Sweet Escape;;

[.&&. Snowsong.]

Paintedkit's blood nearly achieved boiling point at Angelkit's words, and he whipped around to face her. "If she's found dead, you'll be the one that's going off on your own like her! How are you so sure she's having fun without us?!? She's a kit, and kits have barely any chance of surviving alone. Besides, her scent trail smells like it's mixed with petrification!" With a hiss of frustration, he whisked around and padded a few more paw-steps, before Purplekit called him over.

His lobes shooting up, he dashed to Purplekit's side. He sniffed the small tuft of fur, and then he dashed in front of Purplekit, following the scent trail his sister left behind carefully. Once he reached a stream, his orbs widened. He had heard that water washed away all chances of finding a scent, and he whipped around to face the other kits. "Guys, we have to search more thoroughly now! Rainkit's demolished her scent trail!"

[☆§wìftflame☆]

Something was wrong, very wrong. Jaywing's usually jolly face was creased with uncharacteristic worry and concern. It had been with light-hearted confidence that she had allowed the kits to play within easy eyesight of all the camp. However, it was now far past sunhigh, when she had strongly recommended that the kits return. Jaywing had been sure that nothing could happen to them there, but if they had ventured further... Honestly, Jaywing didn't think the kits quite had the courage to do so. But there were some dangers in the forest. There weren't many things that could have persuaded Jaywing to budge from her carefully plotted depression in the sand, but this was one of them. The elder wasn't sure that any harm had come to the kits - it probably hadn't. But she wanted to make sure, and the spot she had sent the kits to was visible from just a few tail lengths away. Charged with protectiveness over the kits, Jaywing thrust herself upward, with even more than the usual strain. She wobbled unsteadily for a moment before finally righting herself and waddling towards her vantage point. The moment she laid eyes on the spot, she knew that her fears had been confirmed. Jaywing's eyes were wide with fear as she gazed upon the empty clearing, still fluttering with butterflies. Jaywing took several more pawsteps forward, squinting until her eyes were nearly closed, trying to see any sign of them. But they were gone. Desperately, Jaywing clomped over to the nursery, scent glands straining to catch a trace of them. Still nothing. Heart pounding with a mixture of alarm and the effort of moving so much, Jaywing knew that now was certainly the time to tell someone about this. Kits missing were a serious business - they could so easily hurt themselves, or stumble upon something that would do the job for them. The fat elder's sides were heaving, and she knew she'd never make it all the way to anycat to tell them her discovery. Instead, she yowled aloud, her cry infused with terror, guilt, and worry. Help!! Anyone, help! The kits are missing! The kits are missing!"

[/b] Jaywing's eyes shone with worry, which was greatly intensified by the responsibility she felt for the lively group of kits she'd possibly unwittingly sent into danger.[/blockquote][/size]

[Đarκsong]

Purplekit's eyes widened as he stared at the stream. There was little hope they could follow the scent trail now. He dipped a paw into the cool water and looked around. Feeling helpless, he meowed his fellow kit's name. He suspected no answer.

*****

Snowdrift had drifted into sleep earlier, and was startled awake by Jaywing's cry for help. She jumped up and looked around the nursery in panic, noticing all 3 of her kits were missing. She quickly padded to Jaywing and couldn't seem to ask questions fast enough, "Have you seen them? Do you know where they went? They didn't go into the forest did they?....." Snowdrift was so scared and worried she was shaking from head to tail.

[☆§wìftflame☆]

Jaywing was torn. She had to help the desperate queen find her kits, as well as the others that were in the forest. But she didn't want to really accept the fact that it was all her fault. Slightly numb with the horror of her mistake, Jaywing moaned, "Oh, it's all mah faul'. Ah tol' the kits tha' they coul' go play by them rocks, righ' in sight of camp, bu' they wen' and run further! I didn' think they would, ya no I figgered all kits shoul' ge' ta have lil' aventure, and I din' think no harm coul' come to 'em jus' playin' righ' there. I shoulda known they'd go further but ah let 'em en now they're gone!"

