"I can't wait!" 

"I'm going to be the best hunter ever!"

Deserve watched his littermates leap around the barn excitedly, amused and happy for them. "You'll be great!" He looked to the exit of the barn. Outside, the sun was setting, casting long dark shadows inside the barn. It was almost time for Dice to show his siblings how to hunt as he'd promised earlier.

Song bounced around in the hay, her white tail in the air. "I'm going to catch a hundred mice!" She declared.

"Oh, yeah?" Boost fluffed up his fur. "Well, I'll catch a thousand!"

"Then I'll catch a million!" She crouched and wiggled her haunches. "Starting with you!" She pounced on him, and he let out a startled meow.

Deserve let out a purr of amusement as he watched them play together. He looked behind him. Velvet was sitting near their nest, gazing at the kits. He was surprised to see sadness brimming in her eyes. She looked distant. "Are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

"Hmm?" Velvet blinked out of her thoughts and looked down at Deserve. "Oh, yes."

He tilted his head. "You look sad." Did we do something wrong?

Velvet let out a soft purr. "It's just hard seeing my kits growing up." She leaned down and rasped her pink tongue over his head. "I never imagined you'd be hunting like your father."

Deserve blinked. "Do you wish we didn't?" He remembered how Dice had told him that Velvet didn't like to kill anything. Does it upset her that we will kill prey?

"No, dear," She murmured, her blue eyes warm. "I know you all need to grow up eventually and learn to take care of yourselves."

He stared up at her. "I hope I make you proud of me."

His mother purred softly. "I already am."

"Dice!" His siblings suddenly yowled.

Deserve turned to see his siblings race over to the exit of the barn. Dice had just arrived, holding several mice by their tails. He let out a muffled purr as Boost and Song excitedly weaved around his legs. He gently shooed them away with one paw as he padded further into the barn.

"Can we go now?" Boost asked excitedly, bounding alongside his father. "Please!"

Song stared at him eagerly as Dice dropped his mice by a pile of hay. "Can we go for our hunting lesson?"

Dice sat down beside Velvet, looking down at them in amusement. "Well, I don't know... Have you been good?"

"Yes!" Song exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "All day! Even Boost!"

Boost nodded, staring up at his father with glowing yellow eyes. "Yeah!"

Dice let out a purr. "In that case, I think it's time for a hunting lesson."

"Yeah!" The kits jumped up and down, racing toward the exit of the barn. Dice padded after them, his black tail high in the air. Deserve eagerly ran after him. 

His father paused and looked over his shoulder at Velvet. "Are you coming?" He asked. Deserve paused and skidded to a halt, looking back at her.

Velvet looked hesitant. "I'm not sure I want to see that..."

"Come on, it's their first hunt!" Dice urged, looking excited. "You missed Deserve's, but you can still see Boost and Song have their moment."

"Well..." Velvet meowed uncertainly.

Deserve looked up at her hopefully. "Please! You can watch me hunt too!"

She gazed at him for a moment and let out a purr as she stood. "Alright, I suppose I can watch."

"Yay!" Deserve ran out of the barn, and his parents followed.

Song and Boost were standing further into the field, looking impatient. Their eyes shone with excitement. "Come on, dad!"

"Okay, okay," Dice purred as he neared them. Deserve hurried to join his siblings, while Velvet sat down and lifted her front leg, beginning to lick her paw.

Deserve looked beside him. Boost and Song looked very excited, their tails in the air and eyes shining. This is going to be great! He thought happily.

"Alright." Dice dropped into a crouch. "So, first you-" He broke off, his eyes flashing across the field.

Deserve blinked. "What is it?" He followed his father's gaze and froze, his eyes widening. 

A huge dark brown bird was slowly walking in the field close to the thunderpath, bobbing its head as it moved. It was bigger than any bird Deserve had ever seen. He couldn't be sure from the distance, but it looked like it was the size of a fully grown cat, perhaps even bigger.

"Whoa!" Boost breathed as he and Song stared at the creature. "What is that thing?"

