Living a Lie Book One: Ignorance is Bliss

by The Unheard Song

Once upon a time, three little kits were found in a bush with no mother. Once upon a time, a queen lay grooming her four kits, unaware that most of them were once loners. Once upon a time, the kits grew up believing they were Clanborn. But things won't be peachy forever. Two cats know the truth, a secret that can rip the Clan apart. Ignorance is bliss, my friends. COMPLETE.

1. Prologue & Allegiances

Hey guys! I know this account has been pretty inactive for like 2 years now. I feel really bad and I'm sorry to say that I won't be completing either of the series I had, Untold Secrets or Heart of Fire: Pool of Cinders. I'll be leaving them up since a lot of y'all like them and I hate when authors delete stories I like. Anywho! I have been super busy with school, choir, school, and just life in general. Ya know. So there's a plot that I've been working on for a while and I'm quite excited about it. So here're the prologue and allegiances!

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PROLOGUE

Night was just settling over the forest. It was the middle of green-leaf, and nighttime was the only relief from the sun's intense heat.

The forest was completely still. A black tom was lying beneath an oak tree, his paws tucked under his chest, his eyes half-closed in either contentment or thought. A gray tabby she-cat was asleep next to him, four tiny kits nestled at the crook of her belly suckling. There were two black kits, a tom and a she-cat, and two gray kits, also one tom and one she-cat, all of whom couldn't be more than a few days old.

The snapping of a twig in the undergrowth nearby startled the two cats; the queen raised her head and the tom's ears twitched, his eyes sweeping across the dark forest. A gentle downwind breeze swayed the grass, carrying the scent of cats. It wasn't the scent of Clan cats that they had grown used to. Oh, no, it was an all-too-familiar scent of cats, cats that brought blood and fear and death. Cats that, frankly, this tom and his queen had been running from for quite some time now, and cats in which they thought they'd lost in the mountains. Cats that were out for the couple, and now their kits.

"Velvet," the black tom murmured. The gray tabby she-cat rose to her paws, blue eyes wide with fear. Her kits squealed in protest as they were forced to stop suckling.

A tortoiseshell she-cat and a smoky black tom appeared from the bushes. "Thorn. Did you smell that?"

The black tom jumped and spun around, but let his fur lie flat when he saw the two cats in the undergrowth. "Oh. Nutmeg, Coal, it's just you. I know."

"Thorn," Velvet mewed, her voice tight with worry, "what are we going to do? How did they find us here? I thought we were safe, but…they've found us again."

Thorn glanced at his mate and then responded, "Run. You and Nutmeg. Take the kits and run."

"And leave you and Coal to fend for yourselves?" Velvet's eyes widened. Thorn nuzzled her and then gave her a sharp nudge with his nose. "Go. And hurry!"

Nutmeg, the tortoiseshell she-cat, grabbed two of the tiny kits, the two she-cats, and beckoned Velvet with her tail. As if on cue, a massive dark tabby tom leapt out of the undergrowth and bowled into Thorn, hissing and spitting.

Nutmeg spun around and darted into the trees frantically. Another cat, a black and white tom that matched the dark tabby in size, lunged at Velvet's kits, slashing at them with powerful claws. Velvet screeched and dove for them, snatching them into her mouth and scrambling away. The black and white tom attempted to follow her, only to be attacked by Coal.

The dark tabby tom lifted his head, grinning. Beneath him, blood was flowing freely from Thorn's neck, and his blue eyes were glazed over. He was dead. The tom tasted the air and dashed after Velvet, tearing through the trees like a hungry tiger. Velvet's scent trail led him out of the forest. He cleared the stream in one leap and found himself once again surrounded by trees.

Finally he found her. The two tom kits she'd been carrying were gone, but he figured he'd killed both of them already. All he wanted now was Velvet dead. And after a few heartbeats and swipes of his claws, he got his wish. She fell to the ground, blood seeping into the earth.

Swinging his head around, he tasted the air. Now for Nutmeg. He caught a trace of her scent, and plunged into the undergrowth.

