Snow Child

I will use the way over used abandoned kit idea for this story. Enjoy! -- Dawnfeather talk! 03:43, December 5, 2009 (UTC)

ShadowClan
Leader : Stormstar - Black she-cat

Deputy : Runningtail - Pale brown tabby tom with a long tail.

Apprentice : Yarrowpaw

Medicine cat : Flamepool: Ginger tom.

Apprentice: Briarpaw

Warriors:

Vinetail : Gray tabby she-cat with a stripe down her back.

Darkwhisker : Dark gray tom

Apprentice : Longpaw

Sandclaw : Pale ginger tom with white patches.

Apprentice : Goldenpaw

Tawnypelt: Tortoiseshell she-cat

Hazelwing : Fast pale gray she-cat

Apprentice : Stripepaw

Toadfoot : Black tom

Applefur : Red/brown she-cat

Marshpelt : Brown tabby tom.

Pebbletalon : Mottled gray tom

Tigerheart : Dark brown tabby tom.

Dawnpelt : Cream she-cat

Owlclaw : Light brown tabby tom

Redfoot : Red tom

Oliveheart: tortoiseshell she-cat

Apprentices:

Briarpaw : Brown tabby she-cat. Medicine cat apprentice.

Yarrowpaw : Speckled gray she-cat

Stripepaw : Brown tome with a black stripe down his back

Longpaw : Pale cream tabby she-cat with long limbs.

Goldenpaw : Dark ginger tabby tom

Queens:

Honeypelt : Ginger she-cat. Nursing Snowkit, although she is not her own.

Larkflight : Tortioseshell she-cat. Expecting Marshpelt's kits.

Elders :

Russetfur : Old dark ginger she-cat

Whitewater : white she-cat, blind in one eye.

Rowanclaw : Ginger tabby tom

Littlecloud : Light brown tabby tom. Former medicine cat

RiverClan
Mistystar

Reedwhisker

Willowshine

Minnowpelt

Juniperheart

Brookshine

Stoneclaw

Otterclaw

WindClan
Onestar

Crowfeather

Leafpool

Kestralflight

Rabbitfoot

ThunderClan
Firestar

Brambleclaw

Squirrelflight

Jayfeather

Lionblaze

Graystripe

Brackenfur

Sorreltail

Ferncloud

Sandstorm

Poppyfrost

Cats Outside of Clans
Hollyleaf

Smoky

Floss

Jaques

Chapter One
Snow slowly fell through the night sky, covering the ground and trees like a think blanket. Honeypelt raced over it, wondering why Tigerheart had asked for her to meet him so far from the camp on a night like this. While she was able to cope physically with the demanding task, she was scarred emotionally. Her kits, Seedkit and Cloverkit had died in the same night, at only a half moon of age. This had only been a nights ago, and now the only thing that slowed down Honeypelt's flight through the forest was the little bit of milk that she was still carrying.

A dark shape appeared, next to a pine tree. Tigerheart was crouching in the snow, looking down with his amber eyes. Honeypelt called out to him.

"Tigerheart! What's happening?"

"Honeypelt! Thankyou so much for coming!"

"Tigerheart, could you just tell me why you called me out here so I can get back to my nest and sleep?" She hissed back at him. Honeypelt, while a queen and suffering dearly from recent losses, was still a very fierce cat, like any of her ShadowClan-mates.

Instead of speaking, Tigerheart put his head down into the snow, and pushed his muzzle against a clump of it.

"Yes? And?" Honeypelt asked with a tone which spoke well of her rising impatience.

But Tigerheart did not need to respond, for right at the moment Honeypelt realised. She realised that laying in the snow was a soft white pelt, tiny, and so still that it blended in well to her surroundings. A small white kit, only a few sunrises old, it's flank rising slightly every few moments, with a pause much too long inbetween. On it's forehead it wore a black mark, like a raindrop.

Upon seeing her reaction, Tigerheart asked a different question.

"Will you, for me?"

Understanding him immediantly, and understanding the entire reason she was called out into this deathly night for, Honeypelt could only answer with one thing.

"Yes."

Chapter Two
"Quickly, then Honeypelt! Take her to the camp."

"Don't tell me what to do, mouse-brain!" Honeypelt spat. But then her voice softened. "I'll go straight to the nursery. She won't survive much longer without my milk."

"No, wait..." Tigerheart looked down guiltily. "Drop her off with Larkflight, then go see Stormstar. Please, don't ask me why. it just has to be this way."

