#coinkit

“WHAT IS THAT?!” Jayspring yowled as Coinkit bounded up to the patrol. Horror gripped Brokensong’s eyes and form as Coinkit mewed, finding his way to her and burying his face in her fur. “Brokensong?”      

“Coinkit! Coinkit!” Brokensong’s fear grew as she heard an approaching TentClan patrol. Jaggedfoot’s own eyes widened in horror as he spotted the FunClan patrol. And little Coinkit huddling against his adopted mother. “Oh no…”

“TentClan! I should have known!” Clownfoot hissed, “Stay off our turf and take your weird looking kit with you!”

“Leave him alone! He can’t help the way he looks!” Brokensong yowled at her clanmates without thinking. She winced as Clownfoot, Jayspring and the others looked at her.

“What’re you saying, Brokensong?” Jayspring questioned.

“Who cares,” Clownfoot yowled, “Get yourselves and your kit off of our turf!” Aldertail and Foxpetal snarled behind Jaggedfoot who was staring straight at Brokensong. Raggedchance stared with narrowed eyes at her as well.

“Why does that thing know you?” He grumbled. Coinkit whimpered and closed his quartet of eyes, covering his ears to avoid Raggedchance’s voice.

“Stop it, you’re frightening him,” Brokensong growled. Raggedchance sneered at Jaggedfoot.

“Is this why you’ve been sneaking off?” He bellowed, “Not to hunt but to spend time with this...FunClan she-cat!”

“That’s not true!” Jayspring yowled, “Brokensong would never betray her clan like that! Right?” Brokensong’s eyes narrowed. “Right, Brokensong?” Brokensong’s lips pulled back in a sneer.

“Brokensong tell us,” Clownfoot said, “What exactly have you been doing?” Coinkit let out a few pathetic mews and pawed at the molly who calmed him with soft coos. “So it’s true.”

“Yes,” Brokensong said, “Yes I found this kit. I found it with Jaggedfoot. He’s my son.”

----

The cat from the prophecy. At apprentice age!

Coinpaw has one brain and switches back and forth between his mouths to speak. 

Coinpaw’s eyes blink independently but all four of his eyes move the same direction. So if he rolls his eyes, they all roll.

When he was a kit, Coinpaw couldn’t figure out how to eat without using both mouths. So often he would choke on milk. However with some practice, Coinpaw now eats with one mouth only and drinks with the other. 

The kit had fallen asleep as Jaggedfoot and Brokenflight returned to Funland’s walls. Jaggedfoot carried him most of the way. Pushing the brick into the hole they used for their escape, they finally put him down. “Snowdrop and Heatherbreeze are both nursing,” Brokenfeather said, “But…”

“But a FunClan cat wouldn’t take a kit like this,” Jaggedfoot said, awkwardly, shuffling his paws, “I’ll take him. I’m sure Olivewing wouldn’t mind one more...two more mouths to feed.”

“Do you think they both feed?”

“They both cry.” Jaggedfoot pressed his face against Brokenflight. “I’m going to miss you.”

“We’ll meet again,” Brokenflight promised, lapping at his cheek, “But the kit…”

“I’ll bring him to see you,” Jaggedfoot purred, “Guess you’ve grown fond of the freak show, huh?”

“Don’t push your luck, pretty boy,” Brokenflight said over her shoulder, purring aggressively. With a flick of her tail Jaggedfoot watched her disappear into FunClan territory. The kit was awakening as if reacting to the loss of Brokenflight’s close scent, eyes still closed. It let out a pair of tired, thirsty mews.

“Hold on, kit,” he said, picking the small bundle up by the scruff and trotting towards the TentClan fence. He entered the gateway and squeezed into the tent. The kit’s mewling woke someone as he heard stumbling from the warrior den. His sister appeared, Aldertail staring at him, eyes wide.

“What’re you doing?” Aldertail hissed, “You gator brain!”

“I couldn’t sleep! I-”

“What in StarClan’s name is THAT!?” Behind Aldertail came Foxpetal who was staring at this kit with the same horror in her eyes as Brokenflight had when she first saw him.

“I went out to do some night hunting and I found him,” Jaggedfoot said, “I call him Twokit.”

“No spit,” Aldertail said, “What else would you call him?”

“Two faces on a cat,” Foxpetal gasped, “I’ve never seen that before.”

“What in StarClan’s name is all this racket?” The trio of siblings stared upwards, watching as Freakstar slid from his den. The plump tom moved his way towards them, his golden eyes shining. “What are you three doing?” Before Jaggedfoot could respond, Freakstar’s eyes landed on the kit. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. “What...is that?”

“I found him,” Jaggedfoot said firmly, “He needs milk.” He expected a fight or at least the leader to yowl something at him but instead he turned, moving to the nursery and disappearing inside. In a few moments he reappeared through the tent flap with Olivewing following. He pointed a fat, multitoed paw at the two-faced kit.

“Feed him,” he commanded, “He needs milk.”

“Oh!” Olivewing gasped, her eyes blinking away sleep, “Yes of course! Oh how will I…” She paused, then moved to grab the kit by the scruff. Freakstar shook his head.

