, peering over the edge. “Nevertheless, Delilah, it seems that you have something I want.”

---

On the other side of the valley, Thrushfur’s head snapped up in sync with her old friend Wintergreen’s. The white cat’s perpetually wide, emerald eyes met hers. “You’re awake again. Quick, we must leave. Something is about to go terribly wrong.”

[1450 words]

[lovage]

Username: lovage
Cat Name: x
Gender: tom
Rank: kit
Clan: fogclan
Age: four moons
Prompt:
jayflight could still remember that horrid cold as the warm newleaf sun warmed her coat. the sounds of snow and wind, though not visible, echoed about the depths of the cave as the two opposing sides sat anxious of each other. days grew long yet the cave kept them decently warm and a little bit fed on winged creatures like birds. the queen had called “bats” when jayflight came back with two. those pests were hard to catch the first time she explored the deeper depths, but with practice, she brought back enough to not them starve in that cave.

however, time was running out for the group as the blizzard raged on. the mysterious group didn’t return and the queen was growing anxious by each passing hour. so, the queen left them on the lie that she was going out to find the remainder of her group and possibly some different and better tasting freshkill. then as jayflight expected, she abandoned the “ill” kit upon them and refused to return after two days.

the group returned to camp with the kit when it was certain that they couldn’t stay anymore. and now, that kit sat across from jayflight in the clearing. their pelt had become black at points slowly but surely. it at first confused the two healers and it drove the pair insane. they needed an answer yet couldn’t come up with one. so, when their resources were done with, they left for the marsh walker’s medicine cat who didn’t have any answers for them.

the kit remained healthy and like the other kits within the clan, so the healers left it be for now. yet, from what flamepaw has told jayflight, they still didn’t feel like they had the proper answer for this kit who always frolicked before the nursery.

jayflight looked upon the kit as she noticed cloversong approaching. “the snow is melting,” cloversong said as she dipped her head in greeting. cloversong was right about that. the mountains that sat off in the distance had the snow covered peaks starting to receded in the new heat.

“why are you bring that up?”

“you need to seek out the group if they remain up there,” cloversong said. her gaze was saddened as she looked upon the mountains. “i doubt that they even remain but this kit must be returned to their proper group.”

“what’s so great about them? that she-cat dumped an entire kit on us and left without a trace. i’m not trusting them with the kit,” jayflight growled. she still had some grief with that she-cat.

“it is your mission, jayflight. your duties come before your beliefs right now,” cloversong warned. “i expect you to be truthful when you report back to the council on your findings.”

“yes, council member. i understand and apologize,” jayflight murmured. “when does it begin?”

“you set off after a meal, jayflight,” cloversong said. she turned away from the disgruntled jayflight.

grabbing a piece of freshkill and gulping it down quickly, she got up to leave the camp. glancing back at the kit, she saw the kit who she wished to keep upon a lie yet her duties come first.

the forest was nice that day and calm so her guard was down until a strange scent of heavy stone mixed with milk lingered in the air. intruders, she abandoned her path to chase off after this new scent. two strangers stood in a clearing but one was familiar to jayflight. it was the she-cat who abandoned the kit and a new golden cat who smelt of milk. stepping out of the undergrowth, jayflight cut them off. “state your purpose,” jayflight growled. “though fogclan allows for rouges to hunt here, you’re drawing too near to out camp, so leave before force has to be used.”

“she’s part of the group who took your kit,”

“more like you dumped it on us.”

“you hold your tongue,” the she-cat sneered. “you don’t disrespect a kit mother like that.”

“i’ll say what i wish to. you have no respect for my clan, so leave before i have no choice but to attack,” jayflight warned again. “we have no kit you care about.”

“you lie and i know-“ the she-cat said but her voice drowned out due to the other one. the powerful yet crueler looking she-cat stood in between them, mildly stopping the fight from continuing.

standing in front of the cave she-cat, the golden one glared at jayflight. her gaze was cold and calculating. “my kit, where is it?” the golden she-cat questioned yet it was almost a hiss. jayflight seemed stunned as the kit was with the

“what kit?” it confused jayflight as the kit was with the grey one and not golden. maybe another kit went missing and the grey she-cat blamed them, but that idea was soon disproven.

