The power that I heard in his voice was scary. The little black and white tom stared at me. His cold blue eyes filled of hatred, he stared at the kits. Two of them looked just like their father. One looked just like me and one looked just like him. He was mad that I could fall for his enemy. The cat who single handedly almost destroyed DarkClan, Thistlestar. I had fallen in love with him and as I carried our kits he showed his true self. Taking the rank of deputy he led to many battles, he also made us get rid of the sick and injured. I hated him from that point on but couldn't help loving all four of my kits. But my brother the new leader of DarkClan, Shadowstar hated how much Juniperkit and Hazelkit looked like him.
"I'm telling you," he always pointed out. "Hazelkit is going to turn out like Thistlestar." I always fought for my kits. Now that their eyes were open they had to carry the burden for themselves. And the problems that most of the clan didn't even want them. I had given them a choice. They could keep me and my kits, or lose us. I didn't mind leaving I had family in 2 of the other clans. They chose to leave me be and raise them here. So I had tried my best to keep them safe. And know they had to try for themselves. I still held scars from their father's treachery. And none of my kits will turn out like that. A cold, hated filled traitor. But the wont even know my mother. Brindleface was killed in an attempt to make Shadowstar then Shadownight bow to him. He had succeeded but that made the clan over through him. When we exiled him two of his followers, Snakepaw his apprentice. Also Gorsepelt left with him, promising there vengeance on us.
I startled, the lichen hanging over the entrance to the nursery swished. In stepped Halftail, the pure white she cat was followed by her kits. They were 5 moons old and had been outside most of the day.
"Sorry did I scare you?" she asked settling in her nest. I shook my head, she didn't scare me. The thought that it might have been Thistlestar made my fur crawl. I was the one who had spoken up about his cruelty. And he promised he would kill my loved ones before he killed me. I was guarded, most of the time. The only cats who could see me were Lizardscale, my father. Shadowstar and my sister Rabbitleaf, the deputy Hawkclaw, and the medicine cat Blossomnose. I slipped out of my nest, shaking my long silver fur and walking towards the entrance.
As I emerged I was startled by the sight. Blood was splattering everything, warriors I've never seen before were fighting my clan. Shadowstar laid outside his den, blood gushed out of his throat. Rabbitleaf was being sliced open by a huge brown tiger like cat. My father was lying against the far rock wall, his eyes glazed over and laying in a pool of blood. Then my worse fear, the battling cats opened to show Thistlestar. He was crouched over four small bodies. Juniperkit was dead, Sparrowkit's tiny flanked heaved for breath. Tinykit's black silky fur was stiffened by dried blood. And Hazelkit was still dangling from his father's jaws. His white paws thrashed the air.
"Mother help me please!" he shrieked then cut off. Thistlestar clamped shut his jaws; my kit went limp and fell like fresh kill. Anger bubbled in my stomach, the only thing greater was the urge to rip out Thistlestar's throat. He shot forward and pinned me down. One huge white paw was placed, claws unsheathed, on my throat. Another paw full of sharp spikes poked my stomach.
"NO!" I screamed. Thrashing my legs I jolted awake. My bedding was everywhere and my kits were nowhere to be seen. I heard Tinykit's playful squeal and felt my heart beat again. Controlling myself I walked toward the entrance of the nursery. My kits were tumbling over each other, Hazelkit was wrestling with Juniperkit. My other son Sparrowkit and my other daughter Tinykit were talking in hushed whispers. I walked over to Halftail here two kits were walking around the camp like warriors. Their tails were held high and their heads were proud.
"Wow my kits are snobs already do you remembers being like that Breezewhisper?" the white she-cats eyes were full of remembering. But I to remember us being kits in the nursery.
"No that was you and…" I didn't know if she would like what I was going to say. I didn't know if she would want me to bring him up.
"It is ok I am not ashamed of being Thistlestar's sister," she spoke with great dignity. "I am proud of the cat he was before, the great warrior and trusted deputy." She still loved him! She wasn't afraid of him. I knew he couldn't hurt his little sister. But she had to live with the burden Hazelkit did. The burden of being entrusted because of what their kin did. "I remember you and Rabbitleaf," she smiled. "You were both gossiping little kits, you needed to be in everyone else's business." Her small white tail twitched a little.
