Chapter Five

Living alone was never an easy task in a world where anything could happen. When kits were involved, one rogue queen had discovered this the hard way. The rogue had built a den far enough from Twoleg dens and the lake area where the Clans lived. She had been hoping to give her kits the best possible start she could. They deserved that much when their father disappeared on them. But she knew that she was being ambitious in thinking she could raise all three of her kits.

All three of them were only just beginning to develop personalities. Her eldest kit – a beautifully dark black she-kit with vivid green eyes – had so much more potential than her siblings. Frost had been watching them affectionately, knowing that one day they would wander off and begin their own lives. She had to appreciate them while she could; this was her first litter after all.

Unfortunately, Smoke had other intentions in mind. She was snuggled into her mother's warm belly, allowing that warmth to wrap around her like a protective barrier. She wasn't in any hurry to see the outside world when their den had been so sheltered and warm. Frost had taken the kits out when it wasn't snowing or when it wasn't too cold. This leafbare had been difficult for her, though. Hunting wasn't easy to come by when they were restricted to one part of the forest.

Smoke let out an irritated huff of frustration when she felt something prod her side for what felt like the umpteenth time. She knew it was her sister, Luna, trying to prod her awake. Luna was an annoying furball who always tried to wake everyone up. There wasn't much room in the den for them to play games like chase, so Luna took whatever chance she could to stay outside where the world around them was much bigger.

"Wake up already!" The paw prodded her harder this time, causing Smoke to shift uncomfortably in the warm nest. She growled irritably and tried ignoring Luna's pestering once more. Luna let out a heavy sigh of her own and prodded her twice, once on her shoulder and a second time on her back. Smoke hardly had time to open her eyes when Luna finally gave an excited hop on her paws, "She's finally awake!"

"Mother, do we have to go out now?" Smoke whimpered when her mother reluctantly rose to her paws.

It was far too comfortable and cozy for them to leave the den. But Dusk was also wide awake and ready to sprint outside where a fresh blanket of snow had fallen from the other night. Smoke's eyes rolled when Frost looked at her affectionately and gave her a lick between her ears.

"The den can only provide so much comfort for us, Smoke," she replied in a reassuring voice. Though, Smoke didn't miss the doubt flickering across her eyes. "Besides, it is good for us to stretch out our legs and see if there is prey around."

"Can we all go hunting?" Dusk asked after giving an excited bounce.

So much for being able to sleep in, Smoke rolled her eyes once more. Her tail lashed as she followed the others outside the den. She was immediately greeted with harsh sunlight reflecting against the white snow. Smoke had to blink a few times to adjust to the sudden blinding light.

"Mousebrain, we're too young to go hunting!" Luna immediately rebuked her brother.

"You can watch me hunt, but your sister is right," Frost told them. She looked at all three of them, and Smoke felt her fur prickle with unease when she noticed how worried Frost looked. "Stay here until I return."

With those final words, she padded off once they were waiting outside the den. Smoke's ears flicked from one side to the other as she listened for signs of her mother's presence. Frost would sometimes wander from the den and search far for prey. Because it was leafbare, prey had been difficult to come by lately. Smoke's belly churned with anxiety as she wondered how long it would take for her to come back this time.

Luna and Dusk had begun distracting themselves with a game of tag. Smoke simply watched from a distance, unsure whether she should join them or not. Her siblings had always been more rambunctious than she was. She preferred spending time with their mother.

"Come on, Smoke!" Luna suddenly buried herself into a pile of snow. Dusk blinked a few times when his other sister suddenly disappeared in the snow. "You've gotta try this at least once – we can all disappear on mother and scare her out of her fur!"

Why in the stars would we want to do that? Smoke wondered when Dusk quickly tried doing the same. His darker pelt was a dead give away though. Smoke could make his small frame out clearly in the white blanket that surrounded him. Luna had dark gray fur as well, but she had a better chance of sneaking up on their mother than Dusk did.

Smoke was about to call them out when she spotted the familiar figure of Frost returning. Her eyes widened when she noticed that Frost was dragging what looked like a large bird across the snow. She was struggling to carry the fresh-kill, but she looked more than relieved to have found something.

"Surprise!"

Before Frost could get any further, Dusk suddenly erupted from the pile of snow. Frost's eyes went wide with alarm, and she immediately dropped the fresh-kill in disbelief at her son's antics. Luna had emerged heartbeats later, ears flat with embarrassment when they saw their mother's panic.

"What are you trying to do, you mousebrains?" Frost scolded them when she realized that it was meant to be a joke. "You nearly scared the fur off of me!"

"Sorry mother," Dusk quickly apologized when he realized what they did. His tail went between his legs as he glared hotly at Luna, who looked equally ashamed. "It was Luna's idea."

"It was not!" Luna shot back without missing a beat, though even she knew better than to carry on the argument.

Frost let out a heavy sigh of frustration as she picked up the bird again and dragged it into the den. Smoke was quick to follow, with her siblings trailing behind her.

"Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do with you two," she scolded them. "At least your sister had the sense to avoid pulling off that stunt."

