Nyan's Short Story Shop!

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

@forest Here is your story! I looked up Pinepaw and found that he was six moons old in June, placing this story in leaf-bare. Let me know if anything needs changing! If you're satisfied, please pay the 15,000 KK whenever you can. Thank you so much for ordering!

TW: This story contains animal violence, blood, and death.

Crunch! Pine giggled as the thin coat of snow gave way beneath his paw, then squeaked as its icy touch sank into the sensitive skin on his pad. He jerked his paw away with a hiss. The sudden movement unbalanced him, and he fell onto his rump, landing in the frosty grass. That crunched, too. His brief surprise quickly gave way to excitement, and he began rolling in the crisp brown stems, mewing with delight as they crackled.

"Careful, little one!"

Pine jumped to his paws and turned to look at Mama Rosie. She sat in the mouth of the cave Pine and his family called home, the white base of her calico pelt glowing in the gloom. Her familiar amber eyes reflected the leaf-bare sun - and concern. Pine's littermate, Tawny, peeped out from underneath her tail.

"I was just pway-ing!" Pine complained, stomping at the cold earth with one paw. Ow. It was hard! He harrumphed and shook himself, scraps of grass falling from his tawny-brown tabby coat. He almost looked like a tree shedding its leaves - not that he'd seen a leaf-fall tree before. There was so much to see, so much to do! And Mama's always worried about me, he thought, lashing his little tail. I'm fine!

Rosie stepped out of the cave, exposing her orange-and-black calico markings and the large scar that stretched over her eye. "If you're outside too long, you'll catch a cold," she warned. "And look at you! Your pelt's a mess." She leaned down and began to groom Pine with long, thorough licks.

Pine squirmed beneath her sticky tongue. "Ick!" he mewed, trying to move away. But there was no escaping the Mom-Kisses, and he was forced to admit defeat. When I get older, no more Mom-Kisses, he silently declared. At least Mama was warm. Pine hadn't realized how cold he was until she pressed against him.

A tiny giggle rose from the cave. Pine's fur bushed out, and he whipped his head around to look at Tawny. Her tawny-brown tabby pelt - identical to his - was barely visible in the cave's shadows, but her eyes were as bright as the stars. If the stars were green.

"Hey!" Pine snapped.

Tawny ducked back into the cave. A whimper rose into the chilly air. Immediately, Rosie let go of Pine. The cold air slammed into him like a stone, and he squeaked.

"Pine! Be nicer to your sister," his mother scolded. She turned and hurried back into the cave. "It's alright, dear, he didn't mean it..."

Pine glanced away. Tawny had laughed at him! That was her fault! He had just been playing.

A familiar scent drifted into his nose, and he forgot all about Tawny. Papa! Pine began to bounce on the already-crushed grass. "Papa! Papa's home!"

Pawsteps sounded from behind the tom-kit, and both Rosie and Tawny emerged. Tawny stepped up to Pine. "Sow-wy for being si-wy," she mewed, nudging her brother's shoulder.

Pine shrugged. "S'alright." It didn't matter now that Papa was here. At least, his scent was. But Papa would arrive soon!

Sure enough, a couple heartbeats later, a lanky tom with pale brown fur and darker markings appeared in the long grass. He pushed through the crisp stems, hopping over stray clumps of snow. The glittering white frost was unusually bright against the rough brown stalks, though they all glowed in the pale sunlight.

Pine rushed forward, Tawny following more slowly. "Papa! Papa!" he squeaked.

"Papa! You're back!" Tawny parroted.

Papa Cougar stopped and bent to nuzzle his kits, a purr rumbling in his throat. "My, have you grown since I last saw you!"

"You were only gone for a few hours," Rosie chuckled, moving to greet her mate. The two pressed against each other and twined tails.

"Ah, but the little ones grow so fast, don't they?" Cougar glanced down at his kits.

Pine puffed his chest out, his green eyes shining. He was gonna grow super fast! Faster than Tawny!

"Your heart grows so fast, too."

Rosie froze, her amber eyes widening. Cougar whirled and crouched low, claws shooting out. "Who's there?!" he snarled.

Pine's dark ears pricked with intrigue. He didn't recognize the voice. Or the scent, which was oddly faint. Who was it? Mama and Papa didn't seem to like him.

