Odd Cat Out: Goldenkit Magical

[♥Goldenheart♥]

Prologue

The brown she-cat lay among the reeds that covered the sheltered stretch of ground. She licked her lone newborn silver kit, smoothing down the blue stripes.

“Brownfur?”

The she-cat looked up at the sound of her mate’s familiar mew. A black tom with green eyes entered the shelter that they called the nursery. “What is it, Greenwind?”

“Lostflower’s dedication to work has finally gotten the better of her. She gave birth to a kit while out hunting. As soon as she was done, she returned to the hunt. Bluewind had to bring the kit back.”

“What will happen to the kit?”

“I don’t know. Lostflower doesn’t seem to want it.”

Just then, a brown tom with a large silver marking on his head poked his head into the nursery. Dangling from his mouth was a white kit with a black marking similar to his. Dropping it on the nursery floor, he mewed, “She’s going to be called Whitekit. That was all Lostflower would say, even to me: ‘Bluewind, her name is Whitekit.’ I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”

Brownfur and Greenwind exchanged glances, and Brownfur meowed, “She can sleep here; Goldenkit needs a bit of company anyway.”

“Thank you, Brownfur,” mewed Bluewind, and he slipped out of the nursery. Greenwind paused to gaze lovingly at his mate and the two tiny kits she protected, and then he too turned and left. Brownfur nuzzled the kits, and dropped off to sleep. All was quiet in the camp.

[♥Goldenheart♥]

Chapter 1

Goldenkit sank her teeth into Featherkit’s tail. Her fellow two-moon-old whipped around and they grappled together for a few seconds. “You won’t get Sunningrocks so easily, Leopardstar!” she hissed, throwing herself completely into the role.

Not so fast, Bluestar! Sunningrocks belongs to RiverClan!” Featherkit squeaked. Then the two of them resumed their tussle. After a lengthy struggle, Featherkit ended up on the bottom.

“One, two, three, four. I have won another war!” crowed a victorious Goldenkit.

“See-trees! See-trees!” Featherkit squeaked, not realizing that the word was “retreat.”

“I’m bored of organizedness,” mewed Featherkit’s brother Stormkit, coming up behind them. “Let’s play Completely Random Tussle!” The others eagerly agreed, and pretty soon the kits were rolling around in a massive pile. For the next long time, all Goldenkit could see was a blur of fur, until she crashed into something soft, furry… and yowling at her! “What are you doing?” Foxdung! she thought.

“S-s-sorry, Leopardstar. We were just playing…” The Clan leader stared at her.

“Playing? All the playing I did as a kit was much gentler than that!!” Goldenkit stared, stunned. Finally, she found her voice.

“You were a kit?”

“Yes, of course. Every cat started out as a kit, and I’m still a cat, even if I am leader.”

“Goldenkit!” came Brownfur’s voice from the nursery. The kit mewed good-bye to Leopardstar and scampered off towards where Whitekit was, intending to go from there to the nursery, but as the two of them approached the nursery, Goldenkit heard a yowl of terror.

“TWOLEG ATTACK! RUN!” The kits ran desperately towards the place that Brownfur waited with the other kits and queens.

“LOOK OUT FOR THE-“ squealed Aquakit and Featherkit simultaneously. At the same time, Goldenkit felt a pull on the scruff of her neck, and she was rising into the air. “-Twoleg,” finished the others, too late. A brown streak sailed out, hissing at the Twoleg, and Brownfur began to claw her way up its leg.

“GIVE ME BACK MY KIT!!!” she yowled furiously. More warriors joined the attack, clawing, biting, and striking the Twoleg so hard it should have dropped the kits and run, if it were still alive. However, it seemed unperturbed, except that it yowled frantically until another Twoleg came rushing out. Outmatched, RiverClan was forced to retreat, and the kits were carried away. Goldenkit stared desperately back, and Brownfur, Greenwind, and Bluewind’s haunted eyes followed their kits away.

[♥Goldenheart♥]

Chapter 2

The mysterious Twoleg bundled Goldenkit into a black thing with soft sides, or at least it tried to. Neither she nor Whitekit were going into that if they could help it! “I’M NOT GOING INTO THAT EVEN IF IT DOES LOOK LIKE THE NURSERY!!!!” she squealed. Flinging out all four paws, she did her best to get away, but the Twoleg was larger and stronger. In a flash, it shoved her in and, with a terrible screechy-ripping sound, sealed the black den shut. Then she was picked up, and placed in something shiny, garishly colored, and purring dangerously. This must be one of the Thunderpath monsters that the older cats told stories about! Their round black paws could crush a cat, their glowing eyes were blinding, and their stench drowned out all other scents. Fortunately the never left the Thunderpath- but now Goldenkit was trapped inside one! Whitekit had been forced into another of the odd dens, and so had some kits with unfamiliar scents. After an interminable period of waiting, the monster slammed shut and lurched away. Goldenkit found herself face-to-face with another kit, whose yellow fur was bristling and green claws kneaded the soft floor.