“the white kit who has the illness spelt upon its pelt. we wish to get it back from your dread group. my younger groupmate has told me all about what you did to her,” the golden one said. jayflight now knew exactly what kit she meant but had no intention of giving in.

“we didn’t do anything to her besides help provide freshkill and check the kit,” jayflight scoffed. it was ridiculous of what this she-cat was saying. “you all lie as that groupmate of yours just dumped the kit on me and my clanmates.” then, the undergrowth shook behind jayflight and the trio tensed up more. the black and white kit pushed themself out of the undergrowth and towards the trio. it obviously was attracted to the smell of the two but why did it come out all the way here to see them. the kit needed to go back to camp before the two she-cats snatched it up.

the grey one looked pleased and looked at her groupmate. “that’s the kit,” the other she-cat one said. she tried to approach to get it but jayflight jumped in front and gave a warning hiss. she wasn’t going to get the kit that easily without a talk.

“you’re not going anywhere with them until you talk to the council,” jayflight said as she picked the kit up. “follow me.” teh two she-cats looked at each other then unwilling followed along. the group walked in solemn silence as the camp came into view.

jayflight bumped into flamepaw and told her. “i need to speak with the council. these strangers are from the group and wish to take the kit back.”

“just go to their den, they’ll be in there.” flamepaw said, walking off towards the healer’s den.

“got it, keep close and follow along.” jayflight wasn’t too keen of this as the council den got closer. peaking her head in, she said, “cloversong, i got the report and part of the group.” the group entered the den and cloversong looked mildly excited to see the she-cat from the cave again.

“thank you, jayflight. please come and chat with me and my fellow council members shall be back soon,” cloversong said. turning to jayflight, she ordered, “but for now, the kit shall remain in the care of the nursery in order to not disturb us.”

placing the kit at the paws of speckledpear, the queen’s helper took the kit into the den and wrinkled her nose when she returned. “the mountains don’t smell too pleasant or they went to some twoleg place as that smell is heavy on you, jayflight,” speckledpear said.

“yeah, and one smelt of milk too,” jayflight said. “it was the golden she-cat who smelt of milk and claimed to be the kit’s mother as well.”

“smelt of milk? the kit is weaned and has been for the moon under our care,” speckledpear said. “is this the she-cat who abandoned the kit?”

“no, that is the grey she-cat,” jayflight said.

a look of concern was exchanged between the two she-cats and they raced off to the council den to try to stop the meeting. but, as they got near, it was clear that it was close to over. “thank you for coming all the way here,” cloversong said as the council and two strangers started to wrap up their meeting. “we’ll miss the kit dearly, but we enjoy knowing it’ll be with its proper family.”

“cloversong, something is adding up,” speckledpear said with a high hint of concern in her voice. “the kit is weaned and the smell of milk shouldn’t be overpowering like this.”

“lies, you’ve weaned it too early, so that’s why i smell of milk so heavily,” the golden she-cat said.

“it’s been a moon since we’ve last seen anyone from your group seen the kit is, and the kit is four moons old now,” jayflight said. tensions were rising even more.

the council looked baffled and just said nothing until cloversong stood up to face the strangers. “we’ll have to investigate further i suppose,” cloversong said. “tell us more, i suppose.”

“fine, i’ll humor you,” the golden one hissed. “but, you can’t keep me from my kit.”

[ԏєѧѻӆғוѓԑ]

Username: ԏєѧѻӆғוѓԑ
Cat Name: ciel
Gender: male
Rank: tbd
Clan: moonlight sanctuary
Age: 1 year (at the end of this not now aksjhfdjks)
Prompt:

"Oh, Ciel... what am I going to do with you."

The kitten, quiet as ever, simply sat next to him and stared with delighted eyes at the wispy spirits dancing in the air above their heads.

Wispstalk chuckled quietly, then looked back towards home, wrinkling his nose with concern. It was a ways away, now. "You should've waited for me to come back. I was going to catch some of the sprites for you, you know, and now I have to take you home instead."