The voice revealed himself quickly, stepping out of the long grass. His pelt was as black as a night with no stars, but his eyes were orange, warm like the sun. He smelled mostly like crushed grass, but with something else underneath. Pine blinked at him. Did he also like to roll in crunchy grass? Why didn't Mama and Papa like him?

"You!" Rosie sounded horrified, her pelt bushing out so she was bigger than Pine had ever seen her. "What are you doing here?"

Cougar took a step forward. Pine had no idea what was going on, but he felt a flash of pride at how strong his Papa looked. No one would dare to hurt Papa! Maybe I can fight! the brown-and-tan tom-kit thought, copying Papa's crouch.

"Rosie is my mate now," Cougar growled. "Go away, or there will be consequences."

"Consequences?" The black tom laughed. "Maybe you both should consider the consequences of your actions." His bright orange gaze whipped to Rosie. His tone hardened, making Pine wince. "We were perfect together, Rosie! We deserved to have a family! I deserved a family from you! But you... you abandoned me for this good-for-nothing. And now you’ve had his kits!" His lip curled, revealing stained yellow teeth. "You will pay for this."

Tawny, who Pine had completely forgotten about, whimpered and pressed against him. Her fur was warm and fluffy.

Nothing the black cat said made sense. Pine couldn't take it anymore. He took a step forward. "Who are you?" he mewed.

Rosie immediately shoved him back. "Stay there!" she ordered, her voice taut.

Pine blinked. Mama never snapped like that!

As the black cat snickered, a low, menacing growl rumbled in Cougar's throat. "No one wants you here, Vulture. Rosie chose me, and that's that. Get out. Now."

Pine's ears flattened against his head. Something bad was going on. Very bad. He felt rather annoyed. Why was nobody telling him what it was?

"Are we in twu-ble?" Tawny's trembling voice rose from Pine's shoulder.

"No. He is," Pine mewed, staring at the black cat. Vulture, right? What a weird name.

Vulture’s searing orange eyes fell upon the kits. Pine stood tall, meeting his gaze defiantly. Tawny crouched low and whimpered.

“You’re wrong, little brats. You’re in grave trouble - and so are your faithless, bat-blind parents!”

Cougar launched himself at Vulture. Tawny cried out, and Rosie gasped, but Pine leaned forward. Papa's gonna get him! Every hair on his pelt tingled with excitement - and curiosity. What did a fight look like? He'd never seen one before. All he knew was tussling with Tawny.

Vulture was knocked off his paws and pressed into the grass with a lot of loud, nice crunching noises. Cougar stood over him, snarling, and raised a paw. His claws sparkled like the snow. Pine stared, transfixed.

Then three other cats sprang from the grass.

Two of them crashed into Cougar, knocking him clean off his paws and burying him in a mass of ginger, white, and brown fur. The other, a black-and-white she-cat, lunged for Rosie. She shrieked in surprise, her voice syncing with Tawny’s wail of horror.

Pine sprang backward with a yelp, bundling into Tawny and knocking them both to the ground. His sister’s fear-scent saturated the cold air, and her breath came in rapid white puffs.

Suddenly, something soft and warm smothered them both. Pine thrashed, his paws landing on soft, familiar-scented fur. Rosie had flung herself on top of her kits.

“ROSIE!!!” Their father’s yowl sounded, distant and muffled.

Rosie shrieked and reared onto her hind legs. “STAY AWAY FROM MY KITS!” she yowled as she swiped at the other she-cat.

Pine could barely see what was going on. All he could hear were yowls and wails. His head spun. Where had these cats come from? What was going on? Was Papa okay? There was so much noise and so many scents. Scents of other cats, and something new... strong and metallic. Pine didn’t like it. Not one bit. The smell made him queasy.

"While you were busy abandoning me and having those little brats, I made some new friends!" Vulture's grating voice rose above the clamor. "They'd love to make themselves cozy in that cave. After all... none of you will be around to live in it." His cackle cracked the cold air like a stone thrown into a frozen pond.

