By Sorrelflower.
Chapter 1
Blossomdew wriggled her haunches, her amber eyes focused on the squirrel, which had it's head in a hole in the ground. It rose with half a nut in it's mouth; it's eyes were confused for a moment, and then they became full of fear. She sank her teeth into it's neck; it wriggled, and then died.
"Nice catch." said a voice.
"Whitebirch!" she gasped. "You startled me." Blossomdew saw the tom cat crouched in a tree above, his grey eyes glistening. He was white in colour, short fur and very light brown and grey markings, much like those of birch tree bark. He jumped down the tree, a coal tit in his jaws.
"Want to go back to camp?"
"Sure." Blossomdew and Whitebirch padded back to the gorge, their prey in their jaws. Blossomdew was a tortoisehell and white she-cat, with amber eyes and long, fluffy fur. She lived in SkyClan, which was under rule of Leafstar. In the camp, Frecklewish's tail was flicking from the medicine cat den, and Sandfur was talking to Harrynose and Fireflower. They put their catches on the fresh-kill pile, and Blossomdew padded away to her parents, Mintfur and Harveymoon, who were eating a squirrel together.
"Good morning, Blossomdew." Mintfur purred after swallowing a piece of squirrel. Harveymoon tried to speak, but his speech was muffled by squirrel fluff. He teased it from his teeth and greeted her. Harveymoon had once been a kittypet and daylight warrior, but he was a full warrior now.
"Hello mother, father." she mewed.
"I saw you walk in with Whitebirch." remarked Mintfur. "Handsome, fine young tom, really - strong, brave..." she exchanged an amused glance with Harveymoon.
"For the thousandth time, he is not my mate."
"Are you sure?" Harveymoon made a mrrow of amusment.
"Positive. I'm going to see Vixenwhisker." Blossomdew made her way up the cliff, and into the nursery.
"Hi, Blossomdew."
"Hi, Vixenwhisker, how are the kits coming along?" Vixenwhisker was just like a vixen - auburn fur, black ears, a paler muzzle, sandy whiskers, amber eyes, a thick, white tipped tail.
"I'm sure they're fine." Vixenwhisker was curled up in her mossy nest in the nursery, her belly swollen with kits.
"So, where's the father?"
"Voletail? He's on border patrol. Where's your mate?"
"He isn't my mate."
"Oh, sure." she purred.
Chapter 2
Blossomdew was curled up on the tree stump. This was her favourite place in the territory. The tree stump was covered almost completly with soft, springy moss, and it stood in a small clearing with a stream running through it. Patches of mint, lavender, and even some poppies grew at the edges. The sunlight dappled her pelt through the trees, and she sighed happily.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Whitebirch!" she jumped when the white tom leapt up onto the tree stump beside her. "Er, sure." Blossomdew curled back up, and Whitebirch sat there too.
"Kits would love playing here." he remarked, and Blossomdew felt his skin go hot with embarrassment.
"Yes, they would." she murmured. Whitebirch relaxed beside her, and his skin cooled. He began to groom her pelt, teasing some scraps of fern out.
"You know, I've heard cats asking me about you. They keep thinking that we're mates." Blossomdew knew where he as going with this. "And I realized that I really enjoy spending time with you, Blossomdew. I... I'd like you to be my mate." he paused, looking deeply into her eyes. She gazed back, thinking deeply.
"I... I'd like you to be mine too." As she said that, Whitebirch let out loud purring, and began to lick her ears, purring with happiness.
Chapter 3
Blossomdew returned with Whitebirch, her tail entwined with his. She noticed her mother and father a few fox-lengths away, looking happy as they spotted her and Whitebirch. From the nursery, Voletail was pacing, and she noticed that Frecklewish and her appprentice, Smokepaw, were no where to be seen. She saw Cherrytail and Sharpclaw gazing up at the nursery, looking anxious; after all, Vixenwhisker was their daughter. Whitebirch was also their son, making him Vixenwhisker's brother. Blossomdew and Whitebirch walked faster.
"Vixenwhisker 's having her kits." Cherrytail mewed when they came over.
"How is she, Voletail?" Sharpclaw yowled up to Vixenwhisker's mate. The brown, short tailed tom looked down at them, his yellow eyes wide and anxious.
"Smokepaw says she's doing fine." he replied, and disappeared a moment later when she heard Frecklewish mew something. Several moments later, Smokepaw appeared, and went toward the medicine cat den.
"Have they been born yet, Smokepaw?" Whitebirch asked the smoke coloured apprentice, who turned her bright blue eyes towrad him.
"Two kits, both toms!" Smokepaw replied cheerfully. "They're so cute!" she whisked into the medicine cat den, and reappeared, with some herbs in her jaws. Blossomdew recognised borage and a spiky leafed one. As an apprentice, she had broken her leg (which had healed, thankfully) and in her time in the medicine cat den, she had learned a bit about some herbs.
"Raspberry leaves?" she asked, anxiously. "Is she bleeding?"
"A little; they were born a bit early, but it's not very serious. She'll recover in no time."
Blossomdew waited. There was a small queue of cats, waiting to get a glimpse of the new kits. Vixenwhisker was still tired from kitting, so only two cats at a time was allowed to visit her. Cherrytail and Sharpclaw came out.
"They're beautiful!" Cherrytail purred to Blossomdew and Whitebirch.
"Next." Frecklewish called. Blossomdew and Whitebirch padded into the nursery. Clovertail dozed on the other side of the nursery. In a soft nest of moss and bracken, Vixenwhisker lay, her tail curled around two tom kits, one ginger tabby and one black.
"Aww, they're cute!" Whitebirch whispered, as not to wake the sleeping kits.
"Do they have names yet?" Blossomdew asked.
"The ginger tabby is Foxkit, and the black is Nightkit." Vixenwhisker murmured sleepily.
Chapter 4
Foxkit and Nightkit played happily, sqeauking with delight as Blossomdew flicked her tail to and fro, dancing it out of reach whenever one of them pounced onto it. Vixenwhisker was washing herself. Whitebirch was out on border patrol. Apparently, a badger had been scented inside the territory, and they were going to investigate. Fireflower padded up to Leafstar, and mewed about the possibiltiy of a badger attack.
"Don't be ridiculous. Why would a bunch of badgers come here?" but Leafstar had a haunted look in her eyes - she was nervous. Blossomdew then remembered Echosong, the former medicine cat. There had been badger scent on the ground where Echosong's scent had stopped adruptly. There had been a bit of blood, and Echosong had not been seen since that fateful day several moons ago. Whether Echosong was still alive, she had no idea at all.
She almost jumped out of her pelt when Vixenwhisker padded up to her.
"You look... tired, Blossomdew." She meowed. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Fine, Vixenwhisker... absolutly fine." but her friend looked doubtful as she gazed at her. Whitebirch and the patrol had been gone an awfully long time.
Chapter 5
Blossomdew was tired of waiting. She knew that something had happened. So she had headed into the forest with the only cat that wasn't busy - Smokepaw. She would have asked Vixenwhisker, but of course the young queen was tending to her kits.
"Shouldn't we head back?" Smokepaw mewed. "It's almost night time - we'll be missed."
"Smokepaw, you are quite a wanderer yourself. You tend to wander off at random times - StarClan knows where. Watch that root, Smokepaw." too late. Smokepaw gave a startled sqeauk as she tripped. She hauled the apprentice to her paws, and they carried on.
"Come on, we should climb the trees. We'll get a better view of the forest." Blossomdew leapt onto an oak tree, and began to climb. Smokepaw followed, her white tail tip standing out against her pelt and the bark of the tree.
More coming soon