Ciel continued to stare at the sprites, but he moved a little, standing between Wisp's paws and leaning against him warmly. Wisp sighed and looked down at him for a while, watching those bright purple eyes flicker about, dark pupils reflecting the colorful lights of the wisps like a still lake would. Wisp was distracted from really observing this, thinking about what to do. He didn't like having to give up on his sprite catching trip, but he couldn't just drag his tiny little son around, not when the night's cold was only barely setting in and would certainly get worse. However, he didn't have to head home right away, either... what was the harm, he thought, in staying out for a little while to let Ciel look at the little ghosts for a while ? It couldn't be any worse than accidentally bringing him out here in the first place, he thought.

---

The seasons had changed since little Ciel had come into their lives. Moons ago, the cat that had brought him there had disappeared, much to the relief of poor Twisterwhisker, whose job it had been to help take care of the kitten and who had kept being pestered by the terrifying beast of a cat for the first few nights. Get her this, hunt her that, she had a kitten to feed, she was a guest here, on and on her reasons went. But despite the way she portrayed herself as a motherly figure just wanting to sustain herself, Wisp always felt like the gigantic cat had been only putting on this act as an attempt to push them away from the kitten, because she would neglect Ciel any time she wasn't using him as a prop for her little charade. Out of worry (and simple attachment to the kitten), he would often step in and keep Ciel company himself whenever Twisterwhisker was occupied with one of her little fetch quests. He didn't want the beast to make a run for it with him in a lapse of the clan's attention.

He wasn't prepared for her to up and vanish with no attempt to take the baby with her after a week. He let a couple "good riddance"s escape under his breath, but he was worried.

There weren't many young cats in the clan, as many of the original members were young cats themselves and not many of those who took shelter in the heart of the sanctuary had their lives together enough to be having kids. Because of this, and because the leaders' children were coming into adulthood, many of the cats in the clan were charmed by Ciel. It made it easy for Wisp to take care of him, as people were always bringing food for Wisp and Ciel, and he used the extra time at home to make more medicines and experiment with the power of the wisps he was named after. His shaky control of them allowed him to keep Ciel entertained, but it wasn't really necessary - the tiny kitten never seemed to run out of patience, which was an interesting change of pace for Wisp, considering the only memory he had of being around kittens was handling the rambunctious trio he had helped his partners to raise. He was never sure if he was doing enough to keep the tiny one happy, although it also seemed as though Ciel was never unhappy either. The little fuzzball was always just relaxed and observed everything with an even temper and quiet curiousity. The thing that seemed most interesting to him was the glowing sprites dancing in glass bottles in the medicine cave, so he brought one to his, Hon's, and Alucard's home den and placed it where Ciel could stare at them as he fell asleep at night.

It became Wisp's routine to make a trip to the edge of the territory and search for sprites at night. He had to keep them quick, as being up and tending to a kitten all day demanded as full a night of sleep as possible, but it was easier to get back into his old spirit hunting habits as Ciel grew old enough to sleep through the night instead of waking up and crying for food every so often. Alucard offered to go with him, sometimes, as he didn't want Wisp running around by himself at night, but Wisp didn't want to tire his poor partner out too much by dragging him out to chase spirits. It was difficult for Alucard to keep himself awake after sunset after working all day long, keeping things running around the camp and making sure everyone was fed and such. Honeyblaze was always happy to stay with Ciel and take care of him, so Wisp would leave Ciel with them and sneak out before Alucard got back to the den for the night. Some nights he'd be fast enough to make it back at about the same time as Alucard, help him get inside, and then cuddle him, Hon, and Ciel to sleep. Those nights were his favorite. Wisp, Hon, and Alucard had been talking about having more children someday, and though it was a bit sooner than they planned, to Wisp, Ciel's presence felt like a blessing right from starclan. He felt as though his life had finally settled into a happy and comfortable routine, and having a child to raise with his partners without the feeling of any of the three being less a parent than the others was wonderful.