It was Smoke's turn to flatten her ears when Luna shot her a dirty look. It seemed that Frost did pick her favorite kit. And Smoke suddenly realized with a start that she was her favorite. She would have been happy with that choice if it didn't mean having to put up with her siblings.

"What is this?" Luna asked after giving the bird a wary sniff.

"It's a crow," Frost explained while she worked on plucking off the grimy looking feathers. Smoke's nose wrinkled in disgust at the sight. She couldn't imagine having to do such a thing. But it was fresh-kill, and she knew that her mother expected all of them to share it. "When you are living on your own, you will learn that scavenging is sometimes easier than looking endlessly for prey."

It was already dead? Smoke wondered silently.

She couldn't help but frown at the thought. She wondered for a moment what had caused the crow to die in the first place. Maybe it was better not to know the truth. Smoke had a feeling that she would never see prey the same way if she continued thinking that way.

Once all four of them settled in the den, Smoke dug into her half of the fresh-kill. Though it didn't taste nearly as good as something that was caught fresh, it was better than starving. There were nights when her mother would go hunting for all three of them, but she wouldn't find enough for herself. Smoke hated seeing her mother go hungry, especially since she would have to do the same thing the following day.

"Mother, can you tell us a story about our father?" Dusk suddenly asked between bites.

Frost flinched at the mention of their father. She usually did when he was brought up. Smoke had often found herself wondering why Frost had such a hard time talking about their father. She would often make up stories about who he was, and what he was like.

"Your father was a brave cat who fought against the Clans when they tried to take more of his territory," she meowed. "But the Clans have numbers on their side, and they easily overpowered him by working together. One day though, you will fight the Clans as well my little ones."

Smoke's eyes went wide at the mention of fighting the Clans. When Frost first explained the Clans to them, she hadn't been able to sleep for days. Thoughts of the Clan cats discovering their den kept haunting her. She was terrified that they would hunt them down and hurt them.

"I can't wait to meet them and fight them off like he did," she sighed after realizing that was what their mother wanted from them. "I'll make sure that they remember my name."

Their mother only purred in amusement at her threat. Frost leaned forward and gave another gentle lick between her ears, causing Smoke to shuffle with annoyance.

"My little kit, you will make your father proud some day," she reassured her.

That was enough for Smoke's fur to fluff out with pride.

One day, I will make both of you proud, she silently promised.

"Always remember, family is everything," Frost murmured when they cleared out the den.

They had moved out the remains of the dead crow once they were finished eating. Smoke was full and content once she had her fill, and she knew that Frost had her fill as well. She allowed the sound of her mother's voice to soothe her as she curled up beside Luna. It didn't take long for sleep to overtake her.

…

Her eyes snapped open when she began hearing voices all around her. Wind howled in the distance, causing her fur to bristle with unease. The unfamiliar sound was enough to send shivers of worry through her. She was struggling to figure out where she managed to wander off to when a pair of amber eyes suddenly flashed in the darkness.

Smoke's fur began to stand on end when the pair of amber eyes began moving. She wanted to run away before the stranger reached her. But her paws were frozen to the ground. Smoke stared at the figure in alarm when it finally emerged fully from the darkness.

She stiffened when she noticed that the figure had a golden tabby pelt. What really caught Smoke's attention was the light that seemed to dance around its fur. The golden tabby had an imposing presence about it, but they stopped once they were a few tail-lengths in front of her.

She stared at the strange looking cat for what felt like moons when he finally cut through the icy silence, "I was hoping we would finally get the chance to meet."

For a moment, Smoke wasn't sure what to say as she gaped at the tom. Instead of threatening her like she half-expected, he sat down and wrapped his tail around his paws. He looked down at her with a mixture of worry and amusement clouding his eyes.

"W-Who are you?" she whispered, wincing when her voice came out as a terrified squeak.

The tabby only purred in amusement at her question, "My name is not important at the moment. What is important is the information I have to share with you."

Smoke just stared at the tom as if he'd grown wings. Was he really expecting a kit to understand what was going on?

"What do you mean by information?" she demanded, hoping that she sounded stronger than she felt.

"You have a destiny upon your shoulders," the tom explained. Smoke's tail lashed irritably as she studied the tabby's face, hoping for some sign that he was lying. She couldn't believe this mousebrain expected her to be part of some crazy destiny. "You are part of something far greater than you could imagine."

"And you must have fleas in your brain if you think I'm going to believe that nonsense," she spat angrily. "The only destiny I have is hunting down the Clans."

The tabby merely tilted his head to one side, as if he was amused with the idea of hunting the Clans down one by one. Smoke's claws began to sheathe and unsheathe as she glared at him. She wasn't sure what this tom expected out of her, but she knew what her mother wanted, and that was what mattered to her the most.

"Your destiny lies within the Clans… And I am afraid you will not be happy once you discover what that destiny is," he finally sighed.

Smoke's hackles began to rise for a whole different reason when she realized what he was implying. She wanted nothing to do with the Clans, other than hunt them down for murdering her father in cold blood.

"I'm not part of the Clans!" she practically yowled. But the strange visitor had already begun to fade as she felt a rush of anger towards him. "And I never will be!"