Chapt 15

Lionblaze poked his head into the nursery again.


“Willowshine said that Dovepelt had six kits?” Lionblaze knew it was strange for so many kits to be born to a single queen at one time.

Jayfeather padded out of the nursery, ” Yes and their all healthy, including Dovepelt. She didn’t lose too much blood and now she sleeping. She’ll need food when she wakes up.”

“The nursery is getting bigger every day,” Lionblaze commented. He felt his chest swelling with pride. Cinderheart was in the nursery, pregnant with his kits,” We’ll need to expand it before Cinderheart kits.” He would have to remember to tell Bumblestripe, the acting deputy while Cinderheart was in the nursery, that the nursery would need to be expanded. He padded to Bumblestripe as he heard his name called.

“Could you go on a hunting patrol with Cedarpaw, Reedwhisker, and Heathertail?” Bumblestripe asked Lionblaze.

“Sure,” Lionblaze wanted to go on patrol, but he didn’t want to go with Heathertail. They had played together as apprentices in the tunnels under their territories. When Lionblaze told her they had to stop seeing each other she had taken it badly. He had avoided her until now, sleeping on the other side of the warriors den, going on different patrols, and generally staying away from her.

“Let’s go, I want to catch a fish in the river, these forest animals are not to my liking,” Reedwhisker’s whiskered twitched with amusement.

“Yeah, I want to catch a rabbit on the moor!” Heathertail exclaimed, “I’m tired of all these tree blocking the sun, I want to feel the wind tugging my fur!” She raced ahead of the patrol.

“Stay with the patrol! You don’t want to get lost!” Lionblaze yelled after her. He looked at the patrol, shrugged and raced after her. “I’m going to hunt on my own, you can go where you want, just stay within earshot.” Lionblaze mewed.

He angled his ears towards a birch tree, listening for the scuffling of prey. He dropped into a hunters couch as he heard a mouse cracking open a nut with its teeth. His tail was straight out behind him, careful not to make a noise he bunched his leg muscles to jump. He pounced a fox-length away, tossing the mouse up in the air and killing it with a quick bite. He landed on his side. Not the most graceful kill, but it would feed the clan. Clans, he corrected himself. He buried his kill and set out for the moor. He hadn’t tasted rabbit for a while and wanted to bring home a big kill for Dovepelt and her kits. The tree line behind him, he sniffed the air searching for the familiar scent of rabbit. There! He could see nothing but the white puff of the tail. He crouched low and crept forward, slowly, not to disturb the heather behind him. The wind was in front of him, blowing the scent of rabbit in his nose. Suddenly the rabbit took off across the moor. Lionblaze took off after it, but he found he was too slow. Another shape raced across the Moorland and Lionblaze recognized the sleek figure of a cat. It overtook the rabbit, killing it swiftly. It was Heathertail. Lionblaze cursed himself for not catching the rabbit when Heathertail was watching him.

“Good catch.” Lionblaze shouted halfheartedly.

“Thanks,” Heathertail murmured, padding next to him,” You know, I’m not mad at you anymore. I know what we did in the tunnels was wrong, but I want to be your friend. It’s not against the warrior code now because we live in the same clan.” She added quickly,” I’m glad you and Cinderheart are having kits.”

“Thanks,” Lionblaze mewed. He didn’t know what to say, so he tilted his ears to the left, signaling to Heathertail there was prey there. They padded into two directions to cut the prey off at one point. It was a rabbit by the smell of it.

Lionblaze was behind the rabbit, which was two tail lengths in front of him under a thick wall of heather. Heathertail stood in front of it, just out of sight behind a bush. Lionblaze crept forward, then took off running full speed to the rabbit, it swerved to the left, catching Lionblaze off guard, But Heathertail was ready. She came out of the bush running, faster than any forest cat, and quickly killed the rabbit.

“Great!” Lionblaze purred. The clans would eat well tonight. “Now let’s go in the forest and catch some slower prey!”





When they returned to camp, Lionblaze and Heathertail had caught two rabbits, 3 mice, and 4 chaffinches. The others in the patrol had done equally as well, Reedwhisker caught 3 fish and 2 water voles, Cedarpaw caught 3 mice and a squirrel. The clan leaders told them they had done well and had first pick to the fresh kill pile. Lionblaze chose a rabbit to share with Cinderheart and brought another for Dovepelt and Squirrelflight.

“I hope one of those is for us!” Dovepelt purred as he walked into the nursery.

“Of course, this one is for you and Squirrelflight and this one is for me and Cinderheart.” Lionblaze mewed as he looked at his kit-heavy mate. Kits tumbled over his paws giggling and tussling.

“I’m going to be the best fighter in all of Thunderclan!” A small ginger she-kit proclaimed.

Her litter mate refused to be outdone,” And I’m going to be the best hunter!”

“Firekit, Sandkit, get over here! It’s time for bed!” Squirrelflight mewed. Lionblaze couldn’t help but purr as the kits slunk back to their mother.

“Where are your kits?” Lionblaze asked Dovepelt.

“Cedarpaw and Cherrypaw are showing them the apprentices den, Whitewing is watching them too. Snakekit and Frogkit will be moving in there soon. The poor apprentices have to watch 8 kits!” Dovepelt mewed.

“Are you going to sit there and gossip all day or am I going to get to eat?” Cinderheart’s amused purr made him spin around. He padded over with the rabbit.

“How many do you think are in there?” Cinderheart mewed looking into his eyes then back at her growing stomach.

“I don’t know, all I know is I’ll love them all, no matter how many there are.” Lionblaze mewed in her ear.

“I hope it’s three,” Cinderheart sighed taking a bite of rabbit.

“How long until you start kitting?” Lionblaze wanted it to be soon, he wanted to go hunting with her again.

“Jayfeather says half a moon at the most,” She replied, still looking at her belly. They finished the rabbit and Lionblaze licked her behind the ear. He said good-bye to the other queens and walked to the medicine clearing.