Panting, Nutmeg crawled into a bush and placed the two tiny she-cats onto the ground. They were shaken, but unharmed. She knew that Claw had most likely gotten to Velvet, and that he was coming for her and the kits next. Fortunately, the scents of the Clan cats filled the air and covered her trail a bit, since she was so close to their camp.

Nutmeg knew what she had to do. Once Claw found herself, it would lead him right into the bush…and straight to the kits. She stepped out into the open, bracing herself.

A sudden, helpless squeak startled her. Sniffing, Nutmeg skirted a clump of bracken and pushed her muzzle into a bush. Sure enough, Velvet's other two kits were lying there.

The smell of blood made Nutmeg's belly lurch. She pulled both tom kits out of the bush and felt tears well in her eyes. The black tom kit was covered in blood and completely limp. However, the gray tom was only bleeding from his forehead. Nutmeg quickly buried the black kit, licked the wound on the live kit, and carried him to his sisters in the bush. Desperate to cover their scent, Nutmeg found a clump of tansy and surrounded the kits with the strong-smelling herb.

Nutmeg didn't even hear him coming, but when she felt claws pierce her neck, she allowed him to finish her. And as he killed her, she cried. She cried for Thorn and Velvet, for they would never be able to see their kits grow up. She cried for her mate Coal, for hopefully she would get to see him again. She cried for the little black tom, who had only been allowed to live for a few days. But more than anything, she cried in fear that the three kits would be found, and all attempts to keep them safe would have been in vain.

And as Nutmeg died, a single tear trailed gently down her face.

xxx

"So we've already found the poppy seeds, borage, and lavender, correct?" A golden-brown tabby tom pushed his way through the undergrowth. A smaller gray tabby tom followed him, nodding. "Now all we need is some tansy. Mousefoot reported to me that he scented some over here yesterday." He motioned with his muzzle.

The cats squeezed their way out of the undergrowth and around a clump of bracken. The gray tom blinked in surprise. "Mousefoot said it was right here…"

"I smell it," the golden-brown tom meowed, tasting the air. His muzzle to the ground, he padded past the bracken and towards a cluster of bushes. The gray tom bounded after him. "Tansy, in a bush? Are you sure, Grasswave?"

The golden tom, Grasswave, nodded. "Come here, Pebblepaw, and help me get some." He pawed through the bush, searchin for the little yellow flowers. He suddenly gasped.

Pebblepaw craned his neck, trying to see past Grasswave's shoulder. "What is it?"

"Come see," Grasswave murmured, pushing the leaves away and revealing the tansy. Pebblepaw stepped around the older tom and widened his eyes. There amongst the tansy were three tiny kits bundled together, all asleep.

Pebblepaw glanced up at Grasswave. "What are we going to do? They can't be but a few days old."

Grasswave stared at them, shaking his head. "I don't know. Perhaps they belong to a loner. I smell another cat's scent here."

Pebblepaw disappeared into the undergrowth and suddenly called out in a shaky voice, "Grasswave, I think you should see this."

Grasswave dashed over to his apprentice. A she-cat with a tortoiseshell pelt was lying dead on the ground, her fur spiked with blood and huge gashes on her neck. He shivered and padded up to the body. Its scent matched the one he'd picked up around the kits in the bush. "I suppose this was their mother," Pebblepaw murmured, sounding sorrowful. "Do you think Smokestar would allow them into the Clan?"

Grasswave sighed. "Honestly, no." Leaving the she-cat's body there, he padded back over to the kits. After a short silence, he meowed, "We're just going to have to sneak them in."

xxx

"Just push, Willowbreeze, you're doing great," Grasswave mewed. "All right, here comes the first kit." A dark gray kit slipped into the moss and Pebblepaw began to lick it. "A she-cat," he announced between licks.

Willowbreeze gave a screech and her body convulsed as the last kit, a gray tom, was born. He was much smaller than his sister. Grasswave noticed that the poppy seeds that he'd given Willowbreeze were starting to take effect. Her eyelids were drooping and she could barely keep her head up.