Velvet's eyes widened. "A turkey," She gasped. "They're delicious!"

Deserve watched the wild turkey in amazement. "That looks big enough to feed all of us for days!"

"It certainly would be." Dice's attention was fixed on the turkey, the tip of his tail twitching slowly back and forth. "And it would mean I wouldn't have to hunt for a few days."

"Yes!" Deserve brightened excitedly. "You could rest and spend more time with us!"

Boost and Song exchanged an excited look, while Velvet licked her lips. "I haven't had turkey in seasons!"

"You will in a few moments," Dice promised, turning away. "I'll be right back with the best meal we've had in moons!" He dropped into a crouch and slowly began heading toward the turkey.

Deserve stood beside his littermates, watching their father excitedly. Velvet sat with them, her eyes wide and hopeful as she watched him. I wonder what turkey tastes like? He thought, looking beside him at Song. "I can't wait to try it!" He whispered.

"Me too!" Song purred. "I bet it's tasty!"

He watched as his father crept closer to the turkey, then paused, crouching lower into the grass. Deserve guessed he was keeping a fair distance to avoid scaring it away. The turkey looked unaware of him, continuing to step slowly through the grass. Dice slowly began circling it from a distance, moving closer.

The turkey twitched it's head back, detecting him. It quickly walked closer to the thunderpath and onto the gravel lining the road. His father followed, and the turkey walked onto the thunderpath, pausing in the middle. Dice hesitated for a moment, then followed it onto the thunderpath, stalking toward it even more slowly and carefully then before.

"Oh no..." Velvet whispered. "If he follows it across the thunderpath..."

Deserve was confused for a moment, following his mother's gaze to the pine trees on the other side. Suddenly, he understood. That's where those forest cats live! If they catch Dice on their territory, they'll rip him to shreds! His fur prickled with fear for his father. He can't let it reach the other side!

"Dice!" Velvet called softly, her eyes round with worry. "Come back!"

But Dice wasn't going to lose this catch. If he heard her, he didn't listen. He crept forward a few inches, his eyes locked on the turkey. Deserve couldn't tell if he was close enough to leap at it. If he was, he would have done it by now. He reminded himself.

He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and flicked his gaze to it. He froze, his fur bristling. A twoleg monster was racing along the thunderpath. It was still far away, but it was getting closer and closer to Dice and the turkey.

"Look!" Deserve gasped out, and his mother and siblings looked at it in alarm.

Velvet leaped to her paws. "Dice!" She called out anxiously. "Stop!"

Dice didn't abandon the hunt, remaining crouched in the middle of the thunderpath.

Deserve held his breath. "Dad!" He gasped in terror. "Come back!"

"He's going to get hit!" Song cried. "Make him come back!" She looked up at Velvet, but their mother bolted away, racing toward him.

"Dice!" She yowled as she ran. Deserve had never heard his mother sound so scared. He forced his frozen legs to move and ran after her, aware of his siblings following. We have to stop him!

He saw his father's head turn briefly toward the monster closing in on him. But he wasn't going to abandon the hunt. His eyes flashed between the monster and the turkey. It was now or never.  Dice grunted and launched himself at the turkey as the monster thundered toward him.

Deserve and the others froze in their tracks by the edge of the thunderpath. He looked away sharply, and half a second later he heard the monster let out a terrible screech, and a thud followed it. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling his little heart pounding rapidly, his pelt prickling with fear. Please..!

"Dice!" Velvet let out an earsplitting shriek of terror. "No!"

He trembled as he shakily looked up and opened his eyes. He let out a horrified cry. "Dad!" 

The monster was speeding away, leaving behind the motionless body of Dice. His father lay on the thunderpath, his body twisted at an awkward angle. His fur was dirty and ruffled. Across the thunderpath, the turkey flapped it's wings as it ran away into the forest.

"No!" Deserve screeched, and he heard his siblings cry beside him. He shakily looked over at them. "It's okay," He choked. "He's just hurt!"

They didn't seem to hear them. They looked badly shocked, their eyes wide with horror.