“Here,” he said. She eyeballed the leader then lay on her side. As if on cue the kit moved towards her, burying his two faces into her. However the kit was sputtering in seconds with one mouth suckling and the other breathing in milk. Jaggedfoot stared in horror and yanked the kit away, lapping at his faces with his tongue to clear away the milk from his noses. Olivewing looked horrified.

“I don’t know how to do it so he won’t drown,” she mewled.

“I’ve heard of this before.” The group of cats turned to see Ticketleaf approach. At his paws were bundles of leaves. “I could smell the blood from my den. I have to treat his wounds. His mother must have tried to kill him.”

“WHAT?!” Olivewing cried, “Why would any she-cat kill a kit!?”

“Not all cats are so welcoming of the strange as we,” Ticketleaf said, approaching the small kit, “I’ve heard of kits with two faces but I’ve never seen one. They almost always die within a few days naturally.”

“This kit will not die,” Jaggedfoot snarled, “You hear me?”

“I think we can figure this out,” Ticketleaf said calmly, “But we have to keep this one separate.” He paused and strategically placed the kit to Olivewing’s stomach, separating the mouths and watching them suckle eagerly. “It’s so small.”

“He,” Jaggedfoot growled, ears folding back, “It’s a he.”

“Alright.” Ticketleaf’s ears flicked back. “This isn’t another clan cat...is it?”

“It can’t be,” Freakstar bellowed, “We’ve had kits dropped off before but...never has a clan cat tried to kill its own.”

“I wouldn’t put it past RideClan,” scoffed Foxpetal. Freakstar shook his head.

“Whatever it is, it’s safe now,” he said, “I shall announce to the clan that he’s here tomorrow. Right now it’s time for sleep.” He nodded to Ticketleaf. “Heal that kit. I don’t want it to die in the night.”

“I’ll do my best,” Ticketleaf promised. Freakstar turned to Jaggedfoot.

“It’s your responsibility to teach this kit the ways of the clan,” he grumbled, “For all intensive purposes you are his father.”

“Yes sir,” Jaggedfoot said eagerly. His son. Jaggedfoot stared proudly at the strange kit. His and Brokenflight’s son.

“All cats old enough to walk the fence gather under the ticket booth for a clan meeting!” Cats slid from all places but Jaggedfoot was already there. He was exhausted. He’d been up all night annoying Olivewing and making sure the kit, his kit, was alright. Olivewing’s kits had squealed in terror at first but then Eaglekit had approached.

“His eyes are closed! He’s so little!” He squeaked.

“Yes, Eaglekit,” Olivewing cooed, “And he’s very special. We have to take care of him. Can you do that?” Eaglekit puffed his chest and his siblings whined. They wanted to protect the special kit as well. Jaggedfoot was pleased they’d taken to Twokit.

“What’s all this?” Amberfang asked, her blind eyes blinking softly, “Jaggedfoot, what’s…” She stopped short, pausing at his side. “You smell of milk and kits...were you in the nursery?”

“Just listen, Mummy,” Jaggedfoot cooed, running his tail down his mother’s back. Jaggedfoot hoped Raggedchance would come join them. But the tom was sitting off to the side speaking to Leopardshow. Finally when all of the cats were out, Freakstar lept up to the ticket booth.

“Last night, Jaggedfoot found a kit,” Freakstar said, “A special kit.” The clan gasped with delight and wonder as Olivewing placed Twokit on the ground. Jaggedfoot’s ears folded back. The kit looked sick and Olivewing looked frantic. “He’s very small and very sickly. But look at him! He embodies what TentClan embraces!”

“Two faces,” whispered Leopardshow. Raggedchance’s eyes narrowed and he offered a snort. Jaggedfoot’s own eyes narrowed darkly at his father’s dismissal of the special kit.

“Moons ago the medicine cats were delivered a prophecy from StarClan,” Ticketleaf announced from in front of the ticket booth, ““There are two sides to every coin,Two sides to every story. Two you will find and two shall save you all.” The cats murmured and looked at each other. “I believe this kit is the key to that prophecy.”

“TentClan finding a prophetic kit!” Dappledart cheered. The cats echoed her excitement. Freakstar raised a tail to silence them.

“We must be cautious,” Ticketleaf warned, “This kit is very ill. Most of these kits don’t survive their first moon. So we must be careful with him.” The cats in the square nodded.

“If he survives this could mark a glorious future for TentClan!” Freakstar announced to the joyous yowls of his cats. Jaggedfoot joined in but he was staring cautiously. He didn’t want all this pressure on Twokit. “Jaggedfoot, might I suggest a different name for Twokit?”

“I suppose.” Jaggedfoot had never really liked Twokit as a name anyway. The kit was far too special and the name had just been a placeholder.

“I suggest Coinkit,” Freakstar bellowed, “Because he is both sides of the coin from the prophecy!” Jaggedfoot was shocked when Freakstar turned to him. “Well? Do you approve?”

“I do!” Jaggedfoot said with a grin.