Rock, Falcon, and Gorse

Prologue

 * Jack slunk through the forest, slipping behind trees, making himself unseen, unheard. In one hand was an empty flask, another three dead, fresh mice.


 * He saw his destination. The place where everything happened.


 * Entering, he crouched by a large pile of prey.


 * He dropped the mice onto the pile of prey, and stood.


 * He could see so many creatures sleeping. So innocent.


 * That was all about to change for three of them.


 * Jack left. Smiling, wondering what was yet to come.

Rock

 * Rock awoke, and stretched. He saw his brothers, Falcon and Gorse, sleeping beside him.


 * Hearing his stomach growl, he padded out of the den and out into the morning sunlight. Blinking, he looked around for the prey pile.


 * Grabbing three pieces of prey off the top, he brought it back to his siblings. Entering the den, he saw them stretching after a long night of sleep.


 * "Come on, you two!" Rock whispered. "Let's go!"


 * Rock led his brothers out of the den and dropped the prey. "Go ahead," he mewed.


 * Falcon raced forward and grabbed a piece. He laid down and began to eat, ripping off meat as he chewed it.


 * Gorse came forward a little slower, but he ate with the same gusto as Falcon.


 * Rock picked up his piece. It was still warm. He ripped off the fur and tore at the meat.


 * And he looked up.


 * Falcon and Gorse were staring at him, and he stared at them.


 * "What?" Rock asked.


 * "The mouse tastes weird!" Gorse complained.


 * "It's not my fault!" Rock protested.


 * "But it's also really good," Falcon pointed out.


 * Rock nodded, agreeing. "It does."


 * "It tastes weird," Gorse insisted.


 * "Weirdly good," Falcon mewed.


 * "No, it tastes bad." Gorse stood up, backing away from his prey. "I don't want this anymore."


 * "Okay, fine," Rock mewed.


 * Gorse stared at him sadly. Then he walked away.


 * Falcon moved over and bit into Gorse's prey. "It tastes the same as mine," he mewed.


 * Rock stood up and took a bite, too. "And it tastes the same as mine!


 * The two kits stood up and backed away, both knowing that they shouldn't eat any more of the prey.


 * But something was going on with Falcon. Something was stretching out, off his back...


 * Rock stared at himself. The same thing was happening to him, too.


 * "Get Gorse," Falcon mewed urgently. He had seen.


 * But Gorse was already there. "I've seen," he mewed. "And I know what they are."


 * Falcon tilted his head.


 * "Wings."

Falcon

 * Falcon flapped his wings. Taking off, he swooped through the trees, finding he had total control over his motions.


 * Swooping down to find his brothers, he yowled, "Come on! It's easy!"


 * Rock looked at him, and took off. Gorse stayed firmly on the ground.


 * Hovering in place, Falcon yowled again. "Come on! Don't be such a badger, Gorse!"


 * Falcon heard Gorse sigh, saw him flap his wings, smelled him getting closer...


 * And suddenly Gorse rushed by him, knocking Falcon down a couple badgers. Falcon could feel Gorse's happiness.


 * He could feel happiness?


 * Rock swooped by Falcon. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Flap!"


 * Falcon moved away, and began to zoom through the trees. "I feel like a bird!" he yowled.


 * "That's because you are one!" Gorse yowled back.


 * "Don't you think we should be going back?" Rock asked suddenly.


 * "Yeah," Gorse mewed. "Let's go, Falcon."


 * Falcon didn't recognize any of the ground below him. "Wait," he mewed. "Where are we?"


 * "I don't know," Gorse mewed.


 * Rock looked around. "Let's go that way."


 * The three cats headed in that direction.


 * A voice yowled behind them, "Intruders!"


 * The three cats spun around, growling.


 * Three cats stood in front of them.


 * Gorse backed away, and flew off.


 * The three cats stared, and raced after Gorse.


 * Suddenly Gorse yowled with pain. He fell down, out of the sky, landing with a thud on the ground.


 * The cats raced forward, both the strange ones and the littermates, and stared at the kit on the ground.


 * "Get Crowclaw," a cat mewed.