three
takeoff

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   Cottonkit sighed deeply. Cold winds gusted at ZephyrClan's camp, chilling him to his core. It had been a moon since he first set paw in the Below, and he had been upset to find out the weather here got colder as time moved on. Hollydapple assured him it would eventually get hotter, to the point he'd wish it was cold again. Maybe I should ask Pistachiopaw if he's ready to go back to StarClan. It's always balmy there. And besides... His eyes, which had changed from kit-blue to a soft leafy green, fell upon his charge. Acaciakit tumbled roughly with her brother in a small alcove protected by some low brush in camp, Poplarkit egging her on. The brown marks on the points of her body had gotten increasingly pigmented, likewise with her brother's gray markings. Besides, I'm not even sure how what to do for Acaciakit.

   Cottonkit let his gaze rise up. He had found a love for the sky here. It was the most lovely blue on nice days, with white clouds drifting across. The sun was startlingly bright, though he did find an appreciation for even the blinding disk that sat in the sky of the Below. The white tom stretched out his legs from where he lay on the sole large, flat rock in camp. While he had learned he could pass through the living cats, he didn't really care for the idea of walking through another being, so he preferred to stay out of the way. On chilly days like today, most of the clan cats would stay hidden away in dens or tucked in sheltered spaces. Only the kits would go out and brave the chill of the outside. The white tom-kit blinked lazily at the sky, watching clouds float by with a small smile. He let out a purr, clearing his mind of the confused thoughts that would haunt him every so often, and turned his attention back to where the kits had been. He shot to his paws in confusion as his eyes fell upon a now empty area.

    "Acaciakit? Acaciakit, where are you?" He looked around, fur on end as his gaze swept across the camp. The three kits were nowhere to be seen, and with the wind buffeting from the direction of the nursery, he couldn't scent them from that direction either. He felt an uneasiness creep into his stomach as he gazed to his left toward the entrance. The tom bounded down from the stone he rested on in a streak of white and stars, darting out of camp.

    Immediately, he was met with even greater winds in the open expanse of ZephyrClan's hilly, uncovered territory. The camp was without a guard, as often there would be a lull at sunhigh when most warriors were hunting or patrolling and the previous guard had just gotten off duty. With a clawing feeling in his stomach, he spotted Acaciakit along with her brother and Poplarkit. They were quite a ways off, but the camp looked over the open valley below it, being dotted with only a single tree.

    "I told you I wasn't scared of the outside! I'm going to be the strongest warrior one day, y'know, so I can't be scared of anything!" Acaciakit bragged, but Cottonkit had a sense that some of the fear pummeling at his stomach wasn't coming from just him.

    "Then what are the odds you go all the way out to Lone Ash?" Poplarkit leered at her. Acaciakit glanced uneasily toward the fat gray barked tree which had lost its leaves in the last moon. It was just as far from her as she was from camp. She had made it this far easily, so how much more dangerous could the Lone Ash be? She gave a firm nod with that reasoning in her head.

    Cottonkit took a step forward to barge after her, but he was struck frozen momentarily. All of his senses dulled as a vision flashed through his mind. He felt sharp pain dig into his pelt, and he could see a massive bird as big as a full grown warrior, with outstretched talons sharper than any claws he had seen. As soon as the vision and the pain struck him, they disappeared. He reeled back, blinking away the shock. He looked up, but couldn't see the massive bird he had seen only moments ago. Maybe it's Hollydapple trying to warn me? What do I do-- He paused, an idea running through his head. Yeah, he'd know what to do! Cottonkit turned tail, running back into camp. His eyes searched desperately until they fell upon the cat in question. He was sitting at the entrance to the warriors den, snowy fur sleek as he groomed it. Blizzardstream. Cottonkit bit at the warrior's oversized paw and bat at his foreleg.

    "C'mon, Dad! C'mon, Acaciakit's in trouble! You have to come!" Pistachiopaw said to send feelings to living cats, you just have to really push your aura onto them, that's why we have an aura in the first place. "Please, please, Blizzardstream! I need you, please, Dad!" Blizzardstream stiffened, his green eyes shooting to the entrance. Cottonkit could feel the sudden uneasiness roll off the massive white tom as he stood and made his way out of camp. Cottonkit fell into his shadow, racing after him with a flurry of stars in the young kit's wake. Blizzardstream was fast as he broke into a full run. Poplarkit and Catalpakit were hunkered down in the tall grasses, still and unmoving, but Acaciakit with her bright creamy-white fur was easily spotted as she traced a line in the tall grass as she made her way toward the tree.

    "Acaciakit!" His voice boomed across the valley, and she stopped to look up to the warrior as he hurdled toward her with incredible power in each stride. She shrunk down, though, as her eyes noticed something scarier than the looming trouble she would be with the adults for leaving camp. Cottonkit raced after his dad, slowing momentarily as the coolness of shadow fell across his back for a second. He raised his head as he continued to run, and a stab of fear scored his stomach as he saw the creature from his vision-- the massive bird with the outstretched talons. A hawk! It's headed for Acaciakit! Blizzardstream was almost there, he could almost reach her-- but it was too late. The hawk swooped down, and a scream echoed from the young she-cat's throat as she was scooped up.

    "NO!" The howl left his throat, and he heard cry from behind him as Catalpakit watched his sister be yanked from the earth by a great bird. Cottonkit watched with horror as the brown and golden bird beat his wings with mighty force to lift off the ground once more with its prey squirming in its grasp. Blizzardstream bunched his muscled and leaped up, claws extended. A spark of hope warmed his heart as claws caught the hawk's stomach, digging in and attempting to dragging it back down to earth. Cottonkit had made it to the fight, but all he could do was look up at the bird attempted to take off. Acaciakit's blue eyes were full of terror, but as they swept down to the ground, the paused as they fell on the starry white tom. He blinked. Did she... see me? Really see me? Blizzardstream was able to pull himself up enough to sink his teeth into the soft flesh of the bird. The hawk let out a squall, talons releasing from a sobbing Acaciakit. Blizzardstream released his grasp on the bird as well, as he could no longer hold on, and the beast beat away with pain. The white warrior gasped for air, dark red staining his paws and jaw as he looked down at the kit.

    "What were you thinking, leaving camp?! You could have died!" Acaciakit seemed to pay him no mind, her eyes flitting back and forth where Cottonkit stood frozen in shock. Acaciakit almost was stolen by a hawk. Acaciakit saw me. She could have... died? I'm not sure what that word really means... I've never heard it before?

    "Who was that? I-- I just saw a kit!" She meowed, eyes wide. Blizzardstream tipped his head in confusion, but checked the air and shook his head.

    "There's no other kit here."

    "No, I saw another kit! I swear, I did! He was all white, and he looked right at me!"

    "It... it must have been from the fear, you must have... envisioned someone...," the warrior's eyes seemed to glaze over as he looked around as well. Cottonkit heard a whisper under Blizzardstream's breath: "Could it be...?"

    "Acaciakit! Acaciakit, that was so scary!" Catalpakit raced through the grasses, Poplarkit just ahead of him. The older gray tabby blinked in shock.

    "Y-You're bleeding, Acaciakit...! We need to get you to the medicine den," the older kit's voice quivered with fear. Blizzardstream scooped up the white and brown she-kit, blood flowering out of scratches where the hawk had grabbed her, and started off toward camp. The other two kits were careful to stick to the large warrior's side, not wanting to be stolen as well. Cottonkit blinked blearily and watched them depart.

I... I did it. I saved her.

//

an

me rolling back in after like... seven months of not updating:

Anyway hope you guys enjoyed ?? I'm planning on continuing to update.