“I’m Greenkit of ThunderClan. Who are you? You don’t smell like any cat I know.”

“I’m Goldenkit of RiverClan! I got my name from the fact that my claws are gold.”

“Really? I got my name from my claws, too!”

“Me Three!” meowed Whitekit, not wanting to be outdone.

“Wow! What a co-winky-dink!” Goldenkit squeaked.

“What’s a coinkydink?” asked Greenkit.

“That’s where the same thing, or similar things, happen to more than one cat.”

“Oh.” The three kits continued their chatting until the monster suddenly stopped. The Twolegs moved around and made a lot of noise, then opened it up in back and started hauling kits out. Goldenkit hated it, but was forced around anyway. Hopelessly, she yowled her pain and fear to the sky.

A massive wave of pink submerged the monster entirely. Twolegs grabbed the prisons that al the cats were in and screamed something in Twoleg-speak. One of the nearby kits yowled, “I can understand what they’re saying! They’re crying, ‘Another victory for the National Wild Kitty Association!’” Goldenkit wondered what that was.

[♥Goldenheart♥]

Chapter 3

Aquakit turned hopelessly back to the nursery. It was no use; Goldenkit would probably never come back. She tried picturing Goldenkit and Whitekit happy, but after the way they had left… it was useless. “Aquakit?” mewed a deep voice. She turned to see a muscular gray tom with a darker stripe down his back. Graystripe of RiverClan, formerly of ThunderClan. Of all the warriors in the Clan, this cat would know how she felt.

“What is it?” she mewed.

“You seem sad. What’s wrong?”

“I was thinking about Goldenkit. Where is she now? How is she doing? Why is she there?”

“I know the feeling. My old pals in ThunderClan could be safe and happy, or they could be dead. I don’t know, and that’s what really hurts.”

“Then you understand?”

“Yes, absolutely.” Graystripe looked at the kit fondly. Aquakit understood what was going through his mind: She’s young and innocent, yet she worries about how others feel. This is obviously not your usual kit. Graystripe left, an Aquakit fell asleep. She would think some more when she woke up.

Brownfur had made up her mind. No matter how much her Clanmates pleaded, she and Greenwind were going to leave. Lostflower and Bluewind felt the same way; the camp held too painful of a memory to stay with. So, one morning, they said good-bye to their friends and left for Fourtrees. Lostflower chose to join ThunderClan, and of course her mate went with her, but Brownfur and Greenwind went the other way, towards WindClan. As they went, Brownfur’s thoughts kept straying to the kit she had lost. Was she safe? Was she sound? Was she whole? Was she well? She shook her head. She couldn’t protect Goldenkit anymore, and it would be better if she simply started over in WindClan. Trying to keep that in mind, she took a deep breath and entered the camp. Acutely aware of the stares of WindClan, she remained motionless as Greenwind announced, “I am Greenwind, this is my mate Brownfur, and we wish to join WindClan.

[♥Goldenheart♥]

Chapter 4

The pink-clad Twoleg kits screamed something. Listening closely, Goldenkit could tell that they were asking a question… where, perhaps? “They’re asking where we were caught,” reported the kit with Twoleg vocabulary.

Overcome with curiosity, Goldenkit asked, “Who are you?” “I’m Cloudpaw, an apprentice of ThunderClan,” he meowed proudly. “I was born in a Twoleg nest and picked up some of their words before leaving.”

“So you’re the oldest cat here? As far as I can tell, the rest are all kits.”

“Nope, there are no other apprentices. What about you? You seem smart. Are you an apprentice?”

“No! I’m two-moon-old Goldenkit of RiverClan! Do I really look six moons?”

“No. You act ten moons.”

Goldenkit was thrilled. “Thank you!” she mewed.

“Uh-oh,” meowed Cloudpaw suddenly.

“What?”

“Only the kits are going to go home. Those Twolegs want me for themselves.” Just then, their terrible soft prison-nests were picked up and taken away.