Rosie howled, and her weight lifted from the kits. Pine narrowed his eyes against the sun's glare - then mewled in horror as the black-and-white she-cat pinned the calico down. Something sticky and red flowed from both of their coats. Tawny began to sob. Pine pressed against his sister, their identical pelts melting together. That mean cat was gonna hurt Mama! He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, but he wanted to help-

In a flash of pale brown, Cougar was there, grabbing the black-and-white she-cat by the scruff and dragging her away. One of his floppy ears was gone, and the same sticky red stuff coated his body.

Pine let out a triumphant mew, his stubby kit tail waving from side to side. "Go Papa!"

Cougar glanced up and opened his mouth as if he were about to say something. Then the two rogues who had attacked him earlier - the ginger-and-white tom and the brown she-cat - pounced on Rosie.

"NO!" Cougar gasped. He crouched low, ready to rescue his struggling mate, but Vulture rose from the long grass and dragged him away with a snarl.

"Papa!" Tawny wailed. Her green eyes were huge and confused. "What'do I do?!"

Pine opened his mouth, then realized he didn't have a reply. He had no idea what to do. He was transfixed, frozen, afraid. His paws were frosted to the ground. He tried to move them, but every muscle had locked up. What was wrong with him?!

Crunch.

Something stepped in the snow.

Pine turned - and watched as the black-and-white she-cat bent down and grabbed Tawny's scruff. Horror sat in his stomach like a bad drop of milk. His body reacted before his brain did. He lunged forward, trying to grab his littermate's flailing paws.

A roar drowned the world out. Cougar was back, grabbing the rogue she-cat with claws and teeth shining. Tawny fell to the ground. Pine tried to rush forward, but a wall of multicolored fur blocked his way. All four rogues were there, tearing up the withered grass and spraying clumps of reddened snow.

Pine's brain finally decided to work. He jumped to his paws, turned tail, and ran as fast as he could into the cave. His paws skidded on the hard, smooth stone, and he fell onto his belly. The shadows provided a shelter, a solace, from the chaos occurring outside. I'll be safe here, he thought, curling up on the cold floor. He had to be. The cave was dark, so they couldn't see him. Tawny will be here when she gets away from all those mean cats, and Mama and Papa will drive them off.

He watched the roiling mass of cats, his ears ringing from their yowls and pounding in time with his heart. Which voice belonged to Mama? Papa? Tawny? He couldn't be sure.

Then he caught a glimpse of Cougar's pale brown fur. He rose above the fray, wrapping his paws around Vulture's neck, then disappeared again. Pine's heart lifted. He waited for him to come back up again.

But he didn't.

A horrible wail split the air. It reeked of sadness, of desperation, two emotions Pine could feel but not name. It was Rosie.

That was cut off a heartbeat later.

"Got them." Vulture reappeared, standing up and backing off. He held his head high, triumphant. The red stuff dripped from his jaws. The other rogues also rose and moved away, coated in red. Pine squinted. Where's my family? The bad cats were blocking his view. All he could see was a lot of red stuff.

"One of the kits escaped to that cave." The black-and-white she-cat gestured with her muzzle to Pine's hiding place. Pine froze, fear spreading through him like icy water. They know I'm here! But how? The darkness was hiding him!

Vulture followed the rogue she-cat's gaze. With a squeak, Pine turned and ran to the nest he shared with his family. Their scents lingered there. Where are they? he thought again, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He buried into the moss, grateful for the warmth. They won't find me here!

"Wait! Do you hear that?" the ginger-and-white tom growled. His voice was deep and even scarier than Vulture's. He was bigger than Vulture, too.

Vulture's reply was drowned out by yowls and screeches. Pine was terrified, but he couldn't help himself. He lifted his head.

There were more cats! They were fighting the rogues, clawing and slashing, hissing and spitting. Pine watched with wide eyes. Where did they come from? Are they nice or mean? He had no clue. Best to stay hidden.

The fight was over quickly. Most of the rogues fled the scene, tripping over their paws, slipping on the snow, getting tangled up in the long grass. Pine smiled. It was silly! He and Tawny could laugh about it. When she showed up.

But Vulture was still there. The black tom had backed away, hackles lifted, teeth bared. "You cowards!" he snapped at the retreating rogues. "We still have a kit to kill!"

"You're not going to kill anyone." One of the newcomers, a golden tom with unusual spots, took a step toward Vulture. He looked big and scary, even bigger than the ginger-and-white tom.

