The Rogue Kit

A ginger queen barreled through the snow-layered forest at break-neck speed, a large bundle in her jaws. The ribcage that was outlined under her pelt heaved heavily, her pace growing slower and slower as she ran around snow covered bramble bushes and jumping over stray roots. The sound of vicious snarling and loud barking behind her told her that her pursuers were growing closer. The bundle got in the way of her long legs, hitting against them and her chest, forcing the shallow breaths from her body. The rogue tried to look around to see how close the beasts were but she stepped into a deep bank of snow and sunk in, dropping what was in her mouth. She cried out, but when she realized that the distance between her and the dogs was growing smaller, she gave the kit a quick lick on the head and stood up tall before running straight at the sound of the dogs' heavy breathing, determined to lead them away from her only surviving kit and promising to herself that she would return for her.


It had been a long time since Ruby saw her mother. She had tripped while she was running, and her mother had caught her by the scruff and carried her the whole way- something that would not have easily been done if Ruby was not so thin and gaunt. The cold season was cruel and left her bones visible under her once-thick coat of ginger and white and none of the cats that lived here would let them stay without trying to rip her mother to shreds. There in the snow she laid, her frail body curled into a tiny ball and shivering and her tail wrapped around her in an effort to keep warm. They tracks her mother had left were gone now, covered completely by the heavily falling snow. The sound of the dogs was gone, too, and that was reassuring. But now she was lost, she was cold, and she was getting very, very hungry. If her mother didn't return soon she wouldn't survive to see the next day. Right when she felt like she was safe enough to drift into sleep, she heard the distant sound of howling and Ruby quickly realized that her mother would not return to her.

Ooc: Can Adderpaw come help her? :3 He's always trying to act all calm and cool, so if he were to grow a soft side for a kit, that'd be interesting~

OOC: Yeah, that would be really awesome.

Adderpaw dug through the snow, retrieving his hidden mouse from earlier. One thing good about the snow was that it kept things hidden pretty well, plus the kits seem to enjoy playing in it. Picking up the prey, he turned to walk back to camp. He heard the distant howling of dogs and paused a moment to listen; they must have made a kill or something. During leaf-bare, those crazy mutts seemed to get more blood-thirsty with each passing day. They'd eat just about anything. But Adderpaw wasn't worried...They wouldn't come near Thunderclan territory, would they? Then he smelled it: the very vague scent, just barely lingering a moment before drifting away...The scent of cat! He buried his prey quickly in a different spot, then rushed to follow the sound. He wouldn't leave the territory of course, but if a fleeing cat had tried to escape from the dogs in Thunderclan territory, she might have been killed near here, and then the dogs would come back for them. Was that how it worked? He heard nursery tales of things like that, but he didn't really know how dogs' minds worked.

As the tom caught whiff of the scent once more, he was happy to notice that there was a curve to it, as if the cat had turned back almost as soon as she entered the territory. Adderpaw let out a breath of air and was about to turn around when he thought he spotted something fuzzy out of the corner of his vision. He spun around, suddenly catching the scent of a kit. What was a kit doing out here? Oh snap, what if that cat was a mother and left her kit here? That wouldn't be good; for the kit, its mother, or Thunderclan for a variety of reasons. He raced over to the bundle and studied it a moment. Still breathing! Adderpaw gently nudged the kit with his nose, to see if it would respond. It was cold and thin...There was no way it would last long without help.

"Hang in there, kit." He mewed quietly, picking the kit swiftly up in his jaws and rushing off towards camp, not waiting for a response. As soon as this kit was fed and all taken care of, then questions could be asked. He didn't really understand it, but when he had looked at this little, starving kitten, he had felt an odd, warm feeling. The warriors always seemed to be protective over the clan's kits...Was that was this was? Protectiveness? It wasn't even related to him at all, let alone Thunderclan. Just some random kit seemingly on the brink of death.