Honeypelt opened her mouth to complain, but Tigerheart cut her off.

"Please, Honeypelt, no! Just go! She won't last much longer!"

Honeypelt dipped her head and picked up the kit in her teeth. Then she turned around and sprinted as fast as she could back towards the camp. before long she could hardly breathe, and the kitten she held in her mouth did not help. But she couldn't stop, sh knew that this little kit's life depended on that. It never squirmed or even stirred once while Honeypelt flew across the snow, which made her even more determined to keep going.

The ginger queen ducked under the clump of undergrowth into the ShadowClan camp. She did not slow down even then, and instead ran straight across to Stormstar's den, near the roots of the HighTree. Only as she came to the den's entrance did she slow down, and she came to a skidding stop, only a moment before hitting the tree trunk. Then without pause, she ducked under the root into the leader's den. Stormstar, alarmed, managed to subdue her shock and hastily spoke.

"Honeypelt! What is this?"

Gently placing the kit at her paws, Honeypelt nuzzled it to see whether it was still breathing. It was, but only weakly. She needed to finish this conversation, fast.

"I..." Honeypelt suddenly remembered that Tigerheart seemed desperate not to be associated with this kit, so she quickly edited the story in her mind. "I found her abaonded out on the other side of the twoleg den. But she needs help, she is hardly breathing, and she nearly froze to death." She tried to speak as quickly as she could.

Stormstar's eyes gave away that she did not want to welcome this kit she knew so little about, but she could see the urgency of the situation, and the warrior code prevented her from delaying.

"Take her to the nursery, try to feed her, and warm her as much as you can." Stormstar passed Honeypelt and the kit, and left the den. Honeypelt picked up the kit again and followed.

Chapter Three
Honeypelt ducked into the nursery, and gently put the kit down at the edge of her nest. The air was slightly warmer than the camp outside, but Larkflight was nowhere to be seen. Honeypelt guessed that she had quickly left to have a word to someone, probably Flamepool, Runningtail, Stormstar, or her mate - Redfoot. She was the biggest gossip in the clan, and she loved to try and influence those in power to do things the way she wanted. While a true-blue queen who showed no signs of returning to the life of a warrior, Larkflight would be a very powerful enemy to have.

Honeypelt curled up around the kit, and tried to position herself so that it could feed. But yet it did not move, although she grew warmer and her breathing seemed to speed up the tinyest amount. She heard sounds at the entrance of the den, and saw Briarpaw bounding in with her ears up and wide eyes, excited to have a patient, closely followed by Flamepool, her mentor, and Stormstar. Briarpaw crouched and took a few quick steps forward until she was right next to Honeypelt and the kit. She sniffed at the tiny white bundle and froze, and her ears flattened.

Flamepool nudged his apprentice lightly, and then turned his attention to the kit. Briarpaw understood and backed away a few steps.

"Lick her, quickly! Make her fur poke up."

Honeypelt got to work straight away, using her tounge to fluff up the kit's fur.

"Briarpaw, go get some borage. You remember which one that is, don't you?" Flamepool commanded his apprentice calmly. Honeypelt wondered if he felt differently inside. She heard the quick pawsteps of Briarpaw scuffling to get out of the den in her hurry. She wasn't so good as her mentor at keeping her composure. Honeypelt didn't dare look up though. She furiously spent all of the effort she could in making this kit warm.

Stormstar found her voice after a few moments of near silence in the nursery. "Honeypelt, I know about-"

She was cut short by Briarpaw's arrival with her mouth stuffed as full as it could get with a herb Honeypelt remembered as borage. The apprentice dropped it close to Honeypelt.

"Eat this! It will help your milk and stop it from dissapearing. I'll finish warming up the kit"

Honeypelt uncurled herself so that the kit was still against her side but Briarpaw could now get close enough to lick it. With a jolt, she realised that she already felt attached to this kit. She ate the borage as quickly as she could, trying not to think about it. from experience she knew that it's taste was not the most pleasant one. Flamepool stood slightly back from his apprentice, watching her his a slightly impressed look in his eyes.

Again, Stormstar started to speak, just as the fur on the back of her neck started to lay flat again after Briarpaw's interuption.

"Honeypelt, I am sorry about the loss of-" She fell silent at a tiny noise from the direction of Briarpaw. The kit let out one tiny cough, and then opened it's mouth in a silent meow. She then changed her position slightly and started to kned Honeypelt's belly. Honeypelt and Briarpaw's eyes both grew wider similtaniously. Flamepool purred, and Stormstar just looked on in shock.