"And Shadowstar was the loner," I laughed. Then a surprised squeak caught my ear. I sun around, afraid that someone had gotten in. But saw that the squeak came from Sparrowkit. He was lying underneath his big brothers gray and white fur. Tinykit was hitting him but her small paws didn't do anything to the big tom. I didn't know why but Hazelkit was bigger than any other kits I've seen. The other kittens were smaller, even Halftail's two kits that were 2 months older than them. His pelt and eyes were just like his father. Luckily Juniperkit his identical twin had my yellowish green eyes. And she was nicer then Hazelkit. He was mean and rude and he got in everyone's way. The whole clearing then turned into a frenzy of stories about when Thistlestar attacked like that. O quickly ran and seized my kit carrying him into the nursery. His words of protest were the usual, but they somehow stung more.
"Do you know who your father was?" I blurted out when I dropped him in my nest. He looked at me, eyes questioning, and nodded. "Well then you know how savage he was," I went on. Anger pulsing through me and I couldn't stop hurting my kit. "Well he attacked just like that when…" I trailed off. That horrible memory had been held in the back of my mind.
"When he did what mother?" Hazelkit's blue eyes burned. I shoved my face down by his ear. If I was going to say it, no one else would here.
"He attacked like that when he killed my mother." Hazelkit fell back. It was like he couldn't let himself believe the blood thirsty stories. He looked stunned but stumbled out of the nursery. His little paws looked heavy; as I followed I couldn't believe what happened next. He was running full sprint to the entrance. His body looked like an apprentice as his bolted. When he disappeared into the thorn tunnel. He broke out on the other side and a huge screech split the air. I sprinted as fast as possible out of the camp. My kits body lay right outside the entrance. I looked after the bloody paw prints and saw Snakepaw. His patchy gray fur showed that he was unnourished. But he still killed my kit, how did he get so far into the border? I was stunned when Gorsepelt walked into sight.
"This was Thistlestar's idea," he spoke. It was like he was trying to make me give him some respect.
"You just killed his kit!" I yowled the words so everyone could hear. "You just ruined his life," I was furious. I started to walk up the rise. "I will get him, and you two flea bitten savages!" I screeched then turned to see my brother. His long black fur puffed out. His ears were back and he looked flipping.
"Get them out of my territory," he flicked his tail at Pineeye and his apprentice. "You two better not come back," he looked at me. "I don't think I could stop her from ripping off your fur," they fell in behind the two other cats. Casting looks back at me; I turned and walked back to my dead kit. I couldn't bear to look at him. He was just another Thistlestar and I couldn't bare touch the dead body.
"Just burry him," I murmured and walked away. I could feel the disbelieving eyes burning into my back. I just kept walking into the forest, listening to the sounds I haven't heard since my kits were born. Birds called and mice moved in the underbrush. The sight of one made my instincts kick in. I dropped to a crouch. Waggling my haunches I stalked forward. The brown body didn't move, just stayed there. I stopped moving forward and stood up. The mouse was laying down; I flicked my tail at a dead branch. It fell to the ground with a crack, still no movement. I took another step forward, which was when I saw it. This mouse was bleeding from the neck. I turned and ran straight into a clump of fur. My heart stopped, the white stomach of a familiar cat was in my way. I looked down; gray paws were on top of the thin grass. A white tail with gray strips trailed behind a white body. Gray circles around this cats eyes made me freeze. I fell backwards, this capable to take my life. He wouldn't stop even if I begged. His eyes were cold and his claws scrapped the earth.
"I never told them to kill our kit," he spoke in such a gentle voice. I knew he was lying why else would his two warriors kill a kit. "I told them to kill a cat, but I never said specific. I want one of our kits," his voice suddenly turned cold. His eyes filled with greed. "I am prepared to take them," he flicked his tail. Cats walked out of the ferns. They were muscular and battle scared. I knew this would be the end of my life. I bowed my head; he let out a meow of laughter. My head shot up I felt angry race trough my body.
"If you want one of MY kits," I licked an unsheathed paw. "You will have to kill me for them!" I hissed in deviance. The only kit that would go with him was dead.