Ruby felt the sudden clamp of jaws around her neck and let out a startled wail before she realized that it was another cat. He was warm and seemed to be well-fed, or at least more than she was. Was he... saving her? She could not see his face, just the tomcat's paws that beat against the ground and crunched through the snow as he ran. The feelings that overcame her were strange. Instead of fear or terror, she felt safe... actually, she felt tired. So tired... how long have Mother and I been running? Slowly, Ruby's dull green eyes began to close. The way she swayed as the tomcat ran began to lull her, beckoning to enter a deep rest that she hadn't felt since she was a newborn, when she didn't have any worries.

Her eyes snapped open. She wanted to stay awake, to see where she was being taken. She still had so much to worry about, like what would happen if the dogs were still after her or if these forest cats would try to hurt her. But she couldn't keep them open enough; the odd feeling of being safe and protected cloaked her and she gave in to sleep.

Adderpaw sped up, causing snow to fly in his face. He raised his head to keep the kit from trailing on the ground, his paws pounding on the ground. Forget his prey; it wasn't nearly as important. He was nearing camp, where the air would be safe with a warm Nursery to let the kit sleep in. A crazy, random thought came to mind: She could grow up with the other kits in Thunderclan, and become a brave forest cat. After all, did she have anywhere to go? If she went on like this, she'd either freeze or starve. Once again he told himself that for now, he would focus on making sure the kit was safe and fed, then Dewstar could decide what to do with her. If the kit still had family somewhere, she may want to go home. And if she did, surely Dewstar would let her? Well, that seemed like a bad idea in weather like this. Calm down, Adderpaw, calm down. Everything was fine. Stay cool, like you always are. Why was he even getting so jumbled and worried about all of the sudden? All would turn out alright...Right?

The ravine came into view. Adderpaw could no longer feel his feet but knew they were slowing, yet still running. He dashed over and climbed down to the camp entrance, padding quickly through the gorse tunnel. His paws began to bleed a little; they had grown tender after running through all the bitter snow, and had cut on some rocks. No time for that, though. He burst into camp, panting. Placing the kit down, he looked it over to make sure she was still breathing. It looked as if she was asleep, though at least she was alive. Adderpaw looked around wildly, trying to spot Dewstar or  Swiftpaw. Mostly Swiftpaw.

"Swiftpaw! I need you out here now!"

The aforementioned medicine cat jerked his head from his work when he heard his name being called. He shifted to his serious mindset and hurried to Adderpaw, his strides long and quick-paced. Swiftpaw saw the small bundle of fur and bones, but gave it only a passing glance. Adderpaw would tell him what was wrong; it was safer to not assume things. "What's wrong? Your paws are bleeding." Already in his mind he was sorting out what to do. Adderpaw would get a poultice and a quick binding of cobwebs for his paws. The lump of fur would get... well, that depended on its state. Was it half-dead, or just very skinny? The first thing he would do for it, though, was to make a nice, warm nest of moss and use his store of feathers for extra heat. Maybe give it some fresh-kill, if it was old enough to eat solids.

"Forget my paws. I think some dogs chased a mother into our territory, and left her kit there. But if you heard the howling earlier...then it's pretty obvious she isn't coming back." Adderpaw added the last part in a whisper so that the kit wouldn't overhear, though she probably already knew it. "I found her while hunting; she won't survive like this on her own. We have to help her."

"Very well, but I will see to you later. Go to my den and start making a nest. I have extra moss stored away and a few spare feathers." Swiftpaw nudged Ruby with his muzzle, stirring her from her sleep. She squealed pitifully when she saw the new tom who was much older than the first, but then went silent  when Swiftpaw gently licked her on the forhead and wrapped his tail comfortingly around her. He had gotten a good look at her and decided that the treatment she needed the most was food, warmth, and rest. An if her mother truly had been killed, then she would need a home. Dewstar would gladly take her in. She was a queen, once, and she also took in Tigertooth. Why would this rogue be any different?

