The Flight of the Hawk Chapter Three

The Flight of the Hawk
Chapter Three
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“Hawkkit, were you listening?”
Hawkkit looked up from where she had been attempting a catch a butterfly. Owlpaw had been teaching her how to hunt. But… well, she’d got distracted. Again.
“Sorry, Owlpaw, but that butterfly! If I had caught it… Well, sorry. I’m just not that easy to teach,” Hawkkit replied.
Owlpaw smiled down at her, his eyes gleaming. “It’s fine,” he mewed. Then he asked a question which caught her off guard.
“Hawkkit… Are we friends?”
She tilted her head, looking at him. “Of course! You’re one of my best friends!”
“Hey, Hawkkit! Stop hanging around with boring old Owlpaw and come here!”
Hawkkit bristled. Aquakit.
“Shut up,” she mewed quietly, glaring at her sister.
“Oooh, don’t get all stroppy,” Aquakit mewed, bounding closer, Lakekit on her paws.
“You don’t actually like him do you?” Lakekit sniggered, acting as if Owlpaw wasn’t there.
“So what if I d-“
“Hawkkit, go on, you should go,” Owlpaw interrupted.
“I don’t want to hang around with th-”
“Just go, ok?” he snapped.
Hurt, Hawkkit stared up at him. Then, shoulders drooping she padded away.
***
Hawkkit stared glumly down at the pile of moss. Usually, she would have been thrilled, but now, she just felt… betrayed.
“Hey, what’s up? I got loads of moss. You never pass up a chance to play mossball…” Redkit tilted her head, looking at Hawkkit intently.
“Nothing… Just, well, Owlpaw growled at me and told me to shove off! I had to play with my sisters!”
“Oops, sorry about that. I would have played with you but I was getting very badly told off….Again,” Redkit replied. “Hey, no worries! Let’s forget about stupid toms! Look at all this moss!”
Hawkkit grinned again, deciding she was making a fuss over nothing. “Where did you get it all from?”
Redkit looked rather shifty. “Um…. Well….” She leaned forward to Hawkkit. “You now the clearing next to the camp entrance? I snuck out and collected some from there. There and the medicine den.”
Hawkkit couldn’t help giggling. “Didn’t Silverspots catch you?”
“Nearly, but Pricklenose started complaining and that distracted her.”
“That’s probably the only time Pricklenose has done something to help us!” Hawkkit mewed, referring to the grumpy elder.
“And the last!” A croaky voice mewed.
Hawkkit and Redkit turned around and gulped. Pricklenose had been behind them! But the tom’s amber eyes were glowing with amusement. “Kits will be kits, I guess,” he rasped, and ambled off to the fresh kill pile.
“Phew!” Redkit mewed, shaking out her fur.
“Maybe he’s not that bad,” Hawkkit mused.
Redkit grinned and scooped up a pawful of moss. She flung it over Hawkkit’s head. Letting out a squeal of excitement, Hawkkit leapt up and grasped it between her paws. She chucked it back to Redkit, and the ball of moss hit the ginger she-cat on the head.
Redkit staggered back dramatically. She fell to the floor.
Hawkkit tilted her head. “R-Redkit?” she mewed, going over. “Are you OK?”
What if I hurt her?
She reached her friend. “Redkit!”
Just when Hawkkit was about to yowl Silverspots, Redkit leapt up. “Ha!” she mewed, dancing around Hawkkit. “You really believed I was hurt!”
Hawkkit tried to be angry, but couldn’t help laughing. “Ok, ok, I’m a mousebrain,” she mewed.
“Too right! Hey, maybe you should be renamed Mousekit!”
Hawkkit tilted her head. “Mousekit? What’s so bad about Mousekit?”
“You’re warrior name could be Mousebrain, you mousebrain!”
Hawkkit gave a playful growl and tackled her friend. Redkit slithered out from under her, and gently grabbed her tail.
“Grrr! Let go!” Hawkkit squealed, acting like an angry warrior. “I’m a WindClan warrior and you’re just ThunderClan filth!”
“Now, now, we shouldn’t really bad-mouth ThunderClan, kits.”
Hawkkit looked around guiltily. “Sorry Silverspots,” she mewed, then sat down facing the white and grey medicine cat. “Why shouldn’t we bad-mouth ThunderClan? We’re not allies, are we?”
Silverspots sat down too, and beckoned Redkit with her tail. Redkit joined them, her eyes bright with curiosity.
“We’re not allies, you’re right Hawkkit,” Silverspots began. “But we used to be. I trust your mothers have told you tales of the legendary Firestar?” When the kits nodded, she carried on. “Well, not only did Firestar save the Clans, he saved WindClan many times. If it had not been for him, WindClan might not be here…” The medicine cat trailed off. “But, aye, we should put the past behind us. ThunderClan are our rivals, just like any other Clan. And as I’m sure it is, your loyalty should only be to WindClan.”
***