[/b] Jaywing's face was contorted with guilt and horror, and her heavy claws sheathed and unsheathed themselves automatically with wild tension. Jaywing was placing all the blame on herself, and she was sure the protective queen would do the same. Jaywing knew she would be just as mad if she'd been told that some cat had let her innocent little kits loose in the dangerous forest. Jaywing's eyes were wincing back slightly, as if she expected Snowdrift to attack her right there. And this queen wasn't the only danger Jaywing might have to face. Rainkit and Paintedkit were out there as well, and Dawnflight was the most overprotective queen the elder had ever met. Maybe it came from the kits unknown parentage or the manor in which they had been fathered, but Dawnflight very well might claw Jaywing apart when she heard what the elder had allowed her kits to do. However, sudden frantic pawsteps soon made Jaywing's revelation to the queen unnecessary. Dawnflight's movements were stiff with a combination of fear and fury, and her eyes were narrowed with anger. Claws were fully unsheathed, and the fur along her spine was spiked. Dawnflight's paws skidded on the dry dirt as she suddenly halted in front of the oversized elder. "What did you just say, Jaywing? You sent my babies into the forest, and they're missing???"[/b] The angry and overprotective queen waited no longer - with a yowl infused with fear and fury, Dawnflight launched herself at Jaywing. Her legs were weak and her claws were dull from laying in the nursery for so long so the impact had little effect on the massive elder. Jaywing's flab wiggled like jello at the impact Dawnflight's furious paws made, but it also absorbed the impact. However, the greatly unbalanced elder was also thrown off the the blow, and the crashing vibrations made by her obscenely obese form shook the ground four tail-lengths away. Suddenly weak with terror at her sudden anger and at the thought of her kits in danger, Dawnflight cried, "Why? Oh, my kits, they'll never survive out there for two minutes, they were just badly injured by those apprentices! Snowdrift, we have to find them!! Oh, anything could happen to them!"[/b] Eyes scanning the nursery frantically, Dawnflight realized that two of her kits were still present. The peacefully sleeping forms of Dewkit and Autumnkit still graced the nursery. But Paintedkit and Rainkit... Looking around at the others nests, Dawnflight processed relatively quickly for her tortured mind that Angelkit, Maskkit, and Purplekit were also missing. That was five untrained and innocent kits wandering the forest, unable to defend themselves. Dawnflight's legs could barely hold her up. Obviously, Jaywings still couldn't as she struggled helplessly on the ground, attempting in vain to get back up. She hadn't eaten in over 20 minutes, and the strain was getting to her. [/blockquote][/size]

[Đarκsong]

Snowdrift was shocked to see Dawnflight attack Jaywing. Snowdrift was mad, yes, but much more concerned with where her kits were than getting angry at Jaywing. Shoving her fear of the forest out of her mind, she said to her fellow queen; "We need to go look for them now. Who knows how far they could of gotten by now!"

She looked back to the nursery again hopefully, but seeing only Dawnflight's 2 kits she was assured it was urgent. Snowdrift headed towards where Jaywing had said the kits left. She looked back to see if Dawnflight was going to follow.

[☆§wìftflame☆]

Snowdrift's calm and collected manor finally shoved Dawnflight back into something similar to sanity, and she threw herself in tow of the other queen. Attacking Jaywing really had been going too far, but how could she? Dawnflight determinedly put all of her furious energy into making sure every one of the kits returned to the forest safely. This put Jaywing as a second priority to the kits, and Dawnflight just barely managed to throw the pitifully helpless elder an apologetic glance before racing out into the clearing in the middle of camp. Before following her fellow queen, Dawnflight scanned the camp for any sign of a warrior to help them. Unable to discern anyone specific, the tense and stressed queen made due with a loudly yowled, "The kits have escaped! Snowdrift and I are going to look for them! Someone please help!"[/b] [OOC: wow that was pathetic] Not even looking over her shoulder to see if anyone was following, Dawnflight raced out behind Snowdrift as fast as her weak legs could carry her.