“Good-bye, Cloudpaw!” yowled Goldenkit.

“Good-bye… Goldenpaw.”

Goldenkit couldn’t really believe that Cloudpaw thought her to be mature enough for an apprenticeship. She knew who she was and what she was like, so she knew that she was constantly making strange mistakes. Like the time she and Whitekit had raided Mudfur’s den… they had received a sharp scolding for that incident! The silver kit kept thinking those thoughts even as her strange soft den was picked up. The Twoleg she-kit just outside looked at her with a strange penetrating stare, and then she spoke in a language that the kit could, impossibly, understand. “Hello,” she mewed, or at least it made sense as if she had mewed. “Can you understand me?”

[♥Goldenheart♥]

Chapter 5

“You wish to join us?” repeated a proud she-cat with blue-gray fur. Lostflower recognized her as Bluestar, ThunderClan’s leader. “Why? Aren’t you loyal to RiverClan?”

Bluewind stepped forward. “We cannot stay in RiverClan any longer. Our kit has been taken away, and we want to start over.”

Thoughtfully, Bluestar replied, “I see no reason why I should withhold that privilege. Our medicine cat was once of ShadowClan, and has proven herself to be a good cat of ThunderClan with her hard work. You may enter our Clan, but we will of course be suspicious until you prove your loyalty once and for all.”

A flame-colored tom with alert green eyes padded over. He was instantly recognizable as Fireheart, ThunderClan’s noble deputy and former kittypet. “You come from RiverClan?” he meowed, a strange hungry longing in his eyes and voice. “Do you have any news of Graystripe and his kits?”

“Graystripe is happy and healthy. He and his kits are fortunately still in RiverClan. Our kit wasn’t so lucky,” mewed Lostflower quietly.

“Lucky? What do you mean?” The deputy’s gaze was searching and serious.

“The RiverClan camp was raided by a pair of Twolegs. They took two kits, and all the warriors in the Clan couldn’t rescue the stolen. My Whitekit was among the taken,” she added. “The other one was her close friend, Goldenkit. Featherkit and Stormkit are still fine. RiverClan is doing well, but in mourning because there is no way we could possibly ever see our kits again.”

“We have lost one kit, as well. She followed my apprentice to Twolegplace, and they were both taken away,” mewed Fireheart sadly.

Lostflower didn’t really know what to say to that, so she remained respectfully silent. Suddenly, an idea struck her. “Maybe they’ll come back,” she mewed quietly. Fireheart looked quite startled.

“Come back? But how… I don’t know what happened to your kits, but Cloudpaw and Greenkit were taken away in a monster!”

“There has to be a way. If they can find it, they’ll go that way.” Quietly certain, Lostflower pressed the point.

“Bluestar!” called Fireheart suddenly. “Where should Lostflower and Bluewind sleep?”
The wise leader responded, “Find nests for them in whatever den has enough space. We should wait for them to prove what they are really like before deciding for certain where they should go.”

Fireheart dipped his head to his leader. “Certainly,” he mewed. He checked in two dens before finding a space among the elders.

“What are you doing here?” asked a very elderly she-cat crossly. “You have RiverClan scent! Go back to your camp.”

“Calm down, One-eye,” reassured a dappled she-cat who looked as if she might have been pretty once. “Didn’t you hear? They’re joining ThunderClan and Bluestar told them to stay in whatever den has the room. Obviously, it’s this one.”

The elder who must have been One-eye merely grunted in reply, and settled back down to sleep. The former RiverClan cats scrabbled places for themselves in the moss, and curled up to sleep. It had been a very eventful day.

[♥Goldenheart♥]

Chapter 6

For several seconds, Goldenkit couldn’t speak. Finally, she forced herself to mew, “Yes, I know what you’re saying. How?”

“I don’t know how it works,” stated the Twoleg kit seriously, “but it’s fun. I can understand your language just fine, but you seem to be the only wild kitty who’s ever understood me. The rest think I’m just making random nonsense. By the way, what’s your name? I’m Alethea.”

“I’m Goldenkit. I’m going to be a warrior someday!”

“What do you mean by that? I don’t know much about what life is like out there in the wild.”