He probably should've known that his lucky streak in life wouldn't last. It was too good to be true - he'd tried to avoid telling himself that, as he really didn't want to jinx himself with his own paranoia, but looking back, he would kick himself for not having broken out of the odd haze sooner. He didn't realize it because of how happy he was, but everyone had been... stagnating, in a way, and he'd completely failed to see it. And so did everyone else, but it was his job to make sure everyone was safe, and he'd gotten lost. It wasn't until he was literally lost that he figured out what had happened.

One evening, he headed out and strayed further from the territory's heart than usual. Normally it wouldn't have been a problem, much less something he'd view as a mistake, as he knew his way around and could take care of himself - but he was already an entire hour's travel from home when he realized that quiet little Ciel had tagged along with him.

---

Wisp had been loosely keeping track of time, paying attention to the temperature, and keeping an eye on the little kitten's body to make sure he wasn't reacting too badly to the cold, all in an effort not to stay too long. He knew they had to get going, soon, but it felt strangely like the issue wasn't all that urgent. His mind snapped out of its calm haze, however, when the breeze carries a sharp, unfamiliar smell to his nose, coming from somewhere altogether much too close for comfort. His hair starts to stand up defensively as he slowly gets to his feet, not wanting to move too suddenly and alarm Ciel. He looks around for the source of the smell, which is starting to remind him of something he really doesn't want to smell - an angry mother cat. Certainly, it wasn't the mother that this kitten had been lost from, returning to make demands of his clan again ? She didn't smell the same as that beast, but anxiety bubbled deep in his stomach regardless. He picked up Ciel, trying to get him to start walking towards home, and the kitten let out an uncharacteristically loud noise of complaint, not wanting to leave the pretty lights in the woods.

This complaint was all it took to get a furious cat to come charging out of the woods, claws ready and mouth practically frothing with anger. Wisp hissed with alarm and anger - this couldn't be happening. It couldn't. This couldn't be Ciel's real mother, come to rip Wisp's new family member away - he tried to refuse to believe that thought, but it was crowding his mind and filling him with anger. He leapt away from the angry cat's attack, barely in time but moving very quickly. The golden cat stumbled, shocked that she had somehow missed when Wisp hadn't moved at first, and whirled around to face him, growling loudly.

Wisp set Ciel down on the ground and stood over him, crouching and puffing his hair up. The sound coming out of his open mouth was absolutely unholy, loud and filled with an aggression that bordered on hatred. How could this be happening to him - how could the world threaten to take this kitten away from him, now that he was finally happy ? He started drooling and spitting with anger as he stared down the golden cat, who seemed taken aback by his defensive display and unsure what to do next, but not about to back down, either.

She hadn't imagined she would find someone so passionately defensive of the kitten - having expected a threat to the baby after it had cried out like that, she went in guns blazing to save it, and now she was realizing at the sight of fire burning in the orange cat's eyes that she had attacked a parent. At the sight of fire swirling in the air above them, she realized she'd also attacked a witch. She set her jaw, determined not to give up, just in case this deeply angry cat was still a danger to the baby - users of magic weren't to be trusted in general, and she wasn't about to back off and leave without first making sure that this child was okay in his care. She resumed growling, and taking cautious steps closer to the green-eyed witch. Just as she opened her mouth to ask what was going on, however, two more cats came dashing out of the woods.

"Wisp !" shouted a black cat with long fangs and blazing eyes. "Are you alright ?"

The anger in the orange cat faltered, and the wisps started to glow less brightly again as his emotions shifted to relief at seeing his partners. He only looked at them for a few seconds, though, before turning back to the golden cat with a glare that he probably hoped would kill her.

"I'm alright," he said, his voice very tense. "So's Ciel. This stranger just showed up to attack us, but we're alright."

"I heard a kitten cry. I thought it was in danger," she retorted, growling a bit. "It's not my fault you and that kid were out here this late."

"Late ?" Wisp spat angrily. "The sun has barely been gone, it's not too late for a kitten to be out with supervision."

"But Wisp -" Hon started, only to be cut off by the golden stranger scoffing.

"You idiot, it's almost time for the sun to rise," she growled.

The rest of Wisp's anger melted away all at once as shock and anxiety washed over him. "What ?" he asked, his voice shaky and weak.

