Drip. Drip. Drip.
The constant noise of the water dripping from the roof of the cave was bugging Palekit as she sat in the quiet camp, pawing at the dirt ground.
I want to do something, she thought, rolling on the ground. She decided she would get up to distract herself from the drip, drip, drip. Her blind eyes darted around the cave as she began to stand on her wobbly kit legs. She could navigate the cave well enough without having to be guided; she had been practicing for a while. She decided that she would go find her father. She knew that Timberstrike was a big brown tom with an important place in the Clan, the deputy. She wasn't exactly sure what brown looked like, though, but she could guess. So she began to find the scent of Timberstrike among the web of confusing smells of the other members of CaveClan.
She pinpointed the smell of stone and slight woodiness that was distinct to her father, and traced it towards the edge of camp, and then...
Outside of camp! She got a sudden thrill as she realized that she was going out of camp. She hadn't been there just yet. So she crouched down and began to creep forward, and smelled the scent of Timberstrike. She was about to stand and announce her presence, until another scent washed over her nose.
Deerfoot! She thought, pulling back. Thankfully, the wind was blowing towards Palekit's direction and her parent's would not scent her. She wasn't particularly liked by her mother, a fact that had always stung her more than a wasp. So she kept still and listened.
"You can't just shun your daughter, Deerfoot!" she heard the angered mew of her father, and flinched. They were talking about her.
"My kittens – your kittens, our kittens – deserve to be perfect!" she heard Deerfoot's shrill retort. "Palekit is blind! She isn't..."
"Isn't what?" Timberstrike demanded. "Palekit will learn how to hunt and fight, you'll see! You just have to be patient with her."
"She isn't... right!" Deerfoot snapped, lashing her tail. "Blindness is something that makes a cat worth less than the others. They can't do things. Palekit will end up being a medicine cat."
"She will be a warrior, you heartless queen!" Timberstrike spat. "You can't blame her for being sightless."
Palekit heard Deerfoot sigh. "You don't understand, do you?" the she-cat sneered. "She will never amount to anything! Palekit will end up being forgotten and worthless! Driftkit and the others will be remembered as great warriors, but Palekit will just be their sister, who was blind and amounted to nothing!"
Timberstrike got face-to-face with his mate so their muzzles were touching and they were staring into each others eyes. The CaveClan deputy bared his teeth. "Is that all you care about? Them being great? You don't give a rabbit-ear about who they are, or them, but what they may be. You cannot simply ignore Palekit, Deerfoot," he growled, and Palekit heard claws digging into the ground. "Whether you like it or not, she is your daughter, and always will be."
"I'll... I'll cast her out of my nest!" Deerfoot threatened, and Palekit caught her breath. She realized she shouldn't have heard this conversation. This would haunt her for the rest of her memory.
"You can't," Timberstrike spat, his voice rising. "As the deputy of this Clan, I forbid you!"
Deerfoot bristled. "Fine," she hissed. "But don't expect me to just... just..."
"Just what?" Timberstrike snapped. "Feed her? Protect her? Raise her?!"
"No," Deerfoot snarled. "Nevermind, Timberstrike. Just stay away from me." The brown she-cat stood and turned around. Palekit darted around a corner, her whisker's quivering as her mother stalked back to the nursery.
Drip, drip, drip.
The sound of water dripping was now comforting to Palekit, distracting her from her woes. Her mother practically hated her, and was willing to cast her from her litter. She felt like she was drowning in sorrow.
I'm sorry for being blind, momma, Palekit thought despairingly. I'll try to be a warrior! I promise!
But nothing that she could think of would be able to change Deerfoot's mind. She had caused a huge rift between her parents, and she didn't know that it would heal at all.