As Grasswave licked the little gray kit, he nodded to Pebblepaw. The gray apprentice turned and dragged a ball of moss over to Willowbreeze. Tucked inside were the three loner kits. He placed them, one by one, at Willowbreeze's belly. The gray queen now appeared to be asleep, and Pebblepaw suddenly felt guilty. Willowbreeze would believe that these kits were hers. He quickly shook the guilt away. He was saving three little lives, and, not only that, he was contributing to the Clan.

Grasswave placed Willowbreeze's real kits at their mother's belly and smiled down at the five bundles of fur. "Welcome to ThunderClan, little ones."

xxx

ALLEGIANCES

THUNDERCLAN

Leader: Smokestar- dark gray tom with thick fur and blue eyes.

Deputy: Brackenclaw- golden-brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

Medicine Cat: Grasswave- old golden-brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

Apprentice, Pebblefur

Warriors: (toms and she-cats without kits)

Dustclaw- large pale gray tom with green eyes.

Snowstorm- large white tom with dark blue eyes.

Apprentice, Rainpaw

Splashfur- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes.

Apprentice, Poppypaw

Robinwing- brown tabby she-cat with a white belly and chest.

Mousefoot- gray tabby tom with blue eyes.

Graystream- gray she-cat with dark blue eyes.

Larchwing- tabby she-cat with green eyes.

Apprentice, Stormpaw

Oakfoot- longlegged brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

Apprentice, Fogpaw

Ripplewind- dark gray tabby tom with blue eyes.

Flamefeather- dark ginger tom with green eyes.

Applefrost- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes.

Berrywhisker- cream-colored she-cat with pale green eyes.

Apprentices: (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors or medicine cat)

Pebblefur- gray tabby tom with blue eyes.

Rainpaw- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes.

Poppypaw- tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes.

Stormpaw- dark gray tom with blue eyes.

Fogpaw- dark gray tom with dark blue eyes.

Queens: (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Flowerpetal- ginger she-cat with green eyes; mother of Flamefeather's kits: Blazekit and Emberkit.

Willowbreeze- pale gray she-cat with green eyes; mother of Smokestar's kits: Shadekit, Nightkit, Streamkit, and Hawkkit.

Mistysong- silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes; mother of Mousefoot's kits: Minnowkit and Mallowkit.

Quailfeather- brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes; mother of Brackenclaw's unborn kits.

Kits: (less than six moons old)

Blazekit- dark ginger tom with green eyes.

Emberkit- dark ginger she-cat with blue eyes.

Shadekit- dark gray she-cat with blue eyes.

Nightkit- black she-cat with white paws.

Streamkit- gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes.

Hawkkit- large gray tom with ice-blue eyes.

Minnowkit- silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes.

Mallowkit- gray tabby tom with green eyes.

Elders: (former warriors and queens, now retired)

Sharpclaw- ginger tom with amber eyes.

Wingfeather- longhaired white-gray she-cat with blue eyes.

Ferntail- dark brown tabby tom with a short tail and green eyes.

SHADOWCLAN

Leader: Brindlestar- brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes.

Deputy: Eaglefeather- large pale gray tom with dark blue eyes.

Apprentice, Cloudpaw

Medicine Cat: Clovergaze- light brown she-cat with white paws and green eyes.

WINDCLAN

Leader: Tawnystar- tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes.

Deputy:Sleetfur- small white tom with blue eyes.

Medicine Cat: Duskshadow- dark tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes.

Apprentice, Seedpaw

RIVERCLAN

Leader: Swiftstar- black and white tom with dark blue eyes.

Deputy: Dawncloud- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes.

Medicine Cat: Rushingstream- blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes.

CATS OUTSIDE THE CLANS

Riddle- black and silver tom with blue eyes.

Claw- large dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes.

Talon- large black and white tom with amber eyes.

xxx

So, guys, there you have it. There may be more cats outside the Clans, but I don't know yet. I kind of make up the story and characters as I go along. And I know the prologue is really long, but every bit is important. I like it and I hope you guys do, too. Thanks for reading and have an awesome day!