Velvet raced over to the body. "Dice?" She whimpered and grasped him by his scruff, backing up and dragging him out of the thunderpath.

"Is he okay?" Song let out a cry as Velvet reached them with Dice's body. She let go of his scruff, and his head fell limp into the grass. Deserve trembled as he stared at his father. His eyes were half open and sightless, his mouth open slightly. Tire marks dirtied his black and white fur. He can't be... No, he's not...!

"Dad?" Boost whimpered. "Get up!"

Velvet crouched beside Dice's body, trembling as she lapped at his face and nudged him. "Dice?" She whimpered. "Please..!" He didn't move.

Deserve trembled as he staggered forward and nudged Dice's face with his nose. "D-dad?" He sobbed. His father reeked of the thunderpath. "You've gotta get up!" 

Song whimpered and curled up against Dice's belly, trembling. Boost stumbled to Deserve's side, staring at his father. "He's dead, isn't he?" He cried.

The words pierced his heart like thorns. Deserve shakily raised his eyes to his mother. "I-is he...?" He croaked.

"He... He can't..." Velvet didn't respond for a moment. Then she let out a wail of grief and pushed her face into Dice's fur, giving a small nod.

Boost and Song whimpered and pressed close to their father. Deserve felt dizzy. This can't be real... This is just a horrible nightmare, like the one with the shadowy cats... But he knew he was lying to himself. He knew this was reality. A horrible reality.

They stayed like that, huddled around Dice's body for a long while. No cat spoke. The occasional sobbing broke the silence. Deserve pressed his muzzle into his father's fur. I need you..! You're my dad!

After what felt like forever, Velvet slowly raised her head. "Kits..." She rasped. "Kits, go into the barn and rest... I... I need to bury Dice."

Deserve's heart throbbed. He and his littermates didn't object. They slowly moved away from the body and began heading toward the barn. He paused and looked over his shoulder to see his father one last time. Goodbye, dad... He thought, feeling his heart shatter into a million pieces. I love you...

***

It was dark now, stars beginning to appear in the night sky. Deserve and his siblings padded into their nest and sat down. Boost stared down at his paws, his yellow eyes brimming with grief and heartache. Song was hunched over and whimpering.

Deserve wanted to wail his heart out. But he wanted to be strong for his family. He had to be. He shifted closer to his sister and rubbed his head against hers. "It's okay," He managed to speak, his voice dry and cracking. "It's going to be okay."

"How can it be okay?" Song cried and pressed against him. "Dad is dead!"

Boost slowly laid down and rested his chin on his paws. "I miss him already..."

Deserve turned and licked his brother's ear, and the three kits huddled together in their nest of hay. He closed his eyes, feeling numb and heartbroken. He went after the turkey so he could rest and spend more time with us, just for a few days... It did the opposite. Now he'll never spend any time with us ever again. The thought broke his heart, and he pressed into the hay, whimpering. After a long while, he heard movement from the entrance of the barn and flicked an ear, slowly turning toward it.

Velvet was slowly padding into the barn, her paws stained with dirt. He knew she had buried Dice. 

"Mom!" Song looked at her sadly. "Please come!"

She looked at them, her blue eyes exhausted and numb with grief. "Kits..." She murmured. "Oh, kits..." She hurried to them and curled up in the nest. Deserve and his siblings immediately huddled against her. Deserve shut his eyes, trembling as he pressed into her soft white fur. Please don't ever leave us! We need you.. You're all we have now...

Boost let out a sob, and Velvet wrapped her tail around him. "Shhh, it's alright..." She murmured, her voice dry and edged with pain. "I'm here..."

"What are we going to do without him?" Deserve whispered as he shivered. "Without Dice?"

Velvet looked distant, her light blue eyes numb. "I... I don't know..." She rasped. She curled herself around her kits, and they cuddled together, sobbing and trembling. 

Deserve closed his eyes, trying to seek comfort in the warmth of his family around him. But it didn't take away the pain in his heart. He didn't know what was going to happen. He only knew one thing. Nothing is ever going to be the same again...