Dustpelt's Fury

Beginning Excerpt
Dustpelt wasn't always a hard-tempered grumpy badger. Of course, cats wouldn't believe that he was actually... nice, once upon a time. He even was kind of friendly. Back when he was a kit, all the way when he was newly apprenticed. He may seem like an underappreciated senior warrior these days, full of grumblings and only kind to Ferncloud. (Ferncloud does understand him better than most, but that's a different story. Okay, maybe not). Dustpelt does deserve some recognition this time - and now, this is his story.

Chapter 1
"Dustkit," someone spoke gently, as if tasting the name. "I like that."

It was evening in the nursery, and Dustkit wasn't quite ready to open his eyes, not just yet. His sister, Sandkit, kept poking him and prodding him. "Come on," she would whisper, as if he was asleep - or maybe he actually was at the time. "Open your eyes!"

The first scent he ever knew was his mother's. Of course it was - who else? But even to him, it felt a little off. The taste of the scent, however close to his, made unease ripple through his short tail. Which made him not want to open his eyes so soon. But he inwardly sighed, because he knew that he would have to do it sometime, sooner or later.

He made an effort to stretch out his eyes, and there it was. The brambles perched overhead, patches of deep blue sky interfering, even colliding. Sandkit would be proud, he thought sarcastically. That all that bothering paid off, at least. But he took a deep breath and lodged the thought out of his mind; this was a time to explore the world, take in the sky, undergrowth, everything that made him a-

"You've opened your eyes! Finally!" mewed Sandkit, jumping around. Dustkit was surprised to see her so excited. Okay, maybe he wasn't surprised. Anyone would be overjoyed at a kit making it through his first few days. He frowned. Suddenly he wasn't as eager as to take note of the world.

"Hello, little one," a new voice meowed. He blinked his eyes, and his mother was peering over him. He took a huge breath; his mother was beautiful. Long fluffy fur, spilling out under the nest, and piercing blue eyes. "Are you ready to go out and see Camp?"

The new word was unfamiliar to him. Camp? He poked out his head, making the tightly woven brambles tremble at his touch. "Camp" must mean the large stretch of clearing outside. Duh, he thought to himself. What else would Camp be?

"Yes," he mewed. Sandkit bumbled into him, and he skidded across the clearing. His mother let out an amused purr, following them. Her name was Sunnyfur. It suited her, he noticed. Splashes of bright ginger and dark brown coated her flank, along with patches of white and black. More of ginger than of anything else, though. Must explain the first part of her name.

Focus, he told himself. He realized that he was still standing a few feet from the nursery. He hoped they didn't notice his disappearence. He padded quickly around the camp, looking for them; it was busy with life, but he couldn't see Sandkit or Sunnyfur. He wailed with frustration. "Where are you?!"

Sunnyfur must have heard him along with Sandkit because they came rushing out of the nursery. Sandkit just rolled her eyes at his helplessness, while Sunnyfur was brushing her nose against his flank, trying to comfort him.

"It's fine, it's fine," she murmured. "You were lost just for a moment. It's fine now, though, hun. Don't worry."

Dustkit mewed, "I'm okay now. Can we go see the elders?" He actually was interested in going to see them. He wanted to see what the big fuss was and why Sandkit was always going to them.

"Okay, then, sweetie, if you feel like going," meowed Sunnyfur agreeably. She guided Dustkit toward the elder's den. Sandkit didn't need her help because she already knew the way. She sped over to the den and didn't stop to wait for Sunnyfur and Dustkit. Now it was Dustkit who rolled his eyes.

"Stop showing off," he whispered. Sandkit ignored him and he felt a flash of impatience.