“Hawkkit? You should come in now, sweet…”
Hawkkit looked up from where she was trying to wrestle a feather off Redkit. “Aww, mama! Do I have to?”
Cloudwing came over and swiped her tongue around her daughter’s ears. “I’m sorry, but yes you do,” she mewed fondly. “You want to get a good night’s sleep, don’t you?”
Hawkkit sighed. “Ok,” she agreed. “Can you tell us a story tonight?”
“Of course, if that’s what you want.”
“It is!” Hawkkit bounced up and down. She turned to her friend. “Oh, see you, Redkit.”
Redkit grinned. “I’d better get back too.” She hared over to the nursery, dust clouding behind her.
Hawkkit padded back to the nursery with her mother. She couldn’t resist letting out a yawn.
Cloudwing smiled down at her. “Time to rest, my little warri-” She stopped suddenly. Hawkkit looked up into the familiar silver and black face, and stiffened. Cloudwing was bristling, her eyes wide and terrified.
“M-Mama?”
“Hawkkit, get back to the nursery!” Her voice was a strangled mew.
“But Mama, what-“
“Hawkkit, go!”
Hawkkit scrambled away, whimpering. She felt a cold rush of air, saw a flash of yellow.
Talons.
Beak.
And then, a scream.
A  s c r e a m.
Then silence.
Hawkkit opened her eyes. She was still crouching, petrified. Her legs were shaking so hard she could barely stand. And just when she had taken a few gulps of air and felt a little less afraid, she saw something that made her world crash.
Cloudwing was laying on the ground, her fur torn. Red blossomed out of her fur and onto the packed soil. Her neck was covered in blood, and her back was marked with deep punctures.
“Mama!” Hawkkit screamed, running over to her.
She pawed her desperately, her heart thudding. “Mama, wake up! You’ll be fine, I’ll get Silverspots. She – She can patch you up and you’ll be ok, you can tell us a story tonight. I promise I’ll be a good, good kit and never do anything stupid or worry you again! Just please, please wake up!”
By this time, Hawkkit was sobbing. Her tiny body shook and she pawed at her mother again.
“H-Hawkkit…?”
“Mama!”
Cloudwing’s eyes were open, but dull. The light seemed to be seeping out of them. Then she spoke again, her voice rasping and rattling. “You are  a good, good kit, and don’t let anyone put you down. I love you, my little warrior. And even if you can’t see me, I will always be there…”
Cloudwing gave a long sigh, and her eyes closed again. Her chest stilled. Hawkkit stood frozen. Then she slotted back to her senses.
“Silverspots!” she bawled. “SILVERSPOTS!”
“Hawkkit, I’m here…” The medicine cat was behind her, her eyes wide and full of grief.
“Silverspots, please help her! She – She just needs some herbs… She’ll be o-ok, won’t she?”
Hawkkit searched Silverspots’ face, looking for an answer. But the medicine cat’s eyes were all the words she needed.
Crouching down, Hawkkit wailed into Cloudwing’s bloodsoaked fur. She barely heard Silverspots’ confession.
“Hawkkit….She’s – She’s dead…”






To be continued…