“Well, I live in one of the four Clans of wild cats. I’m from RiverClan, and I live on an island right next to the riverbank. I’m a kit right now, but when I turn six moons old, I’m going to become an apprentice, and my name will change to Goldenpaw. Then a cat in my Clan, who the leader chooses, will be my mentor and teach me to hunt and fight. Then, when I can feed and protect the Clan well, I’m going to get a warrior name. I won’t know what it is until I get it, but it’s going to be Golden-something, because that part of the name doesn’t usually change. Then I’ll get to do special warrior things and fight and maybe become a queen and have kits of my own! Or maybe I’ll become the deputy, and then the leader, and then I’ll be one of the most powerful cats in the forest!”

Alethea’s eyes grew huge. “Wow,” she murmured reverently. “I never heard of anything so impressive.”

“Of course, I probably won’t become leader. Only one cat in a hundred becomes the leader of their Clan. There’s nothing special about me that would make me worthy to become the leader, but I could become a really good warrior. I think I want to be a queen when I grow up.”

“So now I’m confused. What’s the difference between a leader and a queen?”

“A leader leads the Clan and is in charge, and a queen is a she-cat who is either expecting or raising kits. Why did you think they were the same?”

“Among the- Twolegs, I think you call us, a queen means a she-Twoleg who is a ruler. The he-queen is called a king.”

They discussed the similarities and differences between their lives until more of the Twoleg kits began to gather. “Hey, Alethea, why do you keep talking to that cat? Are you playing your game where cats talk?” asked one of the larger ones.

“No, the cat is talking too. She was just telling me about how she lives in a Clan, and they’re led by a cat whose name ends in –star, and they have a deputy who’s the next leader, and there’s a medicine cat who makes them get better when they’re sick. It’s really intresting!” (Author’s Note: Since this girl was about two or three years old at the time, she said “intresting” and not “interesting.”)

“Cool! Can I play?” enquired the Twoleg who had first spoken to Alethea.

“I think you’re missing the point, which is that this is real! You can’t play because there’s no game!” To prove her point, she went over to a different monster and pulled out a large fluffy pink mass. “Now, if we played dress-up, that would be a game. This isn’t a game, it’s really real!”

“Suuuuure it is. Have fun with your really real talking cat!” called the other Twoleg as she turned around.

“What was she doing?” Goldenkit wanted to know, since she had never seen anything like it.

“I don’t know,” whimpered Alethea. “They act like that to me, but not to anyone else. I wish they would take me seriously when I’m serious. I can’t even tell what they mean, but they always scare me when the pretending gets too real.”

“I don’t get scared at times like that. We all do that sort of stuff in the Clan, and every cat knows that even if what we’re playing isn’t real now, it’s gonna be real someday. We just pretend it’s already here.”

Alethea’s eyes widened. “Pretending that stuff that’s gonna exist already does… I like that idea! I might try it out when we’re next trying to figure out what to do.”

“Alethea!” called a mysterious Twoleg’s voice.

“Gotta go catch up with the rest! See you!” As Alethea turned to go, Goldenkit felt something odd happen. She seemed to step through the prison she was in and pad over to the girl, who had stepped out of herself. The two met halfway between themselves, and suddenly Goldenkit was seeing Alethea’s world firsthand and felt Alethea seeing the world of the warriors through a kit’s eyes. The kit was absorbing every scrap of information about dinosaurs that it was possible to know, while the girl learned all about the traditions and ways of the warrior code. It was impossible, yet it was happening.

[♥Goldenheart♥]

Chapter 7

“Brownfur? Greenwind?”

The two cats woke and stretched as one. “Yes?” meowed Greenwind as he stood up. The cat who had spoken was Deadfoot, WindClan’s deputy. “Hunting patrol. You’re supposed to go with Onewhisker and Tawnypaw.” The former RiverClan cats meowed quietly, “Of course. We’ll go.” They had been with WindClan all of two days now. Too many days have gone by since Goldenkit disappeared, thought Brownfur, but mentally shook herself. She couldn’t afford to think about the kit she had lost, not when she had her new duties to think about. The brown warrior picked up her pace and padded over to join the young tabby warrior Onewhisker and his apprentice Tawnypaw.

“Oof!”

Onewhisker shook his head. “You’ll have to learn to hunt better. The idea is to run as fast as you can, and then a little faster. You’ll get the hang of it eventually.”

“I really am trying,” meowed Brownfur, “but the rabbits always seem to try harder!”

All cats present purred with amusement. “Brownfur,” Tawnypaw giggled, “while you’re trying to pick up some speed, maybe you should just entertain us. You’re funny enough!”

“If you’re looking for funny, look at Greenwind.” All eyes turned to Greenwind.

“What?” he wanted to know.

“Nothing…” meowed Tawnypaw, as they all returned to their hunting.