Honeyblaze, who he suddenly realized was pressed into his side - no, supporting his weight ? - spoke gently but with great concern. "Wisp, we've been looking for you for hours - you never came home."

Wispstalk's head was swirling with confusion. "I didn't ?"

"We were worried sick," Alucard said. Wisp turned his head to look at him, realizing that he was also there to hold him up. Why were they keeping so close ? They were practically pushing him over.

"I can stand up - I've been out late, not hurt," he grumbled, not really thinking about his words. His mind was absolutely racing to figure out what happened, and coming up with no answers.

Hon pressed their head against his shoulder. "Wisp, you're shaking like a leaf."

"I'm -" Wisp started to protest, but he never finished. He blinked at the ground, which was covered in leaves. That wasn't right - it was supposed to be spring. They'd just gotten out of winter, why were the leaves so fresh ?

"We need to get you home," Alucard said gently, trying to push Wisp to his feet.

"Wait," Wisp protested, and his voice had returned to normal enough to give his partners pause. They stopped trying to get him up and each tried to look him in the face, concerned. Wisp blinked at them. Why were there so few emotions in their eyes, despite how upset they sounded ? "Are you two okay ?"

Alucard frowned slightly. "What do you mean ? We're not the ones who sat out here all night."

Wisp looked up at the stranger, and he was confused how he had ever felt such burning hatred for them. They were just trying to make sure he and his baby were okay. "You. I'm sorry about before. What season is it ?"

She huffed softly at the question and squinted at him. "What, are you blind ? It's clearly fall. The leaves are gone ?"

"Something's terribly wrong," he murmured, wrinkling up his nose. He looked down at Ciel, who was thankfully still noticeably warm against his leg. Curious purple eyes with not one thought behind them reflected his own eyes back at him, and he realized he'd never seen that before. And he couldn't see his partners reflected in those eyes, either, despite their closeness on either side of him. He felt a cold, sharp fear start to creep up his spine.

Hon pressed his head against his side again, then looked down at Ciel. Wisp jumped as he suddenly saw their reflection appear next to him in Ciel's eyes, but then Ciel looked away again before he could determine much more than that. Hon then looked up at him and met his eyes, and he wasn't reflected in theirs at all. "What's wrong, sweetheart ?" they asked softly.

"I don't know. But it's not good news."

"We need to get home, then, so we can deal with it," Alucard pressed.

Wisp looked from Hon to Alucard, then to Ciel, then at the stranger. Even from a few feet away, he could see a blurry hint of orange reflected in their eyes, his own fur. "We do need to get home," he said, his voice low and hesitant. "Something is terribly, terribly wrong."

[2486 words] [link to last prompt]

[I Like Bees]

(Forgot to mark this)

[canadianhowl]

Username: dascanadiansparkle
Cat Name: Swankit
Gender: female
Rank: kit
Clan: Galactic Skies
Age: 2-3 months
Prompt:

With some negotiation the cats took the newborn kit back to their clan down the mountains. They were swarmed with questions about the kitten and Firestrike went ahead and gave the baby to one of the queens of the clan. Berrybreeze accepted the little kitten with open paws and allowed them to feed. Berrybreeze’s kitten Dewkit was very curious about the little newcomer.

“Mama. Whos this? Is it a new playmate? Can they play? Hello baby! I Dewkit!” She giggled and playfully crouched by the tiny kitten. Said kitten shuffled and smiled in return before going back to snuggling with Berrybreeze and feeding. Dewkit laid down next to the baby and kept a good watch over them. Berrybreeze purred happily seeing her daughter get along well with the kitten.

Outside of the nursery, Firestrike and Troutsplash explained what they saw and what happened. “We don’t know why she referred to the kitten as an ‘it’! It was strange she… she treated them like they weren’t even a cat. She didn’t want to come with us when we eventually decided to bring the little one back. So we left her and took the kit.” Troutsplash huffed. The clan talked amongst themselves before Ramstar spoke up.

“Alright. Well this kitten is under our care now. We will do what we must to ensure it’s survival and wellbeing. Berrybreeze will be the mother as she is our only nursing queen.” He started before turning to Crabspots, Berrybreeze’s mate.

