Painted Paws

Many nights had passed since the storm that brought Thunderkit to GroveClan. Seemed like Spottedvine just blinked and she already growing up.

Where does all the time go?

“Papa!”Thunderkit looked up at her father,”Can I pleaseeee go play with my friends?”

She blinked expectantly, eyes wide and waiting.

“Well, I suppose so,”Spottedvine sighed softly,”as long as you don’t wander too far-“

That’s all the answer Thunderkit needed. Before her father could even finish his sentence, she was off.

“Thankyouloveyoubyeeee,”the kit squeaked, just a brown blur bounding over the grass.

Spottedvine was stunned for a second. Then smiled to himself.

taking break from the warriors cats art to share some dnd characters! the purple tiefling, zephyr, is mine, and the elf mars belongs to my friend.

Owlstar padded through the dimly lit forest, every sense on high alert. These woods were familiar, yet strange at the same time. Owlstar could’ve sworn he’d been here before, but everything felt hazy.

It also felt like eyes were all on him. That certainly cause him some unease. Though, being leader of GroveClan for many moons now, he was no stranger to fear. In fact, the tom was quite known for his unwavering bravery.

“Who’s there?”Owlstar called out into the dark, eyeing something in a nearby bush.

“Show yourself!”he demanded, raising his tail in authority.

The entity surprisingly did as it was told, revealing itself to GroveClan’s leader.

It was a bare wisp of a cat, lighting up the forest with its uncanny glow. Whatever it is, or was, hadn’t existed on earth in many years.

Owlstar felt his heart skip a beat, but kept his paws firmly on the ground. This was not Owlstar’s first brush with the afterlife. He knew the spirits well. He also knew they rarely visited with good news.

“What do you want?”Owlstar asked hesitantly, standing his ground.

A beat of silence. Then the apparition spoke.

“Where thunder roams,”it croaked as it took a big step forward,”the earth will shudder under her paws!”

As the spirit stomped the forest floor, the ground began to crack open.

Owlstar, as fearless as he was, felt his hackles raise as the soil gave way beneath him.

He opened his mouth to speak, or maybe even cry out. All attempts were in vain as he was met with a loud crack of thunder. Lightning lit up his den, and Owlstar’s eyes shot open.

He’d been dreaming.

Or was he?

Thunder? The earth shuddering? What was that all about? Apart of him wanted to believe this storm had his nerves in a tizzy. He was simply having a nightmare. Then again, the timing was too perfect… SpottedVine had mentioned naming the kit he found..

Thunder.

Spotted Vine rushed the kit back to his camp, finding the GroveClan leader fast asleep in his den.

"Owlstar!"the orange tom called out urgently," We have a little problem."

Owlstar grumbled sottly in response, his eyes heavy with sleep as he stood up to address his distressed medicine cat.

"I thought I heard barking near our borders,"SpottedVine began before his leader could speak,"but when I went to look, I didn't find dogs. I found this kit. I think she's been abandoned."

"A kit?"Owlstar echoed, his dark ears twitching,"Well then, if she's been left behind I suppose we have no other choice but to take her in."

A small smile then crossed his muzzle.

"Haven't named her yet, have you? I know how quickly attached you get to things."

"Actually, I want to name her Thunderkit." Spottedvine smiled back sheepishly.

As he spoke, a crack of thunder erupted in the background.

"Fitting,"Owlstar scoffed, finding the irony in the situation,

“Well, you and Thunderkit get some rest. We'll

SpottedVine sometimes collected herbs at night.

There were times he could not sleep, so instead of endlessly tossing in his nest, he went to work. He found that he enjoyed the silence, the stillness of the woods when everyone was asleep.

Unfortunately for this med cat, though, it wasn't too peaceful tonight.

"Just great,"the tom mumbled, thick water droplets soaking his bright orange fur.

The storm seemed to appear out of nowhere, but then again, so did the dogs.

"Dogs?"SpottedVine's fur stood on end. He could hear barking close to the territory's border. It mixed in with the thunder itself, and it was close. Too close.

With a worried flick of his tail, SpottedVine went to investigate. If they were headed towards camp, he'd have to warn the clan.

But he didn't find dogs. He found a tiny brown kit, squeaking out for help. While she couldn't see or hear, she obviously figured out she had been left behind.

There was a storm that night.

Lighting streaked across the pale sky as a ruffled tom bolted through the woods, a tiny brown kit swinging from his jaws.

The old warrior was up in age and his paws weren't as nimble as they used to be. He stumbled over foliage and the rain made his vision blurry. But he had to try.

He had to try.

The sounds of hounds exploded through the forest. The echo of their barks caused the tom's fur to stand on end.

He could hear them lumbering through the woods, panting with anticipation. Absolute monsters.

The kit squeaked.

Somehow through the storm and panic, he smelled them. Unfamiliar cats.

He was at a clan border. Fortunately, his sense of smell was still sharp.

The old tom skidded to a halt, quickly finding a large tree off the path. With the sounds of yelping growing louder, he quickly sat the kit next to its great trunk.

"Good luck, little one,"he muttered softly, flattening his ears.

But there was no time to cry. The sound of a branch snapping made the tom jump, and the chase started again.