"What kind of fox-heart murders kits?" another newcomer, a gray-and-black she-cat, snarled.

"We should kill him now!" That was a white tom with brown-and-ginger tabby patches.

The fourth newcomer, a pale ginger she-cat with swirled tabby markings, didn't speak. Instead, she bared her teeth at Vulture.

Vulture spat at them. Without another word, he turned and jumped into the long grass. The white, brown, and ginger tabby crouched low, as if to follow him. Pine held his breath.

Then, without warning, Vulture reared up onto his hind legs. A terrible shriek rose from his muzzle. Something hissed. His legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the ground, convulsing. A few heartbeats later, he went still.

"What happened?" the gray-and-black she-cat exclaimed.

"Stay away from the grass!" That was the unusually spotted golden tom. "A snake bit him. He's dead."

Pine blinked, uncomprehending. He didn't know what "dead" meant. Vulture wasn't moving. Had he fallen asleep? Did "dead" mean "sleeping"? But snakes were dangerous! Were they dangerous because they made cats fall asleep? That might be useful, actually. Tawny had trouble sleeping. Pine frowned. Then how were they dangerous?

"Where's the other kit?" The pale ginger tabby finally spoke up, her head whipping from side to side.

"The cave?" the gray-and-black she-cat guessed.

Pine wasn't sure what to do. Should he hide? These cats also seemed aggressive. But they'd chased off the mean cats. Surely that meant they were good.

He decided to show himself. "Here!" he squeaked, struggling out of his soft nest and rushing toward them. The sunlight felt nice and warm after the cold cave.

The cats' eyes softened. The golden tom bent down. "Hello there, little one. Don't worry. You're safe now."

"The bad cats are gone," the gray-and-black she-cat added.

Pine grinned. "Thank you!" He looked around. "Where's my fam-ly?" He still couldn't see them. The cats were blocking his view. He tried to move around them, but the pale ginger she-cat swiftly bent down and picked him up.

"Hey!" Pine's paws began to flail. "Where? Where?"

The cats were silent for a moment. Pine started to mew again, but the golden tom cut him off. "They're sleeping. For now, you'll come with us, where it's safe."

Pine nodded. His worry melted away to be replaced by excitement. A new place! He was gonna explore!

"Who are you?" he mewed.

The pale ginger tabby began walking away while the other cats answered.

"My name is Sunleopard. I'm a ThunderClan warrior," the spotted golden tom meowed.

"I'm Robinpatch, and the cat carrying you is Flickerheart," the white, brown, and orange tabby added.

"What's... Thunder... Clan?" Pine struggled to say the big word. So many new things!

"ThunderClan is great! I'm Stormyskies, by the way," the gray-and-black she-cat declared. "You'll get to meet so many new cats!"

Pine giggled. "Yay!"

The ThunderClan cats exchanged glances, but Pine hardly noticed - nor did he look behind him. If he did, he might've noticed the still bodies of the cats he had known as his family, bathed in their own blood. But he wouldn't have realized what the ThunderClan cats knew. Besides, his gaze was too fixed on the horizon for him to look back.

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

Bump!

[Wingnettle]

Settings: Riverclan camp
Plot Points: Starrykit has a trauma about blood. When she's given the first land prey, she loses her mind and flees to the small river in camp. She hides in the reeds, and after some hours wanders around there. She finds our small fish and small shrimp - and discovers that they don't really bleed like land prey, so she starts eating. Other kits think she's weird cause she always stays alone and catches her prey. Some bully her. She finds shells to decorate her nests with, an when she goes to sleep, she's saatisfied of her day. The story ends with her dreaming Mistyshard leaving her and Elderkit disappearing in the sky - a cursed place - cause she was grabbed and killed by a hawk. I know it looks long, but everything should be written as shortly as possible. Anyway, please warn me if I need to delete some things!
KK You Have/KK You're Willing to Pay: 21.000 - so I'm willing to pay around... 5000-6000kk?
Other: Please use the italic for the character's thoughts and bold for the spoken texts!
Mention Me: @TheNyanCatMinecart

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

@Wingnettle

Accepted! Why does she have trauma about blood? + I'll price it at 6000 KK since it's on the longer side! Please pay the first half of the KK when you can The story should hopefully be finished in a few days