“I don’t mind being the father figure to the kitten. I’m sure Dewkit is more then overjoyed. She’s always wanted a littermate.”** he explained before dismissing himself to go check on his family and the new addition.

Ramstar nodded and smiled before excusing the clan for the day.

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Weeks passed and the kitten was thriving well. Dewkit loved showing the little kit the camp and letting her meet everyone. It was nice having a baby sister. “And this is the leaders den Swankit! This is where Ramstar sleeps and does all his cool leadership things! I think it’s pretty cool! One day when I become leader I’m going to make sure we’re the strongest and fastest and bestest clan!” She giggled. Swankit simply smiled and mewed in response. Dewkit made sure they both made it down safely before turning to see Ramstar organizing a patrol.

“Oh dad is going! I wonder what they’re doing? A hunting patrol? Borders? Oooo what if they fight a mean nasty bear! I wanna go I wanna go! Lets go see!” Dewkit bounced over to the group of older cats with Swankit toddling behind her.

“Crabspots. I want you, Sharksnarl, and Vixencloud to go and mark the borders today. Harespring is out hunting so she told me to assign the border patrol today.” Ramstar meowed. Crabspots nodded and was about to head out before hearing a little mew. He looked down seeing his daughters stare up at him with great excitement. “Dewkit. Swankit. What are you two silly girls doing out?” He chuckled and bent down.

“We wanna go too! Can we go with you to the borders?” Dewkit exclaimed.

“I’m afraid not. You’re too young still Dewkit. Swankit for sure if too young to even be outside of the nursery for this long too. I’m sure there are things for you to do here.” He sighed and gave the kittens a nuzzle.

“Awww papa! Just this once? We’ll be extra good!” Dewkit whined but was silenced again by her father. She let out a huff and watched the cats assigned gather and head out. Dewkit smirked and turned to her baby sister. “I doubt they’ll see us sneak out! Come on Swankit let’s go hurry before they find out!” Dewkit raced out of the camp with Swankit racing as fast as she could.

The two made it out and Dewkit did her best to follow her father’s scent. She was fast and eager to catch up but Swankit was too little to be as fast as the older kitten. Swankit eventually flopped on the ground and whined. Dewkit turned her head around and raced back. “What’s wrong? Are you tired? Here I can carry you!” She grabbed Dewkit by the scruff and instantly struggled. She was a heavy baby. Not to fret! Dewkit was a strong kitty! Least she made herself to be. She dragged her sister and kept following the scent before hearing some hissing abd yowling. She hid in a bush making sure to bring the younger kitten with her and poked her head out. She saw the three cats they were tracking in a heated argument with a loner. A she cat! She smelled of milk too. Dewkit began to feel hungry but she stayed still. That couldn’t be the same for Swankit. She smelled the milk and mewed before crawling out of the bush and toddled on her little legs closer.

All four cats heard and turned their head to the kitten noise. All four cats gasped in unison seeing-
“Swankit!”
“My baby!”
The four turned to each other and glared.

“What did you call my baby! That’s my kitten! I know that’s my baby you… you filthy cats stole my baby! You stole my kitten!” The she cat snapped.

The clan cats backed a step away before Sharksnarl snapped. “We didn’t steal her! We found her with some other she cat! This is very much our kit now.” That didn’t help much as the she cat quickly tackled Sharksnarl. Crabspots and Vixencloud stepped back a few more steps before Crabspots scented the air. Wait… “Dewkit. Are you here too? Dewkit come out right now!”

And sure enough, the she kit slowly emerged from the bush. She was scared and quickly leapt to Swankit who was mewing in fright. Crabspots raced over to the kits while Vixencloud went and tried to stop the scuffle.

“What are you two doing?! I told you to stay in camp!” Crabspots snapped. The kittens shrunk back. He sighed before nuzzling them and turned to the other three cats who had calmed. “Look, ma’am, how about you come back to our camp. We can talk there about the… situation regarding the kitten?” The she cat looked skeptical before agreeing…

[ 1040 words ]