[MillietheWarrior]

Splash, Gingerbread Kuhna


“Fern? Fern you in here?”

The yowl cut through the silence of the small cave, and a small silver she-cat, her belly heavy and round, lifted her head lazily, blinking the sleep from her deep blue eyes. Her muzzle stretched in a wide yawn as she hauled herself to her paws, meeting the two cats at the entrance of the cave when they padded inside.

“Splash? Storm? Good hunting today?”

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(Warning, here there be Warriors characters)

[MillietheWarrior]

The black tom with white paws twitched his tail good-naturedly, his round golden eyes blinking warmly at the she-cat. “Sure was,” he mewed between his mouth full of mouse, dropping it at the Fern’s feet. The second cat, a small, chocolate brown she-cat with a white splashed chest padded past them, tail waving through the air.

“I caught a squirrel,” she mumbled around her mouthful, dropping it near the back of the cave.

Fern bounded over to observe the large, plump piece of fresh-kill her friend had brought back. Her mouth watered just looking at it. “Well done!” she praised, receiving a flustered, embarrassed look from Splash, who shook her head and nudged the squirrel towards Fern.

[MillietheWarrior]

“Eat up,” the little she-cat mewed. “You need it the most.”

Fern nodded her head, eyeing her daughter with a look full of warmth, before she dipped her head to take a bite of the fresh-kill. Storm padded over to stand beside Splash, before he dropped his mouse at her paws. “You take it,” he meowed fondly. “The squirrel will be enough for Fern and I.”

Splash nodded gratefully as Storm sat beside his mate, and crouched down to devour the mouse in a few swift bites. She swiped her tongue over her jaws, savoring the fresh, crisp taste of the prey, before she pulled herself to her feet and padded to the back of the cave. “You’re sure this is a good place to stay?” she asked curiously, sniffing at the nest that she’d left earlier that morning. “It smells like badger.”

[MillietheWarrior]

“It’s scent is stale,” Storm mewed, sounding unconcerned as he crouched down to finish off what was left of the squirrel. “It’ll be fine. Besides, the prey is all right here, and I don’t see any reason-”

“But my fur feels all gross,” Splash grumbled, giving her chest a few licks and making a disgusted face at the foul taste. “And it’s so noisy. The water is always growling at the rocks, and I can’t even hear myself think sometimes.”

Fern chuckled patiently, sounding amused by their bickering. Splash was their only kit from their last litter, and she had stayed with them since she was kitted. “Oh Splash,” she mewed sweetly. “This is the best place we’ve been so far. I don’t imagine there will be-”

[MillietheWarrior]

She was cut off as the cave grew suddenly dark, and the three cats turned to the mouth of it with alarm bristling their pelts. A large, furry shape was blocking the entrance, and Splash let out a sudden yowl, her fur standing on end. “A badger!” she screeched, trembling where she stood. Storm immediately leapt in front of Fern, who crouched behind her mate with wide, frightened eyes.

The three cats waited for the badger to lumber forward and attack them, but instead they were surprised when it spoke. “What cats doing in den now?”

[MillietheWarrior]

The words were broken, accented, and not well formed, but the three understood what she was saying well enough. Splash was still trembling, but when neither Storm nor Fern made any move to step forward and answer, she managed to convince her paws to pad forward. “We-we didn’t know someone still lived here. We thought you’d gone. Please forgive us. We’ll leave right away.” She shared a terrified glance with her parents; Storm looked fluffed up and ready for a fight, his claws unsheathed and scraping on the hard rock. Fern just looked frightened.

[MillietheWarrior]

“Not need leave. Name Midnight. Won’t hurt you, if you not hurt me.” The badger lumbered forward, looking vaguely pleased, if her face was any indication, to have visitors. “Not been here for moon. Out walking sands. Very long walk, but good for watching stars at night.” She flopped down on the rocks near the cats, who slowly began to look less terrified, though no less suspicious, as they realized she really meant them no harm.

[MillietheWarrior]

“I’m Splash, and that’s Storm and Fern.” Splash twitched her whiskers as she flicked her tail to each of the other cats in turn. Then a question rose unbidden to her mind, bubbling in her throat and bursting from her mouth before she could stop it. “You were watching the stars?” she asked slowly, her fear suddenly forgotten in place of her curiosity. Midnight nodded with a grunt, her small, beady eyes studying the she-cat calmly. Storm and Fern seemed content to settle near the back of the cave, still watching Midnight warily.

“Questions good. Learn much when ask questions. I watch stars. Talk to ancient cats who live in stars. They know much. Not always nice. But good talks.” She seemed to consider for a moment, before she added; “You not Clan cats? Not smell like Clan cats.”