Spottedfeather padded back into camp, hearing Adderpaw call for Swiftpaw. She noticed Swiftpaw with a tiny kit and rushed over. It didn't smell like Thunderclan, she asked Swiftpaw. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked the medicine cat apprentice.

"Yes. Go get Dewstar. Tell her we have an important visitor who requires her... assistance." He looked down at the kit, whose shivering grew very violent. "And tell her we'll be in my den." He stood up and the kit followed suit, pressing to his leg as he stalked to the fresh-kill pile. He grabbed a small vole and hurried out of the snow-filled clearing, nosing the kit ahead of him who appeared to limp slightly. A twisted paw, perhaps. Swiftpaw's black tail disappeared into the medicine cat den with a slight flick.

"Yes, Swiftpaw." she mewed before rushing up to the leaders den. "Dewstar? May you go to the medicine cat den? There is a visitor needing your....assistance." Spottedfeather repeated what Swiftpaw told her to say. She wasn't quite sure how Dewstar would react otherwise.

A loud snarl escaped the leader's maw. "Visitor? We don't take visitors! What in the name of StarClan does that stupid tom think he's doing?" Nevertheless, she got to her paws and trudged to the medicine cat den. "Swiftpaw! What's wrong with you? I thought I told you- oh." She cut off abruptly when she entered the den. Her eye caught the small ginger and white she-kit. She was tearing messily at a tiny vole, wrapped in the black tail of Swiftpaw and pressed to his flank. He looked up in surprise when she stormed in berating him, but Dewstar's eyes were on the kit. "Who's this?"

"A lost kit. She said her name was Ruby." He responded, trying to appeal to her queen's instincts. "She was found by Adderpaw in the snow, hungry and dying."

"What of her parents?"

"We've heard nothing of her father, but her mother was killed by a pack of dogs. As far as we know, she's an orphan."

"I see." A pause. Clearly, Swiftpaw was only doing what was right. Perhaps it was wrong of her to immediately think he was disobeying. After all, he never actually directly disobeyed her commands. "She doesn't have anywhere to go then. How old does she seem?"

A rush of relief flooded him, but he stayed serious. She would take the kit! "I'd say around five moons- too old for milk. She won't need a foster mother. And soon, with enough rest and food, she'll be strong and healthy: a perfect addition to ThunderClan!"

She growled quietly. "You're pressing your luck, you little furball." Dewstar's tone became playful. "Since she doesn't need a mother, she can stay here, with you. You'll look after her, right?"

Swiftpaw grinned widely. "Absolutely!" Dewstar chuckled lightly and backed out, returning to her den under the Highrock. He looked down at Ruby, who had stopped her eating to stare at the intimidating gray she-cat. The she-kit turned to him and smiled a small smile, glad to know she had a permanent home where she wouldn't have to run anymore. "Thanks." She mumbled before starting to munch on the vole again. She wondered where- Adderpaw, was it? -had gone. She still needed to thank him, to make it up to him somehow for not leaving her to die.

ooc: Need to catch up

Adderpaw nodded and created a nest in the den just before they arrived. He sat down, watching the conversation flick back and forth. Looking at the kit, he tipped his head. So they'd take the kit in? Normally, he wouldn't be very fond of the idea of taking in a rogue kit, but he had found this kit and brought her here himself, so he felt a sort of responsibility. He looked over at the medicine cat and leader. "Do you mind if I occasionally come in here to maybe drop off some fresh prey or look after her a bit? When I'm not training?" He asked. His voice was uncharacteristically gentle, and he wasn't using his normal tone and choice of 'cool' sentence-wording. It was unlike him, and frankly it surprised Adderpaw himself.

"That's be really helpful. Thank you, Adderpaw." Swiftpaw noticed the odd change in his behavior, but he didn't question it. He was not exactly a queen, and he could use all the help he could get.