"Impossible..." Stormstar murmed. "I thought it was far gone."

"She, if you don't mind, Stormstar!" Honeypelt hissed.

Flamepool's purring grew louder. "Well done, both of you!" He mewed, nodding to Honeypelt and Briarpaw.

"Honeypelt, this is exactly what I am trying to tell you! You can't just expect that ShadowClan will just take in this kit! It hasn't got our blood! It doesn't even have Clan blood, for crying out loud!" Stormstar yowled, struggling to keep her voice down.

"No! She will die without me! Even if you don't approve, the warrior code says that we must not let harm come to any kit, even if they are not from our clan!"

"The code doesn't apply to cats outside of the clans!" Stormstar shot back.

"The warrior code doesn't specify that point." Flamepool entered the conversation, keeping his vioce calm, unlike the two she-cats. "In these circumstances, however, I think that Honeypelt has the stronger point."

Stormstar hissed and opened her mouth to interupt, but Flamepool didn't give her a chance.

"Could you deny Honeypelt this, after what happened the other night? She has the milk to feed her, and we desperately need kits, leaf-bare or not. In a few moons we won't have any apprentices, and unless we take this kit in, we will only have Larkflight's kits, who haven't even been born yet, and won't be for another moon. Honeypelt needs time to grieve before becoming a warrior again and -" he quickly glanced at the ginger queen, "this kit will give Honeypelt the chance to be a mother again."

Honeypelt nearly protested. She wanted to say that no kit could ever replce her dear, beloved kits, but Flamepool had spoken in her defense, and she didn't want him to withdraw that support.

Stormstar looked like she had a lot of things she wanted to say, but instead she simply said, "Very well then, I can see I am out-voted-"

Briarpaw squealed in excitement. When she saw the icy glare from Stormstar she flattened her ears and shrunk back, in embarrassment.

Stormstar continued without taking another breath, "and before I go, I have a few words to say to all of you. I hope you understand the responsibily you have taken on here, Honeypelt. This kit could turn out to be the kit of a Kittypet, soft as moss. It could have have a heart as cold as ice. It may even turn out to be a good warrior, but I doubt it. Whatever happens, this kit is your responsibility." She turned to leave, but Honeypelt spoke before she could get away.

"The same goes for any kit ever born, Stormstar. Any mother has those very same obligations."

Stormstar didn't turn, but went outside into the cold night.

"We too should leave now. You need to get some rest. Briarpaw, get a piece of fresh kill for Honeypelt, please?" Flamepool dipped his head to the once again nursing queen, and then turned and left. Briarpaw followed.

Chapter Four
"Honeypelt! I got you a mouse!" Briarpaw came bounding back into the den. Honeypelt purred to see the apprentice bounding with joy like her normal self.

"Thanks."

Briarpaw started to turn, like she was going to leave, but Honeypelt called out to her.

"Oh, come on! Spit it out!"

Briarpaw's eyes shone.

"Well... I was wondering what you were going to name her."

Honeypelt thought for a moment.

"I really don't know. What you got any ideas?"

"Well... no. You're the expert at naming kits!"

Honeypelt purred and made a noise that sounded a lot like laughter.

"Oh come on! Cloverkit and Seedkit are brilliant names!" Briarpaw suddenly froze. "Oops..." she mewed in a quiet, frightened voice.

Honeypelt purred even louder. "Oh it's quite alright. I miss them, but I think Flamepool was right. This little one really is helping me with my grief."

Briarpaw sighed with relief. Then she started quierying again.

"Where do you think she came from? Who do you think are her parents? That mark on her forehead in interesting - maybe name her for it? Dotkit? No, that doesn't really work does it. Blackkit? No that just isn't right."

Honeypelt couldn't help but cheer up hearing Briarpaw's joyful, persistant chatter.

"But where did she come from? She can't be the snow's child!" Briarpaw laughed at her own joke. "Well, for now, let's just call her the Snow Child."

Honeypelt gasped. "That's it! The name! Snowkit!"

Briarpaw purred. "Yes, I told you that you had a knack for this! It's perfect."

"You came up with it, don't give me all of the credit. You had better get back to Flamepool and tell him. Leave Stormstar till morning though. I think we've already irked her fur more than enough for one night."

"Okay, Honeypelt! I'll come and see you and Snowkit tomorrow morning then."

Briarpaw turned and left for the third time that night.

More Coming Soon