[MillietheWarrior]

“Ancient cats who live in stars? Who are they? Clan cats?” Splash mewed, exchanging a look with her parents. “What are Clan cats?”

Midnight hunkered down to get comfortable, shoulders hunching as she lounged on the cave floor. Fern and Storm padded cautiously closer, taking a seat beside Splash, who was leaning in eagerly, a questioning light shining in her eyes.

“Very curious,” Midnight rumbled. “Yes, questions good. I tell you of cats in stars, and of Clan Cats. Is long, long story….”

---

[MillietheWarrior]

Jayfeather stirred in his nest, whiskers twitching as a bit of moss got stuck on his nose. He sneezed it away, tail flicking back and forth irritably as he struggled to force the sleep from his body. He froze, however, when he realized that he could see. Quite vividly, in fact. The rock wall of his den, the sleeping Briarlight in her nest near his, the herbs tucked safely away in their nooks.

Jayfeather swung his head around, searching the den, but he found not trace of any StarClan cats. That didn’t make sense; if he was dreaming, and he was still in his den, then there must be a reason. What was it they wanted to tell him? Shaking the moss from his pelt, he stepped out of the den and was instantly bathed in moonlight. His eyes lifted to Silverpelt where it sparkled dimly in the sky, outshone by the vibrancy of the moon.

[MillietheWarrior]

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Jayfeather turned his head as Spottedleaf padded quietly to his side. Her beautiful green eyes sparkled as brightly as the stars shimmering in her pelt. She sat beside him, curling her tail over her paws, and bent her head to lick the fur on her chest flat.

“Spottedleaf,” Jayfeather questioned slowly. He was eyeing her suspiciously, waiting for some warning, some word of advice, or, StarClan forbid, another prophecy. I so don’t need that right now, he thought grimly, his impatience getting the best of him. “What is it you need from me?”

[MillietheWarrior]

Spottedleaf turned, watching him with an unconcerned, unhurried gaze. She didn’t seem inclined to talk right away, and simply stared at him for a few, silent moments before she parted her jaws to speak. “When the frost settles, and the storm has passed, the fog will lift to reveal the mist. Find the mist, and all will be clear.”

Jayfeather’s face fell; another prophecy? “Are you kidding me?!” The words spilled form his muzzle before he could stop them, staring in dismay at the StarClan she-cat. Spottedleaf smiled faintly, and Jayfeather watched as a faint mist began to creep into the camp, creeping towards Spottedleaf and swallowing up her flickering form. Jayfeather growled angrily, leaping forward to try and catch her before she vanished. “What do you mean? What mist? Wait! You can’t just leave me to figure this out! Don’t I have enough to deal with already?”

[MillietheWarrior]

But Spottedleaf was no longer there, and the mist swallowed him up, shrouding the world from view. Jayfeather yowled angrily, claws unsheathing and digging into the earth as Spottedleaf’s voice drifted back to him.

“When the frost settles, and the storm has passed, the fog will lift to reveal the mist. Find the mist, and all will be clear.”

“What are you talking about? Spottedleaf, come back!”

“Find the mist, Jayfeather. Find the mist…”

[MillietheWarrior]

“Oh, Fern, Storm! Can we go find the Clan cats? Can we, pleeeeeaaaaasssseee?”

Ever since Midnight’s stories about the Clans, Splash had been bothering her parents to find the Clan cats. The stories had been amazing, filled with bravery, courage, wonderful images and enough intrigue to spark Splash’s interest. Of course, it wasn’t difficult to spark Splash’s interest; she was always into everything, it seemed.

Fern exchanged a glance with her mate. The three cats sat huddled outside of Midnight’s den, listening to the roar of the deep water, as Storm called it, and watching the birds dive around the cliffs. “I don’t know,” the she-cat’s mew sounded reluctant, and she held Storms’ gaze for a moment, an unspoken message flashing between them. “My kits aren’t due for a few moons yet. Do you think…Storm, do you think we could make a journey like that?”

[MillietheWarrior]

Storm frowned, scuffling his paws against the rock and glancing between his mate’s anxious face and Splash’s pleading one. Heaving a heavy sigh, he rolled his eyes back towards his mate, a smile on his muzzle. “Well, if we don’t go, you know we’ll hear about it for moons anyway. But do you think you can make it?”

A scraping sounded behind them, and the three cats turned to see Midnight clambering along the rocks, her sharp, hooked claws scarping on the stones. “Is not too far. Cats make journey easy.” Her bright, beady gaze fixed on Splash, and a strange sort of smile rolled across her muzzle. “Little cat know way? Listen well to Midnight’s stories. Know how find ThunderClan Cats?”